March 22, 2017

Grilled Grandma wisdom: Leaving a legacy

March 22, 2017/ Lisa Carpenter

Grandmothers strive to be a positive force in their families, make a difference in the lives of their loved ones in the (relatively little) time we have to spend with them here on earth.

Grandmothers also, perhaps even more so, hope to make a difference in the loved ones themselves — their character, personality, person — a legacy that lives on long after Grandma's gone.

I always ask Grilled Grandmas What do you most want to pass along to your grandchildren? Following are some of their answers.

grandma legacy

Respect for all things, creatures and people, a love of learning, and a sense of adventure. — Gail

I want most to teach them that life is change; that change is not...

April 07, 2016

2016 Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop: 13 things I loved plus a few me-loved-nots

April 07, 2016/ Lisa Carpenter

Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop 2016 recap

I've long dreamed of attending the Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop presented by the University of Dayton every two years. The revered place writers of various formats — books, blogs, screenplays and more — gather to glean insider tips and load up on laughter and love from folks in their field. Attendance is capped at 200 each year, and I've never made the cut at registration... nor, to be honest, had the money for travel and hotel if I had.

This year, though, I clicked the Register button in time to obtain a coveted Golden Ticket for the event that sold out in six hours, and I eeked out the funds to make attendance at my dream conference a reality.

Unlike many dreams that eventually come true yet pale in comparison to one's expectations, the Erma...

January 20, 2016

9 people you'll meet as a grandparent

January 20, 2016/ Lisa Carpenter

people grandparents meet

NINE
Co-grandparents. Otherwise known as the in-laws, or the other grandparents. These folks are now your partners for life in this grand gig called grandparenting. Partners in loving your grandchildren as only grandparents can. Hold them close. Have their back and they'll...

November 11, 2015

What is Veterans Day?

November 11, 2015/ Lisa Carpenter

In gratitude to and celebration of the men and women who have served and continue to serve our country.

"The life we live today has been shaped by the veterans."

Thank you!

God bless the veterans, and God bless America!

October 14, 2015

Fearless at 50: AARP spotlights feisty female skateboarders over fifty

October 14, 2015/ Lisa Carpenter

skateboard moms

The older I get, the more I consciously strive to engage in experiences that scare me a bit. Just this past weekend, in fact, I climbed to the very top of five lighthouses in Michigan in the face of fears my MS would keep me from going all the way to the light—and back down again—without fumbling, stumbling and falling flat on my face or fanny.

Also over the weekend, I took an aerial flight in an itsy...

September 28, 2015

A Brave Heart, plus GRAND Social No. 174 link party for grandparents

September 28, 2015/ Lisa Carpenter

A Brave Heart

A Brave Heart film

My husband and I watched an incredible documentary yesterday called A BRAVE HEART: THE LIZZIE VELASQUEZ STORY, courtesy a free, no-obligation screener from the filmmakers. It's the amazing, heartbreaking, inspiring...

September 23, 2015

Love, Grandma: 6 tips on writing memorable messages for grandchildren

September 23, 2015/ Lisa Carpenter

Putting words on paper—or pixel, as the case may be in high-tech communications—can be difficult at times. Especially at the times that matter most, those milestone moments we want our sentiments to perfectly convey what's in our hearts and be cherished forever by loved ones.

what to write to grandchild

I often get email requests from grandparents to help them write the right words in greeting cards, letters, baby books and...

July 25, 2015

Saturday movie review: Big Eyes

July 25, 2015/ Lisa Carpenter

Every baby boomer alive has likely seen—perhaps loved, maybe even owned—the paintings of big-eyed waifs by the artist Keane. I was always intrigued (and, yes, moved) by the bizarre pieces, but I never knew the story of the artist, the true artist.

Big Eyes movie