Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Are We There Yet?: How to Survive the Holidays when Traveling with Kids
Traveling with kids around the holidays isn't always easy--no matter how old they are. Boredom sets in on long trips. I remember when the girls were younger and I would try to pack everything we might need while away. Just thinking about all I used to lug around makes my back hurt.
Then there's the arguing.
"Her foot's on my side."
"No, it's not."
"Is too."
Smack!
"Mom, she hit me."
"Did not."
As the girls got older, I learned to plan better and pack better. Keeping them busy while in the car leaves them less time to complain about how long the trip takes.
"How to Survive the Holidays when Traveling with Kids" provides tips and tricks that make holiday travel easier on everyone. You can find the full article at http://www.gonannies.com/blog/2013/how-to-survive-the-holidays-when-traveling-with-kids/
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood – Snowflake Day – EP Available for iTunes!
Just in time for the holidays, PBS KIDS and The Fred Rogers Company announce a brand new Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood holiday album! The album is a mini 5-song holiday album based on the special “Snowflake Day” episode that recently aired on PBS KIDS channels across the country.
Daniel Tiger is joined by award winning singer Matt Dusk, one of Canada's most beloved male vocalists. Dusk has four critically-acclaimed studio albums under his belt, including two gold albums, and has had three number one radio hits. He studied under jazz piano legend Oscar Peterson at York University.
Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood – Snowflake Day – EP is available on iTunes now.
First Chapter Review: Blue Christmas by Diane Moody
I downloaded this book for free to my Kindle last year. I haven't had time to read all of it, but I wanted to share the first chapter with you since it's a seasonal story.
BLURB:
Working late on Christmas Eve, college senior Hannah Brooks is in the midst of a full-blown pity party. When a last-minute customer brimming with holiday spirit invites her to a candlelight service and a late-night family dinner, Hannah reluctantly accepts. She has no idea this kindhearted woman is the mother of Jason McKenzie - lead singer of Out of the Blue, the hottest band in the country - and Hannah's childhood idol. The evening ends with an innocent kiss (sans mistletoe) as Hannah is swept away by Jason's unpretentious manner.
Over the holidays Hannah and Jason's relationship grows, but when turmoil and tragedy strike at the very heart of his famous band, their newfound love is put to the test in the glare of the paparazzi spotlight. Throughout her rollercoaster of experiences with Jason and his friends, Hannah comes face to face with her own beliefs. Who knew she could learn more about prayer and faith by hanging out with a bunch of rock stars than she ever learned in church?
COVER: Perfect. Love the color scheme and the concert setting that ties into the content.
FIRST CHAPTER: Stuck working on Christmas Eve, Hannah is feeling sorry for herself. When one of her regular customers invites her to a church service followed by a family dinner, she has no idea what she is getting herself into.
KEEP READING: Definitely. I loved this book right away. Moody drops you right into the moment with a funny scene at the grocery store, followed by the revelation of Hannah's plight--being alone for Christmas. Just the right amount of internal thought and detail keeps Blue Christmas moving along at a swift, but comfortable pace. I've already cheated and read the next chapter.
Paperback: 332 pages
Publisher: Old Barn Trace Books (October 27, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0615550584
ISBN-13: 978-0615550589
ASIN: B005PYJPWK
PURCHASE AT AMAZON!
This book was a free Kindle download. This review contains my honest opinion, which I have not been compensated for in any way.
Kindle Fire HD raffle for Charity from Author Graham Parke
Don’t you just hate it when you have a thousand little thoughts rattling around your brain, good for nothing but keeping you up at night? Ideas, worries, mental reminders for the next day? My voices can get pretty insistent, and mostly this is a nuisance, but sometimes it’s okay, when there’s a story idea or two among the ramblings. And rarely, very rarely, I get what I think is a really good idea, but one that I don't know what to do with.
For instance, a while ago it occurred to me that it’s probably not governments or big corporations that wield the world’s greatest financial power. I think it’s us. All the little people together. Then I started wondering what could happen if we all decided to set 1 month of our incomes aside towards fixing this place up a bit. How many of the world’s problems could we actually solve permanently? Half of them, maybe? All of them? That's a pretty cool picture.
But I’m a pretty dim light when it comes to implementing even small ideas, never mind the big ones. So I’m not sure how to get that ball rolling (heck, I'm not even sure where we keep the balls). But I can certainly start with myself. That’s easy enough (I’ve been in close contact with myself for years; I didn't have much trouble convincing myself.)
So, this December, all proceeds of all my novels will go to Child Helpline International. The CHI is pretty cool because they support toll-free child helplines worldwide and they help highlight gaps in child protection systems. They do all this on donations (click the image below for more information.)
But what does all this have to do with you? Well, I'm raffling off some prizes and giving out some freebees to boost the donation (expenses out of my own pocket, not the donation :P )
So what's in it for you, besides that warm, fuzzy feeling you'll get knowing the Xmas presents you’re buying include an automatic donation? Well, how about I give you the new edition to the award winning No Hope for Gomez saga completely free?
And now, on to the pitch. This is the bit where I try to convince you, using only my words, that my novels don’t suck (or at least, not too much.) That they won’t only tickle your brain, but they’ll actually make your life better, if only marginally. That they are, in fact, worthy donation material. Here goes (fingers crossed)...
Paper: $6.08 Kindle:$2.99 (uk paper, kindle) | No Hope for Gomez!Winner of the Forewords Book of the Year Awards, featured on Kirkus Best Indie List 2011, IBA and USA Book News Award nominee. It's the age-old tale:Boy meets girl. Boy stalks girl. Girl already has a stalker. Boy becomes her stalker-stalker. We've seen it all before, many times, but this time it's different. If only slightly. |
"Extremely witty writing containing keen insights into human nature." --California Chronicle
"Challenges the way we think about, and interact with, the world around us." --Kirkus Discoveries
"The antics in this book will leave the reader laughing. Graham Parke is a genius."--Reader's Favorite
"Challenges the way we think about, and interact with, the world around us." --Kirkus Discoveries
"The antics in this book will leave the reader laughing. Graham Parke is a genius."--Reader's Favorite
Unspent TimeWarning: reading this novel may make you more attractive and elevate your random luck by about 9.332%*(*These statements have not been evaluated by anyone of consequence) Permeating the cracks between the past and the present is the realm of Unspent Time. Time that was allotted but never spent. In this realm we find the stories that could have been true. Such as the story of the designer of the color scheme used inside your shoe, or the story of Goki Feng Ho: the Chinese art of decoding the secret meaning of car license plates. | Paper: $6.08 Kindle:$2.99 ePub : $2.99 (uk paper, kindle) |
“Captivating. Each story fired up my imagination.” – Alan H. Jordan, author.
"Delightfully mad. Graham's vibrant characters shine from the first page." --Tahlia Newland, author.
"Delightfully mad. Graham's vibrant characters shine from the first page." --Tahlia Newland, author.
Free with this event | Completely Flappable“He’s completely flappable!” Gomez has never been on a date. In his 27 years on the planet he’s never been able to quite close the deal. For some reason, circumstances always conspire to make his meet-ups with women less than official dates. But now a blond German girl with freckles has moved into his building and he decides it’s time to get his act together.“Don’t you mean he’s unflappable?” “Not really. He can very easily be flapped.” |
If you've read this far, you're already my hero ;)
I hope you like my idea enough to join me in this fun adventure. Let's see how much we can raise this Xmas ;)
Kind regards,
Graham Parke
Monday, December 16, 2013
Guest Blogger: How to Stop Childhood Obesity by Stephanie Ingram
Obesity is a medical condition that refers to having too much body fat. You may be considered obese if you weigh 20% more than your normal weight range. Obesity is a global problem leading to numerous physical and psychological health issues. Weight is a very sensitive topic for people and becomes touchier if it’s more than desired.
Childhood Obesity Effects
Agility allows kids to exhibit their intelligence and enhance their learning. Look at the obesity matter from a child’s perspective. In our normal communication, we avoid everything that might hurt our child’s feelings. Doesn't obesity hurt the child's mind? Obesity is one of the least acceptable conditions in social life. It leaves children with low self-esteem and excludes them from a variety of playful activities. Their physical limitations keep them away from a number of normal activities and competitions, and don't allow them to build self-confidence for adulthood. Depression makes them introverted, which can lead to a decrease in academic performance. Apart from all of the psychological matters, obesity develops a lasting impact on physical health, including serious health conditions such as high cholesterol, diabetes, cardiovascular ailments, and high blood pressure. Shortened life span is one of the grave impacts of childhood obesity.
How to Stop Childhood Obesity
Primary preventions are needed to enhance the standard of life. As parents, it’s our duty to make positive changes in our children's lives to keep them active, healthy, playful and confident. It’s important to make positive choices for your family life and create an environment that makes those choices easy, natural and enjoyable.
Balanced diet is the foremost prerequisite to live an active and agile life. Avoid those quick breakfast fixes and unhealthy school lunches that may harm their eating habits in the long run, as well as their health. Processed and refined foods do harm by containing sugar, fats and excess calories. Homemade food items should be a priority from a very early age. Stop showing intimacy via sugary treats, fast foods and sweetened beverages. This is the unhealthiest attitude that may harm your child's eating habits for life.
Start making changes in your personal diet and begin workout habits to be a role model for your children. The good thing about dealing with obesity in childhood is that kids are playful by nature. You don’t have to compel them much in order to get them to move more. Create an interesting exercising program with your kids to burn more calories, enhance stamina and build muscles. Make them aware of healthy living and dietary habits.
Avoid using gadgets as much as possible, especially if they are used just for fun. Limit television time and social media networks on the Internet. Encourage physical activities as pastimes rather than video games. Get yourself involved in any kind of sports to hearten kids to do so, too. Ample parental supervision is imperative to understand the consequences of sedentary life and the value of healthy living.
Stephanie Ingram is a blogger, writer at Fitnessrepublic.com, enthusiast spending her efforts and time in learning, applying and writing articles on fitness, food and nutrition, Pilates, health care and green living. She is passionate about learning and sharing the ways to improve fitness and maintain optimal health in order to live an active life.
Childhood Obesity Effects
Agility allows kids to exhibit their intelligence and enhance their learning. Look at the obesity matter from a child’s perspective. In our normal communication, we avoid everything that might hurt our child’s feelings. Doesn't obesity hurt the child's mind? Obesity is one of the least acceptable conditions in social life. It leaves children with low self-esteem and excludes them from a variety of playful activities. Their physical limitations keep them away from a number of normal activities and competitions, and don't allow them to build self-confidence for adulthood. Depression makes them introverted, which can lead to a decrease in academic performance. Apart from all of the psychological matters, obesity develops a lasting impact on physical health, including serious health conditions such as high cholesterol, diabetes, cardiovascular ailments, and high blood pressure. Shortened life span is one of the grave impacts of childhood obesity.
How to Stop Childhood Obesity
Primary preventions are needed to enhance the standard of life. As parents, it’s our duty to make positive changes in our children's lives to keep them active, healthy, playful and confident. It’s important to make positive choices for your family life and create an environment that makes those choices easy, natural and enjoyable.
Balanced diet is the foremost prerequisite to live an active and agile life. Avoid those quick breakfast fixes and unhealthy school lunches that may harm their eating habits in the long run, as well as their health. Processed and refined foods do harm by containing sugar, fats and excess calories. Homemade food items should be a priority from a very early age. Stop showing intimacy via sugary treats, fast foods and sweetened beverages. This is the unhealthiest attitude that may harm your child's eating habits for life.
Start making changes in your personal diet and begin workout habits to be a role model for your children. The good thing about dealing with obesity in childhood is that kids are playful by nature. You don’t have to compel them much in order to get them to move more. Create an interesting exercising program with your kids to burn more calories, enhance stamina and build muscles. Make them aware of healthy living and dietary habits.
Avoid using gadgets as much as possible, especially if they are used just for fun. Limit television time and social media networks on the Internet. Encourage physical activities as pastimes rather than video games. Get yourself involved in any kind of sports to hearten kids to do so, too. Ample parental supervision is imperative to understand the consequences of sedentary life and the value of healthy living.
Stephanie Ingram is a blogger, writer at Fitnessrepublic.com, enthusiast spending her efforts and time in learning, applying and writing articles on fitness, food and nutrition, Pilates, health care and green living. She is passionate about learning and sharing the ways to improve fitness and maintain optimal health in order to live an active life.
You've Got Mail Monday
This post would have been up earlier, but I've been gone most of the day. After our first snowstorm of the season dumped 5 inches on us--more in many areas of Massachusetts--I had some catching up to do. This weekend, we finally decorated the family Christmas tree. Now, I have to get the remaining decorations up. Most of the trees are done. I ran out of lights for the last tree and forgot to pick them up at the store today. Not sure what I'll do, as the thought of shopping again isn't very appealing. It might go up with only one strand of lights. Gasp!
The Lil' Princess snapped this one of me and the Lil' Diva.
Other than Christmas presents arriving on a regular basis--thank you Amazon Prime--our family photo card designed by the Lil' Diva arrived from Walmart. My annual Christmas letter is now ready and the cards will go out this week.
The mail carrier delivered catalogs from L. L. Bean, Helleborus, and FrontGate. I recently won a digital copy of The Great Fruitcake Bake-off by Vicki Batman. She also sent along a lovely hand-crafted eyeglass case she made, which arrived last week. Three books also came my way: The Amazing Adventures of Chilly Billy by Peter Mayle, While We Were Watching Downton Abbey by Wendy Wax (releasing 12/31), and Bedtime Prayers that end with a hug by Stephen Elkins.
That's it for now. Hope you had a great Monday. Enjoy your week!
This Week's Countdown to Christmas Schedule
I've been enjoying some of the great seasonal movies that are part of Hallmark Channel's Countdown to Christmas. Here is this week's schedule.
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