Since I last wrote

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Since I last wrote

Hello friends!

I hope everyone is well and enjoying fall, my favorite time of year.

Since I last wrote, a fair amount of this and that has happened for my family and me.

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Grandparents: 5 Heart Health Tips for the Holidays

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Grandparents: 5 Heart Health Tips for the Holidays

Food, drinks, gifts and time with family make the holidays a merry occasion for people across the country. However, all that celebrating can sometimes become a distraction from maintaining heart health.

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Like mother, like grandmother: On Benjamin turning three

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Like mother, like grandmother: On Benjamin turning three

When my eldest daughter was born in 1982, I committed myself to diligently filling out her baby book regularly so as to not miss recording a single milestone or moment.

When my second daughter arrived in 1983, I continued to be fairly consistent in keeping track in her baby book, too.

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How to survive being a long-distance grandma to a baby

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How to survive being a long-distance grandma to a baby

I first fully grasped the definition of the word 'bittersweet' in late 2007, when I learned I was going to be a grandmother. I was thrilled to have a grandbaby on the way, but it literally hurt my heart to know I'd be only a minor player in the baby's daily life, due to how far away my new grandchild would live.

Yes, I was a long-distance grandma from the get-go. I’m still a long-distance grandma to the one who first made me a grandmother. To his two brothers, as well.

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How grandparents can help grandkids build social skills

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How grandparents can help grandkids build social skills

While adults may joke about needing to relearn how to be around others in a post-pandemic world, children can also benefit from a refresh of certain soft skills — especially young children who may not remember pre-pandemic life.

Building on these skills can also help children prepare for a successful return to school.

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30 'firsts' only grandparents celebrate

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30 'firsts' only grandparents celebrate

There are numerous firsts in a child's life worth celebrating. The milestones Mom and Dad mark, though, likely aren’t the same ones Grandma and Grandpa celebrate.

Here are 30 firsts in the life of a grandchild that warm a grandparent's heart and warrant a happy dance.

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How to Be Present: a 'First-Time Grandmother's Journal' excerpt

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How to Be Present: a 'First-Time Grandmother's Journal' excerpt

In my book, The First-Time Grandmother’s Journal, I offer writing prompts to help new grandmothers dig deep then capture their thoughts on matters that matter in the months leading up to a first grandchild’s birth and the child’s first year.

I also provide bits of advice to help new grandmas navigate their new role—advice even seasoned grandmas can appreciate and apply—such as the following two-page spread on being present.

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Brayden, T1D, and a warning for grandmas

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Brayden, T1D, and a warning for grandmas

It’s taken me more than a month to figure out how to share this news. It’s serious and breaks my heart, yet I don’t want to come across as despaired. I hope to warn others but wish to not seem alarmist. And I want to share the challenge confronting my oldest grandson and his parents every single day forever going forward without suggesting I have any doubt they’re up to it.

My daughter, Megan, is so up to it, in fact, that she provided me the perfect tool by which I can share the news without racking my brain for the right words, right sentiment. That tool being the video below.

See, my grandson Brayden, the active and healthy 12 year old who first made me a grandma, who …

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