Grandma's heroes: Where the boys are

/
Grandma's heroes: Where the boys are

Kids across the country—and their parents and teachers, too—are celebrating the end of the most challenging school year ever. From pre-K to college age, students have survived a school experience not a single adult alive has ever had to muddle their way through, thanks to Covid.

Sure, parents and teachers had it rough (often beyond rough) making the schooling work somehow, some way. Yet no one over the age of 30 can fully comprehend how it felt and what it meant—and continues to mean—being a kid of any age enduring the wacked out way the 2020-2021 school year went.

Read More

Flat Stanley Part II

/
Flat Stanley Part II

Flat Stanley Part II

Long, long ago in the pre-coronavirus days (okay, March 11), I published a post here on Grandma’s Briefs about the super time I had showing Flat Stanley around Colorado Springs. Camden had sent the character to me as part of a school project, with instructions for me to introduce Stanley — and ultimately, Camden’s classroom via a presentation by Camden using all the materials I collected for him — to the highlights of my city.

I did show Stanley the best of the Springs then returned him — and loads of literature and pics of his visit — just as instructed, for Cam to create his presentation.

Then schools closed.

Read More

Snow day for Flat Stanley*

/
Snow day for Flat Stanley*

*Alternate title: Oh, the things that we do for our grandchildren!

I don’t typically make comments or judgments about the physical appearance of folks who visit my home. Yet, a friend of my grandson Camden recently stayed at my house and I just gotta say, well, that kid was thin. Flat, in fact. So flat that the descriptor is officially part of his given name.

Yes, it’s Flat Stanley of whom I speak.

Read More

BTS 2018: School boys and other stuff

/
BTS 2018: School boys and other stuff

My three desert-dwelling grandsons started school on Tuesday. Declan delighted in taking part in first-day photos for the first time as he began half-day preschool the same morning his brothers headed to big-boy school. This year Camden is a first-grader, and Brayden—believe it or not …

Read More

Who are these boys?

/
Who are these boys?

And how did they get so big?

The 2017-2018 school year officially ended for my grandsons Brayden and Camden yesterday.

I last saw my desert-dwelling grandsons in person last December, so the end-of-year photo Megan shared on social media of the accomplished kiddos—that I pilfered and pertied up with kudos—left me…

Read More

A plumber's daughter on shootings, guns, and mental illness

/
A plumber's daughter on shootings, guns, and mental illness

In the aftermath of the appalling loss of life in Florida on Valentine's Day, social media is once again abuzz with anger, outrage, sadness, stingers, zingers, and some seemingly common-sensical solutions (others very nonsensical and hate-filled) related to gun control, mental illness, and myriad other factors related to yet another WTF situation. 

Once again because nothing changed after the last mass shooting. Or the one before. Or the one before. Or the one before and before and before.

Most of the rhetoric and (justified) rantings seem...

Read More

Plural magic!

/
Plural magic!

Plural magic!

Welcome to a new week! I'd like to start this week sharing with you a smile, and few folks make me smile as much as my grandson Camden.

Most recently, Camden cracked me up with the following, which Megan posted on...

Read More

National Bullying Prevention Month: Resources for grandparents

/
National Bullying Prevention Month: Resources for grandparents

In recognition of October being National Bullying Prevention Month, my fellow GRANDparent Network members Leslie and Kay at Grandparents Link interviewed a couple kids on bullying. 

Take a look at their exclusive Frankly Kids: Bullying video (which they gave me permission to share):

Read More