About viviankirkfield

Writer for children - Reader forever - Mom of 3, educator, author of FOUR OTTERS TOBOGGAN: AN ANIMAL COUNTING BOOK (PomegranateKids, PIPPA'S PASSOVER PLATE (Holiday House), SWEET DREAMS, SARAH (Creston Books); MAKING THEIR VOICES HEARD: THE INSPIRING FRIENDSHIP OF ELLA FITZGERALD AND MARILYN MONROE (Little Bee Books); FROM HERE TO THERE: INVENTIONS THAT CHANGED THE WAY THE WORLD MOVES (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Jan 19, 2021); PEDAL, BALANCE, STEER: Annie Londonderry, First Woman to Bike Around the World (Calkins Creek/Astra, Feb 20, 2024) picture book junkie, lover of travel, hiking, fly-fishing, cooking, and playing Monopoly with my grandson.

Holiday Spirits Seem Positive in the Blogosphere

Posted on November 25, 2011 by viviankirkfield

I follow quite a few bloggers and received a number of lovely posts for Thanksgiving. If you click on each link, it will take you to their Thanksgiving post.

Mirth and Motivation

Savvy Source

KidCulture

Spirit Lights the Way

Sippy Cup Chronicles

Parenting.com (some ideas for using left-over turkey)

The Mom Writes

Because I’m the Mommy

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could all keep this level of positivity and recognition of all the good things that we do have as these bloggers have done.

Here’s a challenge: let’s keep the momentum going through till Christmas…and then can we put ‘keeping a positive attitude’ on our list of goals for the New Year?

Children who grow up in a home that is filled with positive vibrations are going to be empowered to master tasks and skills; feel appreciated, loved and valued; and like themselves…all important components of building self-esteem. That’s what my book is all about…it enables parents and teachers to build self-esteem and better literacy skills with quick and easy activities that are fun for everyone! I hope everyone will spread the word about the 50% off sale on my website. The book makes a super cool holiday gift for a parent, grandparent, preschool, nursery or kindergarten teacher, daycare provider, babysitter…and it’s only $19.95!

Tiffany at Home Grown Families, a natural living mom blog says, “This book is amazing! Homeschoolers…this is perfect for language arts, art class and several other subjects. What a great book to add to your curriculum!”

My husband and I would have loved to spend Thanksgiving Day surrounded by family…but unfortunately, our family is spread out across the country and traveling during the holiday season is difficult and costly and fraught with delays and cancellations.

So we decided to turn this into a positive day and as soon as we spoke to our children this morning on the phone, we packed up our Jeep and headed to our favorite fishing spot. It was a glorious day here in Colorado…sunny and warm and perfect for outdoor activities.

We fly-fish in the artificial lure only catch-and-release area at Eleven Mile Canyon. Sad to say, we found an empty Styrofoam container labeled “Night crawlers” in the brush on the bank. There are 9 miles of beautiful fishable water where you can use bait…and only 2 miles at the top by the dam where you can’t…and that’s where we found the worm container. 😦 We picked it up and added it to the rest of the garbage we would carry out of there, leaving the place clean for the next happy fisherpeople. There were actually a few people doing a riverside cleanup in a different area…what an awesome way to spend Thanksgiving!

We had a wonderful day…my husband caught several rainbows…I had one on…but he got away. 😦 Maybe I’ll net him next time! We need to think positively, right?

Festival of Trees Festive Family Fun Days: A Few Reflections

Posted on November 21, 2011 by viviankirkfield

I spent this past Saturday and Sunday at the DoubleTree Hotel near the World Arena in Colorado Springs.

Sponsored by the Ecumenical Social Ministries, the Festival of Trees Family Fun Days was a many-splendored event.

In the main ballroom dozens of vendors with beautiful tables filled with amazing items provided gift-giving purchase opportunities to the people strolling by.

Gaily decorated Christmas trees were displayed and offered for sale.

Ornaments on the Crayola Tree...a hit with every child!

Santa-land had volunteers doing awesome craft projects with the children…and kids had the opportunity to meet Santa, as well as the Grinch who stole Christmas.

Hundreds of door prizes had been donated by area businesses and the Ecumenical Social Ministries volunteers called out names every half hour…centerpieces, candles, hand-made quilts and gift certificates for free meals at local restaurants were among the wonderful prizes awarded to the lucky recipients. When my name was called, I was thrilled! My prize…the most beautiful handmade Christmas quilt.

On-going live entertainment added to the up-beat party-like atmosphere and we enjoyed bell choirs, drum groups, singers, dancers and more. The entertainment alone was worth the $5 per person entry fee…children 12 years old and under got in for free!

I had a wonderful time at the Show-Me-How table…talking to parents and children about building self-esteem and literacy skills with picture books and how easy it is to spend a little quality time with your child…reading, crafting and cooking. Parents who picked up my book were impressed with how many activities it provides. They loved the easy-to-use format with the picture book summary and parenting tip on the left and the quick craft and child-friendly recipe on the right.

Speaking with hundreds of people in a two-day period can be somewhat exhausting, even when you are passionate about the subject. I’d like to share some of my reflections and observations.

There are lots of parents out there who really care about their children.
Many parents are doing an awesome job of teaching their children important skills, such as saying “Thank you” when someone gives you something. We were giving a free gift to every child who stopped by the table…a fancy new pencil and a bookmark. I was impressed with the parent who told her child, “You need to look at the lady when you say thank you.”
I fear we are moving away from a time when a child would be excited about receiving something new…no matter how small. Most of the children were delighted to come over and pick the pencil of their choice…but a few shrugged their shoulders and shook their heads…perhaps if I had been offering an iPad they might have thought it was a worthwhile gift.
It doesn’t matter how beautiful or uplifting the atmosphere…some people will always bring their negative attitude to a situation. I don’t know whether you will want to laugh or to cry when you read this. I chatted a moment with a woman who stopped at the table to look at the book and after I told her that the book had quick and easy activities to help build self-esteem and literacy skills, she replied, “I’m already an excellent parent!” To me, that is kind of sad…I know how to cook, but that doesn’t mean I will never look at another cookbook in my life or enjoy getting a new recipe from a friend. And I’m always excited when someone gives me a new approach to teaching or a fresh tip on parenting. Life is a journey of constant learning and we need to be open to acquiring knowledge, even on subjects we may have expertise. Another woman looked at the book and when I said it’s for anyone involved in the care and education of young children, she replied, “I hate children…this is definitely not the book for me!” I guess not. :}

If, however, you think this might be the book for you…or you know anyone who might enjoy having 100 picture book recommendations, each paired with a quick and easy craft project and a simple child-friendly healthful recipe, please pass along the information. Show Me How! available on my website: $19.95 for a brand-new copy…and personally inscribed for the holidays if you wish! After observing the children at the Festival of Trees event and those of friends and family, I can tell you that many children have too much STUFF already…they don’t need the latest toy or gadget. What they do need is their parents’ time and attention! Buy the book and give them the gift of your positive parental participation that will last forever.

Holiday Stress and How to Renew, Relax and Rejuvenate (viviankirkfield.wordpress.com)
Children and Art Activities: Some Observations (viviankirkfield.wordpress.com)
The Best Children’s and Picture Books of 2011 (brainpickings.org)
Small Investment = Big Rewards (viviankirkfield.wordpress.com)

Giving Thanks for Painful Things

Posted on November 21, 2011 by viviankirkfield

In honor of Thanksgiving, I did a post the other day on giving thanks.

I mentioned my good health, my wonderful children and my loving husband.

Then I read a post by another blogger who just launched her new book, The Golden Sky, a memoir that tells about her painful loss of a son. I noticed that she was calling for other parents to contribute their stories about the death of a child and it touched a chord in my heart.

Thirty-seven years ago, I was pregnant with our second child. Our son was a year and a half old and my husband and I were very excited! Everything was going so smoothly…every check-up at the doctor’s office was a blue-ribbon one.

Something woke me in the middle of the night…not a pain…not even a feeling of discomfort. I guess I would call it a feeling of disquiet. Getting out of bed because of some cramping, I thought I would take a warm bath. I was six months pregnant and we had attended the Lamaze classes two years before…I assumed this was some type of false labor. As I reclined in the bath, I suddenly felt as if I had to go to the bathroom…really badly…and that’s when the nightmare started! Sitting on the toilet, I had an overwhelming sense of urgency to PUSH…my water broke…and I hobbled to the bedroom, calling for my husband to wake up.

The rest of the night was a blur. The ambulance got me to the hospital quickly…my husband had brought our son next door to our neighbor’s house to stay till he got home…my doctor was at the hospital waiting for me and he comforted me, telling me they would do everything they could.

Jeremy weighed one and a half pounds…a very tiny preemie, especially for 1974. The doctors were not able to save him and my husband and I mourned the loss of this precious life.

I can’t tell you how much I wanted to get pregnant again…as quickly as possible. I’m sure if this has happened to you, you understand. Of course we had our son…but there was still an empty space in our hearts. And, even though I did get pregnant again a year later and, thanks to my wonderful doctor (it turned out I had an incompetent cervix which means that at any time during a pregnancy, the cervix can start dilating, with no pain and no warning), had a healthy pregnancy and birth, that painful loss will never be totally erased.

So why do I say that we need to give thanks for painful things? I think for two reasons: we grow stronger and more able to cope with life’s challenges and we also learn to cherish more what we do have.

I hope you will all go and visit Elisabeth’s blog, http://ecwrites.blogspot.com/p/golden-sky-my-journal-about-zeke_02.html and find out about the wonderful prizes that will be awarded to celebrate the launch of her new book. She shares her painful journey and will certainly help others who face similar tragedies.