March 21, 2015

Saturday movie review: Cake

March 21, 2015/ Lisa Carpenter

Five minutes into CAKE, I asked my husband, who was watching along with me, if watching it was going to give him nightmares. Jim chuckled and said, "I was wondering the same thing."

We had the exchange not because CAKE is a scary movie and my husband is a chicken, but because CAKE is about chronic pain and my husband has suffered from such for more than a decade. He managed to watch it all the way through, though, with nary a nightmare that night.

Cake movie

CAKE, starring Jennifer Aniston in a dark, powerful role, is about...

March 11, 2015

Last resort for a long-distance grandma

March 11, 2015/ Lisa Carpenter

grandsons

I can usually go about two months without seeing my grandsons before the loneliness takes hold.

I didn't make it two months this time.

I last saw my grandsons...

February 24, 2015

When grandchildren move away: 10 things to send with them

February 24, 2015/ Lisa Carpenter

Sometimes, regardless of how much we wish things could be different, grandchildren and their parents move away from Grandma and Grandpa. Perhaps there's a better financial situation for Mom or Dad farther away, or maybe it's a marital split that results in beloved grandbabies being relocated farther from grandparents than ever before.

I have always been a long-distance grandma—my grandsons have never lived near me. So I can only imagine how heartbreaking it must be to learn grandchildren who lived nearby will soon live miles and miles away. Such a transition is surely hurtful not only for the grandparents, but for the grandchildren, too.

when grandchildren move away

As a longtime long-distance grandma, though, I do know there...

February 18, 2015

Feels like the first time: The joy of snow

February 18, 2015/ Lisa Carpenter

Many Grandma's Briefs readers are experiencing snow fatigue like never before. This one's for you, my frozen friends.

babies and snow

Though I can't make the snow disappear, my hope is that this...

February 05, 2015

Musing elsewhere: When a teen mom hits midlife

February 05, 2015/ Lisa Carpenter

In the summer of 1982, I graduated from high school, got married, turned 18, and had a baby. I went from kid to wife and mother in the span of three months, just like that.

teen mom and baby

My husband was 21 at the time. Now, 33 years later, we're empty-nesters. We've patted ourselves on the back for a job well done. We beat the odds and raised three lovely and amazing daughters from diapers to dorm rooms and into the real world. Our journey featured little outside the typical bumps, bruises and pains of parenthood, despite the fact that we were mere children ourselves at the outset. Our girls are grown and gone—one has even made us grandparents.

Time to rejoice! Time to enjoy midlife!

Time for an unexpected reality check, is more like it.

Once my kids split and I recovered from the initial empty-nest jitters, it became clear that having been a teen mother would...Click here to continue reading my article published on PurpleClover.com.

January 27, 2015

On life and not just getting through

January 27, 2015/ Lisa Carpenter

peaceful

Not long ago, I realized I repeat myself. Again and again and again. The same phrase.

Lest you think I’ve developed a tic, let me explain.

Mid-summer last year, I faced some medical challenges. Despite the distress, I still had to maintain my home, my family, my connections, and — most time-consuming of all — my freelance job (you don’t work, you don’t get paid). I began noticing I’d accomplish each...

December 11, 2014

12 things grandmas can't do

December 11, 2014/ Lisa Carpenter

Grandmas can do some pretty amazing things. That's not too surprising, though, considering that they're mothers super-sized into grandmothers. Their super powers are practically a given.

There are, though, a few things grandmas can't do. At least 12, in fact.

things grandmas cannot do

ONE
Grandmas cannot send letters, cards, and boxes through the mail...

November 26, 2014

Of this I can't resist: Pre-Thanksgiving Christmas cheer

November 26, 2014/ Lisa Carpenter

I typically steer clear of anything smacking of Christmas cheer before Thanksgiving. I do my best to avoid holiday displays in the stores until after the Thanksgiving turkey leftovers have filled my fridge. I ignore collecting recipes for Christmas treats and eats before I've enjoyed my Thanksgiving cranberries and pumpkin pie. And Christmas tunes of any sort are absolutely forbidden on my stereo, car radio, iPod and any other musical device until Thanksgiving evening, at the earliest.

Yes, I do my best to resist anything that upsets the order of my holidays.

My resistance to pre-Thanksgiving Christmas cheer dissolved immediately, though, when...

October 29, 2014

Middle child of my middle child

October 29, 2014/ Lisa Carpenter

The Middle Child
Even though you're not the oldest,
or the youngest, you see,
Being in the middle is a really neat place to be!
The middle of a sandwich
is the most important part,
And in the middle of your body,
you will find your heart.
The engine in the middle
is what runs a good machine;
And our family wouldn't be the same
without you in between.
~Unknown