Grand kids contact

Poppy sore eye · Senior Member

Grand kids contact

hako · Guru

We use Skype - that way you can see and talk to them as often as you like for very little money - it's almost as good as being there. Also follow them on Facebook. Number 16 arrives in 2 weeks time so we use Skype often.

Regards

Denis

Grams · Guru

I am using a Blog, emails and FaceTime. I have 7 of my own and 5 step grandchildren.

brickies · Guru

We return by plane for Grand parent day from North Queensland

nomadic1 · Senior Member

I use Skype a lot too. I also bought large laminated maps for a couple of them and I send postcards from places I visit on my travels - they really like the postcards.

Poppy sore eye · Senior Member

Sorry about the typing skills , what ages are the ones that like the map, this is something we have thought of.

ours are already split, 3 in Vic and 3 in SA

Poppy sore eye · Senior Member

Grams I think I like the idea of a blog is it hard to set up and maintain, can they reply....comment?

BohemianGypsy · Guru

This is my sore point about going on the road as well because one of our grandchildren live with us with our daughter. She is nearly 5 yrs old and we have had her with us since she was born. I am going to be crying like a baby for weeks I reckon when we leave so will she. She doesn't want her nannie and poppa to leave. I have two other grandchildren in Sydney that I also love and adore. I will be using skype and facetime every day I think so we don't miss out on anything. If this doesn't work for the long term trip then we will return and only do trips a few weeks at a time I think.

Oh my I shouldn't talk about it cause I get so teary all over again just thinking about leaving lol.

Michelle

jules47 · The Happy Helper

When the grandkids were younger, we gave them maps, and used to send postcards. The loved it. Now they are older, keep in touch via facebook and phone calls (I have a plan that gives me free calls 6PM to 6AM) - but then, I also had not lived near them for most of their lives - grandsons in Qld, we in Vic, grandaughter, moved from Vic to NT, so got used to not seeing them very often.
When we do visit - it is a lot of fun catching up, and because we talk a lot via computer or phone, we don't miss out on that much. If anything happened - serious illness or the lilke, I would just fly from wherever I was if necessary.

It is hard, but what is the old saying, absence makes the heart grow fonder!

Grams · Guru

Poppy eye sore,

You can get a blog from www.blogger.com it's free and they show you how to set it up step by step. You can add pictures of where you are and what you have done, plus add text on what your doing or where you are going next. Then if your kids or grand kids want to add comments they can, plus you can answer them.

Rip and Rosie · Guru

We use a combination of phone, facetime (ipad), visits and parcels.

A couple of times each year the van is parked in their driveway when the kids get home from school.

Every so often -plus easter etc- a parcel arrives. It contains different stuff every time. Last one was new PJs and a few books, some "One Direction" stuff and of course chocolate. Usually these parcels have the sort of stuff grandparents would give them if we were closer- anything from a bit of rubbish kids like to clothes and books, or even DS games....... (depends what's on sale lol)

Usually, their mum gets them on the phone or ipad so we can hear /sees the excitement when they open the big box...................we love it and so do they.

Whenever one of them say "I haven't seen you for a long time Grandma" we plan something.

Gerty Dancer · Guru

Ours like their postcards, it seems to be better than computer or phone contact for the under-7's, as they could carry them around, show them at school/kindy. Printed photos of yourselves are great, but can be tricky to organise. Who carries a printer in their caravan?

wendyv · Guru

When ours were aged up to about 8, used to send postcards - especially with unusual subjects. Would write "educational stuff" about the card topic, on the card, suitable for child's age and in printing that they could learn to read themselves. Like others, they had maps they could follow us on. The cards were very popular for show & tell. They were encouraged to keep card scrapbooks. Now some are a bit older (11,10) use Skype, emails - but they still insist I send postcards!

When they were quite young, and we were away for 5-9 months at a time, sending cards frequently was a way of reminding them who we were! If we were propping in one place for a while, working, where I might run out of "local" card subject matter, I also carried a stock of animal, bird etc cards, that could apply to anywhere, so the cards kept coming. Even a subject like a long cattle road train, can be sent from lots of places.

-- Edited by wendyv on Tuesday 7th of May 2013 05:48:51 PM

Roving-Dutchy · Guru

Hi Gerty
Just save up the photo's till you are in a larger regional town and all the major shops have photo printing machines, cheaper than printing from your own printer.
Cheers
David

Poppy sore eye · Senior Member

Thanks to you all it seems like their are lots of options I hadn't thought of and know nothing about. Looks like I have a lot to learn about this technology stuff, and what's available. Maybe I do a course.

Roving-Dutchy · Guru

If you are looking for somewhere to do a course about using various programs on your computer, take a look at this site http://www.necseniors.net.au/ it is Government funded and there are computer kiosks all over Australia and there are volunteers that are willing to teach you, this site will show you where there are computer kiosks that are located close to where you are and they are available for Seniors to use, lots of useful information on that site.

Cheers

David

Cloak · Guru

We want to take ours with us...

Poppy sore eye · Senior Member

Hi cloak, that's the best idea yet, but I think Mum and Dad might have something to say

lol

Poppy sore eye · Senior Member

Thanks Wendy and all of you, as you said when I first posted here last week, an invaluable resource. But please explain to me if you can, I have received an email letting me know that Wendyv has posted a reply, this has not happened befor, don't understand"?

Happywanderer · The Master

You must have clicked on Subscribe on the bottom of this page. If you have you will receive emails everytime someone posts on here.
You need to go into your Settings to unclick it.

Poppy sore eye · Senior Member

Thank you happy wanderer all done

nomadic1 · Senior Member

One map is shared between 2 of them, 8 and 10 (they're brother and sister). The other is with my 7 year old grand son.

Dunmowin · Guru

We send post cards, save brochures of the more interesting places we have been and send them in parcels with stuff from wherever we are (hats, t-shirts, you know, stuff) - they have a post card board that the cards get pinned on. They also get a monthly blog from us in the form of an email attachment. Have sent boxes of feathers and shells to youngest - she loved that. They have map bood to follow, and I sent scanned map each blog with updated highlited roads

One grandmother I met "stole" one of her grandies stuffed toys, and photographs it every night in a different location and emails to the kiddies. Thought that was cute. a bit like a travelling gnome.

I have just flown over from Perth to Brisbane to see aged mother for m-day, and a surprise visit to Stadbroke to see 12yo grandie in surfing carnival.

Keep the surprises coming.....

-- Edited by Dunmowin on Wednesday 8th of May 2013 08:34:31 PM

Poppy sore eye · Senior Member

Thanks Dunmowin, some great ideas I like stealing the toy.
Enjoy the time with Mum and good luck to the grandie.

Dunmowin · Guru

Thanks P S E, I wish I had thought of stealing the toy. Great idea. Had lunch with mum today, she really enjoyed that, grandies on Saturday at Staddie will be fun

chrisnchris · Senior Member

We have the same problem . We see our grandkids every day without fail and it is really hard to leave them . We use skype all the tme
and I do take a printer with us . I purchased it last year from a P O , and its not much bigger than a lap top so takes up very little room
so printing and sending photos is not a problem
Cheers

Grams · Guru

My photo printer is in a bucket, everything you need for it is inside it. The printer itself sits on top. It's very small and compact I might take this with me. You could stick the photos to cardboard and post these as postcards. You just need their address on one side and write on the other. I think you can even buy postcard photo paper, not sure, ill have to check.

rosco532 · Senior Member

Avis & I decided before we ''ran away'' from NZ that it was OUR turn to live....After years & years of working 18hr days all based on providing for our Children.

It was now our Childrens turn to look after the up-bringing and raising of ''their'' Children....just as we had done for them....and we keep out of the way (but not out of sight)

We still keep in touch through Skype,emails,facebook and telephone.....and when we do make a trip home every 2nd year (twice this year).. its treated as something special.

Each Grand-child (and we have ''16'' of them)...receives a birthday card with an amount of money in it (different dollars for different ages)...to spend on what they choose for themselves...(they know the $$$ came from us so it gives them special meaning what they choose) (funniest one by a 5yr old was a ''pie'' lol...as her parents wouldn't normally let her have pies)...we laughed for weeks over that...lol ...(some may ask why send money....its because the freight between NZ & Australia is often more expensive than the present we would have sent them)

For Christmas...we now send one big amount so the parents can buy something for the whole family....like a holiday or what-ever they choose.

With Skype we still keep in touch with their growth and see how they are developing........And when they do get to see us...its ''Special''

Cheers

-- Edited by rosco532 on Saturday 11th of May 2013 12:23:40 PM

Poppy sore eye · Senior Member

Thanks everybody, there are some really good ideas I am still considering pinching them and running away, but maybe not practical

i think I am not alone in thinking its maybe the hardest part of the decision we have made.

Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens.