Birthdays: Special Days On Which To Reflect

Posted on February 11, 2011 by viviankirkfield

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Today is my birthday!

I know that many people, especially as they get older, would rather not celebrate their birthdays. Perhaps they think that if they don’t let people wish them “Happy Birthday” it will keep time from slipping away. Maybe they believe that birthdays are just for young children.

For me, each birthday is an opportunity to rejoice and reflect.

I look back at the year gone by and think about everything that has happened, all that I have accomplished and all of the wonderful people whose lives have connected with mine. This past year has been especially fruitful…my new book for parents of preschoolers was published in September. My talented daughter and daughter-in-law set up my website and were instrumental in getting the book to look so amazing before it went to print. I’ve met dozens of amazing moms and dads through their blogs…many have read the book and have done terrific reviews on their sites…you can read the latest one that was posted today:

http://bookdads.com/book-review/book-review-show-me-how/

And then I give thanks for today…as Eleanor Roosevelt said, “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift…that’s why they call it the present.”

I love my life…yes, sometimes it is incredibly busy…but I’m happy that I have the strength and energy to do what needs to be done (most of the time).

I love my family…supportive encouraging loving husband whom I’ve been married to for forty-three years, three awesome grown children who are happy in their own lives, three gorgeous (of course) smart (of course) and wonderful (of course) grandchildren and a dear sweet sister.

I love my friends…one I’ve known for over half a century and her prayers and good wishes raise me up on a daily basis; some whom I’ve just met through this amazing blog/internet/social networking phenomenon. but I feel close to them already.

And then I look forward to the future…with eager anticipation. Another gem from Eleanor Roosevelt sums ups how I feel: “You have to accept whatever comes, and the only important thing is that you meet it with the best you have to give.”

I’m excited about the opportunities that I have to share my passions: for picture books and for uplifting young children. The new SHOW ME HOW! story-time program for our local schools here in Colorado Springs has enabled me to be back in the Pre-K and kindergarten classrooms, surrounded by the eager smiling faces of young children. And parents and teachers who use the book will be building self-esteem, developing pre-literacy skills and creating a life-long parent-child bond.

May I share one more quote from Eleanor Roosevelt? “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”

Helping children believe in the beauty of THEIR dreams is exactly what the book does! I realize that parents are often overwhelmed these days with juggling jobs, home, family and other responsibilities. It is hard to find the time to plan quality activities. That’s why the book is such a valuable tool…it is a genuine shortcut for today’s busy parents and teachers. Everything is laid out in a simple easy-to-use format…story suggestion and summary, gentle parenting tip, eco-friendly craft project and child-friendly healthful cooking activity.

After doing some market research, we’ve decided to try to make the book more affordable for parents and others (preschool teachers, nannies, daycare providers, grandparents) who want to purchase a copy. From today (my birthday) until March 9^th (World Read-Aloud Day…very appropriate, I think, because the book is all about the importance of reading to young children), the book will be on sale on my website for $22.50 per copy with FREE shipping. I am taking away the BOGO event, as that required people to purchase two copies at the same time. I hope that everyone who has been thinking about getting a copy, but were hesitant because of the price, will hop over and grab one…or more…I’ve been told they make great gifts for baby showers. 🙂

So now I will post this to my blog and close the computer and enjoy the rest of my special day! There is definitely an ice-cream sundae, a bowl of popcorn and a good movie in my plans for today!

MAKE-A-MEAL MONDAYS

Posted on February 7, 2011 by viviankirkfield

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Do you notice how lots of people who blog have catchy titles for different days.

Mailbox Monday

Wordless Wednesday

Follow Me Fridays

So, from now on, I’m going to be doing Make-A-Meal Mondays.

Every Monday, I’ll post a recipe that is a favorite of ours…and one that your child can help you prepare…I’m a big fan of kids in the kitchen! Encouraging your child to participate with meal planning and preparation is important because:

Children master skills and tasks when helping in the kitchen…which builds their self-esteem.
Fussy eaters are more likely to eat meals they have helped prepare.
Children learn about where food comes from when they help shop for ingredients and use those ingredients in making the final product.
The time you spend participating positively with your child helps create a life-long parent-child bond.
You can utilize the shopping experience to develop pre-literacy skills…make the list with your child and draw a picture of each item next to each word…then let your child hold the list and check off each item as he or she helps you put it in the shopping cart.

The last few weeks, most of the country has been hit with severe weather…icy rains, blizzards and freezing cold temperatures. I think a cup of hot soup would be a welcome addition to any meal this week, so here is a favorite of ours and one of the recipes that appears in SHOW ME HOW! BUILD YOUR CHILD’S SELF-ESTEEM THROUGH READING, CRAFTING AND COOKING.

The soup commercial on television says it all…eager smiling children sitting around the table in the cozy kitchen, mother wearing an apron, stirring a big pot on the stove. The only thing missing is the delicious aroma of homemade soup. With this recipe, you and your child can make that happen in your home.

ALPHABET CHICKEN VEGETABLE SOUP

You will need: 1 quart chicken broth, 2 Tb diced onion, ¼ cup dry alphabet noodles, 1 cup diced cooked chicken, ½ cup sliced carrots, ½ cup cut green beans, ¼ cup corn kernels, parsley (optional), and a large pot with a cover.

1. In a large pot, mix the broth, onions and noodles and bring to a boil.

2. Lower heat to simmer and add chicken, carrots, beans and corn.

3. Simmer on low with the cover on for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Garnish each serving with parsley, if desired.

5. Makes about 4-5 cups of soup. You can refrigerate or freeze the leftovers.

6. TIP: You can substitute other vegetables if you like…peas, lima beans, zucchini…use your imagination…or whatever you have available. J

7. You can season with salt and pepper if you wish…but go easy…as a nation, we tend to use too much salt which has been shown to create all kinds of health problems.

And just to remind you…this is the last day of the SHARE THE LOVE BOOK BOGO EVENT going on right now on my website

You can grab a copy of the book that contains 100 EASY CHILD-FRIENDLY HEALTHFUL COOKING ACTIVITIES AND 100 SIMPLE ECO-FRIENDLY CRAFT PROJECTS at the regular cover price and you will RECEIVE ANOTHER COPY FREE!

Head on over to my website to get all the details…but please hurry…this SHARE THE LOVE BOGO BOOK EVENT goes away at 11:59pm on Monday night.

Please stop by tomorrow for TIMELESS TUESDAYS…I’ll be sharing some of my favorite quotations.

The Fourth Lesson of Nanny McPhee: BE BRAVE!

Posted on February 5, 2011 by viviankirkfield

A grandfather teaches his granddaughter to use...

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The dictionary defines bravery as:

“Courage in the face of danger, difficulty or pain…a quality of spirit that enables you to face danger, difficulty or pain without showing fear.”

We often think that brave people are without fear…but this is not what bravery is all about. In fact, in interviews with soldiers who have won medals for bravery, they often admit to having been afraid during their action of courage.

And perhaps that is the true meaning of bravery…when we proceed and follow through danger, pain or difficulties, even though WE ARE AFRAID. There are brave people all around us, dealing with all sorts of problems, but continuing on.

Nanny McPhee’s fourth lesson to the children is to BE BRAVE.

Why, you may ask, do young children need to be brave. Aren’t we there to protect them and watch out for them…and most of the time all they do is play, right? 🙂

Honestly, I think sometimes young children are the bravest of us all…so many new situations and experiences, so much to learn in order to navigate their way through those early years.

In addition, many young children have fears about a number of things which they need to acknowledge and overcome. Some of the most common are:

Fear of the dark
Fear of new experiences and new situations
Fear of illness and death
Fear of monsters (the monster may not be real, but your child’s fear is)

Children need to be brave about other things as well. Picture this: You are five years old and your entire family is crazy about sports….Mom and Dad play on an adult volleyball team and all your older and younger brothers and sisters love football, baseball and hockey. You, however, love music and want to learn to play the violin or the piano.

It takes a lot of courage for a young child to follow his own muse if it differs from that of his family or peers!

There are many children’s picture books that address this issue. One of my favorite stories is OLIVER BUTTON IS A SISSY by Tomie de Paola. In the story, Oliver Button wants to be a dancer and even though Oliver’s father would rather have him playing football with the other boys, he lets Oliver attend dance classes. Oliver stays true to his goal, even though his classmates tease him. When there is a talent show, everyone is impressed with Oliver’s great dancing, and his father and classmates are very proud of him.

In my my new parenting book, you will find a simple eco-friendly craft project and an easy child-friendly healthful cooking activity to help you extend the learning experience after you read OLIVER BUTTON with your child.

On that note, I want to let everyone know about an EXCITING PRE-VALENTINE’S DAY SPECIAL on my website.

It’s called SHARE THE LOVE

and it will go from 12:01am SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 5^th TO MONDAY, FEBRUARY 7th AT 11:59pm.

If you buy one copy of SHOW ME HOW! at the regular cover price of $44.95, you will get a second copy for FREE!

If you have been thinking about getting a copy for yourself, but were hesitating at the $35.00 website sale price, NOW IS THE TIME TO GRAB YOUR COPY AND HAVE A COPY TO GIVE TO:

YOUR BFF OR ANYONE ELSE YOU LOVE WHO DESERVES IT AND NEEDS IT.
YOUR CHILD’S DAYCARE PROVIDER OR PRESCHOOL TEACHER.
A FRIEND OR RELATIVE WHO IS HAVING A BABY SOON.
A GRANDPARENT WHO TAKES CARE OF YOUR PRESCHOOLER AND WOULD APPRECIATE THIS SHORTCUT TO STORY RECOMMENDATIONS AND EDUCATIONAL FUN-FILLED ACTIVITIES THAT BUILD SELF-ESTEEM.

At the BOGO price, you are paying $22.50 for a BRAND-NEW FRESH-OUT-OF-THE-BOX SIGNED-BY-THE-AUTHOR COPY (some sellers on Amazon and Alibris are charging over $40 for a USED copy).

I’m posting the sale now so you will be able to order it in time for Valentine’s Day. The SHARE THE LOVE BOGO EVENT will only be available, ON MY WEBSITE, by clicking on the PayPal button. Don’t let this opportunity pass you by!

I hope you’ve enjoyed the Nanny McPhee lessons…stop by tomorrow for the last lesson: HAVE FAITH!