My P's And It's Not What You Think

Pansy

Piggy (our Guinea Pig Stormy)

Park Fun

Panda Planter (Hopefully growing basil)

Painting Class with my daughter

Present attitude

She had to wait all day for Daddy to come home so she could open her presents. It was hours! She finally got to open her gifts at 7:30. Turning 11 is hard. Too old to throw a tantrum and too young to make demands.

Five Tips on How to Successfully Read to Your Child

Did you know?

• More than half the children in the country will not hear a bedtime story tonight
• Some children begin kindergarten having been read to as few as 25 hours
• By age four, low-income children have heard an average 32 million fewer words than their peers

If a child is not reading at grade level by the end of the first grade, then there is an 88% probability the child will not be reading at grade level by the end of the fourth grade.


1. GET COMFORTABLE. Stories have been told and read for me immemorial because they are pleasurable and because sharing them draws people together. This is not necessarily obvious to children. At home, it’s good to mix reading with warmth and affection. I try to express that in the way I sit. We tuck in on the couch or in a comfy chair. I try to snuggle with my little one, and even with my older ones, ages 13 and 11. Or we lie on the living room floor, all of us, while I read aloud. Even if your child is behind in reading and there’s pressure to make progress, try to make reading time feel comfortable and caring.

2. READ SLOWLY. I like to stop for a couple of seconds about every half page or so when I‘m reading, especially to my youngest. The words and the story are more complex than she is used to. I want to give her me to absorb it. Sometimes I stop and look at her and smile when we’re reading. Sometimes she doesn’t say anything to me when I smile, and that’s fine. Sometimes she smiles back. And sometimes she makes a little comment. “Mrs. Frisby is afraid, I think,” she’ll say. I don’t have to do much to show her she’s doing well when she does that. Sometimes I’ll just nod and smile or kiss the top of her head. And then I keep reading. I read slowly too. Nice and steady to let the words sink in. There’s no rush.

3. GIVE THEM A FEW WORDS TOO. My kids loves it when I say, “And the next chapter is called...” and they get to read the title of the chapter to me. Look for little moments when your child can help you read a more advanced book and see that it’s within his or her range someday. Even if it’s just reading the word ‘I’ or ‘and,’ it helps. “See, you’re on your way!” is a powerful message.

4. EXPRESS YOURSELF (as much as you can). The power of reading aloud for kids is in developing their ear for language, for what words sound like and how sentences work. Capturing that is key and it’s simpler than it might sound. You don’t have to act out the roles and make it theater, you just have to capture the sound of language and the cadence of words—which ones run together, which ones get a bit of emphasis.

5. DON’T FREAK OUT. Ok maybe you’re great at reading aloud. But maybe you’re not. Maybe you fear it. Is it ok if you’re not confident in your own reading? Yes. But more important than telling you it’s okay I want to suggest a way to make you feel more confident and therefore more likely to read to your kids: preview the section you are going to read. The night before you read to your child, take the book to bed and read the part you’ll read the next night. If you’ve read it through beforehand, you’ll remember even if you don’t realize it. Please know that I do this all the time, even though I am a former English teacher and principal. I like to know where the book is going and to be ready for tough spots or content that’s challenging. It just makes me feel confident to know where things are going. If you’re nervous about reading, it will help you as well. As will starting simply. I know—I said read challenging books. But you can always build up to them. Reading to your child is a marathon not a sprint so it’s fine if you need some me to build your own comfort and skill. Just please don’t let that fear stand between your child and what will help them most.

Books That Are Fun To Read

The Good Egg

BY: Doug Lemov (with co-authors Colleen Driggs and Erica Woolway) is the author of Reading Reconsidered: A Practical Guide to Rigorous Literacy. For more information, please visit, www.teachlikeachampion.com and connect with Doug on Twitter, @doug_lemov

The Fifth Sister From Victim to Victor Overcoming Child Abuse

Did you know that 1 in 3 girls will be molested by the time they are 18 and 1 in 5 boys? 90% of these molesters are either known or loved by these children.

The 411:

The statistics above scare the crap out of me. As a mom of a young boy and girl and a victim of child sexual abuse I know that usually the degenerate is someone the family knows. I say degenerate and will always say degenerate. Keeping my kids safe is something that takes careful planning because I refuse to let them out of my sight but they also need to live their lives. I am deadly afraid of someone hurting them. In the book The Fifth Sister by Laura Landgraf she writes of abuse that lasted 30 years at the hands of her very own father, for me it was my grandfather.  Laura speaks of emotional and sexual abuse and how as a child she would take off on long horse rides to escape the house of horrors. It was hard to hear the way her mother ignored and blamed the girls. It was very hard to hear the girls discuss the abuse and how they push those memories so far under that they believe the pieces to be dreams. It was very hard to read the scene that has Laura walking in on her young children playing a game called "tiger" with her father their grandfather that she remembers was a prelude to molestation. It killed me to know Laura had to endure abuse at the hands of her husband and that her children had to bare witness. However through all of that Laura writes with honesty, with integrity but not as a victim, she writes as a winner. She writes as someone who didn't let her history define her as a person but as a victor.  I was thrusting my arm in the air in victory when Laura finally gets the support she needs to move forward. Good mothers will go to any length necessary to protect their children. We will die for them. 

When I told a friend about the book they asked if it was sad. My reply, "No, not at all. You would think so but she didn't write it as a victim. I never felt Laura was a victim she was a warrior and in my eyes she always will be. You should read it."\

Quiver by Chrissie Anthony - A Book Review

 
The 411:

This debut novel by Chrissie Anthony is a sexy read about Eve who lost the love of her life and is having trouble moving on. At 49 she hasn't allowed herself to fully appreciate and accept the powers that her womanhood allow her.  When her friends finally talk her into trying online dating she starts to peel back the layers that will eventually lead to her metamorphosis as a sexual human being who loves sex and her own femininity. But until she can fully embrace her new self she will have to kiss some frogs along the way, invest in a catalyst for the change and give herself over to someone else who can help her open herself up. There is that abstract enough for ya....writing this I wonder if I have given you enough to decide if the book is for you.

Basically in a nutshell Quiver is about a woman who like most of us has a Goddess living inside her but she doesn't know how to let her out. I loved reading about Eve. I loved that she was older, had a few miles on her and some baggage. This made it something I could totally relate to. I loved her relationship with her girlfriends because we all have them and most of us wouldn't be able to get through a day without our core group of friends. 

It is a great read. You will love it. 

Camera Critters - Our Beautiful Stormy

My Goddess received Stormy the day after Christmas from her Aunt Marta! Goddess has begged for a pet for years and this seemed like the perfect pet for our family for right now. We are obsessed with her and spend so much time with her that you would think she was a cat or dog. She is hardly ever in her cage and someone is always holding her which is probably a good thing considering Guinea Pigs love company and our cage isn't big enough for two.

Her is our Princess Storm Storm in all her glory.

Joy Is A Must See Movie Starring Jennifer Lawrence - REVIEW

JOY

The 411 by Maria:

If you didn't have the opportunity to see Joy in the movies this is a must see and is available on  Digital HD today the 38th anniversary of my mother's passing April 8 and Blu-ray May 3!  

Jennifer Lawrence was absolutely amazing in this movie. I had to keep reminding myself this was Katnis of The Hunger Games. Jennifer plays Joy an every day woman, mother, wife and care taker to her mother. This is a rags to riches story that will have you believing you can do anything if you really want to. 

Picture this... circa 1980s...Joy Mangano has an idea for a mop that will enable housewives everywhere to not have to touch the nasty dirty water with their hands.  It's the onset of QVC and American's everywhere are glued to the channel and purchasing goods from the comfort of their own beds and couches. 

If Joy can get her product hawked on the channel just maybe she can be a success. There is only one problem. She has to get QVC to approve her product.  Joy is not going to give up either and thanks to Bradley Cooper (imagine), she talks him into allowing her mop to get on air. Unfortunately the Prima Donna who is selling it to the audience has no idea what he is doing. Joy doesn't give up and eventually breaks QVC records and goes onto greenlight other inventors when she starts her own company. 

The supporting cast is wonderful too with Robert DeNiro, Virginia Madsen, Diane Ladd, Isabella Rosselini. 

I loved this Underdog story of a woman who never gave up her dream. 

5 Sure-Fire Strategies for Helping Your Child Improve Her Grades

Eliminate the possibility of an underlying problem

Praise effort over intellect

Use what already motivates your child

Find fun ways to help with challenge areas

Our Children: The First Generation of Digital Natives

Our digital devices have slowly become extensions of ourselves, like a cyborg hand that serves as our second brain. For example, it is now hard to imagine leaving the house without your cellphone, as it is one of the tools that you’re most reliant on. Some have even gone so far as to say that without their smartphone they feel “naked."

Technology is exponentially changing and expanding its capabilities, which is having drastic effects on our culture. We see the biggest social changes, spurred from the growth of our digital age, within our children. The youth of our day are referred to as “digital natives,” as they were born into a society with a major reliance on Internet, cell technology and advanced computers.

There are many benefits and challenges that our children will encounter in our digital world that will affect their social life, education and health.

Social Life

Your child now has a split social life: partially in-person and partially through their devices. Kids are more connected to their friends than ever before. If your child always has his smartphone on him, he always has the capability of connection with his peers. Many kids employ social platforms, like Instagram, Vine, Twitter and Snapchat, as communication tools. They are also constantly texting and video chatting with friends, whenever given the opportunity.

The positive aspect of this is that this generation will be excellent and resourceful communicators. They are aware of the tools that will help them connect with others and they exercise the interpersonal skills frequently. Their interconnection helps them receive and release information quickly, without many barriers.

The downside of this lightning-speed connection is that damage can be done in an instant. If your child has a lapse of judgement and writes something inappropriate on a social platform or text, it can spread like wildfire. A misguided tweet can be captured in a second, even if deleted almost immediately.

Education

Access to information has never been easier. The Internet is a powerful resource in the academic environment, as kids can quickly access information and gain knowledge. Kids can find information instantly, but is it the right information?

A worry is that kids may not be able to differentiate between reliable sources and unreliable sources. For example, a government website is going to have the most accurate information about particular laws, versus a citizen’s blog that talks about their remedial understanding of the justice system.
One positive aspect of this is that kids will always be able to find the most up-to-date knowledge about academic subjects. Their knowledge will no longer be misinformed or restricted by their school’s outdated textbooks.

However, your child may also be able to access information or media that is too mature for their age. Make sure your family computer and your child’s digital devices are equipped with parental protection apps and programs, so you can moderate the sites they visit and the content they engage with.

Health

Your child can learn more about his body and health with the uprising of physical monitoring technology. Wearable tech, like a FitBit or Apple Watch, will help your child keep track of his fitness goals and overall health. He can measure how many steps he takes every day, and this practice can create an awareness of his activity level. The Apple Watch will even remind the wearer that he has been sitting for too long, which will help prevent issues like obesity and an inactive lifestyle.

Wearable technology can also track sleep patterns and let you know how often you wake during the night. This is important, as sleeping disorders are detrimental to physical and mental health.

But beware that wearables may make your child overly conscious of their bodily functions. They could quickly become hypochondriacs about heart rate or sleep patterns, which can lead to other problems. Access to medical and health information online will only fuel paranoia and worries. Make sure your child isn’t too reliant on his wearables and won’t become overly obsessed about his health statistics.