Grilled Grandma: Debbie

How many children do you have? Two. My daughter Krista is 30, and my son Tim is 26.

How many grandchildren? What are their ages? I have four grandkids, with one on the way. Krista has Sara, 4 1/2, Patrick, 3, and Becca, 1 1/2. Their baby brother, Zachary, is expected in July. Tim is the new father of Benson, born March 20.

Any great grandchildren? No.

What do your grandchildren call you? They call me “Googie,” a nickname invented by my mother when Sara was born.

After the initial elation, what was your first concern upon hearing you would soon be a grandmother? With Krista’s family located first two, and now three, hours away, I was worried that I might not get to be as close to my grandkids as my own children were to their two sets of grandparents.

How often do you get to see your grandchildren? I see Sara, Patrick, and Becca for multiple days about twice a month. Benson lives in my town, so I get to see him more often. I am looking forward to helping care for him next fall when his mama goes back to her teaching job.

What is the best thing about being a grandma? I like the fact that I can enjoy my time with them without other responsibilities. I am retired, so I don’t have to juggle job duties anymore. And I can always clean the house when they go home.

What is the most challenging part of being a grandma? Mastering the fine art of saying good-bye.

Describe a recent time that one (or more) of your grandchildren made you laugh out loud. Patrick loves to act out scenes from stories and movies. He is hilarious as a dog thief from 101 Dalmatians. He has been playing the part of Jasper since he was two, and his facial expressions and British accent make me laugh out loud every time.

What is your favorite thing to do with grandchildren who visit your house? I love to rock them and sing. We have a vast repertoire that includes kid songs, church songs, folk songs, country-western songs, and rock songs from the ‘60s and ‘70s.

What is your favorite thing to do when visiting grandchildren at their house? I always try to take a new book or two when I go to visit. We make a huge dog pile on the couch and read. They also like to show me the books they picked out at the library.

How do you maintain the bond between yourself and your grandchildren between visits? We have always kept in touch by phone, but several months ago we started Skyping. That is a wonderful way to see them and hear their voices when the days between visits stretch out a little too long. They always want me to read them a story while we are on Skype.

What do you most want to pass along to your grandchildren? The sense that they are a vital and much-loved part of our extended family, and a historical record of what their childhood was like through my eyes. That’s why I blog and use my digital camera to take lots of pictures and videos.

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

What is one thing you wish you had learned earlier as a grandparent? I wish I had known earlier how much the kids would like PEZ.

What one bit of advice would you give a new grandma? Hit the garage sales for toys, books, and furnishings. You can set your house up as a kid-friendly place for little or nothing that way. Try to buy things that store easily, and, unless you have a whole lot of space, shy away from the really huge, space-consuming playthings.

Do you have a website or blog? What is it about? I began my blog, “Googie’s Attic,” in March, 2011. In it, I record and explore my perspectives on the experiences I am blessed to share with the kids in a way that I hope is insightful and entertaining. You can find it at http://googiesattic.blogspot.com.

Grilled Grandma: Nancy

How many children do you have?  3

How many grandchildren? What are their ages? 8 grandchildren; ages; 15, 15, 12, 11, 11, 11, 3 and 1. Yes, we have triplets, what a grand experience!

Any great grandchildren? no

What do your grandchildren call you? Nanny

After the initial elation, what was your first concern upon hearing you would soon be a grandmother? My initial elation at the sound of the word “Grandmother” was shock and, “holy cow am I that old?” Then total excitement and involvement in helping my daughter prepare for that first child. My concern was how would I relate to the child and what would I do? What kind of grandmother do I want to be? Answer fun and a teacher. Also, what would it be like to be that second woman in the child’s life and not the closest woman, the mom?

How often do you get to see your grandchildren? We live in the same community as all our grandchildren so we are fortunate to be able to watch them in all their various activities, at school, church or sporting events. Some of them are involved in acting and dance as well.

What is the best thing about being a grandma? The best thing happened just last night, we arrived at one of their homes when the door banged open and a little guy came running and jumping toward my arms. I’m just glad I can still lift him! Got a big long hug and the opportunity to tell him I love him. Another ‘best thing’ is to have a 15 year old ask if I want to help her with something, like redecorating her room or work on a sewing project. I’ve had the opportunity to teach some of them to sew.

What is the most challenging part of being a grandma? That would be in those times when I know they are struggling with something and being in the role of praying and thinking but not really involved in what is going on. Thankfully they have good parents.

What is your favorite thing to do with grandchildren who visit your house? Eat ice cream. ... should I say more?!  Ok, I do like to pass along something that I know that perhaps their parents don’t, such as a skill or interest.

What is your favorite thing to do when visiting grandchildren at their house? The best thing is to find a time and place to just chat, time with them equals value and listening to them equates putting value on them as a person. Honestly I think this is so important, just to hear them and let them talk.

How do you maintain the bond between yourself and your grandchildren between visits? That’s a challenge isn’t it? They are busy little people. I do hope they know that I’m interested in all they do and who they are.

What do you most want to pass along to your grandchildren? The one most important truth I desire to pass along is faith in God, without a doubt the single biggest desire I have is that the children will know their grandmother had a real, honest relationship with her heavenly Father.

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

What is one thing you wish you had learned earlier as a grandparent? Time alone with them is highly important.. the communication and activities change when the parents are around. Grandma can not be a silly, for one thing.

What one bit of advice would you give a new grandma? Relax, have fun with them. Let them know you’ll always be honest with them and they can trust you.

Do you have a website or blog? What is it about?Sideline Grandma is about me following the kids in their activities but it’s about my life as well, whatever I’m doing or thinking about whether food or travels or our cottage life.

Grilled Grandma: Kayann

How many children do you have? I have three children - a son Patrick and a daughter Becky who both live near Portland, Oregon. I lost my son David on September 11 at the Pentagon.

How many grandchildren? What are their ages? Six grandchildren: Sophie 15, Meredith 12, and Dave, Jr. 10, who are my son David’s children. Patrick 10 and Abby 4 are my daughter Becky’s, and William 7 is the son of David’s wife and her husband.

Any great grandchildren? Not for awhile I hope!

What do your grandchildren call you? Sophie, Meredith, Dave, Jr. and William, who live in Belgium (soon to be returning to the states) call me Grandma in St. Louis (grandma for short). Patrick and Abby call me Grandma K.

After the initial elation, what was your first concern upon hearing you would soon be a grandmother? I don’t remember having any concerns when I first learned of becoming a grandmother - I was too excited to worry. When Dave, Jr. was born (seven months after 9/11), it was heartbreaking to know he would never know his dad. He looks so much like him and his personality is so similar.

How often do you get to see your grandchildren? I see them at least twice a year. I hope to retire and change that soon.

What is the best thing about being a grandma? My favorite part of being a grandma is the special relationship I have with each of them. They know when they call me to talk about things that interest or excite them that I will listen to every word until they are tired of talking. It makes them feel special and me too.

What is the most challenging part of being a grandma? For me, it’s the distance between us. Also, as I get older, it’s getting harder and harder to play soccer with them!

Describe a recent time that one (or more) of your grandchildren made you laugh out loud. My grandkids have made me laugh out loud so many times it’s hard to pick one. Dave, Jr. and family have been living in Brussels for the past three years. On one visit, he and I were watching a program on French TV. We didn’t understand the French, so we made up our own dialog for the show in English. We both laughed so hard we cried. Little Abby in her pink tutu and red bike helmet with dress-up sparkly plastic heels always makes me smile.

What is your favorite thing to do with grandchildren who visit your house? They don’t get a chance to visit often, but when they do we enjoy the many attractions for kids in St. Louis (one of the best zoos in the country). The teen and tween girls love to shop. We all enjoy sitting around and eating, talking, and playing games too. We also like to look through my photo albums.

What is your favorite thing to do when visiting grandchildren at their house? I particularly enjoy spending one-on-one time with the kids when I visit. Patrick and I walk to a park with a stream and look for frogs and lizards. He loves to grow things, so, depending on the season, we walk to a nearby nursery and buy flowers to plant. When he’s at school I play store and beauty salon and read books with his little sister.

How do you maintain the bond between yourself and your grandchildren between visits? I stay in touch by phone, Skype, email and snail mail. I make sure that I keep up with their ever-changing interests and passions and learn about them so we can talk. I send them articles and stories about things that interest them. I make sure that the birthday and holiday gifts I send are on their wish lists. Sometimes I send them surprises.  Actually, I am so passionate about maintaining the bond between my grandkids and I, I wrote a book about long distance grandparenting.

What do you most want to pass along to your grandchildren? I would like them to know about their family and where they came from, and to realize how important family is. I want my son David’s children to know who he was and how each of them resemble him in their own way. His wife is great and carries on traditions from before and keeps his pictures around the house.

What is one word you hope your grandkids think of when they think of you? I’ll cheat and write two words: Love and Fun.

What is one thing you wish you had learned earlier as a grandparent? To accept what can’t be changed.

What one bit of advice would you give a new grandma? I would advise her to start out early on the right foot with her grandbaby’s parents. Be someone they enjoy having around and respect their wishes and rules. Forming a strong and lasting bond with grandkids is so much more pleasant and easier when there is peace in the family.

Do you have a website or blog? What is it about? I have a blog at http://longdistancegrandparenting.wordpress.com. It’s all about the rewards and challenges of grandparenting from afar. There is information about and excerpts from my book “Love Across the Miles: How to Stay Close to Long Distance Grandchildren” available now on the Amazon Kindle and soon on other e-readers. I would love to share ideas and experiences with other long distance grandmas!

Grilled Grandma: Connie

How many children do you have? We have 5, his and mine, 3 daughters and 2 sons.

How many grandchildren? What are their ages? There are 9 grand kids, and 4 surrogate grand kids.  The oldest girl just turned 6 this last weekend. After her there is a 5 yr old, 4yr old, 4 that are 3 yr olds, 2 yr old, 18 month, twins that are 16 months old, 14 month, and Itty Bitty is 11 months.

Any great grandchildren? Ha! Won’t that be something when they start coming!

What do your grandchildren call you? Grandma or Gramma

After the initial elation, what was your first concern upon hearing you would soon be a grandmother? I wanted to help decorate the nursery in the worse way I was afraid I wouldn’t be asked to help! After my daughter in law decided on a design I painted the walls and added a painted border that matched the toile she picked out for the bedding. I have painted several of the kids’ rooms with murals.

How often do you get to see your grandchildren? Some of them several times a week, most at least once a week. They all live here in the valley.

What is the best thing about being a grandma? Mostly that I can be involved in my grandkids lives as much as I want and can manage to be. I have more wisdom and patience this time around, and I hope to be an influence and soft place to land should they need me.

What is the most challenging part of being a grandma? Energy! And time, and sleep! Sometimes it take a moment to remember what their name is when I want to call them!  And remembering that I want each moment to count in the middle of all the diaper changes and cleaning up messes. I have so much I want to give them if I can. I spend about 30 hrs a week with them, not counting weekend nights or family gatherings. I have had to make a lot of personal sacrifices like my social life, (which is non-existent at this point, who has the energy?) and my hobbies (which are now making gifts for the kids) to spend this time my grand kids. They grow up so fast; I know I won’t be sorry down the road.

Describe a recent time that one (or more) of your grandchildren made you laugh out loud. Wow, I’m laughing at something all the time! I gave the kids packets of ‘lollipop seeds’ for Easter. The oldest was surprised that you could buy lollipop seeds, the 5 year old remarked after finding that the lollipops grew over night that she had planted, that it was strange they grew with the paper already on them! At the Easter program at church one noticed that Jesus (who was speaking in Hebrew on a movie clip) wasn’t speaking English. She said to her mom, “you mean I’ve been praying to Him all this time in English when He speaks Spanish?!”

What is your favorite thing to do with grandchildren who visit your house? There are many things, mostly crafting I guess would be my answer. When I have the energy to do the cleaning up, we bake bread. I’m also teaching them to sew. Sometimes we sit in a circle and do what I call what’s your story? I will start off with a sentence like, A little frog hopped on a Lilly pad for a look around the pond; then I look to the kid on my right and it’s their job to add to that, and around the circle we go. We have some pretty silly times doing that!

What is your favorite thing to do when visiting grandchildren at their house? I love to see them interacting with each other and playing with their toys. I always go into their rooms and sit on the bed and ask them questions about their things.

How do you maintain the bond between yourself and your grandchildren between visits? Well since I see them so often that’s not really an issue! Just between us, I have declared Fridays as a no grandkids day unless it’s an emergency! I have to have a break once in a while and get my housework done.

What do you most want to pass along to your grandchildren? We have a family heritage and history of loving God and His ways in our family. I hope that our tradition will be carried on to future generations.

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

What is one thing you wish you had learned earlier as a grandparent? Wow I’ve been so busy being one I’m not sure what that would be!

What one bit of advice would you give a new grandma? I have worked hard at establishing a good relationship with my daughter and son in laws. This has laid the foundation for the wonderful freedom I now enjoy to encourage, instruct, and discipline my grand kids without having to tip toe around and wonder if I’m going to hear about something I did or said. Establish rules for your home when the kids are visiting, but make sure you are not crossing parental boundaries ever! Rules are simple at my house: food and drink stay in the kitchen. Babies on bottles are held while drinking their bottles so I don’t have drips on floor and furniture. Can you imagine what my house would look like if they all ran around snacking everywhere?!  My craft room is off limits and kids enter only when invited and with grandma. (This is for safety reasons mostly.) My bedroom and bathroom are not for playing in. We are nice and loving to each other ALL the time! Nothing will get you in time out faster than being mean to someone.

Do you have a website or blog? What is it about? I do have a blog thank you very much! It is http://www.familyhomeandlife.com. It is pretty much about my time with the grand kids, crafts with the grandkids, and things I make for the grandkids. But I throw other things on there too.

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? 4 wonderful sons!

How many grandchildren? What are their ages? I have 7 wigglies – that’s my name for them I use in my blogs, radio and such.

From Son #1 – 3 = Austin 11, Braiden 8 and Colten 4.

From Son #2 - 2 = Clayton 9, and Callie is 7.

Son #3 is still single.

Son #4 – 2 – Hailie – 7 (she is my bonus wiggliette brought in with her mama when they were married 3 years ago) – and Rylen is 15 months.

So I have 5 grandsons and 2 granddaughters.

Any great grandchildren? Nope

What do your grandchildren call you? It has changed – it used to be Gramie but now most of the time it is Grama

After the initial elation, what was your first concern upon hearing you would soon be a grandmother? What their world would be like. Would they be safe? Would they grow up knowing and loving Jesus? Their future in general I think.

How often do you get to see your grandchildren? I am blessed to see them daily if I choose. Son #2 and #4 live on the farm with us and Son #1 lives 3 miles away. I rarely go more than 2 days without loving on them.

What is the best thing about being a grandma? Making memories, celebrating the ordinaries with them and sowing the Gospel into their lives.

What is the most challenging part of being a grandma? Trying to not overstep my boundaries. Giving advice only when asked.

Describe a recent time that one (or more) of your grandchildren made you laugh out loud. The latest is from wigglie #3. Little league is starting up again. He wanted to be on a team call the Tigers – badly – really, really badly. He came home and could hardly stay in his skin. He told his mom his team was the Tigers!!!! Grinning like crazy. Mom figured this was a good learning situation. So, Mom asked “Did you pray for favor to get on that team? Do you think God did that for you?” He shook his head yes and then added “Either that or I was really lucky.”

What is your favorite thing to do with grandchildren who visit your house? We bake cookies, read and have a craft cupboard that we explore.

What is your favorite thing to do when visiting grandchildren at their house? Check out their “stuff”. Their rooms and etc. Because we live so close and I see them frequently I think we have a little different relationship. It’s not like I go to their house just to visit – I drop in all the time, we work together on the farm, summertime Grama’s house is the go-to house with the pool. The fridge is always full of drinks and freezer has Grama’s cookies in abundance. We also have Sunday dinners here most Sundays – I am blessed beyond limits.

How do you maintain the bond between yourself and your grandchildren between visits? It’s funny – even though we see each other we do “facetime” and message on mom and dad’s phone – but there really isn’t much in between time for us.

What do you most want to pass along to your grandchildren? The love of family. The love of Jesus. Appreciating the ordinary blessings God gives us daily. To live out loud. To love hard and strong and never leave things unsaid. To be grateful and loving. You can not tell someone how much you love them and appreciate them too much.

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

What is one thing you wish you had learned earlier as a grandparent? I can’t really think of anything – other than to appreciate more.

What one bit of advice would you give a new grandma? You can’t go back and do it over again. Take and make time to spend with your wigglies. We have such an amazing opportunity to teach them. There may come a time that they need advice and won’t want to go to mom or dad. If we can build a great connection with them, hopefully they will come to us and that will give us the opportunity to point them to Jesus in all situations.

Do you have a website or blog? What is it about?www.randomramblingsof.com = blog about farm life, family, randomness.

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!