Sticks, Stones and Solutions: Why Bullying Matters to All of Us by G. W. Wilkins

Sticks, Stones and Solutions:  Why Bullying Matters to All of Us by G. W. Wilkins

Reports of bullying among our children is on the rise, and the consequences are serious. Whether more bullying is occurring or whether more parents are becoming aware of peer-to-peer bullying incidents and reporting them is unknown. Some parents even report bullying occurring as early as preschool.  Yet it is well-documented that children who are the target of bullying, whether in person or in a cyber environment, are at risk for anxiety, loneliness, low self-esteem, depression, physical health issues, alcohol and drug use, poor academic performance, poor social self-competence and even suicide.

Temper Tantrums ~ An Opportunity to Teach Your Child How to Process Emotions

By Yvonne Perry

Empathy and intuition gives us the ability to better understand how we are connected to other living things. It is a form of communication with others, nature, animals, and even higher or spiritual forms of life. We are all born with empathic ability but most of us shut the sensing ability down at some point either because the energy overload causes discomfort or we are taught not to trust our inner guidance. By shutting down our intuition and empathic ability, we live in our heads and are pretty much out of touch with our body and our own emotions.

Review: The Gift Of The LadyBug

Wow! The Gift Of The LadyBug is a book that will warm your heart and bring happy tears to your eyes! To those who have lost a child and to those who have not, you can't help but be brought to tears by the merriment captured in Carole M. Amber's awe inspiring children's book! While going through one of the darkest moments of her life, The Gift Of The LadyBug was born. And not only was it born but this unselfish beautiful woman is sharing her personal story and her uplifting message that if her little boy T.J. could face his fate with joy, laughter, love and peace, her and the rest of the world could do the same. 

This endearing children's book teaches children and adults alike about acceptance and embracing differences. 

Children's Book Review: Angel Archie To The Rescue!

Lisa Sheehy is so passionate about her part in taking care of mother nature that she has written a brand new children's book, Angel Archie To The Rescue. 

Angel Archie is calling upon the children of the earth to educate their parents on how to green up the world.







At this time on planet earth there is an impending need for all of us to step up and do our part in being stewards of the earth.  Lisa is so driven to teach children and their parents about how to go about this, she so eloquently put together a must read children's picture book. Her message shines through with clear and concise instructions on how this can be achieved.

Angel Archie is so full of love and inspiration you can not help but want to follow along with him and start to create your own inspired creative journey.

It appears that the children that are being born in this time period are coming in hard-wired with a knowing of how to take care of our planet. These children are very protective, connected and have a need to reduce, reuse and recycle.

Are You Taking Your Kids To The London Olympics? Check Out Cooper's Pack London Travel Guide For Kids And An Interview With Brandon Kyle Rudd

Your children will be enthralled and engaged along the entire olympic
journey with the Cooper's Pack London Travel Guide. Cooper makes an excellent companion to join your child during his Olympic journey.


Cooper’s Pack™ was created by author Brandon Kyle Rudd in conjunction with graphic designer, Martin McCann (Groot), in 2004. After returning from a trip to Thailand in 2003, Brandon sketched the original New York City book in one afternoon and an idea was born—children’s travel guides based on stuffed animals traveling around the world, city by city.

Each book follows the journey of the main character Cooper, as he ventures through a city with a new friend, a member of his “pack”. Look for L.L. (Little Lambie, the London hipster) in the London book Phinney the bear in NYC, Elliott the Sea Otter (who works at the Space Needle) in Seattle, Zoe the fox (and perfumery mogul) in Paris, Demitri for the Athens book and many others. The books also include an interactive education and activity section plus look for hidden secrets or “buried bones” that can be found on most pages. The interactive books for the iPad and Android platforms have advanced buried bone hunting with over 100 buried bones just in the Seattle book alone.
Brandon Kyle Rudd is responsible for the concept, writing, photography, art direction, and business management and Martin McCann creates the corresponding graphic designs and assets, bringing Cooper to life in print and on the web.

Meet Brandon Kyle Rudd, the author behind Coopers Travel Guides

Carol and Stacy: Have you been to every destination you wrote a travel guide about?

Brandon: Absolutely! That is the best part about the job…planning and then exploring every new location. To be honest, I usually visit each location more than once to ensure we capture everything, photograph major events (where applicable) and to standardize weather. If anything, we have more travel guides to write than time allows. Some of my favorite storylines that are yet to be published include Cape Town (South Africa), Tokyo (Japan), Santiago (Chile), Portland (Oregon) and Angkor Wat/Siem Riep (Cambodia).

Carol and Stacy: How did you create the photos and illustrations in your book?

Brandon: The artwork shown in Cooper’s books are culled from a variety of sources, starting with the actual onsite photo shoots of each city/region. From there, we select the most viable shots for each page in the story then the work begins. Utilizing Photoshop, we fold in multiple layers and imagery to build the page along with placing the characters. Some of the illustrations are hand-drawn and others are simply invented as needed. The one standard across all books is that we utilize a new character for each city/region and ensure we have them physically in-hand prior to shooting the book. This way we can also have a spread in the activity section that shows the real characters in the real city (instead of just relying on Photoshop).

Carol and Stacy: Do you have any children of your own?

Brandon: You would think so but alas, no. Because traveling has taken much of my time over the last 10 years, the timing just hasn’t happened yet. I do completely enjoy sharing my adventures and stories with kids through the school systems I visit along with friends and family. Someday…

Carol and Stacy: Have you written any other books besides the travel series?

Brandon: I've contemplated writing several books over the years, both fiction and
non-fiction however haven't tried to actually publish any of them. Instead
I often find myself making up songs and trying to map them to the guitar or
piano...songs about odd-holidays, made-up characters and the like. If I did
focus on writing a separate book, it would be focused on motivational
behavior and how the glass is always half-full.

Carol and Stacy: Is there a T.V. show in the works? This could easily be a TV show for kids. The potential is endless.

Brandon: The proverbial “nail on the head”. This is one of our main goals as Cooper’s Pack is completely scalable for television. Think about the fun and educational possibilities by having a regular show featuring Cooper’s travels and his “pack” of friends? We can focus on world regions, cities and places along with activities (for example: Cooper’s Pack—Fishing or Cooper’s Pack—Sculpture). We’ve been working on the theme song for Cooper that includes a wonderfully repetitive line that goes: He’s Cooper…He’s Super-Duper! As of now, we’re still trying to figure out how to break into the TV world and are looking for help if anyone has some suggestions…

Carol and Stacy: Is Coopers favorites really your favorites?

Brandon: I’ll answer this one level deeper…I am Cooper. So yes, his favorites are mine, though as anyone knows, favorites can change with time. Therefore I try to update Cooper’s favorite music in every other book to show that he has changed/grown. I should also mention that his Pack of friends are also built off of friends and family, therefore their favorites…

Carol and Stacy: Who is Groot and Kyle?

Brandon: Kyle is my middle name (Brandon Kyle Rudd) and Groot is Dutch for large. Martin McCann who helps produce the Cooper graphics is fairly stout and also loves Amsterdam and the Dutch people. When I do school presentations, I often describe Groot as similar to Harry Potter’s Hagrid character (black long hair, large, big). That is Groot. Together we decided we didn’t need our names on the books and preferred to have some fun with the publishing.

Carol and Stacy: What is next and how can your audience connect with you?

Brandon: We are aggressively working on updating our London eBook to coincide with the 2012 Summer Olympics. In addition, we’re finally getting ready to release our Paris book who features our first female character, Zoe the Fox (she’s from Paris and owns a Perfume Empire—studied both botany and chemistry in grad school). I started shooting Cooper’s Pack—Hawaii in May which should be complete by the year’s end (featuring a surfing cat). I plan on scouting our Tokyo book sites in September/October and solidifying the Tokyo character. From there, we are simply trying to get the word out about Cooper and our books. Anyone who has ever seen them seems to love them and want more. I know we have a great product, we just need help getting people to see them.

If anyone wants to learn more about Cooper’s Pack, they can visit our website at http://cooperspack.com/ to see our latest releases and purchase books or follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/CoopersPackTravelGuides.
In addition, we’re starting to release weekly video updates on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/CoopersPack/.

Carol and Stacy: Is there any messages you would like to pass onto the parents buying your books or reading this interview?

Brandon: Cooper’s Pack is geared towards 4-12 year old audiences, however I am continually amazed with our fan comments that include adults who love the books or from their 2-year olds that won’t let them read anything else when they go to bed at night. The books also include over 100 “buried bones” (hidden secrets) in each book that can help entertain on a long road-trip or plane flight. I should also mention we try to push the following travel goals in each book produced:

• Have fun and take pictures.
• Be courteous and respectful to others.
• Be smart and learn about new cultures.
• Make new friends.

Cooper’s books are also available for the Apple iPad as an interactive book that unlocks Cooper’s “buried bones” found in both the print and eBooks, along with video animations and extended fun facts. More information on our eBooks can be found at  http://cooperspack.com/store/interactive/

Carol and Stacy: What are you reading right now?

Brandon: I’ve got 3 in-process books right now that take up space in my luggage when traveling:

-Keith Richards Life
-Lonely Planet 1000 Ultimate Experiences
-Philip Matyszak Ancient Athens on 5 Drachmas a Day (in preparation for writing our Cooper’s Pack—Athens book that has already been photographed)

We want to send out a big thank you to Brandon for sharing his time with us and for Cooper for putting a smile on so many children's faces. Good luck on your adventures and keep us posted. ~ Carol and Stacy

If you are on the path of conscious parenting, love hearing about new children's authors, believe in the power of teaching children to read and enjoy winning prizes sign up for our newsletter. Let's stay connected! (Sign up on the right)

Calling All Parents~Ignite The Light Event With Vicki Savini

Calling All Parents! Have you heard about Vicki Savini's free online event? 


Ignite the Light: Creating Strong Foundations for Children and Adults
Vicki Savini Live Online Event

Date: June 26, 2012, 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm Pacific Time
Sponsored by: Hay House
Format: Live Online Event

VICKI SAVINI
Hay House Radio Sign Up Here
http://www.hayhouse.com/event_details.php?event_id=1741&utm_id=4497VS
Have you ever taken the time to look at how your childhood affects the current life you lead today?  Let’s face it, when children are born, no one is given a manual that describes how to teach them to navigate the waters of life successfully. We simply do the best we can, to teach our children well, based on the tools we acquired from our own experiences. At the ripe ‘ole age of five, our children go to school and are given tools to be academically successful, but they are not likely to get tools to help them to honor the light within, which is certainly the most important lesson in life. What if, as parents and teachers, we were given tools to teach our children how to shine that light within and be true to themselves, not only today, but in their future? What if those same tools could also help YOU to ignite your own light? Whether your childhood was horrific, picture perfect, or something in between, your childhood was your foundation, and it’s simply too precious to ignore! If we want to create positive changes in our world, we need to begin by creating solid foundations for our youth. In the process, you are sure to repair and strengthen your own foundation. In this timeless Live Online Event, Vicki Savini will educate, enlighten, and empower you to create strong foundations for our children and strengthen and repair your own foundation so that you can be your absolute best! Vicki is a mindful mother and teacher who educates, enlightens, and empowers children and adults to be their absolute best. She teaches ‘out of the box’ strategies in the public school system. Vicki is a life coach, an author, and a dynamic inspirational speaker who has touched countless lives with her simple, yet divinely inspired life strategies. She was a Speak, Write & Promote: Movers & Shakers Conference attendee, who was chosen to bring her very important message to you, through Hay House. During this 90 minute event you will… Learn the importance of childhood as our foundation in life. Understand the essentials of building strong foundations for our children. Embrace simple tools to repair and strengthen your own foundation. Be empowered to reveal your true self and guide children to always shine the light within! Pause for a moment (or perhaps 90 minutes) and take the time to find your true reflection by honoring the child within and pledging to educate, enlighten, and empower the children in your life. Take this step with me to Ignite the Light! Please Note: Hay House is bringing this special live online event to you for free! If you can’t make the live event, it will be for sale in our on demand library the following week.

An interview with children's author Kathy Parra.

After reviewing Kathy Parra's new children's book, Love Is The Color Of A Rainbow. We knew we had to interview Kathy and share her with all of you. You are going to love her. She's down to earth and speaks from her heart.

Kathy Parra, or Kap, by her nickname, loves gardening, talking with nature, especially with dolphins, vegan cooking and baking, bike riding, and skipping for joy where she lives in Mesa, Arizona with her partner Tony and their 3 girls.

Carol Lawrence and Stacy Toten: What made you pick a blind child for your main character? Do you have experience working with the blind?

Kathy Parra: When I was in sixth grade the teacher asked if anyone wanted to assist with the special needs students, I raised my hand and said, “Pick me!” I was paired up with many children but one in particular who we will call Willow, Willow explained to me that she had been blind since birth, each day I went in there to assist her with her Braille reading, which I might add she so wanted me to learn, but I never did. She would sit flitting her tiny fingers over the bumps in the thin translucent paper at rapid speed and I would pencil scratch my stories just at furiously, one day she asked me “what are you writing?” I told her I like to write stories about nature, she asked me to read them to her, she would delight in my story making and I would delight in her listening, we spent many a lunch hour eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches as I read my nature stories.
One day out of the blue Willow took out her pear from her lunch bag, and said “I wish I knew what my pear looked like” “Kathy” she asked “what does a pear look like?” I started with well it’s green on the outside; she said, “what does green look like?” I knew then and there I was to take her in nature to share what the pear looked like, so I took her under a beautiful mulberry tree on the schoolyard as she stood under the tree I took her hand and let her feel the green leaves I said these are leaves and they are green and it is the same color as the outside of the pear, she said oh it is smooth-warm, then I ran her hand over the branch to which would be the sense of the stem of the pear, I said this is the stem and it is a brownish green, oh she said this too feels smooth yet strong, yes-yes! I was excited that she was associating the feel-sense of what I was sharing in a feeling sense, putting feelings to the colors, then I took her to the sand box and ran her fingers through the sand, I said the inside of the pear, it a soft white color yet as you bite into the pear there is just a bit of grit, she ran her fingers through the sand, then taking a bite of pear, she said oh it feels like life, like it has energy, when I feel the sand and then bite the pear I feel life-energy! Needless to say Willow quickly began to associate most everything in her daily life with a feeling for a color, she even made up her own colors! Willow often told me I was like a lot of colors put together, saying that all those colors were love. In that short amount of time that we spent together I was grateful for her friendship and she for mine, I think we both knew it was transient and as they say a reason- season or a lifetime. I had never had “experience” with blind children, but since then as an adult have assisted with Special Olympics only one other time.

Carol Lawrence and Stacy Toten: Do you have any children and were they an inspiration for your book?

Kathy Parra: Yes, I have three children - all girls! And they are 21-17 and 13. Yes, they were an inspiration to and for me and continue to be so; they have been my greatest teachers! I am honored and blessed to be in the presence of such wisdom! Namaste!

Carol Lawrence and Stacy Toten: How long did it take you to write Love is the Color of a Rainbow?

Kathy Parra: Well, the actual writing of Rainbow only took me 30 minutes, but the journey to publish it took 10 years, perhaps more if you count from sixth grade. Ha…

Carol Lawrence and Stacy Toten: Any advice for other children's authors?

Kathy Parra: Have fun, if you have something you are passionate about share it-be it-love it-nurture it-nourish it and allow it to bloom as it wishes, don’t try too hard or force the book to bloom, it will all blossom when the flower is ready to “be”…

Carol Lawrence and Stacy Toten: Are you writing another children's book anytime soon?

Kathy Parra: YES! I have dozens in the works. Many are already written, but as far as soon in publishing, one never knows, but yes for sure another children’s book, a few in particular, but I am allowing them to bloom and blossom as they wish to. I am currently enjoying sharing Rainbow and I really want to soak it all in, relish in the journey. I also want to start a Sensory Garden based on the book, intention has been put forth, seed planted and is “being” watered and nourished, waiting for the seed to emerge until blossom. I am also working on another book for all children of the world whether new to the earth or have been with the earth for many moons, it is titled One Love, surrounding the aspects of dolphins/whales and their presence in and of healing to and for us all! A short synopsis will be shared on http://www.intentionalconsciousparenting.com on May 16th, 2012.

Carol Lawrence and Stacy Toten: Have you always wanted to write a children's book? Has this been a life long dream of yours?

CALL of the DOLPHINS~One woman's healing journey with the dolphins.

Original version was published by OCEAN Magazine, in which Diane Buccheri is the publisher and also the publisher of Love Is The Color Of A Rainbow. Dolphins are like a best friend in which they will always be there for you no matter what! ~ Kathy Parra

CALL of the DOLPHINS 
by Kathy Parra
I sat in solitude for several months asking why. I did not share my pain with anyone. 
One night while lying in bed my body felt light. Light illuminated from the corner of my eye, a sense of complete peace came over my mind, body, and soul and I drifted off to sleep. That night I dreamed of dolphins. I considered it a lovely dream, and left it at that. That next day I went to see my hairdresser friend. He sensed my imminent concern yet, “Hey, what’s up with you? You look different.” I sat there and started to pour my heart out to him just like all people do with their hairdressers.

Approaching thirty, I, like many other mothers, so very much wanted to start my family, but somewhere something was not right with my body. I, like some women, could not conceive. I went to my physician and he ran a series of tests, which concluded I had endometriosis. “What is that?” I inquired. Endometriosis is a condition where tissue similar to the lining of the uterus, the endometrial stroma and glands which should only be located inside the uterus, is found elsewhere in the body. 
“So what does that mean?” I asked him, “And how do we cure it?” 
“There is no cure and most likely you will not be able to bear children because of the severity.” 
I was taken aback and said I would like to get another opinion, and so I did. The second physician said the same thing. I could not stop there. I went to a third physician who said, “You know you really need to think about not having children. It is never going to happen for you Kathy. For some people it is just not in their cards.” 
“That’s absurd Kathy, of course you will have children,” my hairdresser responded. “Look here at this article. People are healing today from all kinds of alternative healing methods. I just read about people swimming with dolphins in the Florida Keys to receive healing.” 
My first thought was my dream. “I dreamed of dolphins last night.” 

Kathy Parra ~ One Love! The Call of the Dolphins and Whales, inviting all of you to dive in and join in One Love.

Here is a short synopsis of Kathy Parra's upcoming book One Love, surrounding the aspects of dolphins/whales and their presence of healing for us all! Content was given to Kathy by dolphins. 


Kathy is co-creating her new book with Diane Buccheri of OCEAN Magazine.

ONE LOVE
Fascination. Mesmerizing. Captivating. Healing angels of the sea. Joy. Pleasure. Love. All of these words come to mind when we hear dolphin and whale.

Dolphins and whales have sourced us with harmonious energy for centuries. Dolphins and whales alike touch each of us on many levels in some way, whether knowingly or unknowingly. The soul, the core, of our essence has received their image. Our cell memory retains dolphin and whale within each of us as One Love.

Love is the energy of life. Love is the energy of spirit.

We all know this to be the way of truth. Dolphins and whales are asking many of us to come forth with our love and share from our own dolphin or whale within. Share with the masses in communal initiation as we move through the transformation of what lies in our soul, our core, that which is and always has been, one love.

Dolphins and whales continue to guide our lives in bravura through a tangible source, a book titled ONE LOVE.

Review: Love is the Color of a Rainbow By Kathy Parra

Love is the Color of a Rainbow By Kathy Parra

Illustrated by Candace Keach

Love is the Color of a Rainbow is the perfect book to teach your children how to see, touch, feel and smell the world.

This book will entice the children to use their imagination. Love is the Color of a Rainbow is very explicit in it's descriptions, you can almost taste the little vine ripe tomato on your tongue or feel the little snail crawling across your hand.

It's always a thrill to us when an author teaches the children how to connect with nature and the importance of mother earth.

Candace Keach's illustrations go hand in hand with the book. It's a perfect match.

Love is the Color of a Rainbow is an echo friendly book. A portion of the proceeds support nature and environmental organizations.

Author Kathy Parra, or Kap, by her nickname, loves gardening, talking with nature, especially with dolphins, vegan cooking and baking, bike riding, and skipping for joy where she lives in Mesa, Arizona with her partner Tony and their 3 girls Ariana, Chenoa, And Asha.

Find out more about Kathy.

Review by Carol Lawrence and Stacy Toten

KidSpeak Radio Show~A radio show where kids can speak their truth!

Update From Vicki Savini Speaking Your Truth!

KidSpeak Radio Show Makes a Debut A Radio Show Where Kids Can Speak THEIR Truth Hello Everyone! I am writing to you today to share our first radio show.  This particular show is a powerful 16 minutes.  If you have children, I encourage you to listen with your children.  My first graders have taken 'I Statements' to a whole new level! Enjoy! Vicki http://www.blogtalkradio.com/kidspeak/2012/03/29/speaking-our-truth

Carol And Stacy Interview Children's Author Vicki Scalzo-Savini

Article first published as The Light Inside of Me - An Interview with Author, Vicki Scalzo on Technorati.

1. What inspired you to write The Light Inside Of Me?

     I was inspired to write “The Light Inside of Me,” by a child who had anger issues. A few years ago I was in a situation where one of our elementary schools had asbestos, so they closed the school to remove it and moved our whole school into another building and we all doubled up. I worked with a friend of mine.  Together we had approximately 40 children in the class.  While one of us was teaching, the other would co-teach or prep the next lesson. One of my colleague’s students, named Bryce, was giving her an awful time.  He was very disrespectful and angry in general.  I took a liking to him because I saw that inside that hard shell he pretended to have, he was an amazing kid just looking to be noticed.  I sat down at the desk and wrote a poem titled, “The Light Inside of Me” to do a reader response with the kids. It changed Bryce’s life, my life, and hopefully millions of children in the near future!

2. Where did you get the idea to use children's illustrations?  What a fantastic concept!

     I had this book typed behind my desk for years. For fun, I would have the children illustrate different pages each year.  I never saw this book illustrated by an adult; I always knew it had to be illustrated by children because they have an amazing way of expressing their brilliance. When I finally decided to move forward to publish, there was never a question as to who would illustrate the book. I held an art contest in my elementary school and the rest is history.

    3. When did your deep love for teaching and inspiring children begin?   

The Light Inside Of Me By: Vicki Scalzo ~ Review By Carol and Stacy

The Light Inside Of Me ~ A simple way to guide children towards making good choices.

Written By Vicki Scalzo-Savini

Illustrated By Children From Milton Terrace South Elementary.

A quote from inside, The Light Inside Of Me ~ "You can use this book as a tool in the classroom, or at home to remind children of that brilliant light that dwells within."

Right from the very beginning when this adorable children's picture book arrived in the mail we were hooked. It just beams like a ray of sunshine. This book is filled with love and light.

The young illustrators from the Milton Terrace South Elementary shine in their originality. The heartfelt illustrations will bring joy to your eyes. This book is teaching children how to make good choices and how they can trust and honor their own feelings. The light inside of me demonstrates how to recognize the feelings in others and how to shine each and every child's inner light brightly.

Keep an eye out for our full interview with Vicki and a special giveaway just for our Intentional Conscious Parenting readers coming soon! Sign up for our newsletter, subscribe to our RSS feed, or follow us on Facebook and Twitter to stay in touch.

Purchase your very own copy of Light Inside Of Me and find out more about Vicki and her foundation by visiting her website. http://theinfinityfoundation.com/ or 

https://www.facebook.com/TheInfinityFoundation

Review By Carol Lawrence and Stacy Toten

Review: The Legend of The Wolves of Gunflint Lake

The Legend Of The Wolves of Gunflint Lake

All Quotes Are From The Book.

The Legend Of The Wolves of Gunflint Lake is a delightful story that shares the powerful message about the importance of valuing your community, animals and nature.

"Do your little bit of good where you are; it's those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world." ~ Desmond Tutu

"So it was true with the people who lived a long, long time ago on Gunflint Lake. They were people of the land who cared for one another. Each person in the tribe valued and honored and knew their importance for the success of the community. From the chief, to the littlest baby, they instinctually knew that each was a thread in the web of life." ~ Lisa Sellman

Lisa Sellman takes children on a journey through the eyes of the native american elder storytellers who show the importance of passing down the torch from generation to generation by carrying on the powerful message of the harmonious lessons and connections between nature and man.

Lisa Sellman brilliantly includes life lessons from the heart that teaches the value and respect for all. Whether it be human, nature or animals. She shows how everything is intertwined and has it's own divine purpose. We love how Lisa chose to use the wolf character as the source to guide the children and teach them the wisdom of the universe and encourages them not to forget the ways of gratitude.

The illustrations by Chris Kraetz pulls off a believable portrayal of living life at Gunflint Lake amongst the wolves.

Review by: Carol Lawrence and Stacy Toten

http://www.intentionalconsciousparenting.com

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Carol and Stacy Interview Howard Binkow: Author of the Howard B. Wigglebottom children's books.

1. Did you always know you wanted to be a children's writer, or did it come to you later on in life?
It came to me later on in life. I first realized the importance of being a good listener when I was sixty years old.   Practicing what I learned dramatically improved the quality of my life and finances. I decided to write Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns to Listen, a picture book to help introduce the subject of listening in our public schools.

2. How many children's books have you written?
So far there are eleven books in the Howard B. Wigglebottom series.

3. How did you come up with Howard B Wigglebottom the character?
One of our illustrators came up with a bunny character named Harold B. Wigglebottom. My family insisted the first name be Howard.

4. How long does it take you to write a book? Our team created as many as three books in a year.

5. How did you find your illustrator?  We work with a team of illustrators that we find by word-of-mouth.

6. Do you have a literary agent? Did you use traditional publishing or self-publishing? We are self-published. The only literary agent we have is for foreign rights.

7. Any suggestions for new picture book authors trying to get their books notices?  Create books that are unique, then be patient and persistent.

8. Have you incorporated social media into your book campaigns? 
Yes, we are active on Twitter and Facebook
Have you heard of virtual book tours? I have but we are not currently doing any.

9. Do you have any children of your own, if so how have they responded to your children's books? I have four beautiful children and in laws and ten grandchildren.  From time to time, one of my children will remind me to re-read Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns to Listen.

10. What is the collective message of all your books? What would you like children to gain from reading your books?
The intention of our Howard B. Wigglebottom books is to enable young children to be better listeners, learn important life lessons and feel good about themselves.

11. What would you like our audience to know about you that they don't already know?

Our books are a team effort. I am only one of the writers.

12. Are your books available on Kindle and Ereaders? There are four Howard B. Wigglebottom as Iphone Ipad apps. We plan on being on Ereaders in 2012.

13. Share with our audience what they will find on your website.
On wedolisten.org, we have lots of free parenting/educator resources:
There are animated versions of the Howard B. Wigglebottom books
Lessons and posters from the books
Songs which compliment the books
Non- violent games
A page where children can write and color their own books.
For those who prefer hard cover books, we offer them at a 50-60% discount.

14. Did you write all the songs yourself?
The songs were written by Reverend Ana Rowe and several very talented musicians.

Interview By: Stacy Toten and Carol Lawrence

Join us for a live author interactive typed chat with Howard Binkow in our BlogFrog parenting Community Tuesday November 15th, 9 PM Eastern, 8 Central, 7 Mountain, 6 Pacific.

Stacy and Carol's~Howard B. Wigglebottom Video Review

Join us for a live chat with Howard Binkow on Tuesday November 15th 9 PM Eastern, 8 Central, 7 Mountain, 6 Pacific.

Where? In our Blogfrog parenting community. Click here to visit community now and create a profile. (If you have a website or blog this is great exposure)
Live chat link. Click here.
To join our free interactive parenting BlogFrog community, create profile and take a look around start here.

Drum Roll .......Here's our video review of
"Howard B. Wigglebottom Listens To His Heart" and "Howard B. Wigglebottom and the Power of Giving: A Christmas Story."

Showing Off Or Showing Up By: Alexandra Folz

Last weekend I took my girls roller skating at the local roller rink. I wanted mom/daughter bonding time, AND a date with my inner child.

These past few years I’ve peeled off stifling layers of adulthood, and the illusion that I am my past, my parents, my enemies, my friends, my stuff, my occupation, my children, and my future. I believe this is why “she” showed up! Yes, my inner child met me at the skate counter as I traded my Dansko’s in for sassy, hard-leather skates with frayed laces and orange wheels.

You’d think since I wrote Indigo’s Bracelet, I have a great relationship with my inner child. But that’s just not the case. In fact, I actually believe writing the story helped me find her (most of you already figured that out).

Before I go on, here are a few definitions for inner child.
1. The child you once were…(www.whatisholistic.com)
2. The childlike aspect of a person’s psyche especially when viewed as an independent entity (www.Dictionary.com)
3.(MY FAVORITE)…The essential, or original self, regarded as a child, existing within the shell of an adult
(www.wiktionary.org)

The Sid Series~ A Collection Of Holistic Stories For Children Book Review

The Sid Series ~ A collection of holistic stories for children is a tremendous asset for those who wish to teach children life skills such as conquering their fears, learning about the environment, the importance of telling the truth and how their angels are there for them.


The Sid Series ~ A collection of holistic stories for children supports the whole child. Body, Soul and Spirit. Teaching children how to listen and tune into their bodies needs. Yvonne Perry describes with the utmost delicacy touchy subjects. With a few of the stories focusing on diversity, miscarriage and death.


The Sid Series ~ A collection of holistic stories for children is an all encompassing purposeful children's book paving the way for parents who want to talk and teach their children about intentional conscious parenting.


Review by: Carol Lawrence and Stacy Toten


Live chat with Yvonne Perry in our Intentional Conscious Parenting BlogFrog Community. 
Tomorrow Tuesday May 10th 9 PM Eastern, 8 PM Central, 7 PM Mountain and 6 PM Pacific
Where: Mark your calendar, put a note by your computer or on your blackberry, bookmark this blog and return here to Intentional Conscious Parenting Tuesday for the live link to our chat.


Join us for an open online chat about both of Yvonne's books.
Whose Stuff Is This? Finding freedom from the thoughts, feelings and energy of those around you and The Sid Series A collection of holistic stories for children.


Live chat topics: What is an empath? Symptoms of an empath. Children who talk to ghosts, children and angels and much more.

  

Thank You, Angels! Children's Book Review & Giveaway

We were tagged in a literacy meme by Grace over at Going Going Gone Green

It is a great meme because it supports literacy. If you read books then you may be tagged next.

Here are the rules for the Meme:

1. Take a picture of the books you are reading currently and add them to your post.
2. Describe the books and if you are enjoying them.
3. For every book you are reading, you have to tag one person.
4. Leave the person a comment letting them know you tagged them.

We just finished reading 
this awesome children's 
picture book for a review.

Thank You, Angels! By: Doreen Virtue, PH.D. With Kristina Tracy
Illustrated By Patricia Keeler


Thank You, Angels! Is a brilliant book to be used as a stepping stone for building a child's foundation on how to engage in a relationship with their angels.


The illuminated examples of everyday readily available angels vividly shows children how all they have to do is just ask for their angels and they are there. It teaches them how to easily look, listen and feel for angel signs.


On the last page Doreen and Tracy ask the children, " What is the only thing angels want in return?"
Do you know what it is?
It is just three little eloquent powerful words!  


Review by Stacy Toten and Carol Lawrence


We are tagging Leigh Harris author of Metaphysical Mom (And Dad) and passing this meme onto her.


Join us for our live chat with Cathy Cassani Adams Tuesday April 12 for a chance to win a copy of Thank You, Angels! 

NO EXCUSES! How what you say can get in your way children's picture book review and giveaway

From the New York Times best-selling authors Dr. Wayne W. Dyer with Kristina Tracy

No Excuses! How what you say can get in your way is one of the first books of its kind in the children's book world that teaches kids how to stop making excuses and follow their dreams.






Sometimes comments made by family, peers and acquaintances can innocently become an excuse and can create a conclusion in child's mind. No Excuses! provides the answer on how to look to where excuses come from. "Themselves".

No Excuses shows the child how they can spot an excuse, take a good look at how it was created and what they can do to make their excuse powerless. 


Throw away the excuse and your limitless!


Dr. Wayne Dyer is world famous for teaching life changing spiritual tools. Kristina Tracy has co-authored several children's spiritual picture books.
Illustrated by Stacy Heller Budnick


Review By: Stacy Toten And Carol Lawrence



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