Grilled Grandma: Agnes

What is a Grilled Grandma? 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 Agnes:

How many children do you have? 5, all grown – one lives downstairs from me.

How many grandchildren? What are their ages? I have 6…ages 10, 8, 7, 6, 4, 3 and one to be born in October (very blessed)

What do your grandchildren call you? They call me Bubbe which is the Yiddish word for grandma.

After the initial elation, what was your first concern upon hearing you would soon be a grandmother? About time :) You see I had my children late in life…that is why I had them close in age….and when they married so close and left home…I had a bit of empty nest syndrome, but then all the grandkids came….I am busy again.

How often do you get to see your grandchildren? I am so lucky they live in the neighborhood or nearby….so I get to see some every day and others a few times a month. In fact, hubby retired to babysit and now picks 3 of them up from school everyday.

What is the best thing about being a grandma? I get to spoil them…My children were spoiled by my in-laws so I keep reminding them of that so they cant say anything. My in-laws used to get up in the middle of the night for my kids and cook…I thought that was crazy until I found myself doing the same….

What is the most challenging part of being a grandma? Keeping up with them…I wish I had more energy, It helped that I lost weight and can move around more….but they are the energizer bunnies…

Describe a recent time that one (or more) of your grandchildren made you laugh out loud. Wow, there are so many times…..I guess the best one would be (and I blogged about this http://beaderbubbe.blogspot.com/2011/02/grandmas-special-dinner.html) the time when I asked what he would like for dinner…he said pancakes but mommy doesn’t let him have them for dinner…So of course I laughed and made his pancakes….his look was priceless!

What is your favorite thing to do with grandchildren who visit your house? Well, I know their favorite thing is going to Toys R Us, but I am lucky to have a big back yard, and a deck…so playing outside either blowing bubbles or playing basketball is always fun. I also BBQ a lot for them. Or we visit the local park, aquarium or zoo.

What is your favorite thing to do when visiting grandchildren at their house? Most of the time they are by me….but when I do go to one of my grandchildren’s house, I am always escorted downstairs to the playroom to check out games….sometimes we even have a family game at the dining room table. And then we go out for dinner or order in.

How do you maintain the bond between yourself and your grandchildren between visits? Those times are few but I when there is a lull, we speak on the phone…..sometimes they even call me just to ask when are they coming to me again.

What do you most want to pass along to your grandchildren? I supposed it would be the love of life itself…since it is so short. Several years ago I almost lost my life…came a little too close …. And when I survived I realized that the important thing is time…we have so little of it, that we should remember material things are not important…it’s love, kindness, hope, and family that matters. And hugs and kisses.

What is one word you hope your grandkids think of when they think of you? Many words…..but if I had to pick one…it would be “handsome”…you see, when they come into my house I usually greet them…"Hi there handsome!” BTW, I have all grandsons….and my bathroom is always being mopped :)

What is one thing you wish you had learned earlier as a grandparent? That grandchildren are more thrilled with the process than the product…i.e., they would rather make cupcakes with you than have you buy them from the store!

What one bit of advice would you give a new grandma? Give your grandchildren hugs, kisses and all your time…they grow up way too fast.  Also, let your daughter-in-law have the deciding factor when in your home; and when you are alone with your grandchildren, well, you rule. I never fight over whether my grandchild gets a cookie or not…."go ask your mom” is my mantra…at least when mom is around. :)

Do you have a website or blog? What is the URL and what is it about? I try to blog every day….it’s about family, mine and in general….please stop by…..www.beaderbubbe.blogspot.com

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: Terri

What is a Grilled Grandma? 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 Terri:

How many children do you have? I have 3 children. A son and 2 daughters. My children are all 4 years apart. IT TOOK ME 4 YEARS TO FORGET THE LABOR PAINS. Just saying... :) My son is 20. My middle (she hates that term) daughter is 26 and my youngest daughter will be 22 next month.

How many grandchildren? What are their ages? I have 5 adorable grandchildren. I have 2 granddaughters age 3, a grand-son age 5, a grand-daughter age 7 and a grand-son soon to be 9.

Any great grandchildren? I don't have any great grandchildren yet.

What do your grandchildren call you? My grandkids call me grand-ma, mee mee, or gwama.

How often do you get to see your grandchildren? I see my grandchildren pretty often. I'm lucky they all live pretty close to the home front.

Beyond the initial elation, what most concerned you upon hearing you'd soon be a grandma? The only concern I had when hearing I'd be a grandma was that I was afraid one of the grandchildren might inherit the Cystic Fibrosis gene.

What is the best thing about being a grandma? The best thing to me about being a grand-ma is the unconditional love. Grandchildren are the flowers from the branches of our family tree. Like spring they blossom and bring smiles to our life.

What is the most challenging part of being a grandma? I haven't met a challenging part yet in being a grandma.

Describe a recent time that one (or more) of your grandchildren made you laugh out loud. Every time I'm with my grand-children they make me LOL. I believe they are ALL clowns that have escaped from the circus.

What is your favorite thing to do with grandchildren who visit your house? When my grandchildren come to visit we get in the kitchen and bake up something yummy to eat.  Life is best when my grandchildren can't wait to come over, don't want to leave while they're here and look forward to the next visit!

What is your favorite thing to do when visiting grandchildren at their house? When I visit my grandchildren I just love to sit and listen to them jabber about school, their friends and their favorite new fads.

How do you maintain the bond between yourself and your grandchildren between visits? I manage to maintain the bond between myself and my grandchildren by texting mainly. I've become one of “THOSE" grandma's.

What do you most want to pass along to your grandchildren? I want to pass on my love for God to my grandchildren.

What is one word you hope your grandkids think of when they think of you? The one word I hope my grandchildren think of when they think of me is love.

What is one thing you wish you had learned earlier as a grandparent? I can't seem to think of anything that I wish I had learned earlier as a grandparent.

What one bit of advice would you give a new grandma? The only advice I have to new grandmas is that you enjoy the time spent with your grand-children. Collect all the hugs, kisses, smiles and laughter that you can from your grandchildren. I LOVE those moments.

Do you have a website or blog? What is it about? I have several websites but only one blog. My blog is a personal site where I do reviews and giveaways, post random nonsense ;), share recipes, kiddie ideas and more. Blog:Blog: Grandma's Spectacles Extreme couponing for normal people: cope $ coup coupons Handbags and more:

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: Rita

What is a Grilled Grandma? 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 Rita:

How many children do you have? I have 2, Ryan and Megan (referred to as GlitterGurl on my blog). Get it..Megryansmom? He has 2, Andrea (Augie Dawgs) and Tony (Ink Man). So together we have 4.

How many grandchildren? What are their ages? Two absolutely amazing little boys, TOF and TC 5 1/2 and 2 respectively.

Any great grandchildren? They're both great of course. ;)

What do your grandchildren call you? Cute story here, my step kids call me 'ski' Being Polish, my maiden name ends in ski and so that stuck. So they decide that when the baby was born I would become Gramski. And that worked for a while, until we tried to teach TOF to say it and then he refused to call me anything. Everyone had a name, my husband was Pa, GlitterGurl became Nana, he knew the dogs' names but refused to call me anything. Then one day, out of the blue he started calling me Mema. Augie Dawgs said he saved the best name for last, so now I am Mema. Except that for now TC only says Mahhhhhh. Really loud.

After the initial elation, what was your first concern upon hearing you would soon be a grandmother? I'm almost embarrassed to admit that there was no initial elation. AD kept her pregnancy a secret for 7 months. She was afraid to tell us and we, well actually my husband, sort of figured it out. I was angry for several days until my wise youngest set me straight, she said to me, "Momba it really doesn't matter what you think or how you feel, there is a baby coming soon." And then I shifted into gear to prepare for this baby.

Then there was also the fact that at 43 I was now going to be married to a grandpa.

How often do you get to see your grandchildren? I'm one of the lucky grandmas. I live 2 blocks away from them and I also provide their daycare and then some, while AD works. So I get to see them almost every single day.

What is the best thing about being a grandma? Oh there are so many perks. The sloppy wet kisses, the hugs, the first time they say your name, every time they say I love you. Every time they reach any milestone, my heart just swells with pride.

What is the most challenging part of being a grandma? I'd have to say it's balancing just the right amount of love and fun with discipline. Pretty much the same as it was being a mom.

Describe a recent time that one (or more) of your grandchildren made you laugh out loud. Oh that would be just a few minutes ago, when I walked into the laundry room to take some clothes out of the dryer. I knew I was done with all the laundry and out of the corner of my eye I noticed something in the washing machine. TC had taken all the micro fiber cloths off of a shelf and tossed them into the washer. I just laughed and shook my head. Then I folded every single one of them AGAIN. TC is definitely full of mischief, but his silly grin gets him out of trouble every time.

What is your favorite thing to do with grandchildren who visit your house? We love to go on adventures. All kinds of adventures. Sometimes we go to the playground or the splash pad was a very popular destination this summer. TOF loves to accompany me to garage sales, to search for treasures. Since we're together so much there isn't much we haven't done here.

What is your favorite thing to do when visiting grandchildren at their house? The kids have a huge pool in their backyard and when I visit in the summer the boys love it when I splash in the pool with them. This year I tried to teach TOF to play Marco Polo, you know, as payback to his parents for tormenting their parents when they were kids playing that annoying game.

How do you maintain the bond between yourself and your grandchildren between visits? This doesn't really apply to me as I'm with the boys so often.

What do you most want to pass along to your grandchildren? Oh, there are so many things I want them to learn. And at the risk of sounding cliché, I think love is the greatest. To love themselves, without being too proud or selfish. To be happy in the skin they're in and to strive to be their own personal best.

What is one word you hope your grandkids think of when they think of you? Love. I hope they always remember how much I love them and that I was the best Mema ever.

What is one thing you wish you had learned earlier as a grandparent? I think I pretty much 'got it' early on. This is my version of a do over. To do the things I didn't have a chance to do with my own kids. I'm older, and more relaxed now. I've lowered the bar, so the house can wait, the dust bunnies will get bigger, as will the piles of laundry, but so will the babies. The second time around I want to have fewer regrets and more laughs.

I do wish someone had told me how expensive spoiling can get.

What one bit of advice would you give a new grandma? Just enjoy them. Try not to be overbearing, believe me, that was tough for me. Try to remember yourself as a new mom, wanting everything to be perfect for your baby. Offer advice only when asked, or when lives are in danger.

Also, Cocoa Puffs occasionally will not kill them. Make chocolate milk with Ovaltine, and only use a teaspoon, not the required amount on the label, which is way too much. Oh and puree vegetables to hide in the spaghetti sauce or smoothies, no one will ever know.

Just be the fun grandma.

Do you have a website or blog? What is it about? I blog at Look It’s Megryansmom and it's almost anything goes. I blog about the boys, about the rest of the family. Sometimes I share a craft or preschool activity. I also do venue and product reviews, with an occasional giveaway. You can also find me at http://thechicagomoms.com.

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: Diane

What is a Grilled Grandma? 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 Diane:

How many children do you have? I have three girls! My oldest is 30 and a stay at home mom or as some call it, Domestic Engineer! My middle is 26 and a Cardiac RN and my youngest is a very sweet 21 year old with autism.

How many grandchildren? What are their ages? I have two grandchildren, Ben, who is two and Baby Alice who is 5 months old.

Any great grandchildren? Not yet, I think I have a while!

What do your grandchildren call you? They don't call me anything yet, but I am referred to as Wheemaw by my daughter and son in law!

How often do you get to see your grandchildren? Fortunately, I see them several times per month! They live nearby.

Beyond the initial elation, what most concerned you upon hearing you'd soon be a grandma? I really wanted to be the kind of relaxed, fun grandma that my grandma was. Given that I tend to get a little tense at major holidays I had to re-evaluate my mindset a little!

What is the best thing about being a grandma? Since my grandchildren are so young, I think the best thing so far is watching them turn from cuddle babies into little people with preferences and personalities! It's an intriguing process watching them sprout!

What is the most challenging part of being a grandma? Figuring out what is required of you. In this technology culture, there are all sorts of websites and mom to be and young mom chat rooms... It's given my daughter multiple sources of information on raising babies. So when we talk about the grandbabies, I know that she doesn't necessarily want my advice so much as she wants someone who has been through it to listen to what she's going through.

Describe a recent time that one (or more) of your grandchildren made you laugh out loud. When the grandkids were over, we had just gotten Ben out of the pantry and shut the door. As I talked to my daughter, I turned and looked the other way and all I could see was my husbands big fern in the dining room shaking madly. I ran over and Ben was digging dirt out of the plant as fast as he could! There was dirt on the floor, in his hair all over his shirt! I was laughing so hard I could barely clean it up! He is so fast and has such energy!

What is your favorite thing to do with grandchildren who visit your house? Get them to eat. Ben is at this stage where he's too busy to eat, so if I can get him to sit long enough to get a couple bites down, I feel very successful! We also like watching Sesame Street videos together on my laptop!

What is your favorite thing to do when visiting grandchildren at their house? We bought Ben a little Cars fold out sofa that he likes to drive his trucks on. We play trucks together! Baby Alice and I enjoy dancing to Sesame Street and rocking in the big chair!

How do you maintain the bond between yourself and your grandchildren between visits? I don't much yet. Ben is not very verbal on the phone but I imagine that will be one of our next activities!

What do you most want to pass along to your grandchildren? Curiosity and fun. My grandmother was very nontraditional and though I like traditional things like cookie baking, I'm looking forward to building blanket forts in the living room and other things!

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

What one bit of advice would you give a new grandma? Have a box of toys in the family room so they know where it is each time they come over. Add to it every now and then. Yes, you'll have to pick them up all over the house, but you'll remember how much fun the little farmers had exploring!

Do you have a website or blog? What is it about? My blog is www.asthmagirl.com. I blog about topics like food, photography, asthma, autism, football and chihuahuas. And sometimes grandchildren!

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

Grilled Grandma: Caryn

What is a Grilled Grandma? 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 Caryn:

How many children do you have? I have three adult children. Our daughters, Lyndsey and Rachel, are both married. Our son Grant is currently in Mexico serving a mission for our church. We are empty nesters!!!

How many grandchildren? What are their ages? One: Jack, 1 year and 2 months. He was born on his mom's (my oldest daughter's) 27th birthday, so I became a mom and a grandmother for the first time on the same date!!!

Any great grandchildren? No

What do your grandchildren call you? Grammie

After the initial elation, what was your first concern upon hearing you would soon be a grandmother? No concerns, just excitement to be a part of this new generation of our family.

How often do you get to see your grandchildren? I try to visit at least once every three months.

What is the best thing about being a grandma? Being able to be completely absorbed in everything my grandson is doing without having to worry about what "I should be doing." My favorite thing to do is just sit and watch Jack do whatever. I never had that kind of freedom when I was "the mom."

What is the most challenging part of being a grandma? The distance. I live in California and so far, Jack has lived in Colorado, Utah, and now Washington.

Describe a recent time that one (or more) of your grandchildren made you laugh out loud. I love the faces that Jack makes. They are never the same and some are quite hysterical.

What is your favorite thing to do with grandchildren who visit your house? Play!!! Just sit down on the floor and get down to Jack's level and follow his lead.

What is your favorite thing to do when visiting grandchildren at their house? Go on walks and discover.

How do you maintain the bond between yourself and your grandchildren between visits? We do Skype and talk on the phone but Jack's attention span is pretty short so I'm not always quite sure if these interactions are making a difference.

What do you most want to pass along to your grandchildren? That they are a part of cool, extended family that is there for them, no matter what.

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

What is one thing you wish you had learned earlier as a grandparent? Everything I anticipated has pretty much held true. There have been no surprises.

What one bit of advice would you give a new grandma? Stand back and observe. Don't offer advice unless asked for. This can be tricky because you have so much experience you want to share. Let the new parents experiment with their new parenting skills on their own. There will be plenty of time later on when they will come to you. Be patient and just observe.

Do you have a website or blog? What is the URL and what is it about?TheMidLifeGuru: Making the most of life after 50.

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