My grandkids and I continue along our Minecraft path. We recently discovered “Feed the Beast.” I have to admit, I read about it quite a while ago and ignored it, thinking it was something for older kids or maybe even not something I would want for them. But I finally checked into it and discovered it was actually quite a nice thing.

Basically it is many mods put together that have been tested to, for the most part, work together well without causing crashes. The team that put them together created a very nice launcher and, in theory, you just click the launcher, and voila, your kids and grandkids now have a bevy of grand and often creative modifications to Minecraft to keep them creating intriguing new things on their Minecraft game. The launcher also offers you the choice to remove certain mods you might not like and/or add other mods from other places. Very handy concept, indeed. Particularly for those of us who want to keep this whole adventure very family friendly as well as somewhat educational.

We gave it a try and oh my, the boys were so thrilled.  The grand folks who do this are very careful to make sure ALL the mods are updated before updating the whole shebang so even though Minecraft is currently at 1.5.2, their launcher is at 1.4.7. It offered Traincraft in addition to Railcraft – something one of my grandkids has been asking about for weeks as he is hoping a tool it has will help him in "flying" his airplanes he loves to make.

However, we did run into some snafus. I removed certain mods I was not comfortable with. But for some reason, the set I did install on one boy’s computer worked great but kept crashing on his brother’s. They’re the same laptops but they were set up mildly different. I’m not sure what caused the issue. We were able to install a different mod pack option successfully but in the process of the crashes, I realized that sometimes the things I had disabled reappeared. 

I realized that if they had problems with that and I wasn’t around, it would make things quite frustrating for all. On top of which, it would be quite easy for a grandson who is quite good with techy things to re-add things we might not want re-added. It was also a bit harder for me to diagnose. If we were able to use all the mods in one of the packs and didn't need to supervise quite as closely, it would definitely be a great option and is much easier to work with.

In the end, however, as much as I liked it overall (especially for the older crowd), I opted to remove Feed the Beast from their computers for single player use. Instead, I made my own version of it by adding several mods (they are currently at 15 primary mods) I found on Feed the Beast – using 1.5.1 versions of Minecraft and the mods. I had to subtract a couple that didn’t work but in the end, we now have two set-ups that work really well.

One is a creative-technical side that includes Railcraft, Traincraft, GravityGun, Iron Chests, MineFactory, Modular Force Field, Secret Rooms, Steve’s Carts, Basic Components, BuildCraft, Inventory Tweaks, Modular Powersuits, MPSA, Tinkers Construct, and PortalGun (They love to shoot themselves to the moon ).  I was disappointed not to add IC2 (Industrical Craft) and computercraft yet but once everything has upgraded to 1.5.2 or higher and we then upgrade Minecraft, I’ll try them again. However these give the grandkids the opportunity to build trains, zeppelins, flying planes (we hope), buildings, force fields, and so much more.  And for now, we just have to remember to Click NOT NOW each time the NEW UPDATE AVAILABLE pops up.

We also have a second smaller mod group called Medieval Fun that we are exploring which includes DragonMount (they can fly on dragons), Castle Defenders, Middleage, and The Wars. I know they will be covering medieval times when school starts in fall so thought this would be a good educational option. I will definitely be supervising how they play with this though.

I originally had NEI – Not Enough Items – on both sets (a wonderful mod that provides a TON of extra items easily). They loved it but eventually the grandkids asked me to remove that mod as, for some reason unknown to me, it also shows up when they play multiplayer but doesn’t work well there. In addition, I learned I had to make sure I got the most current version of the Wars mod called Wars Mod Universal 1.5.1 as the earlier versions prevented them from breaking a few of the types of blocks, like grass, that they needed for their projects.

All of these are strictly for single player and I swap them back and forth at their request. My next two projects for them are to make up little booklets to help them use all the exciting tools that come in these mods. They are light-years ahead of me in the actual playing of Minecraft but I’ve noticed they are barely tapping the resources available. So I have gone through and copied and pasted the descriptions and the ingredient mixing into a little booklet for the medieval set and we read it together yesterday. I’m pleased to notice that they are getting more reading practice from both the online words and with this booklet.

After that, I'm getting ready to tackle an upgrade for everything to 1.5.2 AND figure out how to add mods to the multiplayer server. But that will have to wait a week or so!

Whew! It has definitely been keeping us quite busy – in between playing chess, ball tag and two-square (our latest fave ball game).. But I’m hoping it will also keep us quite actively busy AND learning over the summer – in between swimming, reading, singing our multiplication tables and various ball games. What are your summer plans with the grandkids? 

Kaye

P.S. Thank you so much for your comments. I appreciate them very much and read each one. I also do my best to reply to them all but, as you can imagine, there are times (many times, lately :) ) when caregiving needs do not allow for that. Thank you for your patience and your sweet comments.

Toilet seats! Definitely not a glamorous subject. Well, maybe sometimes it is. But always a necessary subject! And that can be especially true for many of us in the Sandwich Generation. Potty seats or regular toilets for grandkids or kids. Special toilet seats to put beside the bed of an aging senior parent on hospice. I’ve dealt with both of those ends of the spectrum and more. But how about the in between?  

I have a senior relative who is definitely dealing with the “joys of aging.” He has a harder time getting around but still walks regularly. His health has gone up and down but overall he’s doing pretty well. However, due to arthritis aches and pains, he told me he was having a harder time getting up, not to mention down, when sitting on the toilet. He was quite pleased to have discovered an easy solution and wanted me to share it with you.  

He first tried a soft and squishy and very comfy padded vinyl toilet seat cushion. He loved the concept but not the reality. It was held on by Velcro straps and there was some “wiggle.” In addition, the actual useable area was now smaller because it all squished in together. This would have required a lot more cleaning, which is another thing that gets harder to do as we age.  

After looking at it in his bathroom, he opted to exchange it for a Carex elevated toilet seat and, to quote him, “It works PERFECTLY!” His wonderful nephew came over and unscrewed the existing toilet seat, placed the riser on the toilet, then put the existing toilet seat right over the riser, and screwed it all in with the longer screws that came with the toilet riser. He can now get up and down much easier, there is plenty of room for all his family’s needs, and it’s quite easy to clean.

I’m not sure if my grandkids would be tall enough to use it when standing, but they have two bathrooms in the house so that wouldn’t be an issue. If you are thinking of it for your house with an aging parent and younger boys/grandboys and only one bathroom, you might want to “test-drive” that aspect of it before installing it.  

Over all, though, it’s a grand resource for those of us in the Sandwich Generation caring for our aging parents. And, pssst, if you have an elongated toilet seat, it looks like Carex has you covered there, as well, as does EasyComforts. Always good to know!  

Kaye

P.S. Thank you so much for your comments. I appreciate them very much and read each one. I also do my best to reply to them all but, as you can imagine, there are times (many times, lately :) ) when caregiving needs do not allow for that. Thank you for your patience and your sweet comments.

Kaye

P.S. Thank you so much for your comments. I appreciate them very much and read each one. I also do my best to reply to them all but, as you can imagine, there are times (many times, lately :) ) when caregiving needs do not allow for that. Thank you for your patience and your sweet comments.

Woohoo! My grandkids may be able to trounce me at checkers, I may have to battle hard to win SOME of the time at Carcassonne, but I am the Chess Queen – oops, wait a minute. That was true up till a week ago. My oldest grandson finally tied me in one game and BEAT me in another! Yikes! What's a Grandma to do! Smile big and say GREAT JOB, of course.  

My younger grandkids are starting to enjoy chess more but they still can't beat me at it. Rather than "let" them win, we looked it up and discovered there are such things as "Chess Handicaps."  Like golf, these handicaps are designed to make chess challenging for both but also give both players a fun chance to win. About.com has some great tips on how to adjust the handicaps based on the number of games won by one player.    We ended up at Chess.com with Peter Kirby's interesting article, that included the history of chess. We tried a combination of Cheapo (getting to add back a captured piece and placing it anywhere on the board as long as the King is not placed in check or checkmate) and my not having the King's and Queen's pawn. It definitely made things more difficult for me and more enjoyable for him. The game lasted much longer and we both learned a lot more about it.

Then we tried the Cheapo coupled with him getting to have two turns in a row anytime he wanted – and again, not being able to put me in check or checkmate. That actually worked very well. He's won once and we tied twice. and oh my – you should hear us laugh! Hmmm. Seeing them continue to enjoy this game has led to the thought that I might invest in a really nice chess set for Christmas for all of them. Maybe like the one pictured above.  Or how about this cool – very giant – chess set!  

Or how about these cool chess sets in pink and red.

Whether I go with a new set, or keep playing with our trusty old set, I do love playing board games with my grandkids – both for the fun involved and the great mental exercise we all enjoy. How about you? Do you and your grandkids use handicaps to even out the tougher games a bit? What kind? We'd love to hear!    

P.S. With all the Sandwich Generation issues we juggle, books are a big help, aren't they? Check out this free, online book on chess – Predator at the Chess Board. I've saved the page to my iPhone, along with a Kindle book I bought, 100 Chess Problems for the Rest of Us by T. E. Klemm, to try reading to my grandkids or else, read it myself and teach them what I've learned.   

Kaye

P.S. Thank you so much for your comments. I appreciate them very much and read each one. I also do my best to reply to them all but, as you can imagine, there are times (many times, lately :) ) when caregiving needs do not allow for that. Thank you for your patience and your sweet comments.

Second opinions are definitely worthwhile! A beloved relative spotted a weird "thing" on his leg and asked his son if he knew what it was. His son thought it might be a bug bite and they tried putting on antibiotic ointment for a few days. When it didn't go away, they scheduled a doctor's appointment. Their P.A. (Physician's Assistant) looked at it carefully and told them to apply heat to it and monitor it. He said to return if it got bigger.

A week later, at a routine appointment at the podiatrist, they asked that doctor to take a look, since it was somewhat close to the foot. He looked at it carefully and advised them to have a biopsy as soon as possible. He thought it might be squamous cell cancer.   My relatives said they would make an appointment right away with their dermatologist. The podiatrist was pleased, but added, "If he won't biopsy, come back and I will." They appreciated him saying that and told me later that it added impetus to their concern.

Five days later, they went to the appointment at the dermatologist. He looked at it carefully and said it probably was not Squamous. My relatives were silent, (remembering how concerned their other doctor was and trying to figure out how to handle this situation). The silence apparently made the skin doctor a bit uncomfortable so he added, "…I really think it's fine, but I can biopsy it for you, if you'd like." Much relieved, my relatives said they would appreciate it and the fast, mildly painful biopsy was done.

Seven days after that, the dermatologist called to apologize. "It was, indeed, squamous cell." Of course, they scheduled an appointment immediately to remove this cell and called the podiatrist to thank him profusely for his concern and help!

Skin cancer has three types. According to the NIH (National Institute of Health) Senior Health site, " Basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas are very common in both older and younger people and are rarely life-threatening. Melanoma is a less common, yet more serious, type of skin cancer." But as our skin doctor did point out, squamous cell carcinomas that are ignored OR missed can be a definite health hazard. As CNN writes, "Untreated squamous cell carcinoma can destroy healthy tissue around the tumor, spread to the lymph nodes or other organs, and may be fatal, although this is uncommon." 

Needless to say, this was a good wake-up call for all of us caring for aging parents. Generally speaking, doctors, physician's assistants, and nurse practitioners are usually very well-trained and wonderful resources for our families. But no one – other than God – is perfect and mistakes do happen. So it's definitely worth while to keep checking, keep following up, ask questions, request tests, and get second opinions. How about you? Do you agree or disagree?

Kaye

P.S. Thank you so much for your comments. I appreciate them very much and read each one. I also do my best to reply to them all but, as you can imagine, there are times (many times, lately :) ) when caregiving needs do not allow for that. Thank you for your patience and your sweet comments.

Grass is growing like weeds and weeds are growing like…weeds. 

As I first learned decades ago – when I proudly showed off my brand new and healthy houseplant to an older friend only to be devastated when she informed me that where they came from, those were WEEDS – one man's weed is another man's delightful flower. And when it comes to dandelions that is totally true right in my own Sandwich Generation family. I love to see their cheery yellow faces with an occasional hint of pink in some of the petals, reminding me it really is spring no matter WHAT the temperature is. My grandkids – near and far – LOVE to blow them everywhere. But my senior mom just shakes her head and can't wait for them to be mowed away. She much prefers them like the photo above – where they can't cause her allergy issues.

Kaye

P.S. Thank you so much for your comments. I appreciate them very much and read each one. I also do my best to reply to them all but, as you can imagine, there are times (many times, lately :) ) when caregiving needs do not allow for that. Thank you for your patience and your sweet comments.

My grandkids are ecstatic this week! We've learned we can combine Minecraft mods on their single player games. BUT if you and your grandkids give that a try, I highly recommend doing it VERY slowly – with one mod at a time and making sure you backup the current minecraft first as well as making sure the mod works well before adding more.

We've also discovered some very cool new mods that are fun and very creative. Namely:

• Furniture mod – lots of extra pieces of furniture to decorate one's abode, be it oh so humble or a full-on castle
• Galacticraft – make a space ship and go to the moon (one grand-twin's delight) – or just ride around the regular world in the moon buggy (the other grand-twin's delight)
• Not Enough Items – contrary to the name, this actually gives them TONS more items they can use to build
• Buildcraft – even more items to use to build and create – like adding a ginormous bucket of LEGOs to your existing little pile of LEGOs.

There's been a couple of others, but these are my personal favorites due to the creativity they encourage. Always a grand thing to encourage in our grandkids, don't you think? How about you? Have you and your grandkids been doing any building in your neck of the woods – be it Minecraft, LEGOs, wooden blocks, or something totally different?

 

Kaye

P.S. Thank you so much for your comments. I appreciate them very much and read each one. I also do my best to reply to them all but, as you can imagine, there are times (many times, lately :) ) when caregiving needs do not allow for that. Thank you for your patience and your sweet comments.

Oyyyyy! I have a late-hate relationship with computers – and that's especially true for the last few weeks! During that time, I've been trying to solve a small irritating problem as well as do some "spring cleaning" on my Mac by doing a full backup in triplicate then restore it bit by bit. 

Unfortunately, things have not been that simple. (Are they ever? ). The fact is that, during this time, I've also been juggling a variety of Sandwich Generation issues such as doctor appointments with my senior mom, lab visits, a myriad of errands, plenty of babysitting, fun minecraft mod-installing for the grandkids,  iPad updating for my senior mom not to mention a cool drawing app there for the grandkids, and more! All of that means too many interruptions and missing a few minor but important techy details along the way.

• I've learned lots more about my Mac (good!)
• I've messed up my backup a bit (bad!)
• I'm in the process of totally redoing everything for the THIRD time (uber frustrating but highly educational = good AND bad!)
• I've been limping along with 1/2 a calendar, 1/2 my mailbox, and 1/2 my contacts (ACK!)

So, how's your week going? Any spring cleaning at your house or in your computer?

Kaye

P.S. Thank you so much for your comments. I appreciate them very much and read each one. I also do my best to reply to them all but, as you can imagine, there are times (many times, lately :) ) when caregiving needs do not allow for that. Thank you for your patience and your sweet comments.

The flowers are glowing and the clouds hinted of the pouring rain to come. I added sweetly encouraging Bible verses that my grandson and I enjoyed yesterday morning in PINK to teach him and remind me that no matter how things look, He is truly our rock and our fortress.

In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame. 2 Rescue me and deliver me in your righteousness; turn your ear to me and save me. 3 Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go; give the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress.

Psalm 71:1-3

This whole Psalm is such a blessing to me – and seems especially well suited for the Sandwich Generation family. What do you think?

Kaye

P.S. Thank you so much for your comments. I appreciate them very much and read each one. I also do my best to reply to them all but, as you can imagine, there are times (many times, lately :) ) when caregiving needs do not allow for that. Thank you for your patience and your sweet comments.

Spring can't seem to make up its mind! First it tries to be summer, then late winter, then back to summer…with occasional and very delightful moments of actual spring! My senior mom, grandkids and I never know what to wear or what to plan anymore! Shorts, sweater, swim suits. SWIM SUITS?!?!?!?! 

Yup! It was so warm this week we brought out our little wading pool and the grand-twins had a fun time wading…AFTER we added a few buckets of warm water to it. While they played, my senior mom enjoyed watching them from the kitchen window (aren't those windows a sweet blessing) while I trimmed back her butterfly bush from our past year's gardening activities. 

My mom's health continues to meddle with her plans so she's decided to turn the sunflower plot over to the grandkids and me while she focuses on her pots of tomatoes and herbs along with her hydrangea to brighten things up. By working on them on the patio table, she can reach everything easily and work on her plants as long or as little as she likes. It's not as much gardening as she'd like but it does keep her active and involved and she's very happy about that, as am I. 

Then she heads back into the house to enjoy her latest audio book on her iPad. She commented the other day, "I wish I'd gotten this the FIRST time you suggested it. I LOVE it!" Now that's definitely music to this Sandwich Generation caregiver's ears!  :)

Kaye

P.S. Thank you so much for your comments. I appreciate them very much and read each one. I also do my best to reply to them all but, as you can imagine, there are times (many times, lately :) ) when caregiving needs do not allow for that. Thank you for your patience and your sweet comments.