Rest in peace, Grandma Nina

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It's with a very heavy heart that I share the passing of one of the first grandma bloggers I met online, soon after I began blogging in 2009.

Nina Knox was one of my first Grilled Grandmas. She was the consummate grandma, filled with grace and love. We shared blogging stories, tips, and ideas for quite some time, but in the past few years our connection faded. We were in some of the same blogging groups together, but never close.

I knew from being in a shared Facebook group that Nina unexpectedly became quite ill when visiting Hawaii in May. She was hospitalized for quite some time, seemed to improve...

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Here and now: August 20, 2015

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In my world...

clock and book

On my mind...

On NBC News Tuesday night, there was a report of an unscrupulous doctor who had been egregiously knowingly misdiagnosing patients with MS. Such a horrible thing to do. I have MS. BUT, though his actions are unconscionable, that's not what most stuck with me after viewing the report. What did stick with me was a comment from one of the women incorrectly diagnosed. She stated that...

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8 reasons grandparents should not resist a rest

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8 reasons grandparents should not resist a rest

Once you're old enough to be a grandparent, a good night's sleep is hard to come by. Chalk it up to hormones, hot flashes, medications, and more. Considering the causes can be exhausting in itself.

Despite our continual quest to quench our desire for downtime, we grandparents often flat-out refuse to rest our weary heads when we're with our grandchildren. Whether it's because we feel guilty or we simply want to "get stuff done," resisting a rest can be detrimental to our health and happiness. Detrimental to the health and happiness of our grandchildren, too—especially when they're in our care.

Here's why:

sleeping woman and dog 

NOT GETTING ENOUGH SLEEP...

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Here and now: April 23, 2015

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My life, here and now...

here and now 

On my mind...

Calming thoughts and uplifting songs that will (I hope) keep me calm and far from freakout mode when I undergo another MRI on my brain this morning. I swear, the more MRIs I...

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Saturday movie review: Cake

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Five minutes into CAKE, I asked my husband, who was watching along with me, if watching it was going to give him nightmares. Jim chuckled and said, "I was wondering the same thing." 

We had the exchange not because CAKE is a scary movie and my husband is a chicken, but because CAKE is about chronic pain and my husband has suffered from such for more than a decade. He managed to watch it all the way through, though, with nary a nightmare that night.

Cake movie

CAKE, starring Jennifer Aniston in a dark, powerful role, is about...

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National Family Caregivers Month: Kudos and resources for those who care

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 This sponsored public service announcement on National Family Caregivers Month is in partnership with Midlife Boulevard.

National Family Caregivers Month

The Grandma's Briefs community is filled with compassionate souls who regularly care for loved ones in need, above and beyond the care and love they provide their immediate family. Just off the top of my head...

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One happy grandma

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It's been a tough several weeks leading up to yesterday's big day, my "first dose observation" day. When it was all uneventfully done and over, I was so very thankful — for the outcome as well as for the incredible support from all of you, from my friends, from my family.

And I was happy. So very happy. Once home, all I wanted...

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A brief prayer request

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dear readers

I've been conflicted for weeks about sharing this — TMI isn't usually my thing — but today feel I must. Today I'm swallowing a pill that could stop my heart, so I'm writing to ask for your prayers, positive thoughts, healing vibes or any sort of goodness you could send my way.

My MS has gotten ridiculously aggressive and...

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