Pinterest tells us that winter hair braids are having a moment. Soft, woven looks are filling boards and feeds everywhere. When we saw the trend, we couldn’t help but smile, because for our family, winter braids aren’t new at all. They’re part of our story.

Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays—not just for the food (though Veggie Mornay might deserve its own holiday), but for the sense of tradition, family, and slightly chaotic joy that comes with it.

In this heartwarming blog by CJ Corki, modern grandparents are invited to rediscover the joy of storytelling with the little ones. Through a playful tale full of wonder, we’ll explore questions that open hearts and spark magical conversations between generations.

Thanksgiving is a cherished time of year filled with family, food, and a fair amount of frantic Googling. Somewhere between finding your grandmother's stuffing recipe and rescuing a smoke detector from overworked duty, you might hear one of your grandkids ask a question so bizarre, so completely out of left field, that it makes you pause mid-baste.

Enter the Thanksgiving Turkey Hotline. Yes, it's real. Butterball's iconic Turkey Talk-Line has been saving Thanksgiving dinners since 1981, fielding over 100,000 questions each season.

Being a grandma is already magical, but being a remote grandma during Halloween? That requires a bit of witchcraft—and a lot of creativity. Gone are the days of sneaking extra candy into plastic pumpkins and chasing little goblins around the house. But just because we're far apart doesn't mean we can't raise a little Halloween havoc together. It's time to conjure up some spooky-fun ways to make your grandkids cackle with delight from across the miles!

In today’s diverse family structures, grandparents are vital as emotional and cultural pillars. They play an active role in caregiving, mentoring, and financial support, nurturing younger members and preserving family identity. Their unwavering presence provides stability amid the complexities of modern parenting and societal change, making their role indispensable to the family's well-being and legacy.

But this isn’t just a modern-day role. My grandparents were deeply involved in raising my sisters and me. Because my mom was working in the family business, she needed childcare, which wasn't available back then. You either were a stay-at-home mom or relied on extended family and sometimes neighbors for help. What we know as childcare didn’t become accessible for decades after my childhood.

Have you heard about Usha Vance’s 2025 Reading Challenge, Make America Read Again? It’s aimed at children from Kindergarten through Eighth grade. Read twelve books, send in your list, and you could win a visit to the White House. Sounds great, right? But what about you, parents and grandparents—do you read in front of the kiddos?

When our son was in first grade and struggling with reading, the teacher called me in for a conference. She asked a series of questions to figure out why our son was having difficulty. “Do you read to him?” I responded, “Since before birth.” He’s the youngest, and I read to all the kids day and night. He, in particular, would wake up at 5:00 am to have some reading time with me, his mom, and his favorite book, "Ten in the Bed."

While most kids were squeezing in one last pool day or perfecting their end-of-summer tan, I was clocking out of my shift at the family store. That’s right — while my friends spent their summer breaks lifeguarding or flipping burgers, I was mastering the art of organizing shelves and unpacking endless deliveries. Forget campfires and s’mores; I had the distinct aroma of cardboard boxes and dust to keep me company.