Happy birthday to Theodor Seuss Geisel, who brought us 44 imaginative and inspirational children’s stories in his 87 years.

Some were written as Theo LeSieg, but of course the best-loved ones were penned under the name of Dr. Seuss.

Needless to say, thinking about his rhymes brings fond memories of childhood.

But many of them were valuable to adults as well.

For example, Barry brought my attention to this quote, appropriately from Seuss’s Happy Birthday to You! book, which reminds us all to embrace our uniqueness:

“Today you are true! That is truer than true! There is no one alive who is you-er than you!”

And what about the graduation classic, Oh, The Places You’ll Go!…

>>> CONTINUE READING There is No One Alive Who is You-er Than YOU!…

Education is meant to advance us, but what if it achieves the exact opposite?

Questions about it have been raised for years, but there’s some fascinating and shocking evidence that education is actually squelching the creativity, and even the life force, from kids.

For more, read my entire article on the LWL Worldwide blog: You Are What You Know?

Keep Unwrapping the Mysteries of Life!

Last night Konan went to bed a one-year-old, and woke up a two-year-old.

It’s the only time in our lives we can double our ages overnight.

Here he is enjoying his 2nd birthday cake, mastering the use of a fork (unlike last year when it was all about fists and fingers).

They call this the “terrible twos,” but I’ve been advised by moms who have been there that it’s actually a wonderful year when kids finally learn about their independence and discover how to stand in their own truths.

So happy birthday and happy independence day, Konan… and many, many more years of learning, growing and developing through this thing we call “life”.

Keep Unwrapping the Mysteries of Life!

Children naturally want to be creative.

And it’s one of their most amazing desires, because it also benefits them in many ways.

In my latest article for Small World Toys, I wrote:

“Imagination is the highest kite one can fly,” actress Lauren Bacall once said. Most children have an active imagination, and have no qualms about expressing themselves creatively.

Unfortunately, as they grow older, we often unconsciously squelch it from them, or fail to encourage imaginative thinking. Instead of letting kids dream about the possibilities in life, we tell them not to get their hopes up, or to be realistic.

So what’s the solution?

There are lots of inspiring ways to foster your child’s creativity and help him think outside the box.

Read my full article for more: Raise a Creative Genius.

Keep Unwrapping the Mysteries of Life!

If your child is entering college this year, it’s a huge milestone — for you and for him. This step represents your little bird growing up and leaving the nest, and that can bring mixed feelings of pride, joy, sadness and fear from both of you.

Of course, not everybody needs to go to college. There are tons of success stories out there of people who have accomplished great things without it.

But some kids learn a lot from the experience — maybe even more than they learn from their classes.

If she’s moving out for the first time, it may seem like there’s so much to do, and not enough time to accomplish it. To make matters worse, it’s easy to become confused about what, and how much, should be brought to the new residence.

Being prepared can make the transition easier, so to help you out I’ve prepared my checklist of Top 10 Dorm Essentials:

>>> CONTINUE READING Top 10 Dorm Essentials Checklist…

I was recently sent a review copy of the book Geek Dad by Ken Denmead, editor of the blog of the same name on Wired magazine’s website.

At first I wasn’t sure what to expect — would these be projects that only computer hackers and programmers could hope to pull off?

But the truth is, despite the name, this book isn’t just for dads, and it isn’t even just for geeks.

If you’ve ever been frustrated with the lack of creativity-inspiring toys and games out there, or want to satisfy your tech-savvy kids with something other than video games, this book will help out.

For example, you can make coloring book pages or connect-the-dots puzzles for your little ones using any photo, and a program like PhotoShop or the free GIMP. Believe it or not, it’s not as hard as it sounds.

How about making your own customizable “Ultimate Board Game” that’s just as much fun as techy toys? I wish Denmead had suggested using poster board or large cardboard instead of paper, because if you’re going to put the work into building something it might as well last for years… but that’s okay. That’s another customization you could make to it…

>>> CONTINUE READING Geek Dad Offers Creative Solutions for Entertaining Kids…

Breakthroughs come in all kinds of unexpected ways.

This past weekend, for example, Barry and I experienced a breakthrough in our relationship that came just when we were taking a plunge down the roller coaster ride of life. We felt like we were going to keep racing further down… and instead we took a sharp turn upwards.

It’s inevitable that we experience ups and downs in life — after all, as we’re always saying, the Universe exists in complete balance.

Unfortunately, knowing that doesn’t really make the downs much easier to deal with, does it? But tapping in to your superhuman drive, which takes charge when you’re determined to get out of a dark ditch and shed some light on a situation, can.

Funny thing is, you can’t usually get out of that ditch by scrambling. It’s more effective to quiet those panicky emotions, take a step back, and look at the big picture — even as far as seeing your life’s purpose.

That’s essentially what Barry and I ended up doing, which led to the first amazingly inspiring breakthrough…

>>> CONTINUE READING Purpose-Driven Breakthroughs…

As a Glue Dots Summer Bonding Project for Konan and I to do together, I decided that a collage celebrating wealth and his heritage would be a good idea.

It was quick, easy, creative, symbolic, looks good, and it’s something that he was able to do nearly all by himself.

As a 20-month-old toddler, projects that fit all those parameters aren’t easy to come by!

Here’s what we did step-by-step…

>>> CONTINUE READING Glue Dots for Toddler Collages…

I just took a fun and interesting Edu-Parent quiz on various styles of parenting that says I’m a Mentor…

… kind of makes sense since that involves asking questions to find out what’s below the surface, and as an interviewer I’m used to doing that.

You can take the quiz, too, by clicking the image above.

It was co-authored and compiled by recognized educators and experts on parent education, who have been community leaders for over 30 years.

The styles of parent you might be include Mentor, Coach, Observer, Historian and Superhero…

>>> CONTINUE READING What Kind of Parent Are You?…

Motherhood can be a lonely job… so what do you do?

Luckily I have the answer for you, whether you’re looking for other moms to connect with locally or online clubs and resources you can access globally.

Check it out in my article on YUM (Young Urban Moms): YUM-Oriented Groups to the Rescue.

Keep Unwrapping the Mysteries of Life!