The search is on

Time again for a rundown of some of the searches that have led folks to Grandma's Briefs in hopes of finding what their hearts — or dazed and confused minds — desire.

According to my nifty stats application, queries from the past 30 days include:

"Why am I annoyed with my grandson's step grandmother"

"How to make stripey jelly"

"Grandma's can worry"

"am old enough to do what I want"

"Grandma's love shouldn't"

"harelike" — Huh?

"grandmas interfering with parenting"

"grandma knows better"

"what do grandmas do"

"what are things your grandparents should never do?"

And of course, a few requisite HGTV'd queries as this one post still draws 'em in, such as "do we need to pay for HGTV'd truck works," "hgtvd when do they notify you," and "hgtv.com/what not to do."

Stripey jelly, hares, and HGTV'd notwithstanding, sounds like there are some grandmas behaving badly out there, causing their flummoxed kids to search for answers online.

Too bad the stats on queries don't tell me where those searching went from here, as many of their questions likely weren't answered by Grandma's Briefs. I wonder not because I'm an overly kind and concerned grandma hoping the searchers got what they needed, but because then I'd know exactly where to go myself for answers to a few of my own related questions plaguing me. Those related to the "grandma's can worry" query, most of all.

That and how to make stripey jelly, too, of course.

Photo: stock.xchng

Today's question:

What question plagues you today?

Intersections

I have a friend who recently found out she's pregnant. Pam, whom many of you may know in real life -- or from her comments and reviews here on Grandma's Briefs -- received the good news a few weeks ago.

It was surprising news for Pam as she'd pretty much settled into life with the assumption she'd never have kids. It had taken her a long time to find a partner she'd deemed worthy of parenting with her, they'd gotten pregnant, they sadly lost the baby. They were told by specialists -- in their infinite wisdom -- that they'd likely never have children.

So Pam moved on to other pursuits, including studying to become a personal trainer (and being within just the exam of certification) and preparing the home she and her significant other share for putting it on the market so they could move to a place more fitting their lifestyle.

Now their lifestyle has been thrown into surprise makeover mode.

Though it means (and meant) incredible ups, downs, heartbreak and hope for Pam and her SO, such stories are fairly common.

What isn't so common, though, and what I -- along with my friend, the mommy-to-be -- find most intriguing about her story is that, get this, Pam will become a full-fledged mother at the very same age that I became a GRANDmother!

Yes, Pam, who is only a few years younger than I, will be struggling with diapers, doctors and disparate parenting philosophies at the very same time that I'm struggling to get quality time with my Bubby and hoping for the arrival of additional grandbabies sometime soon.

I'm not sure if that says more about me, more about Pam, or more about the current generation of parents ... and grandparents ... in general.

I became a grandmother at a relatively young age, but I'm far from the record of Youngest Grandma Ever. My oldest sister was nearly five years younger when she became a grandma, and I've featured a Grilled Grandma who had her first grandbaby at an age much younger than the one at which I first claimed the crown.

Does that mean strangers might mistake me for Bubby's mother when we're out and about together? Possibly. But I sure hope not. Megan deserves all the credit -- and the craziness -- that's part and parcel of being the one whom Bubby calls Mom. I'm proud to proclaim myself Bubby's grandmother, not his mother.

And with Pam firmly in the "older" mother category -- yet decades from Oldest Ever designation -- does that mean she might be considered little Nubbin's grandmother when she and the sweet one are out and about once Nubbin arrives? Possibly, but highly unlikely. Pam is in the best shape ever (did I mention she's nearly a personal trainer?) and looks, dresses and acts far younger than most women her age -- myself indubitably included. And the youthfulness looks fabulous on her. She'll most definitely proudly proclaim her status as Nubbin's mother, not grandmother.

What I think the situation really underscores is that the women of my generation are doing things far younger than in the past (including becoming grandma) as well as far older than in the past (including becoming mama). And every once in a while there's an intersection of the two.

I'm honored to have met Pam at that intersection.

In the several years I've know Pam, we've been similar in so many ways, each with minor deviances from what we share. We like basically the same movies -- with the exception of her penchant for zombie flicks while I prefer documentaries. We read many of the same books -- with the exception of her well-read list of classics compared to my enjoyment of non-fiction fare. We've worked together, been in book clubs together, gotten drunk together, worried about health scares and aging together, written together.

Now we'll blog together. Pam recently embarked on a mommy blogging venture, calling it 40-Something First Timer. I can't think of a more worthy blogging buddy.

Nor can I think of a more worthy buddy with whom to share the 40-something parenting experience, albeit from opposite ends of the spectrum -- Pam as new mother, me as (fairly new) grandmother.

As many of my readers can attest, Pam is in for the ride of her life -- with both the blog and, more importantly, the baby. I wish her the very best of luck with the challenges of both!

Photo courtesy stock.xchng.

Today's question:

Stereotype, schmereotype! What about you goes against the stereotype of someone your age?

5 things I'll never write about

I read a lot of blogs. I didn't used to, but since becoming a blogger, I'm interested in what other folks are blogging about, where they get their ideas, how they express the little -- and big -- things in life in a way that intrigues readers day after day. My RSS reader feeds me a steady diet of food for thought.

Lately, some of that food has been pretty foreign to me. Not foreign in the sense that I'm reading posts in Chinese or Swahilian (is that the correct word?). Just foreign in the sense that I've read a lot of posts of late on topics that I, myself, cannot imagine writing about.

I admire folks who have the guts to let it all hang out, especially if they can let it all hang out and elicit a chuckle at the same time. I sometimes even enjoy reading the posts of such folks, even if I'm slightly horrified, deeply depressed or uncomfortably embarrassed by and/or for the blogger. But I personally can't write like that. I'm not that kind of a blogger. I'm not that kind of a person.

So just to let you all know -- in case you're looking for something a little dirty or depressing deeper, a little more raunchy revealing in the blogs you frequent -- there are five things you'll never read about here on Grandma's Briefs. Feel free to unsubscribe or remove me from your favorites or vow to never again visit www.grandmasbriefs.com if this admission reveals to you that I'm just not your kind of gal, your kind of blogger. I understand.

Here, all based on posts I've recently read (and often, in all honesty, even chuckled about and read through to the end), are the Five Things I Will Never Write About.

1. Sex with my husband. (Is it anyone's business? I don't think so.)

2. Play-by-play of a pap smear, mammogram or Brazilian wax. (I'm not humorous enough to make such posts good reads for anyone.)

3. Masturbation. ('Nuff said.)

4. Chronic complaints of my chronic disease/disability. (Does whining, complaining, sounding like a hypochondriac begging for pity focusing on it make it any better? Not for me.)

5. Details on the wacky, weird, effed-up family interactions that take place -- on my side of the family tree, on Jim's, or within our immediate nest. (Yeah, sometimes they can be funny, touching, revealing. And sometimes I'll allude to them. But you'll never get details. Sorry. Effed-up or not, they're family, loved ones, folks I don't want to alienate, folks who don't deserve their dirty laundry to be flapping in the wind for all 10 of my readers to see.)

There you have it. I'd love for you to stick around, but if I'm not what you're looking for, I understand your need to move on. And hey, I can even recommend some blogs that offer such posts. They're often quite funny/touching/sad/horrifyingly hilarious ... and continue to show up on my RSS reader.

You just won't find that here. I'm not that kind of blogger.

Today's question:

What's one (non-intrusive, relatively impersonal) thing that most people don't know about you?

Why blog?

My reason for blogging, displaying his "sweet" pose.When I woke up this morning, I was thinking that I really don't feel like posting anything today. I've been battling a summer cold, and I have a lot to do today but not much to say. Plus, why do it every day when so few people read the posts anyway?

So I turned to an oft-used procrastination tool: checking my e-mail. Amidst all the pleas from retailers and notifications of jobs for which I don't qualify were two e-mails from Megan.

The first:

Hi Mom, I just wanted to let you know that I look forward to reading your blog each day. Here it is 5:11 AM and I'm checking it to see if maybe you posted early. But even if you did it wouldn't change the fact that I check it a million times throughout the day anyway. I think I'm addicted! :)

And the second, 28 minutes later:

Yep, definitely addicted. Just checked it again - just in case.

It was a reminder that although not a lot of folks read my blatherings, the folks that matter do.

I was initially against blogging. It just seems so self-important to think that others really give a hoot about the ramblings rumbling around in my brain. Then, when my coworkers and I were laid off last year, they encouraged me to start a blog "as a way to keep in touch." So I reluctantly joined the blogosphere ... and soon found it was a nice way to drain my brain of the this and that clogging my system.

So when my brain -- and heart -- were full of incredible joy at the arrival of Bubby, paired with intense sadness that our relationship would be a long-distance one, I turned to blogging as a release. Thus began Grandma's Briefs -- my way of starting each day with happy thoughts about Bubby and what he means to my life, despite the 819 miles between us, and to purge myself of the sadness attached to each and every one of those miles.

The other perks of blogging soon became obvious:

• My mom reads my posts and learns more about me and my life than if I were to call her each day (I hate the telephone, so this works for us both).
• My wonderful Aunt Darlene on the other side of the country reads my words and sends me sweet e-mails and wonderful photos and videos of my grandma.
• My friends comment and make me feel like what I say really does matter.
• Kind strangers bestow awards upon me.

And, most important of all, blogging helps me believe that, despite the miles separating all of us, my immediate family is still close ... and will continue to be.

Guess I'll keep blogging.

(Thanks for today's post, Megan.)

Kind stranger

A few days ago, I received a kind e-mail from a stranger. Well, she wasn't a complete stranger, as she had commented on one of my posts. But it surprised me just the same to get an actual e-mail from someone I didn't know rather than just a notification that I had a comment to approve.

This is what her e-mail said:

Dear Lisa,
I recently discovered your blog and have thoroughly enjoyed reading through your recent and not so recent posts. You are funny, witty, charming, and obviously have a huge heart!

I decided to give you this One Lovely Blog award for your delightful blog, Grandma's Briefs. I hope you will accept it.
The rules of this award are as follows:


Rules of the Award:

Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of
the person who has granted the award and his or her blog link.
Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you have newly discovered.
Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been
chosen for this award.

I wish you the best and look forward to reading more from you!

Best,
Jacque

As I've not been a blogger very long, I didn't know that bestowing awards upon fellow bloggers was a common practice. I felt pretty darn special getting the award from Jacque and e-mailed her back to let her know.

I've posted the award to the right, as the "rules" state recipients are supposed to do. I've included the link to Jacque's blog, My BIGlittle World -- which I encourage you to check out. I don't know much about Jacque because she has nothing on her "About" page, but whoever she is, her words make my heart swell.

The second part of the rules is a little more difficult for me to comply with. Recipients are supposed to pass the One Lovely Blog award along to exceptional, newly discovered blogs. I have to admit, I'm not much of a blog reader. I read the blogs of my friends plus a few others (thanks to RSS!), but I've always got a to-do list with too few things crossed off so I spend precious little time in front of the computer reading the daily or close-to-daily words of others.

But now I'm on a mission. I feel obligated to share the warm fuzzy that Jacque shared with me. It'll take me a long time to find 15 blogs that I don't close after reading just the first post or two; there's a lot of really mundane blogging going on out there. Maybe having been an editor, my standards are set too high. Or maybe I just get bored too easily.

I have found three pretty good ones so far, though. I've posted them below and hope you'll give them a visit. I've yet to e-mail each blogger with their award, but I hope it makes them smile as Jacque's did me.

Thanks, Jacque.

Newly discovered blogs I've subscribed to or bookmarked:

No Telling

lining up my words

The Sharon Blog -- Grandma knows best. Really.