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

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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...

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Here and now: April 23, 2015

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My life, here and now...

here and now 

On my mind...

Calming thoughts and uplifting songs that will (I hope) keep me calm and far from freakout mode when I undergo another MRI on my brain this morning. I swear, the more MRIs I...

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Musing elsewhere: 9 Personal Skills to Encourage in Grandchildren

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compassion: children with ladybug 

Want to enhance your grandchildren's lives in ways that last a lifetime? Well put away your wallet and encourage kids to develop personal skills rather than accumulate playthings.

Grandparents are uniquely qualified in three specific ways to best encourage skills that make a world of difference when it comes to a child's future success:

  • boomeon bloggerWe have unconditional love for our grandchildren.
  • We support and supplement the values instilled by our grandchildren's parents.
  • We often have fewer work demands and outside obligations than the parents, hence more relaxed, one-on-one time with the grandkids.

Use your time, talents, and unique experiences to help instill important personal skills in your grandchildren by encouraging them to be:

Compassionate. Visit zoos—from open-range to petting—and animal shelters to discuss humane practices in caring for animals. Compassion for humans can be...

Continue reading 9 Personal Skills to Encourage in Grandchildren on Boomeon.com...

Compassion and the boy I've failed to tell you about

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Not long after our youngest daughter had settled into the college life, Jim and I decided to add another youngster to the family. As females dominated our family for years (even our two cats were females), we decided to go with a little boy.

compassion child

So ten years ago, years before there were grandsons—heck, before we even had our first son-in-law—Jim and I adopted Erick. The

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3 easy ways to give a hand on #GivingTuesday

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Today is Giving Tuesday and as a social ambassador for the special campaign that encourages folks to simply give of oneself in any way — monetary or non monetary — I'm here to give you easy peasy ways to give a hand to the effort.

give a hand on giving tuesday

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10 non-monetary ways to give on #GivingTuesday

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The week ahead is pretty much lined up for us all. There's Thanksgiving on Thursday, then Black Friday followed by Cyber Monday. After that is Giving Tuesday. Other than Turkey Day, Giving Tuesday is the most important of the holiday week, in my mind. 

giving tuesday ideas

Giving Tuesday is... well... it's this...

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National Family Caregivers Month: Kudos and resources for those who care

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 This sponsored public service announcement on National Family Caregivers Month is in partnership with Midlife Boulevard.

National Family Caregivers Month

The Grandma's Briefs community is filled with compassionate souls who regularly care for loved ones in need, above and beyond the care and love they provide their immediate family. Just off the top of my head...

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Ice bucket fatigue no more

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ice cubes

I feel like a jerk admitting this, but I tired rather quickly of seeing video after video of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. I know it's a fabulous way to raise awareness of — and funds for — the horrific disease. I know that. Truly, I get that. But each time I saw yet another...

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Thank you, Mr. Marr

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Thank you, Mr. Marr

I was invited to participate in the #redThanks teacher tribute project with RedEnvelope.com wherein writers share stories on themes of mentorship, role models and/or teaching — stories of a "gift" deserving of a thankful tribute. This is my story, served up in a letter of thanks. This is not a sponsored post.

Dear Mr. Marr,

Bruce Marr, Woodland Park High SchoolIt's been more than three decades since I...

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