I was just informed that the GaGazine, our monthly online GaGa Sisterhood newsletter, has been named a 2009 Constant Contact All Star. This distinction is awarded to Constant Contact business partners in recognition of effective use of email marketing and continued commitment to following best practices. But really, it’s because of you, dear readers, that we’ve earned this distinction. Thanks for opening and reading the GaGazine.

I started writing the GaGazine for members of the GaGa Sisterhood when we first began meeting in December 2003. During the first four years it was text-only and I sent it out quarterly. In 2008 I signed up with Constant Contact services and switched to a monthly format, embellishing the text with color and graphics.

The GaGazine offers summaries of our meetings and creative resources that help us grandparents stay connected with our families. If you’d like to receive a complimentary copy of our award winning newsletter, click here.

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GaGa Sisterhood Featured in Big Tent The number of members in the GaGa Sisterhood has grown from a handful a few years ago to a large number...

GaGa Sisterhood Featured in Parenting on the Peninsula A year ago I attended the 70th birthday celebration of a good friend. At his luncheon I sat next to an...

Making a Difference in the World For our March 1 meeting in Saratoga, CA, GaGa Susana will bring her two granddaughters, ages 14 and 10,...

Tales from the Sandwich Generation On the morning of our May 3 GaGa Sisterhood meeting, I received several "regrets" calls from members...

On Saturday, November 21 I’m giving a presentation, “Learn how to be a go-to grandparent whether you’re near or far,” at Temple Beth Am in Los Altos Hills, CA. I’ll be sharing three strategies for building lifelong meaningful relationships with our children and grandchildren. We’re meeting at 3 pm in the temple conference room. Everyone is welcome.

If you’re local, please join us for a lively discussion on the joys and challenges facing today’s grandparents. My presentation is based on the chapter I wrote for The Art of Grandparenting, “How to Become a Go-to Grandma.”

See the November 20 issue of j. weekly for an article about the GaGa Sisterhood and a mention about this presentation.

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The Good-Enough Grandparent My friend, Judy, and I were talking about our grandchildren. She was feeling guilty because she didn’t...

The Art of Grandparenting is Available Now When I became a grandma six years ago, I had no idea how complicated it would be. I watched my own two...

Grandparent Advantage Class The Grandparent Advantage: Staying Close and Connected with Your Children and Grandchildren Last fall...

Parentless Parents Need Surrogate Grandparents In the past two weeks I've received two requests from young mothers looking for surrogate grandparents...

The number of members in the GaGa Sisterhood has grown from a handful a few years ago to a large number today. While I had no trouble keeping track of members and activities before, I found that it was no longer possible for me to “manage the books,” plan new activities and write.

Enter Big Tent.

Big Tent is a platform that not only does the books for me, it also provides a members-only online community for us. I like Big Tent’s tagline: Where trusted groups connect online. And their goal truly resonates with me:

To connect people with the communities they care about, making it easy for groups and their members to participate, communicate, and organize.

Now our members can stay in touch with each other through our own forums and posts. We have the capability of sharing photos and videos. The best part is that our members can be assured that our online community is safe and secure for discussing some of those “sticky” issues we grandmas sometimes encounter.

Yesterday, the GaGa Sisterhood was featured in the Big Tent blog. We hope you’ll check it out and then, of course, join us under the Big Tent by becoming a member of the GaGa Sisterhood.

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GaGa Sisterhood Ezine Receives All Star Award I was just informed that the GaGazine, our monthly online GaGa Sisterhood newsletter, has been named...

San Jose Mercury News Features GaGa Sisterhood Patty Fisher writes a column for the San Jose Mercury News about people in the Silicon Valley community...

GaGa Sisterhood Featured on Ask Dr. Business (VIDEO) On February 18, I was the guest on Ask Dr. Business, a cable television show hosted by Roy Blitzer at...

GaGa Sisterhood Featured in Parenting on the Peninsula A year ago I attended the 70th birthday celebration of a good friend. At his luncheon I sat next to an...

Several years ago I discovered a wonderful resource for grandparents—GRAND Magazine. Last year GRAND switched from a printed format to an online magazine with live links. What I like about GRAND is that the  founder and publisher, Christine Crosby, is also a grandmother and truly understands the role. She says that becoming a grandparent transformed her life beyond measure.

GRAND’s mission is to provide grandparents of all ages and in all stages of life both information and inspiration.  They’ve created a magazine that celebrates the joys and tackles the challenges of one of life’s sweetest experiences—having grandchildren.

I’m pleased to be able to offer readers of this blog a free subscription to GRAND Magazine. To get your free subscription, click here, on the sidebar graphic, or on the graphic below.

The magazine includes a wealth of features, including:

• Long-distance grandparenting
• Kinship care and grandparents’ rights
• Children’s health and development
• Inter-generational travel and reunions
• Family money
• Fun and games to do with your grandchildren
• Food and family gatherings
• Fashion
• Inspirations
• Grandchildren’s photographs

Read the grand central section of GRAND’s August issue for a story about the GaGa Sisterhood!

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When Being a Grandma Isn’t So Grand If you were in the vicinity of our GaGa Sisterhood meeting last Sunday, you would have heard lots of...

Grandparents — Let’s Have Our Say! At our July GaGa Sisterhood meeting twenty grandmas engaged in a lively discussion that was long overdue:...

Help Your Grandchild Enjoy Nature The modern environmental movement was launched with the help of Rachel Carson’s book, Silent Spring....

My Granddaughter Reinforces the Rules On our summer vacation last year, five-year old Juliet rode in the backseat of our car and kept a keen...