Everyone’s excited about our first African-American President. But I’m more excited about the new “First Grandma” in the White House—Marian Robinson, Michelle Obama’s mother. If she moves into the White House, it will reportedly be the first time in history that three generations of a president’s family will be sharing living space in the famous residence.

Mrs. Robinson will focus more attention on the important role we grandmothers bring to our families, and I’m also hoping she’ll raise the status of grandmothers in America.

Anthropologists have proposed something called “The Grandmother Effect.” They studied present day African communities and historical communities in Finland and Quebec and found that having a grandmother around to protect, care and gather food for grandchildren can significantly increase the longevity of grandchildren. It also explains why women evolved to live so long after menopause. According to the Grandmother Effect, grandmothers lived beyond their natural reproductive life just so they could care for their grandchildren while mother went out foraging with father. Or, nowadays, maybe just out for dinner and a movie!

Barack Obama said that one of the best decisions he made when elected to the Senate was staying in Chicago and being just 10 minutes away from Sasha and Malia’s grandmother. “She loved nothing more than to spend time with her grandkids.” She sounds “gaga” to me!

At the Democratic National Convention this year, Michelle Obama said, “My mother’s love has always been the sustaining force for our family and one of my greatest joys is seeing her integrity, her compassion and her intelligence reflected in my daughters.” She begged her mom to come to Washington with them to help keep the kids grounded while in the White House.

With accolades like that for the new “First Grandma” you can see why I’m so excited. I can’t wait to hear more about her relationship with her granddaughters.

And for all you other grandmas, the next time your daughter or son asks you to babysit, remember you’re contributing to the longevity of your grandchildren.

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Mike Robbins’, Focus on the Good Stuff is a wonderful book, particularly for these challenging times. And with Thanksgiving coming, how do we keep from getting caught up in all the negative media and remember what we are thankful for?

In his well-organized book, Mike Robbins shows us how to move beyond the cycle of negativity to focus on what is working and what we appreciate about ourself, others, and the world around us. I found his simple yet powerful exercises so valuable that I copied several of the pages and pasted them near my computer.

Robbins talks about the pervasive environment of negativity in our culture and how our obsession with negativity causes us to turn it against others and ourselves. Then he explains the five Principles of Appreciation and finally how to put appreciation into action.

One of the first exercises is to determine which type of negativity are your “favorites” and how they impact your relationships. He poses some questions to ponder about self-criticism and gives a five step technique to transform your negativity.

Here are some positive practices I find helpful:

1. Create a “gossip-free zone.”
2. Go on a “complaint fast.”
3. Speak about yourself in a positive way.
4. Communicate your goals and vision in positive language.
5. Speak about what you want, not about what you don’t want.

My favorite chapter is “Acknowledge Others” because it’s one of the best things we can do to have a positive impact on the people around us. “People around us are starving for appreciation and acknowledgment,” he says, “and we have the ability to give them this gift on a regular basis and in a genuine way.”

But the most important form of appreciation is the most challenging—appreciating ourselves—because “all gratitude and appreciation begin and end with our opinion and perception of ourselves.” In this Fifth Appreciation Principle he gives specific steps on how to appreciate yourself and discusses that huge challenge so many of us have trouble with — accepting compliments.

If you’re looking for a great holiday gift that the recipient will truly appreciate, give this book. In fact, get one for yourself. It’s a quick read but what a powerful message!

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I’ve been hosting Thanksgiving for over three decades and I’m always looking for new traditions to share with my family. A few years ago I came up with one that’s fun for all generations. Go to a craft store and buy some paper fall-colored leaves. As your guests arrive and are awaiting the big meal, ask each one to take a leaf and write something they are grateful for on the leaf. Ask the youngest children, who don’t know how to write but understand the idea, to tell you what they’re grateful for and write it on a leaf for them. Tell them not to show it to anyone. Collect all the leaves in a basket and put them away until after the meal. After the dishes have been cleared, bring out the basket and pass it around the table. Let each person pick a leaf and make sure it’s not the one they wrote. Then take turns going around the table and ask each person to read the leaf she selected and try to guess who wrote it. You’ll have fun hearing what different generations write and you’ll instill a sense of gratitude in a light-hearted but purposeful way.

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My husband and I visited the California Academy of Sciences to check it out before we bring our granddaughters. We bought a senior membership for $59 (fully tax deductible), which includes admission for one member plus one guest. Family memberships are $159, which includes admission for two adults and all your children or grandchildren 18 years of age and under each time you visit. Memberships are well worth the price if you live in the area because one adult admission is $24.95. Members get free unlimited admission, express entrance and special members-only hours. There’s underground parking, which is the most convenient but you can also search for a space on Martin Luther King Drive.

Volunteers are available everywhere to answer questions and describe the exhibits. We arrived at 9:30 am and got our pass for the 10:30 am show at the Morrison Planetarium . The planetarium has 300 stadium-style seats and six cameras that create an “Imax” effect. The current show “Fragile Planet” is spectacular and is appropriate for ages seven and up.

Before the show, we visited the African Hall, where we saw the newly painted dioramas and all the wild animals from the original Academy. In addition, they’ve added a penguin exhibit. Your grandchildren will love watching the colony of 20 African penguins dip and dive in the 25,000-gallon tank. According to a volunteer, these penguins are becoming extinct.

From the planetarium, we went to the Rainforests of the World exhibit where butterflies and birds fly freely around the trees and visitors. A beautiful red-winged butterfly landed on my hand and I watched a panther chameleon unfurl its long tongue to catch an insect.

For lunch, we checked out the Moss Room, which is a full service restaurant, but opted to serve ourselves at the bountiful Academy Café, which has a wide variety of tasty multicultural dishes.

We ended our day with a visit to the Living Roof, a 2.5-acre expanse of native California plants. The roof is designed to provide insulation for the museum as well as a new habitat for native birds.

Although we didn’t see all of the exhibits, we were satisfied with our four-hour visit. We saw many grandparents with their grandchildren of all ages. I know we’ll go back again and can’t wait to take our two granddaughters, and maybe their parents — if they’re good!

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