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Grandma's Briefs

for grandmothers and others

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Grandma's Briefs is for grandmothers and others. Bits on the good, bad, humorous and heartwarming of being a baby boomer, grandparent, parent to adult children, wife and writer. Features include lifestyle articles, reviews, recipes, grandma profiles, and more.

April 15, 2019

Doing it!

April 15, 2019/ Lisa Carpenter

Doing it!

Jim and I are doing it. Finally. We have finally accepted the fact the home we love and have lived in for nearly 12 years is too big for us, has too many stairs, too large of a yard, too much space for two. Especially two with trouble walking about.

Which means we are doing it: We are moving to a smaller place… somewhere (TBD) in the same city. Yes, we are downsizing. Though I prefer to think of it as my most recent Silver Sneakers newsletter called it, rightsizing. Our current home is 3,600 square feet. The homes we’re considering…

March 04, 2019

How Benjamin rolls!

March 04, 2019/ Lisa Carpenter

How Benjamin rolls!

Saturday was Jim’s birthday, and Brianna and Patrick arranged a family gathering at a new burger spot in town in recognition of burgers being Jim’s forever favorite food.

It was great to have all our local immediate family in attendance.

Kudos to Tyler for managing to get a shot that included everyone at the table!

While we were all gathered together to celebrate Jim, we soon were raucously regaling Benjamin for a milestone move made right before our eyes.

January 25, 2019

Friday Flashback: 30 grandchild firsts only grandparents celebrate

January 25, 2019/ Lisa Carpenter

Dear readers: This flashback feature originally appeared on Grandma's Briefs April 8, 2014. Thank you for reading my rerun.

There are numerous firsts in a child's life worth celebrating. The milestones Mom and Dad celebrate, though, may be a wee bit different than those Grandma and Grandpa celebrate.

Here are 30 firsts in the life of a grandchild that warm a grandparent's heart and warrant a happy dance:

November 19, 2018

Broncos babe!

November 19, 2018/ Lisa Carpenter

Broncos babe!

Can you guess who’s already one month old?

And who’s already an unabashed Broncos fan?

Yes, that would be Benjamin! Or, as his dad likes to call him, BenJammin’.

November 12, 2018

Goodbye, Mom

November 12, 2018/ Lisa Carpenter

Yesterday family and friends said a final farewell to my mom — Gramma to my girls, Nonnie to her younger grandkids, Sweet Ann to her sisters and friends, Goofy (or Obnoxious, Opinionated, Absolutely Off The Wall) Ann to others.

October 22, 2018

Welcome, Benjamin!

October 22, 2018/ Lisa Carpenter

Welcome, Benjamin!

My long-awaited (local) grandson has arrived! Last Wednesday, in fact. As his entry into the world—and Mama Brianna’s arms—didn’t go quite as planned, I’ve followed Brianna’s and Patrick’s lead in delaying celebratory announcements online and otherwise.

Jim and I did get to meet the amazing bundle of joy while word was still under wraps, though. (A true perk of being local grandparents for the first time!)

August 10, 2018

BTS 2018: School boys and other stuff

August 10, 2018/ Lisa Carpenter

My three desert-dwelling grandsons started school on Tuesday. Declan delighted in taking part in first-day photos for the first time as he began half-day preschool the same morning his brothers headed to big-boy school. This year Camden is a first-grader, and Brayden—believe it or not …

July 24, 2018

Gramma goes tubing

July 24, 2018/ Lisa Carpenter

Despite having been born in Minnesota and living in the Land of 10,000 Lakes the first decade of my life, I'm not big on water sports. To any degree. I still don't know how to swim... even after having swim lessons as a child and again at 40 years old.

I'm not deathly afraid of water, but I certainly don't seek out splishy-splashy fun in water over my head. Not even water up to my chest, to be honest.

So it should come as no surprise that I've never whiled away hours in an inner tube on a lake. Nor have I engaged in tubing…

June 04, 2018

Lucky sevens

June 04, 2018/ Lisa Carpenter

Lucky sevens!

My superhero-loving grandson, Camden, turned seven years old last week. Seven!

On his first day at the lucky age, Camden sported seven in style:

April 11, 2018

Grandma's word of the day: Local

April 11, 2018/ Lisa Carpenter

Today's word is... LOCAL

Definition of local (per Dictionary.com):

[loh-kuh l] adjective

1. pertaining to or characterized by place or position in space; spatial.

2. pertaining to, characteristic of, or restricted to a particular place or particular places.

3. pertaining to a city, town, or small district rather than an entire state or country.

4. pertaining to or affecting a particular part or particular parts, as of a physical system or organism.

Local example:

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Grandma's Briefs

Grandma's Briefs is for grandmothers and others. Bits on life's second act and the empty nest: the good, bad, humorous and heartwarming of being a baby boomer, grandparent, parent to adult children, wife and writer. Features include lifestyle articles, movie reviews, recipes, product reviews, auto test drives, grandma profiles, and more.