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Include Recipes With Your Genealogy ResearchWhen Mom died I didn't find her apple pie recipe, it's gone forever. I decided to gather family favorite recipes and put them in the "More Notes" in the genealogy we're working on. That way the kids, grandkids will have a place to look for their childhood favorites.

 

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Keeping a Little Drinking Cup HandyI always keep a ziplock bag in my purse with a small mouthwash top, the little cup that comes on the mouthwash, to use for my kids when they want a drink from a public water fountain. Be sure to let the water run a little first before filling up the cup.

 

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Keeping in Touch with the Relatives With Video and Audio RecordingsWe live a long distance from most of our relatives and one thing they appreciated most from us was the times when we would either video record the children or else record their voices on a tape and send it to them.

 

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Grandparenting TimeMy daughter-in-law has a new 4 week old baby and a 6 year old not yet in school. I offered 2-3 hours of my day to come out and spend time with the kids so she could do something she needed to do, whether it be showering, running an errand or just getting some extra naptime. She knows now she'll get some time for those things and I get bonding time with the kids.

 

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Friends and Family Mailing ListsConsider setting up an email discussion list to help stay in touch with friends and family. Assuming your family members are computer literate, it can be a great way to post announcements and stay in touch with family members all over the world.

 

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Instruction Manual for the FamilyI have created an "Instruction Manual" for our family. I purchased a three-ring binder. The cover I created says, "The Smith's Instruction Manual".

 

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Preserving Family HistoryI was fortunate enough to know both of my great-grandmothers, but within the past 13 years, both of them passed on, along with my maternal grandparents. My paternal grandma is currently terminally ill and in the hospital. I was a history major in college, and had always planned on talking to my grandparents and asking them about their lives and my ancestors...

 

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Enthusiasm QuoteThere is a quote I once heard (Don't know who said it) and I saved it for years. I found it to be very helpful and inspiring: "If you can give your son or daughter only one gift, let it be enthusiasm!"

 

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Family Notes To Read At The HolidaysWe, as a family, write out a note on what and why it is that we appreciate each other, separating each reason why with the next family member's name, until all in the family are written out on the paper.

 

Family Gatherings, Family Tree

Family Gatherings, Family TreeOnce I attended a family reunion which wasn't as entertaining as it promised to be. Sitting with my aunt and my mother-in-law we found that we spent most of the early afternoon figuring out how everyone was related to us.

 

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Making Memories With GrandchildrenIsn't it amazing that God gives us a second chance to make up for the little things we missed out on, or took for granted when we were raising our children? And He does it through this wonderful miracle of life we call Grandchildren!

 

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Power Of Attorney For Elderly ParentI strongly suggest if you have a parent still living that they make you power of attorney over them, in case something happens to them where they might have to wind up in the nursing home.

 

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A Birthday SurpriseWhen I turned the big 5-0, my sister did something for my birthday that was very exciting. For this occasion, I received a large box in the mail. When I opened the box, I found not one or two large gifts, but rather 50, yes 50, much smaller, wrapped gifts.

 

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Updates on Your Answering MachineWhen my husband underwent open-heart surgery in an out-of-town hospital, many friends and family were anxious to receive updates on his condition. Since I was staying at a hotel near the hospital, there was nobody at home to answer the phone.

 

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Grandma's Cookie Jar PoemGrandma's Cookie Jar - When I went to visit Grandma . . .

 

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Use Shaving Cream When Taking Tombstone PhotosMy Dad, is on a genealogy kick. He's been going to a lot of old cemeteries, documenting old dates and info for births, deaths, marriages, number of children, etc. One problem he kept having was the dates not coming through on his camera, since the older tombstones turn dark with dirt, mold, etc. Now he carries a can of spray foam men's shaving cream with him, just for this very purpose.

 

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Protecting a Mattress from Adult IncontinenceMy elderly father occasionally has an "accident" during the night. I have placed a quilted waterproof pad on top of the bottom sheet. If the bed is accidentally soiled during the night, all he does is toss the pad.

 

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Make Your Own Medicinal Chafing PowderDiaper creams are expensive and hard to apply and talcum powder is not advisable due to problems with breathing it. Make your own medicinal powder with cornstarch and zinc oxide powder.

 

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Share Your Family MemoriesThis isn't really a tip but rather a hopeful 'ThriftyFun Family Shares Memories' idea. There was just a tip posted for how to keep your shoelaces tied and it brought back memories of when I was first learning to tie my own shoes (over fifty years ago).

 

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Use Rolodex for Genealogy ResearchUse a Rolodex for organizing family history or genealogy. Each card will have one ancestor on it, with the basic information listed to save time when doing a search. This idea also works for quick reference for doctors, attorneys and address with billing info on them.

 

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Be Flexible with Holiday Celebration DatesMy three girls and I work in Nursing and the other daughter works retail. We don't ever count on being off on holidays. With the holidays, comes all the family and the buying of groceries and preparations for the big feast at Thanksgiving.

 

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Making Guests Feel WelcomeHave family coming to stay overnight that you haven't seen for a while? Gather a few photos and make a collage from them or copy them and put them in an inexpensive photo album.

 

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Program ICE Numbers in Parent's PhonesBy now you may all know about programming "ICE" in your cell phones, but have you also done something similar for your elderly parents?

 

Caring for an Aging ParentI do not regret one moment of moving my mom in with me and having her last few years with me. I agree some times were very hard dealing with her Alzheimer's disease, however, family and friends can give you the breaks you need.

 

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Display Photos of Your Parents When They Were YoungerWherever your parent is living, prominently display framed photographs of him or her in younger days. Exhibit the parent looking glamorous, receiving professional recognition and achieving success in sporting events.

 

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Caring For an Aging ParentI took care of my mother until she passed on and now I have the privilege of helping my father. My parents were always of the mindset to be prepared and it rubbed off on me, I suppose. They always took such good care of us growing up, so for me it was a no-brainer to take care of them.

 

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Have Friends and Family Check On Older ParentMy mother lives in our home and has several health issues. I ask friends or relatives to call and chat with her. This helps her feel valuable. At the same time it allows others to check on her status several times a day, while I am at work.

 

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Our Family ReunionOur family has been having a reunion on a yearly basis. We have between 40 and 50 people attending. Every year for the reunion, we decide what foods we are going to have, and then it is easy to let everyone know what to bring.

 

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Helping the Elderly with ComputersThrough experience, I have found that the best way to have the elderly or special needs people learn a computer is to start them on playing solitaire. They are then able to get use to the movements of the mouse and the drop down menu functions.

 

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Making Family Time CapsulesHere is my "fun project" for the entire family. I find this to be great fun, we have done this 3 or 4 times. If I am doing any sort of remodeling where we have to open a wall, I always put a "time capsule" in the wall before closing it up again.

 

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Planning a Memorial ServiceRemember that everyone grieves differently, and be gentle with each other! If your loved one was affiliated with a church, temple, lodge, or whatever, talk to them to see if they have a bereavement committee who can assist you.

 

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Use the Internet to Find Lost RelativesI found my siblings by googling my maiden name. Two of them had gone onto Facecook and came up in a search I did with Google. Since I have a very rare maiden name, that made it easy.

 

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The Importance of JournalingHaving lived many years and raising 9 children, I realize that I have forgotten so many things. If I had just had a weekly journal, it would be so much easier for me to remember things that happened and would be invaluable to my children and grandchildren, etc.

 

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Sorting Out Who Is Related In A CommunityI live in a small community, one third of the people are family and a lot of these do not know who is really related.

 

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Be Your Own HouseguestWhen our children and grands are visiting, we give up our bedroom for them and we sleep on a comfortable queen-size air mattress somewhere else. I pack myself a suitcase of everything I need while they are here - all the clothes, jewelry, and shoes.

 

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Relationship Advice for Mothers and Daughters-in-LawIf you have differences, first try to work them out between the two of you. Don't put the son/husband in the middle. Most mother-in-law/daughter-in-law bickering boil down to jealousy of each others time with the son/husband. don't create scenes in front of the family especially the grand kids.

 

A sepia photograph of a young boy with a metal tub outside.

Please, Share Your MemoriesYes, it was wash day, again. The clothes were boiled in water heated in a cast iron wash pot above a roaring fire. Then they were scrubbed on a scrub board, using lots of home made lye soap. Or, if you could afford it, store bought Octagon Soap.

 

A cat sleeping on a quilt.

Holidays Away From HomeWhen my son moved across the country, traveling back home each holiday became too expensive so we devised one solution that especially got us through his first Thanksgiving away. We set up our laptop on the table while we all ate our meal together on Skype with him and his significant other.

 

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Finding My SisterAfter the death of my dad, my mother invited me over for dinner, it was then she told me the story of how I was adopted and how they couldn't adopt my sister too because they had only planned to have one child, so they left my sister behind.

 

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Life of a Sighted Care GiverI enjoyed sharing Ms Cordell's article's concerning the blind with my blind man. The other side of the coin is the care giver. I have been one for 17 years. Oh my what a re-teaching on my perspective of sight.

 

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