Here and now: April 14, 2016

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What's happening in my world, here and now:

clock and book 

On my mind...

My taxes. Not because I need to do them, but because I just finished them. Filed them yesterday morning. My brain is still mulling over numbers, deductions, credits, and crap I really don't like to think about. Jim is the numbers person in our relationship; I'm more the words person. But because...

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Picture books for poetry month, plus GRAND Social No. 202 link party for grandparents

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Picture books for poetry month

April is National Poetry Month, and I had the pleasure of previewing some super picture books of poetry of various sorts from Candlewick Press.

Take a peek at the sweet, silly, and shark-filled fun you can share with your favorite poetry-lovers-to-be in my post titled April is National Poetry Month: Favorites new and newfangled for girls and boys.

One of my favorites (which you literature lovers will appreciate) is Shrunken Treasures: Literary Classics, Short, Sweet, and Silly by Scott Nash. Such fun, even grownups will chuckle, grin... and groan (appreciatively, of course).

shrunken treasures by scott nash 

Cheers to...

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The concussion discussion from a grandparent's perspective

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My Q&A with Being Brain Healthy author Ruth Curran

concussion movie posterWill Smith's film CONCUSSION, based on the true story of one brave doctor's unrelenting efforts to enlighten the NFL about the effects of continual trauma to the brains of football players, has opened the eyes of many to the dangers of America's favorite sport. Concussions affect far more than just football players, though, and the movie has also opened the door for many important discussions about the effects of brain injuries of all sorts, suffered by all ages, regardless of the cause.

I have long been concerned about concussions in my rambunctious, active, sports-loving grandsons, so I turned to Ruth Curran, author of Being Brain Healthy, to assuage some of the worries and concerns I have as a grandmother. See, grandparents, unless they're in a situation where they serve as primary caretaker for their grandchildren, have little say in the day-to-day care of their beloved grandkids, can't restrict certain sports or activities. That doesn't mean we have no concerns.

being brain healthy by ruth curranHere, Curran addresses my concussion...

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Spooky stories, plus GRAND Social No. 178 link party for grandparents

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Spooky stories

Sheesh! Can you believe Halloween is Saturday!? Time flies at such a scary speed!

Thankfully there's still time (admittedly little) to sit with a kiddo or two and enjoy scary Halloween tales together. Scary being relative, of course. I've shared a few sorta-scary ideas in the Back Room, some to read with a child in your lap, some for bigger kids to enjoy on their own:

halloween books for kids

Click on that graphic above to get the details on each of the festive tales from Candlewick Press I had the pleasure of reviewing over the weekend. I look forward to...

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'The Grandparent Economy:' Q&A with author Lori K. Bitter

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Most of us reading (or writing) Grandma's Briefs are grandparents. Which means most of us here know how much money grandparents spend on their grandchildren, their parents, their children and, when there's a smidgen left, on ourselves.

Interestingly, marketers don't seem to know how much we grandparents spend on ourselves and our loved ones. Or so it seems. Perhaps they do know—some brands clearly do—though they have yet to figure out how to effectively reach us with messages on the services and products we want to see, want to use, want to buy.

grandparent economy bookAuthor Lori K. Bitter lends them a hand in her new book on the topic, The Grandparent Economy: How Baby Boomers Are Bridging the Generation Gap ($34.95, Paramount Market Publishing), which I recently received free for review.

The 138-page primer on engaging the 65 million grandparents in the United States is a must-read for marketers. And, thanks to all the graphs and stats and tidbits Bitter provides on...

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Saturday movie review: Goosebumps

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'Tis the season for spooky stories, and there's no scarier tales—for kids, that is—than R.L. Stine's spookfest "Goosebumps" series. The GOOSEBUMPS film, starring Jack Black as Stine himself, celebrates the scary as well as monsters galore, all unleashed from the pages of Goosebumps manuscripts.

GOOSEBUMPS movie poster 

The action/adventure/comedy GOOSEBUMPS, which opened in theaters yesterday, tells the tale of a teen named Zach (Dylan Minnette), who...

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Here and now: October 15, 2015

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clock and book 

On my mind...

The extreme ups and downs of life. Last week, I set out on an amazing adventure on the sunrise coast of Michigan. The week before, my oldest daughter...

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'The 50 States': 50 surprising facts from an engaging, trivia-stuffed, oversized tome

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I've never been good at geography, not even United States geography. Those states beginning with vowels located in the center of the country trip me up every time.

I think part of my problem with geography not sticking in my brain is because it was never presented to me in a fun, memorable manner. A book I recently received free for review, though, is fun, is memorable, and is all about the 50 states—even those midwest ones that begin with I's and O's and are situated beneath and between two that begin with M.

The book is aptly titled The 50 States: Explore the U.S.A. with 50 fact-filled maps!, written and researched by Gabrielle Balkan and lavishly—and whimsically—illustrated by Sol Linero. This is the kind of book that encourages kids to learn and remember maps and more, the kind of book that makes a perfect family gift (and school report resource).

the 50 states 

In addition to colorful, informative front and back inside covers...

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Here and now: August 27, 2015

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clock and book 

On my mind...

Wondering how people without decent health insurance survive.

Reading...

Finished up The Mapmaker's Children last night. Starting Circling The Sun by Paula McLain tonight.

Watching...

Brianna's new puppy, Max, each day at lunch. The nine-week-old can't get through...

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Kids and cameras: 9 tips for beginner photogs, from National Geographic Kids

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Kids and cameras: 9 tips for beginner photogs, from National Geographic Kids

kids and cameras

As long as my grandsons have known me, I've had a camera in my hand more often than not. I may not be a pro, but taking photos is one of my favorite activities.

I like to think it's my penchant for taking pictures that encouraged my grandsons to enjoy using various cameras—from their kid camera to smartphones to my DSLR—for shooting shots around their place now and then. 

I'm pretty good about explaining to my grandsons the basics of using a camera, but as a true and untrained amateur photographer myself, I'm not the greatest at sharing with them sure-shot techniques for composition and more, in easy-to-understand snippets they'll understand and remember.

Enter National Geographic Kids book Guide To Photography by Nancy Honovich and National Geographic Photographer Annie Griffiths (which I...

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