This Grandma was introduced to Ina Garten by a dear, long (we never say old) friend who swears by her recipes. I think she thought I lived under a rock, but really, most of my adult life, I was just an expert at making reservations. I have since learned that People Magazine calls her “the […]
Introduce Your Grandchildren To Ina Garten With The Easiest Delicious Chocolate Cake to make Together To Start, And As They Get Older, They Too Will Love Her Recipes Forever
October 23, 2022 By Leave a Comment
Fast and Easy Halloween Cookies and Special Treats for 2022, Halloween Treats for Babies, Healthy, Nut Free Options, Treats Made From Leftover Candy, All To Make For or With Grandchildren, and Treats For the Grandparent to Make Who Just Likes to Make Reservations
October 16, 2022 By Leave a Comment
After looking at literally dozens of articles on Halloween cookies and treats of all kinds, this Grandma has curated those fast and easy Halloween cookies and special treats, Halloween treats for babies, those that use leftover candy, even healthy and nut free options, to make for or with grandchildren, and especially, Halloween treats for the […]
Reading and Writing Cursive May No Longer be Taught to Our Grandchildren: An Easy Three Step Process For Grandparents to Teach Grandchildren How to Create A Cursive Signature of Their Own
October 2, 2022 By Leave a Comment
When this Grandma was a child, I remember hearing about how some would mark their signature with an X because they could not read or write. Having a unique cursive signature was important when I was a child, and even in my adulthood. I went to my go to source, Wikipedia, for more information about […]
How To Make Candy Coated Cake Pops Like Those Found at Starbucks At Home With or For Grandchildren
September 18, 2022 By Leave a Comment
It is dangerous to take grandchildren into Starbucks. These little balls of cake with frosting and sprinkles on a stick like a lollipop are a sweet target for them. At this link, read about how Starbucks teamed up with a company to supply their cake pops since 2010. At nearly $2 (and 165 calories each), […]
Five Tips to Perfect This Grandma’s Best Mac and Cheese Recipe For Grandchildren Anytime and For Special Occasions for the Whole Family
September 11, 2022 By Leave a Comment
When our oldest grandchildren, now teenagers, were younger, California Pizza Kitchen was their favorite restaurant, solely for their Mac and Cheese. One day, my oldest grandson, then in the single digits, said, “Mema, I wish you knew how to make California Pizza Kitchen Mac N’ Cheese so we could have it all the time when […]
In Honor of Grandparents Day 2022, This Grandma Shares the Top Ten Tips on Grand parenting and a Link To Best Tips in the Archives for New Grandparents
September 4, 2022 By Leave a Comment
Grandparents Day, a day to show the bond between grandparents and grandchildren, is an official national holiday in the United States, signed by President Carter in 1978 and celebrated on the first Sunday after Labor Day. In 2022, National Grandparents Day is September 11. For celebration ideas, go to “Do Something Grand.” This Grandma’s mantra […]
Warmable Stuffed Animals For Babies, Children, Ill and Infirm, and More, Oh My. This Grandma’s Successful Search for the Perfect Teddy Bear for the Perfect Four Year Old Grandson
August 26, 2022 By Leave a Comment
Our adorable four year old grandson’s teddy bear got eaten by the dog. I know we hear this excuse of “eaten by the dog” but he was so sincere and, of course, wanted this Grandma to replace it. So, no ordinary stuffed animal will do. I wanted to find something special and went on the […]
To Text, Message, Contact, “Like,” Just Because You Are Thinking of Someone Improves the Quality of Your Life, Especially for Boomers
August 20, 2022 By Leave a Comment
COVID has necessarily caused us to be distant. Even now when I bump into someone in public who I have not seen in a while who I normally would have greeted warmly, I instinctively put my hand up if they reach to come closer. I don’t even “air kiss” those I might have before COVID. […]
The Six Episodes of A Real Marriage of Movie Icons Paul Newman and JoAnn Woodward Will Provide Insight That Can Improve Your Own Relationship
August 13, 2022 By Leave a Comment
As a family court judge, I served to dissolve tens of thousands of marriages over twenty years. Ethan Hawke (I had heard of him but knew little of his talents) shows us, in six episodes streaming on HBO Max, “The Last Movie Stars,” a documentary of a real long term marriage of fifty years that […]
Nutella Fluff or Blender Chocolate Mousse: Pick Your Easy Version to Make For Grandchildren and Just Call It Nutella Pudding
August 7, 2022 By Leave a Comment
Our four year old grandson, while visiting this weekend, made a restaurant out of Legos. I asked him what he was going to serve in his restaurant and he answered, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, lemonade, and Nutella for dessert. I asked him when he tasted Nutella, and he said in was in a snack […]
To Text, Message, Contact, “Like,” Just Because You Are Thinking of Someone Improves the Quality of Your Life, Especially for Boomers
July 29, 2022 By Leave a Comment
COVID has necessarily caused us to be distant. Even now when I bump into someone in public who I have not seen in a while who I normally would have greeted warmly, I instinctively put my hand up if they reach to come closer. I don’t even “air kiss” those I might have before COVID. […]
Los Angeles, Palm Springs, and Laguna Beach, California, With Teenage Grandchildren 2022
July 23, 2022 By Leave a Comment
Covid and Covid protocols caused us to cancel our second oldest grandson’s Bar Mitzvah trip to Israel three years in a row. He and we gave up. Instead, he asked for a trip to California with his close cousin, a year older than he. Smart move and a win-win. If you can travel with two […]
What Day(s) of the Week and What Time(s) Can I Leave My House To Most Likely Avoid A Mass Shooting in 2022
July 17, 2022 By Leave a Comment
What is safety in 2022? Safety enough to go to the local supermarket….or a local July 4th parade in a suburb with not a single murder from 2000 to 2020? See, “Highland Park Was Meant to be Chicago’s ‘Mayberry,’” by Ellen Almer Durston, Campbell Robertson and Dan Simmons, New York Times, July 6, 2022. This […]
The Best Advice to Give Our Sons and Grandsons After the Roe v. Wade Decision is to Wear A Condom Or They May Be Giving A Large Percentage of Their Net Income for Eighteen Years To A Woman Whose Last Name They May Not Even Know
July 9, 2022 By Leave a Comment
The above advice was how I started a speech to a professional legal group, mostly men, when I was a sitting Florida family court judge several years ago. At that time the percentage of net income for child support for one child was 17%. That is a hefty sum to pay for eighteen years. I […]
Grandchildren Will Love Easy To Make July Fourth Red, White and Blue Dessert Kebabs
July 2, 2022 By Leave a Comment
When Fourth of July rolls around, it is great to come up with red, white, and blue desserts to make with grandchildren. As with all the recipes, this Grandma recommends to make with grandchildren, they must be easy. Always remember to cover your kitchen counters and floors with old towels for easy cleanup! In 2021, […]
Update On Best Hotel, Food, and Other Local Secrets From a Local As To Why You Should Visit Fort Lauderdale in July and Why Our New Residents From Up North Should Consider a Staycation
June 25, 2022 By Leave a Comment
Standing on the beach watching the fireworks on July 4th, needing a light jacket, made me realize that visiting Fort Lauderdale in July is a secret joy that this Grandma should share, and I did in 2017. It is time for an update, especially since our South Florida population has exploded during the pandemic when […]
Father’s Day 2022 Curated List of Best Gift Ideas of Everything and Anything At any Price For Every Kind of Father and Grandfather
June 15, 2022 By Leave a Comment
This Grandma collects articles for research for blogs. When collecting for Father’s Day, I found I had collected forty-one articles from every and any source I could find. Here is a curated list of the best gift ideas everything and anything at any price for every kind of Father and Grandfather for Father’s Day 2022 […]
Four Important Tips Regarding What to Do in An Active Shooter Event and What We Grandparents and Our Grandchildren’s Parents Can Begin To Do To Be Proactively Preventive Regarding School Shootings
June 8, 2022 By Leave a Comment
The Uvalde school massacre has done this Grandma in. I want to address two important tips we parents and grandparents need to know now regarding what to do in an active shooter event and two tips proactively preventative that we may act upon now. These last two tips are not a panacea for the complex […]
Best Gifts for Graduations From Preschool to Graduate School 2022
May 29, 2022 By Leave a Comment
PopPop and I have a four year grandchild who has a “moving up” ceremony this week, moving up from the three’s to pre kindergarten. He is very excited we are going to be there in person. Of course, as the youngest grandchild on both sides of the family, he has every toy he wants. It […]
