36 tips for new grandparents

I've been a grandma for about five years now. I've learned much in that time, from my own experience as well as from the amazing Grilled Grandmas.

One thing I've learned for sure is that no matter how long I've been a grandma, there's always more to learn. Which means that although these tips — culled from my heart and the Grilled Grandma archives — are intended for new grandparents, there's surely one or two even the most-seasoned grandma or grandpa can put to good use.

• Be prepared to be unreasonably crazy in love. The love for a grandchild is unlike anything you’ve felt before.

• Be gentle with Mom and Dad — even when they don’t do things your way.

• Don't be afraid of acting silly.

• Give the parents all the love and support you can muster.

• Make no comparisons, good or bad, to your other grandchildren.

• When the parents drive you nuts, smile instead of screaming, as they hold the keys to baby visits.

• Have lots of pictures taken of you with them — especially if you're typically the one behind the camera.

• Be available to the parents for advice, but never give it — or your opinion — unless asked.

• And when the parents don’t put your requested advice to use, bite your tongue.

• Get extra time with baby by volunteering to change the diapers.

• Don’t expect perfection — from the child, the parents or yourself.

• Respect the wishes and rules of the parents.

• Always let your grandchildren know you love them, in whatever fashion is comfortable for you.

• Let them know you’ll always be honest with them, too, and that they can trust you.

• Kiss them every chance you get.

• Get down on the floor and play with them.

• Remember that grandchildren are not their parents. Nor are they your children.

• Be someone the parents enjoy having around... so they'll have you around often.

• Make every effort to see and be with your grandchildren so they get to know you, always know you.

• Get advice on equipment, toys and more from other grandparents and young parents.

• Leave the parenting up to the parents.

• Don't worry about material things you are unable to give.

• Visit garage sales for toys, books, and furnishings (but never, ever for car seats, bicycle helmets, or other safety equipment).

• Don’t compare yourself to other grandmothers.

• Break your bad habits now, before the grandchildren copy you.

• Establish rules for your home when the kids are visiting, but be sure to never cross parental boundaries.

• Remember you are still a parent, not just a grandparent. Your child still wants you to consider his or her interests, concerns, achievements.

• When grandchildren visit, remember there is nothing they can break that you can’t live without.

• Don't take togetherness for granted; circumstances can change in an instant.

• When you’re the caretaker, get specifics — what the child needs, what the parent wants, and what time parents will return.

• Take the time to make the time with your grandchildren memorable.

• Be yourself and give of yourself.

• Enrich your grandchild’s life with more you, less stuff.

• Practice patience.

• Be a calm, loving, and engaged presence in your grandchild’s life.

• Love, enjoy, and appreciate every single moment.

Photo: Yes, that's me with Baby Mac (who's no longer <sniff> a baby).

Today's question:

What would you add to the list?

The challenges of grandmothers

Any woman who’s been a grandmother for even a short time knows that the grandma gig comes with a few unexpected pitfalls. For me—a long-distance grandma—it’s the 815 miles between my grandsons and me.

Here, some of the responses from the Grilled Grandmas when asked, “What is the most challenging part of being a grandma?”

Remembering my place—I’m not their mom and need to respect my daughter in her role. —Robin

I can’t fit them all on my lap at one time. —Alice

For me it’s the feeling of competition to “keep up” with the other grandparents. It would be very easy for it to turn uncomfortably competitive. —Vicki

Knowing that when I visit them I will have to say goodbye. —Mary

I am concerned about the future—what kind of world we seem to be living in right now, with the economy and the politics of mean-spiritedness. Heck, I worry about those things TODAY, not just for the future. —Olga

The most challenging part for me is not giving in to their every command. For the “serious” things I stand strong. But for those little that that it really doesn’t matter, GG let’s them do/have it. —Jules

I was not a perfect parent. So when I see my children doing things I know are not perfect but will do no harm, I am quiet. I save my comments for safety issues and answers to their questions. I am older and I have seen too much, so I could be a huge black cloud. I really do not want to do that. It is a challenge, to say the least. —Barbara

Wanting to keep them from all the bad things yet knowing that it is an impossible task. —Janie

Energy! How I wish I had more energy. There are so many things I want to do with my grandchildren, but I must remind myself to be realistic about what I can do. —Kay

The most challenging part of being a grandma is remembering that your wonderful, caring child IS the parent. —Nita

Keeping it “fair” when there’s more than one around! —Joan

Working full time and not being able to go to all of their activities. —Connie

The most challenging part for me is trying to divide my time and attention between my three young children and my grandson. I feel like I’m missing out on some of the “full grandmother” experience because I’m young and have little one of my own to care for. I don’t want my grandbaby to feel cheated out of “grandma time,” too. —Kelli

Dealing with their parents! I don’t mean that in a bad way—it’s just that they all have their own parenting methods, and I have to remember about what that is for each family! —Angel

Balancing just the right amount of love and fun with discipline. —Rita

Balancing everything. I am also caring for elderly parents and there can be a lot of appointments, health needs, etc. at both ends of the age spectrum. —Kaye

For me it is learning how to just let go and have fun and play. I am still learning how to do that. —Marlene

Taking the back seat in how the children are being raised. Opinion is not always welcomed, especially since the mother is my daughter-in-law and not my daughter. —Merci

I haven't met a challenging part yet in being a grandma. —Terri

For more wisdom and wit from these and other grandmothers, check out the Grilled Grandma Archives. (Click on the months in the right sidebar there to peruse the entire archives.)

Today's question:

What do you find most challenging about being a grandmother? What has been most challenging about being a mother?

Introducing Grilled Grandma Janie

 I'd like to introduce you to Janie. Ever since meeting Janie online, I've been continually impressed and inspired by her work ethic, her writing credits, and her cheerful heart. Oh, and her hair. I do love Janie's hair! And that was all before I even knew she was a grandma. That she is, though, and today she is a grilled grandma.

What's 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 Janie:

How many children do you have? One daughter. And a step daughter and step son who both live in Michigan.
 
How many grandchildren? What are their ages? Three from my daughter  2 Boys and a girl. The baby, Enzo, is 19 months.  Joey 8 years old & Dylan is 10 years old.
Three from my step daughter - 5, 8 & 11
One from my step son - 8
 
What do your grandchildren call you? Grandma or Grams and sometimes J-Gram.

 After the initial elation, what was your first concern upon hearing you would soon be a grandmother? That my daughter's wedding dress was going to have to be altered!
Then about month before my granddaughter was born, I broke my foot and I was on crutches during her birth and for several months afterwards. What I hated the most was that I couldn't carry her around.

How often do you get to see your grandchildren? I see the ones who live near me almost every day.
 
What is the best thing about being a grandma? Being able to play with them. Having them confide in me. Tucking them in at night. And then going home. And being able to share being a "grandma" with my mother who is now a great grandmother. It's an unbelievable feeling, one that I'm so glad I get to experience.

What is the most challenging part of being a grandma? Hmm. This is hard to answer because I just love it all. I guess sometimes watching my granddaughter act with my daughter in the same rebellious way that my daughter used to act toward me.
 
Describe a recent time that one (or more) of your grandchildren made you laugh out loud. Well, the youngest has a language of his own that always makes me laugh.  My granddaughter does impressions that crack me up. And my eight-year-old grandson tells the most amazing stories about his skateboarding adventures.  
 
What is your favorite thing to do with grandchildren who visit your house? Snuggle with them on the couch and read books. I also make up stories for them and they in turn make up stories of their own.

What is your favorite thing to do when visiting grandchildren at their house? Read books and play games. They have very vivid imaginations and like to play made up games such as Dry Cleaners ( who knew such a place could inspire a game) or restaurant. And we dance and put on shows. I'm pretty exhausted when I get home.

How do you maintain the bond between yourself and your grandchildren between visits? I text my granddaughter. We talk on the phone. Sadly, I don't have as much communication with the grandchildren that live in Michigan.

What do you most want to pass along to your grandchildren? Creativity and imagination, whether it's writing or drawing or dancing. And I want them to believe in themselves and know that they can be anything they want to be. That they are the rulers of their own destiny.

What is one word you hope your grandkids think of when they think of you? Fun. But I do know they call me "Funny, unusual & funky." And I have to add that they also think of me as "Big Haired." In fact, I'm working a picture book titled "My big-haired, funky Grandma."

What has most surprised you about being a grandma? How much I love it and them.

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

What one bit of advice would you give a new grandma? Don't be afraid of acting silly.

Do you have a website, book or project to promote? My recent release is a book for tween girls titled MERCURY IN RETRO LOVE. It is a sweet story about crushes, conflicts and astrological confusion.

I write a weekly column for women - http://www.inthepowderroom.com/search/keyword/Janie+Emaus
My website is: www.janieemaus.com
And I blog at www.theboomerrants.com - Anatomy of Baby Boomer - Life in Retrograde

This grilling will now be permanently placed in the Grilled Grandmas Hall of Fame—AKA the Grilled Grandma Archives—under Grilled Grandma: Janie.

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!

Summer break for Grilled Grandmas

There's likely no busier time than summer, especially when it comes to spending time with the grandkids. Which is why you're not seeing right here, right now a Grilled Grandma—the weekly feature I've posted every Wednesday since introducing readers to Grilled Grandma Liz in October of 2009.

Grandmas are busy women. That became all the more crystal clear for me, a long-distance grandma who doesn't usually spend a lot of time with her grandsons, after my recent week hosting Bubby and Mac. Now I'm finding it hard to have a clear conscience about asking potential grillees to step away from their summer fun with the grandchildren to answer my questions.

So I'm not going to ask those questions anymore. At least not through the rest of the summer. It is officially summer break for the Grilled Grandmas.

That said, I do still have Grilled Grandma wit and wisdom to share. I may not do this every Wednesday in place of the Grilled Grandma feature, but at least this Wednesday—so no one suffers ill effects of going cold turkey—I'm sharing with you a small sampling of responses from the Grilled Grandmas to one of my favorite Grilled Grandma questions.

Here are those answers—with a few photos of Bubby and Mac interjected in between, simply because I took 6,726 (no joke!) during their visit and need to share those any chance I get, as well.

WHAT IS THE MOST CHALLENGING PART OF BEING A GRANDMA?

Remembering my place—I’m not their mom and need to respect my daughter in her role. —Robin

I can’t fit them all on my lap at one time. —Alice

For me it’s the feeling of competition to “keep up” with the other grandparents. It would be very easy for it to turn uncomfortably competitive. —Vicki

Knowing that when I visit them I will have to say goodbye. —Mary

I am concerned about the future—what kind of world we seem to be living in right now, with the economy and the politics of mean-spiritedness. Heck, I worry about those things TODAY, not just for the future. —Olga

The most challenging part is that four different sets of adult parents have very different ideas about child rearing. Trying to avoid stepping on toes is challenging for me. —Kimberly

The most challenging part for me is not giving in to their every command. For the “serious” things I stand strong. But for those little things that it really doesn’t matter, GG let’s them do/have it. —Jules

I was not a perfect parent. So when I see my children doing things I know are not perfect but will do no harm, I am quiet. I save my comments for safety issues and answers to their questions. I am older and I have seen too much, so I could be a huge black cloud. I really do not want to do that. It is a challenge, to say the least. —Barbara

Wanting to keep them from all the bad things yet knowing that it is an impossible task. —Janie

The most challenging part of being a grandma is remembering that your wonderful, caring child IS the parent. —Nita

Working full time and not being able to go to all of their activities. —Connie

The most challenging part for me is trying to divide my time and attention between my three young children and my grandson. I feel like I’m missing out on some of the “full grandmother” experience because I’m young and have little one of my own to care for. I don’t want my grandbaby to feel cheated out of “grandma time,” too. —Kelli

Realizing that I am not as young as I used to be...especially when I get down on the floor to play with them...and, it takes me quite a long time to get back up...as well as lots of moans and groans! —Laurie

Dealing with their parents! I don’t mean that in a bad way—it’s just that they all have their own parenting methods, and I have to remember about what that is for each family! —Angel

Balancing everything. I am also caring for elderly parents and there can be a lot of appointments, health needs, etc. at both ends of the age spectrum. —Kaye

The most challenging thing for me, is on holidays, or special occasions, showing grace and consideration for the exes and the extended family. —Linda

For me it is learning how to just let go and have fun and play. I am still learning how to do that. —Marlene

I haven't met a challenging part yet in being a grandma. —Terri

• To read more responses to this question as well as a plethora of other profundities from the experts in the grandparenting field—the grandmothers—click on over to the Grilled Grandma Archives. •

Today's question:

What is the the biggest challenge you face today in being a grandparent?

Introducing Grilled Grandma Kimberly

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 Kimberly.

How many children do you have? I have three children Adam is 31 and married to Courtney and currently deployed to Afghanistan. Not quite two years later brought a set of twins. Tim is married to Gwen and Raechel is married to Michael.

How many grandchildren? What are their ages? Conner (7), Lilli (5), Elsie Gray (3), Benjamin (20 mos), Gideon (14 mos), Maren (2mos). In addition, I am very close to a niece who has four, Oliver (7), Annabelle (5), Emmeline (4) and Everett(3). We lost my sister, her mom and their Granny, just a few months back. She had been very ill for a long time, so I consider my count at 10.

What do your grandchildren call you? Gramerly (Grandma Kimberly), Grandma and Kymbi.

After the initial elation, what was your first concern upon hearing you would soon be a grandmother? From the time I knew I would not be having anymore children, I looked forward to being a grandma. It was unusual circumstances. My son was at Basic Training when my first grandchild was born. I was a little unsure of how to be involved. It turned out my grandson contracted a rare bacterial infection that landed him in Intensive Care for 3 weeks. Scary incident, but great bonding for the families.

How often do you get to see your grandchildren? Thankfully, quite often. I have a Playdate once a week where they all come and play and play. In addition I'm close enough to go to games, plays and have them over frequently.

What is the best thing about being a grandma? The best thing is all the times I can say "Yes," to whatever they want to do.

What is the most challenging part of being a grandma? The most challenging part is that four different sets of adult parents have very different ideas about child rearing. Trying to avoid stepping on toes is challenging for me.

Describe a recent time that one (or more) of your grandchildren made you laugh out loud. Laughing goes on all Playdate long, because if one isn't up to something another one surely will be.
I suppose it is one of those, "you needed to be there" moments. I have bunnies that play outside in an enclosed fence. Gideon, the 13 month old loves to be in the pen with bunnies. He walks round and round patting bunny boy bottoms and squealing and telling those bunnies some fascinating stuff. Cracks me up.

What is your favorite thing to do with grandchildren who visit your house? Wow, that's hard to say, because I am ever searching for new and interesting things to do with them. I suppose showing them how to garden, where eggs come from, and how to care for Bluebirds, as we rebuild the population here in Indiana.

What is your favorite thing to do when visiting grandchildren at their house? I don't visit them as often as they visit me. I like to let them lead and just follow and obey.

How do you maintain the bond between yourself and your grandchildren between visits? My between visits are short, but I might send them a card or an e-mail, or call to check up on a little sick one.

What do you most want to pass along to your grandchildren? My faith, all there is to notice in the big, wide world, my love of a good book, good food and good times.

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

What is one thing you wish you had learned earlier as a grandparent? Trust isn't a given.

What one bit of advice would you give a new grandma? Be patient, and just love, love, love each moment you have.

Do you have a website or blog? What is it about? My website is Free Ranging Chickens and Grandchildren.Basically it is a picture journal of my life as a Christian, wife, Gramerly, teacher, Gardner and Chickie Girl farmer. I hope that some folks might see how easy it can be to do fun things with the wee folk in their lives.

This grilling will now be permanently placed in the Grilled Grandmas Hall of Fame—AKA the Grilled Grandma Archives—under Grilled Grandma: Kimberly.

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!

Reminders of Grandma

I like to ask my Grilled Grandmas to do things I can't do. Specifically, I like to ask them to provide answers that I myself am not capable of providing.

For instance, when grilling up a grandma, I always ask What do you most want to pass along to your grandchildren? The ever gracious grandmas give profound answers I envy, especially because when I ask myself the same thing, a concise answer evades me.

The Grilled Grandma question I've most recently pondered myself is What is one word you hope your grandkids think of when they think of you? The Grilled Grandmas have offered up some awesome words in the past years of me asking them that. But can I answer that myself? Heck no! One word? You gotta be joking, I told myself.

I can, though, think of a whole list of thingsI hope make Bubby and Mac think of me. Today I'd like to share that list with you—prefaced, though, by a brief disclaimer. As Bubby is older and we've known each other longer, most on the list are things I hope currently remind him of me, but they're things I hope will eventually do the same for Baby Mac. Maybe they already do.

Things I hope remind my grandkids of me

• Colorado—as well as mountains, snow, squirrels, Pikes Peak, and the North Pole

• hugs

• the click, click and flash of a camera

• homemade ice cream

• "You have mail!"

• Mary Poppins, Jungle Book, and Robots

• popcorn—confetti and otherwise

• Raffi

• airports and airplanes

• hot tubs

• Grandma bag

• playing pirates in the park

• "We Will Rock You" (aka the Rock Dog song)

• water balloons

• Muddy Buddies

• black dogs, pointer/pits, and cats

• movie theaters

• Multi-grain Cheerios and Chester's Cheese Puffcorn

Ultimately, though, the only thing that matters does come down to one simple word. That word is Gramma. It's the one word I most want to remind Bubby and Mac of me, the one word by which they know me, the one word that is uniquely me, only me. At least when it comes to only them.

Today's question:

What things do you hope remind your grandchildren or children of you?

What is a grandma?

My website stats show that folks often arrive at Grandma's Briefs by way of the search query, "What is a grandma?" As we grandmas darn well know, defining who and what we are isn't as simple as penning a few sentences similar to a dictionary entry.

That said, the Grilled Grandmas are experts in the field, so I figured combining their answers to the grilling question of "What one word do you hope your grandkids think of when they think of you?" would provide a pretty darn accurate answer of what a grandma is, or at least what one should strive to be.

So I did it. I went through all the Grilled Grandmas—from the very first to the one featured last week—collected their answers to that question, and input them into Wordle, using each word only one time (some, such as love, fun, and caring, were mentioned numerous times).

And here, my friends, is the result: The ultimate answer to the ever-burning question of ...

What is a grandma?

Bottom line? Looks to me like the best way to put it is that grandmas are just plain awesome!

Today's question:

What other words do you think should be added?

47 real names for real grandmothers

In the stats for Grandma's Briefs, I often see that folks arrive here via search engine queries such as grandma names, what to call grandma, nicknames for grandmas, modern names for grandmas and more.

Here to satisfy such searches are some of the names grandmothers really go by, as revealed by some real grandmas themselves—the Grilled Grandmas:

Grammy

Minna

Mamama

Gramma

Granny Angel (full disclosure: her name is Angel)

G-ma

G-Maw

GG (sometimes standing for Gorgeous Grandma; other times Great Grandma)

Nana

Wheemaw

Bubbe (the Yiddish word for grandma)

Nanny

Gammy

Nona (the Italian word for grandmother)

Grand-ma

Mee mee

Grammie

Grandmother

Gramski

Mema

Pajama Grama (she gets everyone jammies at Christmas)

Gwamma

Gramma <first name>

Gramma with the white hair

Mams

Mi-Ma

Nama

Grandma Muzzy

Granny

Gran

Nee

Savta (grandmother in Hebrew)

Maw Maw

Nina (which morphed from Nana)

Nandy

Baba

Nimmy

Real Grandma (versus those not-so real)

Grandma Cat (because she has a cat)

Oma

Mammy

Grannie

Nonni

Grammi (with an i)

Grandma

Grandma <first name>

And my very most favorite because it’s what Bubby and Baby Mac call me: Gramma!

Today's question:

What did/do you call your paternal and your maternal grandmothers?

A change for the better

Today I'm starting something new...with something old and tried and true. Wednesdays have always been Grilled Grandma day on Grandma's Briefs, and I've always introduced the week's Grilled Grandma here on the front page, then directed folks to read the entire grilling under the Grilled Grandma tab. Well, that's not how this will work anymore.

Thanks to a suggestion included in a generous and helpful critique of my blog by Melissa of Momcomm, I'll now post the entire Grilled Grandma of the week here on the front page, with an archive of them available under the Grilled Grandma Archive tab. The featured grandmas will be front and center—as they should be—with no more clicking from here to there and back again for readers and commenters.

So please read this week's Grilled Grandma feature...right here, right now. And if you're curious about other Grilled Grandmas, feel free to click on the Grilled Grandma Archive tab above. And if you'd like to nominate someone to be a Grilled Grandma (yourself or some other grandmother), simply e-mail me her name and e-mail address.

(For those of you wondering about New Word Wednesday, well, I was feeling kind of meh about that. But if you really want some new words, I'd be happy to recommend a good dictionary. Just ask.)

GRILLED GRANDMA: NANNETTE

How many children do you have? I have three children a daughter age 24 and two sons ages 21 and 14.

How many grandchildren? What are their ages? I have two granddaughters Sophia is four and Vivian is three. They are sisters.

Any great grandchildren? No not yet.

What do your grandchildren call you? They call me Nana. My name is Nannette and my mom named me after my great grandmother who was called Nanny. From the time I was little I thought my grandchildren would call me nanny. However it kept coming out Nana, so that is what I'm called now.

After the initial elation, what was your first concern upon hearing you would soon be a grandmother? I knew my daughter was pregnant before she told me, just a feeling like mother's intuition. I was scared for her, because she was still quite young at 20. But I also knew that she would be a good mother. I love babies so I was also excited.

How often do you get to see your grandchildren? Quite often. I watch them for my daughter while she works and whenever she has to be gone for the Army National Guard.

What is the best thing about being a grandma? Feeling all of the love that you felt for your own children without some of the angst.

What is the most challenging part of being a grandma? Carrying them around. My back isn't as strong as it used to be.

Describe a recent time that one (or more) of your grandchildren made you laugh out loud. I was on the phone with my husband and laying on my bed. It had been rainy all day so I was letting the girls run around and be loud when normally I make them be quieter in the house. Vivian hopped up on the bed and announced, "We are horsing around!"

What is your favorite thing to do with grandchildren who visit your house? Go pick out books at the library and read them for bedtime stories.

What is your favorite thing to do when visiting grandchildren at their house? Give them a bath in their giant walk-in bathtub.

How do you maintain the bond between yourself and your grandchildren between visits? This hasn't been a problem, because I see them every week and sometimes every weekday.

What do you most want to pass along to your grandchildren? I recently completed my maternal ancestry back eight generations from them. I want them to understand that they come from a long line of strong and beautiful women who live life to its fullest. I am the only living connection for them, since my mother passed away a few years ago and my grandmother is quite old and frail.

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? How to be both their grandmother and their daycare provider. I started out too lenient at times and had to reinforce the rules.

What one bit of advice would you give a new grandma? to take the time to truly play with and love your grandchildren, because it is one of the greatest joys in life.

Do you have a website or blog? What is the URL and what is it about? Stay at Home Grandma Blog. I blog about my experiences with my grandchildren, family, childcare, home, frugality, and wellness.

(This grilling can be found in the Grilled Grandma Archives under, fittingly, Grilled Grandma: Nannette.)

Sense and nonsense

Because my brain has been taxed far too much in the past week thanks to BlogHer '11 and doing my best to organize and utilize all I learned there, today I'm taking a break. I'm serving up nonsense, by way of today's New Word Wednesday.

And the word is ...

CODSWALLOP (KODZ wol uhp) noun nonsense; rubbish.

—Dictionary.com

In my dreams, I'm quite luculent and offer profundities beyond compare, but the reality is that what I serve up more often than not is heaping helpings of codswallop.

I've decided that going forward, instead of telling Jim now and then that he's full of <cuss>, er, baloney, I'll be telling him he's full of codswallop. Makes sense to me.

THIS WEEK'S GRILLED GRANDMA

For anyone who might think grandmas have little to offer and spend hours upon hours rocking away in a rocking chair, despairing that the best years of their lives have gone by—and that surely better not cannot be any regular visitors of Grandma's Briefs—one quick look at this week's Grilled Grandma should dispel that belief.

Lissa is the newest gorgeous, vibrant, and funny member of the Grilled Grandma club, and I hope you'll give her a warm welcome by way of comments on her grilling and clicks to her blog. You can start it all off right here at Grilled Grandma: Lissa. Be sure not to miss the shot of her with her four grown kids near the bottom of the grilling. The love between them in the photo is nearly palpable. So sweet!

Happy Wednesday, my grandma and non-grandma friends!

Today's question:

Provide one bit of truth and one bit of codswallop about yourself, leaving it up to those of us who read the comments to decide which is which.