Flashback: 14 reasons to smile about being a long-distance grandma

Flashback: 14 reasons to smile about being a long-distance grandma

Dear readers: This flashback feature originally appeared on Grandma's Briefs July 1, 2014. As I'm missing my desert-dwelling grandsons today, it serves as a good reminder that there are at least fourteen things to celebrate about the long-distance grandma status. Thank you for reading this rerun.

Being a long-distance grandma can be hard on a grandmother's heart at times. There are, however, several perks to having plenty of miles between Grandma and her sweeties. Here are fourteen of them.

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Review: Gramma in a Box

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Grandma Terry Chamberlin has come up with a pretty sweet subscription service for serving up grandma-style food activities from faraway. When three of Terry's grandchildren moved away from her, she began sending them boxes of cookies and treats to go along with their Skype sessions. She soon realized other grandmas just may want to do the same, and the Gramma in a Box subscription service—tagline Gramma does all the work. You have all the fun!—was born. 

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Happy birthday, baby!

Happy birthday, baby!

Happy birthday, baby!

My baby girl—Andrea—is 33 years old today!

Thankfully, considering Colorado’s current heat wave, a birthday cake isn't all that important at 33, and Andrea settled instead for a cookie. A cookie that, in fact, was one of those included in the recent Gramma in a Box package I received for review.

On Saturday, Andrea helped me review the July sample subscription box—meaning, she helped me decorate and create a trio of scrumptious sweets just as lucky grands would do were they on the receiving end of the subscription service—and was perfectly pleased with…

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Flashback: 9 things I've kept 'for the grandkids'

Flashback: 9 things I've kept 'for the grandkids'

Dear readers: This Flashback feature originally appeared on Grandma's Briefs July 22, 2010. Thank you for reading this updated rerun!

My daughters have been grown and gone for quite some time now, but there are a few useful and/or enjoyable things from their childhood that I just can't throw away..

I'm pretty sure—or at least I'm bound and determined—that these items will one day come in handy, that they'll one day provide fun and frivolity for my grandkids.

9 THINGS I'VE KEPT 'FOR THE GRANDKIDS'

1. VHS tapes of children's movies and shows. Space Jam, Fluke, Casper and more. I can't see throwing away tapes I know kids love, but I sure don't plan on replacing them with DVDs or Blu-Ray discs (except for the…

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Coming soon from Goliath Games: Pop Rocket (game review)

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Game play is a given any time my grandkids and I get together. Despite last month's visit from my grandsons being their shortest stay ever, we still successfully fit in not only game time, but game review time.

Mere days before my desert-dwelling grandsons arrived at my door, I received a package from Goliath Games with new options for family fun launching at all major retailers this fall. First up for review by Brayden, Camden, Declan, and their Colorado-based cousin, James: Pop Rocket, featuring the intriguing tag line, Catch the most stars when he pops to win! 

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If you give a grandma a gift

If you give a grandma a gift

Most kids know what happens if you give a mouse a cookie. Perhaps nearly as many know what happens if you give a pig a pancake. How many, though, know just what happens if you give a grandma a gift? In particular, if you give a long-distance grandma who's been oh-so lonesome for her grandsons the most heartfelt gift they've ever given?

My grandsons recently learned what happens if you give such a grandma such a gift. And trust me, it wasn't pretty.

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Review: Bifocal readers from Readers.com

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I can no longer deny that readers are an absolute must for me. Stretching my arm as far as can be in hopes I might see print large or small hasn't made a difference for quite some time, so readers strewn about my house are a given.

Another given of late has been that those readers go off and on, off and on, up and down depending on what I'm doing. I put them on to check my phone, take them off to see the television across the room. Put them on to read a restaurant menu, prop them atop my head to...

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Grandma challenge: How full can she fill forty-four hours?

Grandma challenge: How full can she fill forty-four hours?

My desert-dwelling grandsons and their parents visited my house last week—for forty-four hours. The family had taken a road trip to Vail for a wedding, and Jim and I were fortunate they fit in a stop at our place on their way back home.

I was thrilled to host them and was determined to squish as much into the visit as possible, unsure of when I'd see Brayden, Camden, and Declan (as well as Megan and Preston, too) again.

As all three boys have birthdays in June…

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