The impetus for a National Grandparents Day originated with Marian McQuade, a housewife in Fayette County, West Virginia. Her primary motivation was to champion the cause of lonely elderly in nursing homes. She also hoped to persuade grandchildren to tap the wisdom and heritage their grandparents could provide. President Jimmy Carter, in 1978, proclaimed that National Grandparents Day would be celebrated every year on the first Sunday after Labor Day.
When is Grandparents Day?
In 2010, Grandparents Day falls on Sept. 12th

Seniors  typically don’t eat as well as they used to. They lose interest in cooking, and if they live by themselves, cooking for one seems like too much of a chore.  If you are caring for a parent that lives far away, MagicKitchen.com chefs have created delicious prepared Senior Meals designed for today’s healthy senior lifestyle. MagicKitchen.com offers fresh, delicious prepared meals cooked by our chefs, with the unbeatable convenience of home meal delivery. Save time without sacrificing taste.

If your grandparent resides in a senior’s facility, they will welcome a change of dietary pace, and most of MagicKitchen.com’s meals can be heated in a microwave.  They would only need room in a freezer to store the meals. What could be easier than sending your grandparent our Senior’s Bundle:

• Vegetable Stew, Cornbread Blueberry Toaster Cakes
• Steak Soup, Potato & Cheese Pierogies
• Vegetable Lasagna
• Beef Bordelaise, Magic Mashed Potatoes, Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
• Deep Dish Chicken Pot Pie

Desserts

• Apple Pie
• Carrot Cake

Looking for something to keep the kids busy while you’re visiting with grandma? How about the Doodlebook photo frame? This 4 x 6 photo frame is also an 80-page sketching pad. Budding artists and doodlers can draw all over the frame and then tear off the top sheet to create a new artwork.

Here’s an idea for a super-personalized gift- plak your poem (http://plakyourpoem.com/).  Write your own poem or select one of theirs, put it on one of their beautiful backgrounds, then let them mount it and laminate it.

How about a fun fishing photo frame for grandpa?  They say, “We will personalize our exclusive Hooked On You© Personalized Frame design with any name or title you choose along with each of his fishing buddies’ first names.”

Whatever you decide on, don’t forget to celebrate Grandparents Day! Without them, you wouldn’t be here, and you certainly wouldn’t be the person you are!

We’d love to see how you use our products- so send us your videos!  It’s simple- create a video of your family eating dinner, or a dinner party, or a creative use of the products (see our recipe page for ideas).

Then upload the video to youtube or google video, send us the <embed…> code, and we’ll put it up on the blog and the website!

(On youtube, just copy the code from the “Embed” box—you can find it in the “About This Video” box when you’re watching the video. On google video, to the right in the rating box, click on “Email – Blog -Post to MySpace”. Then click on “Embed HTML” and the code will appear.)

On July 31, we’ll pick a winner, and the winner gets a $100 gift certificate. Lights, camera, action!

One of the best get well gifts is easy to heat, nutritious food, and MagicKitchen.com has a selection of get well food gifts.  Nutritious meals and comfort food will help the ill person retain their strength for better healing. But often they won’t have the energy to cook a meal. MagicKitchen.com meals are the perfect gift.

Reading materials and puzzles are often perfect get-well gift ideas. A stack of magazines can be ideal as long as they match the person’s interests. Give a box of herbal teas.  Make them smile with thoughtful and funny gifts, such as a box of chocolate band-aids or a bottle of candy coated “pills” (mints or candies).

For a woman, perhaps a visit to bedhead pjs is in order: http://www.bedheadpjs.com/

Give them something to look forward to after they’re feeling better–a gift certificate for a round of golf, a few games of bowling, tickets to the movies, a concert or a theme park–whatever it is they enjoy doing when they’re feeling well.

For those recovering from a surgery or other medical issue that does not affect their appetite or diet, create a movie package. Fill an unpopped popcorn tub or popcorn bowl with drinks, snacks, microwave popcorn, seasoning salts, and a DVD (or a gift certificate to a movie rental store–with a note that says you’ll pick it up for them).

When searching for get well gift ideas, always remember that it’s the thought that counts. No matter which get well gift you decide to give the recipient, chances are that they will be very appreciative of the gesture of your thoughtfulness and generosity.

While of course we love having people send MagicKitchen.com meals to parents of a new baby, and new parents love it, there is a world of gift ideas for the happy parents.

Rocking Chair or Glider
Babies love to be rocked, and tired parents love it, too! Give them a standard rocking chair with colorful cushions, or a glider. Gliders slide back and forth rather than rocking in an arc. Get a rocker or glider with a generously wide seat and arms for maximum comfort. It’s a good idea to choose a glider that locks in place, especially if there’s toddler in the house.

Baby Backpack
Parents can use this on walks, while shopping, or just to keep the baby safe while cooking dinner. Babies love to look around them, and doing it at back height gives them some new views. Backpacks let the parents be hand-free, and keep baby happy.

Gift Certificate to a Spa
Mom will love this! It’s a good idea to talk to a friend or grandmother who can take the baby for an afternoon. It will give mom a well-deserved break and help her feel beautiful, desirable and pampered.

Give of your time
What does every new mom wish she had more of, but time? Offer your services to babysit, clean house, grocery shopping. Run errands, do a load of laundry. Anything that will allow mom a catnap will be so appreciated!

What about Dad?
Buy Dad a manly diaper bag, such as one from Diaper Dude. Dads are often left out of baby showers and usually don’t think to buy their own diaper bags. But he’ll appreciate it when he realizes the alternative is walking around with his wife’s pink flowery bag.

New dads love documenting the new little person. Give a digital camera or camcorder, or a less extravagant gift certificate to a photo-printing service like Shutterfly.