Just a few short years ago the choice of websites and blogs for us grands, was pretty sparse, but not today. GRAND Magazine is proud to recognize the following 11 sites/blogs as our 2015 Best Websites for GRANDparents.
These 11 were chosen based on appearance, information, ease of use and audience appeal. While these sites are the ones we deemed the Best of 2015 there are more great places on the web for grandparents to visit.
Sites are listed in random order. Please visit all 11 and we think you’ll see what makes them worthy of this honor.
Why did we select 11? Because this is GRAND Magazine’s 11th anniversary!
N
anahood.com– The Second Half Of The Motherhood Journey
A three time recipient of the Best GRANDparent Site/Blog Award, Nanahood.com was started by Teresa Bell Kindred in 2009. Since then she has added a NanaHood Facebook page, @NanaHoodRocks on Twitter, NanaHood1956 on Pinterest and Instagram. NanaHood blog posts include recipes, stories about grandparents and grandchildren and blog hops. NanaHood often hosts contests, as well as product reviews.
Teresa is a public speaker and the author of several parenting books. She blogs frequently for The Huffington Post and enjoys helping host a conference for mid-life bloggers called BAM. Teresa says, “NanaHood is more than a blog, it’s a neighborhood where loving grandmothers celebrate the joy of being a grandparent.
Grandma’s Briefs.com – On Life’s Second Act
Lisa Carpenter publishes the Grandma’s Briefs website (http://www.grandmasbriefs.com), where she shares bits on life’s second act — the good, bad, humorous and heartwarming of being a baby boomer, empty nester, grandparent, parent of adult children, wife and writer — and strives to smash the outdated, unrealistic “grandma” stereotype. Lisa is a freelance writer, with credits including Grandparents.com, Boomeon, GRAND Magazine, The Huffington Post, PurpleClover.com and more.
Lisa has been married to the same man forever; they have three adult daughters and three grandsons, children of the middle daughter and her husband. Lisa is easy to find online as she’s known as GrandmasBriefs wherever she goes: Twitter (https://www.twitter.com/grandmasbriefs), Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/grandmasbriefs), Instagram (https://instagram.com/grandmasbriefs/), Pinterest (https://www.pinterest.com/grandmasbriefs/).
Susan Adcox is committed to creating a website that is responsive to the needs of all grandparents. Whether you are raising your grandchildren, seeking to restore contact with them, or simply wanting to have fun with the grandkids, you’ll find something helpful at Grandparents on About.com.
Susan sincerely believes that with the exception of parenting, being a grandparent may be the most important job that many of us will ever have, and she loves helping grandparents do it well. She continually researches and updates her articles so that her readers will find them a reliable source of information, and she is always seeking new topics to write about. She is interested in health and wellness and passionate about nature and the outdoors. She describes herself as a bit of a nerd and likes reading, writing and researching. Most importantly, she believes in families and thinks they can be messy and labor-intensive, but nothing compares to the love and support provided by extended family.
HONEYGOOD.COM Don’t Call Me Grandma, Call Me Honey
Susan Good AKA “Honey Good” is a hip modern 21st century mother, wife, daughter and grandmother of 20. She knows what women over 50 want. Everything! HoneyGood.com evolved from Susan Good’s quiet musings in her journal at home to a beautiful professional website where she and her team write about life lessons, family sagas, world travel and the hills and valleys in Susan’s own life as well as many other facets of a woman’s life — book reviews, recipes, entertainment news and more.
“Honey” is Susan’s grandparent name
This premier site is where the modern and mature woman can connect on all things ‘GOOD’: good family, good sex, good recipes, style, beauty, travel and sage advice, from Honey Good and her Honey Good team.
Every Sunday morning Honey shares tales of her loves, her losses and her life’s learnings. She invites you to read this week’s “Good Morning Story” and then share your own stories + join the conversation!
This blog/site is brought to life by Olivia Gentile, an author, journalist, wife, mother to a preschooler, stepmother to two 20-somethings, and a daughter to two vigorous 70-somethings.
Olivia considers herself lucky to have had her grandparents in her life until just a few years ago. As a kid, she only knew her mom’s parents casually, but later, when she was in her 20s and they were in their 80s, they became two of the most important people in her life and an inspiration for her site/blog.
According to Olivia, “I tell stories about grandparents from coast to coast and how they’re enriching the lives of their kids and grandkids. I also cover the big picture: what I’m calling a ‘quiet revolution’ in the role of the American grandparent. Grandparents are healthier, wealthier, and longer-lived than ever before. What does this mean for us all?”
Joyce Gillis, has been the owner of this site since the summer of 2011. She is the mother of three daughters and grandmother of eight – four boys, and four girls. They range in age from seven weeks to seven years. She and her husband (AKA Grandpa) live with one rescued dog and six cats.
Her blog is the story of the times she has bonding them all into a strong, fun loving unit that benefits each one. Her home is where family gathers to enjoy adventures and celebrate each season. In her backyard woods, is where she and the g-kids dig for dino eggs, hunt for monsters and knock out zombies. She puts together a family carnival, a week of Grandma Camping, annual spelling bees and holiday craft workshops. They also paint and draw and hold an annual clothesline art show and sale. Joyce and her grands laugh and love and learn to share with cousins, while creating lifelong memories. Joyce believes grandmothers are wise, generous, creative and supportive people. Joyce says she is delighted to be part of such a remarkable community during these years – the very best ones – of my life!
Being a modern grandma presents challenges our parents and grandparents never faced. The GaGa Sisterhood—a national social network for grandmas—addresses those challenges with bi-monthly meetings, monthly newsletters and a website. The website is the voice of the GaGa Sisterhood.
Donne Davis founded the GaGa Sisterhood in 2003, after she witnessed the birth of her first grandchild and went completely “gaga.” Since then she has navigated the sometimes, choppy waters of grandmotherhood with help from the wisdom of her GaGa sisters.
The purpose of the GaGa Sisterhood is to help grandmas build mutual respect, trust, and empathy with the parents of their grandchildren so they can be part of a unified team raising the next generation. The GaGa Sisterhood mission is to share resources that foster understanding between the generations and inspire grandmas to continue growing along with their children and grandchildren. Many of the website topics originate in the meetings of the GaGa Sisterhood, where members discuss issues that come up in their lives.
When Donne isn’t writing, she loves playing with her 3 granddaughters and connecting with new grandmas from all over the country who inspire her with new ideas.
Grandparents.com – AGA American Grandparents Association
Under new ownership, this site has just gone through a huge transformation from being a robust website for grandparents to include a membership organization called AGA – American Grandparents Association. AGA is selling AGA endorsed Medicare supplement plans and offers other valuable member savings and benefits. Their new slogan says it all: Live Healthy, Nurture Family, Enjoy life!
The National Kinship Alliance for Children was originally founded as The National Committee of Grandparents For Children’s Rights. It is a nationwide network of grandparents, community members, and professionals working together to provide education and support, advocacy, and thought leadership for children, grandparents, and kinship families. Their vision is for all children to have a healthy and stable relationships with their grandparents and other relatives.
Their Grassroots Network is the first of its kind – providing organizations with an opportunity to collaborate on a national level. Through this collaboration, they provide discounted opportunities for training, information on the latest research and best practices, discounted or free consultant rates for grandparent legal issues support, access to grandparent leadership opportunities, and the option to participate in a national coalition advocating on behalf of grandparents raising grandchildren.
GrandparentsLink.com is all about you, the grandparent, and your journey. The co-owners, Leslie Zinberg and Kay Ziplow want you to be mindful of this adventure, taking in all that life can bring for you to enjoy and be informed. This is a distinctive platform that engages readers into an ever-changing environment, and best of all… they offer a free weekly subscription.
Leslie comments, “I love the pure joy of being a grandparent. My grandchildren have taught me to be mindful…to enjoy every little moment. There is nothing better than the giggles, the words, and the time we spend together.”
This website gives grandparents the tools and information on all things having to do with being a grandparent, plus reminding you to take care of YOU. GrandparentsLink is about family, relationships, mindful grandparenting, crafts, entertainment, creative ideas, health and well-being, places to go, things to see, products to buy, tried and true recipe ideas, engaging features from guest speakers — all written in a voice designed to embrace the reader.
“Being a grandparent means that you get to experience another life adventure in a deeper dimension. As you see your own children have children and become parents, it takes your breath away. This is truly the circle of life and an opportunity to participate in an unscripted chapter of living. GrandparentsLink.com provides a palate of information and keeps grandparents informed and connected,” adds Kay Ziplow, co-founder.
Ask Granny – The one-stop website for grandparents, Silver Surfers, Senior Citizens and Baby Boomers
Juliet Hambro is the grandmom genius behind this wonderful site. She literally spans the globe of grandparenting living in the South of Spain and can literally see Africa from her office window. Pretty cool. Plus, she travels extensively and has her finger on the international grandparent action.
She devotes her time to delivering great content for grandparents on travel, entertainment, gifts, raising grandkids, health and wellbeing, grandparents online, food/recipes and much more. AskGranny.com is the one-stop website for Grandparents, Silver Surfers, Senior Citizens and Baby Boomers.
If you know of a website that should be considered for this award, please let us know editor@grandmagazine.com. Thank you!