2023 – GaGa Sisterhood Meetings are on Zoom – All Grandmas Welcome
- Jan 22 – Emily and Mike Morgan, creators of The Grand Life podcast and grandparents to 10 grandchildren will share their perspectives on the difference between the roles of grandmother and grandfather. Grandparenting with our whole hearts takes time and intention. The Grand Life podcast entertains, educates, and enlightens grandparents who want to become the best they can be. Emily and Mike co-host an exploration of grandparenting, the relationships within the role, and the ways in which our grandparenting impacts our children and their children.
- March 5 – Kerry Byrne, founder of The Long Distance Grandparent will share practical and meaningful ways to make the most of your grand time. Whether you live around the corner or across the country, in-person time with grandchildren is a gift. Time together can feel like a whirlwind of tiny hands or a mix of teenage angst on full display. She’ll show us how to add a “connection boost” to in-person times with our grands.
- May 7 – Author Nancy Davis Kho will share the inspiring story of commemorating her 50th birthday by writing one gratitude letter a week for a year. In her book, The Thank-You Project: Cultivating Happiness One Letter of Gratitude at a Time she explains the science of gratitude letters and the tools and motivation to write your very first letter.
- July 23 — Kathy Buckworth, Canadian author and broadcaster, will present “Grandma Boot Camp — 5 Things You Need to Exercise.” As the host of a radio show and podcast called “Go-To Grandma,” Kathy has learned that the grandparent lens is different than the parenting lens. She will share some of the insights she’s learned on her grandma journey.
- Sept 10 — Celebrate National Grandparents Day with parenting expert and author Sheri Glucoft Wong. She will share some tips from her book Raising Kids: Your Essential Guide to Everyday Parenting on setting limits without feeling mean, helping our grandchildren build true self-esteem, and dealing with disappointment.
- Nov 12 — Author Mary Kay Morrison will talk about the 5 stages of humor development from her book, “Legacy of Laughter. A Grandparent Guide and Playbook.” Play is vital not only for the growth and development of a child, but it is enormously beneficial for adults as well. Play is a trigger for laughter and Mary Kay will share ideas for play at each of the stages of development and include some ideas for the holidays.
2022 – GaGa Sisterhood Meetings are on Zoom – All Grandmas Welcome
- Jan 9 – Randee Bloom, RN, MBA, Ph.D., and grandma will help us explore the different roles we have cultivated, including Grandmother, and explain how Volunteer Service can enrich our happiness, health, longevity, and legacy.
- March 6 – Join professional organizer Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVPO™, for a lively workshop about understanding clutter — How to Conquer Clutter: Understanding the Where, Why & What. You’ll discover where clutter comes from, why it’s so hard to let go, and what we can do about it.
- May 15 — Paola Gianturco will talk about her book, COOL: Women Leaders Reversing Global Warming. Paola and her then-12-year old granddaughter, Avery Sangster, interviewed and photographed 27 women leaders in 10 countries. Paola will share stories from the book and suggest ways that we and our grandchildren can create a Family Climate Action Plan.
- July 10 — Playdate Box co-founders and sisters Lynnae and Marilee will share activities for building relationships and connecting generations through hands-on play. They’ll explain why it’s especially important for long-distance grandparents.
- Sept 11 – Celebrate National Grandparents Day with author Shirley Showalter. As grandparents, we have a third opportunity to experience awe in our lifetimes. We start out “GaGa” — and we can stay that way — if we consciously choose mindfulness. Shirley will share ten themes from her new book “The Mindful Grandparent: The Art of Loving Our Children’s Children.”
- Nov 13 – Naomi Cruz, (they/them) the Manager of Family and Educational Programming at Gender Spectrum, a national nonprofit supporting gender-expansive youth, and their support systems, including parents and caregivers and professionals will present “Understanding Gender for Grandparents” — a hybrid presentation-panel discussion to introduce us to key terms and concepts related to transgender, non-binary, and otherwise gender-expansive identities. We will also share some tips on how to best support the gender-expansive people in our lives; supporting them helps build a gender-just world for everyone.
2021 – GaGa Sisterhood Meetings are on Zoom — All Grandmas Welcome
- Jan 10 – Emily Morgan, grandmother of 9 and host of the podcast “Grand Life,” will talk about navigating the obstacles and embracing the abundance of multiple grandchildren.
- Feb 7 – Social Media Maven and podcast host, Shelby Hoefling will present “Social Media 101.” Shelby will break down Instagram and TikTok so you feel confident, excited, and inspired to stay connected with your grandkids on these platforms.
- March 14 – Judy Hall and Kelly Walters, the mother-daughter founders of Grand Connections, will explore how to help your grandchildren feel more connected to their ancestors through fun, interactive experiences that look at family relationships, stories, and history.
- April 11 – M.J. Ryan, author of The Power of Patience, will share the emotional, physical, and spiritual benefits that come to us from patience; what neurological research teaches us about how to cultivate this heart quality; and simple practices to develop more patience in the places where each of us needs it most.
- May 16 – Barbara Graham, author of Eye of My Heart: 27 Writers Reveal the Hidden Pleasures and Perils of Being a Grandmother will share some insights she’s learned as a grandma and from the 27 authors in her anthology.
- June 13 – Documentary filmmaker Melissa Davey will discuss her documentary, “Beyond Sixty.” She launched her film career at age 65 after retiring from the corporate world and made a film about women over sixty who are doing remarkable work.
- July 11 – How well do you listen? Dee Dee Moore of the website More Than Grand will share some tips on how to be a more engaged listener and why it’s a crucial skill for grandmothers. She believes the key to becoming a more-than-grand grandparent is communication with parents — especially the listening part.
- Aug 15 – Kerry Byrne, creator of The Long Distance Grandparent will share some of her best tips for making sure you are part of your grandchild’s life, even from a distance.
- Sept 12 – Tell Me Another! Storytelling for Grandparents Whether you’re telling true stories, made-up tales, or old favorite folktales, one of the longest-lasting gifts we can give to children is the gift of story. In this interactive workshop, Priscilla Howe offers her favorite storytelling tips and techniques.
- Oct 10 – New York Times columnist Paula Span will talk about Grandparenting in the 21st century – shifting demographics in families, the rise of digital grandparenting to bridge distances, and what we know about the current generation of parents and how that affects us as grandparents.
- Nov 14 – Bertha Gaffney Gorman is the proud grandmother of 4 grandchildren including the 2021 inaugural poet Amanda Gorman. She will share some reflections on her family’s traditions of storytelling and its impact on her own childhood as well as her grandchildren’s lives. She’ll also share what it’s been like to have a granddaughter who’s achieved international fame with her poetry.
- Dec 12 – Winn Egan is a grandfather of 22 grandchildren and the author of Grandparenting on Purpose — Fresh Ideas, Activities, and Traditions for Connecting with Grandchildren Near and Far. He will share some creative ways to connect with your grandchildren by building meaningful traditions.
2020 – GaGa Sisterhood Meetings are on Zoom – All Grandmas Welcome
- Jan 12 — Member Mixer is our most popular meeting of the year. We get to know each other in small groups by answering some thought-provoking questions.
- March 8 — Group discussion on issues facing modern grandmas, for example, valuable lessons you’ve learned as a parent, getting along with the other grandparents, and the biggest challenges.
- May 3 — Beth and Peter Bostwick, of You Can Choose, will teach us some tools to “Shift Your Thinking, Shift Your Life.” We’ll learn how to shift our thoughts to change our behavior.
- July 12 — Karen Gould, MFT will present “Six Facets of a Balanced Life.” We will learn how to focus our energies on six dimensions which will help us fortify our lives with strength and purpose.
- Aug 9 — Member Mixer: Get to know another GaGa member and learn a little bit more about yourself in the process of answering a few thought-provoking questions.
- Sept 13 — Celebrate National Grandparents Day with Linda Stroh, GaGa Sisterhood member and author of “Getting Real About Getting Older” will share some insights from her book with a focus on the chapter — “The Parent-Adult Child Relationship: Can We Do Better?”
- Oct 11 — “A Conversation with Barbara Greenleaf, author of Parents of Adult Children: You Are Not Alone.”
- Nov 8 — Co-authors Leslie Zinberg and Pam Siegel will share some thoughts about mindful grandparenting based on their book, Grandparenting: RENEW, RELIVE, REJOICE.
- Dec 3 – 17th Anniversary/Holiday Celebration – Holiday traditions during the Pandemic.
2019 – GaGa Sisterhood Meetings
- Jan 13 — Barbara Greenleaf, author and blogger (Parents of Grown Offspring) will discuss “You and Your Grown Child: Why Didn’t Anyone Provide an Owner’s Manual?”
- March 10 — Barbara Tyler and Philippa Perkin will present a workshop titled: “Gratitude, Happiness & Healthy.” We’ll learn how gratitude is directly linked to better health and neutralizes worry, fear and complaining.
- May 19 — Member Mixer is our most popular meeting of the year. We get to know each other in small groups by answering some thought-provoking questions.
- July 14 — Carla Brown will lead an interactive presentation on how to tame our inner critic and give ourselves the gift of self-compassion.
- Sept 8 — Dr. Louise Aronson is a geriatrician, UCSF Professor of Medicine and author. She will discuss her new book, Elderhood: Redefining Aging, Transforming Medicine, and Reimagining Life.
- Sept 10 — Annual dinner al fresco at a member’s home
- Nov 10 — Lauren Savage, co-owner of The Reading Bug, an independent family-owned bookstore in San Carlos, CA will tell us about the best books for children of all ages…the best books to read aloud together and the best books for older children to read alone! Giveaways and a special discount for members of the GaGa Sisterhood.”
2018 – GaGa Sisterhood Meetings
- Jan. 14 — Marion Gellatly, founder of Powerful Presence will kick off the New Year with tips on style advice to build your self-confidence.
- Mar. 11 — Author Dante Drummond, will discuss her memoir Homeward Bound: Memoirs of a Foster Child.
- May 20 — Storyteller and speaker Elaine Lung will teach us improvisation games we can play with our grandchildren.
- July 8 — Member Mixer
- Aug 30 — Annual potluck dinner al fresco.
- Sept 9 — Author Paola Gianturco will discuss her new book, Wonder Girls: Changing Our World.
- Nov 11 — Francine Toder, Ph.D, psychologist and writer, will share some of the 51 ways to explore the world mindfully from her new book, Inward Traveler: 51 Ways to Explore the World Mindfully
- Dec 6 — Annual Holiday Luncheon to celebrate the 15th Anniversary of the GaGa Sisterhood.
