Tag: video chats

May 9, 2021

Happy Mother’s Day Catch Up

Happy Mother’s Day! Today is for you, whether you’re a mother, a mother-in-law, a grandmother or reuniting with a mom whom you haven’t seen since before COVID. Or, maybe you are remembering a mother? Perhaps you’re also enjoying watching a new mom fall in love with her new baby or passing wisdom to a growing child? However you celebrate Mother’s Day, I hope you enjoy savoring old memories and making new ones.

Whether it’s FaceTime, landline or snail mail: CALL A MOM  ! And, if you feel so inclined, check out these links and consider donating to a charity of your choice to help mom’s in India: Help India During COVID.

Catching Up

So, it’s been a while since Dawn and I have posted. Well, you could say that Dawn and I have had a bit of COVID fatigue. And, ahem….we’ve been a bit preoccupied. First, getting vaccinated  yay!! Then, helping to make sure that our families got vaccines as quickly as permitted. That was a LOT of late night internet juggling. Can you relate?

Mothers Near & Far

Coincidentally, since our last post, Dawn and I have each welcomed a new grandson. Our latest little guy is named for my dad/Zaydie and northern DIL’s Grammie. This tradition of naming a child for a cherished family member is yet another way to link generations into the future. Passing on these names is also a wonderful way to celebrate lives lived. Truly, this is a way to honor “their memories as blessings”. Many, many blessings.

New Long Distance Grandparents Facebook Page!

While our kids were pregnant with expectations, chasing after toddlers and getting vaccinated, Dawn and I were asked to moderate a long-distance grandparents social media site. Currently, this FB community includes close to 500 long distance grandparents from around the world. We have been thinking of and planning ways to link Smiles Beyond Miles with that spirited group. At the same time, we want to provide options for the ways you like to connect.

For a sample of how Long Distance Grandparents Facebook group benefits from connecting with other long distance grandparents facing similar challenges and joys, check out this wordle:

For more info, search Facebook for Long Distance Grandparents and request to join. This is a monitored, private group so you’ll need to answer a few questions. There, you’ll also find more ideas for connecting with grands remotely, art projects from Dawn and fun stories (emotional ones, too) posted by long distance grandparents from Australia to the Netherlands and across the US.

Stay Tuned…

Meanwhile, stay tuned for a new look for our Smiles Beyond Miles blog. As Dawn and I always learn from this blog adventure… delivering content and building our community in creative and efficient ways is a work in progress! Look forward to hearing how you connected on Mother’s Day and every day.

 Cheers and happy connecting to all you mom’s and mom-supporters 

November 9, 2020

A Game for Long-Distance Grandparenting: Ousi®

When I discovered the game, OuiSi®, I just knew it was going to be one of my favorites! OuiSi® is a game about making connections. It’s perfect for long-distance grandparenting because that’s what we do! It can also be played in a variety of ways, which is a real plus for adapting to our video chats.

What is OuiSi®?

OuiSi® (pronounced, “wee-see,” meaning “Yes”, in French and Spanish, of course) is a box game with 210 beautifully photographed cards. Most are easily visible on a video chat. Each one is carefully composed with a fresh view of common objects. Moreover, these intriguing photos seem to invite you take a closer look, as if you’re using a magnifying glass.

With that in mind, check these out. Read more

August 28, 2020

Virtual Read-sharing With School-age Grands

Grandparents, we have lots to offer our grands when it comes to reading! Given our experiences, we can help them navigate the route to fun and engaging reading. With our school-age grandkids, virtual storytime is like a partnership. I like to call it, “read-sharing.” Put another way, vIrtual read-sharing is like Uber. And, virtual read-sharing with school-age grands delivers smiles beyond the miles.

For tips about reading with school-age kids, I turned to my daughter-in-law up north (nDIL), master teacher and elementary school reading specialist extraordinaire. For bonding at a distance with reading, I checked in with my mom and cherished long distance grandparent. Read more

August 9, 2020

Great Accessory for Long-Distance Video Chats

As a devoted gadget lover, I’m always looking for the next best thing to make my life easier! Recently, I was in hot pursuit of something to use for video chats with my long-distance grandkids. I already had a phone tripod that worked great for some of the things we did, but not others. For example, when we tried to play a board game, getting a view of the gameboard was a challenge. For my long-distance video chats to flow more naturally, I needed a flexible set up. So, it was love at first sight when I discovered my new favorite accessory for long-distance video chats, a phone holder gooseneck arm mount!

Using this Accessory for Long-distance Video Chats

The gooseneck arm can hold my phone in a variety of directions. Read more

July 20, 2020

LONG-DISTANCE GRANPARENTING BLOOPERS

We’re delighted to introduce the first in a continuing series of, “Long-Distance Grandparenting Bloopers.” That’s bloopers, with an “s”. Clearly, there’s more to come, so stay tuned!

And now for this week’s post. The reality is that for all our good intentions and preparation, there are just going to be times when things don’t go so well on video chats. In this case, it turned out to be quite a cliff hanger.

A little background – years ago I created and performed puppet shows with a few friends. Along with their pet dog, the puppet family (including grandparents) began their lives as socks. All were lovingly homemade. In addition, it should be noted that our shows at community centers were well received. I share this fact, because it’s highly relevant to this post’s blooper. Read more