Even if you are not planning a trip to India in the near future, if you are at all interested in this fascinating country, read my review of DK Eyewitness Travel: India. Cick here. The Illustrations and photographs are unbelievable!

Kids are out of school for the summer, but that does not mean their brains need to turn to mush! In addition to checking out a good book or DVD, libraries offer many special programs over the summer for kids of all ages.

• Summer Reading Clubs – Win prizes depending on the number of books you read over the summer
• Story time for tots
• Author Visits
• Family Night
• Nursery Rhyme Hour for little ones
• Music Programs
• Arts and Crafts
• Bookmark Contest
• Drawing Workshops
• Write and Illustrate Your Own Book
• Summer Interactive Theater Programs
• Dance Parties
• Summer Movies
• Science Programs Complete with Experiments
• Etiquette Programs
• Clown Visits
• Writing Workshops

Libraries are an Amazing Resource!

Take Advantage of All Your Library Has to Offer!

I was recently interviewed for an article on WE Magazine about what it is like working with my daughter. It was published today. Click here to read it.

While you’re at it, check out the current issue of WE by clicking on the photo below. There’s a lot of great content here with business, travel, tech, lifestyle articles and more. It is a pleasure to read! And no, you don’t have to be a woman to benefit from reading the publication.

Thank you to Heidi Richards Mooney, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief at WE, for sharing our story with the world and for providing excellent content for women in business.

Celebrations are what life is all about. The milestones of life are what we remember as we get older and graduation is one of the most important. Here are my favorite ideas for graduation gifts for every age from least to most expensive:

Elementary School

1. Wall Map
2. A Party with Friends and family
3. New Bicycle

Middle School

1. World Globe
2. Cell Phone
3. Special Trip (NY City?)

High School

1. Digital Camera
2. PDA (iphone?)
3. Laptop Computer

College

1. Brief Case
2. Nice Watch
3. Car

For every age, a scrapbook with photos and personal treasures is a great gift as well. When all else fails, you cannot go wrong with money as a gift!

Some children (and adults too) are under the impression that “could of” and “should of” are two correct forms of speech. It is never correct to say “could of” or “should of” – NEVER.

http://www.free-clipart-pictures.net

This is very wrong:

“I could of been a millionaire, but I never did anything to earn that kind of money.”

“I should of been more grateful when she gave me that great book.”

This is correct:

“I could have been successful if I were not so darn lazy.”

“I should have sent a thank you note, but I simply forgot.”

So tell your kids now about this, and the you’ll never have to say, “My child could have been a great writer if only she knew about correct forms of speech.”

ContestForMoms.com – This extensive website was created by Amanda Compton in 2003. What started out as a hobby has turned in to the leading contest & sweepstakes site for moms online! She offers an expansive list of contests and sweepstakes available for moms everywhere in the world. So if you are a contest junkie, this is the place to go!!! In addition to contests and sweepstakes, you will find parenting articles, giveaways, Holiday ideas, recipes, crafts, safety info, everything for babies and much more. I got addicted to the site when I found and kept on clicking page after page. She has 3 blogs on the site, the buzz blog (parenting crafts, frugal tips & more), the contest & sweeps blog, and our very own mom blog – Petite Mommy, where Amanda openly blogs about her daily life as a home business mom/ small town mom. Do check it out!

YoungPupil.com -  I am all for websites that promote education, and here is an excellent site. The creators of Young Pupils set out to give parents the tools they need to ensure their kids get the best education possible. They know that the first 8 years of a child’s life are extremely important to their future development. There is a blog on the home page with informative, well-written articles, info about homeschooling and links to other important educational websites. It is an uncomplicated website (Yeah!)  and easy to use, something we can all appreciate.

I received an email today informing me that it is Thank You for Libraries Day. (By now I am sure you’ve heard of all these obscure holidays that are listed on many different websites). Some are completely odd, such as Walk on Your Wild Side Day or International Aura Awareness Day. Who makes up these holidays anyway?

http://user.chollian.net

I’m not going to argue with Thank You for Libraries Day, because it really makes sense. I have been reading that library use has gone way up in recent months due to the economic downturn. Families are visiting libraries more for free entertainment. They can check out books and movies, rather than buy them and they can take advantage of the many free programs available at libraries for children. People who have recently lost their jobs are flocking to libraries to use the countless resources that can help them in their job searches. Some Americans who have experienced significant financial losses have actually cancelled their home internet and cable services (which can cost over $1,000 per year) and use library computers instead.

And for all these people, there is just something comforting about being in the library. You go in there, look around and see all those perfect shelves of colorful books just waiting to be absorbed. People are whispering. Young children are giggling at the illustrations in a silly story book and the librarians are smiling at you asking if you need help.

At the very least, if we cannot thank a library every day, we should at least be grateful for having one.

Once more I am appalled at the risks drivers take on I-95, weaving, speeding, tailgating and recklessly changing lanes. How is it possible to not have fear for your life on that highway?  I always tell my husband that he should design a car for me so that I can drive in the fetal position.

Given the fact that every cloud has its silver lining, crazy drivers inspire me. I love to imagine where they are going in such a hurry, and what it is that they could possibly do for a living, having such low IQs. (I have to the conclusion that people who drive like maniacs, cut people off and have no fear of crashing cannot be intelligent.) What a wonderful idea it would be to write a story with the main character as a reckless I-95 driver.

I must try that and get back to you.

I often write about what inspires me to write. The best inspiration, no doubt, comes from personal experiences and daily observations. I find that that’s what children write about too – stories about their lives or experiences they’ve witnessed. I’ll let you in on a nutty habit of mine (and now my daughter’s) that has really helped both me and my daughter get more creative when developing characters and stories.

I categorize people.  Okay. I admit it. This sounds rather odd. But it is very entertaining. It doesn’t hurt anyone. And frankly it encourages me to be more observant. The more observant I am, the more inspired I will be to write.

“Exactly what does categorizing people mean?” you ask.

Well, when I see people on the street, interact with others in public places or listen to a story about a person, I put that person into a “category.” Essentially, everything in the world can be categorized. When you read my list below you will realize that you too can relate to categorizing. Here are 50 of the many categories I have created. (Keep in mind that I live in Miami, so you may or may not find all of these types in your neck of the woods):

1. Senior citizens who ride old fashioned bikes (no gears) with baskets and are slim but with over tanned, saggy skin (”leatherettes”)
2. Young moms who drive SUVs like aggressive maniacs
3. Women smokers who reek of cigs and have deep voices and chronic wet coughs
4. Children who stand up in grocery shopping carts and throw temper tantrums
5. Parents who do nothing about their kid’s obnoxious behavior in public places
6. Men who shave their heads but always have facial hair
7. People who cannot communicate well both orally and in writing
8. Nurses who are morbidly obese and who also smoke
9. Old ladies who get their hair done once a week at the salon and never wash it themselves in between (head rot!)
10. Men who are with their wives in public places and are way too obvious that they are checking out other women
11. Cute, friendly old couples who go together like peanut butter and jelly
12. Couples who have been married for years but don’t seem like they know each other and don’t go together well
13. Ultra conservative moms who don’t approve of Grandpa Willy’s Farting
14. Young men who drive fancy cars and always look around to see who is noticing their wheels (who cares!?)
15. People with no sign of having personalities (boring!)
16. Artsy young people who deface themselves with oddly colored hair, facial piercing and tattoos and then get furious because others are looking at them (like they are shocked people are looking)
17. Men announcers on TV and radio who yell!!!!!!
18. Bank tellers who are so unfriendly I want to slap them
19. Grocery store cashiers who comment on what you are buying and what you will make with the ingredients when you get home
20. Grandparents who brag about their grandchildren to the point where it is embarrassing
21. Ultra religious people who smile creepily while standing in parking lots giving away brochures almost no one wants
22. Women who put on makeup while driving
23. Ultra sensitive disc jockeys
24. Adults who have never voted in a presidential election but have strong opinions about politicians
25. Women who complain incessantly about their husbands
26. Husbands who tune out their wives most of the time
27. People who are addicted to Starbuck’s or Dunkin Donuts Coffee and drive to their local store several times per day to get their fix
28. Down-to-earth rich people who do not act like or ever mention that they are rich
29. Cheap people who talk about how expensive everything is all the time
30. Wealthy, superficial men who only date younger women for what they look like
31. Overachieving students who are not ultra smart but work extra hard and do very well
32. Women who are addicted to online dating but are not really looking for love, rather they are only looking for someone rich to take care of them
33. People who you’d never think would (but actually do) drink alcohol from tiny bottles on their way into the office and toss the bottles on the ground in the parking lot at work
34. People who find something positive in everything and everyone, no matter what the situation may be
35. People who find something negative in everything and everyone, no matter what the situation may be
36. Women who crisply iron everything they wear and it shows
37. People with fake charm who make promises and never keep them
38. People who are NEVER on time
39. Nasty parents who leave dirty diapers on the ground in parking lots
40. People who volunteer countless hours and then complain about it
41. People who volunteer countless hours and never expect anything in return
42. People with dusty houses full of excessive cheap knickknacks and clutter
43. Tourist drivers who come to Miami and have no idea where they are going or how to drive here
44. People who cannot get along with anyone
45. People who can get along with everyone
46. People who never read anything
47. Avid readers
48. People who do not need a lot to be happy
49. Women who chronically have roots darker than the rest of their hair color (do they dye the roots to keep it that way?)
50. People who do not fit into categories (Each one of these people is his/her own category)

After all these months, I am still constantly asked  about the Smart Poodle Libraian Contest. We anounced the winners in mid December last year.  In March alone, we’ve had over 6,000 hits on the essay page of our website!

clipart from http://www.kcmlin.org

Her’s an article I wrote about my experience with librarians and the contest . . .

As a writer and bibliomaniac, I have always known that libraries are among the greatest and often most underutilized resources available to humans. But I’m embarrassed to admit that I never gave much thought to the people who run these galleries of great treasure – that is until last June. While attending Book Expo America, I sat in on two excellent seminars administered by panels of librarians from all over the country. As I expected, the librarians were articulate and informative. But to my surprise, they were also downright funny! Librarians with a sense of humor? You bet. It’s hard to imagine laughing out loud to presentations about acquiring, processing, cataloging and shelving books, but I can tell you, I was not the only one chuckling in that room.

It was there at the conference that it occurred to me – for the first time in my life – that if I routinely misunderstood, as well as under-appreciated librarians, so have many others.

Following this epiphany, through my publishing company, I created an essay-writing contest for librarians. With an essay theme of “What I Wish Everyone Knew About Librarians,” librarians were invited to tell us unenlightened non-librarians what they’d like us to know about their work and to dispel to the world the myths of the “stuffy, unapproachable librarian.”

The contest drew 45 extraordinary entries from a diverse group of librarians including public, private, corporate, law, musical, theological, medical, university, college, middle school, and even a prison librarian. The essays were more entertaining, educational and original than ever expected.

Here’s what the judges learned from the What I Wish Everyone Knew About Librarians contest entries:

Librarians are excellent writers, with a unique ability to make words flow off the page and into our souls.

“Surrounded by thousands of books, we can’t help but pick up a few words, here and there, as well as an image, a sensation, an emotion: the soulful eyes upon the cover of a glossy magazine, the rustle of newspapers, dried jam along the edges of a board book, the muffled cry of a child against his mother’s skirt, a warm shaft of afternoon light falling across the news tables, or the silhouette of a head bowing before a book like a monk before a psalter.”
– Lisbeth Boutang, Children’s Librarian, Cloquet Public Library, MN (Grand Prize Winner)

Librarians have a witty sense of humor.

“To some of those that tell me how they desire my easy job, and my big fat paycheck (yeah right!), I often reply, ‘Why after about three days of working here, you’d be running down main street screaming incoherently, with someone in a white coat trying to put a straight jacket on ya!’”
– Mark Tidwell, Director, Jellico Public Library, TN

No librarian does just one job – they all must multi task in a major way and be flexible at work.

“I wish people knew how many hats we wear, how often we change them and how we sometimes stack them in ridiculous ways to accommodate varied job duties.  Choice of hat varies greatly from one librarian to the next.”
– Brenda Talley, Adult Services Supervisor, North Richland Hills Public Library, TX (Second Place Winner)

Librarians want to be approached and asked questions.

“Contrary to popular opinion, librarians want to be interrupted at the reference desk. I know that we sit there, looking serious and busy, and you pause before you approach us. You think, ‘Oh, she’s going to laugh at my question’ or ‘But she doesn’t have time to help me.’ Take it from me—that is not true.”
– Brandy Sanders, Librarian, at California State Prison – Corcoran

Librarians seek information for patrons, and in the process become scholars themselves.

“One might think that librarians know a lot, but what I love most about being a librarian is that we figure out how to locate information about things we often don’t know ourselves, based on our understanding of the library user’s question, and our understanding of the network or universe of available information sources.”
– Andrea Rubin, Assistant Librarian, Coblentz Patch Duffy & Bass,
San Francisco, CA (Honorable Mention)

Librarians are seasoned at dealing with extreme budget and program cuts and do so with and innovation and acceptance.

“We’ll create a museum ready display with some old yarn, five binder clips, used postcards, and some origami paper we found on clearance. We know the value of a dollar and can stretch money like a mother of six growing up in the Depression.”
– Sue Kowalski, Pine Grove Middle School Librarian, East Syracuse, NY  (3rd Place Winner)

Librarians are required to have advanced degrees.

“Librarians are smart. An M.L.S. degree, Master of Library Science, is a year-long study of libraries and their care and feeding. Many librarians have additional degrees. In our law library, three of us are lawyers as well as librarians.”
– Anne McFarland, Reference and Research Librarian, Cleveland Law Library Association, OH

Librarians love their jobs, and most would not want to do anything else for a living.

“On my first day … a woman walked in with a small bundle in her arms. I was certain she had a young baby … There was no baby in that bundle! There was a hedgehog! This young woman wanted me to find out the breeding habits of hedgehogs. At that moment I knew I was going to love my job.”
– Anne McClung, Branch Librarian, Goshen Public Library, VA

Librarians are unfairly and inaccurately stereotyped.

“Interestingly there seems to be a simultaneous perception that we are all women, and failures at femininity; unmarried or divorced, fat or scrawny women with gray hair in buns, horn-rimmed glasses, dressed in clothing from the local thrift shop, with no other social life than that which can be scraped up at the Library. And we’re either tittering romantics, or distant, censorious and severe. Hah!”
– Helen Waite, Library Assistant, Lewes Public Library, DE

Librarians have challenging jobs.

“I want people to know … that this is a tough job. You really have to be prepared to deal with all types of people—rude, noisy, smelly, obnoxious, friendly, shy, demanding, and just plain creepy. You have to be prepared for anything to happen in the library.”
– Elizabeth Dellavedova, Collection Development Librarian, NVCC-Annandale, VA

Librarians love to read but, contrary to popular belief, they do not have time to read on the job.

“’It must be nice to read books all day.’ Why yes, that would be nice. Me? In the last 3 years in the children’s department I have cleaned up pee, poop, and vomit off the floor. I find lost moms. I help children with homework that was due yesterday. I break up fights, I fix computers, I clean nasty dangly things off the books and try not to gag in the process.”
– Missy Littel, Children’s Reference Librarian, Tuscarawas County Public Library, New Philadelphia, OH (Honorable Mention)

Strange, memorable events take place in libraries every day.

“Then there’s the story of the day my staff warned me not to reprimand the ‘voodoo’ lady for causing a disturbance in the restroom. They said she’d put a curse on me. But I asked her to leave anyway. I broke my toe that night… But that’s another story….”
– Helen Whittaker, Library Manager, Kingsport Public Library, TN

I hope that this essay contest educates others as much as it did me. Sure, we’ve got a long way to go to dispel the myths of a “typical” librarian. But I, for one, will never go back to my old ways of thinking. There’s nothing “typical” about librarians. And that is a very good thing.

The winning entries from the What I Wish Everyone Knew About Librarians contest can be read here.