Giving Thanks

Posted on November 18, 2011 by viviankirkfield

The holiday of Thanksgiving serves as a reminder for many of us that we have much to be thankful for.

As a mom, educator and author, I’m especially thankful for the amazing opportunity I have had to instill my values and share my beliefs with so many others. Being a parent is a huge responsibility…it’s like Show-and-Tell…we need to be good role models of the behavior we expect from our children.

I’m thankful that when I taught kindergarten and Head Start, I learned so much from the other teachers, from the parents of the children and from the children themselves.

I’m thankful that when my children were growing up, I spent as much time with them as I could…operating a home daycare enabled me to stay at home and be there to see them off to school as well as be there when they returned home in the afternoon.

I’m thankful that now that my children are grown, with families of their own, the bond we formed years ago has grown even stronger…we all look forward to each opportunity we have to spend time together.

I’m thankful that during my school and library Show-Me-How programs, I am able to connect with so many young children and pass along the messages in picture books that may help them deal with problems that concern them.

I’m thankful that when I do parent and teacher presentations, I can share my passion for using picture books and positive parental participation to build self-esteem, develop literacy skills and strengthen the parent-child connection.

I’m thankful that because of my book journey, I’ve been able to connect with wonderful people…awesome bloggers, other authors who are generous with their time and expertise, and so many more.

I’m thankful for my husband of forty-four years who has been so supportive of everything I am involved in…we still enjoy being with each other, whether we are hiking or fly-fishing in the Colorado Rockies or sitting toe-to-toe on the couch watching a movie together.

Getting ready for a day of fishing!

I’m thankful for my health and my ability to do what I need to do and want to do.

I’m thankful to live in a country where I can do what I need to do and want to do…and where there are places of beauty and wonder still to be explored.

As this year draws to a close, I look back with thanks for all that I have and I look ahead, with eager anticipation, to what the future may bring.

What are you thankful for? Please do share.

Holiday Stress and How to Renew, Relax and Rejuvenate

Posted on November 6, 2011 by viviankirkfield

'Windows Into the World', United States, New Y...

Image by WanderingtheWorld (www.LostManProject.com) via Flickr

Life can be very stressful, especially for parents.

Juggling work, home and family responsibilities can rob us of our peace of mind.

Add to that the upcoming gift-giving holidays and you increase the stress level exponentially. Our expectations of what the holidays should be often conflict with our finances and our available time and energy and we are doomed to disappointment. Letting go of the past can definitely help. For more information and great tips from Deepak Chopra, read a recent post from a great blogger, Nancy at Spirit Lights the Way.

Stress is a factor in many health-related conditions…and parents who are under a lot of stress can over-react when their children misbehave…for some of these parents, a crying baby or a toddler who wets his training pants can elicit rage and inappropriate punishment resulting in physical or emotional harm to the child.

How can we relieve stress in our lives?

Recognize that you are feeling stressed.
Make a list of the stress factors in your life.
Find solutions to each of these problems…when my children were younger and didn’t have much money to buy gifts for me, I told them to write a love letter or draw a picture…those letters and pictures are still dear to me and I treasured them more than the sweater or scarf they couldn’t buy. Want to have a family get-together but can’t afford to buy all the food and trimmings? Have a family pot-luck, with every member of the family bringing a casserole, side-dish or dessert! No time to make those “from scratch” holiday cookies or don’t like to bake? It’s true I encourage parents to spend time in the kitchen with their children, making nutritious meals and snacks…and my book, Show Me How!, provides 100 healthful, child-friendly recipes…but you can buy the refrigerated cookie dough rolls and just slice them, bake them and decorate with edible gel. Maybe you have a friend who LOVES to bake holiday cookies…how about offering to watch her children while she bakes. Perhaps you love to shop and she doesn’t…be her personal shopper in exchange for several dozen cookies. There are always options for every situation.
Ask for help…if you have a friend or two who are in the same situation, plan to watch their children while they have a free morning, afternoon or evening to relax or shop or cook or bake or clean together without kids tagging along…and then rotate so that each parent gets a chance to have this special time.
Carve out some time for yourself every day…while your children are in school or napping, take a bubble bath, read a chapter in a good book, dance to your favorite music, exercise to a great DVD, walk in a park and listen to the birds. I love watching a classic movie in the evening and munching on a bowl of air-popped popcorn…each person has to find what works for them to relieve the stress that is part of life.
Check out online shopping deals…this can save you time and money…and you won’t have to drag the kids along. Many bloggers have holiday gift guides this year…a really nice one is from Jenny at MyLittleMe.
Start some simple family traditions…your children will remember them even when they are grown and on their own. For a wonderful list of fun and frugal holiday possibilities, please go to this post by Prerna, The Mom Writes.

Wondering what to get the young children on your list? How about picture books and arts and crafts supplies? Reading with young children and participating positively with them in arts and crafts activities builds self-esteem, develops pre-literacy skills and strengthens the parent-child connection. Visit your local library…you can borrow the books for FREE and many libraries have an area where they sell discarded library books or donated books VERY CHEAPLY…sometimes for only 10 cents a book!

If you are looking for some guidance as to which books to choose, Show Me How! Build Your Child’s Self-Esteem Through Reading, Crafting and Cooking is the answer. Please visit my website for an online special that can’t be beat…only $19.95 per copy! This ultimate resource of picture book suggestions, EASY eco-friendly craft projects and QUICK child-friendly healthful recipes is also the perfect gift for any parents, grandparents, preschool and kindergarten teachers, daycare providers, babysitters or nannies on your gift list!

“THIS IS A MUST-HAVE FOR ALL PARENTS AND CARETAKERS OF YOUNG CHILDREN!” – Lori Calabrese, Children’s Book Examiner

Wordless Picture Books (wplkids.wordpress.com)
Children and Art Activities: Some Observations (viviankirkfield.wordpress.com)
The Day No One Played Together: A Story About Compromise Gets a 5-Star Review (viviankirkfield.wordpress.com)

Photo of Christmas on Fifth Avenue: WanderingtheWorld

Follow-Me-Fridays: Where’s Miss Vivian

Posted on November 4, 2011 by viviankirkfield

Image via Wikipedia

The sun was shining brightly as I walked into Howbert Elementary School yesterday morning. Ms. Tindell’s kindergarten was buzzing with activity and the children were excited about the special story they had been promised.

Kindergarteners are an amazing breed of children…shy, friendly, talkative, quiet, happy, sad, easy to please, hard to satisfy…sometimes all of those in just one hour!

Some of the children had heard Leo the Late Bloomer by Robert Kraus before. One child said he had a copy at his house. All were eager to hear the story about a little tiger that can’t read, write, draw, eat neatly or talk. When Leo’s father asks when his son will learn to do these things, Leo’s mother tells him to have patience.

A dozen hands shot up when I asked if anyone knew the definition of the word “patience”. Here are some of the answers they gave me…“When you have to wait for something.”, “If you can’t go out to play right now and have to wait for later.”, “Being patient.”

When the story was over, I asked the children if they remembered what Leo had learned and again, I was impressed with how attentively they had listened to the story.

Then I showed the children my sample of the daisy chain craft project we would be making and I explained how we would be decorating each strip of construction paper before we used a glue stick to form them into links of the chain. It is really amazing to watch young children when you give them arts and crafts supplies! There were strips with hearts, flowers, letters, dots, stripes…each child’s chain was a unique expression of his own creativity!

It was time for me to go to the kindergarten next door for the second presentation and while the children got their coats on to go outside for recess, I said goodbye to them…several rushed up to give me a special hug and tell me how much they loved the story and craft project. There’s no need to ask why I love doing the Show-Me-How Story-time program!

After the second presentation, I still had one more task…a very pleasant one! Observing the second story and craft program was a student from Coronado High School who had requested an interview with me as part of a job shadow program. This wonderful young lady has hopes of becoming a children’s book illustrator and had many questions to ask me: how do you start to write and illustrate a book, what tools do you use, how long does it take, where and how do you get your book published? I had brought along a copy of the original mock-up I did of The Balloon Man, a picture book for toddlers and preschoolers that teaches colors.

I also brought the professional illustrations that were done for the book by my talented daughter-in-law. I know the Coronado High School student enjoyed reading the rhyming text and seeing how the illustrations helped bring the book to life.

Some of the advice I gave her: follow your dream, keep a portfolio of your best work, check online for blogs or websites of other picture book illustrators…many of them are extremely generous and I know she will find a wealth of valuable information on them.

By the way, there’s a new review of Show Me How! by Jenny of MyLittleMe. This is the book I use for all of my school and library programs…open it up and you have the picture book summary, parenting tip and space to record your child’s highlights on the left side…and the EASY eco-friendly craft activity and QUICK child-friendly healthful recipe on the right side. Check out the review to find out why this book is a MUST-HAVE for parents, grandparents, preschool and kindergarten teachers, daycare providers, babysitters and nannies…virtually anyone who is involved in the care of children ages 2-7. Pick up several copies at the 50% off price…ONLY $19.95 on my website or you can purchase it on Amazon. Make it a unique holiday gift…I’ll be happy to sign and personally inscribe each brand-new copy!