October 30, 2017

A grand monster mash

October 30, 2017/ Lisa Carpenter

Hooray for Halloween! And for Halloween fun courtesy JibJab!

Do you make JibJab videos featuring your grandkiddos? I made a fun one for Halloween and hoped to embed it here for all to see. Alas, JibJab no longer allows users to download their videos for embedding (boo!), so here are a few screenshots of my creation.

I'd love for ya'll to see the silliness in full, though, so if you have a sec, click on over to my grand monster mash mixup for ghoulishly goofy Happy Halloween wishes from...

October 23, 2017

Halloween candy stats by state, plus GRAND Social No. 276 link party for grandparents

October 23, 2017/ Lisa Carpenter

We're one week out from trick-or-treat time. Have you stocked up on candy yet?

I recently received an interesting graphic from CandyStore.com on the top treats by state. Scroll over the interactive map for a closer look at the sweet stats.

What's tops in your state? I was surprised to see that M&Ms weren't tops in Colorado, where apparently Milky Ways are king, considering how many pounds of the plain or peanut goodies my husband...

October 13, 2017

National Bullying Prevention Month: Resources for grandparents

October 13, 2017/ Lisa Carpenter

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):

October 02, 2017

Hearts, comments, new blog briefs! Plus GRAND Social No. 273 link party

October 02, 2017/ Lisa Carpenter

Hearts, comments, new blog briefs!

On Mondays, Grandma's Briefs gets the most visitors of the week. I credit the GRAND Social link party and the grand grandparent bloggers who participate by linking and reading. Because today is Monday, there are likely more than a few folks reading this who are seeing the new and improved Grandma's Briefs for the first time since I announced a face lift in the works.

When I did the big reveal of the completed makeover last Friday, I shared some of the new and functional features. Today I'd like to point out some of the new features that will be of particular interest to bloggers, as many of today's visitors are such.

September 08, 2017

Books, Brightly, and Grandparents of Children's Literature

September 08, 2017/ Lisa Carpenter

In celebration of Grandparents Day — which is this Sunday, Sept. 10 — I'd like to share with you a grand resource for grandparents that I just recently learned of.

Brightly is a resource for parents, grandparents, and other folks dedicated to raising lifelong readers. The award-winning website, a partnership with Penguin Random House, launched in 2014 and features, as the Brightly site states, "book recommendations from all publishers for every age and stage, reading tips and insights, seasonal inspirations, author essays, contests, gift guides, and more."

Brightly has some pretty great content specifically for grandparents, including the following piece, which I've received permission to share with you in part. Enjoy! And be sure to click for the complete article as well as others, all celebrating grandparents. For Grandparents Day and every day!

AREN'T THEY GRAND? OUR FAVORITE GRANDPARENTS FROM CHILDREN'S LITERATURE
By Tom Burns

Grandparents aren’t just solid sources of extra dollars, hearty hugs, and embarrassing...

August 21, 2017

Watching the solar eclipse?

August 21, 2017/ Lisa Carpenter

Watching the solar eclipse?

1921 solar eclipse in Paris
Three Parisian women watching the solar eclipse of 8 April 1921 on the Cour du Havre, next to the gare Saint-Lazare. Courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

Are you watching today's solar eclipse? How are you watching? From where and with whom? Depending on when you read this it may all be past tense, but either way, I'd love to hear your view on the phenomenon.

I will be watching... from my backyard with only my dog, Mickey, as my companion to ooh and aah over the event. And I'll be sporting my mandatory eclipse spectacles for a direct view of the show.

My eclipse glasses became nearly a no-go for me (and mine) at the last minute, despite my having ordered several pair for my entire family a month or so ago. The glasses...

August 07, 2017

Practicing what I preach

August 07, 2017/ Lisa Carpenter

Practicing what I preach

I do my best to practice what I preach here on Grandma's Briefs. Last week I preached all about ways grandparents can help school-bound grandkiddos. One of the suggestions in the post is to give grandkids a BTS care package of sorts (with an outfit or pajamas) before school begins.

It just so happens that the day that post was published, I received a text message from Megan with a picture of my grandsons thanking me for the BTS care package i had sent them, which included a few school supplies plus an outfit for each boy. (Shorts and tees that I thought were cute as can be for school but would work just fine as jammies if the boys considered my selections not cool for school.) Declan — who's only three and spends his days with Mommy, not at school — got a package just like his brothers, too, because, well, how could the cutie not?

grandson heading back to school
Declan, Camden, and Brayden grinning big for Gramma!