How to beat the heat: 5 steps to success
/Baby, it's hot outside!
Always ready to lend a helping hand or hint, I'm here to offer you a sure-fire way to beat the summer heat in five simple steps.
ONE
Find a tree and climb it.
TWO
Choose a sturdy...
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7 benefits of being a long-distance grandparent
/I am a long-distance grandma. Have been from the beginning of my grandma gig.
The first few years I moaned and groaned ceaselessly about the miles separating me and my sweeties.
I'm now nearly nine years into grandmahood. In that time I've thankfully learned there is indeed — unbelievable as I first thought it might be — a bright side to my grandbabies living so far from me.
Following are a few such perks on which fellow long-distance grandparents just might agree.
ONE
Bathroom breaks at my house are a breeze. I never need straddle a step stool when using the toilet. Nor do I have to question who left the seat up as only two...
5 reasons I like to play games with my grandkids
/My grandmothers never played games with me. My daughters' grandmothers never played games with them, either.
Considering the grandmas who came before me, the ones from whom I most learned what grandmothering looks like, I'm unsure how I became a game-playing grandma. But I am.
And I love it. Here's why:
I enjoy watching them learn.
Kids learn so much from playing games. They improve motor skills and ...
7 things long-distance grandparents do that local grandparents don't
/My name is Lisa and I'm a long-distance grandparent.
My grandsons live more than 800 miles away.
Following are a smattering of things — seven, to be exact — that I and other long-distance grandparents do that grandparents who live near their grandkiddos likely don't.
(Featuring photos from my grandsons' most recent visit in November.)
SEVEN
Stock up on Priority Mail Flat-Rate shipping boxes.
The mailman delivers empty boxes to my house. Free...
Creating kindness in your life (Guest post)
/Dear readers: This guest post was written by Kay and Leslie of GrandparentsLink, my fellow members in the GRANDparent Network. Considering the lack of kindness and compassion across our country the last far too many months thanks to the hostile political climate and anxiety following the election, the wisdom Kay and Leslie offer here is particularly worthy of reading, sharing, putting into practice.
Creating kindness in your life
As grandparents, we want to inspire our grandchildren, and one of the best ways to do this is by "doing" simple acts of kindness. The old adage about "setting an example" certainly...
5 BEs from a grandma on composing meaningful gift cards and inscriptions
/The gift-giving season is upon us, and many grandparents like to include a meaningful, memorable message with the gifts they give their loved ones.
Whether you plan on crafting quips for gift cards or unforgettable inscriptions in gift books, here are my top five tips for meaningful and memorable — as well as short and sweet — sentiments for your sweeties.
ONE
Be yourself. Use words and phrases you...
7 solaces in my sucky, stress-filled season
/
My husband was laid off at the end of September. Again. It's been less than a year since we were in the same boat. Once again, we're worrying about paying for PLUS loans, prescriptions, and more. All because "the company chose to go in a different direction with the department."
Such circumstances stink. Even more so when additional stinky stuff was packed into the months between Jim's layoff last year and this year's job loss.
What stuff? you may wonder. Well, soon after my husband found a new job last fall — yeah, the job he just lost — one of my dogs was diagnosed with...
