| 2012 Calendar
Date Host Presenter
May 6 Michele Member mixer
July 15 Day One Jane Angelich
Sept 9 Sandi Sandi D.
Nov 4 Diane Rachel Eryn
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Where is GaGa Sisterhood?
I was recently interviewed by Barbara Beach on GRAND Magazine Radio. |
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Irish Soda Bread
A friend brought this delicious bread to a potluck and shared her recipe.
Dry ingredients
3.5 cups flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1.5 cup raisins (Use half cup each of currants, golden raisins, regular raisins for a prettier result)
1 tbs caraway seed (optional)
Liquid ingredients
1-1/3 cup buttermilk
2 beaten eggs
4 tbs melted butter
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Mix dry ingredients. Mix liquid ingredients. Mix together until well blended. Using a serrated knife, score top of dough about an inch and a half deep in an "X" shape. The purpose of the scoring is to help heat get into the center of the dough while it cooks.
Grease and flour dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 min.
Caveat from Carolyn
This recipe is printed on the bottom of a beautiful Celtic knot bread dish used for baking. In this ceramic dish and my oven, it takes ~50 min. If you plop the dough on a cookie sheet (the way I always did it until I got this dish,) the loaf will likely flatten out somewhat and bake differently. You could probably substitute a greased/floured pie plate. For comparison, here are the dish dimensions:
Diameter at top ~8.5 inches, at bottom ~ inches 7, and ~ 1.5-inch deep |
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Greetings!
Music has always been a way for me to bond with my two granddaughters. When my 9-year old granddaughter was an infant and we were on a road trip together, I sang her "The Crocodile Song" ten times in a row to keep her from crying. Even as an infant she recognized that song and smiled when the first words came out of my mouth. That was the beginning of our shared love of music.
I know many of you also enjoy singing with your grandchildren, which is why I invited music educator Juliette McDonald to our March meeting. She taught us new songs and musical games. We sang, played rhythm instruments, and introduced ourselves by sharing the name of a favorite song that we sing with our grandchildren.
I hope you'll have fun sharing some of the songs and ideas below with your grandchildren.
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Music for the Young at Heart
GaGa Favorites
If you need inspiration for some new songs to sing with your grandchildren, here are some GaGa favorites:
- Do Your Ears Hang Low?
- Little White Duck
- I Love You a Bushel and a Peck
- The Rainbow Connection
- A, You're Adorable
- Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
- No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed
- Itsy Bitsy Spider
- Boy and a Girl in a Little Canoe
- Swing Low Sweet Chariot
- You Are My Sunshine
- White Coral Bells
- Bye, Bye Blackbird
Simple Tips
1. Repetition, rhythm and clapping help children learn music.
2. Zipper songs are fun for kids because they use repetition.
3. Write your own songs and use puppets or drawings to teach children.
4. Train the ear by having children close their eyes and guess the instrument.
5. Teach folk songs that you grew up with.
A Bonding Tool for Grandmas and Grandchildren
Introducing music at an early age is a true bonding tool for grandparents and grandchildren, according to Juliette McDonald. Music helps develop language and brain activity by stimulating cell growth, which lays down tracks that help in all areas of learning.
To see how natural music and movement is for a toddler, just put on a recording and watch. A young child will hum, bounce and wiggle to an upbeat song, fall asleep to a lullaby and some will even cry to a sad song. It's innate.
When a grandparent offers music to her young grandchild, it creates a deep bonding experience. Even if you can't sing well, singing, swaying and dancing with a child and providing music and movement activities is not only an enjoyable bonding experience, it can help with routines, expand vocabulary, and introduce many educational concepts.
You can offer a solid music foundation for children by singing, bouncing, dancing, and introducing simple instruments. Provide a wide variety of music from Bach to children's folk music to rock and roll and you're off to a good musical start.
Musical Resources
Books to Sing Along With:
- Grandma's Feather Bed
- I Love You a Bushel and a Peck
- Row Row
- Froggy Went a Courtin'
- Hush Little Baby
- How Much Is That Doggie in the Window?
- Teddy Bear's Picnic
- Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
- Wonderful World
Popular musicians with children's albums:
- Donovan - Pied Piper, For Little Ones
- Kenny Loggins - Pooh Corner and Return to Pooh Corner
- Simon Sisters sing songs for children
- Marlo Thomas - Free to Be You and Me
- Linda Ronstadt - Dedicated to the One I Love
Magazine Subscription
For grandchildren ages 5 - 12 years, Juliette recommended a subscription to Clavier's Piano Explorer, a magazine which features bios of famous composers, student compositions, puzzles, theory and technique.
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GaGa Filoli Tour on April 10
 It's back by popular demand! Our annual GaGa Sisterhood tour of the beautiful gardens at Filoli on April 10 at 10:00 am.
We had a great time at Filoli during our previous two tours, so we're doing it again. Get your taxes done early and reward yourself with a morning going gaga in the gardens! We'll have our own private tour of the gardens led by docents Judith and Julia. The cost is $15 or $12, if you're over 65. After the tour, we'll gather in the cafe for lunch. To reserve your spot send me an email and let me know whether you'll be staying for lunch: donnedavis@gagasisterhood.com |
Wondrous Child: New Anthology
 I'm thrilled to announce the release of Wondrous Child: The Joys and Challenges of Grandparenting, a new anthology of 29 vivid essays by grandparents and grandchildren from diverse backgrounds. The book is edited by Lindy Hough, co-founder of North Atlantic Books and a grandmother herself.
As one of the contributors to Wondrous Child, I'm proud to say there's a vast array of wisdom and experiences in these stories. They capture an honest yet tender panorama of contemporary grandparenting that will inspire grandparents to persevere when they face the inevitable challenges of navigating multi-generational relationships. The book is also meant to help new parents partner with the grandparents of their children to build a strong extended family.
Wondrous Child is divided into four parts. - Part One, Settling In: New grandparents describe their expectations, often lowering them.
- Part Two, Balancing Reality and Hope: Takes a deeper look at complexities among them, step-grandparenting, geographical distance, and getting along with grown children.
- Part Three, Grandparents Raising Grandchildren: Has five powerful essays from men and women parenting their grandchildren full-time.
- Part Four, Grandchildren Remember: Seven adults write about their beloved and intriguing grandparents.
The essays in this anthology would make a great starting point for grandparents and their adult children to begin a conversation about what they each hope for in this important relationship. |
Programs for Our 2012 Meetings
We now have all of our programs planned for the rest of the year so be sure to mark your calendar for these dates.
May 6, 2012 Who Are You When You're Not Grandma? will be a combination of two of our most popular past meetings--our member mixer and the meeting where we talked about some of the other "hats" we wear. Our planning committee developed some wonderful questions to help us share some things about ourselves.
July 15, 2012
What's A Mother-in-Law to Do? Author Jane Angelich will read from her book and explain why she's called a "mother-in-law expert." She'll also share her perspective as a MIL and answer questions. September 9, 2012 Disposing of Your Sentimental Possessions will be presented by our host Sandi Dolmatch. Sandi will share some tips for downsizing collections and objets d'art, by deciding what to toss, donate or bequeath to family and friends. November 4, 2012 Intergenerational Communication will be presented by Rachel Eryn Kalish. Rachel will discuss how to have dynamic, open, honest conversations across generations about any topic.
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Grandma Donates Kidney for Son-in-law
 Grandmas do some amazing things for their grandchildren. Yvonne Gordon is a stellar example--she donated her kidney to a stranger so that her granddaughters' father could receive a kidney from a different stranger.
If all of this sounds complicated, it is! Gordon and her son-in-law, Gabriel Baty, were two links in a recent, record-breaking 60-person chain of kidney donations that started in August and ended on December 19, when Gordon donated her kidney. Read more ...
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The GaGa Zone
Please continue sending me pictures and stories of you with your grandchildren for the GaGa Zone.
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Berna's 4-year old granddaughter, Sasha, loves making her own food dolls for lunch
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