Friday, February 28, 2025
Happy Friday, Friends!
Did you know that the simple act of smiling
can reduce stress, improve our interactions with others,
boost our mood and even have a positive impact on our physical health!
Not only that, but research indicates that our smile
has the power to positively influence those around us!
So, when in doubt… SMILE!
Today we have a lot to smile about!
It’s Friday!
as we share this week’s collection of WEEKLY SNAPSHOTS!
We’ve received a lot of positive feedback
since we first started participating in this link up..
THANK YOU!
We have to admit that we love the opportunity it presents
to reflect and reminisce about our own lives
and
the chance it gives us to revisit a few Our Grand Lives favorites, past and present!
So, with that, let’s get started!
Laurie is smiling as she fondly remembers a special arrival
and she’s also grateful for continued adventures with her Littles…
A Special Birthday Greeting!
It was thirty-four years ago yesterday (February 27),
when I became a mom for the first time!
Happy Birthday to my Daughter A who will always be my little baby!
We’ve had lots of wonderful gatherings over the years
to celebrate this sweet girl and the joy she brings to our family!
Last night was no different!
Our family was able to gather - Grands, Middles and Littles
and we feasted on Chick-fil-A and cupcakes per her request!
Happy Birthday to my first and forever baby girl!
On the Move!
Thursdays continue to be my Grammy Day with my Littles
and since there is a lot of pounding and drilling going on these days,
we get out of the house whenever possible!
Yesterday, the Littles and I went out to lunch and,
as you can tell from the photos below,
one-year-old Little P does not sit still for long,
especially when we’re trying to get a photo!
Don’t you love Little D doing her best to smile through it all?!?
A GRAND adventure always makes us smile!
Meanwhile, Laura is still smiling as she thinks about a dinner party with treasured friends
AND
a fun find (or perhaps some might even call it a creepy one)
while on her ongoing mission to declutter!
A February Dinner Party!
I’ve been meaning to share a few photos from a dinner party Hubby and I hosted.
It was a wonderful get-together with two other couples,
one we had not spent time with in several years!
We sat around that table and talked for almost four hours!
Through dinner and dessert and from glasses of wine to cups of coffee
we caught up on life and all it brings!
What a gift to have friends you can reconnect with
and the time in between just seems to fade away!
Friendships like that are a blessing to be celebrated!
Tooth Fairy Memories!
Did you know that TODAY is National Tooth Fairy Day?
I certainly had no idea!
But look what I coincidentally found earlier this week!
Does anyone else have a stash of teeth hidden away somewhere…
Teeth the tooth fairy collected from your children over the years?
Or… am I that mom, the only one out there who did this?
This winter, I’ve slowly been cleaning out different areas of the house
and this week it was the bins in our closet!
Imagine my surprise when I found these Ziploc bags, long forgotten,
hidden in a box on a top shelf!
Each contained a tooth or two! I’d even dated each bag!
The best part, though,
were the sweet notes our girls wrote to the Tooth Fairy!
Yes, I saved those AND I’m so glad I did!
These precious notes really made me smile!
Earlier this week I sent our daughters a few of these photos
wondering if either of them wanted these “treasures”!
Surprisingly, I haven’t received a response from either of them yet!
Imagine that!!!
Yesterday’s post at Our Grand Lives
was all about taking good care of your teeth!
We shared a few of our favorite activities for reinforcing the importance of
good oral hygiene and dental care with our Littles!
February is known as Dental Health Month
but we also know that any time is a good time
to take care of those pearly whites!
You and your Littles can have fun with any of these activities
all through the year!
More Toothy Fun!
In addition to the activities we shared in yesterday’s post,
below you'll find two more ideas…
A fun activity and a few tips to help Littles prepare for a visit to the dentist!
(Click on the Instagram links provided to see each post!)
Brush Those Cavities Away!
Laurie found this free printable at 7 Days of Play and her Little had lots of fun playing this game! You could also draw a big mouth on a piece of paper and add some teeth! Whether using the free printable or your own creation, insert the sheet into a plastic page protector or cover it with tape or contact paper. Use a dry erase marker to create “cavities” on the teeth. Give your Little a toothbrush and have them brush the cavities away! Find our Instagram post here!
A Trip to the Dentist!
Do you have a Little going to the dentist soon? Is it a first visit? If so, here are our tips for a positive experience!
🦷 Look up your dental office's website and see if they have pictures of the office. Look at them with your Little. When you get there, point out things you saw in the pictures. If you are a Grand, like us, you can ask your Little to tell you more about the space once they've visited!
🦷 Read books about going to the dentist. They will help prepare your Little for what will happen when they are there.
🦷 Tell your Little about your own experiences at the dentist - GOOD memories only, please!) When you get home, encourage your Little to "act out the dental visit". Take an old toothbrush and let them "work" on a doll or stuffed animal as they play or share more about their experience!
These days, a trip to the dentist
can be a very fun and pleasant experience for Littles!
Find our Instagram post here!
As Grands, we can support our Littles
by encouraging and praising their good dental care!
We’d love to hear your thoughts!
Your comments always make us SMILE!
We’ll be back next Thursday with a new post.
Until then, we invite you to visit our social media sites,
You’ll find that we post there often (thank you, Laurie!)
Our Final Thought for the Week!
One thing that really had us both smiling this week
was when we got together to do some long range planning for OGL!
We meet in person about every three months or so
and our husbands tease us that they’ll expect us home by bedtime!
We even manage to stop gabbing long enough
to get our planning done!
These times are always a fave!
Yes, a smile can truly brighten one’s day!
If you need your own day brightener,
take a moment to make a list of all the ways your loved ones
(including those Littles)
make you smile!
We bet your list, like ours, will be a LOOONG one!
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I was that mom, too! However, I never even thought to have my kids write a letter to the Tooth Fairy. I still have the teeth. My oldest thought it was gross.
This was a fun post to read!
Thank you for sharing.
Take care and best wishes.
Debra | Gma’sPhoto
https://gmasphoto.website/categories/linkup-parties/
Happy birthday to your daughter! Your dinner party table looks lovely. #MMBC
Happy Birthday to your daughter!! What a pretty tablescape for the dinner party!! All great photos and this post put a smile on my face!! Thanks for stopping by and thanks for sharing!!
Hugs, Deb
Debbie-Dabble blog
Thank you for linking up with us. Grandparenting really is the best; Beautiful photos, smiles and tips!
Your beautiful daughter looks like you. I was comparing your photo at her birth with the recent birthday photo with you. #MMBC