Christmas is just around the corner. Feeling rather nostalgic I decided to take part in Mama Kat’s Writing Workshop
I am using the prompt- An Open Letter to Santa.
Dear Santa ,
It has been an extremely long time since I written to you. This year I’m writing to you on behalf of the boys who are still a bit young to craft their own letter to you.
Ryan and Roy are both crazy about Thomas the Train Engines and could certainly do with a movable play table . It will certainly give them the space for them to set up their tracks like the Island of Sodor. Having a movable platform that would could ascend and descend into the ceiling with a flick of a switch. There are many benefits for the boys and me with this special set up.
They get to play with all the favourite trains together and there will be sufficient storage for all.
It beats having to set up and clear their trains and tracks on a daily basis. With a flick of the switch their Island disappears and the room remains neat!!
It would make a great centerpiece in our hall and keep the kids occupied when I am cooking dinner or busy with work.
If that is not possible or beyond your budget due to the current economic crisis tickets to Thomasland would be handy too.
Disclosure: This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of PR By the Book. I received the book in this review for free and was not paid any money for my opinion. All opinions are 100% mine.
I received an e-mail a few weeks ago from a Publicist asking me if I was interested to review this book.
The title sounded very interested and I felt that it would be interesting to know what kinds of secrets girls keep. It would give me a better idea on how to deal with my students who are reaching their tweens.
In this book Carrie talks about the 7 Tips
Tip 1- Using your Gut
Tip 2- Discover your strengths and use them
Tip 3- Choose the right friends and respect them.
Tip 4- Be courageous and confident.
Tip 5- Be fit and stay fit ( Health is very important)
Tip 6- Dream Big ( Push yourself an be amazed as what you can achieve)
Tip 7- Get outside yourself ( Reflection and contribution to society)
These tips are incorporated into solving problems surfacing in the following topics.
Beauty
Boys
Best friends
Family
Dealing with school
Cyberwellness
Divorce, suicide and other serious issues.
In each topic Carrie gives some real sound and practical advice using the experiences of various teenage girls to show how problems could be solved.
Carrie interlaces her topics with short quizzes which one can fill in to get a better understanding of how they are at taking care of oneself, level of confidence, knowledge of boys etc. I find these extremely useful for as a teenager one has yet to really understand how to handle one’s emotions and need for taking risks.
Having gone through the teenage years myself I understand how lost some of the girls featured in the book must have felt as they face growing up and hormonal changes at the same time.
The tips presented by Carrie and the real life example case studies make this book an excellent guide for both parents and teenage girls who may be facing similar problems. They are practical and easy to follow and everyone can easily relate to the teenage girls featured in the book.
Nowadays the kids mature extremely fast. Problems which used to be faced by teenagers are sometimes faced by tweens or even younger. Ie: difficulty in relating to their parents are issues that are also faced by some of my elementary school kids.
Carrie dishes out simple tips like
Sending an e-mail or text message
Sharing a journal
Showing your appreciation through creating a card
These tips help in breaking the ice between parent and child and help to slowly guide them on how to get kids to talk to their parent.
Through all the examples presented in the book a common trait that surfaced was that these girls faced difficulties and didn’t know who they could turn to. Many of them tried solving or internalizing their problems on their own which gave them added stress. They cave in to the evils of social media and peer pressure and disregard their own health, family and friends.
Only when they learned how to open up and seek outside help were they relieved of the burden that they were carrying around.
Some of the girls didn’t know that they were having problems like depression or obsession till their family members noticed and approached them.
Being a teenager is a scary time for a girl as you are suddenly faced with issues and problems which surface out of nowhere. Boys for one are something which you may not have to deal with as an elementary school student.
Carrie take one step by step through the issues that may arise with dating and boys and walk you through what you may be feeling and questions you may have about dating.
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