Growing boys

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My grandsons continue to grow and mature in ways that continually astonish me. This past week, Megan provided proof of the rapid rate of growth for both Bubby and Mac.

Bubby — who is age 5, remember — made a to-do list of all he hopes to accomplish during his Christmas break from kindergarten:

child's to do list

Translation, per Megan...

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Grandma's secret revealed

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I told you not long ago about a group I belong to, a group that has a secret. Today I'll come clean, for I've finally been given permission to do so.

boy telling secret

That group I belong to — that one in which all members agreed we'd keep the secret a secret but I'm the only one who didn't tell a single soul — is my immediate family. We were all sworn to secrecy...

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What being a grandma looks like in my world

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Those of us with grandchildren all share the same title: grandparent. Though we share the title, what being a grandma or grandpa really looks like for each of us is, like the names our grandchildren call us, unique and crafted to fit our individual worlds.

Here is what being a grandma looks like in my world:

toddler in mom's bootsMac wears Mommy's boots.I'm known as Gramma to my only two grandchildren, Bubby, age 5, and Mac, age 2. One of the top defining traits of my grandma experience is...

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Grinchy delights for grandsons

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My grandsons had their first "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" viewing of the season the other day. 

The live-action version is a holiday favorite in their family, and oh, how it delighted them.

Grinch fans

The delight grew four times in size...

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Grandmas don't get breaks on speeding tickets, plus other lessons learned

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Four things I learned this week

gavelGrandmas don't get breaks on speeding tickets: A few weeks ago, as I raced out of town on my way to Denver for a film festival screening, I was pulled over by a motorcycle cop and given a ticket. I admit I was speeding, so I didn't cry in hopes of getting out of the ticket (as I probably should have, considering I've had a clean driving record since 1993). My ticket was $90 and a $15 filing fee; my court date was scheduled for this past week or I could pay the ticket by mail.

"Don't pay it by mail!" is the adamant advice from those who've been there, done that. "You gotta go to court. It'll reduce the charge!" So I went to court Wednesday. My ticket wasn't reduced. In fact, $25 more was added to the fees to cover court costs. I was not happy. I did cry this time... in the car... after paying the freakin' fee.

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Making mints and making memories

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Making mints and making memories

At Thanksgiving when my daughters were young, they enjoyed making cream cheese after-dinner mints as their contribution to the holiday meal. The recipe for the mints was super simple, super yummy, and a super tradition that makes me smile just thinking about it.

cream cheese dinner mints

A few years ago, when my eldest grandson, Bubby, was two years old — and my youngest grandson, Mac, was just an announcement emblazoned across his big brother’s T-shirt — Bubby and I made the cream cheese mints together.

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BBC-Dallas: A cute kids and conference quotes wrap up mashup

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I am a blogger. And I am a grandma. The role of blogger and the role of grandma are huge parts of who I am — though not all of who I am, by any means.

As a blogger, I can never have too many tips that help me succeed; as a grandma I can never have too many pictures of my grandsons that help me smile. Today I thought I'd meld the two: combine highlights of my recent Bloggy Boot Camp experience with highlighted photos I recently took of my grandsons.

Consider this a BBC-Dallas wrap up like no other — the ultimate cute kids and conference quotes wrap up mashup.

Bloggy Boot Camp: Brand Edition, which I attended free thanks to winning the conference prize package from The SITS Girls, was two days jam-packed with technical and inspirational information from successful women and men who've been there, done that in the digital world.

The technical stuff would require, well, attending a conference to get the full benefit. The inspirational stuff is a little easier to digest out of context, so that's what I share in this wrap up (with a wee bit o' tech thrown in just for you). Some are direct quotes, some are just nuggets of truth, all are surrounded by a few fave photos of Bubby and Mac taken during my visit to their world last month.

boys and iPad 

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