Summer Reading Round Up!

Have you compiled your list of books yet? Summer is beginning this month and hopefully your love of reading will be reinvigorated! This is a great time to browse your library, bookstore and favorite review sites for your upcoming book adventures. As an author I am busy writing my own adventures-but also getting prepared to read my favorite authors to myself and to my toddler. How often will you decide to read? Will you set the proper environment for your favorite books? Make it special. Read in the park, on the beach by the pool, in bed, the possibilities are endless-just make sure that you do it. Many of your local libraries have contest-see if you can join. You might just get rewarded for it. -Read something great

Spring Cleaning... off your bookshelf

Readers! Spring is here! If you are anything like me-you have a ton of books on your shelves. How often do you get to dive into them? I strongly suggest that you get ready for summer reading and summer giving early. You might be wondering how...I'll tell you. Grab 2 boxes or bins. Mark one: "Donations" and mark the other one "To Read List". Take a look at items that you have read a ton of times that no longer belong on your shelf and make plans to donate to a library, a school or a community group. The other one is your start to getting your summer reading goals met. Spring cleaning can be fun. -Read something great

Reading Resolutions

Everyone is making goals and checking them twice. Welcome to January! Fresh ideas, new perspective and a clean slate is on the horizon. As an author and an avid reader my goals tend to lean towards literary objectives. Do you have any goals that focus on literacy? Here are a few of mine: Have at least four library visits each month, read and complete one fiction book and one business oriented book monthly, read through my son's personal library collection in entirety every week (this goal is shared between my hubistrator, sitters and myself because he has a lot of books), write in a gratitude journal daily, work on incomplete manuscripts. Those are my reading resolutions-what are your goals when it comes to literacy? Read to a classroom, volunteer at your library, work on a project related to helping others with their literacy goals. The list can be quite endless. Readers are leaders-let's begin this year by leading by example. Read something great.

PREVENTION AND PRE-SCHOOL

Today marks the 1st day of National bullying prevention month. I am often asked at what age should we talk to our kids about bullying and related behaviors. I am pleased to share that many pre-schools and early learning centers have asked me to read my books to their students and talk to parents about pro-social education. It is never too early to teach our kids to be kind. To share with them the importance of caring about others and to try to use practical examples to allow them to work on compassion development. As many of you know I have my own little tot and we are already working on feelings identification exercises. Bookstores and resource stores like Self-esteem shop carry many tools to begin this process. If we can teach young people early how to recognize emotions it is a great step in the process of pro-social learning. Does your center need assistance? Can your family benefit from a personal consultation on emotional understanding and prevention? Please let me know. This Friday I will be at Kindercare centers reading my picture book series to students and beginning the process of pro-social education. If you need an Unbully kit we send great resources through the mail that includes information, tools and resources that aid in prevention. -Read something great

THINK BIG!

One thing in this life that you have control of are your thoughts. It is ironic but those very thoughts dictate your actions, your character and in essence your life. How often do you think of your dreams and goals? Many people are nervous about putting the effort into a vision board...so let's start with the thinking cycle before we move on to practical application. How positive are your thoughts? Do you believe that you can reach your goals? I remember being a little girl and being told that I had a vivid imagination. In middle school a friend drew a "say no to drugs" poster. She felt pretty proud of herself and she should have because the poster was nice.

I asked her to show it to one of the teachers that started a school campaign and maybe we could have the drawings copied and made into replicas all around the school. I shared with her the fun and awareness that would come from making the theme into a skit or a featured assembly. She looked at me with her mouth open and simply said you think too big and you are blowing this out of proportion. We never did anything with her creation. It set in her notebook and no one was ever able to see the effort she put into the beautiful and descriptive drawing.

We did not tell our teacher...we simply did nothing. In retrospect...I still think it could have been great to at least try and present it and see how lives could change from a simple picture. But my friend had thoughts that held her back from exposing her creation to the rest of the school. She thought that it should not be a big deal. Obviously it was her drawing and her choice but this made me think about her words to me..."You think too big".
Can someone really think too big or is their faith too small? When I told a girl that I wanted to be an author she smiled at me and said "yeah right" the class laughed and told the teacher about their desires to obtain more traditional careers.
Did they laugh because they thought it was funny? No...I think they laughed because they could not envision "Tara Michener author of the Who I Am Series," Celebrating diversity and
self-esteem in kids.
This is not a hit towards the kids that I grew up with but something that I am asking you the reader to ponder in your own life. Do you encounter people on your job, at school or in your family or circle that don't believe in your dreams?
How does this change your thinking about yourself? If we choose to think big there is nothing that we cannot accomplish! Keep your thoughts positive and faithful and you will be surprised at the reward that follows.
Read something great!