Grilled Grandma: Donna

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 Donna:

How many children do you have? Two daughters, Melissa (31) and Cryssy (30)

How many grandchildren? What are their ages? Two grandsons – David, 4, and Isaac, 2

Any great grandchildren? No

What do your grandchildren call you? Nana (pronounced ‘Nanny”)

After the initial elation, what was your first concern upon hearing you would soon be a grandmother? First true concern was that because they are from a ‘mixed’ marriage, how would they be treated. Don’t get me wrong – we love our son in law, he is a good man and a great father, but well, society is sometimes not as tolerant and they should be and so we were concerned about that.

How often do you get to see your grandchildren? Definitely not as often as I want to – but we do skype a lot (once a week at least) and then at least once a year – they are currently stationed in Hawaii. Son in law is a Soldier in the U.S. Army

What is the best thing about being a grandma? Hmmm, the best thing about being a Nana is the unconditional love and being a part of something greater than anything else in the world (with the exception of God, of course!) The hugs and kisses and snuggles are out of this world!

What is the most challenging part of being a grandma? Hmmm, most challenging thing is balancing knowing what is the right thing and sometimes what is the most fun thing…….:-)

Describe a recent time that one (or more) of your grandchildren made you laugh out loud. They always make me laugh but most recently I was talking to our youngest grandson, Isaac (age 2), about him picking out his pumpkin for Halloween – I asked him if he was going to get a big pumpkin and he answered “No Nana – I am getting a little squirt pumpkin!” His nickname is “Squirt” after the small Turtle in ‘Finding Nemo’ – Isaac was 12 month premature and so he is nicknamed “Squirt.”

What is your favorite thing to do with grandchildren who visit your house? Hmmm, we love to bake and they love to eat the batter. They like to come into bed with me early in the morning and snuggle!

What is your favorite thing to do when visiting grandchildren at their house? Love to read to them and then let them “read” to me – they like to take their index finger and follow the sentences and “create” their own stories. Great moments!

How do you maintain the bond between yourself and your grandchildren between visits? We Skype every week and we talk on the phone almost every day. We send cards and postcards and we also send ‘care packages.”

What do you most want to pass along to your grandchildren? They are loved unconditionally and that I am proud of them and they can do anything that they set their mind to.

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

What is one thing you wish you had learned earlier as a grandparent? That it was sooo much fun and if I could have skipped the parent stage and gone right to the “Nana” stage – might have done that too – laughing here!

What one bit of advice would you give a new grandma? Love the time that you have with them – that is the priority. They grow up way too fast!

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: Sherry

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 brand-new grandma Grilled Grandma Sherry:

How many children do you have? 2

How many grandchildren? What are their ages? One. Aiden is one week old. (Editor’s note: Aiden is now over a month old as these responses are from mid October.)

Any great grandchildren? No

What do your grandchildren call you? Nothing yet...I like Grammy!

After the initial elation, what was your first concern upon hearing you would soon be a grandmother? The ages of mom and dad. My son is 22 and Brandi 21. They are surprising me with how responsible they have turned out to be. No more concerns now!

How often do you get to see your grandchildren? Every day. They live only blocks from me!

With Dad

What is the best thing about being a grandma? Oh, I'm new at this...holding this little guy in my arms while he sleeps. Just looking at him!

What is the most challenging part of being a grandma? Trying to help out the new mom and dad without being overbearing!

What do you most want to pass along to your grandchildren? Love, kindness...family traditions

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

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: Sharon

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 Sharon:

How many children do you have? My daughter Megan is 31 and my son Matt is 34. We chose our favorite names when they were born and didn't realize until a friend told us that our kids have the same initials, MCO. "You did that on purpose, right?" Um, sure!

How many grandchildren? What are their ages? Matt has four children: Maddie Mae just turned 6, Nicolas is 4, Tyler is 2, and Hunter is 10 months. Yes, they are close in age and life is never boring (or quiet) at their house.

Any great grandchildren? Willing to wait until my grands grow up for great-grands!

What do your grandchildren call you? They call me Grandma and my husband is Grandpa. My daughter-in-law's parents are Nana and Papa, so each of us has a distinct title. The only confusion comes with my mom being "GG," for great-grandma. Sometimes the kids puzzle over the great-grandma and grandma names.

After the initial elation, what was your first concern upon hearing you would soon be a grandmother? What I remember was the elation; I can't recall a concern until Bethany, my daughter-in-law, had some health issues late in the pregnancy. She landed in the hospital while on a trip. She was fine, though, after a short stay. Then we learned that Maddie was breech and would be born by C-section. We were so thankful she was healthy at birth.

How often do you get to see your grandchildren? Oh, this is the sad part of being a grandma! My grands are in Indiana and I live in California. Way too far apart! We've been able to visit about 3 times a year, but we haven't seen them since January. I would hop on a plane to Indy today if I could.

What is the best thing about being a grandma? Playing with the kids! My son and his wife are wonderful parents who are constantly teaching and molding the kids. So when we visit, our role is to enjoy time with the kids and keep them safe, rather than be stern in discipline. Reading books, playing Candyland, sledding, building with Legos -- those are the highlights for me.

What is the most challenging part of being a grandma? Definitely the distance. With the grands being so young, it's hard to carry on phone conversations.

Describe a recent time that one (or more) of your grandchildren made you laugh out loud. Two-year-old Tyler was crying hard, upset about something. I sat on the floor and cradled him on my lap as he sobbed. Suddenly he stopped crying, jumped up, and announced, "I happy now!" and ran off to tear around the room, smiling. That's a two-year-old for you.

What is your favorite thing to do with grandchildren who visit your house? When they last visited, we went to parks and played on the slides and swings. I loved climbing the ladders and sliding with them. And they made new friends with other kids there, which was great to see.

What is your favorite thing to do when visiting grandchildren at their house? We visit the Indiana Children's Museum every trip. It's four stories of fun activities for every age. My favorite is the carousel. Every one of us laughs through the whole ride.

How do you maintain the bond between yourself and your grandchildren between visits? My favorite way has been to mail postcards or gifts. Maddie's class studied the post office and requested that people mail the kids something. I mailed her a card with about a dozen separate little envelopes inside, each with a magnet of a Disney character, so she could enjoy opening all these with her friends. One time we sent postcards of bears from Lake Tahoe and Maddie took hers for show and tell. I love these mailings and should do this more often!

What do you most want to pass along to your grandchildren? That they are loved unconditionally and that life is rich because of all the people who love them.

What is one word you hope your grandkids think of when they think of you? I have to name two words: love and fun. I hope they all know how much I love them; I also hope they remember fun times together.

What is one thing you wish you had learned earlier as a grandparent? Sometimes I turned down requests to babysit because I already had plans. If I could go back, I would cancel plans with friends to spend time with my grands. Now that they've moved far away, I wish I could go back and redo some days when I stuck to my commitments but missed out on family.

What one bit of advice would you give a new grandma? Enjoy every minute! Even if you live in the same area, you never know when you'll get news of a move. Don't take togetherness for granted.

Do you have a website or blog? What is it about? My blog is called Leaning Into Life. It's about finding encouragement in the commonplace. Some posts feature my grands; I hope all posts encourage readers to carry on through tough times and discouragement. Kids are great at pointing the way, aren't they?

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: Gerry

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 Gerry:

How many children do you have? I have 3 children, a daughter and two sons.

How many grandchildren? What are their ages? Each <child> has two children, a boy and a girl. Their ages: 12, 11, 9, 7, 5, and 4.

Any great grandchildren? I live with my son who has the 12 and 4 year olds. Therefore the question of great grand kids is zero. My daughter-in-law blogs about our multigenerational family at www.itsafullnest.com.

After the initial elation, what was your first concern upon hearing you would soon be a grandmother? I think I worried about the same thing I did with my kids, <whether they’ll be> healthy.

How often do you get to see your grandchildren? The long-distance ones I see 2-3 times a year. Those are long visits of at least a week. It is always great to drive up and see someone waiting in the windows, followed by jumping and waving.

What is the most challenging part of being a grandma? The most challenging thing is distance!

What is your favorite thing to do with your grandchildren? My favorite thing to do is an 'art' project. We make up silly stories as we go along. I would like them continue to try different options.

I try to do special events with them. Example: one likes the ritual of hot chocolate at the coffee shop. Once a year I try to get them all together. It is great enjoyment watching and hearing them reconnect. Sometimes there are some rough spots.

What one bit of advice would you give a new grandma? They are not your children. One thing they do is challenge your thinking. Grandkids see the grandparents with different eyes. My children thought of my parents in totally different ways than I saw my parents. I know I did the same with my grandparents.

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 6 married adult children.

How many grandchildren? What are their ages? I have 23 grand children. They range in ages from 27 to 20 months. One married and living in London and the mother of the 2 great grandchildren, 6 in college, 3 in high school, 4 in junior high, 5 in grade school, 2 in pre-school, 1 just hanging out with mom, and one lives with Heavenly Father.

Any great grandchildren? 2 they live in London, but are coming to the states for a long visit next month.

What do your grandchildren call you? Mostly Grandma, but some families call me “Grandma Diane” to keep me straight from the other Grandmas.

What was your first concern about being a grandma? It was so long ago I can’t remember there was any. My husband did have a bit of a problem being married to a “Grandma”. He wasn’t ready yet.

How often do you get to see grandchildren? A few families live within a two-hour drive and I see them at least every couple of weeks. Those that live farther away, Nevada and Utah, I try to see a few times a year. My husband passed away 18 months ago and since then I have been on the road more going to visit. I want them to know who I am.

What is the best thing about being a grandma? Being able to go home and leave the problems with their parents.

What is the most challenging part of being a grandma? Keeping my mouth shut, but I do it.

Describe a recent time that one of your grandchildren made you laugh out loud. I was baby sitting Jack, who was learning to “potty train”. His mother had told me not to let him backslide so I’d been on his case all day with reminders and encouragement. As I was putting on his pajamas I put on pull ups and he said, “Pull-up, Oh good” with a big sigh of relief that the pressure was off for a few hours. I laughed out loud.

What is your favorite thing to do when they visit you? Hang out and catch up on the lives of the older ones. Getting out the toys and games with the younger ones.

What is your favorite thing to do at their house? Swimming with them is great fun. Playing board games and losing even when I am trying to win.

How do you maintain the bond between visits? The phone and Internet are the best ways.

What do you want to pass along to your grandchildren? How important family is. How much we love each other and are there for each other.

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

What is the one thing you wish you had learned earlier as a grandparent? Relax and enjoy the journey.

What bit of advice would you give a new grandma? Make every effort to see and be with your grandchildren. They won’t know you if you don’t spend time with them. It takes effort to do, but it is worth it.

Do you have a blog? I have a blog, Wonderful Wearables. I use it mainly to keep in touch with my students. I teach all kinds of fabric and textile arts from painting and dyeing fabrics for wearable art to art quilting.

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!