Hey everyone, sorry it’s been a hot minute since I’ve blogged.

We had a really rough week last week, but we are starting to get back on track. I went back to work at my new position – which I absolutely love – and it is so nice to be back with my work family. Being around them again really helped.

This week has already been a lot. We lost two icons on the same day – Dolly Parton and Tim Curry, both at 80.

Dolly was just one of those amazing humans. She used her wealth for good, she lifted people up, and my goodness could she entertain. Her songs have been the soundtrack for so many of our lives. She will be missed by so many.

And Tim Curry – if you know me, you know I LOVE Rocky Horror Picture Show. And IT. And Clue. And Home Alone 2. There was no one like him. Without Tim, those movies just wouldn’t be what they are. Losing them both on the same day felt so surreal.

One thing that has been helping me is football season starting. One of my younger grandsons started playing this year and I got to go watch him on Sunday. Watching him out there was just pure joy.

My second oldest grandson is playing middle school ball this year too, and I am so pumped to go to his games.

I will warn you though, I am probably that grandma. You know the one. I get REALLY into it and cheer really loud. I can’t help it. I like to make shirts for their games – one of my favorites says “My Favorite Player Calls Me Grandma.” If you hear someone yelling from three bleachers away, that’s me.

And now my absolute favorite time of year is here. I love fall. The colors, the cooler weather, the football, all the activities, and of course Halloween. I love anything scary – movies, decor, all of it.

Which brings me to my story from last year that still makes me laugh.

I had bought one of those life-size pictures of Chucky to hang on my front door, so when people walked up it looked like he was standing there with a knife. I thought it was hilarious.

Well, I took my grandson to his OT therapy appointment. Around the holidays they have the kids make pictures to hang up at the facility. That day they were making geese and dressing them up in Halloween costumes.

My grandson comes out with his therapist and says, “Grandma, come see my picture!” I walk over and there is his goose – striped shirt, little bib overalls, and bright red hair. He looks at me so proud and says, “Can you guess who it is?”

Oh my gosh. I look at his awesome therapist, she is already smiling because she knows. I said, “Yes buddy, I know who that is.”

He goes, “It’s Chucky! Just like the one in your window!”

Good lord. 🤦‍♀️

So I had to explain to his therapist that it was a Halloween decoration. She just laughed and said, “I know, he already told me all about it.”

I looked at him and said, “Hey buddy, maybe we just call this one Charles for now.” 😜

The things kids do! I swear, you can’t make this stuff up.

Do you guys have any funny stories about your kids or grandkids? I would love to hear them – drop them in the comments.

What is your favorite part of fall? I am working on some new football and fall-themed products, so keep an eye on my Etsy shop at grammamurchshop.etsy.com and my Made With Love Facebook page.

And one last thing close to my heart. You still have time to help two families who really need it right now.

The Balcer family is fighting cancer, and my daughter’s family is dealing with the loss of their beloved puppies, Winnie and Runa.

Even $1 helps. This week, every single Buy Me a Coffee donation will be split 50/50 between the Balcer family and my grandbabies to help with costs after losing Winnie and Runa.

Thank you for always being here through the chaotic and the hard stuff. I appreciate you more than you know.

Love,
Gramma M

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Today was a really hard day for our family.If you’re a pet owner, you know – they aren’t just pets. They are family. You love them like your children. So when something happens to them, it’s heartbreaking. It just shatters you.

Two days ago, my grandpuppies escaped their fenced-in yard.Two days of searching, posting, and praying.

We looked everywhere and hoped so hard they would just come running home.

Today we found out they gained their wings. They were always together in life, and this was no different. They will always be together now.

I want to take a moment to thank the person who made that phone call to my son-in-law to let him know what happened. I know that had to be one of the hardest things to do. I’ve never had to call a stranger and give them such heartbreaking news. That took a lot of courage, and honestly, a lot of heart. You are a really special person.

Thank you.

Please keep my family in your thoughts tonight as we handle this heartbreak and loss, especially my grandbabies. They loved those dogs so much.

I promised from the very beginning of this blog that I would keep things real. That means sharing the sad parts too, not just the chaos and popcorn.

In this life, we never know what’s coming. Who we will gain or who we will lose. This is why I truly believe we should show the people – and our pets – that we care about them every single day.

Tell them you love them. Because we don’t know what the future holds, and we don’t know when they might be taken from us.

As I sit here thinking about our Winnie and Runa, I get angry wondering why this would happen. They were great dogs. They loved everyone. They loved their babies – my grandbabies – so much. Why would they be taken from us? It’s not fair.

I know I will never get that answer. And I know I can’t do anything about it. And yes, I know being angry is part of grieving. I understand that. It just doesn’t make it any easier.

So tonight, please hug your fur-babies a little tighter. Let them know you care.

We love you forever, Winnie and Runa. 🐾Love,Gramma M

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Hey my chaos crew,

On a serious note for a minute.

You know I joke about popcorn and treasure hunts and coffee spills everywhere – but life gets really real sometimes.

This week, 50% of every single Buy Me a Coffee donation will go directly to Beth and Craig.

Cancer sucks!! It really does. And this family is right in the middle of that fight.

I wrote about their story in my blog “On a serious note. Cancer sucks!!” – if you haven’t read it, please go read it. It will explain why this one is so close to my heart.

I am just a Grandma of 13 trying to help where I can. I can’t fix it, but I can send coffee money and love and show them they aren’t alone in the chaos.

So this week – if you were thinking about buying me a coffee to help keep this blog and my little Etsy shop going – half of it is going straight to them.

Even $3 helps. Even just sharing this post helps.

If you can’t donate, please go read their story and leave them some love in the comments over there. Prayers, good vibes, all of it matters.

You can read their story in the blog titled- On a serious note- cancer sucks!!

Thank you for being the kind of community that shows up when it matters. You all are my people.

Love you,
Gramma M 💙🎢

grandmaof13 #grammaschaos

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Does your kid have a bottomless pit?

Because mine does.

My grandson can eat a WHOLE bowl of popcorn by himself. The whole big mixing bowl. By himself. And 20 minutes later look at me and say “I’m hungry.”

Kid, where did it go?! LOL.

I was talking to other parents of kids on the spectrum and ADHD and we all said the same thing – popcorn is the go-to.

Here’s why:

1. The CRUNCH.
   If you know, you know. That crunch is sensory heaven. It’s exactly what they need to sit for 5 minutes.
2. It’s CHEAP.
   When they eat a whole bowl to themselves, you’re not going broke. At this point he eats us out of house and home anyway!
3. It’s full of fiber.
   And if you know you know… our ADHD / autism kiddos NEED that fiber. I’m just gonna leave it at that. IYKYK. 😉

So yeah, I let him eat the whole bowl.

I just use my microwave popcorn popper – dump in the kernels, pop it, and dump it in the biggest bowl we have. That’s our afternoon ritual.

I’ve seen a lot of parents make it into a game though – hide the bowl and make them hunt for it, or hide pretzels and M&M’s in the popcorn to find the colors. I love that idea because it burns energy BEFORE they eat. That’s actually where I got the idea for my Treasure Hunt Cards in my Etsy – same concept, but they get to run all over the house! I haven’t done the hunt with him yet, but I’m going to!

Our 3 Favorite Popcorn Toppings:

Protein Popcorn: Drizzle a little melted peanut butter + mini chocolate chips – actually fills the pit for an hour!

Treasure Hunt Popcorn: Mix in pretzels, dried fruit, M&M’s and have them hunt for the colors in the bowl.

Calm Down Popcorn: We do 5 crunchy bites, 4 deep breaths while we eat – we use my Anxiety Flash Cards for this one.

And then there’s “Grandma’s Special Coffee”

Lord help me. We had to have a talk about this one.

He loves what he calls “Grandma’s Special Coffee.” It’s his treat with his popcorn. He feels so grown up.

We had to tell him “Buddy, PLEASE don’t go to school and tell them grandma makes you special coffee or grandma is getting a phone call!” 😂😂😂 Can you imagine what the teacher would think?!

What it really is: I make my own iced coffee at home. His doctor knows he has ADHD and asthma, and his doctor said a little coffee can help him a bit with both. Caffeine is a stimulant and also a mild bronchodilator, so for HIM, his doctor said it’s okay in a small amount.

So his “Special Coffee” is milk, a little of my coffee, chocolate syrup, all over ice in a cup like Starbucks. He thinks he’s so cool with his Starbucks cup.

This is just what works for us and what HIS doctor said is okay for HIM. If you’re thinking about trying anything with caffeine for your kiddo, please check with your own pediatrician first.

So that’s our afternoon: popcorn, special coffee, and chaos.

What’s your go-to cheap sensory snack? Tell me in the comments – I need ideas before this bottomless pit eats everything!

Love,
Gramma M

P.S. If you need something to burn off that popcorn energy, my ADHD Treasure Hunt Cards are in my Etsy shop – print them and they RUN! And my Anxiety Flash Cards help with after-snack meltdowns.

P.P.S. This blog is free and always will be! If you laughed and want to buy this grandma a REAL coffee so I can keep making him the fake stuff, here’s my coffee cup.

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If you know me, you know I love fishing. Yes, I have ADHD. No, it does not make sense. I am aware.

The other day I had my two grandsons. My oldest is my little fishing buddy, so of course we were going to go. My youngest, who also has ADHD and is on the spectrum, wanted to go too.

I said, “Not this time, bud.”

Not because I don’t adore him. I do. But I have taken that child fishing before. It goes about as well as taking a squirrel to meditation class. He needs to move. He needs action. He needs seventeen different activities in five minutes. Fishing has… one activity. And it involves waiting.

I love taking him places that match his energy. Fishing is not it.

But then Grandpa walked in.

My grandson KNOWS Grandpa is the weak link. He never says no. So he made absolutely sure Grandpa heard me say no.

Grandpa, being Grandpa: “Aw, he can go. I’ll watch him.”

Grandson: “YAY!!!”

Me, to my husband: “Cool. He’s all yours then. You’re a big boy. You do you.”

Famous last words.

Stop One: Way too many swimmers in our fishing spot.

My grandson lights up like Christmas. “OHHH I WANT TO SWIM! You fish, I’ll swim!”

I just looked at my husband and went, “And so it begins.”

We pivot to a lake with a beach, so we can actually fish in peace. This is the exact moment my husband realized he messed up.

We pull up and my grandson screams, “OH YAY I CAN SWIM INSTEAD!”

Grandpa tries to lay down the law: “No. We are here to FISH.”

Oh honey. Bless your heart. Good luck with that.

So me and my oldest go fish like normal humans. Grandpa gets assigned to the Splash Zone.

About 20 minutes later, here they come. Grandson is done swimming. Now Grandpa is apparently his personal fishing guide.

I asked, “Are you done swimming?”

“Grandpa is going to help me fish!”

I laughed so loud I scared the fish. “Oh, is he now? That’s fantastic.”

For those of you who don’t know my husband, he SWEARS he is a patient man. He is not. He has the patience of a gnat on energy drinks.

So I’m trying to enjoy my peaceful fishing while I get to eavesdrop on the chaos down the bank:

“Wait a minute! No, you have to wait! No, let me put the bait on! No, let me cast it so you can SEE how! ARE YOU WATCHING?! WATCH THE BOBBER! We are NOT going swimming again! We are FISHING!”

Then my grandson stomps over to me.

“Grandma, can I use your pole?”

Two casts. “Okay I’m bored. Can we go home? I’m hungry.”

This child is hungry every five minutes. I swear he has a tapeworm with a watch.

I walked over to my husband. “Ready to go?”

He looked at me like a defeated war veteran. “Yes. We cannot take him fishing anymore.”

Oh REALLY? You don’t say? Thanks for catching up to what I said an hour ago!

We went home. Zero fish. They weren’t biting anyway.

But we did learn something very important.

When Grandma says no, it’s not because she’s mean. It’s because she’s been there, done that, and does NOT want to spend her fishing trip running a daycare / swim lesson / fishing show / snack bar.

Listen to Grandma next time. 🤣

P.S. This blog is free and always will be! It does cost me a little to keep this site running though. If you ever got a laugh out of a story or tried one of my recipes, and you want to buy this grandma a coffee to help keep the lights on, I would be forever grateful. No pressure at all – just having you here is more than enough!

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Hey everyone,

I want to get serious for a minute.

I have some dear friends going through a really tough time right now and they could use some support. I wanted to share their story here to see if maybe we could reach a few more people.

I know times are hard right now, so all I ask is that you read their story. If you are able to give, that’s great. If not, maybe just leave some support in the comments. They are wonderful people and I know even just that would mean the world to them.

On August 7th, 2025, Craig Balcer went in for his first colonoscopy. After he woke up, the doctor came in and told him he was 98% sure Craig had colorectal cancer. It was devastating news that changed their lives instantly.

What followed were months filled with appointments, procedures, CT scans, and MRIs as his care team worked to determine the best path forward. Craig began radiation therapy and chemo pills at the end of September 2025. He completed 30 sessions of radiation and took six chemo pills every day.

After a short break, he started chemo infusions in mid-December 2025, continuing through March 2026. In February, the tumor was no longer visible on CT or MRI scans, and we were all incredibly hopeful that the treatment was working.

Near the end of his infusion cycle, Craig had a severe allergic reaction that landed him in the hospital for four days. After finishing his final infusion, he had a three-month break to allow his body to recover. We truly believed we were finally moving forward.

Just when we thought we were moving forward, our family received heartbreaking news. In early June, Craig went through a week filled with appointments, scans, and procedures. He went into those appointments hoping for reassurance, but instead learned his cancer had returned.

On July 2, 2026, Craig underwent major surgery to remove the section of intestine containing the tumor, along with the surrounding blood vessels and lymph nodes. As part of the procedure, he received a temporary ileostomy. Thankfully, his surgeons were able to complete the planned operation, and he is now home recovering.

While we are so grateful the surgery was successful, the journey is far from over. Recovery from this surgery is physically and emotionally demanding. Craig is unable to work for several weeks while his body heals, and Beth also has to take time away from work to care for him, help him adjust to life with an ileostomy, attend follow-up appointments, and support him through every step.

If all goes according to plan, he will face another surgery in the coming months to reverse the ileostomy, beginning another recovery process.

As many of you know, cancer doesn’t just affect a person’s health – it impacts every part of life. The medical bills continue to grow, lost wages place additional strain on the family, and everyday expenses don’t stop while he focuses on healing.

We created this fundraiser because we could use your help. Every donation, no matter the amount, will go toward medical expenses, household bills, travel to appointments, and helping relieve some of the financial burden so Craig can focus on what matters most – recovering.

https://gofund.me/76f5e98b6

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading and for any love you can share.

Does anyone else have a whole phone conversation and then hang up and realize… wait, what did we even talk about? Because it was basically just a stimming session?

Let me give you an example.

The other night my daughter called me. Honestly, I don’t even remember now what she called for. She had me on speaker and my grandson was there.

I hear him say, “Mom, why is Dad taking so long?”

Then he goes, “He went and bought milk and never came back.” It’s a joke.

LMBO I said, “The joke goes ‘he WENT for milk and never came back’ – if he BOUGHT the milk, I think he would come back!”

So again he says, “It’s been so long.”

So I say in my best old lady voice, “It’s been 84 years…”

To this he says, in HIS old lady voice, “It’s been 100 years!”

Of course he didn’t get the 84 years reference because he’s never seen Titanic. But my daughter got it.

So then she says, “When he gets home I’m going to say ‘Where have you been?!’” in her best Mrs. Weasley voice.

So I say, “Then say it’s been 84 years!”

Then my grandson chimes in again in his old lady voice, “It’s been 100 year!”

When I got off the phone I realized I have no idea why she even called, because the whole time we were just stimming off each other.

And how about having a conversation with your husband and thinking, “this man has DEFINITELY been touched by the tism fairy”?

My husband will walk around the house making up little tunes about everything. He will sing ANYTHING. Have you ever seen that Robitussin commercial where they sing the word Robitussin? That is what he does, but with random words and phrases. He doesn’t even realize he’s doing it.

And can we talk about how kids with ADHD/ASD have a bottomless pit for a stomach? Seriously, my grandson can eat a full meal and not 30 minutes later look you straight in the eye and say, “I’m hungry.”

Kid, you just ate a 5-course meal! Where did it go? Honestly unbelievable. Lol.

Please don’t think I’m making fun of ADHD or autism. Well, I mean I am, but not in a bad way.

I was diagnosed with ADHD late in life. I always knew something was different. So after I got diagnosed, it actually felt a little easier. I understood a bit more about why I do or say certain things.

For me and my kids, making jokes about what we do is the easiest way to cope. No one can change who they are, and if we just ignore it, well, it doesn’t go away. So why not embrace it, make fun of it, and laugh at the things you do? Pretending it’s not there will just make you miserable, and that is no way to live your life.

If you have any stories like this, please share in the comments. I love reading what you all share.

We are all in this chaos we call life together, so let’s make the best of it.

Love,
Gramma M

P.S. This blog is free and always will be! It does cost me a little to keep this site running though. If you ever got a laugh out of a story or tried one of my recipes, and you want to buy this grandma a coffee to help keep the lights on, I would be forever grateful. No pressure at all – just having you here is more than enough!

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So we sold our camper last week. Are we sad about it? Nope!

Here’s the deal. 5 years ago we decided we wanted to go camping. We bought a huge tent, an air mattress that was on a frame, a solar charged power system, and everything else we thought we should have.

So we set off one weekend to go camping with most of the kids and grandkids. Well we got to our spot and first realized there was no shade. It was like 95 that weekend. So we set everything up. We are all just hot and exhausted and it’s like noon. So we make lunch and relax thinking ok this will be cool.

About 4 pm the park ranger is walking around letting everyone know there are going to be some terrible storms in the evening and they will have the shelter open for everyone to go. So when I say terrible they were talking tornados and 60 mph winds. At that point I looked at my husband and we just started packing everything up. There was no way we were riding a storm out like that in a tent. So we went home.

3 hrs of set up in the sun. 4 hrs of relax but only took an hour to pack up and get the heck out of dodge.

Fast forward to the next spring. We decided the reason we didn’t want to camp is because we didn’t have a camper. Well we both remember having pop ups when we were young and they were so much fun. So we go check out the new pop ups. Boy they have changed. All you do is push a button to pop them up. They have solar panels, air conditioner, a pull out and they are beautiful inside. That’s it we are getting one so we can take the grandkids camping.

We did and we got everything we needed. Our first weekend camping was great. Didn’t sleep well but it was exciting. We had some bumps, we couldn’t figure out the awning (we never used it again) but otherwise it was good. The second trip was a disaster (but honestly that is a whole other blog). The other trips were ok but my back hurt, I didn’t sleep well and I was exhausted from making sure everyone else was enjoying their time.

By the last camping weekend I believe I decided I was done. My husband (Kevin) was out of town so I decided that I could pull the camper and do it with the help of the kids.

We got to the campground. Just my daughter and I. It took me three times but I backed it in (and did a good job). We set it up and all was good. The first night went good. Again didn’t sleep great but it was ok. But I kept smelling something weird. So the next day my son and I kept trying to find out where the smell was coming from. So we are at the front of the camper where the battery and propane tanks are. I had the tanks shut off so it wasn’t that but that is where the smell is. We take the battery cover off and it is bubbling. OMG we took the cables off and it stops. I still to this day have no idea why that happened. Ugh.

It was a great day. Full of sunshine and beautiful. Everyone leaves except one of my grandsons, my dog and me. So we are chilling in the camper and get a notification that storms are coming. Good lord here we go again. So I told my grandson we are locking up the camper and going home for the night. We will come back tomorrow. Luckily we were only 20 minutes from home. So we locked up grabbed the dog and headed home.

When we got home my grandson realized we forgot the dog’s leash hooked to the bumper of the truck. We drove all the way home with that dragging on the back. I cannot imagine what people thought seeing that. OMG can you imagine.Like I hope the dog wasn’t on there at some point.

Anyway we slept in comfy beds that night as it stormed. When we went back everything was good. We packed up and came back home.

That was the last adventure in camping for us. Fast forward a year later. Camper up for sale and sold a month later. Done.

Now we made great memories with the kids and grandkids. But also had some trying times.

In the end we decided we can take the kids to the state parks, go fishing, have fires at our house but at the end of the day we get to sleep in our own comfy bed.

Do you guys have any stories of camping adventures good or bad? Please share in the comments.

P.S. This blog is free and always will be! It does cost me a little to keep this site running though. If you ever got a laugh out of a story or tried one of my recipes, and you want to buy this grandma a coffee to help keep the lights on, I would be forever grateful. No pressure at all – just having you here is more than enough.

Buy me a coffee ☕

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I was diagnosed with ADHD at 48. My grandson figured it out before the doctor did. He said, “Gramma, why do you have 12 projects on the table?”

Because I have 47 hobbies and my brain says we need to do them ALL TODAY, buddy.

I tried to be a “pick one thing and master it” person. I really did. It lasted about 3 days.

Here’s the current rotation on my kitchen table, no joke:

• Crochet — started a blanket for my husband in 2019, it’s about 12 inches wide and 4 feet long. Lol we now just use it on our stool as decor.

• Cricut — I have vinyl in every drawer. My husband asks why we need 6 shades of glitter? My answer ( mind your business) 🤣🤣

• Baking / Sourdough — my starter is named lil frankie, and although I have been using sour dough to make bread for 2 years. Lately I have just been over it. So I am pretty sure he is no longer alive. (Luckily I have some frozen)

• Thrifting / Upcycling — I WILL turn that $2 tee into something cute, I swear. As it is still hanging in my craft room a year later.

And don’t get me started on my craft room! Ugh. I’m pretty sure it’s not normal to have to clean up your craft room before working on a project. I think I have that turned around somehow!

But every single one makes me happy for like 2 weeks, then I see something shiny and we pivot.

For a long time I felt bad about it. Like I was flaky or couldn’t finish anything.

But here’s what I’ve learned at 52: I DO finish things. I finish joy. I finish learning a little. I finish making my grandkids laugh when I show them my 4th new “favorite hobby” this month.

I’m not here to become an expert. I’m here to have fun and try stuff and maybe save you from buying the dumb version of the thing before I found the good one.

So this blog is going to be exactly like my craft room — a little chaotic, lots of half-finished projects, but always something interesting.

Your turn: What hobby are you hyper-fixated on THIS week? Tell me in the comments so I don’t feel alone in my chaos.

Love,
Gramma M

P.S. This blog is free and always will be! It does cost me a little to keep this site running though. If you ever got a laugh out of a story or tried one of my recipes, and you want to buy this grandma a coffee to help keep the lights on, I would be forever grateful. No pressure at all – just having you here is more than enough!

Buy me a coffee ☕

Suggested donations $1, $3, $5