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Informative Articles

Decorating Your Rooms with Area Rugs
Area rugs , such as Tibetan rugs, are the number one decoration choice for many people because of their rich history, enchanting designs, and outstanding collection value. Hanging on the wall or covering the floor, each every single piece of rug is...

Make a List, Check it Twice -- and, Don’t Forget Your Pets
(ARA) - Holidays are a special time for friends and family. Since pets are a part of the family too, make sure your holiday is pet friendly. Here are some helpful tips from Jill Richardson, D.V.M, one of the pet pros at Hartz, a leader in the pet...

Preventing child abductions
Child molesters and abductors usually look like everyday people. They can be anybody, the teacher, next door neighbor, mailman and they come in all ages, old and young. Tell your kids not to talk to adults they do not know. Anytime they are...

Review of "Biscuit Storybook Collection"
Review of "Biscuit Storybook Collection" by Alyssa Satin Capucilli, illustrated by Pat Schories Harper Festival, January 2005 Hardcover, 192 pages ISBN: 0060759046 Recommended Ages: Baby - Preschool Review by Sherri Allen: How can children's book...

The Case AGAINST Raw Frozen Pet Foods
For some 25 years I have alerted the public to the dangers of exclusively feeding heat processed foods. Companion animal feeding has progressed – actually digressed – from table scraps and real foods the family could spare to today’s “100 %...

 
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Valentine's Far From Home

"What shall we make grandma and grandpa for Valentine's Day?"

This is an oft-repeated question as February 14th draws near; and despite being another highly commercialized holiday, it is still a nice way for geographically separated families to touch base.

Although e-mail is invaluable, homemade cards from grandchildren - gluey, misspelt and smudged, delivered in crumpled envelopes with upsidedown stamps - are the wishes that will be caressed by gentle hands, hung on the fridge under hatted cow magnets, and proudly shown to passers-by.

My own daughter knows that her grandma is a jigsaw puzzle expert, so she glued a teddy bear picture to a red construction paper heart, with little messages of love written around the periphery. With great care, tongue tip protruding to steady her hand, she then cut the artwork into several large pieces. Proudly, dumping her homemade puzzle into an envelope, we went to the post office hand in hand.

We press flowers, collected on warm walks and


summer picnics, haphazardly collecting them in any book on hand. It's always a lovely treat when fragile petals float from a page we're reading, and sometimes we glue these decorations of nature to homemade Valentine's Day cards sharing colorful memories of spring.

Children grow up fast, and grandparents miss the little things - like a first lost tooth, a new smile. One fun way to send pictures is to decorate cards with sunshines and flowers, replacing round centers with cut-out faces of the grandkids. There's no better way to wish the folks Happy Valentine's Day than to have a garden of your children's faces beaming up at them.

About the Author

Stephanie Olsen, published writer, homeschooling mother of two and ESL teacher currently residing in Europe, is also owner of the expatriate site, Family Life Abroad http://www.familylifeabroad.com where you'll find humorous and informative articles by experienced expatriates on all aspects of living abroad, with lots of links and travel tips.