Grilled Grandma: Terri

How many children do you have? I have 2 sons; Abe, 37, lives in Boise, Idaho, and Glenn, 27, lives in Orlando, Florida. I would like to mention my future daughter-in-law, Amanda, as well. She already has my heart, and I’ve always wanted a daughter! She and Abe plan to marry in a couple years.

How many grandchildren? 3 grandsons, all from my oldest son, Abe.

What are their ages? Zachary, the oldest, is 14 and lives in Cleveland, Ohio with his Mom. Antonio just turned 9 and lives in Boise, part time with his Dad and part time with his Mom. The youngest is Parker, 5, who also lives in Boise with his Mom. Parker has Aspergers Syndrome, a very high-functioning form of autism. He is an amazing child, and his Mom is examining every avenue of treatment and education, in order to give Parker the most complete, happy and productive life possible.

Any great grandchildren? No.

What do your grandchildren call you? Grandma

How often do you get to see your grandchildren? Sadly, I haven’t seen Zachary since he was 8 years old. He and his mom are in Cleveland, Ohio, and communication between them and my son is almost non-existent. I truly hope that one day we can reconnect and I’ll be able to see him again. We communicate with each other through the mail, email or Facebook occasionally. He is doing very well in school, and has a creative and artistic flair, which I like to think came from me!

I haven’t seen Parker very often, either, regretfully, but do keep in touch with his Mom on Facebook. I love to read stories she writes about him and his adventures.

I am able to see Antonio, however, quite often. I visit him, or he visits me, several times a year. We are very close. Recently, he turned 9, and I gave him a copy of my favorite book when I was 9, Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell. I told him the book is filled with adventure, and was written 50 years ago! Then I mentioned that I read it 47 years ago, over and over again, until my Mom made me return it to the library and check something else out. I included a hand-written, dated note on the inside cover, hoping that someday, he will read the note and appreciate its importance and meaning. He seemed very pleased to receive such a gift, and of course, that made me smile from ear to ear! I think he may have enjoyed the money I gave him a bit more, though, but that’s ok.

What is the best thing about being a grandma? I see my son in each of my grandsons, and it takes me back to when he was their ages. I also love the hugs and the warmth I feel whenever one of them smiles. I love just being around all that energy! It truly keeps me young.

What is the most challenging part of being a grandma? For me the hardest part is not being around to watch the every day things. Yes, I do see Antonio often, and talk to him more, so that’s not so bad. Not seeing the other two very often is very hard.

Describe a recent time that one (or more) of your grandchildren made you laugh out loud. Early this year, I went to Boise to spend a few days with my son, his fiancé, and Antonio. We went to watch Antonio play soccer; in fact, it was the first game of the season. It was pure joy for me to sit and watch him and the other kids running around and trying to figure out what was going on. We were all laughing out loud at some of their antics.  It was just pure innocent fun. The coaches may have had another opinion of the whole thing, however, but we (the parents/grandparents/friends) loved every minute of it!

What is your favorite thing to do with grandchildren who visit your house? I live in Las Vegas, so when Antonio comes to visit, he likes to go see the lights on the strip. He also likes to go to the indoor amusement park at the Circus Circus Resort. We also go to the movies quite a bit.

What is your favorite thing to do when visiting grandchildren at their house? Every time I go to Boise, we do something different, and I enjoy it all. We always go out to eat several times, and usually go to the movies.  I’m just happy to be with them!

How do you maintain the bond between yourself and your grandchildren between visits? With Zachary, it’s mostly mail, email and Facebook. With Antonio, it’s talking on the phone and Facebook. As for Parker, I don’t really maintain the bond directly, but I do try to keep up with what’s going on with him, through his Mom. I am hoping this will change in the future.

What do you most want to pass along to your grandchildren? I would wish for them to always have a taste for learning and adventure, and keep a sense of family.

What is one word you hope your grandkids think of when they think of you? Fun!

What is one thing you wish you had learned earlier as a grandparent? I don't really have a good answer for this one, as I seemed to learn as I went along, and by the "seat of my pants". Probably, though, learning not to indulge them excessively was a lesson that came on fairly early. It didn't seem to affect my grandsons, but the parents weren't always thrilled about it!

What one bit of advice would you give a new grandma? Enjoy every second of your time with your grandkids, as they are gifts. Remember, too, that you are a "gift" to them as well, giving them special memories that will last them a lifetime.

More wit and wisdom from Terri can be found on her blog, Terri’s Little Corner.

Grilled Grandma: Sherri

How many children do you have? I have 3 children.  Erica, 27, Tiffany, 24 and Russell, 20

How many grandchildren? What are their ages? I have 2 grandchildren.  Jenna is 7 and Duncan is 3

Any great grandchildren? nooooooo. maybe in a few years.

What do your grandchildren call you? Funny thing about that...The oldest grandchild, Jenna, called me "Gran" from the beginning, which I love. Then Duncan came along and we figured that he would call me Gran too but, for some reason, he calls me "Nee", we don't know where that came from. So, they each call me something different, but it's ok, I answer to both. lol

How often do you get to see your grandchildren? I get to see mine every day because my daughter is a single parent and they live with me.

What is the best thing about being a grandma? Gee, that's a hard one... Looking into their little faces and seeing your child and also a bit of yourself is very cool.  Getting to do things with them and watch them experience things for the first time is amazing.  Seeing things through their eyes has definitely touched my life.

What is the most challenging part of being a grandma? Since they live with me, my role is sometimes different than it would be if I only saw them occasionally. I'm glad to be there to do things with them, but I do think that it's different from what other grandparents experience. It can be a challenge to watch your child be the parent because sometimes you have to bite your tongue.  lol  Sometimes the challenge comes from the kids knowing who is in charge.  I've been asked for a cookie several times, after mom has said no. The kids definitely have tried to work us from time to time.

Describe a recent time that one (or more) of your grandchildren made you laugh out loud. They're always cracking me up with things that they say. 

Jenna, 7 was on my laptop the other day and she was trying to type her name.  She told my daughter she needed help doing her name and my daughter spelled it out, J-e-n-n-a, then Jenna said, no, I need help cause I can't find the other N.  lol

And this from, Duncan, 3: One night my daughter had put the kids to bed and it was starting to storm. We were in the living room and heard a loud clap of thunder, about 30 seconds later, here comes Duncan running out of his room yelling "Come check on me, it's thundering".

What is your favorite thing to do with grandchildren who visit your house? I like to scrapbook and make cards, so the kids love to cut and glue and make stuff.   

What do you most want to pass along to your grandchildren? I want them to be givers of themselves, you know, to realize that it's not all about them and for them to do things to help others and make others happy.  I want them to know what it feels like to do something that makes a difference to someone whether it's a word or an action.

What is one word you hope your grandkids think of when they think of you? LOVE. I hope that they'll look back on our memories and say, my Gran really, really loved me.

Sherri's blog is called her random thoughts. Head on over and check out the random thoughts she shares!

Grilled Grandma: Billie

How many children do you have? I had 3 children, but both of my sons are in heaven. My older son was murdered in 1986 and my baby son died from cancer in 2004. So my daughter, Susan, is the only living child I have. However, I have 2 step children ... a daughter and son.

How many grandchildren? What are their ages? Well that is a bit complicated. Susan has 4 children and I THINK they are 27, 29, 31 and 32. They may all be a year older ... hard to keep up. They are all married, so I guess that makes 8, as the spouses are grandkids, too. My youngest son had 2 children, who are now 14 (a boy) and 6 (a girl). So that is 10 on my side of our family. My step children have 4 children, two of whom are married, one has just finished college and 1 is 14.We have 2 step kids on that side of the family, one in law school and the other out of college and working. So that is 9 on my husband’s side and that is 19 total counting inlaws and outlaws!

Any great grandchildren? We have 5 great grandchildren and another on the way.

What do your grandchildren call you? My grandchildren call me Gram but those on my husband’s side just call me Billie.

How often do you get to see your grandchildren? There is only one who lives near me, but she’s still sort of a newly wed and also a neo-natal nurse so her life is very busy. The 14 year old lives about 45 minutes from me, the 6 year old lives in New Zealand (Her mom went home to NZ after my son died) and the others live at least 1 ½ hours from me. So we can’t get together every week like we’d all like to. But for the most part, we probably see each other once every month or two, except for the one in New Zealand, of course! The ones on my husband’s side are 3 hours from us and our visits are only a few times a year.

What is the best thing about being a grandma?  Wow. How can I begin? I once read that “A child of mine is twice my child," and that is so true. They are like having children to love without all the hassle and discipline problems and worrying about what they are or are not eating. When they were little and at my house we just had a lot of fun and games and love, but I probably spoiled them a bit, because a lot of things were okay with Gram that weren’t okay at home. However, I didn’t let them get away with being rude or hateful. I guess it worked. The three girls all came to live with me for a year after they got out of college. That was so very special to us. When they were all little, tho, sometimes the best thing was seeing the tail lights as their parents took them home!

What is the most challenging part of being a grandma? Watching them make mistakes that they could avoid and wanting to nurture them and make everything okay for them when I really can’t.

Describe a recent time that one (or more) of your grandchildren made you laugh out loud. I could entertain you all day with hysterical things my great grandson says and does! But as far as grandkids go, one of the recent things that really made me laugh happened one day when the 2 oldest girls and their kids (2 each) were having lunch at my house. Growing up, the oldest girl (granddaughter #1) simply refused to eat ANYTHING that was remotely healthy & rarely anything that her mother had prepared, no matter what her mother did. I think she somehow survived on chicken nuggets and rolls. Well, as fate would have it, her 2 little girls will just eat anything she gives them, while her sister’s kids just won’t each much of anything. So granddaughter #2 asks GD#1 “How do you get them to eat all that?” GD #1 said, “Oh, it is simple. You just give them what you want them to eat and don’t offer anything else, so they just eat it.” Her mother & I had to go to the next room while we about had hysterics. Wonder why that didn’t work on her when she was little???

What is your favorite thing to do with grandchildren who visit your house? When the 14 year olds come, we always go to the movie, which they love. Since most of us live to eat, when the grown ones come over, that’s what we always do ... EAT! We just enjoy catching up with what’s going on in each others lives.

What is your favorite thing to do when visiting grandchildren at their house? I guess it is about the same as when they come to our house ... eat and visit. We all love to watch the antics of the little kids and of course all the dogs ... I forgot to say that we have 2 dogs, 5 grand dogs, and 5 great grand dogs!

How do you maintain the bond between yourself and your grandchildren between visits? We talk on the phone, we e-mail, we are on Facebook. I often send them a surprise when I’ve bought something that reminded me of them or I may send them an article I read that I thought they might like. I sometimes send their kids something as a surprise. We send them cards for Valentine, Easter, Anniversaries, birthdays, etc.

What do you most want to pass along to your grandchildren? I want them to know that the most important thing is to make certain that their lives are God centered, & to know that Jesus is all they really need because His resources are sufficient. I want them to love and forgive freely, to be kind, patient, trustworthy and to always honor their parents and their spouses.

What is one word you hope your grandkids think of when they think of you? Well, it is a sentence ... That I love them unconditionally.

Find out more about Billie by visiting her website, Billie's Health Connection, http://www.billieshealthconnection.com/.

Grilled Grandma: Dian

How many children do you have? I have 4 children

How many grandchildren? What are their ages? 2 grands, 6 & 7

Any great grandchildren? Nope

What do your grandchildren call you? Nana

How often do you get to see your grandchildren? I used to see them every day, but they have now moved 6 hours away and I see them about 2-3 times a year.

What is the best thing about being a grandma? As my Mom used to say - Giving Them Back! :-) Honestly How sweet they are!

What is the most challenging part of being a grandma? Keeping my opinions to myself - which I am sure my daughter thinks I don't do! 

Describe a recent time that one (or more) of your grandchildren made you laugh out loud. My Granddaughter is so NOT a "TomBoy". Her Dad loves basketball and one day he was playing basketball and a little neighborhood girl came along and wanted to play, so he was playing and throwing her the ball and she was shooting and I was watching.

My granddaughter came out on the porch to ask me something, stopped dead in her tracks looked at her dad and this little girl, stared for a while, asked who she was and I told her I didn't know.

She watched her father playing basketball with another little girl - a tiny bit of Daddy jealousy rising up - and then headed toward them. She got out there and was in the middle of it all watching her dad (who does not neglect her in ANY way EVER!) play ball with this other little girl.

The girl bounced the ball toward my granddaughter thinking she might like to play - I had a flashback right then and there of my daughter (her mother) - that ball hit her, not hard, but she looked like "Why in the WORLD would anyone throw a ball to ME?!" Just like her Mom! Never played any kind of game like that! I did laugh out loud for sure!

What is your favorite thing to do with grandchildren who visit your house? Listen to them - they are hilarious and are always ready to share a story

What is your favorite thing to do when visiting grandchildren at their house? I don't really get to visit them at their house.

How do you maintain the bond between yourself and your grandchildren between visits? Over the phone, emails, and texts

What do you most want to pass along to your grandchildren? My love for God

What is one word you hope your grandkids think of when they think of you? Understanding

Dian has a great blog for anyone looking for a great deal. Don't miss it: Grocery Shop for Free.

Grilled Grandma: Jeanne

How many children do you have? I have one, and my husband has 5 from his previous marriage.

How many grandchildren? 12

What are their ages? 25, 22, 17, 12, 8, 6, 4, 4, 3, 2, 2 and 1

Any great grandchildren? 2

What do your grandchildren call you? Grandma Jeanne (to distinguish me from their many other grandmas.)

How often do you get to see your grandchildren? The older ones, rarely. They’re off about their lives. The little ones I see at least once a month.

What is the best thing about being a grandma? How long do you have to listen? This grandma gig is the bees knees, as we oldsters like to say.

What is the most challenging part of being a grandma? Keeping my opinion to myself when decisions are made that don’t feel like the best thing for one of the kids. (And, by the way, I stink at it.)

Describe a recent time that one (or more) of your grandchildren made you laugh out loud.  I’d made plans to take Phinn, age 3, and his little sister, Harper, who’ll be 2 in September, to the Children’s Museum. The day before I was supposed to pick them up, Mom called to say, “Good news! Harper is potty-trained!” Which, of course, translates: “For the next few days/weeks, Harper will be peeing through panties instead of into a diaper.” We hadn’t been at the museum 5 minutes before she turned the kiddy slide into a water hazard.

What is your favorite thing to do with grandchildren who visit your house? It changes, depending on their ages. Right now, I have a set of Wizard of Oz Pez dispensers and I enlist as many g-kids as I can to do a Pez puppet show of the Wizard of Oz. I think they may be too young to really get it, though, because as soon as the candy is gone, they wander away and I’m left clutching a handful of Pez dispensers and singing in my Munchkin voice.

What is your favorite thing to do when visiting grandchildren at their house? Teaching them bad habits to torment their mothers is always fun.

How do you maintain the bond between yourself and your grandchildren between visits? You’re kidding, right?

What do you most want to pass along to your grandchildren? Happy memories.

What is one word you hope your grandkids think of when they think of you? Actually, “Grandma!” is probably the best thing I’ve ever been called.

Jeanne's blog, The Raisin Chronicles, is a must-see for anyone in need of a few chuckles ... maybe even a guffaw or two.