| 2012 Calendar
Date Host Presenter
Jan 8 Dee
Mar 4 Juliette Juliette McD
May 6 Michele
July 8 Cheri
Sept 9 Sandra
Nov 4 Diane
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2011 Program
November 6 Dr. Ruth O'Hara, research professor at Stanford School of Medicine, will discuss some of her work on sleep disorders in women and the implications for our physical and mental health. She'll give us some suggestions for improving our sleep.
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Asparagus Cheese Tart
Carol T. brought this beautiful tart to our September 18 meeting and we all wanted the recipe. It's so easy you could make it with your grandchildren.
1 Trader Joe's Gourmet Pie Crust
Teleme Cheese, thinly sliced
Asparagus
Olive Oil
1. Press piecrust into tart pan.
2. Bake about 10 minutes at 425 degrees.
3. Remove from the oven and place thinly sliced cheese on top.
4. Cut asparagus into 3 1/2 inch pieces and toss with 1/2 tsp. olive oil.
5. Place the asparagus on top of the cheese in spokes or your own design.
6. Bake for 15 minutes until cheese melts.
7. Remove and sprinkle with pepper.
8. Slice into wedges.
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Donne's Radio Interview
In August I was interviewed by Dr. Lynne Kenney, a pediatric psychologist in Scottsdale, AZ. We talked about the important role grandparents play in our grandchildren's lives.
Listen to my interview. |
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Greetings!
At our September 18 meeting we heard a new perspective on the nature vs. nurture debate from our speaker, nurse Rona Renner. Previous theories believed that children were born with a "blank slate" and parents were responsible for shaping their behavior.
In the 1990s, Dr. James Cameron, a psychologist at Oakland's Kaiser Permanente Hospital, began teaching classes on "inborn temperament" as an essential way of understanding a child's behavior.
Rona was trained as a Temperament Specialist in Kaiser's program and has been helping parents adjust their approach to parenting in light of their children's individual style.
Understanding a child's temperament can help us step back and see our grandchild's unique style more clearly. In our discussion we got a chance to look at different personality traits in our grandchildren and see how they affect the way we interact with them. We began to understand that traits such as adaptability, sensitivity, and persistence influence how we relate to a child.
As one GaGa wrote, "Rona was able to create a sense of intimacy and connectedness among our large group of grandmas that enabled us to share some of the challenges we sometimes face in relating to our grandchildren."
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Rona Renner, RN, Temperament Specialist
Rona Renner has been a nurse for 45 years. She has four adult children and two grandchildren. In the 1990s she taught classes at the Kaiser Richmond Medical Center on temperament, discipline, cultural differences in parenting, setting limits, and respectful communication.
Parents from different backgrounds attended. Some were sent by Child Protective Services because of child abuse or neglect issues and others came out of a desire to learn more about raising children. During one class, a father who'd been very quiet raised his hand and said he finally understood why he shouldn't hurt his child any more.
Rona said she felt as if an angel had tapped her on the shoulder and told her "You've got to find a way for other parents to hear this story."
It took her about ten years to figure out she wanted her own radio show to inform and inspire parents with tools to help them. In 2002 she launched Childhood Matters, a live one-hour weekly call-in radio show on 98.1 KISS-FM in the San Francisco Bay Area. You can listen to her show on Sunday mornings from 7 - 8 am.
Rona also does a weekly 10-minute podcast with Dr. Christine Carter offering tips to busy parents for raising happy children and leading more joyful lives. You can listen to their Happiness Matters podcasts by clicking on this link.
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Temperament Helps Understand Behavior
Is your grandchild growing up to be very different than you expected? Do you sometimes wonder where your granddaughter learned to be so outspoken and strong willed, or your grandson so quiet and reserved? Understanding a child's temperament can help you step back and see his or her unique style more clearly.
"Temperament" is a person's first and most natural way of responding. It's the way they tend to be and move in the world. Just as some babies are born with a lot of hair and others with little or no hair, some children are high energy right from birth and may want to interact with you all the time, while others are happy to play quietly in their crib while you make dinner. Children come into the world with a style all their own. Read more ...
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GRAND Magazine's Grandparents of the Year
GRAND Magazine has announced this year's winners and 10 finalists of their 2011 GRANDparent of the Year contest.
Drum roll please ...
Mike and Nancy Conley are the 2011 GRANDparents of the Year.
GRAND also chose ten finalists and I'm thrilled to announce that my nomination, Julie Matsushima, was one of the ten. Julie spoke at our July GaGa Sisterhood meeting about the incredible journey she began 14 years ago when one of her twin granddaughters was born with cerebral palsy. She chronicles their journey in For the Love of Aimee, which was published in March 2011.
But the biggest surprise of all was learning that my daughter and two granddaughters wrote a very sweet essay nominating my husband and me for the contest as well. Their essay completely melted our hearts. We also made the top ten finalists!
To read more about all the winners click on the September/October issue of GRAND.
For a free subscription to GRAND Magazine click on this link. You'll have instant access to the current issue and archives, plus each new issue will be delivered right to your inbox.
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The GaGa Zone
Please continue sending me pictures and stories of you with your grandchildren for the GaGa Zone.
| GaGa Jan with 10-month old Mila
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