Grilled Grandma Archive

Grilled Grandma: Carmen

2012-02-08T12:00:25Z

How many children do you have? I have four children, all boys, ages 22-29.

How many grandchildren? What are their ages? Up until December 17th, 2011, I had two grandchildren: Kai (3) and Lauryn (1). However, one of my sons recently married a girl with 3 children: Haylie (13), Heidi (10), and Ethan (8, almost 9), so now I have five beautiful grandchildren!!

Any great grandchildren? Oh no, I’m much, much too young. ;)

What do your grandchildren call you? Grandma

After the initial elation, what was your first concern upon hearing you would soon be a grandmother? That I would know how to be a Grandma! I immigrated to Canada when I was 6, so I grew up without any extended family.

How often do you get to see your grandchildren? I babysat Kai and Lauryn about 4 days a week for a while, but now I see them once or twice a week on average. Haylie, Heidi and Ethan live in Fort McMurray, Alberta (I’m in B.C.), so I don’t get to see them as much.

What is the best thing about being a grandma? Just being able to spend time with them! I think when you’re a Grandma you can just enjoy them more. I teach them little songs with actions, make things with them, etc. I did this with my own kids too, but it was kind of busy at the time. I tried to write some of those precious moments down when I remembered to.

What is the most challenging part of being a grandma? I would say that it’s being a grandma from a distance—since my one son and his wife live so far away! However the time we do get with their kids is very precious because of its scarcity!

Describe a recent time that one (or more) of your grandchildren made you laugh out loud. A recent conversation - Kai (2 at the time) to Lauryn, “Come here bean...come with me...come on honey.”

My 8 yr old grandson is such a free spirit. The other day a bunch of us were sitting in the kitchen when he nonchalantly sauntered down the stairs in a big white towel, in the buff. We all laughed! His response? “What?”

What is your favorite thing to do with grandchildren who visit your house? I tend to feed them, but then I tend to want to feed everyone! It’s fun to watch them play, and sometimes they just say the cutest things! I also like to do crafty things with the older kids. Recently the girls and I made a bunch of different glycerine soaps of various shapes and scents. We had so much fun! Another time we made a scrapbook album from scratch.

What is your favorite thing to do when visiting grandchildren at their house? Well, there are so many things! We play hide and seek, which they love. I carry Lauryn with me and Kai either finds us or hides on us. When he gets close to our hiding place, we’ll jump out and I’ll say ‘BOO’. Kai loves it.

Sometimes I hide something of his, and he has to find it. He likes to tell me where to hide it first though, so it’s easy to find...lol.

We like to challenge each other to a duel, take 10 paces in the opposite direction and then pretend to shoot each other with pretend waterguns. Well, you know...he is a boy!

I also read to them and I love to bring the kids my delicious homemade chocolate chip cookies!

How do you maintain the bond between yourself and your grandchildren between visits? Once in a while we talk on the phone. Mostly Kai...he likes to tell me about his mishaps. “Grandma? Yes, Kai? I fall down and hurt my bum” Lol...

What do you most want to pass along to your grandchildren? A strong sense of moral values.

What is one word you hope your grandkids think of when they think of you? Affection...or Fun...or both. (I know, I know, I don’t follow instruction well.)

What is one thing you wish you had learned earlier as a grandparent? To relax!

What one bit of advice would you give a new grandma? As the grandmother of a son’s child, it can be difficult to know when to help and when to back off. What I'm learning, and my advice? Just be yourself and relax!

Do you have a website or blog? What is it about? I have two blogs. My craft blog Beyond The Fringe Crafts features free digital stamps and vintage graphics, cards and various crafts. I also have an inspirational blog, Bubbling Springs and Random Things, that focuses on the bible and eschatology, and reflects some personal thoughts.

This is an archived version of Carmen's Grilled Grandma feature. See her original grilling—including reader comments—by clicking HERE.

Grilled Grandma: Angel

2012-02-01T12:00:57Z

How many children do you have? Between my husband and me, we have 6 kids. Three are his and three, mine. His are all biological: Michael, Melissa and Colleen; I have one biological son, Rory Taylor, one adopted daughter, Maggie and a step-son, Nick, that I consider my son.

How many grandchildren? What are their ages? We have 5 grandchildren, 4 girls and a boy. Sacnite’, nine; Micah, six; Aurora, two ½; Clara, two; and Violet, one.

Any great grandchildren? Nope!

What do your grandchildren call you? Granny Angel, Granny, or Angel.

How often do you get to see your grandchildren? Our 2 ½ year old granddaughter, Aurora lives in the same city—in fact just a few blocks away. We see her every week or two. Sacnite’ and Violet live in Fayetteville Arkansas and Micah and Clara live in Fairfax Virginia. I go over to Arkansas every few months to visit and they were here for the Christmas holidays. They may be moving here sometime next year. I see the two in Fairfax about once a year.

Beyond the initial elation, what most concerned you upon hearing you'd soon be a grandma? The news for each felt a bit different. With our mixed family and the distances, I was initially concerned about whether I’d get to see Micah as much as I’d like. He has three other grandmas! I guess that’s been my concern about all of them—just getting to see them as much as I’d like. Sacnite’ is my son’s step-daughter. I knew about her since she was two and knew she’d be my granddaughter when she was about 5. She lived in Mexico with her mother at the time and I didn’t get to meet her until she and her mom got their visas and moved to the US when she was 7. Her sister, Violet, now age one, is my only biological granddaughter. I was able to go to her home birth—that was amazing. I had had Rory Taylor at home also. Sacnite’ and I talk via the Facebook video and that has been fun. I used to fly to Virginia at least once a year to see Micah and Clara, but with the poor economy, I just haven’t had the money. They came to visit us for 5 days after Christmas last year (2010) and I haven’t been able to see them since. I do regularly talk with their parents and see photos, but it’s not the same as being with them. Micah knows me, but I doubt Clara remembers much about me.

What is the best thing about being a grandma? Being able to play with them and not worry about “teaching” or behavior that much.

What is the most challenging part of being a grandma? Dealing with their parents! I don’t mean that in a bad way—it’s just that they all have their own parenting methods, and I have to remember about what that is for each family! I am very careful not to give unasked for advice or suggestions and am lucky that all the mothers like me and aren’t overprotective.

Describe a recent time that one (or more) of your grandchildren made you laugh out loud. Micah says the most interesting things. His mother often posts these on Facebook. His latest one was after his mother told him that Storm troopers (his favorite thing is Star Wars right now) always obeyed orders and most likely also obeyed their mothers. He said, “But mom, clones don’t have mothers!” (Most of the storm troopers in the stories are clones.) When he was smaller he said at the dinner table “It’s okay to eat baby lambs, because they taste good.”

Violet was here for the Christmas holiday with her family. She is still very clingy to her mom, but her smiles and laughs light up the room! She loves to play Peek a Boo and will hide her head on her mom’s shoulder and then peek at you and go “Bwaw!!!”

Sacnite’ and I played board games and I had so much fun with her. She loves to pretend “cheat” and laughs when I catch her.

What is your favorite thing to do with grandchildren who visit your house? Really depends on their age. I like to play games with the older two and just watch the younger ones play dress up or read books to them.

What is your favorite thing to do when visiting grandchildren at their house? Reading, taking a walk, playing with their toys with them. Occasionally watching a movie.

How do you maintain the bond between yourself and your grandchildren between visits? I send interactive e-cards to Micah sometimes. I also write letters. When Micah was into fire trucks, he wanted me to send him photos of different kinds of trucks by e-mail. He doesn’t like to talk on the phone and they don’t have video capability at present. As I said earlier, I talk with Sacnite’ on Facebook Video and sometimes to her mom and the baby on Skype.

What do you most want to pass along to your grandchildren? That life can be fun, there are interesting things everywhere, that reading is important.

What is one word you hope your grandkids think of when they think of you? Smiling.

What is one thing you wish you had learned earlier as a grandparent? Knowing what my limits are. There are reasons most people have their children in their 20’s and 30’s! I can do 4-6 hours pretty easily, but if the child needs to stay overnight, it’s very tiring for me if they stay too long the next day unless I’ve prepared for it.

What one bit of advice would you give a new grandma? When agreeing to keep your grandchild, get specific information about parents’ wishes and the time they plan to pick up the child. Keep toys and books at your home—of course you can lend them, but have enough for spontaneous visits.

Do you have a website or blog? What is it about? I have a blog that I work on intermittently. I tend to go in spurts and starts. Before I was working full time, I had designed my own website and loved taking care of it. My current blog is mostly about art that I make, but I’ve lately started just writing thoughts as well. The URL is: http://angeltnart.blogspot.com/.

This is an archived version of Angel's Grilled Grandma feature. See her original grilling—including reader comments—by clicking HERE.

Grilled Grandma: Vonda

2012-01-25T12:00:13Z

How many children do you have? I have 5 kids.

How many grandchildren? What are their ages? I have 11 grandkids, ages 14, 12, 11, 8, 6, 5, 4, 4, 2, 2 & one lives in Heaven.

Any great grandchildren? Not yet.

What do your grandchildren call you? Just grama, I'm the pajama grama cause I get everyone their favorite cartoon pj's for Christmas.

How often do you get to see your grandchildren? Not enough! 4 about weekly, 6 about 2-3 times a year.

Beyond the initial elation, what most concerned you upon hearing you'd soon be a grandma? That I wouldn't get to see them often enough.

What is the best thing about being a grandma? I don't have to say no! (It bugs their parents but I love it!)

What is the most challenging part of being a grandma? Keeping my mouth shut when I'd really like to 'express' my opinion.

Describe a recent time that one (or more) of your grandchildren made you laugh out loud. When the 5 year old was teaching me how to put lipstick on & she said I could put 1 color on top lip & a different one on the bottom lip.

What is your favorite thing to do with grandchildren who visit your house? To see how they love it when I have a new coloring book & new box of crayons & we color together.

What is your favorite thing to do when visiting grandchildren at their house? Have them show me stuff they are doing.

How do you maintain the bond between yourself and your grandchildren between visits? Computer.

What do you most want to pass along to your grandchildren? I hope they will grow up being non judgemental & have good self esteem.

What is one word you hope your grandkids think of when they think of you? Acceptance.

What is one thing you wish you had learned earlier as a grandparent? I think I would try harder to be involved in their lives through letters, internet and traveling.

What one bit of advice would you give a new grandma? Just smile at the parents when you wish you could scream at them. :)

Do you have a website or blog? I just started one called Innocent & Mischievous: Grandma Style.

This is an archived version of Vonda's Grilled Grandma feature. See her original grilling—including reader comments—by clicking HERE.

Grilled Grandma: Cherry

2012-01-18T12:00:15Z

How many children do you have? I have 2 adult children from my first marriage, and 2 step children (whom I do not know) from my current marriage.

How many grandchildren? What are their ages? I have 3 grandchildren: Brandon age 9, Katie age 6, and Josslyn, soon to be 8.

Any great grandchildren? None

What do your grandchildren call you? They all call me Grannie.

After the initial elation, what was your first concern upon hearing you would soon be a grandmother? My greatest concern was knowing I'd NOT be able to be as Constant in their lives as their parents’ grandparents were in theirs.

How often do you get to see your grandchildren? Definitely not as often as I'd like. Brandon and his sister Katie are 'Army' brats, and currently with their Mom and Dad in GTMO Cuba. Josslyn lives in Wisconsin with her Mom and Dad.

What is the best thing about being a grandma? Being able to love the grandkids as unconditionally as I loved their parents.

What is the most challenging part of being a grandma? Disipline, boundaries... Having to remember that I am the Grannie, not the Mommy.

Describe a recent time that one (or more) of your grandchildren made you laugh out loud. It's been a while since I was with any of them, but anytime we are together there is always cause for laughing out loud.

What is your favorite thing to do with grandchildren who visit your house? Sadly because of the distance thing, they do not get to visit, 'yet'... but soon they will all be old enough to travel without 'parental' supervision... then it will be Game On.

What is your favorite thing to do when visiting grandchildren at their house? Read with them, watch their favorite movies or just hang out.

How do you maintain the bond between yourself and your grandchildren between visits? E-mails thru their parents and SKYPE when available.

What do you most want to pass along to your grandchildren? A sense of belonging... Family roots, and of course unconditional love.

What is one word you hope your grandkids think of when they think of you? Fun.

What is one thing you wish you had learned earlier as a grandparent? I wish I'd learned how hard it was going to be to miss all the milestones. It is so hard not getting to see them as much as one would want.

What one bit of advice would you give a new grandma? Love 'em all the time... and take pictures of you with them.... I regret that I do not have pictures of myself and the grandkids. When we are together, we spend quality time together and I forget to take pictures.

This is an archived version of Cherry's Grilled Grandma feature. See her original grilling—including reader comments—by clicking HERE.

Grilled Grandma: Kaye

2012-01-11T12:00:35Z

How many children do you have? 3

How many grandchildren? What are their ages? 11 blessings — They range in age from 1 year on up to 14 with most between 4 and 10.

Any great grandchildren? No

What do your grandchildren call you? Mostly Grandma

After the initial elation, what was your first concern upon hearing you would soon be a grandmother? What to have them call me — as they have several grandparents. We ended up with adding our names to differentiate — i.e. Grandma Kaye.

Kaye's mom and oldest grandson gardening.How often do you get to see your grandchildren? I see half several times a week as I am their granny nanny, meaning I babysit them a lot. The other half live several states away so it varies from 1-3 times per year.

What is the best thing about being a grandma? Sharing the love of Jesus with them — not to mention all the hugs and cuddles.

What is the most challenging part of being a grandma? Balancing everything. I am also caring for elderly parents and there can be a lot of appointments, health needs, etc. at both ends of the age spectrum. Juggling is one of the skills I’m constantly utilizing in the Sandwich Generation.

Self portraits made by grandkids.Describe a recent time that one (or more) of your grandchildren made you laugh out loud. We do a lot of laughing, especially when playing games together. We’ve recently started a new game where they swing and I toss one of their soft plastic balls at their feet. They then try to kick it up and I try to catch it. Those balls can really go in crazy directions and by the end of the game, we’re all laughing our heads off.

What is your favorite thing to do with grandchildren who visit your house? Lots of games — offline like checkers and chess, as well as online with Webkinz stuffed & virtual animals. We also love easy crafts for the kids (and seniors). These are all great ways to keep little hands busy in a positive way and create lovely and lasting family memories. I also have their Razor scooters in my garage and we enjoy going around the block on those, sometimes with their great-grandmother joining us.

What is your favorite thing to do when visiting grandchildren at their house? For both sets of grandkids — I bring the games and easy crafts with me. For the near-by grandkids, we have a great time playing “ball tag” in their back yard (throwing soft plastic balls at each other to “tag” a person. It’s easier than the traditional Tag — nice for them AND me). For the long distance grandkids, we often enjoy fun family field trips like the one we took to an apple orchard this fall.

How do you maintain the bond between yourself and your grandchildren between visits? Phone calls, email, and keeping them updated with their Webkinz stuffed animals so we can also play games together on the Webkinz website while chatting about it on the phone. It’s a lot of fun.

What do you most want to pass along to your grandchildren? To know and love God! One of my primary goals in life is leaving a sweet spiritual legacy in their hearts and lives — and I’m always looking for ways to do that — from singing praise and worship music together to doing fun holiday projects, like Advent activities, for and with the kids with the primary focus on Jesus. I also love sharing encouraging Bible memory verses with them throughout the year — whether we are working on their Awana verses or on the verses and pictures I post at SandwichINK.

What is one word you hope your grandkids think of when they think of you? Love

Tootsie of the youngest.What is one thing you wish you had learned earlier as a grandparent? I wish I'd taken a practical nursing class — it would definitely come in handy — both as a grandma AND an eldercare giver

What one bit of advice would you give a new grandma? My best tip for those who have lots of grandparent competition and need more cuddle time is to volunteer to change the diapers. You’ll usually have a bit less competition and get LOTS of extra one-on-one time with the cutie pies. AND it’s a sweet help for the parents so it’s a triple blessing all around.

Do you have a website or blog? What is it about? I do. I write for and about the Sandwich Generation — those juggling the multigenerational issues of caring for the elderly parents and relatives in your family while still raising children or, as in my case, babysitting the grandchildren. My primary site is http://www.SandwichINK.com.

You can also find me at:
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/SandwichINK
Google Plus - http://www.sandwichINK.com/at-google-plus
Twitter - http://www.Twitter.com/SandwichINK
Among other sites :)

This is an archived version of Kaye's Grilled Grandma feature. See her original grilling—including reader comments—by clicking HERE.

Grilled Grandma: Linda

2012-01-04T12:01:01Z

How many children do you have? I am blessed to have four children—two of mine and two of my hubby’s.

How many grandchildren? What are their ages? We have two amazing grandchildren: Jaxon is 3 ½ and Makiya will be three in January.

Any great grandchildren? Not yet!

What do your grandchildren call you? When my granddaughter was just learning to talk she used to call me “Mama” but now I’m Grandma to both of them.

After the initial elation, what was your first concern upon hearing you would soon be a grandmother? Concern? I suppose the only concern is that I live too far away from them. We hope to remedy that in a couple of years when we retire though.

How often do you get to see your grandchildren? Not often enough! I try to see them every couple of months. They grow and change so quickly I hate to miss any more than I have to while we’re living so far away.

What is the best thing about being a grandma? Oh my, I’m not sure how to answer that. Being a grandma is the greatest joy in my life! I love getting down on the floor and playing with them, reading to them, snuggling with them, and seeing the world through their young eyes. It’s also a joy to watch my daughter in the role of mommy!

What is the most challenging part of being a grandma? For now, it’s just the distance between us and that I can’t see them more often. Thank goodness for the miracles of email and Skype!

What is your favorite thing to do with grandchildren who visit your house? Just this past summer we had our grandson with us and we set up a big inflatable pool in the backyard. We had a blast watching him play in that pool and, later, running through the sprinkler with Granddad! In the few days he was with us our yard looked like a totally different place than it normally does because it had toys scattered all over. I was in paradise.

What is your favorite thing to do when visiting grandchildren at their house? I like to read to them. It’s important to me that they grow up with an appreciation for books and reading and they’re both well on the way toward that. Aside from that, any time I’m with them is my favorite time no matter what we are doing.

How do you maintain the bond between yourself and your grandchildren between visits? Skype and phone calls. I love answering my phone and hearing a little voice say “Hi Grandma!” In fact I’ve saved a voice mail that I listen to often. It’s the best cure for a bad day I know of!

One time, a few days after our last visit, my daughter brought her laptop upstairs and let Makiya know we were going to Skype. Her response “Oh, I’ve been waiting for this for days!” tickled my heart.

What do you most want to pass along to your grandchildren? As I said I hope they grow up with a love of reading. It’s also important to me that they have a sense of where they fit in this world and history and legacy is also important.

What is one word you hope your grandkids think of when they think of you? Love.

What is one thing you wish you had learned earlier as a grandparent? Hmmm. In the beginning I was worried they wouldn’t know I was their grandma because I didn’t get to see them every day. That was something I needn’t have been concerned about.

What one bit of advice would you give a new grandma? Enjoy! Spend as much time with them as possible! It’s the best experience in the world!

Do you have a website or blog? What is it about? Yes, I have a blog called A Slice of Life Writing where I write about a variety of topics ranging from adoption (I am an adoptee), memoir writing, family, gardening, life in general, and of course grandchildren.

This is an archived version of Linda's Grilled Grandma feature. See her original grilling—including reader comments—by clicking HERE.

Grilled Grandma: Angela

2011-12-28T12:00:30Z

How many children do you have? I have a wonderful son Joe, 31, with 3 of my grands - 2 boys and 1 girl, and one 29 year old daughter, Shell, with one grandson, and one 26 yr old daughter, Katie with 2 granddaughters.

How many grandchildren? What are their ages? My sons 3 children are: Morgan 12, about to be 13-year-old granddaughter. I absolutely cannot believe that she will be a teenager! Kyle, 10 year old and Mason, 8 year old grandsons.
Shell's son is Austin, he's 6.
Katie has two daughters, Natilee 7 and Emma is 2.

Any great grandchildren? Nope, but my dad has 6. :)

What do your grandchildren call you? Nanny.

After the initial elation, what was your first concern upon hearing you would soon be a grandmother? I don't remember any concerns other than how often can I have them at my house.

How often do you get to see your grandchildren? Natilee says she lets me live with her and Emma, so I get to see them everyday. I see Austin a little more often than Kyle, Mason and Morgan. They live about an hour from me, but Austin is only about a 30 minute drive.

What is the best thing about being a grandma? Sending them home when I'm worn out! :) And having all my lovely babies to hug and love! I have told my children several times: I wish I could have been a grandparent first, it's WAY more fun!

What is the most challenging part of being a grandma? Just like most grandparents I would love to see them more. I am still working full time, so I don't have as much free time as I wish to go spend with them. Sad face...

Describe a recent time that one (or more) of your grandchildren made you laugh out loud.
I picked Austin up from school one day and drove him to meet his aunt. On the way, we started talking about last year's Thanksgiving, and how he would get to come to my house again this year too. He was happy about that, except he didn't want to eat my round ham. He said that coming to my house would be fine as long as I got the kind of ham that Kyle and Mason ate instead of that round one I had, or he would just go eat with them. Needless to say, I bought him the kind of ham he eats with Kyle and Mason. Austin told me I got the right kind, and thank you. :)

What is your favorite thing to do with grandchildren who visit your house? Usually bake cookies, Mason insists that we do. Chocolate chip are the current favorite. I also like to have them make things like cards or drawings for my dad or me, or their parents. Then we play games, watch movies, eat popcorn. Memory has been a popular game over the years. Oh, and puzzles, we must do puzzles!

What is your favorite thing to do when visiting grandchildren at their house? Visit their rooms, let them tell me how things are going. Morgan was showing me some of her artwork for school a couple of weeks ago, and I loved it! She is very talented and inventive. They like to tell me about their pets, or their video games, or show me how well they are doing riding their bikes. Good times, good times.

How do you maintain the bond between yourself and your grandchildren between visits? Mostly by talking to their parents. I haven't done very much in the way of mail or notes.

What do you most want to pass along to your grandchildren? That they love each other, even when they are driving each other crazy! That's usually when someone needs the love the most.

What is one word you hope your grandkids think of when they think of you? Loving. If I could have a second word, it would be fun.

(In costume. -Lisa)What is one thing you wish you had learned earlier as a grandparent? That they grow up too fast too! Grab every single minute you can.

What one bit of advice would you give a new grandma? To relax, have fun even if you are an everyday Nanny like me. I know now that there is nothing they can break that I can't live without except my heart. Our grandkids need to always know we love them and are proud of them, even if they just dropped and broke our favorite thing. We can still do like we did with our own children and always have teachable moments with them, but don't let the pressure you felt as a parent consume your relationship with your grands. It's all gonna be alright.

Do you have a website or blog? What is it about? Yes I do. It's called Accidentally Angela. I write about my life, things I'm grateful for and fun things I've found and sometimes things I sew or crafts I make. If I find something I find interesting I'll write about it.

This is an archived version of Angela's Grilled Grandma feature. See the original grilling—including reader comments—by clicking HERE.

Grilled Grandma: Beth

2011-12-21T12:00:25Z

How many children do you have? We have two kids. Our daughter is 28 and is married with a baby. Our son is 25, divorced, and has two little girls.

How many grandchildren? What are their ages? We have three granddaughters, ages 6, 4, and 10 months.

Any great grandchildren? No great-grandkids yet (hey, I'm only 46!) We'll hope that special joy doesn't come around for at least another 20 years. My mom seems to love being a great-grandma though!

What do your grandchildren call you? I'm Grandma, and my husband is Papa, although he believes it should be spelled PawPaw. Not sure why, but the spelling seems to make a difference to him. For a while, the older granddaughters called us Grandma and Papa with the RV, and their other set of grandparents Grandma and Papa with the Kitties.

After the initial elation, what was your first concern upon hearing you would soon be a grandmother? We felt pretty young to be grandparents at the time, and it was kind of hard to begin thinking of myself as a grandmother. I think, too, that I worried about not loving the grandkids as much as I loved the kids. Looking back, of course, I see that this was not anything to worry about, as grandkids are several times more loveable than kids at the same age (sorry, kids).

How often do you get to see your grandchildren? We see the 6-year-old and 4-year-old at least once a week, when we take them to church and spend Sunday afternoon with them. The 10-month-old lives about three hours away, but we usually see her about once a month. The baby recognizes us on the computer now, so when we're not visiting, we like to Skype pretty often and have long conversations with her, mostly consisting of buh-buh-buh, and duh-duh-duh. Lots of fun.

What is the best thing about being a grandma? I think just getting to view the world through the eyes of a child, and enjoying all the childhood joys again. Holidays are truly enjoyable when they're shared with a kid, and especially a grandkid. Plus, my grandkids secretly think I'm a rockstar, so I enjoy the adulation.

What is the most challenging part of being a grandma? Definitely trying to keep the energy level up is hard. You moms who are my age, how do you do it?

Describe a recent time that one (or more) of your grandchildren made you laugh out loud. They are truly funny, and we laugh all the time. We were having a bit of a rough transition from our house back to mama's house one day recently, and so we decided to stop in to Sonic to get cherry limeades. The girls decided they wanted chicken and fries, but we knew their mom would want to feed them when they got home. They were complaining just a bit, and starting to melt down, so Papa said, "Let's not hear any crying back there, and I definitely don't want to hear about any gorillas," just kind of throwing it out there for a bit of zany humor. Well, they quieted down and decided their limeades were just fine for a few minutes, until the 4-year-old, very quietly, said, "Gorilla." I believe there was some cherry limeade coming out of my nose at that point. Now, if she wants to get a quick laugh, she just has to say, "Gorilla." She's got a great sense of comic timing.

What is your favorite thing to do with grandchildren who visit your house? Our favorite thing is just to get down on the floor and play with them. Kids absolutely love attention from grownups, and a grandparent who gets down and plays with them, is just tops.

What is your favorite thing to do when visiting grandchildren at their house? The baby likes for us to read her books when we're at her house. She's quite a book lover (her mom's a librarian, of course), and I love to let her pick a book and read it to her. Her current favorite is Goodnight Gorilla. Once again, with the gorillas, seems to be a recurring theme for us.

How do you maintain the bond between yourself and your grandchildren between visits? Computer visits are so, so much better than phone calls, and that's our preferred method of keeping in touch with the baby. The 6-year-old is getting to the point where she can talk to us on the phone, and she'll sometimes call with a little help from her dad. Getting a call from a grandchild is pretty great, by the way.

What do you most want to pass along to your grandchildren? I had a grandma who really personified love and compassion, and those are probably the traits I'd most like to pass along. I'd also like to teach generosity, and a heart for helping other people. We were really happy this past week when the 6-year-old insisted that we pick an Angel Tree ornament at church, so that we could provide a gift for a child of a prisoner. It's wonderful to see her heart of compassion developing.

What is one word you hope your grandkids think of when they think of you? Rockstar (is that one word or two?) Really, I've never had fans like they are. I walk in the room and they light up. Of course, they walk in the room and I light up, so we're mutual fans. It's pretty great.

What is one thing you wish you had learned earlier as a grandparent? A big cup of juice right before bed is a bad idea. You know, you learn these things as parents but forget them when you're a grandparent. Trust me on this one.

What one bit of advice would you give a new grandma? The days are long; the years are short. Make the most of the time you have with your grandkids. They'll be grown up before long, and the time you spend with them now will be their childhood memories.

Do you have a website or blog? What is it about? I'm at supergrandkids.com. The blog kind of reflects me - I like to blog about loving grandparenting, ideas for connecting, bargain shopping for grandkid gifts, and of course, funny stuff my grandkids say!

This is an archived version of Beth's Grilled Grandma feature. See the original grilling—including reader comments—by clicking HERE.

Grilled Grandma: Cathy

2011-12-14T12:00:39Z

How many children do you have? 3. I have Shannon, age 26 who is the manager of a bar/restaurant. April is 23 and is the manager of a hair salon. And Ryan is 20 is in college studying engineering.

How many grandchildren? What are their ages? Just one. Maylynn (I call her MayMay) turned 2 in August.

Any great grandchildren? No, not for a very long time, I hope.

What do your grandchildren call you? Nana.

After the initial elation, what was your first concern upon hearing you would soon be a grandmother? How hard it was going to be for my daughter April. She is a single mother and that has to be the hardest job in the world.

How often do you get to see your grandchildren? Just about everyday. I watch MayMay while her mother works and since she works sometimes 50+ hours a week she is with me a lot. She also sleeps over several nights a week.

What is the best thing about being a grandma? How much more fun it is than being a mother. I know that sounds awful but I think being a mother is more stressful. Being a grandmother is like having all the fun parts of being a mom without all the responsibility.

What is the most challenging part of being a grandma? Trying to keep up chasing after a 2 year old. I wonder how I did this with not one, but 3 little ones! But then I was 20+ years younger.

Describe a recent time that one (or more) of your grandchildren made you laugh out loud. Today, MayMay came out of my office wearing my reading glasses. They were low down on her nose. It made her look like a librarian. Then she said “Look, I’m Nana!”

Something else she says a lot is when one of the dogs tries to take her food, she looks at them sternly and says. “That’s MayMay food, not dog food.” It’s just really cute how she says it.

What is your favorite thing to do with grandchildren who visit your house? We have a tradition on one of her over night visits. When we get up, we stop by Hardees to get a biscuit for breakfast. Then on the way home, we stop by the park and play for an hour or so. She loves this tradition and asks as soon as she wakes up when can we go get her “bisit”. She can’t say biscuit yet.

What is your favorite thing to do when visiting grandchildren at their house? I don’t go over there that much. Usually when I do it’s when my daughter has a very early morning appointment so I go over while the baby is still sleeping. When she wakes up, I take her to my house, which is about 15 minutes away.

I guess I like the early morning quiet. I usually manage to get some reading done, which I love to do but have a hard time finding time for it.

How do you maintain the bond between yourself and your grandchildren between visits? MayMay has learned how to call me on her mom’s phone so she calls me quite often when she isn’t here.

What do you most want to pass along to your grandchildren? How loved and special she is. I remember feeling that from one of my grandmothers even though she died when I was 8.

What is one word you hope your grandkids think of when they think of you? Security

What is one thing you wish you had learned earlier as a grandparent? I can’t think of anything but then I have only been a grandparent for 2 years. Ask me 10 years from now and I may have an answer for you :)

What one bit of advice would you give a new grandma? To be available for advice about parenting if your kids ask for it but unless it’s a dangerous situation, don’t give your opinion in how they are raising your grand kids. And yes, that is sometimes easier said than done.

Do you have a website or blog? What is it about? I actually have over 50 sites but I won’t bore your readers with all of them. I’ll just mention my favorite one, which is called The Frazzled Homemaker. It can be found at http://TheFrazzledHomemaker.com.

This is an archived version of Cathy's Grilled Grandma feature. See the original grilling—including reader comments—by clicking HERE.

Grilled Grandma: Anna

2011-12-07T12:00:54Z

How many children do you have? Two daughters

How many grandchildren? What are their ages? Two grandbabies, so far. My granddaughter Sydney will be 5 in February and my grandson Russell is turning 3 in December.

Any great grandchildren? Nope.

What do your grandchildren call you? They call me 'Nanny'

How often do you get to see your grandchildren? Currently they live in Arizona and we live in Colorado, but now that I am retired I find a way to see them every few weeks. I also talk to them on the telephone often. They were both born here in Colorado and came to work with me in my store so I saw them every day. About 14 months ago their parents decided to move to Arizona...that about killed me because I was use to seeing them every day. I was first worried about them forgetting me, but I have since learned that they won’t forget me. I stay in touch with them, and see them as often as we can. Now I feel confident that they will never forget their Nanny & Papa.

Beyond the initial elation, what most concerned you upon hearing you'd soon be a grandma? Nothing concerned me negatively. I was immediately elated and have not come down from that high yet. When we learned that were were getting a second grandbaby that elation just doubled. I have a special bond with each of them. I feel like I was meant to be a grandma my whole life...and now I finally am.

What is the best thing about being a grandma? Oh my...I don't know if I could name just one thing. I would have to say one of the best things is being able to be in the roll of a grandma and not a mama (with all the mama worries) I get the opportunity to see the world through the eyes of a child. They always amaze me with their view of things...so simple and untarnished. It helps to remind me not to take the world so serious.

What is the most challenging part of being a grandma? I am careful to respect their mama's rules, but at the same time, my daughter and I both know that grandma's get to bend the rules a bit ;-) when they are with Nanny. My daughter is totally okay with that too.

Describe a recent time that one (or more) of your grandchildren made you laugh out loud. They make me laugh so often, but the most recent was when I took my grandson to the bathroom while visiting my sister in California. He was nervous about using a strange bathroom by his self (he is newly potty training) so he asked me to go with him. Once we got in the bathroom he wanted me to use the potty first. Since I did need to go pee I agreed. As I was sitting on the toilet he said, "Nanny, you got a big butt." I said, "Well, thank you, you have got a little butt." He replied, "Well, thank you!" So here I thought he was insulting my big butt, but I guess he meant it as a compliment because he took my reply as a compliment. We both laughed out loud together over that.

What is your favorite thing to do with grandchildren who visit your house? They love to play with Playdoh so we break out the Playdoh kit and create things with it for hours.

What is your favorite thing to do when visiting grandchildren at their house? They enjoy showing me all of their books and toys. Then we go to the park and play until we are dog-tired. It is also a must to get an ice cream cone at the local DQ.

How do you maintain the bond between yourself and your grandchildren between visits? We talk on the telephone. At almost 3 and almost 5 it is sometimes hard to understand what they are saying over the phone (not seeing their mouths move), but I get most of it. They call me when they have something exciting to share, or if they are not feeling well. I call them when I need to hear their voices. We talk about how many more 'sleeps' (nights) until Nanny & Papa will be visiting them again.

What do you most want to pass along to your grandchildren? That they each are very special people. That they have special talents and qualities about them, and I try to encourage their own unique specialness.

What is one word you hope your grandkids think of when they think of you? Love

What is one thing you wish you had learned earlier as a grandparent? I don't know...I am still learning :-)

What one bit of advice would you give a new grandma? Don't give advice to your adult children unless the specifically ask for it. Respect that they may have different ideas on how they want to raise their children, and that doesn't make it wrong...just different. Grandmas have a special relationship with their grandbabies, just enjoy that.

Do you have a website or blog? What is it about? Yes, my blog is about my life in 'mid-life' and all the changes that come with this new season such as going through menopause, being a grandma, my recent retirement, discovering my true self, and loving my time with my soul mate. The URL is http://IamNannyAnna.blogspot.com.

This is an archived version of Anna's Grilled Grandma feature. See the original grilling—including reader comments—by clicking HERE.