GRAND KIDS

I work hard to make my grand-kids feel my home is their home. I don't want my grand-kids to be guests in my home. I want them to be family. Just how do I accomplish that?

I take what other people throw away, clean it up, paint it up, fix it up and give it to my lucky grand-kids. Oh, and in case you're wondering, it's completely legal to dumpster dive in our state.

Here are five ways to keep up with your grand-kids that won't leave you gasping for air.

Most of the time when my grand-kids come to visit, they want to stay as long as they can. Fine by me. Now, how will I entertain them? Money is tight.

Even old ladies like me have cell phones. Of course, we don't know how to use them to their full potential. That's why we have grand-kids. Just admit it. There are some things your grand-kids do better than you.

Sometimes when your kids and grand-kids leave the nest, it's not a matter of just letting them go. Sometimes it's a lot more complicated than that.

Before I give you the down-low on having kids, I should say this. I love my kids and grand-kids. I wouldn't trade them for all the hot peppers in Texas. They're awesome people. That's not what I'm here to warn you about.

These are the five table games that helped me most in teaching kids and grand-kids table manners.

Quirks? We all have them. You have them. So do your kids. Why is it so important to learn your kids' quirks? Well, mainly so you don't disturb a sleeping giant.

How can you be sure kids make healthy choices at school, friends houses and social events? While you can't be positive kids will always do the right thing where their health is concerned, you can give them a little push in the right direction.

Just the other day, my daughter and I had a conversation about Denver parents who don't make their kids wear coats in winter. Believe it or not, there is an epidemic of this behavior in Denver schools.

Parents aren't the only ones capable of building kids' self esteem. Grandparents have a special bond with their grandchildren. This enables them to reinforce their sense of self worth.

There are more than a few fun benefits to grand-parenting. Here are five right off the top of my head.

Grandparents, is it time to ask yourself why you're still cleaning up after your grown kids? How do you draw the line between a doing them a favor and taking on a burden?

Why would you want your kids to become free thinkers? Well, not everyone who thinks outside the box is crazy. In fact, it can be a very admirable quality.

While watching my grandson slip peacefully off the couch onto the floor, yesterday, I started thinking about all the funny tactics I used to get my own kids to sleep.

Kids will stay out of your way while you cook when you print out some of these Thanksgiving games.

Your older kids have revealed Santa's secret identity to the little ones. What should you do now?

Is it possible for kids to produce quality handmade items for Christmas? Sure there is. You just have to select the right products for them to make.

How can you get your kids to take their “Yucky” medicines? Let's face it, you don't even want to try it yourself. How about the superheroes solution?

Why would you want to make homemade frozen treats for your kids? Have you looked at the price of these summer favorites lately? These easy homemade frozen treats duplicate popular products.

Every place has a few specialties. Often we don't visit them until we have out of town guests. Sometimes we don't know what we're missing.

I've done double blind testing on both generations with these five sneaky parenting tips.