Heard on the Playground Review

Heard on the Playground is a really fun site where you can share stories.  Stories of what kids say!! I have read so many cute stories over there from grandparents, parents, kids and people who have overheard stories too! So fun!

I even shared a story a while back from my 5 year old at the time. She is now 7. ;0)

...Our Shared Story...

{This is a recent conversation I overheard between my son and daughter} "Why were you the first born?" my daughter asked. "Because God wanted a boy first in our family, then a girl, girl and another girl." my son responded. "Well that's not right...it's always supposed to be ladies first!" my daughter protested.

Caidee 5 - California

Isn't that cute? I'm kinda partial! Well Andrea, the creator of Heard on the Playground site thought is was cute too! She used it as one of her favorites in the book she published! YEAH! We were so excited to find out!

The book is available now on Amazon! You can also find it through Andrea's site, Heard on the Playground! Andrea was kind enough to send us a copy! Thank you! Thank you! We will treasure it!

Don't forget to stop by and share a story at Heard on the Playground! You might see it in the second book. Which I am sure there will be one. Kids never fail when it comes to finding funny things to say! ;0)


This book would make a perfect gift for Grandparents, Parents, Teachers and Kids! Get yours ordered TODAY!

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Father Forgets by W. Livingston Larned

I recently picked up an audio book by Dale Carnegie called "How to win friends and influence people" I had heard it was a great read. I chose the audio version because I love hearing and feeling the passion of the story through the reader. It makes the story that much more exciting. While listening, I heard the below story "Father Forgets" by W. Livingston Larned. I immediately came to tears. So many of the words made me think of incidences in my own life. It reminded me to slow down, be calm, love, play and speak kinder to my children. They are just children and are learning. Learning from us. We can't expect them to know what we know!

Taken from the story

But tomorrow I will be a real daddy! I will chum with you, and suffer when you suffer, and laugh when you laugh. I will bite my tongue when impatient words come. I will keep saying as if it were a ritual: ‘He is nothing but a boy – a little boy!’

Even though this story is from a father to a son, I think we can all learn from it. As fathers, mothers, grandparents, aunts, uncles, teacher and friends. Be Kind to Your Children! Love them in their youth!

I am going to frame this in my home, so we never forget! I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I did.

| FATHER FORGETS |

Listen, son: I am saying this as you lie asleep, one little paw crumpled under your cheek and the blond curls stickily wet on your damp forehead. I have stolen into your room alone. Just a few minutes ago, as I sat reading my paper in the library, a stifling wave of remorse swept over me. Guiltily I came to your bedside.

There are the things I was thinking, son: I had been cross to you. I scolded you as you were dressing for school because you gave your face merely a dab with a towel. I took you to task for not cleaning your shoes. I called out angrily when you threw some of your things on the floor.

At breakfast I found fault, too. You spilled things. You gulped down your food. You put your elbows on the table. You spread butter too thick on your bread. And as you started off to play and I made for my train, you turned and waved a hand and called, ‘Goodbye, Daddy!’ and I frowned, and said in reply, ‘Hold your shoulders back!’

Then it began all over again in the late afternoon. As I came up the road I spied you, down on your knees, playing marbles. There were holes in your stockings. I humiliated you before your boyfriends by marching you ahead of me to the house. Stockings were expensive – and if you had to buy them you would be more careful! Imagine that, son, from a father!

Do you remember, later, when I was reading in the library, how you came in timidly, with a sort of hurt look in your eyes? When I glanced up over my paper, impatient at the interruption, you hesitated at the door. ‘What is it you want?’ I snapped.You said nothing, but ran across in one tempestuous plunge, and threw your arms around my neck and kissed me, and your small arms tightened with an affection that God had set blooming in your heart and which even neglect could not wither. And then you were gone, pattering up the stairs.

Well, son, it was shortly afterwards that my paper slipped from my hands and a terrible sickening fear came over me. What has habit been doing to me? The habit of finding fault, of reprimanding – this was my reward to you for being a boy. It was not that I did not love you; it was that I expected too much of youth. I was measuring you by the yardstick of my own years.

And there was so much that was good and fine and true in your character. The little heart of you was as big as the dawn itself over the wide hills. This was shown by your spontaneous impulse to rush in and kiss me good night. Nothing else matters tonight, son. I have come to your bedside in the darkness, and I have knelt there, ashamed!

It is a feeble atonement; I know you would not understand these things if I told them to you during your waking hours. But tomorrow I will be a real daddy! I will chum with you, and suffer when you suffer, and laugh when you laugh. I will bite my tongue when impatient words come. I will keep saying as if it were a ritual: ‘He is nothing but a boy – a little boy!’

I am afraid I have visualized you as a man. Yet as I see you now, son, crumpled and weary in your cot, I see that you are still a baby. Yesterday you were in your mother’s arms, your head on her shoulder. I have asked too much, too much.

W. Livingston Larned

Think of this story in every aspect of your life. Put yourself in the shoes of others and don't be quick to criticize, even if you think you are right. And I recommend that you pick up a copy of Dale Carnegie's book "How to Win friends and Influence People" It is truly an amazing book!

Please share in the comments below what you think about this amazing article. Have you read it before? Will you share it too?

Images found thanks to google

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The Power Of Half | Book Review

It all started when 14-year old Hannah Salwen, idealistic but troubled by a growing sense of injustice in the world, had a eureka moment when a homeless man in her neighborhood was juxtaposed against a glistening Mercedes coupe. “You know, Dad,” she said, pointing, “If that man had a less nice car, that man there could have a meal.”Warm, funny, deeply moving and wholly uplifting, The Power of Half is the story of how one family slammed the door on the status quo and threw away the key.  For their family project, the Salwen family is investing in the Hunger Project. For more information about that project and how you can create your own,www.thepowerofhalf.com.

This glaring disparity led the Salwen family of four, caught up like so many other Americans in this age of consumption and waste, to follow Hannah’s urge to do something, to finally just do something. And so they embarked on an incredible journey together from which there would be no turning back. They decided to sell their Atlanta mansion, downsize to a house half its size, and give half of their profits to a worthy charity. At first it was an outlandish scheme. “What, are you crazy? No way!” Then it was a challenge. “We are TOTALLY doing this.” Each week they met over dinner to discuss their plan. It would transport them across the globe and well out of their comfort zone. Along the way they would inspire so many others wrestling with the same questions: Do I give enough? How much is enough? How can I make an impact in the world? In the end the Salwens’ journey would bring them closer as a family, as they discovered, together, that half could be so much more.

$1 of each copy sold will be donated to Rebuilding Together, serving America’s low-income home-owners and providing critical repairs at no charge to those with the greatest need. For more information, visit http://www.rebuildingtogether.org/

I received “The Power of Half” book for review. It is an inspirational book sharing with people the power of sharing. This book tells the story of the Salwen family and their plan to make a difference in the world. I was also glad to read that it brought the family closer together. They spent more time together discussing great topics and plans for their “half” project. This is a great book because it opens your eyes to what one idea can turn into. How one person can make a difference and also how you can include your children in great family giving. Giving to those in need, sharing your time to help and so on. This is a great book to read if you are looking to make a difference too!

…. About the authors ….

Kevin Salwen, coauthor of The Power of Half: One Family’s Decision to Stop Taking and Start Giving Back, was reporter and editor at The Wall Street Journal for over 18 years. After his tenure at The Wall Street Journal, he started a magazine, Motto. He serves on the board for Habitat for Humanity in Atlanta, and works with the U.S. Olympic Committee.

Hannah Salwen, coauthor of The Power of Half: One Family’s Decision to Stop Taking and Start Giving Back, will be a junior at the Atlanta Girls’ School, where she plays for the varsity volleyball team, and is her grade’s representative to the student council. She has been volunteering consistently since the 5th grade at the Atlanta Community Food Bank and Cafe 458, among others.

Things that I Love...

• Powerful story about one family and their dream to make a difference
• Helps you learn more about giving
• Their hope is that it will better bond your family, community or group through a unified sense of purpose
• Encourages you to start your own hope project
• Teaches you that your kids can get involved too. They have a voice just like we do.
• Inspiring!!!

….. The Power of Half Reviews …..

“Hannah, you rock!”–Ann Curry, The Today Show

“Mixing humor, inspiration and self-reflection, The Power of Half will give you a whole new perspective on your life. You can’t help but recommit to the values you want to share with your children. And you’ll be reminded that your kids have much to teach you, too.”–Jeffrey Zaslow, coauthor of The Last Lecture

“The Power of Half is a story of generosity become realized — a family’s unpretentious, morally introspective life becomes a kind of lived enactment and fulfillment of an old ethical and spiritual imperative: that in giving we receive. In a sense, then, this is an account of kindness toward others become a family’s fateful self-blessing and destiny (and for the rest of us a chain of events to behold, earnestly consider, and take to heart).”–Dr. Robert Coles

“Americans are the world’s most generous people, but, as The Power of Half shows, the Salwen family is lifting hearts in a new way. Not Carnegie, Gates, or the United Way. Sports mom, Little League dad, YouTube-addicted son, and 14-year-old ‘Hey Dude’ daughter are pilgrims on the way of all loving flesh. Who knew Siddartha lived in the suburbs, Mother Teresa wore volleyball kneepads, and the Buddha could emerge from his dream at a traffic light: When the heart is full, give half.”–Michael Capuzzo, author of Close to the Shore and The Murder Room

“The Power of Half proves so much about leadership. Most importantly, that leadership comes in all ages, as long as there is a decision made to let it out and foster it. Hannah and her family inspire me to want to improve the relationships in my life through the power of renewed energy. I’m planning to give this book to everyone I know.”–Alicia Mandel, United States Olympic Committee

“The Power of Half is not just an extraordinary story of a 14-year-old girl who pushes her family to look outside of themselves and give something big back to the world. The Salwen father-daughter duo sets a new standard for families and individuals seeking to inject meaning into their lives. What does your family stand for? What ‘half’ are you willing to give back? Read this book and, like me and my family, you’ll want to tackle these questions and change your life.”–Daniel H. Pink, author of A Whole New Mind and Drive

“Hannah Salwen and her dad show what can happen when the best of youthful idealism combines with a ‘can-do’ attitude looking to change the world for the better, one family at a time. Hannah inspires every one of her readers to ask, ‘What can I do to help?’ An adventure with a conscience. Brava!”–Susanne B. Beck, Executive Director, National Coalition of Girls’ Schools

The featured product {s} in this post were provided to me free of charge by the manufacturer or pr company representing the company. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by anyone.  Trendy Treehouse Disclaimer/Terms of use.

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An Incomplete Education

First of all, I want to say THANK YOU!
Thank you for all your kind comments
and encouraging words on my post last week.
Thank you for letting me know I'm not alone.

So, I've been working on some projects...
but I'm not quite ready to share.
But I wanted to share something else that's been going on
and ask your opinion as well!!!

I have figured out that my high school and even parts of
my college education were lacking.
Now, maybe it's because I have a TERRIBLE memory,
but I know it's also because there were huge gaps in my education.
Particularly in the English department.
I have NEVER once learned how to diagram a sentence,
not that I really care now,
but isn't that funny.?! sad?!
We didn't read the CLASSICS in any of my English classes.
Okay, we read Shakespeare...but as far as I can remember
we really didn't read CLASSICS.

What is a classic, well, I'm not really sure.
But I just know I missed a lot of great books!
When people start talking books I tend to glaze over,
and hope the floor opens up and swallows me whole.
I can't contribute...most often it's "oh I never read that book".
So, I'm on a quest to change that.

I want to be more well rounded, more well read.
So, I enlisted the help of my friend, Lydia, the English teacher.
Her den library is amazing. 8 floor to ceiling book cases FULL!
Full of classics, modern stories, children's books, Biblical books,
anything you could really want to read!

So, she let me borrow a bunch of books and told me
to come get more when I was ready.
So, what did I pick out?
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
Animal Farm by George Orwell
1984 by George Orwell
You Come Too by Robert Frost
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
and
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

I'm in the process of reading
A Separate Peace by John Knowles
I know that's a LOT of books but it's where I wanted to start.

A really great book she let me borrow is called,
An Incomplete Education by Judy Jones and William Wilson.
It's a huge book but has some great parts about great/famous authors
and what you should know about them,
what you should have learned about them in high school
and what you should have read of theirs in high school and college.

I've obviously got a lot of reading to do,
but I'm looking forward to being more
well rounded (not just my belly)
and well read!
Did you have to read any of those in high school?
What do you recommend?
What are you favorite classics?


Oh and just a little plug,
I've still got some great giveaways going on over at my blog
for Random Acts of Kindness week!!!

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Laugh and Learn DVD set & Book Review

★ Laugh & Learn is a great site for expecting moms, friends, birth coaches, husbands, families and many more. Really, at first I thought, “What more do you need to know?” But Wow, there was so much to learn while viewing the videos and reading the book. I am done having children and wished I had these to review with my first pregnancy. I was scared. Didn’t know what to expect. I had only seen my sister in law have kids. It was a breeze for her. I went to lamaze class and left scared and confused. After 4 c-sections I was pretty much done. LOL It would have been nice to learn how to talk to my doctors. The right questions to ask. Basically get to know my pregnant body as well as breast feeding, which was difficult at first and learning about new born care. You can buy all the books you want, but nothing I ever had would ever compared to these wonderful videos. I am a very visual person and if you are like me, you will love them too!

I received all three videos for review as well as Sheri’s book- Laugh and Learn about Childbirth. How wonderful that I was able to view them. I thought I didn’t need to review this because I already had my kids, but boy was I wrong. I will take what I have learned to all my friends and even to my children when they have kids. ★

Laugh and Learn About Childbirth – Book A very informative, easy book to read. Learn everything to do with childbirth and laugh along too. The illustrations are amazing and guess what moms, daddy’s will love it too. There are even tips in there for them. I recommend getting this for yourself, even if you are done having kids and as a gift to anyone who is expecting.

Laugh and Learn About Childbirth – DVD
This Comprehensive LAMAZE Childbirth Class covers everything you need to know in 6 fun to watch 45-minute sessions, a total of 4 1/2 hours – all in the convenience of your own home.

Disc 1

• Anatomy
• Preliminary Signs of Labor
• Three Actual Signs of Labor
• One Breathing Technique
• Labor and Comfort Measures
• Delivery, Pushing
• Cordblood Banking

Disc 2

• Medications used in Labor
• Induction, Forceps
• Vacuum, Monitoring
• Cesarean Delivery, Post-op C/S
• Postpartum Vaginal Delivery
• and Special Features:
• Update – Reunion of Couples with Their Babies
• Cordblood Banking

Laugh and Learn About Breastfeeding – DVD

Comprehensive Breastfeeding Class that covers everything you need to know in 9 easy to watch lessons. Complete 55 min. Breastfeeding Class on 1 DVD

• Lesson 1: Breast feeding positions
• Lesson 2: Burping the baby
• Lesson 3: How to breast feed twins
• Lesson 4: How often? How long?
• Lesson 5: Is your baby eating enough?
• Lesson 6: Overcoming Obstacles
• Lesson 7: Diet
• Lesson 8: Pumping
• Lesson 9: Bras, Nightgowns, & Nursing Pads

Laugh and Learn About Newborn Baby Care – DVD

Comprehensive Newborn Baby Care Class that covers everything you need to know in 6 easy to watch lessons. Complete 50 min. Newborn Baby Care Class on 1 DVD

• Lesson 1: The Sponge Bath
• Lesson 2: Diaper Change & Dressing a Newborn
• Lesson 3: Swaddling
• Lesson 4: The Tub Bath
• Lesson 5: Diaper Change & Dressing a 3 month old
• Lesson 6: Baby Supplies You Need

★ I am so glad I was asked to review them because I do have friends that are pregnant and sharing this with them has been fun. Getting all the different responses from them was great. They loved everything as much as I did! ★

Things that I Love...

• Informative DVD’s teaching you about Childbirth, Breastfeeding & Infant Care
• Humorous – laugh along at the fun way Sheri teaches
• Easy to follow along
• Tips for what to ask your doctors
• Tips for partners as well. Not just for mommy’s
• Great for anyone wanting to learn more about Childbirth, Breastfeeding & especially infant care
• Perfect for gift giving
• Online courses too
• Very affordable – best thing to buy if you are expecting – forget the rest!

The featured product {s} in this post were provided to me free of charge by the manufacturer or pr company representing the company. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by anyone. Trendy Treehouse Disclaimer/Terms of use.

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