The Happy Mommy Handbook: Now on Sale for 2 Days for only $.99

The Happy Mommy Handbook is currently No. 1 in Parenting and is only $.99 thru 4-9-13! The price will be $3.99 after that. You can purchase the ebook from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Kobo. It is also in print for $9.24 and makes a wonderful gift for moms and teachers of preschoolers.

Katie Norris, Mommy with Selective Memory, and a mom with common dilemmas, has co-written this book with me, a former Kindergarten teacher, to help moms of preschoolers. Our book can help save your sanity - one fun, inexpensive project at a time. You'll learn the child development explanations behind the activities as your preschooler becomes better behaved while learning. This book is also helpful to prepare your child for kindergarten, homeschoolers, and those who have children with special needs.

The Happy Mommy Handbook has been a number 1 bestseller in several categories  and has many 5 Star reviews. Here is an example:

Mom Never Knew But She Taught Me How to Fly

Nancy Robinson Masters is my special guest today. She is a pilot, inspirational speaker and the author of 42 books. Her more than 3,000 feature articles have appeared in a variety of publications. Her writing has taken her around the world including traveling with the National Science Foundation in Antarctica. She has twice been named the Distinguished Citizen of the Year by the United States Air Force and became the first woman to receive the Stephen F. Austin Distinguished Service Award from the Texas Scottish Rite Masons. She has spoken to more than 300,000 students and teachers promoting the power of free people to freely read and write. 

"The Graham Cracker Kid and the Calico Girl" Picture Book

I am very honored to interview Tommy Overstreet, legendary singer/songwriter who co-wrote The Graham Cracker Kid and the Calico Girl with Dale G. Vest. It is a beautifully written poem with 46 pages illustrated from oil paintings by Jesse Anderson. This book is a touching and timeless story about two charming children in the Old West, filled with humor, suspense and a host of delightful characters that add joy and delight to every page. {Below is a link to adorable Free Printables to go with the book.}

Halloween Book Reading, Craft and Feelings Google+ Video

Autographed copies from Nancy Robinson Masters

Halloween can be an exciting time for children—or it may be a bit scary. Picture books provide an excellent opportunity to help children express their emotions. Encourage children to identify their feelings through the use of books, crafts, art, and by expressing your own emotions. This will enable children to better cope with various situations, or when things don’t go as expected, or when they need comfort. 

Help children know that all emotions are okay, but it is how we handle our emotions that can be good or bad. You always want children to know that you love them; it is the behavior that may not be appropriate. Reward good behavior and help children know how they can discuss any feeling with you.

Parents Make Halloween Happen on Google Hangouts

October 8th - 12th, 2012

Monday

• Join +Angelique Felix and guest +Cerys Parker at 2:15 PM CST for a Witches story and cupcakes

Tuesday 

• Join +Angelique Felix and guest +Cerys Parker at 2:15 PM CST for a Monster song and craft
• Join +Susan Case and +Rachelle Doorley at 5:30 PM CST for HOW TO MAKE SLIME - Now available below:

Show Me How! Book Review

Show Me How! Build Your Child’s Self-Esteem through Reading, Crafting and Cooking by Vivian Kirkfield is a wonderful book for planning activities to build a child’s confidence – through fun hands-on activities and cooking while a child is being exposed to classic children's literature. The book is recommended for ages two through five but would also be a helpful resource for children of special needs and also parents who homeschool. It shows a guided way for adults and children to cooperatively engage in many avenues of child development through a love of books.

The Table of Contents will give you an idea of child developmental areas covered:

• “One Picture Book is Worth a Thousand Words!” Building Self-Esteem
• “I Can Do It Myself!” Mastering Tasks and Skills
• “I’m Special!” Valuing Strength and Qualities
• "I Love You & You Love Me!” Feeling Appreciated, Loved and Accepted
• “I Am Really Mad Right Now!” Expressing Feelings
• “I’m Afraid!” Acknowledging and Coping with Fears
• “I Like Myself!” Developing a Positive Self-Image
• "Tell Me One More Story, Please!” Creating Family Harmony and Balance
• My Successful Routine – Vivian details her successful routine for teaching preschool, kindergarten or children at home.

Within each chapter are perfect choices of children’s literature totally 100 books.  Vivian describes each book and has a Positive Parenting Partiicpation paragraph with insightful benefits in six child developmental areas. Then a craft is detailed and a healthy recipe included for each book.

The book is 230 pages with an index of classic book titles, craft activities and recipes. It is an amazing resource of information. Children will love you for teaching in a such a fun way.

I highly recommend award-winning Show Me How! to teachers, child-care providers, parents and grandparents of young children. You’ll have so many wonderful activities and recipes to coordinate with great children’s literature. It is easy to know that Vivian Kirkfield loves children and has the experience and expertise to help you build self-esteem in those children in your care or to give as a much appreciated gift. The book is available in Kindle and print format. With this type book, I prefer the print copy so that I can write in the "Notes" sections and easily access various topics. You'll have a treasure of ideas and books to share. You can visit Vivian Kirkfield's blog at Positive Parenting Participation.

For a glimpse into Kindergarten see my book. Would you like inexpensive ideas, activities, and games to teach your child through play? Mommy with Selective Memory and I can help save your sanity, one project at a time, with The Happy Mommy Handbook: The Ultimate How-to Guide on Keeping Your Toddlers and Preschoolers Busy, Out of Trouble and Motivated to Learn.

Can You Raise "Free-Range Kids" or Are You a Helicopter Mom?

The title of Lenore Skenazy's book, Free-Range Kids: How to Raise Safe, Self-Reliant Kids (Without Going Nuts with Worry) peaked my interest because we have free-range chickens - and because I worry that children do not play outside enough today. Skenazy's book is about how children can thrive, and survive, if we give them more freedom - the freedoms we enjoyed as children..

Skenazy is a journalist who wrote a column in the New York Sun about allowing her 9-year-old son to take a subway ride home alone in New York City in 2008. Television shows were asking her to be their guest and she innocently went to be interviewed and was deemed as "America's Worst Mom." But she and her husband had made a very well thought-out decision, due to her son's persistence and capabilities, that he should be allowed to ride the subway alone. Skenazy's defends her decision in this well-documented book. It is full of statistics, but also humor. I laughed out loud many times at my own helicopter parenting.

When I asked Lenore what parents are told to be fearful of today, her answer was:  "creeps, kidnapping, germs, grades, flashers, frustration, baby snatchers, bugs, bullies, men, sleepovers, Ivy League rejection letters and/or the perils of a non-organic grape."

Skenazy reminds us of the media, lawyers and "child safety" enthusiasts who bombard us with "the worse-case scenario...And the result is a lot of people so busy preparing for the hideous and unpredictable future that they think nothing of trampling the safe and happy present."

Can you give your chicks a little more freedom?

"Forty years ago, the majority of U.S. children walked or biked to school. Today, about 10 percent do. Meantime, 70 percent of today's moms say they played outside as kids. But only 31 percent of their kids do." Lenore's answer is that there are risks if you give your child more freedom, but there are risks if you don't. If you let your child play outside, there is a very small risk that he will be abducted or hit by a meteor. But if you bring him inside all the time, there is a large risk that he will stare at flat screens for long periods which can cause obesity and an undeveloped mind. Your child won't have the opportunities to reach their full potential in the following areas:

• independence
• creativity
• social skills for coping, negotiating, communicating
• problem-solving skills
• exploration and discovery
• sense of community 
• and to just have fun being a kid

Of course, WE MUST USE COMMON SENSE. But I loved Free Range Kids for the confidence it will give parents to let their child have some more freedom without keeping them inside depleting their bodies of Vitamin D, their minds of adventure, and their bodies of exercise. I, myself, am a hovering helicopter mom and my daughter is 21. But she has special needs so I have always been very protective of her. This book made me realize that I could let go some and it has been good for both of us. This book is for those who have a "sneaking suspicion that you don't have to be quite as worried about quite as much." I wholeheartedly recommend Free Range Kids and look forward to her next book.

You can visit and comment on Lenore's interesting and entertaining blog Free Range Kids. If you click on her book below you can view Lenore's wonderful book trailer and have a glimpse into her book.

You might enjoy my post Back to the Basics: Play Outside or my books Kindergarten: Tattle-Tales, Tools, Tactics, Triumphs and Tasty Treats for Teachers and Parents and currently no. 2 in Motherhood on Amazon: The Happy Mommy Handbook: The Ultimate How-to Guide on Keeping Your Toddlers and Preschoolers Busy, Out of Trouble and Motivated to Learn, co-written with Mommy with Selective Memory and full of playful ideas.

What are some ways we can give children more of their childhood?