'GG and Mamela:' A conversation with author and grandma friend Belinda Brock

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Many Grandma's Briefs readers are likely familiar with Belinda Brock, fellow grandmother and blogger at Grandbooking. What many may not know is that Belinda recently wrote a children's book called GG and Mamela, which publishes April 15 and can be pre-ordered now through Amazon.com (that's not an affiliate link).

GG and Mamela by Belinda BrockAs the subject matter of Belinda's picture book will resonate with Grandma's Briefs readers, I requested an email interview with her about GG and Mamela, and she...

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You oughta be in pictures, kid

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You oughta be in pictures, kid

I take a lot of photos. Such a statement surely is no surprise to regular readers of Grandma's Briefs as I've shared thousands of them here since starting this site in July of 2009.

photo storage closet 

Those are the photos on my blog. Then there are those I have saved on my computer, a collection that's at least ten times what I've shared...

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Mosh-pit Mom, or, How Grandma's career got its start

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Mosh-pit Mom, or, How Grandma's career got its start

My writing career and where it's headed have been on my mind a lot lately.

So, too, has been where my writing career began.

mosh-pit mom

I've written and fantasized about being a writer for as long as I can remember. It wasn't until nearly 20 years ago, though, that I became...

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9 things I wish were still around

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9 things I wish were still around

I recently saw an advertisement for Jiffy Pop popcorn, and I thought to myself, THAT is something I need to pack in my grandma bag to share with my grandsons next time.

Considering their delight in watching air-popped popcorn pop — and attempting to sing the Too Pooped to Pop song while we watch — I imagine Bubby and Mac would get quite a thrill out of watching the Jiffy Pop foil top grow as kernels pop and puff up inside.

watching popcorn pop 

Jiffy Pop has been around forever, it seems...

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My husband's mistress, then and now

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When my husband and I first started dating, he had a mistress. Their relationship continued even once Jim and I were married. He simply could not give her up, and he definitely could not keep his hands off her.

child with guitar

She had no name — even way back then Jim and I felt the same regarding...

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Why heads butt in an empty nest

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Why heads butt in an empty nest

Much of the time that I worked at the local newspaper was spent in a small department. I was the special sections editor for several years and had, during the best of times, three staff writers who worked at desks nearby. (Plus a photographer and a couple shared designers, but their desks were elsewhere.)

raised hands

The great thing about our small department was that when one of us had a question regarding grammar or punctuation or AP Style, rather than look it up in...

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Saturday movie review: 'Enough Said'

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I love that movies in which characters face — and struggle with — an empty nest are becoming more and more popular of late. I've been there, know how difficult it can be. So such movies resonate deeply with me and make me more full appreciate that I've made it through the initial challenges of accepting the change and loss and embrace (for the most part) the opportunities and delights of this phase of life.

Enough Said

Which is why, even though I'm not a middle-aged divorcee in search of...

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Our first family computer, 1994

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Throw Back Thursday

It was 1994 — nearly 20 years ago — that Jim managed to land a used computer from work, one to bring home for the family to marvel over and use on a daily basis.

Andrea plays solitaire like a modern girl, Sept. 1994We felt so modern, so plugged in — literally plugged in, with a dial-up modem and all. And oh, the options! We had not only the ability to use 5-1/4-inch floppy disks, our high-tech hand-me-down featured the more up-to-date drive for the not-quite-as-floppy 3-1/2-inch disks, too.

At the start we could access only the public library. Even then, though — months before we signed up for Prodigy — the FTP access to more information than I ever imagined possible absolutely blew. my. mind.

No more Smith Corona word processor for me. I had a computer!

Today's question:

When did you get your first computer and what was your first Internet service?