****THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED****
“Guess what, Mom? Nonna bought me some liquid cheese!”
My then 12 year old was returning with his little sister from an overnight stay at my parent’s house and he was bursting with excitement (and probably cheese too) over this milestone moment in his young life. For years he had been begging me to let him try ‘spray cheese in a can’ but, of course, it was his grandmother, the woman who made us eat liver and onions when we were growing up and would only buy sugary cereal maybe once a year, who couldn’t resist his pleas for this travesty and caved in.
Sleepovers and time spent with Nonna and Poppa (my parents) or Mimi and Papa (my in-laws) have always been highlights in my kids’ lives. There they will be invested in, doted on and indulged in ways that their parents can’t get away with.
But, that is just one of the privileges of being grandparents, isn’t it? And my kids have been incredibly blessed to have two sets of grandparents who have been so invested in their lives and have made countless memories with them. Even now, as teenagers, their grandparents continue to pursue meaningful relationships with them and create opportunities for fun and memory making.
Last summer I had the privilege of meeting Susan Yates at a writer’s retreat and it didn’t take long for me to recognize that, she too, is a grandma who makes it a priority to invest in her grandchildren. Her eyes would light up every time she talked about them and she regaled us with stories of their many adventures together.
So, it came as no surprise to me when I found out that she has collected all of her years of experience and put it in a brand new book called ‘Cousin Camp: A Grandparent’s Guide to Creating Fun, Faith and Memories that Last’.
In this book, you will not only find out how to host your very own ‘cousin camp’, you will also have access to countless ideas for how to build strong family bonds, foster traditions and deepen relationships.
Susan says, “Our growth has been gradual, changing with each season of life. In the early years, we were merely trying to survive. Then within eight years our five kids got married, so now we say we have ten kids (spouses included). Grandchildren began to arrive. Our two greatest desires have always been that our kids would love the Lord and love each other. This is the legacy we want to hand down to our grandchildren and their kids and the generations to come. We know a legacy doesn’t just happen. We have to be intentional.”
Summer is coming and many of us who have been separated from our extended families for a very long stretch of time are (hopefully!) going to have the opportunity to gather together again so I can’t think of a better time to get some new ideas for how to be intentional in your own family and create some awesome new memories while carrying on your traditions.
So, why not celebrate the season with a giveaway?! Susan is giving away a copy of her book and I’ve added a $25 Target gift card so that you can get some fun new gear (sidewalk chalk, sleeping bag, bubbles, whatever!) to help make your time together even more fun!
Here’s how to enter to win: Leave a comment sharing your favorite childhood memory of time spent with extended family (or friends who felt like family!).
I can’t wait to hear your answers!
A favorite memory was going to visit Amish Country with friends. We got to sleep in a train bunk.
A fond memory of mine was visiting my cousins in Flint, Michigan during the summer. I’m shocked my mother would let me go visit her sister in the BIG CITY! What I smile the most about is, me and my cousin, Maria, (we were around the ages of 10 years old and 12 years old) would walk to a Deli store and my cousin would buy bubble gum…which they were not allowed to have!!
I thought it was funny that she was trying to get away with something while being in “my company”. It was great fun learning about my aunt’s version of their childhood which my mother didn’t share with us kids. I’d be gone for about a week and when I returned home, my siblings were all glad that I was back! It was something that I looked forward to, each year….was to go to the big city!
Being a PK, my family never lived close to our extended family members. But my parents always made sure that we spent time with extended family several times a year, either they would come to our house or we would go to theirs (which was the case most of the time). Some of my most favorite memories are of times spent with them, especially at the holidays. Lots of laughter, fun and always great food!!
My favorite childhood memory was going camping and staying in a small log cabin with family friends and their children. I had never gone “camping” before as we always stayed in motels. Hiking, eating around a fire, playing games and swimming was so much fun and something I had not experienced. Remembering it now makes me want to plan a camping trip once things return to normal.
The title of this book brings many good memories flooding back. Our vacations every summer in N.C. then to Daytona Beach. We did not have much but my dad would always make vacation a priority every year. My cousins would come to the beach with us and we enjoyed every minute. Night time walks on the beach. Dinners together. Oh what a joy.
My cousins used to come from California to Utah every summer. They would stay at grandma’s house and we would spend hours and hours making mud pies in her back yard. We used just about every tin pan we could find. We garnished them with twigs, leaves, and flowers and left them along the rock wall to dry in the sun. I when I think back on it now I wonder what Grandma must have thought when she found all of her baking dishes out on the rock wall filled with mud. It’s a sweet memory with my cousins that I will never forget.
Oh the fun of being a grandparent. I have such fond memories of camping at the Oregon Coast especially Agate beach with my grandparents. My cousins would join us and all the parents on the weekends. There were long walks on the beach looking for shells, multiple hands of crazy 8’s and smores over the campfire. Oh, also special trips to the Pixie Kitchen for lunch which was magical for a child.
My husband and I just bought a home at Gleneden Beach (Lincoln City) so that we can make special memories with our children, grandchildren, family and friends.
Stay well!
My sister and I and another friend were spending the night with Nancy and Sidney Smith. The next morning their father announced that he was taking all five of us to a polo match in Aiken, SC. It was such a memorable event because us three older girls all loved horses. Now that I think back on the occasion, I realize what an admirable gesture this was for a father to take five young girls off for an unforgettable experience.
Loved visiting my grandmother who made the best cherry pies! She would lattice the top and I always marveled at her skills. She had the best toys upstairs that were very old but unique and she let me play with them. Then the evening we would catch fire flies in a jar and play hide and seek with my other cousins. Such sweet memories!
OMG! We have 5 grandkids that we love to get together here and we have always called our time together Cousin Camp! LOVE THIS!!!
I grew up in a small town in Iowa and loved going to the farm to visit an aunt and uncle. They had a huge mound of dirt under a tree and from the tree hung a burlap bag on a rope. We would sit on the bag and fly off that dirt for hours and hours. I can still smell the burlap!
I remember my grandfather used to sit me in his lap and ever so gently comb the knots out of my hair. Remember how your hair got so tangled as a kid. Well I do anyway. 😀
I only have memories of one grandparent but what precious memories they are. She wasn’t just my grandma….she was my best friend, filled with wisdom and love.
One thing I have so many memories of is camping as a family throughout the Summer on an island. We’d spend the day walking or exploring nearby islands, swimming, and water activities. Nights were campfires, s’mores, pudgeypies, and card games. Early morning we would boat into town to get fresh baked donuts from the small town grocery store. So many great memories from those weekends and weeks. Also the small town festivities to celebrate summer and the fourth of july
I love visiting my grandparents farm. Feeding the llamas and riding around on the tractor were definitely my favorite activities.
My parents let each of us spend a few weeks with our grandparents once we were a certain age. I was only 5 when I got my visit. I still have the little gift they gave me. I have too many memories to count but I believe I inherited my love of Scrabble from my grandparents who played every single day!
By far my favorite memory is spending a week with my family at a cabin Up North. We have stayed at different lakes and cabins through the years. BUT for the last 30 years or so (I am 59) my whole extended family Mom, Dad, 2 sisters, brother and their families have stayed at a resort that has a reunion cabin. It’s wonderful! There are now 4 generations that come and go as schedules allow. My parents are in their mid 80’s so this time has become so precious to all of us! My brother passed away 7 years ago at age 48. He had a sudden heart attack on Christmas Eve. We knew family was everything but now we live every single day truly knowing that.
We would sleep in the basement under the pool table at my grandparents house. It was sad when there were to many of us and we got to big to all fit underneath.
Memories of staying at My Grandparents in the Sierra Nevada foothills. Just an outhouse, kerosene lamps and you hoped the running water worked. Many adventures in the wild!
All my cousins would come spend a long weekend at my house when our Dads would go pheasant hunting in the fall. My aunts would sleep in the bedrooms and the kids made beds on the living room floor. Always so much fun!
My little sister and I spent nearly every weekend of our childhood alongside our 3 cousins at our grandparents’ place, just outside of town— an idyllic 3 acres where we tromped around as a pack and got into (mostly benign) mischief. We’d drive golf balls into the pasture, wade in the koi pond, explore the dusty hayloft, and take turns being brave enough to touch the electric fence. Though I’m still in the thick of raising kids, myself, I’m already excited to be a Grandparent one day— I’ll definitely check out this book!
We have had and still make a lot of fun and special memories with our grand kids who are now in their late 20,s. I remember when we would go to their special school shows, they would always hunt us out in the crowd and come give a hug. That made us feel so special.
Oh how I love this post! And oh how I loved my maternal grandmother who watched us while my parents were at work! I have so many incredible memories of her and my favorites are the ones where she was teaching us how to cook, crochet, sew or make other crafts. She was an angel and I miss her so much it hurts!
Growing up in MN we would visit my only grandparents in North Dakota every other year. One year all my cousins from Washington state and Arizona were also there to celebrate my Grandparents 50th anniversary. The 18 of us ranged from age 25 to newborn. The older cousins decided to trap the younger ones in the old church next door. The new church had just been completed on the other side of town. We pleaded to be let out, banging on doors, yelling for help. The only thing left to do was ring the bell, so that’s exactly what we did. Parents came running, the older ones took off and we were “rescued”. We will never forget the fun time that week, not sure the older ones are as fond of the memory!
My favorite memory with my maternal grandparents was eating lunch on their sunporch and swimming in their pool. My grandmother would spin us around in the water singing, “motor boat, motor boat go so slow…”. With my paternal grandparents, my favorite memory is going over there every Sunday after dinner. My grandfather would sit in his recliner with his pipe and my grandmother would serve us made-from-scratch cake and she served us tea in small, brown tea pots. We felt so grown up! I miss all of them dearly but love the memories they created for me.
There are 8 of us in my immediate family. We spent Easter with my grandparents one year and it was a time. When it was time to go to church my grandfather fixed my hair for me. He might not have done it the way I would have liked but I did not touch it or change a thing. It is still a precious memory so many years later.
A favorite childhood memory of mine is going back to the farm where my dad grew up. My Uncle, one of dad’s brothers, took over the family farm and our family would go there to visit. The minute we walked in the door (the back door because that’s where family and real friends arrive) we were greeted by the amazing aroma of my Aunt’s made from scratch cinnamon rolls. We’d enjoy a wonderful lunch and spend the day playing in the barn, running up to the hay loft, and listening to my dad and Uncle talk about their youth. To this day that farm is owned by the fourth generation of my family and I’ve taken my kids back to that small town to visit and attend church at the little country church that still stands right next to the parish cemetery where my own grandparents, aunts and uncles are buried. I hope to take my grandsons there very soon. Thanks for the opportunity to wander down memory lane.
One of my favorite memories is going over to my grandmas , she always had cookies in her freezer ready to give us ! Will never forget this memory! Someday soon I hope to create these kind of memories for my grandchildren ❤️
Once a year, when strawberries were in season, my mom would make homemade Strawberry Shortcake and that would be our dinner. Dessert for dinner! It was always a surprise because she never let us know ahead of time which day would be the special meal. Oh how I miss her.
I feel very blessed and lucky to have had been a part of 2 amazing youth groups. The youth leaders had set up a Road trip and we stopped and visited other churches along the way. We either spent the night at the church or families sponsored us. We started in Las Vegas, went across to Stockton, CA and went done the coast stopping in San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles and San Diego. We also stopped to see major sites along the way as well. Our group of about 10 kids, 2 youth group leaders and our priest bonded even more. We had our moments, but we’ve always been close like family and this experience brought us even closer. We have great memories to last a lifetime.
going to houston with my aunt and going to astroworld and having fun making homemade sauce for supper
I can remember the smell of cinnamon rolls rising when I would go to my grandma’s after school. I still think of it whenever I smell cinnamon. I also learned lots of old children’s lyrics from her that I now sing to my grandkids. (Froggy Went a Courtin and Skidamarink A Dink A Dink sound familiar?) Thank you, Vanessa! I love your posts! Blessings to you and your family.❤️
Some of my favorite times were from when we go to my grandma’s during the summer. We were “city” kids and they lived in the country, like the kind of country that they didn’t have running water. They would get their water from the neighbors in tin milk cans and we would have to scoop it out of those for drinks, bathing, cooking etc. It was some of the best water I can remember. We would have to “break” our feet in from the city life to the country life because we spent most of our time barefooted running on rocks and walking down dirt roads to pick blackberries that grew along the side of the road and then my grandma would serve us a desert after dinner of fresh blackberries with a sprinkle of sugar……mmmm so good. At night my 2 brothers and I had to all sleep on the pull out couch together and my grandma would read us a story in her perfect melodic voice, she had the voice of an angel and I would fight falling asleep because I wanted to hear my Grandma’s voice. When we were there we also went to VBS at their very small church that was the vision of a white board, steepled building with the pews and that smell of “old fashioned”. We city kids appreciated those super simple times where we didn’t have to do anything but be kids.
We would visit my Aunt & Uncle in MO. When I was little I remember them pushing 2 chairs together so I would have a bed.
I stayed with an aunt who lived in Illinois for a week. She taught me how to sew with a machine and also how to do Swedish Huck Weaving. I still have the skirt that I made with her.
I was blessed as a child since I was the first grandchild on my mom’s side and also had 6 aunts and uncles. I was the 3rd granddaughter on my dad’s side but we lived with them until I was 3 and bought our first farm so needless to say, Grandma and I were tight. Both my grandmas were great. One was modern and one was old fashioned so I had the best of both worlds. Shopping with the modern and gardening and chores with the other. Too blessed and I miss them both very much.
This book sounds so cool. A friend recently told me that her mom used to have Cousins Camp one week every summer. What a fun idea! My favorite memory was going out of state to visit family when I was very young. I was so impressed that my uncle who lived in the country had an outhouse and pumped water from a well. Wow! I’ve never forgotten those few days where I felt like I was living in an old western movie. Happy memories.
Memories…sometimes I think those are what make me smile the most! One of the best memories as a child was visiting with my cousin Donna. We kept in touch for years by letters as her daddy was in the Air Force. Once he retired and moved home we developed quite the relationship. They had a camper that we spent endless hours in playing Monopoly and eating dill pickles. Those whole larger than life pickles that were oh so sour! We must have been about eleven. She was ten months older than me. We spent hours talking down at the lake. Sometimes we would get in a paddle boat and go into the back of the lake. Our parents were not aware of this, as it did not matter at the time. No life preservers were thought of either. Over fifty years later I confessed to her I did not like those dill pickles she loved so much. I thought she was so sophisticated having traveled the world and I wanted to be like her… so I ate those horrible pickles! Memories, sweet memories 💕
My grandma didn’t drive and walked with a cane but I have the best memories of spending time with her. Sewing, baking, walking to church together. She taught me to enjoy simple blessings and I now have the honor of being Grammy to 6 little ones. I will keep the simple things close to my heart with them.
My favorite childhood memory has to be the summers when my family would rent an “efficiency apartment” in Wildwood Crest, and we did everything during the day from swimming and body surfing to flying kites—-but the strong memory of those days-was when we would then get all showered and into ur new outfits and go to the Wildwood boardwalk at nite, and my dad would buy us the strips of tickets, and we would decide which rides to use them on……he would always say “now that’s the last ones”….and we would hope……and sure enough, he would buy one more set. an addition to this summer activity was that if he ever played a game to win something, he had to spend a lot more to play again, because we were twins! I will never forget the year he won a beautiful pink blanket quickly, but then had to keep playing and spending to win another one….my parents always kept it fair!
My favorite memory is I was maybe 11 yrs old and my Dad’s sister and her husband would come over and he was in a bluegrass band. He would have his band family come over and a jam session would happen. My cousins and me would dance around and sing and fall asleep under the stars to such wonderful music.
My cousins and I would have a sleepover at one of our houses and make sheet tents in the living room Over the dining rooms chairs spread out and we would stay up late laughing and having so much fun!
My parents had 5 children. I have an older sister, an older brother, a younger brother and a younger sister. I am as about middle as middle can be – and a Libra too so whew do I love balance, haha.
I really didn’t have cousins my own age but my parents had a lot of friends who FELT like cousins. We called them cousins, anyway.
One fav memory is visiting my god-parents. They had 8 kids! And they lived in a huge house on a smooth lake- oh boy oh boy was it fun staying with them in the summer! There was a floating dock in the middle of the lake to jump off, they had kayaks and a huge bon fire pit (first time I ever had a Smore!) And, well, they had whole house intercom system. We country bumpkins had sooooo much fun with that, haha.
I remember my swimsuit. I remember going to bed with water in my lungs from all the fun swimming all day – and my favorite “cousin” name was Kathy. She was way older than I – but sooooo sweet and fun. I just loved her. She gave me so much attention. Middle kids need that sometimes, I guess, haha.
It wasn’t until many years later did I discover that this fav “cousin” of mine had Down’s Syndrome.
I learned a lot about love during those summers.
Now my children have children. And my husband has a whole bunch of cousins who host little cousin reunions with their children.
I would put this wonderful book to very good use. Thank you for the opportunity.
God bless you and yours this Holy Easter and always.
I remember my sister and I going to my grandma’s house which was over an hour away. We would play a lot of the time or sit on her big front porch which was on a busy street and count the cars. We would walk with Grandma “downtown” during our visit and always stopped at the drug store and got to pick out a special toy or treat.
As a youngster, summer meant family reunions with several generations in attendance. My first cousins lived far away most of my life but my second cousins were my tribe. It was always fun to check in with them. As young elementary kids, we played and as we grew up, our activities were about hair, fashion, boys, and school activities in which we were involved. So fun…
As grandparents, we have tried to sponsor “Nana Camp” for the grandkids and have managed 3-4 years. Lots of arts and crafts, trying new recipes, and outdoor fun. We were on track for this upcoming summer when the pandemic hit, changing plans for us all.
One of my fondest memories is helping my grandmother in her grocery store back in the 1960’s. She owned a “mom and pop grocery store” before the big chains became a common convenience. From butchering meat to fresh vegetables and hand dipped ice cream cones, it was everyones favorite place to be. I have her butcher block in my kitchen today. I miss her very much but the memories still bring joy and smiles to my very core.
Every summer I would spend a week at my cousin Matthews house then he would come spend a week with me. We only got to see each other a couple times a year so summers were so cherrished.
His parents owned a furniture store and I loved that we got to go spend some of our days running around the warehouse and sweeping up the floors, then walk around downtown. This was so new to me so I thought it was exciting. He loved we lived on a lake out in the country and got to swim out to the floating dock and take boat rides.
One of my favorite memories was just having my “Granny” play with us outside. She would make homemade lemonade and we would play tag or kick ball. Just having her “have fun” with me was one of the best times of my life. I miss her every day and want to be sure I leave those type of memories for my grandchildren.
For sure, playing with my cousins in their basement. The parents were upstairs and we had full reign. Oh so much creative play. We live far away from family, but when we get together, the kids are best friends. There is just something about being with your people. I can’t wait to create that kind of feeling with my grandchildren. Thanks for the giveaway. What an incredible resource.
My fondest memories are of visits on Sunday after church at my grandmother’s house. It was a time for all of her children to visit with her after a busy workweek. She always had a big delicious dinner ready for all of us. Believe me there was a lot us cousins!!!
After dinner all of the cousins would gather outside to play. It was sooo much fun sharing stories about out school activities, playing hopscotch, the boys pitching marbles, the little cousins with their dolls and the teenagers sitting on the porch probably talking about their boy or girl friends😂
We would always end up having a good old baseball game with all the cousins playing on a team. It was lots of fun and no matter what we were all winners because we were at the best grandmother’s house in the world. It didn’t matter; we were cousins who to this day still enjoy getting together to make each other feel the effects of family.
One of my favorite childhood memories is at my Grandmothers house. My cousin who is a year older than me would help me rake leaves to shape a square. And within that square we would make a rooms and play house. We had hours of fun playing in her backyard. Climbing trees and helping my grandmother hang clothes on her clothesline While listening to her tell stories of our parents when they were children. It brought us such joy to hear the stories and I know now as an adult that it must’ve brought her much joy also should we live that time with her own children
Being an only child in a very large extended family has always been a little hard for me. To watch the other members of the family have siblings to enjoy the time with, I have often felt rather the odd woman out. But I must admit, I was blessed with some cousins who in truth were probably better than some brothers and sisters that I have seen. In my case, they were my mother’s sister’s children. There are five of them with four being older and one being younger by three years. The older ones treated me like their own and the younger, she was my baby from the time she came home. As we got older, for special times like Christmas and Easter, we were given the same gift. That might include a handmade dolly cradle or an Easter basket that was loaded to the gunnels with all sorts of goodies and toys. There was always an Easter egg hunt for us younger kids put on with a lot of glee by the older ones after Church. My little cousin and I were dressed alike and it was so much fun to fee like I was a part of that large and exciting family. I have always felt blessed that they took me in and gave me these marvelous memories to cherish and keep my soul warm and yes, they are still my brothers and sisters of the heart.
oddly enough my favorite memory is the time our grandchildren were visiting and we all went to an interactive aquatic learning center. being a germ a phob I didn’t interact and didn’t catch a bug that sent everyone to bed except me, my 8 yr old grandaughter and her barley walking baby brother. I was SO exhausted trying to keep everyone at a distance & feeding those 2 kids. I never missed my daughter more! So the kids and I slept on the family room floor on pallets and hearing my granddaughter’s sweet voice trailing off in the dark when we finally fell asleep is one of the sweetest times I ever had. She’s 13 now and still remembers our little slumber party with fondness too.
I grew up in Texas and we have family all over the state. We took one trip where we visited several family members spread over a large area. We saw the Alamo, went to a few zoos, rode a ferry to an island in the gulf, and even toured the Blue Bell ice cream factory. I always think back on that trip and all of the fun we had.
I loved spending the night on the trampoline with cousins, and the time the sprinklers went off at 5am. Hahaha!
Extended family has always meant the world to me. Cousins, aunts, and beyond. I’ve recently “made friends” with a second cousin I never knew growing up. Our parents were first cousins (so is that first cousin once removed?! Confusing!) We are in the same season of life now with adult kids and grandkids, and I was so encouraged that she is a Christian, too. Memories with family include playing with cousins into the dark hours of hot summer nights, catching fireflies (we called them “lightening bugs”), and taking turns sitting on the old hand-crank ice cream maker to weigh it down I while a strong adult cranked it to create the most scrumptious ice cream ever! ❤️
When I was growing up, I regularly spent time during the summers with my great aunt (my grandma’s sister) and uncle at their house in Maryland. It was like a country retreat with beautiful gardens surrounding an amazing back porch with windows all around. I would read or sing in my bedroom, I’d play with the unique and awesome dollhouse in the basement, I’d go with Aunt Lydia to the local book/toy store down the street or we’d cook together, I’d go horseback riding with Uncle Jack, and when I was old enough, Uncle Jack taught me how to drive. Always we would talk about life, our family’s history, how school was going, whatever was on our minds. These are some of the happiest memories of my childhood.
I am first generation American and consequently ALL our extended family was across the Atlantic. Suffice to say we did not see any of them frequently. But in an effort for us to at least be acquainted with some cousins, we were able to afford to travel overseas a few times. I remember my first trip to Europe was very exciting. I didn’t speak a word of German, and my cousin not a word of English, but children have their own language and we got on just fine. My mother made sure we each had the chance to learn about a part of our heritage. My father’s homeland was behind the iron curtain so we never met any of his family, but I cherish the time we spent in Austria and were blessed that my grandparents also took us on holiday to Italy!
So many great memories with grandparents on both sides. One of my favorites is a trip my grandparents took my siblings and I on without our parents. We thought we were big stuff and I have sooooo many memories from that trip.