Lilly Badilly is a lover of the environment. It makes me think about how all this talk about “Going Green” is a step in the right direction. But a lot of the suggestions I read seem to be rather ineffective solutions to the problem. Yes, we should all make sure we have air in our car tires to get better gas mileage – without a doubt. But how about NOT driving cars that get only 5 miles to the gallon to begin with? If all our cars got at least 20 miles to the gallon, we’d be saving oodles of gas. Yes, we should recycle everything we can. But what about NOT consuming so much stuff to begin with? Let’s face it, we are major consumers and a lot of the stuff we buy to use and eat is wasted. Food biodegrades, but non recyclable plastic does not.

I for one would like to figure out how we can stop the use of pesticides in our foods for many reasons. They are bad for the environment and bad for us. And while we are at it, let’s stop the use of growth hormones in the animals we eat. Our bodies should be green as well as the environment as well. Have you ever eaten organic veggies and fruits? They are so much fresher, tastier and better for you that conventional ones that you’ll never want to eat anything but organic once you’ve tasted it and cooked with it. Organic foods are very expensive though. But if everything were grown that way, wouldn’t it be nice?

I could rant about unwanted junk mail (especially those flyers that come in the mail that no one reads) huge bulky newspapers, illegal dumping, disposable products that shouldn’t be and a whole lot more. But that won’t solve any of the planet’s problems.

I am going to keep my eyes and ears open as well as my mind and see what I can do to consume and pollute less. Let me know if you have any ideas.

I am getting ready to take my book and program on the road. My goal? To get kids more interested in reading and show them that without the written word, one cannot accomplish much of anything.  Anything else? You bet. In addition to elementary age kids, I’m going to talk to middle school age students. I am going to tell them in detail about what it takes to become an author/writer, careers for writers and the basics of publishing/self-publishing books.

If you think about it, we all go to school full time until age 18 -21. But do we learn enough about the real world during that time? Why aren’t there more programs with specific information about careers and business during those decades in school? I’m not talking about simply mentioning to a 3rd grade class what a doctor, lawyer, policeman, firefighter and accountant do in a one sentence summary. Kids need more. There are hundreds of careers and businesses they have never heard about before.

I wish I had been taught more in school about career options, being an entrepreneur and what it really takes to be a success (and what about managing money?) If I were an administrator of a school today, I’d insist that the topic of business and careers were an integral part of the curriculum from an early age.

So how can you make a difference? Approach your child’s school and volunteer to talk to the students about what you do for a living. What did you do to prepare for that career? What is your educational background? What exactly do you do every day at work? What do you like about it? What are the challenges? What do you wish you knew when you were their age?

More than anything else, those who share their career/business knowledge with students can change lives. If your words inspire just one student to work harder in school and achieve more, then there will be one less adult in this world regretting that he or she did not apply him/herself to the fullest in school. I wish I were one of those adults without “I did not work hard enough in school” regret. But unfortunately, I’m not. I cannot go back to do it all over, but hopefully I can inspire someone else to get it right the first time.

There is no better feeling than that of Friday evening. The thought of school or work coming to an end for the week is very comforting. I always feel a deep sense of relief and relaxation when my daughter is home from school on Friday, and my husband walks in the door from work.I usually make a really nice dinner. In the winter we eat outside. (Of course, that’s when we have our best weather in Miami).

I have often wondered – What if there were no weekends? How horrible would that be? Very. And yet there are people who own businesses that essentially keep them working every day of the week. I work long hours, but mostly from my home office. Some people own or work at stores or restaurants and have to be there to welcome customers for extensive hours. I really appreciate those people and what they do to provide services for the rest of us while sacrificing their own free time.

So if you have weekends off, enjoy and appreciate them. Do somethig fun and relaxing. And spend time with the ones you love the most.

TGIF!

I couldn’t resist taking these few pics of the evening sky. We’ve had very unique cloud formations these past couple of weeks with all the hurricanes in the Atlantic. It has been excessively humid, but tonight the sky started to clear.

As a writer/editor, I have read so many stories, articles, marketing materials and other documents that contain excessive exclamation marks! It is common in children’s writing, but equally so with adults as well. Not everything needs to be emphasized like that! Overuse just diminishes the effect of this very useful punctuation. Or worse yet, the entire tone of the written document can come across as hysteria and/or ten decibel screaming.

So how do you know when it is appropriate to use an exclamation mark? Use it to show urgency, for emphasis or to show contempt. Do not use it to make a general statement, in place of a question mark or to accentuate something a speaker of those words would not want others to hear in a forceful tone.

Here are some examples of proper usage:

• The house is on fire!
• Let’s sing Happy Birthday to the birthday boy!
• It’s not as though the boss hasn’t acted like a jerk before!

Here are some examples of misuse:

• I am sad!!!!!!!
• Where were you!
• I am going to go to the bathroom now to relieve myself!

Here are examples of failure to use an exclamation mark when it SHOULD be used:

• Slow down, or you are going to flatten that pedestrian.
• I think I just severed my finger.
• I am really excited about winning $32 million in the lottery.

So you see, overusage and underusage are both incorrect. But I say, when in doubt, leave it the heck out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There are many things I like to do as an adult that are really kids’ play. I think other adults are with me on this but hate to admit it. I am not too ashamed to confess that I still enjoy the following:

1. Jumping rope (but now I do it to burn calories)
2. Color in a coloring book with a fresh box of crayons (there is NOTHING more exciting than a new  box of crayons)
3. Play hopscotch (I like to draw the board with the chaulk the best)
4. Watch cartoons (Sponge Bob, Bugs Bunny, Hey Arnold, Disney stuff)
5. Blow bubbles (especially when the dog chases them)
6. Run through the sprinkler (when no one is is watching, of course)
7. Play Mad Libs (hilarious and very entertaining)
8. Play Pick Up Sticks (frustrating, but I like it)
9. Throw water balloons (very exciting and obnoxious at the same time)
10. Read Dr. Seuss books (I never get bored reading these books over and over)

Writing about all this got me in the in mood for a game of Go Fish. I’m going to see if my 16-year-old wants to play a hand with me right now.

Did you know? (See answers below)

Questions

1Q. The Mississippi is not the longest river in the US. What is?

2Q. What river separates Oklahoma from Texas?

3Q. What state has the most dense population?

4Q. What is the southernmost city in the US?

5Q. What is the tallest mountain in the US?

6Q. What are the 5 Great Lakes?

7Q. Which of the 48 contiguous states is closest to Alaska?

8Q. Which state has produced 8 US Presidents?

9Q. In what 3 states does Yellowstone National Park occupy?

10Q. What body of water separates Vermont from New York?

Answers

1A. The Missouri River

2A. The Red River

3A. New Jersey

4A. Key West

5A. Mount McKinley, Alaska

6A. Michigan, Huron, Ontario, Superior, Eerie

7A. Washington

8A. Virginia

9A. Wyoming, Montana and Idaho

10. Lake Champlain

If you are somewhat horrified by these questions and your answers, take time time to study a map of the US. You can always learn something new!

As I prepare my program for the Hialeah Literacy Fair, I have been imagining what it would be like to be unable to read. Have you ever really thought about that? In our country, literacy rates are high, but still there are many children and adults with low reading skills. You may even know someone who is unable to read or comprehend what he or she is reading.

As readers, we take for granted how much we accomplish each day by reading. I learned how to do practically everything I do by reading.  Here is a partial list

• Getting a Degree in Creative Writing
• Having a career as a travel writer
• Learning about geography
• Learning how to cook
• Learning how to be a tropical gardener
• Learning how to sew
• Learning how to write, publish, manufacture and promote a children’s book
• Helping my Mom get through 9 years of cancer (constantly researching the illness)
• Learning how to fix things around the house
• Learning how to buy a safer car
• Figuring out where to go on vacation
• Reading for entertainment
• Teaching myself how to master a MacIntosh computer
• Satisfying my curiosity to know about a lot of things

The main reason I published a children’s book was to make reading fun for kids and encourage them to want to read more and want to learn more about the world.

What can you do to encourage the love of reading?

• Get a library card for the child in your life, no matter how young that child may be.
• Donate books to those who cannot afford to buy them.
• Volunteer to be a reading mentor at your local library, school or community organization.
• Give the gift of reading by buying books rather than toys.
• Tell a child about a book you’ve read that has inspired you or changed your life.
• Thank your child’s teachers often.
• Appreciate your local library by using it and being kind to librarians who are there to serve you.

Imagine what your life would really be like if you could not read. Then be grateful for all the books, websites, manuals, magazines, newspapers, movie scripts and all the people who write them.

I spend a lot of time in the post office, and I have to say there is always something strange going on there. In fact this is the best place for people watching and conversation listening anywhere. It really provides great inspiration for writing and discussions.

When I first started to go to the post office, I was disgusted with the long wait times. But now I consider them opportunities to get material for a future novel. Plus all the workers know me now and provide me with updates of fascinating incidents I have missed.

Not too long ago a man tried to mail a big box that started to leak about a gallon of oil of some sort. He claimed he had no idea what could be leaking. Another day, a man spent 15 minutes at the counter, holding up the line with his huge pile of boxes he was mailing. When the clerk was done ringing it all up, the patron discovered he did not have enough money to pay for it all. So he made the clerk cancel the whole order.

On Friday a man in his late twenties was at the window next to me talking VERY loudly about what a burden it is that he is a property owner and has to prepare his house for Hurricane Ike. (As if he is the only one in there with a house). Then he spoke loudly about what he needs to buy at Home Depot and complained about how much this will all cost, how long he will have to wait in line to pay for it and how he will not be able to pay the credit card bill when it comes in the mail. He wasn’t really talking to the clerk, because the clerk was not paying any attention to him. This is the kind of guy who does not need a microphone when talking to a large group of people, say in an auditorium.

Suddenly the yeller’s cell phone rang. He took it out of his shirt pocket, turned around to the patrons waiting for service, waved the phone in the air and announced in a forceful, loud, deep tone, “I am going to have to answer this. I know you people think it is rude to talk on cell phones in public places. But this call here could mean a new job for me, and I need the work. This call here is a potential interview for me! So I am going to answer it now! Okay? Now.”

Someone in line said under his breath, but loud enough for everyone to hear, “Answer the damn phone, and shut the hell up.” The clerk helping me was having a hard time holding back his laughter as was every person in line. Before Mr. Loud Mouth left, we were also treated to his opinion on the ridiculous price of stamps, how much he hates to wait for them and how he might as well walk the envelope over to where it needs to go, because that is faster.

The guy in line said, under his breath again, but loud enough for us to hear, “You’re the reason we are all waiting, and I am getting ready to kick your ass.”

With that I was done with my business and got out of there. This was certainly a day to remember at the US Post Office. Yet, it was not quite as bizarre as the day a lady came in wearing pink fuzzy slippers and a see-through nightgown with a print of bras and panties all over it. And let me stress here that this particular woman was wider than the counter, and frankly I am unable to get the unpleasant imagery out of my head after several months. (As if it would ever be appropriate for ANY person to wear this out in public!)

I have scores of other USPS incidents to share with you, but I’ll save those for another time. But I do recommend that if you happen to get writer’s block, and, we all do from time to time, by all means go wait in line at your local post office. You’re sure to leave very inspired.

We’re very excited about our contest! We’ve chose some very special winners.

Click here to read their entries.

Click here to read about the judges.