Spending Thanksgiving With The Ex In-Laws

Yes, you read that right. We spent Thanksgiving with my ex in-laws. That might sound crazy, but let me explain more about how this worked.

I've known my in-laws or let's call them in-loves for 20 yrs. I became best friends with my ex's oldest sister, Liz. She had a daughter from her first marriage, I had two daughters from my first marriage. She and I then proceeded to have two boys 6 months apart and two boys 3 months apart. I was in the room taking pictures and videotaping when she had her second daughter! His other sister, Becky, had a daughter almost a year after our first set of boys were born. Then we were all pregnant at the same time with our next kids, but I lost the baby and got pregnant a couple months later. So Liz and Becky both had boys, and then along came my son a few months later. Lastly there was his brother, Dan, whose wife, Maria also had a little girl already from her first marriage, then had a son a year after the first boys were born and then proceeded to have two more girls.

Needless to say our kids grew up pretty close to their cousins, aunts, and uncles. While Becky and Liz lived only about a half an hour from each other, we were 8 hours away up in Minnesota, and Maria was all the way in Virginia. Fourth of July was always spent up at Gram's cabin in Aitkin, MN. Thanksgivings and every other Christmas was spent in Illinois for our family.

Even after the separation and divorce, I still stayed close to my sisters-in-love. When the boys and I moved to the East Coast, we were only 3 hours away from Dan & Maria! While we haven't made it down there as much as we'd like for holidays because my family and Fred's family are here as well, we have had more opportunities to spend with them the past 5 yrs. Not nearly enough as far as I'm concerned.

One of my worries after the divorce was how I'd fit in with the family. Liz and I were close, but she was no longer family by marriage. I had always told her, jokingly, that I'd never divorce my ex because I love her too much. hahahaha Well, life happened and divorce was what needed to happen. Thankfully my sisters-in-love didn't ditch me.

I know there are many families who turn their backs on the in-law who is now divorced from their child/sibling, but this group of people weren't like that! I'm so incredibly blessed by that fact. We've spent holidays together still. The one holiday we haven't spent together in years is Christmas. Being out here with my parents & siblings has made it hard to go anywhere else. Not only that, it's almost a 15 hr drive. Not super easy to get there and back.

That being said. Dan & Maria have been hosting Thanksgiving for the past 6-5 yrs. We have only made it a couple times, but those times have been such a blessing. This year, when we were invited, I wasn't sure if we'd be able to make it. I called my father-in-law, Fred "Sr", to see how he'd feel about spending the holiday with my ex's family. It would've been completely understandable if he'd said I was crazy and he'd never consider such a thing. Shockingly, he didn't respond that way. All he said was, "Whatever you guys decide to do, I'll go along." Isn't that amazing?

On a side note, my ex wasn't there. I won't ever celebrate a holiday with him. So, that's something we'll never have to run into. Of course that means limited holidays spent with the extended family since he's at most of them these days.

I think it helped that Pap met Liz and her daughter, Renae at Brieanne's wedding in July and they absolutely loved him. For my hubby it's still really awkward for him. I totally get it. It's my ex's family. They are warm and welcoming, but it's still my ex's family. lol Since he wasn't welcomed and well loved by his ex's family he isn't used to having a wonderful relationship with in-laws, except now he gets to experience it with MY family, his new in-laws.

We played games, walked around Williamsburg, ate a Thanksgiving dinner together, and family photos. The boy cousins built a fort out of the bamboo that grows in the yard. The girls tried building one, but I don't know how well it turned out. We watched the Tech vs UVA game and that was pretty exciting. Then the girls had a good time trying out a "golden" mask.

One of the bummers of this trip was my oldest son wasn't able to go down with us because he had to work Friday and Saturday morning. I know as he gets older it's going to be harder and harder to have him at family gatherings. Whether it's with my parents, Fred's dad, or the boys' extended family, the boys are getting older and have more responsibilities.

We also missed having Liz, her husband, John, and their youngest son there. Their son had a basketball tournament, which he missed last year, and he didn't want to miss another one. Totally understandable, but they sure were missed.

I know it's an unconventional way to spend a major holiday, but a wonderful time was had by everyone. I don't know if we'll ever do that again, but it was a very special few days with some very lovely people.

The Dating Project Movie & Giveaway

Talking to my kids about dating was always a priority for me as a mom once my kids hit middle school. My girls have been out of school for about 9 & 7 yrs! Hard to believe. My sons are now at that age and things have even changed since my girls were in schools. The Dating Project sounds like it will be a great movie for us to see together since the dating landscape has changed for this generation.

I have no idea what challenges my older son will face that are different than my daughters. I'm guessing mostly the fact that social media will play a bigger role for him and his brother. My youngest son is in his first year of high school and dating isn't on his radar. He's got other priorities as did all of my other kids. Literally, thank God!

About the Movie:
Half of America is single. The way people seek and find love has radically changed. The hook-up, texting and social media culture have profoundly altered the dating landscape. Traditional dating has become “outdated,” yet men and women still seek meaningful relationships. People are frustrated in love, but does anyone really know how to connect in today’s virtual world? 

THE DATING PROJECT is a new non-fiction film from executive producer Steve McEveety (The Passion of the Christ, Braveheart), produced by Paulist Productions, Mpower Pictures and Family Theater Productions that follows five single people ages 18-40 as they navigate beyond the hookup culture to traditional dating. Professor Kerry Cronin from Boston College is featured throughout as she teaches ad encourages her students to return to traditional dating. There is no script. There are no actors. These are real people trying to find love and happiness in an age of swiping left or right.

For Tickets & More Info, visit: TheDatingProjectMovie.com

This movie is ONLY in theaters April 17, 2018.



You have the opportunity to win 2 tickets to the movie! Be sure to enter TODAY and follow the social channels to keep up with everything going on with the movie.

Website: https://www.thedatingprojectmovie.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheDatingProjectMovie/ 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dating_project/ 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/dating_project 
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMp5QeouxPmI4Ja9YgIQUwg

My Aunt's Brain Bleed

I haven't been around much. Not much blogging going on around here. Sorry about that. Blogging to a back seat to life. Let me explain.

A bit of history... My biological father has 5 sisters. All of them have "B" names. Barb, Betty, Bonnie, Becky, and Bethany. When the girls and I moved to Minnesota back in 1998 we lived with her for several months and then spent many holidays together. She was probably my closest extended relative because I'd never gotten to know any others growing up.

On New Year's Day, I spoke to my aunt on the phone. She told me she was in the hospital because she was dehydrated. I check in with her by phone a couple of days later, but she didn't answer. I called again the next day, and still no answer. I headed to facebook to see who I could reach out to because I had NO numbers to call or people to ask who knew her.

I finally got hold of my aunt's best friend from college who has remained her best friend. She told me my aunt had been medi-vaced from Wisconsin to Minnesota and she was in the hospital. None of us will ever really know what happened, but some point between the night she was released to the next morning, she probably fell, hit her head, and ended up with a brain bleed - a type of stroke. It's been mentioned that maybe something with her pacemaker might've been the start of it all.

So, she was in the hospital for a week or so then released to a rehab so she could start to recover. I think within a week she was back in the hospital, possibly because of an infection. Again, we're not really sure. She was released to a different rehab which is where she's at currently.

This has been an incredibly hard time for the family. She's the first aunt who has had major health issues. She has never been married or had children. That part has been difficult as well because when her point of contact (POC) lives in another state and isn't able to communicate well or often, other family isn't helping, and the person who's in charge of her finances having stuff going on, it leaves other people taking care of things they "shouldn't" be. My daughter, my aunt's great niece, took on a lot more than she should've.

After my aunt was released to the 2nd rehab, I went out to Minnesota. I had wanted to go out in January and the beginning of February, but was counseled to wait. When I got out there, I really didn't want to leave her. I feel a responsibility to her that I didn't expect. I visited her every day and I have now become the POC, and I'm thankful for that role. In a month she'll be moving to assisted living. I'm not sure if I'll be going back out, but if she needs me to, I will.

This has been a HUGE wakeup call to me. I have life insurance and I have a will. I don't have long term care insurance, and I think it's vital that we get started on that or at least learning about it. My aunt has it so hopefully we'll figure out how that works for her.

What have I learned? You have SERIOUSLY got to think of who will be making decisions for you if you can't do it yourself. My aunt was 100% on board with me becoming her POC. It was never something we talked about before. My daughter asked me if I knew what her financial situation was. I had no clue. Why would I? How do you bring up with your aunt who you see every few months, "Hey, Aunt Becky, how are you doing the cash department? Got all of your affairs in order?" I don't know how you do it, but it needs to be done.

My aunt is physically able to get around, she can talk just fine, and she's working on her fine motor skills again, but she's got a long road ahead of her. She has a hard time writing. She won't make any important decisions for herself, but will make small ones. My aunt is one smart cookie. She couldn't remember if she was DNR. She refused to sign any papers before she knew for sure. She was presented with a form about paying a small fee to have a single room, but because finances were involved, she refused to sign. She would ask me first and I would find out the answer.

Things happen VERY quickly.  More quickly than you'd expect. She was in rehab for a week and a half before they were talking about her having to leave and go to assisted living. When we heard about it, we were told her therapies would be ending the next week. Well, they moved her to a different floor the NEXT day! She was still having her therapies done, but on a different floor. You've got to realize that you have to be available and ready for anything.

Something that has really impacted my aunt is anxiety. She gets confused very quickly and her anxiety skyrockets. What has helped us is when we learn of something new, I talk to her about what her options are, that the options she hopes for might not be possible, and what we'll do if the options don't pan out. For her, as long as she knows she's got people on her side who have her best interests in mind, she's "ok" with what might come next. We also try to encourage her and point out the positives every day!

Next week my daughter will be taking her to visit one of the assisted living homes that she's on a waitlist for. Oh, and speaking of assisted living, you would NOT believe how expensive those are. $3900/month and then on top of that, all of the specialized care a person might need.

This took a lot of wind out of my sails. I didn't want to do anything other than work, read a book, talk to my daughter about any updates, and sleep. I'm hoping to be coming out of that funk and will be back to blogging as much as I can.

I want to close by encouraging you to give serious consideration to how you're saving your money, who you want to be your POC (who will regularly update people and take care of needs), and who will be in charge of your money (to pay your bills and make sure they'll handle your money honestly). I know it's a cruddy topic, but please don't put it off!

My Word For 2018 - PEACE

I suppose that by putting my word of the year out there for the world to see it's not surprising that it was already put to the test. The word I'm choosing this year is Peace. Kind of funny, right? I've always heard that if you want to grow in an area of your life, you should pray about it because God will grow you in it by testing you. lol

Not long after I shared my word, my day got not so peaceful.

What I shared on Instagram is:

"I've chosen something that seems to allude me on a regular basis because I'm so high strung and critical. We'll see if I can figure out how to find this life long elusive word and fit it into every area of my life. What's yours?"

For me though, I want peace across all areas of my life. I seriously stress about everything and have very little peace. Of course that also means I have very little joy. So, I'm hoping one thing leads to another.

I want peace in my personal life with my family, peace with work, peace with blogging, peace with expectations I have of others outside of our home. I think that's been the biggest catalyst for this word. I have so little peace about what others are or aren't doing I make myself, and then others, insane. And I actually hate it.

I don't know if it's a word I'll find success with this year, but I sure hope so. I can imagine what the change would be like, but if getting to the finish line means going through what I did today and tonight, it's going to be the longest year yet.

Here are Kat's Writer's Workshop Prompts:

1. Share your 2018 New Year’s Resolution. How did last year’s turn out?
2. Did you pick a Word Of The Year for 2018? Share!
3. If the way you spent your New Year’s Eve is any indication of how the rest of the year will go, how would you say your future is looking right about now?
4. Share your top 12 blog posts from 2017.
5. Share your top 12 photos from 2017.
6. What were you blogging about a year ago? What has changed since then?

Watch Ya' Mouth Throwdown

Ok, I have to admit, my family likes games where we make ourselves look like idiots or have a level of grossness that is more than your average game. That's where our review of Watch Ya' Mouth Throwdown comes in to play. We received our game just in time for the holiday festivities.

If you've watched my Instagram stream, you know that when my family gets together we love playing games. There's usually one game of cards and then other family members get together to play board games. Earlier this year my family reviewed the original Watch Ya' Mouth game and drooled all over ourselves as we laughed ourselves into hysterics.

This game does the same except on a grander, droolier level. We were laughing and drooling, which is exactly how we like it! The best time we have together is when we're laughing so hard we can't make a sound. Playing Watch Ya' Mouth Throwdown will give your family that.

So, the new game comes with some extra items. There are straws, two balls, and 4 noisemakers. The new mouth pieces are colored also! Sadly, the first week we had the game we couldn't play because first my youngest got sick and then passed it on to me. I was so bummed having this game at the house and not being able to play it. When we finally were able to play, it was worth the wait!

There's plenty of time to grab a game for your holiday get togethers. Your kids will be out of school for winter break, may as well have something extremely entertaining for them to do! This game will definitely keep them from getting board.

* Throwdown Edition was awarded Top Holiday Toy of 2017 by Toy Insider
* Selected for the 2017 Amazon Holiday Toy List

Watch Ya' Mouth Throwdown

Get ready for the holidays! We bought the original Watch Ya' Mouth earlier this year, and it's STILL one of our favorite games! We thinks is absolutely hysterical. Thanks to US Family Guide I'll be doing a review of Watch Ya' Mouth Throwdown soon!

Watch Ya' Mouth Throwdown Edition is the evolution of the original, wildly popular, hilarious Watch Ya' Mouth game. Rather than just speak phrases, players now go head-to-head with hilarious and challenging tasks - while wearing mouthpieces. Throwdown Edition takes competition - and laughter - to the next level and builds on the multigenerational gaming phenomena.

Throwdown Edition has already been Awarded Top Holiday Toy of 2017 by Toy Insider & selected for the 2017 Amazon Holiday Toy List.

Want a hilarious family game to play during the Holidays? Your search is over. 15% off Coupon Code: 15THROWDOWN http://amzn.to/2i6NKwG

Be A Super Prepared Family With First Alert

October is an important month for a lot of reasons. One of the most important is Fire Prevention. October 8-14th is Fire Prevention Week, but we were in Peru that week on our mission trip. I had reached out to our small fire station to see if we could have them come talk to our little neighborhood, but I think they're so small it wasn't possible. I did get to work with First Alert to help spread awareness about home fire safety.

Fire prevention is important no matter where you live or the kind of house you live in. I don't know about you, but I was taught to change the batteries every time we start or end Daylight Savings. Did you know that you should be doing a weekly test of your smoke detectors?! I had NO clue. That is, I didn't until I read the instructions that came along with our First Alert Fire Prevention Kit.

This weekend, Fred and I switched out a couple of our basic smoke detectors that came with the house for the new ones we received from First Alert. It's incredibly important to be a Super Prepared Family! One of my biggest concerns is having a third story bedroom. It's incredibly high up and I worry that with my son living up there he would have a hard time escaping if he didn't have enough notice. One of the purchases that I want to make is for a Three Story Escape Ladder. That will give me a bit of a peace of mind.

Until then, we started off by installing the 10-Year Atom Smoke & Fire Alarm. This was installed at the bottom of the 3rd floor stares right above my overflowing bookshelves. Ok, tell me I'm not alone when I thought all smoke detectors were big and round?! This Atom is a micro-design with a ten year battery. TEN year, people! Can you believe we've been in this house and already had our alarms going off at 3am! SO miserable, especially when you can't figure out where the heck the chirp is coming from. "This unit has an advanced smoke entry system with a photoelectric sensor that will detect regular and slow, smoldering fires and reduce false alarms that result from cooking and shower steam."

We also switched out the master bedroom and living room detectors. In the living room, because it's next to the kitchen, we added the 10-Year Dual Sensor Smoke & Fire Alarm. What really grabbed me, because I really don't grasp how quick fire can spread, is reading "Fast flaming fires spread quickly and leave minutes; maybe seconds; to react. Slow smoldering fires burn long and can unknowingly fill the home with smoke causing smoke inhalation." I think we always have this sense that we'll have plenty of time to get out if there's a fire. This is a good location for our home because it detects slow smoldering and fast flaming fires.

The one in our bedroom is the 10-Year Combination Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Alarm. While smoke & fire are something that are always a concern, carbon monoxide freaks me out. It's an odorless killer. I remember when I had a house build in Minnesota years ago. Our friends gave us a Carbon Monoxide detector as a house warming gift! I felt like having one of these in the bedroom was the best option. We put the 10-Year Alarm Life Carbon Monoxide Alarm on the main floor, and having this combo in our bedroom gave me an added level of security.

Speaking of the carbon monoxide alarm, I decided that instead of attaching it to the wall (for now) I'd put it on our entryway table. It's really such a small, versatile detector you really don't even realize it's there. I like that it gives the reading of the room temperature that it's in. All of these detectors can go for 10 yrs without needing a battery change! Gotta love that feature. When any of them come to the end of the life, an alarm signals for it to be replaced.

It's incredibly important for every family to be a Super Prepared Family! We're doing that by talking with the boys about escape routes from the house and where we should meet if we ever have an emergency. You can also use fun activity sheets and watch these videos to help your family!

Be sure you take some time before the end of the month to check your detectors batteries and if it's time, replace those with one of the detectors you've read about here! Be safe out there.

Teaching Kids To Make An Investment

The first time I thought about my kids learning about finances was when my oldest daughter was heading to high school. I remember going through her class options and was excited to see one that taught about finances, how to fix things in your home, etc. Practical things. When she signed up for classes, she found out they were cutting out that class. UGH! I was terrible at finances and didn't want my kids to follow in my footsteps.

Spring forward 8 yrs later and my oldest son started talking to me yesterday about how he can't wait until he can start investing his money in stocks. I was so excited to have this talk with him because a) I'm partnering with BusyKid and b) my boys need to start NOW!

Both of my boys have jobs, yes even my 14 yr old, and I want them to be money smart! I don't want them to ever live paycheck to paycheck or worry about what retirement will look like I do. It's not surprising that nearly 80% of millennials aren't invested in the stock market. Also that 3 in 4 young women, versus 60 percent of young men, said investing was confusing. I can confirm that it's incredibly confusing.

It's important to teach our kids! The lack of financial education in schools are the major reason young Americans aren’t prepared to invest in their futures. I was never taught it in school, and neither were my kids. I would really encourage parents to give stock instead of gifts! With the holidays coming up, it's a fun way to get them started!

- Price is now $14.95 for the entire family

- They are introducing the BusyKid Spend Card, a reloadable Visa® prepaid card, where kids can move their allowance in order to spend in stores or online

- For a limited time, 2 kids of each new family will receive a free $10 stock. We want kids to learn how to invest so we decided to give them their first experience in dealing with the stock market.

Here are 5 Tips For Young Investors

Learn The Game - Investing can be a risky game. However the best time to learn how to play is when you are young. The amounts you invest are generally smaller and if you make mistakes, you have plenty of time to make up for them. There is no lack of information available on how to invest in stocks, so read up!

Earn Your Stock - Let your children earn money to invest by completing chores around the house. By using BusyKid, your children can automatically turn their allowance into investments.

Don’t Fear Mistakes - It’s bound to happen. You pick the wrong stock, pull out too soon or too late. Maybe you lose all you invested. Don’t sweat it. You’re not the first to do it and you won’t be the last. The good news is you are young and able to rebound from whatever happened. Just don’t quit!

Have Fun - Investing can be fun because unlike having your money in a bank account, you can watch your money live in the market. Follow your investments weekly to see if they go up or down. Then when you think the time is right, sell the stock and start all over again.

Family Affair - Make investing a family affair or contest. Let each family member the ability to but two or three stocks, then over a month, have a contest to see who does better. You can even spend time each night at dinner discussing how the market did and who is winning.

The Purity Box

So far with each of my four kids, we've had the purity talk. Having grown up without any sense of making good choices, it was extremely important for me to let my kids know there IS an option other than doing what everyone else does. They don't have to experiment. They CAN save themselves for marriage, and it's ok!

For me, training up my kids in this starts a lot earlier than when they're in middle to high school. It starts when they're younger. It's part of the conversation and how I raise them. We all learn at a very young age how we should approach certain things in life. One of the first lessons I learned, when I was training up my girls, was how I was going to train up my boys.

It's never been about telling them what to do. It's been about explaining why I ask them to do something. If we're at the movies and previews aren't appropriate, I ask them to look elsewhere. Why? Because boys/men store thousands of images in their brains. If they fill their brains with half naked women, women undressing, or people engaging in any form of sensuality, then those images will come to mind over and over again.

That being said, I've conveyed to them how beautiful a woman's body is. That our bodies were made to enjoy sex and experience intimacy. God created us with that desire and drive. If God created it, then it's not a bad thing, right? What I believe is that it's to be saved for marriage. Unfortunately, I will never have the joy of giving myself to one person. I will never know what it's like to save my all for the person I hope to spend my life with. My prayer is that all four of my children will. They might not, but my hope is that they will.

So, what's up with this purity box? It's something that came to me when my oldest daughter was entering her teens. We hear about luggage that we pull and drag with us as we go from relationship to relationship, right? I wanted my kids to understand that their purity is a gift. It doesn't have to be luggage.

I wrapped a box that has a ring inside it. I gave this one to my youngest son. Here's how it works. We give the box to my son. I explain pretty much what I've shared here. That his gift to his wife will be his purity. With the hope that he's saved himself for his future wife, he can present her the ring that's inside.

We let him know that we love him and share what we believe God has designed intimacy for. Then we explain what happens to his gift if he decides he'd like to share it with someone else before his wife. He may end up getting some tears in the wrapping. Maybe he and a girl only date for a couple of months and don't go "all the way." Well, we know that intimacy is intimacy no matter what "base" they make it to.

Maybe he decides he likes how it feels to be in a relationship or just the intimacy with a girl. The more relationships he's in the more the gift is ripped and torn. And it's not just physical intimacy that effects the box. Emotional and mental intimacy (basically baggage) begins to deteriorate the box as well. Since we can't see the future, we don't know what kind of shape the box would be in by the time he finds "the one." What he CAN see is what the gift could potentially look like when he hands it to his future wife.

The kids are able to see the contrast between the gift when it's first presented to them from us, to when he's ready in life to give it to the woman he loves. As he's growing up, he has a choice to make. It's not easy to make what we consider to be the right choice. It's not the popular choice in the world we live in. That's ok. Isn't everyone encouraged to buck the trend? These days I figure pursuing purity is doing just that!

Giving our kids a purity ring or necklace isn't the end all be all of the discussion. It's open ended. It's also not a magical box. I know it won't make it so my kids don't make different choices. It's mostly symbolic of our hope for our kids. We love them and definitely want what's best for them. Purity is what we hope and pray they'll choose.

Celebrating Mum's Birthday Along With Sad News

April 1st is Fred's mom's birthday. She turned 83 today. Mum was born in 1934 on an Easter Sunday. She's lived through so many changes in our world. I was so thankful we were able to go up to spend some time with her. This birthday has a different meaning to it for all of us. This will be our last birthday with her, and had no idea how to approach it.

 

Several weeks ago, before we headed up to PA for our overnight away, Fred's mom spent a few days in the hospital. We weren't sure what was wrong and neither did they. After several days they came back with a diagnosis of cirrhosis. We had no idea how she ended up with that disease, but figured it might be from taking medication for a long period of time. It wasn't a good diagnosis, but with care, we knew she had some good years still ahead of her.

On March 22nd, Fred's dad called him while I was at the gym and told Fred that his mom was back in the hospital with a diagnosis of cancer. They weren't sure what kind or if it had spread. We were hopeful it was just a spot on the film. Maybe just a spot on her liver.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. Fred went up there right after he got the call. The next day while his mom was being tested, Fred kept himself busy as they waited for the oncologist to figure out what was going on. We're not sure what kind of cancer it is, where it started, but it turned out it was throughout her body. She had a diagnosis of stage 4 cancer. They said she had about 3-6 months.

You can imagine our reaction. It wasn't good. We were all shocked and in disbelief. How does someone go from being just fine to having a death sentence handed to them? Yes, we're all going to die, but being given this information with it looming before you? She seemed just fine a month ago. And now this.

She definitely wanted to make it to her birthday. Then Easter will be here, but that wasn't the next thing she was looking forward to. Her next milestone is her anniversary which is April 23rd! It'll be their 52nd Anniversary! Isn't that amazing?

She gave Fred's daughter and son gifts of jewelry as heirlooms. She gave Kgirl her engagement ring and Mguy a tie tack that was from his dad's side of the family. It was important for her to pass on something to the children while she was living!

I have never walked through the end of life with someone before. My grandparents all passed away far from me and I didn't attend their funerals. Well, except when I was a 6 yr old little girl and my grandpa passed away. Gosh I loved him. My other 3 grandparents were far away when they passed. My parents are still living, so this is the first time I've faced death like this.

Knowing her birthday was coming up, and not knowing what to do, I asked the people who follow me on Facebook what they would do. What gift do you give to someone who has very little time left in this world? I didn't want to get her something that was ordinary. With the ideas we received, I wanted to share them so if others weren't sure and were in the same boat, they could use this list as well!

Here are 10 gift ideas for families whose loved ones are in hospice or near end of life like Mum is. It's extremely hard to consider, giving gifts at a time like this, but it was still her birthday and we wanted to celebrate her and bless her.

*Have family members write letters
*Donate to their favorite charity
*Give them an indulgence like ice cream
*Plant a small tree or shrub in your yard as a remembrance - their favorite variety
*Gift bag with warm, soft things: blankets, socks, mittens
*Gift them a pedicure/manicure in their home
*Gift them a hair stylist to come into their home
*Photo collage blanket
*Do something they've always wanted to do
*Throw a party to celebrate their life

What ideas would you add?