Take the Opportunity to Give

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Arkansas Children’s to support the 2018 Festival of Stars toy & donation drive. I am helping promote the statewide event as part of a paid promotional partnership. However, all opinions are my own.

With the busyness of the holiday season in full swing, I want to take a minute to offer up a simple way to share some goodness in your community. The Festival Of Stars toy drive for Arkansas Children's Northwest in Springdale will be next Friday, December 14. That means you have just over a week to run out and purchase a new gift or toy for a child who needs a brighter Christmas this year. There is a particular need for items for babies and teens, though gifts for all ages are collected. 

In Springdale, the collection will take place from 7am until 6pm, at the new hospital on Gene George Boulevard, just west of I-49. There will be hot cocoa, holiday music, snacks and special guests for people to enjoy when they stop to make donations on site.

Our family has a yearly Advent calendar that includes special activities and acts of kindness listed to complete each day. Many of our activities include an aspect of giving to others during this month. It's an easy way to help my kids understand that the holiday season is about so much more than them being on the receiving end of gifts. We donate to little free libraries, bell ringers and food pantries during this time. A toy drive makes a great addition to the list! 

Unwrapped toys collected on December 14 will be given to patients and their families who are staying in the hospital on Christmas. There are drop-off locations all over the state, and an online donation site for those who prefer to make a financial donation. Here are just some of the things that your monetary donation can help with:

In this season of giving, I encourage you to find something that makes your heart happy to support. Let us all remember others who are in need of a little holiday cheer.

Summer Is...

Kansas City Fun

Grammy Camp

Moving Day for Family! 

Birthday Celebration 

Birthday Kids: Look Who Turned SEVEN!

Welcome To My House (sing it)

We are deep in the heart of summer break here at the Bramell house. In a nutshell, it looks like this: school is out, bedtime is late and the house is a wreck. And with the exception of my birthday beach trip, it sure beats the heck out of last summer (battle of the head lice).

As an adult, "summer" has always just meant hot weather to me. I've always been envious of my children, work from home folks and those professionals who get an extended summer break from work. However, this marks the second summer that I've been home with my kids and now I see the light. Sure, it's mostly great, but there is a lot of not-so-great that comes with it. You might be wondering:

• The constant slamming of doors as the kids run in and out ALL DAY LONG. It's like Saturday, but every day.

• The never-ending demands for food! With so many kids, someone is always hungry. I did not sign up to be a short order cook for three meals a day. Nuh-uh.

• Hearing the cries of boredom. Why?! Why?! With a house (and yard) full of trinkets and toys, why is there never anything to do? I would LOVE to be that bored. Cry me a river, kiddo. 

• The noise level in my home. In addition to the TV and other electronics, there are usually one or two extra neighborhood kids over throughout the day. While I appreciate the kids who keep my kids entertained, the noise level just wears me out.

• Because I'm home, I notice the chores that need to be done. When I was working in an office, I didn't see the dirty dishes or pile of laundry all day. Now I just spend too much time doing chores when I should be doing work I'm paid to do.

Family Day at the Bramell house with a visit from some of our favorites! 

All of this bellyaching to come to this conclusion.....it's summer. If you come to our house, know that it will be messy and loud. But the good news is that you will have plenty to eat and lots of kids to play with. And, if you get too bored, you can help me with chores. It may not be the perfect summer around here, but it's pretty darn close.

Can We Talk About...

...spring pictures at school?

• Seriously, this has got to be one of the most stressful times for a mama. Tomorrow is our picture day and none of my children have pants that cover their ankles! Fall pictures aren't that bad because the clothes are new and still fit. Fast forward to late in the school year and growth spurts have kicked in. It wouldn't matter so much if they were only doing yearbook photos, but they are also taking class photos. I'm heading to the store this afternoon to buy Boy Twin some jeans because Lord knows if I don't, then he'll be sitting in the front row with his pants up to his shins for all the world to see. The girls will be wearing dresses because I don't have the time, energy or cash for a shopping spree right now. Anyone feel my pain? And don't even get me started on why they even take school pictures twice a year! Why?

...packing lunch boxes?

• Totally over it. I'm tired of packing them and they're tired of eating them. They don't want anything we have in the cabinet, except for chips.

...everyone's favorite little Boston Terrier, Fergie?

• You know how they say old dogs can't learn new tricks? Well, ours can! Lee has taught her what "kitty-cat" means. She will now run to the front window and prop her paws on the windowsill to look for the neighborhood cat. Our usually non-barker will also bark her head off when looking for the "kitty-cat." It's really funny.

...kids that are growing up too fast?

• In light of the above mentioned growth spurt, Big Sis has asked that I take her shopping at Aeropostale. I blame You Tube. No more Children's Place for that girl, I guess. Sigh.

...Girl Scout cookies?

• I was so excited that my girls wanted to join a troop this year! Yay! However, now I'm on the hook for delivering over 260 boxes of cookies next week. I suddenly realize how my mama felt all those years with mountains of cookie boxes stacked in our dining room. Oops.

I'm sure there are more things I'd like to rant about, but that's all the time I have now. Let me know what's on your mind, maybe we can do a collaborative list.  In the meantime, you can look at these cute, growing kids of mine.

 

 

 

Recap and Reset: Hello 2017!

 

 

 

 

Happy New Year! As usual, I get refreshed after the holiday rush and feel like blogging again. The cobwebs are gone and I'm ready to face 2017; I mean, it's got to be better than 2016, right?

 

Since October, I've been participating in a (mostly) daily exercise in practicing gratitude with one of my friends from Arkansas Women Bloggers. How does that work? We exchange a daily email with a list of three items that we are thankful for that day. I tell you, I think it's really helped me keep things in perspective. Where I used to get down and angry about things, I'm now trying to stay focused on even the small, happy moments in every day. They are there, I promise. Sometimes you just have to look deep for them. I highly recommend having a gratitude partner and giving this exercise a try.

 

In December, I set a physical challenge for myself. I set a goal to walk at least 25 miles for the month--and I DID IT--thanks to inspiration from my friend Alicia at Simple Words By A, who has been smashing her own mileage goals. Because of the mild weather, I was able to do a lot of outside walking. On the cold days, I walked inside to my Leslie Sansone DVD.

 

The kiddos enjoyed their long break from school, no doubt. We spent a lot of time cooking, watching Christmas movies and crafting. Lots and lots of crafting. It's funny, actually. Big Sis is at that age where she wants to try ALL THE CRAFTS. We dabbled in coloring, painting, making rubber band bracelets, bead bracelets, latch hook, finger knitting scarves and cross-stitching over the break. Add to that list some very basic acoustic guitar lessons from You Tube. Mercy, that girl keeps me busy!

 

I've also mentally prepared myself for broken bones in 2017 for a Bramell or two. Due to Christmas, my children are now the proud owners of a trampoline, three pair of Heelys (shoes with wheels), a pogo stick and a Ripstik. That is surely asking for trouble, and I'm not sure what Santa was thinking!

 

All this to say that we survived a pretty rocky 2016 here in the Bramell house and we're ready to move on. Let's do this.

 

 

 

 

Helloooooo!

Well, hi there! Look who's come out of the fog>>>>>>>ME! It sure has been a while, and I'm ready to dust off the cobwebs and blog again. Pardon me, but I've been in a bit of a funk lately. Ten months of being unemployed tends to do that to a person, I guess.

If I'm being totally honest here, I've just been down. I don't want to write when I'm down, and there's been nothing worth writing about.

I spent the last 10 months applying for, and being rejected from, more jobs than I can count. I'm not joking. I quit counting after 45. I sat through interviews that I thought I nailed, only to find out they hired "a candidate better qualified for the job." Friends, through my top-notch investigative skills, I can tell you that means someone younger and prettier (and, in several cases, with less experience). Yes, I have hit middle age. Yes, it sucks.

In the meantime, I did a lot of substitute teaching to keep my mind sharp. I fell in love with some Pre-K kids that I colored with, read stories to and helped put together puzzles. I got lots of hugs, high fives and beautiful artwork given to me.

I also got to spend all summer with my own children! When has that ever happened? NEVER. I'd like to say it was glorious, and it mostly was, but the summer of 2016 was not our best. I can sum it up with two words, basically: HEAD LICE. Y'all. It was awful. For 30 days, yes THIRTY, we washed, combed and picked for hours and hours. All three kids and myself were infected. We cancelled a lot of summer plans, sleepovers and play dates. It pretty much sucked.

There were some bright parts of the summer---vacation--that I'll share in another post. But, mostly, our summer was a bummer. Alas, blogging was not to be.

Fast forward to now: I have two jobs through contract work, allowing me to work from home. Kids are doing great in school. Summer is behind us, and I think my creative juices are flowing again. Welcome back, my friends. I hope you keep coming back for more.

Rest and Recovery

I've just reached the five-month mark of unemployment. That is surely something I never thought would happen. Let it be known that I'm still actively looking, but haven't found the right thing for me yet.

Now, if you know me well, I know what you are thinking. You are thinking that I am freaking out right about now, with a capital F. However, I'm really not. I'm really OK with waiting for the right job to come along; I don't want to settle and be unhappy.

What's interesting is that, over the past few months, I've seen a few friends that I don't see often. Each one commented to me in some way that I "look so relaxed" and seem so "refreshed and not stressed out." This really got me thinking about how I usually appeared to people--friends and strangers. Yes, I know I was uptight, stressed out, overworked and tired all the time. And guess what ? Now I AM NOT! I think I needed this break more than I could have imagined possible, and now I'm thankful for it. In 20 years, I've only had extended time off for having babies--and we all know that's no time to relax!!

Sure, there were some things that had to change due to tightening the budget, but it has all worked out.

1. We had to cancel our scheduled Spring Break trip to the Smoky Mountains.....boo! BUT, we got to spend a few days in Yellville with Lee's brothers and sister, who we rarely see. In fact, we had 15 people packed in the house and shared a lot of food, laughs and funny stories. The kids enjoyed seeing Uncle Rob's animals, riding the ATV, playing with little Pugsley and taking a hike around the Buffalo River.  Here are a few pics that I borrowed from Lee and his sister, Dee.

2. I got to be home for my kids. I've been home when they get off the bus, which gives us extra afternoon hours to play, watch movies, take walks and do homework before dinner.  I got to volunteer at their school, help with classroom parties and eat lunch with them, which would have been difficult if I was working. I've been able to get to all the 5:30 ball games without having to rush from work. What a blessing!

3.  I hate winter! And you know what? This winter, I didn't have to get out in it traveling back and forth to work. I got to stay home in my sweat pants. So, there.

4.  I was able to substitute teach in Springdale during April and May, which helped our bank account and helped me exercise my brain a little. I made some new teacher friends and spent many days with some sweet little pre-K kids that stole my heart.

5.  We had to delay putting new carpet in the house until later this year, but even that's OK, too. 

6. I got to attend a Moms on the Farm tour, which I've always wanted to do. The tours are always on weekdays, which is hard for a working gal. Even better, my mom was visiting and got to go with me! We had a blast and enjoyed the tours so much; we went to an operational dairy farm and a beef farm. If you are in Northwest Arkansas, I highly recommend this fun, free and educational activity.

In case you're wondering, I've had a couple of really promising interviews recently. I'm waiting to hear if I get called back for additional interviews or an offer. Stay tuned! I may be working soon, or I may be spending the summer at home going on adventures with my monkeys.

Hitting the milestones

Look what Big Sis learned how to do over the weekend! She practiced for two days straight until she finally got it. She even made her daddy go to the store and pick up a giant bag of bubble gum for her.

It's so exciting to learn to blow bubbles! I remember when I was about her age, I participated in a "biggest bubble" blowing contest at some sort of event or festival in downtown Wynne. I won the contest and took home a plastic bag with a goldfish inside! It's funny how bad my memory is, but I can remember this like it was yesterday. However, I don't remember what happened to the goldfish....but I can guess.

Next mountain to climb? Teaching the twins how to tie shoelaces...stay tuned.

In A Day's Work...

I just wanted to give an update for those who are trying to keep up...I'm still not working. I'm not sure what's going on, but it's almost comical now. I seriously think that I've applied for close to 50 jobs and nothing has panned out; I'm either not qualified or OVER qualified for just about everything! Doesn't that put me in a pickle! I've had some really good interviews--and gotten some really nice rejection letters. Even worse, I've had some interviews then been totally ignored afterwards. 

Anyway, I've made pretty good use of my time at home. Contrary to what my kiddos think, I'm not just home partying it up all day while they are working hard at school. It is fair.

Here are a few things that I've been up to during my work hiatus.

• I've been letting Fergie ride with me to take the kids to school every morning. She loves it! She gets so excited when the kids start putting on their shoes; it means it's time to go. Sometimes, we even make a Sonic run.

• I may or may not change out of my pajamas before taking the kids to school. Depends on my mood. Hey, this will likely be the only time I can slack off like this, so I'm totally taking advantage of it.

• I've got two more episodes of The Office to watch on Netflix. This is probably my all-time favorite show! I will admit that we quit watching it when Michael Scott left the office and never finished the series. I think something happened during that time, like I had two babies or NBC changed the night, or something. Anyway, I went back and picked up where Steve Carell left. Gosh, I didn't realize how much I missed Jim and Pam.

• On a related note, daytime TV is horrible! What in the world??? After Kathie Lee and Hoda, just turn it off. Apparently, anyone can get their own talk show now. Ugh.

• I've discovered yoga! I. Love. It. At the referral of a friend, I tried Yoga With Adriene on You Tube, and I'm hooked. 

• I've purged a lot of the excess junk in the house, now I'm ready for warm weather so I can get out in the yard.

• I've been cooking...A LOT. I'm so good that I've got dinner on the table most nights by 5:30. My people are getting spoiled. One night it was 6:30 and they nearly killed me.

• The girls are still going to gymnastics on Thursdays. Boy Twin will start soccer and t-ball this week. Life is about to get crazier.

• I road tripped with my girls to Keisha's wedding in Arkadelphia last weekend. Good times: staying in a hotel, seeing our girl and swimming!

Sharing My Faves...continued.

Note: I am not being paid or compensated in any way for this post. These are products that my family uses and we pay for. This is a voluntary personal product review.

Last month, I wrote a post about the chemical free, non-toxic products that we use from Melaleuca. I told you about my Top 3 favorite products. Well, since that post I've had a lot of questions from you guys about the company, the products and what else the company offers. If you want more information, you can google it or refer back to my first post. Or just send me an email! I'm not going to be all salesperson on you, I just want to share what I know.

I wanted to post again to show you some more of the household products that we regularly use. 

Essential Oils:  Now, I'll admit that I was late getting on the essential oil bandwagon. I just didn't buy into what everyone else said about them. But once Melaleuca started to offer them, I thought it was worth a try. I use them a lot now! And some of you already heard my story about how using Bergamot oil has helped with Girl Twin's molluscum contagiosum skin condition.

Laundry products: I love the way the liquid detergent makes our clothes smell! This is a very concentrated liquid, so this size bottle will do 96 loads. The other item is a stain remover, which obviously I need. I am excited about trying the new OXI boost that is coming in my next order.

Kids' bath products:  We use the Koala Pals bath soap and shampoo for all the kids; it's very mild and doesn't burn their eyes.

If you want to learn how to switch out the harsh, chemical-laden products you are currently using with these great products, just let me know! I can get you connected.

Healthy Family, Happy Family

Hi friends! Today's blog post is a little different from what I usually post. Usually, you see me posting funny stories about my kids or documenting our adventures with photos. I've even done some paid product endorsements from time to time. But this time, I'm telling you about some products we use in my household just because they are wonderful.

We are Melaleuca customers. Maybe you've never heard of Melaleuca--I hadn't, until our friend shared the information with us almost six years ago. That's right, we've been using Melaleuca for over five years!

Melaleuca is a private label company that was established in 1985 with just a few household and wellness products. Today, they offer 450 different products. They don't have big marketing budgets or do commercial advertising, which keeps their prices low. You pay a membership fee to sign up, much like a wholesale club. You just shop online for the things you used to leave your house to purchase! Read on...

Why did we sign up to use Melaleuca?

First of all, I was pregnant with the twins when we started our membership. The idea of online shopping and home delivery was so appealing to us! Anything to cut down on our trips to the store with three kids. You place your monthly order online, and it's delivered right to your door by UPS within 3-4 days.  Now, I know not everyone gets such good service, but my UPS man will even carry my package inside the house for me! Convenience!

Second, we have three kids and want to keep them alive. Melaleuca products are all chemical-free and safe for kids and pets to be around. You know what? They don't even have kid-proof lids on the cleaning products because they are non-toxic! In 30 years of business, this company has had ZERO insurance claims over safety. Chemical-free and non-toxic means safe for the kids, safe for Fergie and I don't have to choke on bleach fumes when I clean the bathrooms. Safety!

Why are we still using Melaleuca today?

We love the products! Honestly, there isn't one thing we've tried that we didn't like. Here are the things that we regularly use: vitamins, lotion, laundry detergent, dish detergent, first aid supplies, shampoo/conditioner, deodorant, essential oils, household cleaners, insect repellent....and more.

This is our most recent order below. So excited to try the new toilet cleaner--it's a brand new product! Melaleuca is always adding something new. 

Also, the company cares about the environment. Products without chemicals are easier on the environment and packaging is created with less waste; many of the liquid products are highly concentrated so you use less and it lasts longer.

I can't tell you all about the products in one post, so here are my TOP 3 (today). I'll post a few more later in the week, so keep watching. 

This is the Attain crave blocker shake mix. There are lots of flavors, but I'm a chocolate gal all the way. I mix it with milk for breakfast and it keeps the munchies away until lunch. It works!

This is Sol-u-Guard, one of the all-purpose cleaning products from Melaleuca. It comes in the concentrated bottle on the left, and you mix it with water in a spray bottle to use. This is a disinfectant with no chemicals! I love the way it makes my kitchen smell. 

This. This is my beloved Renew lotion. Let me tell you, I have super dry skin. Like, all the time--even in the summer. Renew is the first lotion that I've found to actually help me! I have relief from my dry, itchy, flaky skin all year long. God help us if we run out of Renew.

IMPORTANT! SALES PITCH! If you are interested in a membership to shop Melaleuca, please let me know. The membership fee is only $29 but through January, it's ONLY ONE DOLLAR. You only have a few days left to get the sale price. There is no risk, no contract and you can cancel anytime. You know me....I'm skeptical of everything. This is legit, y'all.  Let me sign you up today. You can even Google "Melaleuca" and you won't find anything negative at all, I promise.

Holiday Recap

We had a flurry of holiday activity that started with our (mostly) annual trip to Branson. We spent the weekend swimming, eating and playing at Silver Dollar City. It was way more crowded than I ever remember it being in the past, probably because the weather was beautiful and mild the day we went. The little kids and Nanny enjoyed all the kid rides. The big coaster riders had to sit out because of Lee's injury and TP wasn't feeling well. 

We had a quiet Christmas Day at home feasting and playing with all the kids' loot. We cooked the best turkey we've ever had, but I'm going to save that for another blog day.

My little Christmas miracle is that I finally got to set up my Dickens village, after storing it for nearly 10 years! I finally have room for a display and can trust my kids not to handle it or break it. My handy hubby repurposed an old wooden ladder for me to use as a display. It's so beautiful that I still haven't taken it down, even though the Christmas tree and decorations are all put away. It makes me so happy to look at it, that I may leave it up all winter.

For New Year's, we headed to Wynne, where we had our family Christmas and went to the Liberty Bowl for the Hogs vs. Kansas State game.

I picked the best photos of our holiday season to share. 

2015: Out with a bang!

Look! I'm here!

I think that the 4th Quarter got the best of me in 2015. All the prep work for holiday time in retail--Santa, events, sales, advertising---just wow. It sure left me with very little time or energy for blogging. And I still had to take care of holiday prep at home!

Things are certainly much different, and much slower, now. This is where I fill you in on all the drama that we ended the year with.  Let's see...

On December 17th, Lee went to the doctor for what he thought was kidney stone pain, and got put on medical leave from work. Turns out he has a hernia, not kidney stones! The surgeon couldn't even see him until after Christmas for a consult. He's been off work since then, and set to have surgery this Friday. Say a little prayer that everything goes smoothly. He will likely be off work another four weeks at least.

The very next day, I found out that I was losing my job. I won't get into details, but there has been an ownership change at the mall and a lot of other people were let go as well. In nearly 20 years of professional work, this is the first time I've lost a job. It's very strange.

Talk about a bad week! Yikes.

The good news is that I was able to be home with these little turkeys while they were out of school for holiday break. We cooked, baked, had play dates and got ready for Christmas. It really was very nice.

Now it's time to find a job and get 2016 started off better than last year ended. Wish me luck!  A bonus? Now I have more time for blogging!

That One Time We Went to the World Series!!!

 

 

 

Let me tell you, it’s a beautiful thing when a husband and wife share the same interests. You never know, it just might lead to a spontaneous mid-week road trip!

 

But first, let me start at the beginning. You see, I’ve loved baseball my whole life. In a state that bleeds St. Louis Cardinals red, I grew up rooting for the Atlanta Braves with my daddy, mainly because all of their games were broadcast on TBS. Easy access, you know. I was a fan way before Chipper Jones took the team to the top…back in the heyday of Dale Murphy, Ron Gant, David Justice, Fred McGriff and Brian Jordan. Oh, and I loved me some nutty John Rocker.

 

I was the girl who sat alone in the sorority house basement watching baseball playoffs in the mid-90s when the Braves were killing it.

 

Before inter league play, I barely knew there was an American League.

 

Fast forward some years when I met a guy who didn’t speak my language. You see, my boyfriend was an AL guy. Sheesh.  I even took him to St. Louis to a Cards/Braves game on one of our first dates, hoping to convert him. And what happened surprised us all…

 

 

 

 

I married him anyway and he converted me. It took some time, but I think I’ve turned into an AL gal. This guy who stole my heart also took me to Kansas City, to the most beautiful baseball stadium, to introduce me to his favorite team. Over the past 12 years, we’ve sat through opening day temps below freezing, we’ve been to games with more ushers than butts in the seats and we’ve dragged our three kids to a game that was standing room only (NEVER AGAIN).

 

Even better, we attended the 2012 All-Star Game and Home Run Derby in Kansas City, which has definitely been the sports highlight of my life thus far. This was also Chipper’s final All-Star game, and I might have cried through most of it, but I can’t say for sure.

 

I might be a girl, but after getting to the All-Star Game, the biggest remaining thing on my bucket list was to get to a World Series game. I’m sure that we would have laughed if anyone had suggested, even five years ago, that the KC Royals would be in the WS, which would give me the most logistically convenient path to attending a World Series game. 

 

 

 

Being the most excellent wife that I am, I bought AL playoff tickets for Lee in 2014, because I knew he’d waited almost 30 years to see “his team” end their cycle of loserness. I was also happy to cheer them on, but I wanted him to soak in the moment. I gave up my ticket for mommy duty (regret), and he took off to enjoy a couple of days in KC gorging on baseball and BBQ.

 

So, when fate took the Royals back to the Series this year, we knew we had to get ourselves there. We debated all through the playoffs—to go or hold off for the WS?  We held off, in hopes that we could get a hold of some tickets—beg, borrow, steal or take out a bank loan. We talked ourselves into heading to KC for Game 1 vs. the Mets, but changed our minds last minute due to the awful weather forecast. Of course, this ended up being the game that went FOURTEEN INNINGS.  Sigh. Oh well. We made arrangements for childcare and I took two days off work so we could head to Game 2, WITHOUT TICKETS.  What???  I know, probably the most impulsive thing I’ve ever done, but so glad we did.

 

 

 

We got to KC in time to have a little tailgating time with several thousand other blue-clad, die-hard fans, most of them already having tickets in hand. Once our burgers were finished, with a pocket full of cash, we started the walk to the stadium in hopes that someone would have mercy on us. Let's just say, that mission was not accomplished. You see, the poor, down-trodden, overlooked Kansas City Royals from the past are none of that anymore. They are champions and the fans have multiplied! There were easily another several hundred other people with the same idea as us, and as unlucky as us. Nobody was selling tickets at all. We hung out until after the second inning then took off toward home. We stopped along the way to watch the game and have dinner and talk about what might have been.

 

We aren't sorry that we tried. We had a lovely adventure together and used the long ride home to plan our ticket procurement strategy for next year. Challenge accepted.

 

 

 

 

For the Love of Books

I recently spent some time with a staff member at the Ozark Literacy Council of Washington County. The gentleman actually called on me for a work-related meeting, but we ended our visit with my education about the organization and what they do for our community.

 

Since September is National Literacy Month, I thought this would be a great opportunity for me to share what I learned. I was surprised to hear that the Ozark Literacy Council is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, and it's the oldest council in the entire state. They primarily have focused on the education of adults, both native English speakers and ESL students, but are now seeing the increased need for addressing literacy in a "family approach." Tutors at OLC can teach basic reading skills or even with a specialized focus on reading for job applications, health or banking literacy.

 

I've also learned that more than 36 million adults in America cannot read, which is really a shocking statistic. This week is being recognized as Adult Education and Family Literacy Week to raise public awareness of the problem we face in our country. In addition, Friday, September 25th, is the national annual giving day that encourages people in the community to make a donation or even sign up to volunteer as a tutor at their local literacy organization. Please consider helping out in any way that you can.

 

The services that OLC provides are free. Ozark Literacy Council can be reached at 479-521-8250 or www.ozarkliteracy.org if you need help learning to read, want to make a donation or if you would like to volunteer some time to helping others.




My favorite super reader!

I have been reading for as long as I can remember; it has always been one of my favorite things to do. I am fortunate that my children also have the same passion for books as I do. In fact, the annual book fair is going on at school this month (Coincidence? Maybe not). The kids have pulled out the flyer and put an X on nearly every book for us to purchase. I think books are definitely our thing--and Shopkins--but that's for another blog post.

Happy Reading, y'all!