The next Grilled Grandma

This week's grilled grandma is a real grandma -- and she has the license plate to prove it. What makes her real? Just ask her grandchildren and they'll gladly tell you.

In addition to a certified license plate, real grandmas have a special song sung about them. Grandma Anita's special song goes like this:

Grandma loves me this I know
for she always tells me so
I am hers and she is mine
Grandma loves me all the time

Yes, Grandma loves me
Yes, Grandma loves me
Yes, Grandma loves me
She always tells me so

Read about all the things that make Grandma Anita a real grandma -- or at least a real loved grandma -- right here.

And if you've got a real grandma to grill, click here to send me her first name and e-mail address so I can add her to the schedule.

Today's question: 

If you were to have a personalized license plate, what would it say?

My answer: EYE1IT (I won it ... on a fancy schmancy vehicle I'll win from PCH -- or at least use the PCH funds to purchase.)

The next Grilled Grandma

It's funny how doing this Grilled Grandma feature introduces me (and you!) to grandmas with similar names. I can understand having multiple Ninas and Lisas and such, but having double Grandma Cats was something I never expected. Awhile back, I featured Grandma Kat; this week I feature Grandma Cat.

Like the former grandma with a similar name, this Grandma Cat is one of the lucky ones: She gets to see her grandchildren every single week. I envy that more than I can put into words.

So what does Grandma Cat (aka Jeannie) do with her little ones when they get together? "Just play. We play lots of things, blocks, dolls, chalk, picnics in the livingroom, walking the dog, reading. I love it all."

Read all about Jeannie and how she became known as  Grandma Cat HERE.

And if you know of a grandma you'd like to see grilled, be sure to let me know HERE.

Today's (totally unrelated) question:

Do you have a tattoo? If yes, what and where? If no, what and where would/have you considered?

My answer: I don't have a tattoo, but I've considered getting a thin ankle bracelet.

The next Grilled Grandma

This week's Grilled Grandma, Susan, spends more time thinking about grandparenting duties than any grandma I know. That's because she's the About.com Guide to Grandparents and seriously works that role, dispensing all things "grandparent" to the many followers of the site.

As busy as she is, I'm sincerely grateful Susan took the time for a grilling. For one thing, her responses introduced me to something all grandmas should know about: Bananagrams. What are Bananagrams? I had the same question when she mentioned it as one of the things she likes to do with her grandkids. So I googled it and THIS is what I found. I so cannot wait until Bubby can Bananagram with me!

On a more serious note, Susan touched my heart with her wish for what she hopes to pass down to her grandchildren: "I want my grandchildren to be generous souls who care about others, who are open-minded, who stand up against bigotry and demagoguery and greed." The words of a truly kind and wise grandma.

Read about banangrams and more in Susan's grilling, which you'll find right HERE.

Today's question:

What is your favorite fruit ... excluding Bananagrams?

My answer: Raspberries -- on their own, in jam, mixed in a fruit salad, topping sweet cream ice cream from Cold Stone Creamery! Mmmmm....!

The next Grilled Grandma

No, this is not an early April Fool's Day prank. This here is Charli. She's a stand-in for the grandchildren of this week's Grilled Grandma, Carol.

Charli is the star of Carol's blog, Charli and Me. It's a great blog, you'll want to check it out (and see Charli in her Easter bonnet and such). But what I think is especially great about Carol's blog is that it's just one of the ways this GREAT-grandma deftly uses technology to stay in touch with her loved ones. In addition to her blog, Carol uses e-mail, she texts, and she's on Facebook.

"I love Facebook because I can send messages that don’t appear on the home or profile page," she says. "When you’re a teenager it isn’t very cool to have your grandmother telling you she loves you all the time on the same page that your friends are viewing :>) "

I love that!

Read all about Carol and her love for her grandkids ... and great-grandkids ... right HERE.

If you know of a grandma ripe for grilling, you can send me her first name and e-mail address right HERE.

Today's question:

If you could have only ONE Internet goodie -- e-mail, Facebook, the web in general (but no FB), webcams -- what would you choose to keep?

My answer: I'd keep the web in general so I could keep Grandma's Briefs.

The next Grilled Grandma

This week we have our first Grilled Grandma from across the pond. Linds hails from middle England yet she exemplifies that grandmas are grandmas, no matter where they call home. (Although I do love her very unAmerican use of the word "Mum" instead of "Mom"!)

Linds offers up the most interesting grandma name I've heard yet. When asked what her grandchildren call her, she has this sweetness to impart:

"I will be Moregranny. My daughter-in-law’s Mum is Granny, you see, and I had a Moregranny when I was a child, and love the name. When I was 2, my paternal grandmother moved to the city where we lived, and my mother explained that I had another Granny, and as a toddler, I apparently looked at her and said “More Granny?” And the name stuck. Everyone called her Moregranny till the day she died, and she had a special place in my heart, so being Moregranny will be delightful."

So heartwarming and so special! I love that!

Find out more about Moregranny, er, Linds by reading her grilling right here.

Then consider the grandmas in your life, and send me the first names and e-mail addresses of one and all you think might be up for a grilling themselves -- even if that grandma is you!

Today's question:

What accent or language do you find most interesting? Can you speak a foreign language?

My answer: I love British accents. I can't speak any other language -- unless pig latin counts. (Although I can count to ten in Spanish, to five in German, and know a couple of colors in Spanish.)

The next Grilled Grandma

This week's Grilled Grandma shares the name of the grandma I grilled just two weeks ago: Cherylann (although the first one went by Cheryl Ann).

I thought it was kind of interesting that I came to know two grandmas with that name in such a short period of time -- especially considering that I'd never before met anyone named Cheryl Ann ... or Cherylann ... before.

Incidentally, I recently read a post on Susan's Grandparents Blog (Susan being the About.com Guide to Grandparents and a regular Grandma's Briefs reader) about a feature on the Social Security Administration's website that allows curious minds to research Popular Baby Names. So, being of a curious mind and all, I typed the name Cheryl into the nifty search engine and found that it was among the top 20 baby names from 1955 to 1961 -- prime years for today's crop of grandmas!

I'm honored two of those Cheryls have graced the Grilled Grandmas page and am happy to introduce you to the latest. You can meet this week's Cherylann right HERE.

If your name is Cheryl and you'd like to be featured as a Grilled Grandma -- or if you have a name of a different sort and want to be a Grilled Grandma -- be sure to contact me with your first name (Cheryl or not) and your e-mail address and I'll add you to the schedule of upcoming grillings.

Today's question:

How do you feel about your name?

My answer: I've always liked my name, especially because the E on the end of my middle name (Anne) made me just a little bit different -- even though I've always been one among many Lisas in the room, as a child and as an adult. That covers my first and middle name. My maiden name, I was happy to be rid of because no one could ever pronounce it correctly and it led to me being nicknamed "Aquawoman" in elementary school. (Dummy classmates had no idea I couldn't swim, which made the nickname all the more moronic.)

The next Grilled Grandma

As I formatted this week's Grilled Grandma, one word kept coming to mind: a lot. (Well, that's technically two words.) Grilled Grandma Donna has a lot of kids, a lot of grandkids, a lot of energy and chutzpah (she's a true motorcycle mama), and clearly a lot of love as it just oozes from her answers and the photos she's shared.

She also has a lot of wisdom, evidenced by the great answers she gave to my grilling. One of the biggies was her response to my question of what she finds most challenging about being a grandma. Donna said, "For me it’s worrying about them growing up in this day and age. Growing up in the 50’s was a pretty good time, I wouldn’t want to be a kid now and have to deal with the information overload and peer pressure they have."

I think that's something all grandmas worry about but because most of those I've grilled so far (and myself) have fairly young grandchildren, it's not yet been voiced. It's refreshing to see that shared worry put into words.

I've never met Donna in person, but if I did, I'd want to just give her a great big hug. She warms my heart ... a lot. I think she'll do the same for you, too. Check out her grilling HERE, then be sure to visit her websites. She's an interesting woman with a lot to share. (Yep, there's that word again.)

If you or someone you know may be up for a grilling, be sure to send me a first name and e-mail address and I'll get right on it.

Today's question:

What do you think is the most positive difference between what kids now experience compared to the formative years many of us experienced decades ago?

My answer: I think there's more knowledge of and acceptance of (I hope) different races, cultures, religions, etc. We were much more sheltered and ignorant of those realities years ago. Being aware of and accepting of such differences makes for better kids, a better world. (And yeah, there's still much, much room for improvement in terms of acceptance.)

The next Grilled Grandma

Cheryl Ann is our next grandma up for a grilling, and I'm quite impressed by this woman's ability to juggle. It's not balls or bottles or chainsaws or whatever folks typically choose to juggle that Cheryl Ann juggles; it's her time with five horses, four cats, two dogs, eight blogs (yes, EIGHT blogs!) and one precious grandbaby.

In addition to all that juggling, Cheryl Ann also provides yet another super-original answer to my question of "What is one word you hope your grandkids think of when they think of you?" Her answer: "HORSES!" Her hope will be answered, I'm sure, once her grandson spends just a smidgen of time with the impressive rescue horses, geldings and more that Cheryl Ann takes care of. (I don't know horse lingo, so that's as good as you'll get from me. Sorry! Just take a look at the beauties on her blog and you may be speechless, too!)

Take some time to get to know Cheryl Ann by reading her grilling HERE. And do leave her a little comment love, if you have time.

Administrative note: If you've been a Grilled Grandma in the past and didn't get the snazzy new badge I created for Grilled Grandmas (you can see it on the Grilled Grandmas page), let me know and I'll send you the code to create a badge for your blog that links directly to your grilling.

Of course if you've NOT been grilled and want a badge for yourself, offer yourself up for a grilling and a badge is yours once the grilling is complete. Simply contact me to get the ball rolling.

Today's question:

If you could own any animal, what would you like to have? (Cost/space/feeding logistics aren't a consideration.)

My answer: I think it'd be kind of cool to own a giraffe. They're so odd yet seem so mellow and content. Plus, Bubby and all the grandkids to come could spend hours feeding her crackers and giggling about her long, long tongue. (Yes, it would have to be a girl ... just because.)