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7 AMAZING HAPPINESS SECRETS FOR TWEENS

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Happiness secretsHAPPINESS SECRETS FOR TWEENS

As the author of Saltwater Taffy, happiness secrets for Tweens is the easiest post I could ever write.  The reason is because I know what you are going through.  Being a Tween-Ager can be confusing, challenging, and sometimes…well, for lack of a better word, it can downright be very frustrating.   That being said, there are some amazing happiness secrets for tweens that can help make this time feel more like an adventure than an ongoing nightmare.

Being happy in life takes practice.  Ask you parents.  It is an ongoing choice we all get to make, day in and day out.  No matter what you go through in life… Read more

7 STEPS FOR CREATING YOUNG READERS

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Saltwater TaffyCREATING YOUNG READERS

As the author of Saltwater Taffy, I feel I have learned what it takes to create young readers.  Here are 7 Steps for Creating Young Readers:

1. START EARLY: Twenty-six percent of children between the ages of three and five, who were read to at least three or four times in the last week by a family member, recognized all letters of the alphabet.  This is compared to 14 percent of children who were read to less frequently.

2. LEAD BY EXAMPLE: If you want your child to read, pick up and book and show them how enjoyable reading can be.  If you don’t like to read, change your mind and think again.

3. FIELD TRIP: Grab the kids and spend a few hours at your local library.  Sign them up for their own library card.  Check into events for children and sign up! Read more

TWEEN READERS

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Tween ReadersTWEEN READERS!

In order to create more Tween Readers in our country, I sat down and wrote the adventure novel Saltwater Taffy so I could teach the ideal: Your life is up to you!

Nobody can do it for you.  Not your parents.  Not your teachers.  Not even your best friend.  If you want something special out of your life, the journey is entirely up to YOU.

Going after a dream that is out of the ordinary takes work.  You have to really want it.  Each moment in your life is an adventure and should be treated as such.  If you don’t, all that will show up in your life is more of the same.  If you want greatness, you have to start with thoughts about greatness.  If you want adventure, your thoughts need to be adventurous.  If you want happiness, your thoughts need to be about happiness.

Saltwater Taffy is an adventure novel for tweens and is endorsed by 12 Teachers of the Year around the country.  The book has become an Accelerated Reader title and tween reader favorite for children’s book clubs.

Learning How To Read: Guest Writer

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Learning how to readLEARNING HOW TO READ: Guest Writer

Learning how to read is becoming a bigger topic than we care to admit.  There is an amazing website out there that I want to bring to your attention.  Run by Bianca Schulz, The Children’s Book Review is a great stop for any parent looking for children’s books, especially Saltwater Taffy.  I recently had the pleasure of writing an article for the website about child literacy in America.  As an advocate of children’s literacy in America, this was the easiest article I have even written.  Together we can change the futures of our children, by teaching them to read TODAY.

SELF DOUBT or BIG DREAMS

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Saltwater TaffySELF DOUBT or BIG DREAMS

You have to decide if self doubt or big dreams will lead your adventure when going after something you love.   The reason I wanted to talk about the self doubt or big dreams because it’s a choice and a battle I have been dealing with the evolution of my adventure novel, Saltwater Taffy.

When we think about going after our dreams, self-doubt has the uncanny “in-ability” of creeping in, looking for ways to defeat us before we even begin our adventure.  The more mental attention we give to the dream and not the Read more