Welcome to Adventures in NanaLand

A grandmother and her grandson at the beach climbing on rocks . . .where we have way more fun as grandparents than we ever had as parents! Come join the fun and discover some ways to connect to your grandkids. . .even if they are far away.

Why NanaLand?

My given name is Jill, but like most of you, when my first grandchild was born, I needed a “grandparent” name. My kids asked me what we wanted the grandchildren to call us. Oh my! That set off a decision-making process that was more involved than building a 7,500-piece Lego set (the newest Millennium Falcon Collector set – the Littles love Legos)!

Since my hubby and I still had both sets of parents living, they were already “grandma and grandpa” on both sides! We needed something to set us apart to avoid confusion. Wow! Getting to choose my own name! I figured it had better be good since I was going to hear it for the rest of my life.

It didn’t take long for me to fall in love with being called Nana. My hubby became Papa, and now even our own children call us by those names most of the time. And because I’m the mastermind behind all the craziness around here, we call it NanaLand. (However, Papa is my right hand and partner in crime around here. I couldn’t do it without him. 😊)

Grandma camp kids with grandparents outside on the lawn

Our Littles

Because my grandkids were going to have a special name for me and my hubby, we created a special name for them. They have become our Littles. There are 15 of those Littles now, and soon they will be bigger than me (which won’t be too hard since I’m only about 5’2” on a “tall” day anyway). Can I still call them my Littles then? Hmmm. . .I think they will always and forever be my Littles no matter how big they get to be.

How Did We Get Here?

I love being a Mom. . .but I never dreamed of this! Pretty unintentionally, my hubby and I seemed to outsmart birth control and ended up having 6 kids in 8 years! Nope. . .no multiples either. Talk about an adventure! Now, before you think I’m crazy and out of my mind, let me tell you that I would have never planned it that way, but now. . .I wouldn’t go back and change it for anything!

We had 5 sons and a daughter. We now have 11 grandsons and 4 granddaughters – Yes, we do a lot of boys around here! (The moral of the story to all of this: Don’t kill your teenagers, they may give you grandchildren someday. 😉 Trust me! I know how much restraint that takes!!)

What Do We Do in NanaLand?

Because 11 of the Littles live close, they spend a lot of time with us. So. . .adventure is the name of the game! Even those who live far away, have a connection with us that is super special. We have adventures when we/they visit and try to stay connected over the miles.

Around here we play games, go to sporting events, build Lego sets, make crafts, have puppet shows, do dress up, jump on the trampoline (well, the kids jump because if I jump, hmm. . .you know), celebrate holidays, go to Disneyland, have sleepovers, work in the garden, eat Papa’s BBQ, go to church, laugh, giggle, and sometimes cry together, and of course, bake cookies!

However, the highlight of every year is. . .(drum roll, please) Camp NanaPapa!! It’s our “grandma” camp where we have the grandkids all to ourselves and have more fun than on “regular” days!
And. . .2018 was the very first time that we have had all the grandkids together at camp. . .even our long-distance Littles! It was sooooo much fun!

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Group of grandkids on stairs

I Just Have to Share!

I love being a grandparent more than I even loved being a mom! That’s hard to believe, because being a mom was all I ever really wanted to do! No, it wasn’t all milk and cookies, but at the end of the day, it’s the most important thing I have ever done. My hubby and I raised 6 children to become wonderful, productive adults. That’s a pretty great accomplishment in my book. We give a lot of credit to God for helping us with this blessing in our lives. Family and religion are always at the top of our priority list.

I just couldn’t contain myself anymore and wanted to document this journey of grandparenting. So, starting a blog to share our adventures was the best way to do this. It is also a way to earn a small income so I don’t have to work full time at a 9-to-5 job and can still contribute to our family finances. This gives me the freedom to stay home and create more adventure for the Littles!

So, come on in, sit down, and have some milk and cookies (MUST be chocolate chip! ‘Cuz if it’s not chocolate, it’s not worth the calories). Join us for the Adventures in NanaLand. . .where it’s definitely more fun than being a parent!

Contact Me

If you ever have any questions about NanaLand, please feel free to contact me at adventuresinnanaland {at} gmail {dot} com. I would love to chat with you!

Cookies & Milk for Everyone!!

Nana Jill Signature with yellow flower