The weekly “little of this, little of that” feature here at Like Mother, Like Daughter!
Recently we got the exciting upgrade from crib to Big Girl Bed.
Yesterday I took the kiddos to the nursing home near us, just to provide the residents with some company. I got a tip from a local parish newsletter that this is a good volunteer opportunity for moms of children; lots of other things we'd like to help out with are not doable with kids in tow, but visiting the elderly is not only possible with children, but (as I've been learning) so much better with children! I keep saying that I have never made people so happy with so little effort: the old folks are just overjoyed to see toddlers, and my kids get a lot out of it too. (When we were younger, my sisters and I would sometimes visit the elderly to do singing or Irish Step Dancing for them. I did this a little bit with college friends as well.)
It certainly helps me out that we have a nursing home literally three blocks from us.
Two visiting tips that I've recently learned:
- Balloons. If you have a child and the child has a balloon or there is a balloon drifting around in the room, all the rest will sort itself out. The kid will play with the balloon or can pass it back and forth to an elderly person… whatever happens, all parties will be delighted.
- Name tags. I think next time I will try having a name tag…
This is me meeting someone who is hard of hearing:
“What's your name, dear?”
“Deirdre.”
“What?”
“DEIRDRE.”
“Georgia?” (I get that a lot.)
[fast forward to:]
“You can call me DEE!”
Yesterday was a special day, as it included this exchange:
“Tell me your name?”
“DEIRDRE”
“Shear-shan? what?”
“DEAR-RAH! DEER-DRUH.”
“…Beer-Cup?”
Don't think I can top that one.
Anyway, I didn't have any photos of the nursing home. But I did have a photo of the Big Girl Bed. So there you go.
This week's links!
- A-mazing photos of the interiors of churches with a twist: a vertical panoramic view. It's a little bit dizzying and a lotta bit awesome.
- If you are someone who enjoys listening to Catholic content (podcasts and all that… something I've never gotten around to), you might be interested in a heads up about Catholicast. I don't know a whole lot about it, but have heard this from a friend whose parents are the ones responsible for forming the collection:
“We recorded priests, nuns, monks, psychologists, married couples, great evangelists, bishops, archbishops, Metropolitans, and even a Rabbi. :-)…After years of only having all these treasures available only via CD, my older brother, Mark, and my parents are in the midst of putting all the talks that we have recorded, online, to make them available for the benefit of all for a monthly subscription fee.”
- A new service is on the horizon for women in New England (and it happens to be here in Manchester): Catholic Medical Center is preparing to open a new Women's Wellness Center for OBGYN care. Right now, the area doesn't have any major place for women to turn if they want reproductive health care that is Catholic, but this place will be 100% above-board, including offering NaPro Technology to treat infertility.
If you're around here and you're interested, call them to get on the patient registration wait list! They are hoping to have people signing up right away so that the powers that be know that this care is in demand.
- We've posted this before, but Auntie Leila thought it would be worth revisiting, since we've been talking about the whole parental supervision/children's play topic: Not Duffers, Won't Drown. It's also relevant because there is a movie coming out! I haven't read the book, so I'll have to get on that… the movie certainly looks exciting.
- Did you catch my mom's update yesterday about doings around here and, in particular, her upcoming eBook God Has No Grandchildren? (Isn't it such a good title?)
- OK, someone talk to me about Magic Custard Cake. I saw a series of articles about how amazing this kind of cake is and I'm certainly interested to try it!
Liturgical Year:
- Today we honor St. Robert Bellarmine
From the Archives:
~We’d like to be clear that, when we direct you to a site via one of our links, we’re not necessarily endorsing the whole site, but rather just referring you to the individual post in question (unless we state otherwise).~
Anastasia says
I saw the magic custard cake recipe going around too and I’m so intrigued! But I haven’t attempted it yet because I’m trying for a low sugar diet…
Love the post this morning.
Carol Kennedy says
On the Swallow’s and Amazon’s movie….I wish they didn’t have to mess with the book so much! Besides the completely inaccurate plot lines, they make the mother seem much less patient and trusting. Mrs. Walker, in the book, is such great example of motherhood…much like Caroline Ingals. And, at least in the preview, she is shouting at her children in way she never did in the book. Too bad. Not sure we will see it, though we are big SandA fans! Loved the First Things Article!!
Helen says
Yep, boycotting the film here – wrong lake, wrong name for one character, extra and completely unnecessary storylines introduced… all just wrong , wrong, wrong. (Not that I feel strongly you understand. )
Read the books!
Deirdre says
Hmmmm…
Heather says
Thanks for the extra nudge and tips for visiting a nursing home. I was just talking with my 6 year old about doing this (and bringing her knitting along) for American Heritage Girls service hours. Her response was, “I could get servic hours for THAT?!!!”
The magic custard cake looks good, but I highly recommend Cook’s Country’s Magic Chocolate Flan Cake. All the yummiest things plus a magic trick.
Heather says
*service
Nicole says
Ahh! Sarah Bascle is my dear cousin!! We are so excited that she’s gotten this position. She’s an amazing pro-life OB and an amazing mother. You all are lucky to have her so close!! 😍
Lisa G. says
Thank you for that Catholic podcast info! I like podcasts, but I’ve looked for Catholic ones, and absolutely nothing looks appealing to me. This does, and I’m hopeful for it! I gave them my email.
Heather says
You might also check out Fr. John Riccardo’s podcasts. My husband and I are big fans!
Lisa G. says
Thank you, Heather. 🙂
Katie says
Our oldest just made the upgrade to a Big Girl Bed, too! Exciting times. It’s completely sweet because the bed was handmade by a great-grandfather, the quilt on top was handmade by a great-grandmother, various other generations/adults have used both quilt and bed, and it’s all still lovely and tidy and just the perfect thing for a Big Girl and big sister. For others, perhaps this is just the way things are done, but for me, to outfit a child’s room thus feels like a revelation . . . raised as I was in the consumerist suburbs where (although first things were always first) all the *things* were new, new, new, buy, buy, buy. Feels like I ought to put a byline on the bedroom: “Brought to you by the letters LMLD, and the resulting beauty and contentment when old, good, crafted, pretty things enhance the living of family life” =).
Deirdre says
That is very sweet and fun, Katie!!
Becka says
I have made the vanilla magic custard cake several times and we have really enjoyed it. It is delicious with fresh strawberries on top in the spring.
Deirdre says
mmmm sounds good!
Lacy says
What a gift you gave to those folks. My daughters and I have been going once a month for the last several years with our church. The children and the residents will learn to know each other, even with such infrequent visits. After a while, you’ll sometimes catch glimpses of what such sweet service does in the hearts of your little ones. And you may begin to hear the comment I hear almost monthly (which, frankly, breaks my heart each time): “We so rarely see children. We look forward to seeing yours all month long.” The balloon idea is brilliant. A doll or similar will also work–something to hold in little hands, something to show, something to chat about. Your children WILL remember (I do this because my parents took us.), and you can hardly begin to imagine what you’re doing for folks who have so little left in this life to which they can look forward. Sometimes it will feel too hard, or like this particular visit wasn’t, on the whole, a positive for anyone. But it is. Over time, you may come to wonder, as I often do, if those hours aren’t the most important you spent all month. Bless you for taking them!
Melissa D says
Our piano teacher has a small “recital” so that the kids can all play for the residents of our nearest nursing home. Some of the kids play the same simple songs, so it can get a little repetitive, but it’s fun, there are always very enthusiastic younger siblings clapping along, and the residents sometimes sing along to old favorites!
RubberChickenGirl says
Just tell them your name is “Bagheera” (of Jungle Book fame) and they will probably get it right. I personally like Sheer Sham. It makes you sound more Egyptian.
RCG
Deirdre says
Haha love it.
Maggie says
I used to do work that would have me visiting nursing homes. I hope that you will remember to bring this topic up again and again. There is NOTHING like having young people – from babies to grownups – around and about a nursing home. It brings life to the place.
It is a tremendous work of mercy that many of us can actually do so easily.
1) You do not have to schedule a specific time. You might want to introduce yourself to the Director or the Activities Coordinator but don’t let them convince you that you need to come at a specific time or sign up for a specific event. (They’d like that but if you explain that you simply can’t do that because of naps, school work, life – they will still be happy to have you.) The important thing is to just show up. We have had many a delightful visit simply sitting in the lobby while people came and went. And the time frame is up to you. BUT –
don’t ever Not go just because you can only stay for 20 min. We would walk through the nursing home near us on our way running errands. We were always so warmly welcomed even if we only passed through.
2) If you pick the right location in the nursing home – you can do your schoolwork there. We would practice our poetry. The older folks delighted in the children’s efforts and were a welcoming audience when the poem was recited. Read alouds often found the residents sitting and listening. Art class of any kind would draw oohs and aahs and our students were so proud when a piece of their artwork was posted in a resident’s room or on the hall bulletin board.
3) Share your work. As in 2) above – giving away art work or making an art project specifically for the nursing home is a project that you have complete control over – what, where, when, etc.
4) Seeking out the Catholic residents can be a wonderful win-win. We prayed the rosary, the children got to hear moving stories of the residents’ faith life from another time (a weekly volunteer job at the church cleaning over 50 little votive candles holders or vigil lights, singing solo at a sister’s wedding at 14 y.o., wearing the same First Communion dress that her 6 other sisters had worn, ….the list is memorable).
5) The lessons that your children will learn – particularly if they are not near grandparents or have few elderly people in their lives – will be worth any effort you put into this.
For us it was one of those experiences where what we got far exceeded what we gave.
GO! Be the light. Some of the folks used to tell me how they could go for weeks and months w/o ever getting to see or interact with young people.
Anel says
Wow this is amazing. We have 2 nursing homes and a home for disabled people within walking distance of our home. God bless you. Please pray that more people will find the courage and MAKE the time to do this – including my little family!
Kimberlee says
Your Big Girl room looks so lovely! The curtains are beautiful.
God bless you for visiting the elderly with your children! We used to do this when my older kids were young and would play piano for the residents. We also used to go when our priest offered a monthly Mass there. Maggie has some great tips, and it’s wonderful that you are encouraging young families to do this very simple work of mercy. I’m sure you cheer up the staff as well as the residents, too. (And beer cup still has us laughing, oh my.)
Magic custard cake is very yummy if you are the custard-loving sort (as I am). The recipe is a little fiddly for me, but my ten year old enjoys all the various whipping and folding so it’s all good. Paired with some fresh raspberries or just plain it’s delicious.
No thank you on the S&A film. We love the books far too much to even want to peek at the trailer. Just no. 🙂
Anamaria says
So glad to see Sarah leading the charge at the medical center! She is an acquaintance of mine from college (who went to med school with two of my good friends from college). It’s such a blessing to have holistic medicine in line with the church.