Grilled Gramcracker

This post is not a recipe. And that post title above does not include a typo. For this post does include grilling and it does include a Gramcracker. But it is not a recipe for an incorrectly spelled graham cracker goodie.

No, my friends, this is a Grilled Grandma feature in which I grill up a grandma affectionately known to her grandchildren as Gramcracker.

What is a Grilled Grandma? those new to Grandma's Briefs may ask. Well, a Grilled Grandma is a grandma whom I've grilled with some grandma-related questions, and she's graciously responded with answers and photos. Here is Grilled Grandma Joan, aka Gramcracker.

How many children do you have? Two; my son Treg and daughter Tracy.

How many grandchildren? What are their ages? Five. Treg’s girls, ages 14 and 11, and Tracy’s son 8 and almost 5 yo boy/girl twins.

Any great grandchildren? No way, not any time soon!

What do your grandchildren call you? Gramcracker or Grandma most of the time; Grams and Gramps when referring to both of us.

Other than the initial elation, what was your first concern upon hearing you would be a grandmother? No negative concerns......just that she would be several states away. But as soon as she was born, my son and daughter-in-law decided to quit their jobs, pack a moving truck and leave our home town of Kalamazoo, Michigan to move near us here in Georgia. They wanted her to be part of our daily lives, and for us to be part of hers.... thus our grandparenting journey began. She was 2 months old when they pulled into our cul-de-sac and the neighbors helped us unload. They lived with us a short while until they found jobs and a home of their own a few minutes away!

How often do you get to see your grandchildren? When the girls were 3 and 6, my son was transferred from here to California. No time to be sad as our first grandson was born two weeks before they left! We pretty much see the girls every couple months. We rent a beach house near them and store a car, bikes and tubs of clothes which makes it easier. The girls spend two weeks at G & G’s house every summer and the whole CA gang joins us every other Christmas! My daughter lives near us and she has boy/girl twins in addition to her big guy! I retired from teaching upon his phone call at age 2 1/2 announcing “Mama has two babies in her belly” and I’ve been along for the ride ever since! We see these three every weekend and holidays and school events and sick days etc. We have them for fun sleepovers, but now starting one at a time......easier on us and I love the 1-1 time with each child!

What is the best thing about being a grandma? Instant playmates and forever friends! They keep me young and fun; always ready to try new things. My Sunshine girl taught me to text and we learned stand up paddleboarding together! My Flower, granddaughter #2, encourages me with edgier fashion ideas, joins me in tennis and has taught me to go crabbing and climb the jetty rocks in their ocean backyard! As soon as he was old enough, I introduced my shining Star (grandson # 1) to ice skating and roller skating! The Littles keep me in stitches with their ongoing comedy act. We have fun jumping at the bouncy places and doing yoga together. All five are teaching me fun wii games!!!

What is the most challenging part of being a grandma? Keeping it “fair” when there’s more than one around! Have to be creative and use slight of hand sometimes! I was in elementary education....so still resort to “choose a number, you can be first next time or the old standby......life’s not always fair!”

Describe a recent time that one (or more) of your grandchildren made you laugh out loud. They are all blessed with a sense of humor... plus perfect timing and delivery! One incident that comes to mind: I’ve never been one to cuss, but once my son was driving a bit too zippily for me and I couldn’t help but exclaim “S***! D***! God! From the backseat, my granddaughter says “that’s not how it goes, Grandma.....you’re supposed to say God D*** It and Oh S***!”  Needless to say my son slowed down as we laughed our heads off!

What is your favorite thing to do with grandchildren who visit your house? Silly tea parties, dress-up, playing school on the chalk/white boards in the garage with the younger ones. The visit usually includes sleeping over......so making cookies and watching a movie is part of our routine! We rent a place for a month or so every fall near my son in Ventura......so it’s a real treat for the girls to stay over with us in the beach cottage a few steps from the sand and waves! They too love making cookies and staying up late with a good movie or game!

What is your favorite thing to do when visiting grandchildren at their house? See their rooms! They always have little treasures to share or new toys and/or clothes to show off! It’s awesome to see their interests and personalities reflected in their bedrooms....no matter what age! Since the girls live on the beach.....we make the most of playtime there....our home away from home! The younger kids have thick woods in their backyard.......so we get to spot deer, enjoy autumn leaves and watch from the deck as they play on, in and around everything that is NOT a toy or playscape! “Yikes” I say, “relax” my daughter says!

How do you maintain the bond between yourself and your grandchildren between visits? I write the big girls letters, send cards, pictures and little gifts in the mail. We talk on the phone and now they have their own cells and email so we keep in contact pretty much every day. Lately they’ve been texting me on the way to and from school. :)  I see the younger kids every weekend; and I talk with each one during the week by phone....telling them something the cat has done or about a new ice cream we’ve tried etc. I make cutesy, crafty stuff for all of them and they know I put myself into it. Homemade cards, little poems, envelopes filled with bunches of crunchy fall leaves, matching tees with their names stitched on. We have committed to taking each grandchild on a vacation of their choice around age 12; so there’s lots of photos and discussions of possible destinations. We’ve been dogsledding in Alaska already with our oldest, and planning NYC for spring break with our 11 year old. (she was born 9/12/01......so this is a trip with special meaning for us in addition to a great city adventure!) The younger kids seem to be stuck on the Great Wall of China right now.....we’ll see!!!

What do you most want to pass along to your grandchildren? Finding delight and wonder in life. And that they will never regret being kind and sharing happiness with others.

What is one word you hope your grandkids think of when they think of you? Fun-loving. The phrase I use all the time is “I love it!” and they all say it now.

What is one thing you wish you had learned earlier as a grandparent? This is a hard one.....never thought of this. I know I’m a good Grandma because I learned from my own grandmother. She always gave me undivided time and attention and made me feel special....so I’ve just done the same. And I tell my eldest granddaughter she is helping me learn grandparenting as we both grow along!

What one bit of advice would you give a new grandma? Be a calm, loving and engaged presence in the child’s life, however you can. Distance doesn’t matter....as you and I have discovered, Lisa.  And follow your heart always! I think we all used our heads pretty much raising our own kids.....but now using your heart to guide you is the best thing in the world for grandkid and grandparent!

Do you have a website or blog? My blog is at http://www.gramcrackercrumbs.com/  The kids call me Gramcracker and Crumbs represents the bits and pieces of our lives I like to write about. I also have a Facebook page of the same name....but my more in-depth blog is a work in progress as I learn how to reach audiences, attach buttons, link etc. Any tips from your readers is appreciated! I am also on Pinterest as http://pinterest.com/pollyannajoan/gramcracker-crumbs/.

Dear Readers: If you'd like to nominate a grandma for grilling—yourself or any other grandma—please e-mail me her first name and e-mail address and I'll take care of the rest. Thank you!

Grilled Grandma: Debra

How many children do you have? I have three sons.

How many grandchildren? What are their ages? I have 1 grandson by birth ( my middle son’s child ) and his older sister became part of our family as well. So….two. Brent and Kate.

My son has joked in the past that it was the ‘buy one get one free’ program!

What do your grandchildren call you? Sometimes they call me "Oma" and sometimes "Grandma."

When Brent was younger, I was "Oma" and the other grandma was "Mamaw" or some variation of that. "Oma" is German for Grandmother and I had initially gotten Kate to start calling me that, since she called her "real" grandmother "Grandma."

After the initial elation, what was your first concern upon hearing you would soon be a grandmother? Well, my son was in Iraq during the mama’s pregnancy so that was not easy…I was always worried about him. Other than that, after getting over the first shock in regards to becoming a grandmother, I was becoming excited.

In the end, my grandson Brent was named after a wonderful soldier who had died in Iraq. I posted about him, Brent Adams, on my blog on Memorial Day.

How often do you get to see your grandchildren? I see Brent almost every weekend. Sometimes I have both Brent and Kate. (Oftentimes, Kate’s Grandmother will just have her for girl time on the weekend, so generally I see Brent a bit more) Both parents work shifts and often on the weekends, so there are rarely “visits” ; rather there is babysitting duty ! My son’s father, Brent’s “Pappy” is retired and he pulls some hard shifts. Sometimes the mama has to open her Starbucks store, and she must be there by 4:00 a.m. I get off easy compared to him, that’s for sure. I have to make sure to never retire….

What is the best thing about being a grandma? Ha ha well you know that old adage about being able to give them back is true : ) Seriously, though…when that baby is born your heart just melts and you fall in love in the same way that you did when your children were born. This time around it is like a double delight: MY child produced THIS child…..just sheer wonder and blessedness all over again.

And the cuddling….I will miss that as they grow older.

What is the most challenging part of being a grandma? Worry. Don’t fall down the steps, don’t fall down those other steps, don’t touch the stove, don’t choke on this, and don’t fall off the chair. PLEASE don’t have some horrible accident while I am babysitting you for your parents…don’t don’t don’t!

Now I am laughing because I remember a time that I’d watched Brent for most of a day and worried about falls etc. He was about 1 1/2 years old. At the end of the day he had a temper tantrum melt down and threw himself on to the floor and banged his head on purpose! I looked at him in dismay! I had kept him safe ALL DAY and now he was going home to his mama with a little boo boo mark on his head.

Describe a recent time that one (or more) of your grandchildren made you laugh out loud. They always make me laugh but an ongoing thing with Brent is that I kept his 2 year old birthday video on my phone. He loves to watch it and he blows out the candles with himself (with his phone-self).

What is your favorite thing to do with grandchildren who visit your house? Watch them sleep after they wore me out all day! Seriously, one thing that they love to do is that if they are over on the weekend and I’ve washed my bedding and am putting fresh sheets on, they love to help. They love having the sheets billow out and help to pull up and arrange the bedspread etc. THEN once it is all made, they hop in and hide under the covers and we have tickle and monster games and they scream and laugh.

What is your favorite thing to do when visiting grandchildren at their house? Kate’s grandfather had purchased a large bean bag (covered in some sort of soft material, just like a piece of furniture) years ago. Naturally being thrown or dropped into this is their favorite activity there.

How do you maintain the bond between yourself and your grandchildren between visits? I see them most weekends. Sometimes I am able to work from home and might have them for a bit during the week, or occasionally stop there on lunch break or after work

Grilled Grandma: Judy

How many children do you have? I have one exceptional daughter who is a great wife and mother, gourmet chef, writer, and animal tender and gardener. She was a child to be proud of and is now an adult that I respect immensely.

How many grandchildren? What are their ages? I have two grandchildren. My granddaughter is a beautiful eleven-year old young lady who loves animals especially horses, science, history and books of all kinds, likes to draw and paint, and is a good big sister. My grandson is a handsome six and loves to play basketball, is a math and video game wiz, has a unique curiosity that enables him to be an exceptional problem solver, and he loves his big sister.

Any great grandchildren? No

What do your grandchildren call you? Mam—Grandma just kind of came out as Mam when my granddaughter was little, and it stuck.

After the initial elation, what was your first concern upon hearing you would soon be a grandmother? When I was a child, I spent every school vacation and entire summers with my grandparents in Landaff, New Hampshire on their farm—Brookside Farm. In my mother's absence on these extended stays, my grandparents freely gave their time and love to me. I wondered if my grandchildren would look back on their childhood with such fond memories of me. My grandparents were great role models, and I think of them every time I'm asked to stop what I'm doing and play something, push a swing, or change batteries in their Power Wheels.

How often do you get to see your grandchildren? With very few exceptions, I see them almost every day. We have a small farm with three generations working to produce food from our large vegetable gardens, eggs from our chicken flock, milk from the Dwarf Nigerian Goats, and fiber for spinning from the French Angora Rabbit. We also have six large perennial cottage flower gardens to maintain. So, with all this farm activity going on, we normally are all out doing chores or projects together.

What is the best thing about being a grandma? The very best thing about being a grandma is getting a nice, warm hug from one of them and enjoying good laughs as we have adventures together. Money is a requirement of society, but it can't buy two little warm arms wrapped around your neck telling you s/he loves you.

What is the most challenging part of being a grandma? Hands down the job of being a grandma is the best job in the world. There are issues in the world though that affect your grandchildren and create challenges for them, which in turn affect you. For instance, we deal with a couple of chronic medical issues that don't affect what they can do but it affects how they go about their day. My granddaughter was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes when she was in first grade. Type 1 Diabetes is when your pancreas stops producing insulin. Currently there is no ‘cure’ for Type 1 Diabetes so injections of insulin, either through shots or insulin pump, are needed throughout the day to balance your food intake. My grandson was diagnosed around the same time with food allergies (peanut, tree nut and shellfish). If I could take that on for them so they would not have to deal with it, I certainly would. Since I can't do that, I try to be knowledgeable and supportive and help them have a happy but safe time when we are together. A couple of years ago, we purchased a Travel Trailer so we could go camping. Camping allows us to provide all the things needed to count carbohydrates, weigh food, and check all ingredient lists to have a wonderful adventure but keep everyone safe and healthy.

Describe a recent time that one (or more) of your grandchildren made you laugh out loud. I have to say I laugh out loud several times every day with one of them. My grandson loves to talk trash when he is playing basketball. It is pretty funny to see this little six-year old playing in-your-face basketball and verbally challenging his older sister or an adult to bring it on. My granddaughter is always dreaming up things to do when they are outside. Once we took an old baby sled and attached it to a garden seat with wheels I didn’t use any more, and she made a vehicle to zoom down the driveway.

What is your favorite thing to do with grandchildren who visit your house? Outside we do a lot of gardening together which may include many stops for play time like creating something, doing a scientific project, swinging on their tree swing, building an insect hotel or fairy house, or just walking around checking our many fruit trees and bushes in the yard. Living on a small farm, you come to appreciate some of the simpler things in life like taking your lunch outside to eat at a picnic table under a shade tree while listening to the birds sing, chickens cluck, goats bleat, and kids laugh. Inside, we play games, watch a show together, do a craft, or bake cookies.

What is your favorite thing to do when visiting grandchildren at their house? When we visit them at their house, we usually play board games and look at things they have done or gotten since the last time we visited their house. My granddaughter is always willing to share her beloved American Girl dolls, current book she is reading or music she is enjoying. My grandson has games of all types to play.

How do you maintain the bond between yourself and your grandchildren between visits? I'm one of the luckiest grandmas in the world because I get to see my grandchildren almost every day. I know several grandmas who live long distances from their grandchildren and have to work through that challenge. My grandchildren love to get mail—cards, letters or magazines. I pay for magazine subscriptions to World Wildlife for them, and they love getting those magazines in the mail and then telling me all about the content.

What do you most want to pass along to your grandchildren? Because my grandchildren deal with medical challenges, they have learned early in life what is important to be concerned about and what is not so important. If they remember that, they will continue to be the strong, confident, intelligent, kind-hearted people that they are currently. Because of dealing with the realities of life so early, they are wise beyond their years and that will serve them well as they mature and grow. I learn as much from them as they do from me.

What is one word you hope your grandkids think of when they think of you? Love. I love them with all my heart and would do anything for them. They both know that all they have to do is ask, and I will be there. As we all age, I'm sure they won't be needing their grandparents as much as they do now but they will know I'll be there for them—always.

What is one thing you wish you had learned earlier as a grandparent? That is a tough question. I've given it a lot of thought and don't have an answer. I do remember a friend who years ago talked about her children going off to college, and when she stood in the driveway and waved goodbye she didn't have any regrets. I kept that in mind raising my daughter, and I still think about it with my grandchildren. That is why it is so easy to stop what I'm doing and concentrate on what they want or need.

What one bit of advice would you give a new grandma? Enjoy the role of grandma—nurturing and loving them. But remember, you are not their mother. The parents should be allowed to make parenting decisions just like you did with your children. It's hard sometimes to keep your opinion to your self, but it is a skill that can be developed—I work at it every day. Unless the grandchild is being put in an unsafe position, the parents need to parent them and you need to love and support them. You've already done the parenting job. The loving and supporting job is the best job anyway so relax and enjoy it.

Do you have a website or blog? What is it about? Yes, I started a blog this year, www.grandparentsplus2.wordpress.com. I wanted to write about our gardening, traveling and camping adventures. We have such great times together whether it is pulling weeds, growing vegetables and flowers, touring Monticello or Cooperstown, reviewing products, or camping at the beach that I wanted to share our fun. I hope some of you will stop by and leave us a comment.