Have you ever just picked up a dictionary and started reading it?  It really is interesting to learn where words come from, what they really mean and how to spell them correctly. It is common for both kids and adults to misspell words. Luckily for all of us, we have Spell Check on our computers. But that is not always available for us. All students will have to write essays on college entrance exams without using a computer. And all of us will be faced with spelling challenges when we write from time to time.

We can teach ourselves how to spell correctly just by using and memorizing the words. Here are 20 commonly misspelled words spelled correctly (followed by the most common misspelled version)

1. a lot (alot)
2. a while (awhile)
3. acommodate (accomodate)
4. committed (commited)
5. embarrass (embarass)
6. grammar (grammer)
7. grateful (greatful)
8. license (lisense)
9. missile (missal)
10. misspell (mispell)
11. no one (noone)
12. occurrence (ocurrence)
13. plagiarize (plagarize)
14. receipt (reciept)
15. relevent (relavant)
16. rhythm (rythm)
17. sandwich (sandwhich)
18. seize (sieze)
19. tomorrow (tommorow)
20. weird (wierd)

So tak the thyme to lurn to spel corecctly. Yoo’ll be hapy yu didd and yu wil seam reely intellegant.

After attending an exhausting 2 1/2 hour Open House at our daughter’s high school last night, I realized something very important. If we parents had to do today what our kids have to do at school every day, we might not be able to do it! And if we (who are not teachers) had to do for ONE DAY what the teachers do every day, we would need an immediate 2-week vacation!

I am not saying our generation did not have challenges when we were high school students, but I do not recall having as much expected from me as our daughter has expected of her. She is fortunate to attend one of top high schools (Catholic) in the USA in academics and sports, but I also was fortunate to attend a (public) high school similar to that outside of Chicago.

This is what I learned about my daughter’s daily life. . . First, her uniform must be perfect, and her shirt must be tucked in. Then there are heavy books for her to lug around and too much space to cover between classes for her to be able to stop at a locker. There is barely enough time for her to get to each class before the bell rings. Then she is expected to switch gears and concentrate on a new subject intently, and be ready for daily quizes, tests and essays in many classes. Her schedule rotates every day, so she cannot get confused about that. That means that her lunch changes every day as well, and sometimes she is extremely hungry by the time she eats. (I recall having the same schedule daily and eating lunch at the same time every day all 4 years of high school.) When she gets home from school or other activities, her brain is often overloaded. But she has hours of homework to do.

I am not saying this is a “bad” situation by any means, but it is rather demanding. I guess the world is a more competitive place than when I grew up, with our growing population, rising number of superstar students and limited spaces in our top universities.

As far as the teachers go, I have the utmost respect for them. (Sure, there is the occasional not-so-wonderful teacher, but that is much less common than great teachers.) Last night, our daughter’s teachers demonstrated their dedication and respect for their students through their brief summaries to the parents. I cannot imagine the pressure of getting my point across to 25 – 30 kids multiplied by 6 classes and making sure they can process the information and pass the exams. I really cannot imagine teaching the same lesson 6 times per day and teaching the same class year after year. Then there are behavior and motivation issues as well as some difficult parents for them to deal with.

We have all heard about “Teacher of the Year” awards. But what about the countless teachers who aren’t showcased and thanked publicly?  That’s where we as parents come in. Have you truly thanked your children’s teachers lately? If not, what are you waiting for? It can really motivate them to keep working hard to shape our kids’ lives. Let them know what difference they make in the world.

Tonight we are attending our daughter’s Open House tonight for her Junior year of high school. It really is interesting the way her school handles the process. Parents report to their child’s home room and follow their kid’s schedule, shuffling through the halls like sardines, trying to make it to the next 20 minute class before the bell rings. I usually panic a bit because I am so short and I cannot see over the vast sea of people surrounding me.

During each class, the teachers tell us exactly what they expect from the students, what the curriculum will be like in the class and how to contact them if you have any questions. They usually tell a joke or a story about a student as well, unless they are grumpy (which is usually not the case).

The school asks that parents do not use this time to try to have private conferences with the teacher about their specific concerns, but in every class we always see a lot of parents bombarding the teachers when the bell rings to move to the next class. I feel sorry for the teachers, as it seems so completely overwhelming given the volume of people and the rigid time constraints.

Well, it’s time for me to go. I’ll let you know how it goes…

Hurry!

Our Chief Smart Poodle Judge Patiently Awaits More Contest Entries

If your kids, your friend’s kids or your students have not entered our contest yet, get them writing this weekend! Smart Poodle Publishing will accept entries until 5pm EST on Monday, September 15th! Click here for full contest rules.

My 16-yer-old got her driver’s license last week. Yikes! For any of you parents out there who may be in the same boat, or anyone who is thinking about buying a car for themselves, check out the National Highway Safety website. There is so much important information here, everyone who drives should read it. For actual crash test ratings, click here. Don’t buy a new or used car without knowing what the crash test ratings are. You might be surprised to find out your dream car has high rollover rates or poor driver’s side crash test ratings.

My Mom left our daughter her used car, which is 10 years old but in in great condition. The only problem is that it does not have good crash test ratings on the driver’s side of the car. Bummer. It looks like we’ll be shopping for a safer used car this weekend. Read the rest of this entry

Please check out our South Florida school/library program. We want to spread the joy of reading to kids in our community and everywhere else we can!

Flexing my muscles has become a real joke around my house and amongst my friends. I am 4′ 11″ and very petite. I’m not athletic really. (I was always the last one picked for any sports teams as a child.) But I am very committed to exercising. I have spent so much time in doctors’ offices and hospital with my Mom, my stepfather and Grandma Nellie, that I am motivated to do what I can for my health. No matter what we do, there are no guarantees. But it is worth a try to fight aging and illness. And it is never too late to start.

I do not belong to a gym or go to any classes of any sort. I work out early in the morning for 30-45 minutes. Sometimes I take a short run or walk after dinner. The only equipment I have is a stepper, free weights and a jump rope. I love to do men’s push ups, stomach crunches and run with the dog. I am almost 48 now, and I am proud to say nothing jiggles on my arms at all.

Given the stress I’ve had in the past few years, I can honestly say I’d have never made it through if it were not for rigorous workouts. They are good for the mind and soul.  Even more important is that my daughter sees that I am dedicated to being fit.

It is hard to juggle it all – work, family, reading, writing and staying fit. But it can be done, and it is well worth the effort. When I am resting and reading a book at night, it feels great to know I have exercised both my mind and my body that day. Who says you cannot be both smart and fit at the same time?

Jennifer from 5minutesformom.com barely has 5 minutes for herself, but somehow she found the time to read and listen to Lilly Badilly with her curious 4-year-old son. He is obviously very creative himself, because he loves the book, and especially the CD! Here’s what Jennifer had to say…

“Debbie Glade wrote and illustrated the story, but then the whole family joined her in recording the CD that goes along with the book, bringing Lilly P. Badilly, the musical millipede, to life. Mrs. Glade recorded the voices, giving great variety to the various characters in an over-the-top cartoonish way, which is exactly what makes my four-year-old son Kyle love this book. (When I say “love,” I mean that for two weeks it’s been his top request for car listening, and he still laughs out loud when he listens to it.) Her fifteen-year-old daughter Rachel played the piano and sitar for the recording, and composed the music. Her husband John joined daughter Rachel in composing and played the harmonica and guitar for the CD recording.

The book is generally longer than Kyle would sit and listen to if I were reading it (62 pretty text-heavy pages), but because of the way that the story is told on the CD, complete with music, songs and sound-effects, he has followed along with the book over and over. The CD follows the story exactly, and page turns are indicated on the CD with a subtle page turning sound instead of a harsh “ding”. I love this. The story stands on its own fine, but to me, the inclusion of the CD makes it well worth the purchase price, especially if you want to entertain and educate your four- to six-year-old. For older children who can read independently, the themes of music, travel, and bravely trying new experiences will stand out, as well as the interesting information that they will glean about Costa Rica.”

Jennifer is the Mom of 2 and the Managing Editor of 5mimutesforbooks.com. She is an avid reader and has a degree in English. (Yeah! No wonder why I like her! I too have a degree in English.) She really wants to help others out there like her – Moms in particular – to give them the heads up on books they, or their kids, might want to read. Jennifer works with a team of other smart Moms to do reviews, giveaways, contests, links and a whole lot more. What I really like is that her websites promote Mom-owned businesses and give us hard-working Moms the professional respect we deserve.

The 5 Minutes for Mom “umbrella” is really a spectacular network of information. There are 5 sister websites including: 5 Minutes for Mom; 5 Minutes for Books; 5 Minutes for Special Needs; 5 Minutes for Going Green; and 5 Minutes for Parenting. The amount of useful information here is impressive. And the websites are well designed and organized so well that you can find what you are looking for easily. I am sure I am not the only one out there who can appreciate that!

Now I am going to take more than 5 minutes myslef to read more on the 5 Minutes for Going Green webite. (After all, Lilly P Badilly is a conservationist herself.) I sure hope you take the time to check out the websites as well, and support all the Mom entrepreneurs out there. You’ll be so glad you did!

Reading children’s travel writing stories is fascinating. Kids are so honest and imaginative. They seem to be able to let their minds wander and get their messages down on paper without worrying about whether or not it makes complete sense. Their stories tend to focus more on their fantasies than reality. And this leaves them with no creative boundaries.

As adults we tend to consternate over our words, becoming paralyzed by our fear that we will be scrutinized by other readers. I truly think that this fear prevents us from being as creative as we could be.

I always suggest to those who ask how to improve their writing, to just get down whatever comes to mind (no matter how jumbled or ridiculous) – just like kids do. The difference is that adults have more experience to edit, organize and develop their ideas more extensively. If a writer worries too much about getting the thought and sentence structure perfect on the first try, he or she will likely lose the importance of the thought and get frustrated with the writing process.

So the next time you set out to write something creative, first read a story written by a child. You’re sure to be enchanted and inspired.

I am so impressed with the Mommy bloggers I have met online. Alyson from 3psmamasays.blogspot.com is certainly one of them! She read Lilly Badilly with her 3 cuter-than-you-can-imagine girls, who by the way all have names that begin with he letter “P.” How darling is that? Thus the aptly named blog?

Alyson did an amazing job describing the book.

“…the colorful artwork is immediately eye-catching. Having hand-drawn characters gives the characters a friendly, personable feeling from the very beginning. Debbie provides maps of both North/Central America, showing where Miami is in correlation to Costa Rica and a map of Costa Rica itself, marking the main cities and a couple of points of reference for the story. This is such a great way to help teach geography. Throughout the story, the illustrations help to move the story along, showing feelings, thoughts and other incidental information. The factual information woven through the story is done in such a way as to go unnoticed by most kids and simply enjoyed – the perfect way to learn…while you do not realize you are!

The characters in the story are an amusing bunch and trust me, they appeal to boys and girls alike. The kids can relate to Lilly herself and some of her concerns like being afraid of the dark and being afraid of spiders while her Grandma helps keep the story and Lilly moving along with her sage advice and learned wisdom. Then of course, there is Grandpa. He introduces the levity all children so enjoy with his jokes, his calling Lilly ‘Silly Badilly’ and of course, his ‘ploofs’.

The CD is a great-attention holder. Having the music actually written by a child has really helped to keep it on their wave-length – simple, energetic, and fun. Since it goes right along with the story, it helps to reinforce reading skills as well as reaching learners of different ages and reading abilities. My kids especially liked it because then they did not have to listen to their Mom try to make up the tunes as she went!”

Thank you Alyson!

Alyson’s 2nd website, threepsinapod.blogspot.com is a must read for parents, and particularly those who: 1) are moms 2) are or want to be entrepreneurs 3) have or want to adopt a child. Alyson refers to her children lovingly as P1, P2 and P3 (2 were adopted) and writes a nice variety of articles and entries. She offers great insight into China since she traveled there to adopt her youngest, P3. And she blogs about her life and a whole lot more. Her writing style is concise and really gets your attention. I’m hooked!

Alyson has a ton of phenomenal giveaways and provides well researched reviews of a nice collection of different products from books and toys to beauty products and school supplies. She shares her favorite websites with you and links as well. Please check it all out today. If you have a product of your own that would appeal to parents, Alyson would be the right person to give it an honest, well written review.