GaGa Sisterhood
December 2012
GaGazine Contents
2013 Calendar
Please Forward the GaGazine
January 13 Meeting
Mashups with Mila
GRAND Magazine Subscription
Baba's Chicken Soup
Holiday Traditions
My Book Is on Amazon
Programs for 2013
The GaGa Zone
Quick Links
2013 Calendar 

Date       Host                    Presenter
  
Jan 13    Day One                Irene Madrid
Mar 10   Ann Hagedorn        Barbara Graham
May 5     Sandy Deagman    Beth Miller
July 14   Sandi Dolmatch      Member Mixer
Sept 8    Helena Wood          Open
Nov 3     Michele Sartain      Open 
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January 13 Meeting

GaGa Irene Madrid will share some of her secrets on longevity and aging well. Irene is passionate about the subject of longevity and has good reason. She wants to continue playing with her 7, soon to be 8, grandchildren, running her 3 La Petite Baleen swim schools, and living her active healthy lifestyle for as long as possible.

Irene has read and listened to volumes on the subject of longevity. She's currently reading Cheat The Clock: How New Science to Help You Look and Feel Younger by Margaret Webb Pressler, and will share some of the many strategies she has gathered for aging well.

Mashups with Mila
Mila at Peet's

I love getting together with my GaGa Sisters one-on-one and even better when we can include grandchildren. Recently, I had coffee at Peet's with Jan and her 2-year old granddaughter, Mila. It was the exact same spot where I met Jan one year ago.  

 

Mila is already tech savvy at two! She opened Jan's iPad, slid the bar to unlock it, tapped the apps icon, and away she went enjoying Sesame Street games, puzzles, and animal sounds!  

 

When she got bored, she jumped down from her chair and ran over to the display counter to grab a Mashups squeezable fruit drink. With all her activity it reminded me of the days when I was a mom trying to have a conversation with a friend. Now the interruptions are pure entertainment!

 

 

 GRAND Magazine Subscription

Grand Magazine

GRAND Magazine is giving away complimentary ($19.95 value) subscriptions to our GaGa Sisterhood readers. Here is the easy link that provides instant access to the current issue plus each new bi-monthly issue will be delivered directly to your email address.

 

Baba's Chicken Soup  

     

Chicken Soup

  

The media is warning that this year's flu season  is the earliest regular flu season since 2003-2004. If you have any "poor babies" suffering from colds or flu, here's my favorite remedy to soothe their souls: steaming hot soup.  

 

Ingredients

1 3-lb. chicken

6 chicken wings 

1 onion, cut into quarters

1 bunch parsley

3 large carrots, cut into 2" pieces

3 stalks celery, cut into 2" pieces

6 peppercorns

salt to taste

6 oz. fine egg noodles

 

Directions

1. Clean the chicken and cut the breast from the bone to save for another meal.

2. Place chicken and wings in a large kettle and cover with water.

3. Bring to a boil and skim off foam.

4. Add onion, parsley, peppercorns. Simmer gently partially covered for one hour.

5. Add carrots and celery and continue simmering for another hour.  

6. Lift out chicken and pull meat from the bones.  

7. In a separate pot cook the egg noodles according to the directions on the bag.

8.

Ladle some vegetables, noodles, and soup into the bowl and add some shredded chicken. Enjoy!    
 

 

Greetings!

 

On December 21, I remembered the 16th anniversary of my father's passing. It was also the Winter Solstice and according to Doomsdayers, the end of the world.

And for some it is ... the end of their world. For all the families who lost their precious loved ones at Sandy Hook Elementary School last Friday, it is the end of the world as they've known it. Their pain must be unfathomable.

 

I thought of all the grandmas whose hearts are broken and how much we sisters are weeping with them and their families. I will continue to hold them in my heart.

 

Tragedy always brings perspective. I know that in the days since December 14, I've felt a deeper appreciation of life, especially for my family and friends. I feel blessed to be able to celebrate my mother's 90th birthday today at a family tea party. I will hug each guest a little bit longer and give a short speech for my mom to tell her how grateful I am to have had her in my life for all these years.

 

I wish you and your family a healthy, safe, and joyful New Year,
 
  SigColor
Holiday Traditions

New Family Traditions cover My favorite family ritual expert, Meg Cox, published her third book on family rituals, The Book of New Family Traditions (Revised and Updated): How to Create Great Rituals for Holidays and Every Day.  

 

In her winter newsletter, Meg Cox shared a story about a couple who lost their 13-year-old son in an accident. He had loved the family's practice of sitting down every Sunday night and lighting a single candle. Each family member would declare his and her "intentions" for the coming week. In honor of their deceased son, the family called on everyone in their circle of friends to follow this special ritual on Sunday nights in his memory.

 

I love this simple yet profound ritual, and agree with Meg that we can create all sorts of deep and effective traditions using nothing more than one candle and our own focus. Since 9/11, my husband and I have lit a candle every night at dinner and then we say something we're grateful for that day.

  

9th Anniversary GaGa Sisterhood Celebration 

  

At our annual anniversary-holiday party, 21 GaGas gathered to celebrate at Carol W's beautiful home. Cheri was so grateful she did not have to report for jury duty that morning, she wrote to thank me the minute she got home.  

 

Carol's gracious hospitality was warm and festive and provided all of us the perfect venue to celebrate GaGa Sisterhood's 9th birthday and the holidays. I drove all the way home with a smile on my face!  

 

We all were smiling as we took in the decorations in every room. Carol's 5 grandchildren help her decorate every year. Her 2 oldest granddaughters decorate the tree, carefully hanging over a hundred ornaments.

 

We enjoyed a delicious potluck lunch at her beautifully appointed table set with gold place mats and plates. Then shared our favorite holiday stories of how we celebrate with our grandchildren.

 

Favorite Holiday Traditions

 

Marching MusicDonna V plays a Christmas CD that includes March of the Toy Soldiers. Nana becomes a toy soldier and marches around the house while her 7-year old granddaughter and 10-year old grandson look on in dismay. She's been doing it ever since they were infants. This year she grabbed a broom for a prop!

     

Bag Lady Doll: Kathy displays all non-breakable ornaments so her 4-year old grandson can help decorate and touch everything. One of his favorites is a Bag Lady doll that sings "Jingle Bell Rock," a white elephant gift from many years ago. Liam loves to tap his foot along with the bag lady. 

   

Muppet Christmas: Donna P always plays the Muppet CD and especially enjoys the "Peace Song." She creates a Christmas manger with 2 of everything so the grandchildren can all play with it.

    

Candle in the Window: Helena sings "Here Comes Santa Claus" on Christmas Eve and they eat shepherd's pie. She puts a candle in the window for strangers who may be passing by and don't have a place to eat, an Irish tradition she grew up with. 

    

Hanukkah latkes: Cheri grates 20 lbs. of potatoes and has a marathon frying session resulting in 250 potato pancakes for her annual Hanukkah parties. 

 

Real live Santa: Every year since her children were little, Janada has a "real live" Santa Claus for the family celebration. The same Santa suit has been worn by her dad, her first husband, and now her second husband.

 

White Elephant: Carol T and her family have a white elephant exchange. Her son collects unusual items like stuffed ducks and writes haiku on them. The laughs and fun are hilarious. 

 

Neighborhood CelebrationDiane L and husband are surrogate grandparents to neighbors. They get invited to their house for Christmas morning. Diane hosts a neighborhood Hanukkah party for all the kids and hand delivers the invitations. Jon tells the story of Hanukkah, they play dreidl, and eat jelly doughnuts instead of latkes.

   

Christmas Eve Party: Sandy D hosts a Christmas Eve party for friends who don't have family close by. Her husband dons a Santa suit and gives gifts to all the friends. The adults sit on Santa's lap and their 6-year old grandson, Jake is Santa's elf helper and hands out the presents.  

 

Christmas Eve Granny Camp: Marilyn hosts Christmas Eve dinner for her 3 daughters, their spouses/partners, children, and dogs. They hang up their stockings and all sleep over for the surprise of finding presents from Santa the following morning.       

 My Book Is Available on Amazon

Donne's Book cover My book, When Being a Grandma Isn't So Grand: 4 Keys to L.O.V.E. Your Grandchild's Parents is available. Buy the paperback on Amazon for $7.50. Buy the ebook on Barnes & Noble for $5.99.

 

Listening to grandmas talk about some of their challenges inspired me to write a book on how to deal with those challenges.

My book is a practical guide to help you deal with some of your most common challenges:
  • Understanding today's modern parenting methods
  • Building satisfying relationships with your grandchild's parents
  • Coping with feelings of being unappreciated or left out  

We all know that parenting and grandparenting present challenges. When Being a Grandma Isn't So Grand: 4 Keys to L.O.V.E. Your Grandchild's Parents addresses some of those challenges and can be a starting point for helping you explore solutions for handling them.

 

Programs for Our 2013 Meetings

Our program committee met and suggested many excellent ideas for next year so be sure to mark your calendar for these dates. We're still working on programs for September and November.

January 13, 2013
 
Irene Madrid is grandma to 7 grandchildren, co-founder of La Petite Baleen swim schools, and GaGa Sisterhood member. She will share some of her secrets for staying young and healthy in body, mind, and spirit.    

March 10, 2013  

Barbara Graham, author and editor of Eye of My Heart: 27 Writers Reveal the Hidden Pleasures and Perils of Being a Grandmother, recently moved from Washington, DC to the San Francisco Bay Area to be closer to her granddaughters. "What will be uppermost in my mind is going from being a long-distance Nana to one who is up close and personal, and suddenly living amid three other grandparents."  
 
May 5, 2013 

Beth Miller, Ph.D., psychotherapist, author of The Woman's Book of Resilience: 12 Qualities to Cultivate, and grandma of 5 grandsons has been studying, teaching and living the qualities of resilience for over twenty years. She'll talk about finding strength and resilience no matter what is happening in your life and in your world.  


July 14, 2013
  Member mixer.

September 8, 2013 TBD

November 3, 2013 TBD

The GaGa Zone   
Please continue sending me pictures and stories of you with your grandchildren for the GaGa Zone.
Mila Rose
Poppy Dennis and Nanny's new granddaughter, Mila Rose - the best Christmas present grandparents could receive.