❋ Well, hello ❋
About That Grandma Life
I'm Fran Whitaker — "Franma" to the five small people who run my life now. I taught second grade for thirty-one years, raised three children of my own, and then discovered that none of it fully prepared me for the moment my daughter handed me her newborn and I forgot every word in the English language.
That Grandma Life is the notebook I wish someone had handed me that day. It covers the grandma years with young grandkids — babies through kindergartners — which is its own particular season: you're back in the world of nap schedules and snack negotiations, except this time the baby isn't yours, the rules have all changed since 1994, and your job is to be useful without being underfoot. My house motto, which you'll see stitched across this whole site: their baby, their rules — my cookies.
Here's what's in the pantry: the new grandparent guide for the big firsts (starting with choosing your grandma name — the most hotly debated decision of the whole era), gifts & gear that new parents actually want, grandkid time ideas for the hours between lunch and pickup, and grandma life for everything else — traditions, long-distance grandma-ing, and keeping a life of your own.
What you won't find: guilt trips, competitive grandmothering, or advice about how the parents should raise their children. Thirty-one years of teaching taught me that every family runs differently and most of them turn out fine. I'm here for the fun part — and for making the fun part easier to pull off.
Start with the grandma names post if you're brand new to this, or the gift guide for new parents if there's a baby shower on the calendar. Either way, I'm glad you're here. There are cookies.
A note on affiliate links: some posts contain affiliate links — if you buy through one, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend things I'd genuinely give to my own kids and grandkids.