Sandwich Generation Survival Tips at Simply Sandwich

Was it Love at First Sight?

By Paula, on November 28th, 2011

I was over-the-moon excited about my birthday weekend! I am not going to disclose any birthday numbers because frankly, I cannot count that high. After an exhausting month with my mother’s situation, we had plans to join some dear families in San Diego for a quiet getaway.

There were only two more loads of laundry standing between me and a much-needed change of scenery. Apparently, my over-used and over-repaired dryer did not care about my vacation plans and decided to call it quits. I quickly jammed over to the Wishy Wash (thank you to SDR for clarifying the coin laundry title because I do not think I could top that one) and after using 7,865 quarters in the dryer, we were ready to go.

On the way back from an awesome weekend, my hubby, son and I stopped to buy a new washer and dryer set. If you have never shopped for major appliances with a thirteen-year-old boy, you should not do that right away!

Hubby and I inspected and researched every detail of the machines even though we were bombarded with teenage eye rolling, huffy breaths and commands such as, “Just pick one and let’s go!” We finally narrowed down the choices to either, the plain-jane, no frills option or the set with every bell and whistle imaginable.

I confess that I was completely intimidated with the fancy one’s digital display because it resembled an airplane control panel. Fearing that I would never be able to operate these beauties or that the digital factor would shut down leaving me stranded again, I found every excuse in the book to veto the machines. “I do not need that much capacity any more”, “Are you sure they will fit in our laundry room?” “The lid to the washer is glass. Really? What Einstein thought of that? Who wants to stand around gazing at their clothes while they are being washed? Keeping that glass clean would add another chore to my list! Sheesh!”

After a lot more whining (from the boy child – not me!) and decisions, we opted for the multi-bell and whistle option. They were delivered two days later and although it was not “love at first sight”, I am now the happiest gal on the planet. Not only is there every setting you can think of, they also have a joyful little Disneyland-type song when the cycle is complete. I am not afraid to admit that YES, I do stand there and stare at the wash!

Oh, I have to run now – my washer is calling me! Anyone need me to do your laundry??

19 Holiday Assessment Questions

By Paula, on November 25th, 2011

Although I am clearly not one of them, there are some folks who love spontaneity. This is an awesome concept when your spouse comes home and suggests an impulsive dinner date. Spontaneity during Christmas or any holiday for that matter is a recipe for disaster. There is nothing worse than wandering around a crowded mall trying to think of a perfect gift to buy.

If you add in the care of a parent, you are setting yourself up for epic failure by not taking the time to draw up some holiday plans. If detail management is not your forte, why not break your holiday planning into small, workable units. By taking small steps at a time, you will have much more success.

To help you along, I have provided 19 questions to jumpstart your 2011 holiday planning:

For the main holiday meal, how many people will I be feeding?
Are there other events that require food preparation?
Can I divide this load and if so, with whom?
Are there special food guidelines or requests I need to address? (e.g., allergies, traditions, favorites)
What treats/snacks will I prepare for the holidays? (e.g., include school, holiday parties, gifts, etc.)
Are there alternative meal options? (e.g., catering, restaurants)
What are my family’s priorities regarding to gift giving? (e.g., cost, meaning)
Do I have an established holiday account, if so what is the balance?
What is a reasonable amount to spend on each family member?
Where will my event be held?
How many people will attend?
Do I have enough seating or sleeping options?
Do I need to make alternate sleeping arrangements? (e.g., hotel or other family member’s home)
Are there any special needs to be addressed? (e.g., wheelchairs, walkers/canes, raised carpet, crowded furniture, slick floors)
Can I arrange a day trip for out of town guests? (e.g., museums, points of interest, movies with the kids)
Are there other people I can delegate this task to so I can stay home to prepare? If so, whom?
Are there holiday traditions I would like to maintain? (e.g., theme parks, viewing Christmas lights, ice skating, music)
What 5 activities are priorities for my family? (include parties, performances, church functions)
What activities can be eliminated from our schedule?

There you go friends…19 questions to ponder. Can you add more?

Creating a Holiday Binder

By Paula, on November 23rd, 2011

Sandwich Mamas do not have ownership on busyness during the holidays. One universal fact about this festive time of year is that many things tend to happen simultaneously. It is not unusual to be wrapping gifts at the same time you are trying help your parents with their holiday cards or trying to find the Christmas play costume.

Papers and plans can get out of hand, so creating a Holiday Binder will help make this special time of year a little more organized. Creating a system to keep all of your important information will enable you to record your experience and keep the memories neatly saved for years to come.

To begin creating your holiday organizing system, you must first gather your supplies:

1½” to 2” notebook – choose a large one with inner pockets for handy storage.
Colored dividers – decide how many categories you are going to need to make sure you have enough.
Page protectors – for recipes, ideas or articles from magazines.
Paper pockets – handy storage for photos, notes or receipts.
Blank paper – back up for notes or brainstorming sessions.

Once you have all of the ingredients at hand, you can begin to assemble the binder. Although you may certainly use your own innovative juices to develop titles, here are some suggestions on divider categories to get you started:

Lists and Planners – store blank sheets as well as lists and planners from years past in page protectors. This way you can look at what you did on prior occasions and decide if that worked well or the plans need some tweaking.
Food Plans – this is a section for all food related ideas. Store meal planners, snack ideas, grocery lists and recipes in here.
Gift and Supplies Lists – place your holiday gift and stocking stuffer lists in this section as well as supplies you will need during the season. (Make sure your family stays away so they will not see your plans!)
Holiday Funds – use pocket folders to hold your receipts for easy retrieval. You can also keep Christmas fund statements or budget here.
Household Logistics – anything related to preparing your house for the festivities is filed here.
Notes – this is a great spot for your spur of the moment ideas to be housed. You can peek back at previous notes and ideas you had.
Special Activities – try filing notices for seasonal functions such as musicals, plays and parties. You can also keep information for day trips for your holiday guests in this section.