Book Review - KC the Conscious Camel

About the Book
Pick-a-WooWoo: KC the Conscious Camel A furry jaunt to peace and contentment KC the CONSCIOUS CAMEL is the story of a spiritually evolved dromedary and his sometimes overwrought friends, Sticky the Pig and Ginger the Red Fox. KC shares his knowledge about making conscious choices and employing personal power to be the best you can be. KC demonstrates how to own a negative emotion and move past it. He leads his friends in meditation, providing a vehicle for staying connected to peace, joy, unconditional love, and a harmonious day on the playground.




My Take on the Book
This book was very fun and entertaining. My girls liked the story and I kept saying to myself, that I wish that I too could be as evolved as the main character was. What I liked most about this book was that the book held so many lessons about making friends and good choices as well as learning how to do the right thing. This book is one thatI think all parents and kids should share together!

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.
 
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Book Review - Friendship Bread

About the Book
One afternoon, Julia Evarts and her five-year-old daughter, Gracie, arrive home to find an unexpected gift on the front porch: a homemade loaf of Amish Friendship Bread and a simple note: I hope you enjoy it. Also included are a bag of starter, instructions on how to make the bread herself, and a request to share it with others.

Still reeling from a personal tragedy that left her estranged from the sister who was once her best friend, Julia remains at a loss as to how to move on with her life. She’d just as soon toss the anonymous gift, but to make Gracie happy, she agrees to bake the bread.

When Julia meets two newcomers to the small town of Avalon, Illinois, she sparks a connection by offering them her extra bread starter. Widow Madeline Davis is laboring to keep her tea salon afloat while Hannah Wang de Brisay, a famed concert cellist, is at a crossroads, her career and marriage having come to an abrupt end. In the warm kitchen of Madeline’s tea salon, the three women forge a friendship that will change their lives forever.

In no time, everyone in Avalon is baking Amish Friendship Bread. But even as the town unites for a benevolent cause and Julia becomes ever closer to her new friends, she realizes the profound necessity of confronting the painful past she shares with her sister.

About life and loss, friendship and community, food and family, Friendship Bread tells the uplifting story of what endures when even the unthinkable happens.

My Take on the Book
This book was a fresh look at friendship and provider the reader with some great ideas for pulling people together to help them become even better. 

Though the book was a bit more geared toward women, I will say that the author did an amazing job at building her characters up, allowing us to truly know the characters on a deep level.

In today's society there is nothing like getting friends together for food and conversation. This book takes the best of this idea and turns it into a story that you just want to continue reading. Also, due to the deep character development, you are drawn into the character's lives, and not just the story.



Overall, after reading this book, I can definitely see this as a book that would be great for a book club or other small group that already brings people together as this is the overall idea of the book anyway. 

This post was written for Family Review Network & Mia King who provided the complimentary book for review in exchange for my honest opinions

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

 
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Your Child Needs Friends

Your Child Needs a Friend

by Mary Jo Rapini, MEd, LPC

It wasn't long after Jared Loughner shot Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords that the FBI and police were looking for anyone who knew or was friends with Jared. It became clear very quickly that he had few friends and was a loner most of his life. Being a loner is on almost every profile of mental illness and is also highly correlated to happiness. Happier people tend to have more friends. It makes sense that if you are happy and enjoy life you are going to attract more people to you. Having friends and being liked by people is the single most important thing (outside of having a mom and dad) to a small child. This need for friends grows as the child grows and becomes an adolescent. In my own life, I cannot imagine going through grade school, high school or college without my friends.

Perhaps one of the most difficult things I see is children who don't have friends. Many times these kids lack the skills to maintain a friendship. Parents do not help their children when they reach out to other children and instead try to become their child's friend. Parents need to remain parents and encourage friendships among children.   Friends help a child learn different ways to relate to others. Through interacting with friends, your child learns more about who they are. Friends help children learn boundaries, make decisions and develop a healthy sense of self. Kids who don't have friends don't feel good about themselves. Research supports that children who have friends have fewer social problems, a healthier self-esteem, and a greater sense of wellbeing. Kids without friends are more likely to feel abandoned and victimized by peers. They may have trouble adjusting to school and, as they get older, their behavior may become more deviant. Parents often ask what is normal. At what age does my child need friends? There is no clear answer for that, but we do know that 70 to 75 percent of preschoolers have friends outside of their family. By the time the child is an adolescent that percentage should go up to 80 or 90 percent. Adolescents usually have one or two close friends. Many times these friends are so close they follow the adolescent into adulthood and well beyond marriage.

Friends validate and help your child feel secure while going through awkward stages. Research shows that children entering first grade have better school attitudes if they already have friends, and teens that have friends experience fewer psychological problems. Parents should understand and value their children's friends. While the child is young, parents should help their child maintain friendships with play dates and get-togethers. When your child is an adolescent, rather than talk negatively about your child's friend, it may be wiser to invite the friend over with their family to join yours. Knowing your adolescent's friends is an important aspect of parenting.

What if you have a child who doesn't make friends easily? Maybe your family has moved a lot, or maybe your child has a learning disorder that makes them feel less secure in reaching out and making friends. Here are a few suggestions that may help you encourage your child to make friends. · Talk to your child about what kind of friend they would like. Ask them who they like the most in their class. Listen to them. They are telling you what they value in people. It will help your child if you repeat these attributes back to your child, so they can hear what qualities they value.    · Suggest to your child that you host a small party or movie night. Invite only one or two potential friends over. Don't hover, but be available to your child if they need you. This will help your child feel confident, but not smothered. Make sure you offer good food (especially when teens are around). · If you find your child withdrawing while their guests or friends are at your home, take your child to the side and hug them. Reassure them that having friends may be difficult, but it is important. Also, point out the positives you have witnessed with your child and their guests. Parenting a child who warms up slowly to peers requires patience and optimism. · Make your home a safe place for your child to invite friends. This is an opportunity to help your child feel secure and also teach children how to get along. Don't allow disrespectful words or behaviors, but do give your children and their friends room to work out their differences. Your child's friends will become some of the best teachers. · After the friends leave, spend some time with your child talking about the experience. Ask your child what they liked best about inviting friends over, and ask them what they didn't like. This will help your child learn more about themselves, and it also teaches them what behaviors work and which don't. It also gives you as a parent a good look into what your child is struggling with in their social interactions and what they are more confident with.

Friends are not a luxury; they are a necessity for being healthy emotionally, physically and spiritually. No one should have to go through life without a couple good friends. If your child says, "I don't have any friends." Your response as a parent should always be, "Let's work on that, you have way too much love, interests, and humor not to share them."

Mary Jo Rapini, MEd, LPC, is a licensed psychotherapist and co-author with Janine J. Sherman, of Start Talking: A Girl's Guide for You and Your Mom About Health, Sex or Whatever. Read more about the book at www.StartTalkingBook.com and more about Rapini at www.maryjorapini.com.

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.
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