Life Over 50 and Other Hats I Wear + A Reader Request

Summer casual on over 50 feeling 40

Happy Monday, everyone!  Today’s post is about my over 50 life and the many hats that I wear. You know me in my blogging hat, but there are several others and it seems most relate to my roles with family. 

Since we came home to work in March, I have been excited to be able to spend more time with family…without the pressures of an office life.   Well, you won’t see any literal hats here…but let me discuss some other roles I play.

MY GIGI HAT

Role of grandmothers on over 50 feeling 40

 

My outfit- of -the day today is in preparation of taking care of my three grandsons, 7, 5 & 2.  My daughter needs a break, so they are spending a few days with us.  I am ready with backyard toys and arts & crafts.  But I am sure by Friday…I will be exhausted.  It is a good kind of exhaustion because they are precious, and this is the first time that my schedule has allowed for me to keep them without mom. 

This denim top and capri denim leggings are from Soft Surroundings, and I can chase (and catch) anyone in my ECCO sneakers.  Even these three….

Tie Dye Project on Over 50 Feeling 40

The other local grandchildren will be coming over to play, so it will be a lively week!

 

 

A READER REQUEST AND MY PARTY PLANNER HAT

 

Over 50 Feeling 40 shares joy at Christmas 

Hello, Mimi, from Gigi!  Mimi is a new reader and asked me for some gift ideas for her University -aged children. She was referencing for Christmas.  I go-over-the-top for Christmas (which Mr. B says will be controlled this year…stay tuned to see who wins!), so  I thought it might help to list the brands that my 20-30-something children love to see under the tree.  I have Lululemon first because the last three years, that has been the top favorite.  Here goes:

Male and Female:

Lululemon 

Urban Outfitters.  

Best Buy 

Zara

Target  It has to be Target, many young ones do not prefer Walmart.

James Avery Artisan Jewelry

Female:

Sephora  (Male and Female but mostly female)

Kendra Scott Jewelry 

Anthropologie 

Would anyone like to add suggestions for Mimi?  Please do so in the comments!

 

MY SISTER HAT

 

 

I am certain most of you are aware of the challenges with the schools right now in relation to safety issues from the pandemic as versus the challenges of online learning for many.  My brother and his wife are music educators and his specialty (since childhood) has been percussion.  I remember him drumming on any and everything in our house!  He has developed an extensive online learning program called Sticks on Skins for teaching Percussion to students.

He writes:  ” This is the only beginner;’s book series that stresses the option of teaching both accepted counting systems for rhythmic identification and let’s the Director/Instructor or parent choose which one.  Both Traditional and Matched grips are taught in the same book.  Lots of performance etudes and exercises to allow a student to play full length compositions.

              These are just a few of the differences but mostly the book series trains beginners at the highest levels of musicality.  Book are 16.99 each and the download for the digital playing supports is $2.00 per book.  To help Directors and Home School parents save time with their administrative paper work, we provided detailed Lesson Plans for free.  In September we will launch an SoS Beginner Percussion Competition for programs who are SoS customers only for their students to take a selected original composition from one of the books and that group will have to score study it and provide that documentation along with a recorded performance of the work and submit that work to SoS.  

There will be a all star percussion judging panel to begin to select the top ten finishers and those top ten will receive awards, recognition at our web site and a fabulous piece of top level percussion  instruments from our sponsors.

             The web site has just been overhauled and prices lowered on the books to help folks during the Covid-19 times.”  Check them out at STICKSONSKINS.COM. If you know of a band director, Fine Arts Department head, a music teacher, a homeschool parent or anyone looking for content to teach music, please contact him at

 

 

 

Well, Batter Up…it’s time for Gigi to get to work, but I will be here every day this week with interesting content just for you, so hang in there with me!

 

KEEP SMILING, EVERYONE!!

JUST A NOTE:

Pamela Lutrell for Goli GummiesThere are several ways that I generate income through this blog in order to cover business expenses and give myself much needed income.  Purchases through the slideshow links is one way, ads on the page is one way and a new way is through ordering or re-ordering the GOLI Apple Cider Vinegar gummies through me with my GOLI LINK HERE.  Again, if you are not familiar with the benefits of apple cider vinegar, you should speak with your personal physician.  My husband and I are sold on the benefits and I am proud to represent this product.  I am going to leave this at the bottom of my posts so that when you, friends or family would like to order you can use my link.  Thanks for the support.  This is a great product; as well as, the ones below!

 

Mr. B and I love our meals from Sun Basket!

Sun Basket on Over 50 Feeling 40

 

Sun Basket is a delicious, easy, fun home delivery meal plan

 

My Complexion Loves Chamonix…My esthetician says my complexion is super tight!

Chamonix on Over 50 Feeling 40

 

All natural, plant-cell technology skincare

 

By Pamela Lutrell

Disclaimer:  I was gifted items for this post, but the words are my own.

16 Comments

  1. It sounds like you have a fun week coming up! Taking care of the little ones is more rewarding yet tougher than any 8 – 5 job! I do believe they keep us youthful when we switch from grown-up to playmate! Have a fun time, they sure are cuties!! It kind of made me cringe to think of Christmas, but do know we’re less than six months away…blocking that out…..but you came up with good brands for that age group! You mentioned scaling back, and that’s not a bad thing. I did that when I retired, and it has worked for the past two Christmases. It actually came at the urging of my kids. Not a bad thing at all. I love what your brother has done with music for students who have to learn online. That is so very creative and sounds so in-depth for those who really want to learn. I would think that even those who are physically attending could really benefit from his course. I always wanted to play drums and my parents said it wasn’t lady-like (I tried the Karen Carpenter argument to no avail), and to this day I love listening to percussion. That’s such a great idea he came up with! Enjoy your time with the kiddos, hope your daughter is doing some fun things while they are away!

  2. Male + Female 20 – 30 — My go to is Uber gift cards and gift cards for their fav fast food Chipotle, Subway, Starbucks, etc. Cash is a great gift too especially for that age group. There are so many creative ways to wrap gift cards. Have fun with the grandkids!

  3. oh those cutie pies!
    i noticed my younger friends prefer target also….not sure why. maybe when things are safer i will drive the extra couple miles and compare…my walmart is within minutes, so its been my go to since i moved into this home in ’96.

  4. How well I remember those days of caring for our two boys, and then their children! The exhaustion is certainly different when it’s grandchildren rather than your own…just because you are older, but nevertheless wonderful fun! Our grandchildren are all older now with the youngest twelve years old so their visits ( prior to the virus) were learning experiences with teenagers. I’m sure your daughter is very appreciative of your caring for her children for a bit as we young mothers often felt overwhelmed by our daily lives and activities. Hope you and your little ones make wonderful memories during this time.

  5. Have fun with your grandchildren. And let them entertain you part of the time!
    Gifts for the 20’s and 30’s (and, egad, 40’s!) can be tough. The gift card route is always good, but I’ve seen a stack of unused ones at my son’s house. A few years ago, I requested no more clothes/ or house “stuff” because I wanted to simplify my home and my life. Gifts had to be consumable. Not food. Everyone loved the idea. I received theater gift certificates, multiple restaurant gc’s and even one to a huge fun used book store an hour away. ( The Book Barn in Niantic, CT. A fun excursion for readers. My family received similar gifts of things to do, not to have. A gift cert to an airline for someone to visit family…one for a favorite online music store…I even called their local restaurants and they mailed me gift certificates. So much more unexpected than the “e-gifts” for the digital generations!
    Just a thought… my son would give me really expensive gifts. He really couldn’t afford them at the time, but he said I’d taught him to give “big” gifts by being so generous to him over the years. Once he was an adult he felt he had to keep up.! He said he wished I’d come up with the experiences idea sooner. I wish I’d known.

  6. One of the best things about retiring 11 years ago was being able to spend more time with my granddaughters. Trips to the zoo, shopping, lunches, etc. They were 9, 7, and twins 6 years old. Yesterday we celebrated high school graduation for the then 7 year old! Enjoy this time😊

  7. My 28 year old is just beyond the university phase and in the early years of her professional career. She tends to be a classic and elegant dresser. For workwear, she likes Banana Republic. Their cashmere is nice, and they often have sales. I had not shopped there for a few years, and was stunned at how much they had upped their game. For jewelry gifts for Christmas, I foresee a return to simple stud earrings, as they do not interfere with masks.

  8. Your grandsons are adorable! I bet you are such a fun GiGi, and I’m sure you will have a wonderful week with them having fun and making memories! I’m jealous because our only (for now) granddaughter lives in Switzerland and we haven’t been able to be with her and her parents since January 😢 We are very thankful for Skype! Enjoy your time this week 😍

  9. I have university aged sons. I give cash for birthdays and Christmas. They are on super tight budgets. They can treat themselves with something they really want or need that way. When they left for college I gave them hand-stamped jewelry from Etsy – longitude and latitude of home for one, a secret message from childhood for the other. They wear their jewelry daily.

  10. Enjoy your time with all those precious grandchildren. I hope you make many wonderful memories. You do indeed need clothing that allows for easy & quick movement, so it looks as if you are dressed for success.

  11. I love the pictures you share of family, and these little grandsons are adorable! As to gifting for my 25 and 29 year old boys, I shop at Sportsman’s Warehouse for fishing and camping gear as well as sturdy outdoor clothing. Gift cards from there also work well since they can purchase a fishing license and lures, bait, etc. that is best left to their preferences. Cash is also always welcomed, and I try to sneak it into a pocket or cubby of part of the gift so they can enjoy a little bit of the childhood thrill of discovery. I agree wholeheartedly with the gifting of experience type gifts, and especially among best friends find this also often gives us something to look forward to enjoying together (concerts, plays, weekend trips).

  12. Oh my gosh – they are adorable! You probably won’t get to read this until they leave! LOL! One of my favorite gifts was tickets to a play at the Majestic. I knwo during this virus that those type of gifts are going to be difficult – but it truly was something I enjoy! I like the idea of ‘consumable’ gifts! Enjoy your week – I just had two of the ‘grands’ this weekend and the other ‘two’ last weekend! WHEN did we become grandparents??? Hugs to you!

  13. Oh Lawdy, that’s a lot of little boys! Cuteness overload! Three words though: muscle pain cream 😃
    We do scavenger hunts for our grown kids where they find a gift card or little gift along with the next clue at each stop. They prefer cards for Amazon or the American Express one so that they can buy anything, but we also get them Vans, Target, and Sephora cards. Experiences like white water rafting and theater work well too. As you can imagine, the scavenger hunt clues have become more and more esoteric over the years….

  14. My son really looks forward to a Nordstrom gift certificate to add something to his work wardrobe as he can find shirts to fit his tall slender body. Also, my sons enjoy gift cards to some of their favorite brew pubs.

  15. Thank you very much Pam & ladies for helping me with ideas for Christmas gifts. I wrote down all your ideas in an email to myself so I can access it anytime especially when I’m out and shopping. Again, many thanks!

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