Podcasts about Usborne

264. Simple Ideas for Incorporating Art with Children and Teens with Courtney Sanford   Colossians 3:23 NLT "Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people."   **Transcription Below**   Questions and Topics We Discuss: Can you give us an overview of the seven major forms of art and give an example of ways our children can engage with each? What are the best art supplies to have on hand? As our children grow, why is this helpful in the teen years to have a healthy way to express ourselves and our ideas?   Courtney Sanford is a dedicated wife, and mother who triumphantly homeschooled her three children. With one pursuing a career in orthodontics, another just finishing a master's degree while working in higher education, and the youngest studying computer science at Regent University, Courtney's commitment to their education has yielded remarkable success.   Passionate about nurturing creativity and self-expression, she guides students through captivating art classes, exploring the intersection of imagination and skill. With her background as a graphic designer and experience in studio art, Courtney embarked on a new adventure as an art teacher.    As a multitasking mom, author, artist, teacher, and adventurer, Courtney embodies the spirit of embracing life's opportunities and fostering a love for learning and artistic expression.   Beyond her love for education, Courtney has an insatiable wanderlust. She finds joy in traversing the globe, hosting art retreats, and volunteering at Spiritual Twist Productions: both painting sets, and serving on the board of directors. When time permits, Courtney indulges in spring snow skiing, hiking in exotic locations, and leisurely walks with her dog, Zoey.   Delightful Art Co. was born out of a time when life gave Courtney a handful of lemons, and she creatively transformed those lemons into refreshing lemonade. The Covid shutdown rather forcefully prompted a major shift from in-person art classes to online classes.    Courtney's Website   Thank You to Our Sponsor: WinShape Marriage   Other Episodes Mentioned: 202 Simple Ways to Connect with Our Kids And Enjoy Breaks with Beth Rosenbleeth (Days with Grey) 223 Journey and Learnings as Former Second Lady of the United States with Karen Pence   Continue the conversation with us on Facebook, Instagram or our website.   Gospel Scripture: (all NIV)   Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”   Romans 3:24 “and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”   Romans 3:25 (a) “God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.”    Hebrews 9:22 (b) “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”    Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”    Romans 5:11 “Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”    John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”   Romans 10:9 “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”    Luke 15:10 says “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”   Romans 8:1 “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”   Ephesians 1:13–14 “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession- to the praise of his glory.”   Ephesians 1:15–23 “For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.”   Ephesians 2:8–10 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God‘s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.“   Ephesians 2:13 “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.“   Philippians 1:6 “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”   *Transcription*    Music: (0:00 – 0:09)   Laura Dugger: (0:10 - 1:36) Welcome to The Savvy Sauce, where we have practical chats for intentional living. I'm your host, Laura Dugger, and I'm so glad you're here.   I am thrilled to introduce you to our sponsor, WinShape Marriage.   Their weekend retreats will strengthen your marriage, and you will enjoy this gorgeous setting, delicious food, and quality time with your spouse. To find out more, visit them online at winshapemarriage.org. That's W-I-N-S-H-A-P-E marriage.org. Thanks for your sponsorship.   Courtney Sanford is my guest today, and she's an amazing artist and teacher and author, and I'm just so excited to share this conversation. If you're like me and you're ready for summer and your rhythm changes with your kids, she's going to share some super practical tips for incorporating art and beauty into our homes.   And I think that you're going to conclude this conversation by knowing where to begin and understanding why it matters. Here's our chat.    Welcome to The Savvy Sauce, Courtney.   Courtney Sanford: Thanks for having me.    Laura Dugger: I'm so excited to hear more about your story, so will you share what has led you into the work that you get to do today?   Courtney Sanford: (1:37 - 4:20) I sure do like to share that story. I didn't start off as a homeschooler. I didn't imagine that that would be where my life went, but I was always a creative person.   I was a graphic designer, and I worked in the Performing Arts Center, and I got to do lots of fun design for shows. Then along came kids. I actually enjoyed dropping them off at school and going to Target, and I was okay with that.   We didn't do public school because the school near me didn't look safe, and we had lived near Columbine High School and thought it was just a beautiful, beautiful school. And when we left Colorado, we thought, oh, isn't it sad that our kids won't go to school there? And then just about a month later, the whole Columbine shooting happened, and so we were kind of traumatized by all of that.   And then when I saw the school that my precious five-year-old would go to, it didn't look safe, and so we sent them to a private school. So here we are spending a lot of money, having high expectations, and the kids were doing all worksheets all the time, and they started to dread going to school, and they didn't love learning, and the excitement of learning just kind of drained out of them. And so we looked into other options and decided that homeschooling would be the way to go, and I found the classical model and just loved the way that sounded, and we tried it, and it worked, and the little lights just came back on in their eyes, and they started to love learning again.   And I just found my people, and I just learned everything I could about homeschooling, and I just poured myself into it wholeheartedly as unto the Lord. And had a great time, and I just loved my time with my kids, and I felt like it was successful, and I encouraged other people to do it, but I wasn't really sure that it worked until they got into college and they turned out to be successful, thriving humans, and we're really proud of them. One will be a doctor in about a month.   He's about to graduate. He has a wife and a little girl, and then my second one has her MBA, and she works for a Christian college where she leads trips, and she's getting ready to take a group to Paris and London, and so she kind of ministers to students through that, and then my youngest is still in school staying to be a software developer. So now I can confidently say it was worth all the energy that I put into it.   It was hard work, probably the hardest thing I've ever done, but so worth it.   Laura Dugger: (4:21 - 4:40) That's incredible, and I love hearing the success story where your children are now, but you really also inspired them with beauty and art in their learning and growing up time, and I'm curious, are there any personal lessons that the Lord has taught you through art?   Courtney Sanford: (4:41 - 6:32) Oh, goodness. Yeah, I think my desire was to make learning interactive because I saw what they were doing in the private school, which was sit in a chair all day and do your worksheets, and it was just worksheet after worksheet after worksheet and then a quiz, and then you get graded, and so I was thinking if I'm going to pull them out, I've got to do better than that, and so that was my standard, and I was going to beat that standard every day, and so I pulled in art because that's what I knew, so if we were learning about an animal, we would draw the animal. If we were learning about a continent, we would draw the continent until we could draw it from memory, and I really learned with them. I did not have a great elementary education or even high school education, so I would learn this stuff, and then I would think of creative ways to get them involved with it, so a lot of times it was drawing.   It could be painting. It could be making things out of clay. We used to make things out of Rice Krispie Treats, and then they could take it to their co-op group.   Well, it was a classical conversations group, but they do presentations, and so we made a Mayan temple out of Rice Krispie Treats, and we would make volcanoes, and then they could take it to their friends and share it with them and tell them about it, so anything I could do that would get us out of the chair using our hands and using our senses and think, you know, how can I incorporate all five senses, and that just made learning so much more fun for them and for me, and so a lot of it was art. Some of it was science.   Anytime I could incorporate a sense of play into what they were learning, I could see that they would learn so much more.   Laura Dugger: (6:32 - 6:55) I love that, trying to incorporate all five senses, especially. That gets some ideas coming, but can you even back it up, and because you're an artist, will you give us an overview of the seven major forms of art, and can you give us examples as parents for ways that we can engage our children with each of those?   Courtney Sanford: (6:56 - 10:58) Oh, sure. Let me think. All right, so drawing, of course, you can draw what you see, so when I teach students to draw, I do a progression, so we'll draw from line art, and you can find line art anywhere.   It might be in a children's book, so using the library was key for me, so I'd get a laundry basket, and I would go to the library with an index card of what we'd be studying, and I would grab all kinds of books related to that, so when you come home, you get out a kid's book. If you see a good line drawing, say you're studying a lizard, if you see a good line drawing, draw from that. They could even trace it to start with, so you draw from the line drawing, then once they get really confident with that, you go to drawing from photos, and then you go to drawing from real life, so maybe you have a fish tank.   Maybe there's a fish in the fish tank, and you could draw from that or draw things in your yard, so that is how I break down drawing for them, and it could be years. You could draw from line art for years before you go to drawing from photos, and then to drawing from real life, and drawing's great for learning to memorize things. For painting, painting's just fun, and so I like to go to the kitchen table every afternoon and paint what you see, so you start off with the younger kids.   You could start with color and markers and fill in the areas, and then you can teach them how to shade using painting. Sculpture is also fun with kids. I like air-dry clay, and I like Sculpey clay.   I like to get a one-pound block of Sculpey clay and teach them the basic forms, like roll out a snake, do your hands together. Those of you who are listening, you can't see my hands, but I am making a sphere with imaginary clay. These are really good for developing their fine motor skills, too.   We also make the letters out of roll-out snakes and form your letters. That will really help if they're reversing letters. It takes a while to build the whole alphabet, so maybe you do three or four letters a day.   You work on it a couple times a week. It might take a month to make the whole alphabet, but that can be one goal, to get them working in three dimensions. We usually do additive sculpture, like adding on, and you can use found objects to make sculptures.   One time, my son took apart a pen. I rearranged the pieces into a human shape, and it was lovely. Getting them thinking in three dimensions is related to sculpture.   Carving, I don't like to do until they're old enough to be safe with a knife, but once they are, especially the boys love to go outside in the yard and get a log. They spend a lot of time carving spoons. Just a simple shape they can hold in their mind and then carve it is a good activity.   It keeps their little hands busy, too, if you want to read aloud to them and you don't mind a little mess in the house, they can carve. You can also carve out of a bar of soap as well. For that, that's a subtractive sculpture technique.   Let's see. That's the three main ones, drawing, painting, sculpture. I know film is one.   Film, I don't really incorporate much into my homeschool, except we will occasionally watch a movie about history. That has gotten me into trouble a few times because some of those movies that I think are going to be historic turn out to have racy scenes in them, and I'll have to jump up and get in front of the TV or cough really loud. But there are some good films that you can watch together as a family.   That's about as far as I went with film.   Laura Dugger: (10:59 - 11:19) I would, if you don't mind me interrupting there, too. I feel like that's one that our girls have actually begun to develop on their own, where our eldest daughter once wanted a video camera, so she got the old-school video camera. They're making their own movies, and I've seen that as a form of creative, artistic play.   Courtney Sanford: (11:20 - 11:49) Oh, that's fabulous. Yes, so when my kids were little, we didn't even have phones or video cameras on the phones, so that wasn't an option. When we first started homeschooling, our TV died, and so we did not even have a TV for years.   We just decided not to replace it, which forced us into audiobooks and reading aloud and then just playing outside instead and reading books. So that was a blessing.   Laura Dugger: (11:49 - 12:03) I love that because that's one of the other forms. That was new to me, that literature is an art form. Sorry, I sidetracked you because we still have literature, architecture, theater, and music.   Courtney Sanford: (12:04 - 14:20) Yeah, I think the best thing that we did for our kids, of course, I love teaching them to write using Andrew Pudewa's method with IEW. It's kind of imitative writing, so you learn to imitate good writers. But also, my husband read aloud to the kids every single night.   That was his time with him. He gave me a break, and he would read for hours. He loved it.   The kids loved it. And he would choose classics or funny things, you know, science fiction. Probably not the books that I would choose.   I would choose classics and things related to what we were studying, but he chose what he wanted to read. So I would read aloud in the afternoons, and we would do audiobooks like Story of the World and all the Jim Weiss readings. And then he would read aloud at night.   And just whatever he wanted to choose, he would read aloud. And I think hearing good language produces good speakers and good writers. So he gets about 50 percent of the credit for the success of the kids, I think, for just reading aloud every night.   It was such a great thing to do for the kids. And then the last one, architecture. I do incorporate architecture when I'm teaching about a culture.   So, if we're doing art history or history, we'll look at the buildings. So, of course, you do that with ancient Egypt. You look at the pyramids.   When you're talking Old Testament times, you look at the tents. And then as I go through art history with the high schoolers, I'll point out more and more like neoclassical, of course, comes from the ancient Greeks, but it's come to symbolize power and authority. And that's why we see it in government buildings.   So, my degree is graphic design, but it was in the School of Architecture. So, I had a lot of history of architecture and I appreciate it. And so I'm always pointing that out to my kids.   And I do that in my class, in my art history class. I always incorporate the architecture just as a part of understanding a culture.   Laura Dugger: (14:21 - 14:29) I love that. And was there anything specific that you did with your kids for encouraging music or also theater?   Courtney Sanford: (14:30 - 15:29) Oh, yeah. One thing I wish I had done more of was kinder music. I don't know why we didn't do that much kinder music, but now I'm learning more about it.   I wish I had done more of that. And I did put them in piano lessons. One wanted to do violin.   So, they had a few years of learning the basics of music, and then they really got into theater. We have a great Christian youth theater nearby. And so that was a really good experience.   In their Christian youth theater, they would sing praise and worship songs before and during and after a play. They would be praying for the audience and singing worship songs in addition to the singing on the stage. And that whole experience was really good for them.   Even my quietest kid got a big role in a play one time, and he had to memorize a lot of lines and sing in front of people. It's just such a great experience for them.   Laura Dugger: (15:30 - 15:57) I would think so. Even if they don't choose something that we would consider a very artistic career, I can see why all of this is still beneficial. That leads me to another question for you.   Regardless of the way that all of us parents listening are choosing to educate our children, why is it still beneficial for all of us to incorporate art into our homes and into our parenting?   Courtney Sanford: (15:58 - 21:59) That's a great question. So, the first line of the Bible says God created. So, the first thing we learn about God is that he was creative.   He created everything. And then just a few lines later, it says then he created man in his own image. So that tells me that we were created to be creative, to create.   Now, he doesn't let us create stuff out of nothing like him, which is probably for our own good. That would be a mess. But we can create things out of what he created.   And there is a study done by George Land. And there's a video on YouTube of George Land giving a talk about this creativity study that he did. And he created a test for NASA to help them find creative engineers when they were trying to get to the moon.   And they used it to study creativity in children. And they tested five-year-olds. So, they found a group of 1,600 five-year-olds who were in school.   And when they tested them at five years old, 98% of them tested as creative geniuses. So, their plan was to go every five years and test them again just to see what was going on. So, they went back after five years.   The kids are now 10. And it dropped down to like 27%. They went back another five years when the kids were 15, and it was down to about 17%.   And then they were so depressed, they stopped testing them because they could see they began as very creative. So, we're created creative. And a lot of moms will say, yes, I can see that in my children.   But something happens. And this was all in school. Something happened during school that taught them to not be creative.   So, the school teaches the kids to be obedient, to sit still, and to get the same outcome from every kid. Right? There's an expected answer on every test.   And you're to try to get the answer that the teacher wants. That's not creative. So, the first thing to do to preserve their creativity is don't send them to school.   That's the safest bet. And then when you do homeschool them, which I think is the best environment for them, don't do what they do in school. To bring them home and to go to all this trouble just to do the same thing that they're doing in school is not worth the trouble.   So, you've got to not do what they're doing in school. And so, for me, that meant don't do worksheets, make the content interactive. So, I did rely on curriculum, but I didn't rely on the curriculum to be the teacher.   So, I get the content from the curriculum, and then I make it interactive using artistic, creative skills so that they can be creative. And I don't teach it out of them. So, if you have young kids, that's good news.   They're already creative. You just have to don't teach it out of them. If your kids are older and maybe they've been in school, then you might have to like undo some of that training and set up some experiences where you ask them or even like in my classes, I'll set up a challenge.   And I expect everyone's to be different because everybody's going to do it a little bit more creatively in their way. And so, at the end of class, instead of like calling out the answers to see if everybody got the same thing, they're holding up what they did and telling me what they were thinking. And everybody's is different.   And then I really praise the ones who did something different. Maybe they changed the colors. Maybe they put glasses on Mona Lisa.   You know, maybe they gave her a cat to hold. So, I reward thinking outside the box. Now to to pour in beauty, and I think I might have heard this from Charlotte Mason, beauty in, beauty out.   So, you've got to load them with beauty. Now, I think that we were naturally drawn to beauty and people will argue with me about this. They'll say, well, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.   But I betcha I could find something that's beautiful and do a survey. And I betcha I could get 100% of people to say, yes, that's beautiful. And I could find something else, maybe a Hindu goddess sculpture.   And I could find something that 100% people would say that is not beautiful. And so, I think that ingrained in some of us because we're created by God, I think we have a sense of appreciating beauty. I do think that it gets taught out of a lot of people.   So, with my kids, I show them a lot of beauty. And this can be as simple as get a coffee table book from the secondhand bookstore on art and put it on your coffee table. Get books from the library and have lots of beautiful things to look at.   And so, when I now when I was teaching my own kids, this is kind of a fly by the seat of my pants. Make it up as I go. Now that they've left home and I can think about it, I'm putting together books that are a little bit more thoughtful.   So, in my books, you will see I've chosen a piece of art that is beautiful and I will pair it with the lesson. And then I'll give you an art activity. So, for example, in Into the Woods, you'll see I've chosen a beautiful piece of art and I paired it with a poem, which is another piece of beauty.   Yes. And then I'll give you an art lesson so that they can get creative with it as well. So, it is this hard to pull it together.   So that's why I'm making books to help parents. So, you have something beautiful and something to do with it. And so, that's how I pour in beauty to give a beauty in beauty out.   Laura Dugger: (21:59 - 22:36) I love that so much. And just even holding this resource, it is so beautiful. There's so much to it.   When it arrived, our daughters were delighted to go through it and to dive in and get to learn. But I'm just thinking many listeners are fellow homeschool parents and also many are not. But I don't want them to be discouraged because I'm even thinking of your courses or if they do intentional art in the evenings or on weekends or summer break and winter break.   There are still ways for all of us to incorporate this.   Courtney Sanford: (22:36 - 24:28) Yes, for sure. Yeah. Even so, my mom, I was public school.   And of course, the word hadn't been invented back then, but my mom appreciates art and poetry and she would always have art books on the coffee table. And I would just stop and, you know, in my free time, flip through the pages. And those images stuck with me my whole life.   She had one that had a Monet on the cover of the Field of Red Poppies. And that was just ingrained in my mind as a piece of beauty. So just something as simple as putting it out on your coffee table.   She also took us to museums whenever we traveled. And she didn't make a big lesson out of it, but I was exposed to beautiful buildings. You know, most museums are in beautiful buildings.   You see the beautiful architecture. And I was exposed to a lot of art that way. So, that was that totally goes with which with summer vacations and your vacations to, you know, make an effort to see a gallery or an art museum when you're traveling.   That makes a big difference. It'll make an impression on them. And of course, the books you could do in the summer.   We have summer classes and we have an art retreat that might not line up with school because it's in May. But the books you could for sure add on. Hopefully someday we'll have evening classes so that you could go to school.   We've got some this coming year that will start at four o'clock. So, hopefully some kids can go to school and come home and join an art class. So, we're working on getting it out as we as I get teachers willing to.   Most of my teachers are homeschool moms, too. And by the end of the day, they're tired. So, I've got a few.   I've got a young lady who's just graduating and she's going to do some late afternoon ones for us next year. So pretty excited about that.   Laura Dugger: (24:28 - 25:04) I love that. And then even thinking of the beauty and beauty out stepping outdoors. There's so much beauty in God's creation and so much change depending on where you live throughout the seasons.   But I love how you also brought up the library, because anytime I'm trying to learn something new, that's my first go to is put books on hold at the library. And so, if we're wanting to know what to add to our library cart just to get us started into this, can you share books that you recommend, both yours and others that you think would be good additions?   Courtney Sanford: (25:05 - 26:19) Oh, that's a good question. Yes, there are. I love to think about the biographies of artists.   And if so, if you're studying ancient history, you could look up a biography on Giotto. And they're still tell the stories in such a nice, kid friendly way. Like there's the story of Giotto.   He was actually watching the sheep. And while he was out in the fields, he would draw on the sides of rocks like big rocks. But you get another rock and you would draw on the sides of rocks.   And another artist was walking through one day and he saw these drawings on the rocks. He was like, wow, you're really talented. Come with me.   I'll make you an apprentice. And those stories are just they're fun to read together and hear those kinds of stories. And of course, the Usborne books of art are beautiful and they often have projects for the kids to do.   I can't think of any specific ones, but I do love a short paperback on the particular artists. And so, I kind of line those up along with the period in history that we're studying.   Laura Dugger: (26:20 - 26:32) That's great. And even you're making me think of picture book biographies on artists. We've always enjoyed those as well.   Obviously, the illustrations are fantastic, too, but the storylines are so interesting.   Courtney Sanford: (26:33 - 27:23) Yes. So, I just grab whatever they have. I had a big laundry basket.   And and I know card and I just grab whatever I could find and sometimes let the kids choose. And sometimes I would choose. If you're going with geography, you can find beautiful photos of the different areas.   See the landscapes or the sunsets. And that can through photography. And you can really get to know a place through beautiful photographs.   I like that part, too. And then that might inspire a pastel drawing of a landscape. Maybe it's a beautiful sunset you could recreate with pastels.   So, photography books are really inspirational, too.   Laura Dugger: (27:23 - 28:10) It's a great idea. And circling back, you had mentioned Andrew Pudewa earlier in our conversation. And I remember learning from him that with writing, the worst way we can teach our children is to say just free write, just write something down or here's a prompt to finish this sentence because better writing comes through imitating.   And so, you've even mentioned tracing is a great way to start. That's not cheating in art if you're not stealing credit from them. But if you're just practicing and tracing, this is a way to imitate.   And so, I'm wondering, do you have any other cautions for ways that may be the wrong way to introduce our kids to art?   Courtney Sanford: (28:11 - 30:50) I agree that. Yeah, you can get writer's block. What I find funny is that some people are so afraid to imitate artists.   But if I were teaching piano, I would teach your kid how to play something by Bach in which he would learn what Bach did. And nobody would say I'm stealing from Bach. You know, and you learn to play Beethoven by playing Beethoven and you you learn to reproduce those pieces of music.   I do the same thing in art. We look at what the masters did and we'll copy it in order to learn what they knew. And that way we build.   We're like standing on the shoulders of giants. So, we don't want every kid to have to start with inventing the wheel themselves. We'd never get very far.   We want to learn what the masters knew and then build on that. So, I do a lot of imitation. And then as the students ready, I let them know you are free to change this or to experiment with it.   So just last week we were drawing and painting red poppies and learning about Georgia O'Keeffe. And so, I said we can do an imitation of her poppy. And I'll show you step by step how to reproduce her poppy.   And in doing that, we're going to cause us to look more closely at it and study her blends. Like she would blend from yellow to orange to red in every petal. And we can study that technique.   And then as we do it and we practice it, we look more closely at hers and it kind of becomes a part of us. And then we'll find another flower and we'll use that same technique on a flower that we choose. Or maybe it's a flower we make up and we take that technique and we can apply it.   And it's a much better way to learn than trying to learn it yourself without looking at what the masters did. So, I think that I think I pulled a lot of that from Andrew Pudewa. The idea of I'm going to assist you until you say I got this.   I can do it from here. So, I do assist until they get it. And then I always say whenever you're ready, as soon as you're ready, change it and make it your own or do your own thing.   And because turning them loose too soon can break their confidence. So, you want to build them up until they can confidently experiment on their own.   Laura Dugger: (30:51 - 32:34) Let's take a quick break to hear a message from our sponsor. I'm so excited to share today's sponsor, WinShape Marriage, with you. WinShape Marriage is a fantastic ministry that helps couples prepare, strengthen, and if needed, even save their marriage.   WinShape Marriage is grounded on the belief that the strongest marriages are the ones that are nurtured, even if it seems like things are going smoothly. That way they'll be stronger if they do hit a bump along their marital journey. Through their weekend retreats, WinShape Marriage invites couples to enjoy time away to simply focus on each other.   These weekend retreats are hosted within the beautiful refuge of WinShape Retreat, perched in the mountains of Rome, Georgia, which is just a short drive from Atlanta, Birmingham, and Chattanooga. While you and your spouse are there, you'll be well-fed, well-nurtured, and well-cared for. During your time away in this beautiful place, you and your spouse will learn from expert speakers and explore topics related to intimacy, overcoming challenges, improving communication, and so much more.   I've stayed on site at WinShape before, and I can attest to their generosity, food, and content. You will be so grateful you went. To find an experience that's right for you and your spouse, head to their website, WinShapeMarriage.org.  That's W-I-N-S-H-A-P-E Marriage.org. Thanks for your sponsorship.    Well, and as parents, once we're past the resistance to maybe invest some of our time or our money or allow the mess into our home, but if we push past through that and we're ready to get started, I'd love to go over some practical tips.   So, Courtney, first, just what are some great art supplies to have on hand?   Courtney Sanford: (32:36 - 37:13) A number two pencil and some Crayola markers you probably already have. Those are great tools. I like to have my kids work in an art journal, and you can get these real inexpensive at Michael's.   It'll say on the cover, mixed media art Journal, and they come in different sizes. I kind of like the big ones, and that will allow you to use paint, pencil, and marker or anything you want. If it says sketchbook, it's not going to hold up to paint very well.   So that's why I get the mixed media paper. So, I start with the art journal, and then I like to make that journal be their book on a subject. So right now, I'm doing ancient history with some kids, and so they are making their own book about ancient history.   So, every week we'll do a drawing or a painting or watercolor on a lesson in ancient history. And so, each piece is not a masterpiece to hang on the wall. Each piece is a part of the story in their book.   That takes all the pressure off. So, they don't see this as, I don't know if this is going to be good enough to hang on the wall. That's not even a question.   It's a part of the story in your book. They can also take some notes. They can show their grandparents and review the topic by presenting it to their grandparents and showing off their book.   And then you can collect their books and put them on a shelf. It's not all over the house making you crazy. And then you can see from year to year how their skills have improved.   So, I kind of like every year I like pick a topic to be the subject of our art journal. So, I call it arts integrated learning. So, I'm pairing an academic subject with art for that year.   So, it could be poetry. It could be history. It could be science.   Whatever you pick. That's what you'll add to your art journal with.   Pencils. I like blending tools too. There are some people call them stompies.   For those of you who are watching. Here's one. It's just rolled up newspaper, but you can buy these at Michael's.   They're really cheap. But it takes a drawing to the next level. You can just blend things out and shade things really lovely.   Mark Kistler does some videos and teaches you how to. He'll go shade, shade, shade. And so that's a good way to start.   And it really elevates a drawing and it gives them a lot of confidence. And then of course the good eraser. The book drawing with children is a really good one for our parents to read and then teach from in that book.   They suggest you have them draw with markers so that they don't spend an hour erasing. If you have someone who's a perfectionist, they will make one mark and spend 20 minutes erasing it. And so, if you go right to drawing with markers, that's gonna teach them to make a good mark first and then keep going and not spend half an hour erasing.   When I get to age nine or 10, I like to use acrylic paints, but I only buy four colors of paint and then I make them mix all the other colors. So, we use yellow, magenta, blue, and white. Those are like the colors in your printer.   Cyan, magenta, and yellow are the ones in your printer. And those colors can make all the other colors. Now your printer has black, but I don't give kids black.   Instead of black, they could make purple or brown or dark color. So, you know, you teach them how to mix the colors that they want. They'll learn to mix it because they want green or they want purple, or they want brown.   And then they develop a sense of color theory, and you don't even have to teach it. They'll figure it out because they want those colors. If they find, if, if you don't feel confident in that, you can buy craft colors of the specific colors, especially brown.   That's a hard one to mix. But I do like the coverage of acrylic paints. I like watercolors too.   That's a little bit easier to get into. You just take it slow and practice a lot. So that's really all you need.   It's pretty simple.   Laura Dugger: (37:14 - 37:27) Well, and I'm wondering too, even with the acrylic paint at that age, once they're older, that one, I'm assuming can stain. So are there any tips that you have for containing the mess?   Courtney Sanford: (37:28 - 38:32) Yes, I get, and they're a little bit hard to find. So go to Amazon and find a, a tablecloth that is plastic on one side and felt on the other side. I forget what you call it, but there'll be like picnic tables, tablecloths.   And the plastic ones are going to drive you crazy because they're too thin. So, if it's flannel backed, it's a little bit thicker. So I get a white one at the beginning of the year.   And that comes out anytime we do clay or paint, and it goes over the kitchen table and I don't worry about cleaning it. You just let it dry, fold it up. And I put mine in the China cabinet right there by the table.   And then anytime we do something messy, that tablecloth comes out and, and then just fold the mess back up in it. And it works, it works really great to, and then you might, if you're, if you're a neat freak, maybe plan on buying one at the beginning of every school year so that you get clean slates. And then the paint that gets onto the tablecloth is actually lovely and it'll be pretty next time you get it out.   Laura Dugger: (38:33 - 39:11) Oh, I love that. That's a genius tip. I appreciate that for coming indoors because in the summer, I guess we could take it outside depending on where we live.   But then what about any hacks for finding the time to do this? And I guess I'm thinking back to a previous episode with Beth Rosenbleeth. She's the one who started Days with Grey and she would talk about different art prompts that she would set out for her children in the morning for a variety of ages.   But were there any things that kind of required minimal time from you, but had maximum return for your kids?   Courtney Sanford: (39:11 - 41:06) Yeah, that's a good point. I had, I wouldn't say I had a strict schedule, but I had a pattern to my days. And the time after lunch was a good time to do messy things in the kitchen because we were in the kitchen anyway.   And as I could clean up lunch and start dinner, I could be in the kitchen with them and they could be creative at the kitchen table with minimum involvement from me. One of my best afternoons was we had the microscopes out to do something specific and I left it out as I was cooking chili. And as I cut up each ingredient, I would cut a thin slice for them to look at under the microscope.   And so they were looking at a bell pepper and a red pepper and celery and tomato. And they were so, they so enjoyed that and I was able to cook dinner at the same time, which was fabulous. And that turned, it was probably like a 15-minute science lesson into like four hours of discovering things under the microscope.   So that element of play and you can do that with your art supplies too. Like I'll demonstrate a technique and then leave it out. I'll turn my attention to cooking dinner while they see what else they can do with it.   And, um, you know, I'll give them a few tips. Like, um, if you mix these three colors together, you're going to make brown and then turn your back and let them discover it for themselves. So, um, I'm a big crock pot person.   And so after lunch would be the time I need to clean up lunch and put something in the crock pot. So that would be a good time for me to get them started on art or science and, um, and then turn my back and let them have that, um, that discovery time without me hovering or telling them what to do or something.   Laura Dugger: (41:06 - 41:22) Oh, that's a great rhythm. I love these ideas. And then I kind of want to go in chunks of age.   So, thinking of little kids, how would you define the difference between a piece of art and a craft?   Courtney Sanford: (41:23 - 43:41) Yeah, a craft is going to be something where the focus is on following directions and that's important. They need to learn how to follow directions. And so we would do, especially around the holidays, I might do a craft and we all follow directions.   Um, a piece of art is going to be where they're, they all come out different. They're allowed to play and express themselves. Um, for me personally, if I'm doing a craft when I'm done, I think, oh, I could make 50 of these and sell them.   If it's an art, when I'm done with a piece of art, like one of these paintings behind me, when I'm done with that, I'm thinking I could never do that again. That took so much out of me. I'm exhausted.   A little piece of my soul is in that that's art. That's the difference. Um, so I don't sell my paintings because there's a little piece of my soul in, um, my husband makes fun of me for that.   He's like, you could just sell your paintings. They're like, what? They're, they're like my babies.   I can't, I can't part with them. It took so much out of me to create them. Um, but a craft, yeah, I'll just give away things that are, that I just followed directions for, um, in terms of kids, younger kids will enjoy crafts, but getting to high school, they recognize it as slave labor and they don't want to do that.   They are in what the classical education people call the, the, um, poetic stage, you know, they want to express themselves and they want to be unique. I think this is why they get tattoos. The tattoo is a way of saying this is who I am.   This is what it means to me. I'm unique. Um, so I think if we don't teach them to express themselves in art, they're going to get tattoos.   So that might encourage moms to, to give them the skills so that they can express themselves. You know, they need to be able to write poetry or write songs or paint a painting or do a drawing. There's that need inside of us to do that that God put in us.   And if they don't have an outlet, then they're going to find something like tattoos or something that we don't want them to be doing. Yeah. I mean, some of my kids are tattooed.   It's not bad.   Laura Dugger: (43:42 - 44:25) Well, and you've kind of answered a follow-up question I had because we talked about little kids, but I'm thinking of teens. So going back, my background is in marriage and family therapy, and we would encourage everyone that journaling is a free form of therapy. But I think of art as the same way.   And there's even studies that show when you're engaged in something artistic, the critical side of your brain goes offline. So you can't think negative thoughts while you're creating something new, but with teens, there's that added benefit of getting to express themselves. So is there anything else with art that you see as basically free therapy for adolescents?   Courtney Sanford: (44:26 - 46:54) Oh, sure. I do see it a lot. I experienced it because I started my business because of the shutdown and because I was teaching in person and then I had to switch to online teaching.   And so, the group that I had moved online and I figured out how to do it and got a little bit better at it. And then that summer I offered a class for adults. These were directors and I was in classical conversations at the time.   And so a whole bunch of teachers are expected to teach Western cultural history without a lot of background. And so some of the moms asked me if I would do my art class for them. And so I had about a group of like 50 adults and we would get on for an hour and a half every day.   And this was at the height of the shutdown when turning on the news, just stresses you out. Going to the grocery store was stressful because people were in masks or they weren't in masks or, you know, we didn't know anything. It was such a stressful time, but that hour and a half that we had together, we, our focus was on discovering a piece of art.   So, we were looking at beautiful things and then we were creating something and that changed our focus from what was going on in the world. And we would just relax, and we'd enjoy it. Having the live class kept our focus on it.   And when I don't have a live class in front of me, I'll be like, oh, I should put the laundry in or I should start dinner and I get distracted. But with that, you know, with other people on zoom, it keeps me focused. And so, we'd have this wonderful hour and a half vacation from the world.   And after it was over, I would just have this sense of peace. And then I'd come down and be like, oh yeah, that's still going on. And it was, it was so good for our mental health.   And, and I get, I hear moms tell me that the hour and a half once a week they spend with me doing art has been such a blessing. Like one student lost her father a year ago and this is helping her. She said she's finally coming out of her depression and she's finding a way to express herself and find beauty again.   And it's, it's been transformative for some students. So, it is a blessing. And I didn't, I didn't read that somewhere.   That's just from my experience. So, I'm a big believer in that.   Laura Dugger: (46:54 - 47:51) I can see why I think you're bringing up two points. I don't want to miss both with art therapy and then also art in community. So art and community first, I think for all of us at any age, what can we do as this is airing probably when everybody's getting out for summertime, how can we gather others alongside of us for whether it's our kids or us as peers to get to engage in these activities together.   And so, I want to follow up with you on that, but also before I lose my thought, I also want to link back to Karen Pence's episode. She had started art therapy for veterans, I believe, and just incredible. The healing that is possible through this.   So, do you have any thoughts Courtney on ways that we can this summer gather together community at different ages and do something artistic?   Courtney Sanford: (47:51 - 52:15) That is a good question. So, we have, I have found the online classes are the easiest for people to get to. And it's I get people ask if we can do it in person, but honestly it's hard to get people out or they're busy.   They're doing things in summer. So, we do offer a class online in the summer that's live. We have recorded classes that you could do alone or get a few people together and, do them together.   I have some sampler packs too. So, some of them are just three lessons. You could get some friends together and find, maybe you could find three, three times during the summer to do.   I have like a Vango sampler pack and a couple of short ones that you could just pay for the video and do with your friends or maybe a mother daughter event. Maybe you do the self-paced class with your daughter. And I've had some seniors, like seniors in high school, do a mother daughter class together and just say, this is such a good time for us to spend a little bit of time together, a little bonus time before they go off to college.   During the school year, we have, I have a watercolor artist friends. She lives near me and she's a professional watercolor artist and she does the class called Bible journaling. And that is a beautiful combination of a devotion and a watercolor time together.   Those are hour and a half classes too. And they meet once a week. And we sometimes we'll have grandmas, we'll have high school students, we'll have mother daughter pairs do it together.   And they actually have a little prayer time, a little study of scripture. And then then Kate teaches them step-by-step how to do a beautiful watercolor and incorporate some hand lettering in it. So that's just a beautiful fun time together.   So I highly recommend her class during the school year. If, if a mom could get away, or if you have a high school daughter to do it together, that is a great experience. And then I have a short version of art history that you could do with friends or your high school daughter.   It's called paint your way through marvelous to behold, which is just 12 lessons that goes through. And that's a variety of drawing and painting. If you wanted to do something like that.   So, lots of things, or you can check out the books. And if you feel confident following step-by-step instructions in a book, you could use the book or a combination of videos and books. If you're feeling kind of like you could lead a art group, you could get the cell page video, watch the video and then do, you know, exactly what I said, do that live with a group.   And if you have any art experience doing that, you could get, probably get, I would like invite all the homeschool moms in your co-op group to get together. And I do some, sometimes I'll go to do a mom's group, do a watercolor or I love to do the milkmaid with moms because the milkmaid is this beautiful painting from the Dutch masters of a woman cooking. She's just pouring milk.   I think she's making bread pudding and it's just so beautiful. It's like, what I think I look like homeschooling. I'm wearing like a long gold gown and those suns coming in and everything's perfect.   I'm like, this is the ideal. This is what I think homeschooling is going to look like. And then I kind of use that painting as a launch pad for painting Delft tiles from the period.   And so sometimes I'll, I'll do that with some homeschool moms because I like to encourage homeschool moms. I know it's hard. And I had some mentors when I was homeschooling that I really appreciated.   So, I'm always happy to, to be the support and be able to say it's worth it. Keep going. I know you're driving a crappy car, but it will be worth it.   And so, the sacrifices you make now totally pay off. And you know, before I know it, my son is going to be homeschooling his daughter. She's seven months now, but it's going to fly by, you know, she'll be four before you know it.   And I'll be teaching her how to paint. I suppose.   Laura Dugger: (52:16 - 53:13) When was the first time you listened to an episode of The Savvy Sauce? How did you hear about our podcast? Did a friend share it with you?   Will you be willing to be that friend now and text five other friends or post on your socials, anything about The Savvy Sauce that you love? If you share your favorite episodes, that is how we continue to expand our reach and get the good news of Jesus Christ in more ears across the world. So, we need your help.   Another way to help us grow is to leave a five-star review on Apple podcasts. Each of these suggestions will cost you less than a minute, but it will be a great benefit to us. Thank you so much for being willing to be generous with your time and share. We appreciate you.    I don't want to miss what website to direct everyone to. If they want to sign up for one of these classes, where's the best place to follow up?   Courtney Sanford: (53:14 - 54:27) Go to delightfulartco.com and on that page, you'll see live classes, self-paced classes, summer retreats. I've done adult retreats before. I'd be open to doing it again if people want to.   So, I have, I would call it private retreats. So, if you want to get a group of women together, maybe somebody has a beach house, I'll come and do the art. It could be a one day, two day, or three-day event.   So that's an option. And we have self-paced classes. So, lots of things to look at.   I have a lot of sample classes on the website too. If you want to drop in and see what they're like. I think there's a how to paint Monet's water lilies is on the site.   You can watch that and see what it's like. Some people are afraid to try an online art class, but we all loved Bob Ross, and we watched him. So, if you can imagine saying, Bob, stop, could you do that again?   That's what my classes are like, and I'll be happy to stop and show you again. And then you can hold up your work at the end and I can give you some feedback. So, I'm like the new Bob Ross.   Laura Dugger: (54:27 - 54:46) There you go. That's wonderful. Thank you for sharing that.   And Courtney, I just have a couple more questions for you. If let's turn it back to parenting. If we want to get started today and we just want next step to get started.   What is an art prompt that we can still try today?   Courtney Sanford: (54:47 - 57:26) I would look at what you're, what, what are you teaching your kids? So, if you're teaching them, maybe you have a library book on the coffee table that you're studying biology. Pull out one thing from that and draw what you see and reproduce that.   Just one drawing a week. And before you know it, you'll have a whole biology book. So, I like to instead of saying parents, you have to add on another course.   You have to add art to everything else you're doing. Slide it into what you're already doing and it will enhance what they remember about that. And it's not like a whole other subject.   So just use art as a tool to help them remember what you want them to learn anyway. So, anything you want them to teach, if you have a photo or a drawing, have them trace it or draw it. I actually another good way to start is if you have little kids and Bible story time, let them draw what you're reading about.   My son loved to do stick figures. So, I have the whole Bible told in stick figures from when I'm from my youngest kid. And it is fabulous, especially like Sodom and Gomorrah.   And, you know, there's a lot of violent stuff. Boys love that stuff. So, he illustrated a lot of the Old Testament because I read it every morning, and he would just draw what he heard me.   I think I was using the Children's Illustrated Bible. So, he had some things to look at. That's another great way to get started.   Just let them look at the story and draw in their own art journal. So, there's so many fun ways you can use it in every subject. I had a mom tell me she read me an email.   She said, my daughter is just blooming in your classes. I wish every subject could be taught with an art journal and a paint palette. And I replied, we're working on it.   We're we've got we've got Latin and art, science and art, literature and art. There's just so many ways to find inspiration and what you're already studying and find the beauty in that subject. So, in our site, our art and biology course, students do a beautiful watercolor of the DNA strand.   And they draw the cell in watercolor. And it's just beautiful. And it helps them remember it and practices their art skills.   So, it's like a two for one. Think of it as a two for one. Take art and put it in another subject.   Laura Dugger: (57:26 - 57:46) I love win wins. That sounds amazing. And Courtney, I just have one final question for you today.   We are called The Savvy Sauce because savvy is synonymous with practical knowledge or insight. And so is my final question for you today. What is your savvy sauce?   Courtney Sanford: (57:47 - 58:15) The beauty, in beauty out, has been kind of my savvy sauce and also as unto the Lord. So, whatever I do, I do as unto the Lord. If I'm homeschooling, I'm teaching biology.   I'm going to do as unto the Lord. I'm not going to hand out a worksheet. I'm going to make it.   I'm going to make it a great experience. So, I would have to say whatever you do, do it wholeheartedly as unto the Lord and not for men.   Laura Dugger: (58:16 - 58:36) What a great place to end. Courtney, you are so inspiring. You've given us great ideas and kind of confidence to get to put this into practice.   Even if we're not artists like you, we're all created in God's image and therefore can be creative. So, thank you for your time and wisdom today. Thank you so much for being my guest.   Courtney Sanford: (58:37 - 58:40) You are sure welcome. I had a great time. It's good to talk to you.   Laura Dugger: (58:41 - 1:02:25) You as well. One more thing before you go. Have you heard the term gospel before?   It simply means good news. And I want to share the best news with you. But it starts with the bad news.   Every single one of us were born sinners, but Christ desires to rescue us from our sin, which is something we cannot do for ourselves. This means there is absolutely no chance we can make it to heaven on our own. So, for you and for me, it means we deserve death, and we can never pay back the sacrifice we owe to be saved.   We need a savior. But God loved us so much, he made a way for his only son to willingly die in our place as the perfect substitute. This gives us hope of life forever in right relationship with him.   That is good news. Jesus lived the perfect life we could never live and died in our place for our sin. This was God's plan to make a way to reconcile with us so that God can look at us and see Jesus.   We can be covered and justified through the work Jesus finished if we choose to receive what He has done for us. Romans 10:9 says, “That if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” So, would you pray with me now?   Heavenly Father, thank you for sending Jesus to take our place. I pray someone today right now is touched and chooses to turn their life over to you. Will you clearly guide them and help them take their next step in faith to declare you as Lord of their life?   We trust you to work and change lives now for eternity. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.   If you prayed that prayer, you are declaring him for me, so me for him. You get the opportunity to live your life for him. And at this podcast, we're called The Savvy Sauce for a reason.   We want to give you practical tools to implement the knowledge you have learned. So, you ready to get started? First, tell someone.   Say it out loud. Get a Bible. The first day I made this decision, my parents took me to Barnes & Noble and let me choose my own Bible.   I selected the Quest NIV Bible, and I love it. You can start by reading the book of John. Also, get connected locally, which just means tell someone who's a part of a church in your community that you made a decision to follow Christ.   I'm assuming they will be thrilled to talk with you about further steps, such as going to church and getting connected to other believers to encourage you. We want to celebrate with you too, so feel free to leave a comment for us here if you did make a decision to follow Christ. We also have show notes included where you can read scripture that describes this process.   And finally, be encouraged. Luke 15:10 says, “In the same way I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” The heavens are praising with you for your decision today.   And if you've already received this good news, I pray you have someone to share it with. You are loved and I look forward to meeting you here next time.

What do you think when you see the words, 'relaxed woman'? Do you think of it as being a rarity, or impossible, or perhaps privileged? Well this week's guest, Nicola Jane Hobbs, is on a mission to reframe rest and relaxation as not only accessible but also vital. She joins us today to talk about what real rest is, how important it is, and how you can become a more relaxed mother. Pre-order your copy of Nicola's book: The Relaxed Woman: Reclaim rest and live an empowered, joy-filled life. Click Here to order your copy of 'Motherkind: A New way to thrive in a world of endless expectations' Motherkind is sponsored by Wild Nutrition, the brand raising the bar for women's supplements. Want to feel the Food-Grown difference yourself? Get 50% off for three months at wildnutrition.com/motherkind. Ts and Cs apply. For a £100 sponsored job credit visit Indeed.com/ Motherkind This show is sponsored by Usborne books. If you want to add a little extra joy to storytime, 'Don't Tickle' touchy-feely sound books are available now from all good booksellers. This show is sponsored by Yeo Valley. Find Your Daily Groove: visit the Yeo Valley website to find out more. Yeo Got This! This show is sponsored by FreePrints. Download the Free Prints app for iPhone and Android from the App store or Google Play or visit freeprints.co.uk. Continue the Conversation: Join our community over on Instagram for inspiration, tips, and sometimes a bit of humour to get us through our day - @zoeblaskey Join our mailing list to receive news, updates and new episode releases Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Motherkind Moment is your place for calm and connection and a shift in perspective before the week ahead.  Clinical psychologist Dr. Anne Lane joins us to discuss how we speak to our kids about difficult topics. She explains why secrecy and half-truths can be damaging and why it can help to have multiple brief conversations to help our children process the news gradually. For more powerful insights from Dr. Anne Lane listen to the full episode here: How to raise emotionally healthy children Click Here to order your copy of 'Motherkind: A New way to thrive in a world of endless expectations' Motherkind is sponsored by Wild Nutrition, the brand raising the bar for women's supplements. Want to feel the Food-Grown difference yourself? Get 50% off for three months at wildnutrition.com/motherkind. Ts and Cs apply. For a £100 sponsored job credit visit Indeed.com/ Motherkind This show is sponsored by Usborne books. If you want to add a little extra joy to storytime, 'Don't Tickle' touchy-feely sound books are available now from all good booksellers. This show is sponsored by Yeo Valley. Find Your Daily Groove: visit the Yeo Valley website to find out more. Yeo Got This! This show is sponsored by FreePrints. Download the Free Prints app for iPhone and Android from the App store or Google Play or visit freeprints.co.uk. Continue the Conversation: Join our community over on Instagram for inspiration, tips, and sometimes a bit of humour to get us through our day - @zoeblaskey Join our mailing list to receive news, updates and new episode releases Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If you are a working mum who's ever felt like you're barely holding it all together; if you are constantly juggling work, kids, ambition and your own sanity - then THIS is the episode for you. Don't worry, it's not about 'finding balance' or 'doing it all'. In fact our guest today calls BS on all of that. Rachael Twumasi-Corson is an entrepreneur, fractional executive, mum of four, and the definition of a powerhouse. Since starting her first business at 18, Rachael has built multiple companies all while being pregnant or breast-feeding or leading board rooms. She tells us all about 'work/life harmony': what it actually looks like to be successful without losing yourself or the mother you want to be. If you've ever wondered how the hell you are supposed to do it all, or if you even want to, then this episode will help you redefine what success means to you on your terms. Click Here to order your copy of 'Motherkind: A New way to thrive in a world of endless expectations' Motherkind is sponsored by Wild Nutrition, the brand raising the bar for women's supplements. Want to feel the Food-Grown difference yourself? Get 50% off for three months at wildnutrition.com/motherkind. Ts and Cs apply. For a £100 sponsored job credit visit Indeed.com/ Motherkind This show is sponsored by Usborne books. If you want to add a little extra joy to storytime, 'Don't Tickle' touchy-feely sound books are available now from all good booksellers. This show is sponsored by Yeo Valley. Find Your Daily Groove: visit the Yeo Valley website to find out more. Yeo Got This! This show is sponsored by FreePrints. Download the Free Prints app for iPhone and Android from the App store or Google Play or visit freeprints.co.uk. Continue the Conversation: Join our community over on Instagram for inspiration, tips, and sometimes a bit of humour to get us through our day - @zoeblaskey Join our mailing list to receive news, updates and new episode releases Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Motherkind Moment is your place for calm and connection and a shift in perspective before the week ahead.  Dr. Kristin Neff joins us to encourage our capacity for self-compassion. She explains why self-compassion enhances resilience, motivation and emotional regulation and how being kind to ourselves benefits our children too. For more powerful insights from Dr. Kristin Neff listen to the full episode here: How being kind to ourselves transforms our parenting Click Here to order your copy of 'Motherkind: A New way to thrive in a world of endless expectations' Motherkind is sponsored by Wild Nutrition, the brand raising the bar for women's supplements. Want to feel the Food-Grown difference yourself? Get 50% off for three months at wildnutrition.com/motherkind. Ts and Cs apply. For a £100 sponsored job credit visit Indeed.com/ Motherkind This show is sponsored by Usborne books. If you want to add a little extra joy to storytime, 'Don't Tickle' touchy-feely sound books are available now from all good booksellers. This show is sponsored by Yeo Valley. Find Your Daily Groove: visit the Yeo Valley website to find out more. Yeo Got This! This show is sponsored by FreePrints. Download the Free Prints app for iPhone and Android from the App store or Google Play or visit freeprints.co.uk. Continue the Conversation: Join our community over on Instagram for inspiration, tips, and sometimes a bit of humour to get us through our day - @zoeblaskey Join our mailing list to receive news, updates and new episode releases Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When we're told that we can have it 'all', what does that really look like and does it matter? Why has women's happiness been declining since the 1970s and what do we do about the fact that working mothers are 40% more stressed than their peers without children? To help us wrestle with these questions is Giselle Goodwin PhD, our guest today and author of 'Can Women Really Have it All?' We hope this conversation makes you feel seen and heard, and that if you're feeling the overwhelm of modern motherhood - you're not alone. Click Here to order your copy of 'Motherkind: A New way to thrive in a world of endless expectations' Motherkind is sponsored by Wild Nutrition, the brand raising the bar for women's supplements. Want to feel the Food-Grown difference yourself? Get 50% off for three months at wildnutrition.com/motherkind. Ts and Cs apply. For a £100 sponsored job credit visit Indeed.com/ Motherkind This show is sponsored by Usborne books. If you want to add a little extra joy to storytime, 'Don't Tickle' touchy-feely sound books are available now from all good booksellers. This show is sponsored by Yeo Valley. Find Your Daily Groove: visit the Yeo Valley website to find out more. Yeo Got This! This show is sponsored by FreePrints. Download the Free Prints app for iPhone and Android from the App store or Google Play or visit freeprints.co.uk. Continue the Conversation: Join our community over on Instagram for inspiration, tips, and sometimes a bit of humour to get us through our day - @zoeblaskey Join our mailing list to receive news, updates and new episode releases Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Motherkind Moment is your place for calm and connection and a shift in perspective before the week ahead.  Today we're joined by world-leading child psychologist Dr. Gordon Neufeld who discusses the essence of parenting. He explains why confidence is key in our relationships with our partners and our children. For more powerful insights from Dr Gordon Neufeld listen to the full episode here: How to raise emotionally healthy children Click Here to order your copy of 'Motherkind: A New way to thrive in a world of endless expectations' Motherkind is sponsored by Wild Nutrition, the brand raising the bar for women's supplements. Want to feel the Food-Grown difference yourself? Get 50% off for three months at wildnutrition.com/motherkind. Ts and Cs apply. For a £100 sponsored job credit visit Indeed.com/ Motherkind This show is sponsored by Usborne books. If you want to add a little extra joy to storytime, 'Don't Tickle' touchy-feely sound books are available now from all good booksellers. This show is sponsored by Yeo Valley. Find Your Daily Groove: visit the Yeo Valley website to find out more. Yeo Got This! This show is sponsored by FreePrints. Download the Free Prints app for iPhone and Android from the App store or Google Play or visit freeprints.co.uk. Continue the Conversation: Join our community over on Instagram for inspiration, tips, and sometimes a bit of humour to get us through our day - @zoeblaskey Join our mailing list to receive news, updates and new episode releases Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today's episode is all about a one-word switch that is going to completely reframe an experience that most of us will have had. We're joined by the amazing journalist and broadcaster Emma Barnett, whose voice you'll recognise from Radio 4's Today programme and Woman's Hour. She's with us to talk about changing the phrase 'maternity leave' to 'maternity service' and how that simple switch changes everything. We talk to Emma about her experience as a mother, why we have to prepare women better for their journeys as mothers, and Emma shares some brilliant practical tips for your maternity service and beyond. Find your copy of Emma's new book Maternity Service here Click Here to order your copy of 'Motherkind: A New way to thrive in a world of endless expectations' Motherkind is sponsored by Wild Nutrition, the brand raising the bar for women's supplements. Want to feel the Food-Grown difference yourself? Get 50% off for three months at wildnutrition.com/motherkind. Ts and Cs apply. For a £100 sponsored job credit visit Indeed.com/ Motherkind This show is sponsored by Usborne books. If you want to add a little extra joy to storytime, 'Don't Tickle' touchy-feely sound books are available now from all good booksellers. This show is sponsored by Yeo Valley. Find Your Daily Groove: visit the Yeo Valley website to find out more. Yeo Got This! This show is sponsored by FreePrints. Download the Free Prints app for iPhone and Android from the App store or Google Play or visit freeprints.co.uk. Continue the Conversation: Join our community over on Instagram for inspiration, tips, and sometimes a bit of humour to get us through our day - @zoeblaskey Join our mailing list to receive news, updates and new episode releases Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Motherkind Moment is your place for calm and connection and a shift in perspective before the week ahead.  This week's Moment is with Dr. Caroline Boyd. She is a registered clinical psychologist, writer and mother. She explains why it's normal to feel anger as a mother, how society forces us to suppress it, and talks us through her "Three Rs' technique to help keep it managed. For more powerful insights from Dr. Caroline Boyd listen to her episode here: Do you get scary thoughts too? Click Here to order your copy of 'Motherkind: A New way to thrive in a world of endless expectations' Motherkind is sponsored by Wild Nutrition, the brand raising the bar for women's supplements. Want to feel the Food-Grown difference yourself? Get 50% off for three months at wildnutrition.com/motherkind. Ts and Cs apply. This show is sponsored by the Woodland Trust. Get outside and record any of three vital signs of spring at woodlandtrust.org.uk/vitalsigns. This show is sponsored by Usborne books. If you want to add a little extra joy to storytime, 'Don't Tickle' touchy-feely sound books are available now from all good booksellers. For a £100 sponsored job credit visit Indeed.com/ Motherkind Continue the Conversation: Join our community over on Instagram for inspiration, tips, and sometimes a bit of humour to get us through our day - @zoeblaskey Join our mailing list to receive news, updates and new episode releases Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week's episode is an incredibly powerful one. It's about relationships, and specifically about when relationships end. We're joined by Sara Davison, the world's leading break-up and divorce coach. She shares how to get though a break-up as a mother, how to support your children, and how to start to live again. Even if you're not in that situation yourself, this episode will show you how to support someone who is. Click here for more information on Sara and her coaching, and for resources and support. Click Here to order your copy of 'Motherkind: A New way to thrive in a world of endless expectations' Motherkind is sponsored by Wild Nutrition, the brand raising the bar for women's supplements. Want to feel the Food-Grown difference yourself? Get 50% off for three months at wildnutrition.com/motherkind. Ts and Cs apply. For a £100 sponsored job credit visit Indeed.com/ Motherkind This show is sponsored by the Woodland Trust. Get outside and record any of three vital signs of spring at woodlandtrust.org.uk/vitalsigns. This show is sponsored by Usborne books. If you want to add a little extra joy to storytime, 'Don't Tickle' touchy-feely sound books are available now from all good booksellers. Continue the Conversation: Join our community over on Instagram for inspiration, tips, and sometimes a bit of humour to get us through our day - @zoeblaskey Join our mailing list to receive news, updates and new episode releases Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We kick off our Vampire October with the story of Arnold Paole and we're joined by Matt Baxter. This story appeared in the 1979 edition of Usborne's Haunted Houses, Ghosts, and Spectors. Arnold PaoleLee Illis 1964 - Porphyria and Werewolves1985 - David Dolphin - NYT article on Porphyria and VampiresPenanggal ManananggalBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support.

Series Producer and Producer/Director Tim Usborne talks about the film that ignited his passion for science, the 1974 Horizon episode The Hunting of the Quark. Includes references to Boyzone, Cliff Richard, Yorkshire housewives and fruit machines, as all podcasts about quantum physics should. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Come Enjoy the Future! We look at past predictions of our future to see how accurate they were. And play along with a fun game futuristic proportions on Enjoy Stuff!   We are living in the future! But is it the future everyone expected? Let's find out!   News Pringles, Kellogg's, and Crocs team up for a new shoe collection The Jim Henson Documentary now has a Disney+ release fate NBA player deliberately misses a free throw to win opposing fans free chicken sandwiches Sadly, Star Trek - Lower Decks will end after next season, but Star Trek - Strange New Worlds will be back for a 4th season   Check out our TeePublic store for some enjoyable swag and all the latest fashion trends What we're Enjoying Jay took a trip to the great outdoors to enjoy Bald Eagle State Park. It's always nice to enjoy nature and get away from the world for a bit. Shua watched Steve! (Martin) A Documentary in 2 Pieces. It was a great look at the life of this eclectic and talented comedian. You can find that on Apple TV+.     Sci-Fi Saturdays This week on Sci-Fi Saturdays shares the dark predictions of 2004's The Day After Tomorrow. While all the science in this movie may not check out exactly, it does present a strong message about our climate and the state of our country's attitude about the condition of the world. Check it out today!  Make sure to play around with the interactive map on MCULocationScout.com. Plus, you can tune in to  SHIELD: Case Files where Jay and Shua talk about great stuff in the MCU.     Enjoy the Future!  Can we predict the future? Sure! Are we going to be right? Well…probably not. But we might get pretty close on a few things. That's what the Usborne Book of the Future did back in 1979. It gave us a look at what they thought was going to be coming in the 21st century. You might be surprised to find out that they got a lot of things kind of right. From robots to cities to travel, we look at some of their more memorable predictions. Plus, Jay plays a game to see just what movies and TV shows predicted some things we have in our world today.     What did you hope to see in the future we're living in now? And what's to come in the next 50 years? First person that emails me with the subject line, “Where's my flying car?” will get a special mention on the show.  Let us know. Come talk to us in the Discord channel or send us an email to EnjoyStuff@RetroZap.com  

En este episodio, reflexionamos acerca de los lados luminosos y oscuros de ser niños en compañía de grandes invitados. Elvira Lindo nos presentó su novela más reciente “En la boca del lobo”, en la cual Julieta, una niña de once años, nos muestra un método para mantener aparte los recuerdos felices de los traumas profundos. Platicamos con Sam Taplin y Alex Frith, escritores estrella de la editorial británica Usborne: una de las más renombradas de la literatura infantil. ¿De niño te hicieron memorizar las preposiciones? Seguro las recordarás en nuestra sección Horrores de Redactores. Además, no te pierdas nuestras Lecturas de Películas con un especial de Willy Wonka.¡Dale play ahora!2

Meet Julia Booker, the heart and soul of Booker's Book Nook. She has a passion for sharing the love of reading! She's a representative with PaperPie (formerly Usborne). Their motto? "We gather for good around literacy and learning." For five years now, Julia's been hosting an annual book drive bash, raising money to hook up foster care kids in CCC (Community Care County) with shiny new books. In just the last two years, she's scored enough donations to dish out a whopping 1,200 top-notch books, one for each kid in the county's care. Julia's no newbie to the kid scene; she's spent over 20 years waltzing through roles like dance teacher, sub, helper, and Sunday school teacher. When she's not dishing out the best children's stories, she's got her hands full, homeschooling her two sons. Julia's on a mission to bring families closer, one book at a time. Find out more about Julia and PaperPie by listening to this week's podcast! LINKS IG - @BookersBookNook FB - @BookersBookNook Private FB Reading Lounge - https://www.facebook.com/groups/bookersbooknook Landing Page - linktr.ee/bookersbooknook

In this episode, we take you deep into the wondering world of the QWERTY keyboard, where: the longest top-row word is 'rupturewort', a type of plant Peru is the only country that can be typed on one row of a keyboard If you type letters using alternate hands, skepticism is the longest typed word you can type And then we come to a scene out of Yes Minister, where three barrages on the Yamuna River are managed by three different states - Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. This can  only be a backdrop for a Wodehousian novel, not flood management in the capital city. Some more tickles and laughs in store for you in this edition of Shorts. Do write in to tell us what you think at 3TB@unblox.com. Follow us on Spotify, Insta or YouTube 

On this episode, you'll hear from special guest Kelley Usborne Bruce. Kelley is the Founder of CannaMommy and an industry OG. Out of the emerald triangle, Kelley has created a niche brand that empowers and educates moms around the world. She's got some really cool experiential campaigns hitting the road soon and we share tips and tricks for leveraging field marketing events to grow your fan base.https://www.cannamommy.org/https://www.linkedin.com/in/thecannamommy/

In the early morning hours of August 11, 2007, Sophie Lancaster and her boyfriend, Robert Maltby, were passing through Stubbylee Park in Lancashire, UK, when they were attacked by a group of teenage boys who beat the couple savagely, resulting in Lancaster's death two weeks later. The next day, police arrested two of the teenagers responsible for the attack, who told authorities they'd attacked the young couple for no other reason than they were dressed like “Goths.”The tragic assault on the young couple was shocking in and of itself, but the murder was made exponentially more shocking by the ages of the killers and the ostensibly terroristic motive, raising questions about the state of youth culture in the United Kingdom.thank you to the best of the best, David White for research assistance ReferencesBBC. 2022. Sophie Lancaster murder: Killer Ryan Herbert to be freed from jail. March 12. Accessed March 1, 2023. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-lancashire-60766768.Bunyan, Nigel. 2008. "Why did parents let Goth's killers roam the streets?" Daily Telegraph, March 28.Butt, Riazet. 2007. "National: 'Tragedy beyond words' for family as woman, 20, dies after park attack." The Guardian, August 25.Dunbar, Polly. 2008. "I've always tried to help young people escape crime." Mail on Sunday, March 30.Evening Courier. 2008. "Boy, 15, 'kicked woman to death for being a goth'." Evening Courier , March 12.—. 2008. "Two teenagers jailed for life for murder of Goth girl Sophie." Evening Courier, April 28.Gordon, Cathy. 2008. "Goth's killers lose appeals; Teenagers must pay for 'appalling crime'." Daily Post, October 30.Hodkinson, Mark. 2008. "United in the name of tolerance." The Guardian, August 2.Hussain, Samrana. 2007. "Couple left badly beaten in skate park." Lancashire Telegraph, August 12.Jackson, Kate. 2007. "Residents call for park patrols after woman's death." Lancashire Telegraph, August 27.Jenkins, Russell. 2008. "Youth aged 15 'kicked a woman to death because she was a Goth'." The Times, March 13.Lancashire Telegraph. 2020. "Sophie Lancaster killer has minimum jail term cut for 'exceptional progress'." Lancashire Telegraph, February 10.Manzoor, SarFraz. 2014. "The precious afterlife of Sophie Lancaster." Sunday Telegraph, February 23.Rossendale Free Press. 2007. "Young couple fighting for their lives after vicious ‘mob attack'." Rossendale Free Press, August 16: https://www.rossendalefreepress.co.uk/news/local-news/young-couple-fighting-lives-after-1709148.Smyth, Catherine. 2020. Weirdo, Mosher, Freak: The Murder of Sophie Lancaster. Lancashire, UK: Self-published.Turner, Kate. 2007. "Skatepark youth 'may face murder charge'." This is Lancashire, September 27.Usborne, Simon. 2017. "Robert Maltby on the murder of his girlfriend Sophie Lancaster." The Guardian, June 15: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/jun/15/robert-maltby-on-the-of-his-girlfriend-sophie-lancaster-the-goth-thing-was-an-oversimplification.Wainwright, Martin. 2008. "Woman died after drunken gang attacked couple dressed as." The Guardian, March 13.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Het is al drie dagen mei, maar jullie hadden De Grote Vriendelijke Update van april nog tegoed. In deze aflevering kondigen we onze eerste liveshow van 2023 aan. Op vrijdagavond 30 juni praten we in Theater De Liefde in Haarlem met tweevoudig Gouden Griffelwinnaar Simon van der Geest over het eerste deel in zijn futuristische avonturentweeluik 'Hart van staal' (Querido 10+). Tickets voor deze avond zijn via deze link te koop. Kun je deze keer niet komen? Dan misschien wel bij onze volgende liveshow, De Grote Vriendelijke Pakjesavond op 24 november 2023 in Het Huis in Utrecht.  Kinderboekrecensenten Jaap Friso (JaapLeest.nl) en Bas Maliepaard (Trouw) praten in deze aflevering met tekenaar Hans de Beer over het succes van zijn prentenboeken over de Kleine IJsbeer Lars. Het eerste deel, 'Kleine IJsbeer, een ijsbeer in de tropen' staat vanaf 12 mei centraal in de campagne Geef een Prentenboek Cadeau. Verder nog veel meer nieuws in deze Update, boekentips én voor het eerst een vertaler in de Première-rubriek aan het eind: Aimée Warmerdam leest voor uit het eerste kinderboek van young adult-sterauteur Angie Thomas: 'Nic Blake en de verdwenen Msaidizi' (Moon, 10+). Verwijzingen in deze aflevering Woutertje Pieterse Prijs De uitzending van De Taalstaat waarin alle genomineerden voor de Woutertje Pieterse Prijs aan het woord komen en de prijs wordt uitgereikt, is hier terug te luisteren. Usborne Meer informatie over (de boeken van) uitgeverij Usborne vind je op hun website. Readification De verhalen van Marcel van Driel en Manon Uphoff bij de nieuwe game Skull & Bones kun je lezen in de Ubisoft Special App. Te downloaden uit Apple store of Google Play. Prentenboeken in alle talen Op prentenboekeninalletalen.nl lezen vrijwilligers van de Voorleesexpress in veel verschillende talen voor uit 'Kleine IJsbeer, een ijsbeer in de tropen' (De Vier Windstreken 4+) van Hans de Beer. Boekentips 'Nadia's nacht' Henrieke Herber Tekeningen: Miriam Bouwens Luitingh-Sijthoff 4+ 'Afrika, encyclopedie van een wonderbaarlijk continent' Kim Chakanetsa Tekeningen: Mayowa Alabi Vertaling: Joukje Akveld Gottmer 10+

This week your hosts Dr. Dean Bertram and Jason McLean make a surprise visit to the children's section of the Mysterious Library. There they check out the classic Usborne series THE WORLD OF THE UNKNOWN, which includes: MONSTERS, GHOSTS, and UFOS. They were written by Carey Miller (MONSTERS), Christopher Maynard (GHOSTS), and Ted Wilding-White (UFOs) Peter Usborne, the founder and motive force behind Usborne Publishing, departed this world recently, so join us in memorializing him, by looking back on some of his imprint's beloved children's books. THE WORLD OF THE UNKNOWN books (also published in one omnibus edition: MYSTERIES OF THE UNKNOWN) were the gateway for many children to the wonders of the paranormal, cryptozoological, and Ufological, including your Mysterious Librarian, Dean. The books are jam packed with eye-catching illustrations, bizarre accounts, and even suggested research projects for the curious young Fortean. They still deserve a place on the bookshelf of the discerning adult anomalist.

An Usborne farmyard tale.

We're excited to chat with Cian Gill, host of Wide Atlantic Weird, about the spooky story of The Walsingham Ghost. It's a tale that scared both Cian and Karen as kids - and they were introduced to it through yet another spooky volume from Usborne publishing!  Haunted Houses: Ghosts & Spectres - by Usborne True Ghost Stories by Hereward Carrington (or find it here for free) San Francisco Examiner - Nov 29, 1891  Brooklyn Eagle - Dec 05, 1891 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Prepare-se para zarpar com a tripulação de piratas mais maluca dos Sete Mares. Carlos vai se livrar de seu papagaio irritante? E como Samuel revelará a identidade do pirata mascarado? Venha a bordo e descubra! Nesse episódio trago 2 das histórias que estão no livro "Stories of Pirates", escrito por Russel Punter, ilustrado por Christyan Fox, publicado pela Usborne e ainda não lançado no Brasil, então eu traduzi e adaptei especialmente pra esse episódio. Para acompanhar a história juntamente com as ilustrações do livro, compre o livro aqui: https://amzn.to/3WD7Mkv Se vc gostou, compartilhe com seus amigos e me siga nas redes sociais! https://www.instagram.com/bookswelove_livrosqueamamos/ E fiquem ligados, porque toda sexta-feira publico uma nova história. Até mais! Trilha sonora: The following music was used for this media project: Music: Lyrical Fantasy Trailer by Rafael Krux Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/5684-lyrical-fantasy-trailer License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license The following music was used for this media project: Music: Mysterious by Agnese Valmaggia Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/6786-mysterious License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Snuggle up and listen to The Nutcracker. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/moviebattlepodcast/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/moviebattlepodcast/support

Cassie shares some of her favorite with Willow, this week!! And some of the ways she likes to use them to get the most out of the curious interests of her children. From Shakespear to molecules to bed-time stories the possibilities for learning are limitless and can lead into all kinds of potential. Check out Usborne books! https://d13231.myubam.com/2404170 Plus! Giggle Culture is going live August 22nd and the Giggle Culture Book Club is about to launch, September 1st, with one of their most favorite books in the world!!

To celebrate Independent Bookshop Week in the UK we're bringing you a special extra episode recorded live at Round Table Books in Brixton, featuring the brilliant YA author Namina Forna in conversation with guest host Stacey Thomas - book reviewer at Bad Form Review and judge on The Diverse Book Awards longlist. Join Namina as she discusses her latest YA book The Merciless Ones published by Usborne, how it tackles issues such as colourism and Black female power, and the importance of community spaces like bookshops to her creativity. - This episode was produced by Charlie Morris. Our music is Hustle by Kevin MacLeod from incompetech.com, licensed by Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0

Brandi shares her tips and tricks to traveling near and far with babies and young children. Brandi shares how she manages traveling with kids at different ages, and a few tips to make summer air  travel more comfortable. She also shares her must have accessories to make  traveling with young children a breeze!   In this episode Brandi shares her must have summer travel accessories. Here is the link to her list: Even young kids need to be able to hear their favorite tunes and watch their favorite shows, unfortunately standard headphones in the air aren't the right size for littles. Brandi's favorite accessories for this are Cozy phones headband, Sony wireless headphones, and if they need to block out the noise and not listen to it, Babybanz earmuffs are great!   If you are looking to make running through the airport a bit more manageable with kiddos these are airport must haves: You need to incorporate babywearing into the mix and these are my favorite picks for that.. Sakura Bloom ring sling, Moby Wrap, and the Ergo 360 baby carrier. Try them out and see what you find the easiest. A good “carry-on” approved stroller can literally SAVE your sanity, Brandi's favorite is this one the Yoyo by Babyzen   If you are looking to turn your airplane seat into a great napping station here are a few accessories that can create a lot more comfort; Jetkids Bed Box byt Stokke, Flyaway Kids Bed, Flytot   If you want a few ideas to keep littles ones busy on the plane here are a few of the ones mentioned during this episode: Busy baby mat, Kids travel tray carseat, Usborne animal doodle cards, Snake speed cube puzzle   If you are going to spending time in the sun this summer this is Brandi's go-to sunscreen for the whole family: Supergoop Play or in the spray version    If you are loving Dear Doula please take a minute to scroll down, rate and review! If you have questions for Brandi feel free to shoot an email to brandi@deardoulapodcast.com      If you are looking for support with your children can reach out to us at The Cradle Company for more information on hiring a baby or parenting special.   You can follow Brandi and her work @deardoulapodcast on IG, @brandi_jordan_official IG, and send questions, comments and platitudes to brandi@deardoulapodcast.com  Have a question you want Brandi to answer? Shoot her an email or a dm and she might include it on her next podcast episode!  Produced by Dear Media

Una tarde de verano, hace mucho tiempo, un pastor bajó corriendo del monte y llegó a su casa gritando …”¡Socorrooooo!”…  ¿Quieres saber lo que ocurrió a continuación? Entra con nosotros en la casa del pastor y escucha un nuevo episodio el podcast ¿Me lees un cuento?  El dragón perezoso es es una historia que pertenece al libro Cuentos de buenas noches para los más pequeños publicado por Usborne en 2011. Adaptado por Lesley Sims a partir de un cuento de Kenneth Grahame ilustrado por Fred Blunt. Recomendado para lectores desde los 3 años.  ¡Apoya a tu podcast amigo! Compra nuestros libros en tu librería preferida o desde www.holamonstruo.com/books Patrocina ¿Me lees un cuento? en patreon desde https://www.patreon.com/holamonstruo y colabora con el podcast. Escribe una reseña con tu opinión y valora ¿Me lees un cuento? con 5 estrellas en Apple Podcasts. bit.ly/meleesuncuentoApple Comparte este episodio o podcast con tu familia y amigos.  Habla con los monstruos sobre literatura infantil y juvenil, de los episodios del podcast o sobre nuestros libros ¡Te esperamos en el canal de telegram! https://t.me/holamonstruo Música del episodio: Sneaky Adventure, Sneaky Snitch, Take a Chance e Investigation de Kevin McLeod, Jade y Tomorrow de Scott Buckley. Todas con licencia CC BY.

Serena Chow grew up in Portland, Oregon. She is the oldest of four girls. Her dad was a business owner, and her mom taught at a local junior college. She earned her Business Administration degree from Oregon State University. She was recruited out of college to work for IBM in San Francisco, and still lives in the Bay area today. While working in corporate, she met her husband Jon and left IBM after 9 years to raise their two children, Stephanie and David. She ran a business from home selling Usborne Books for 16 years and home-schooled both kids. In 2010, after the first recession, Serena closed her Usborne business and went to work for Melaleuca, The Wellness Company. It's been a rewarding 12 years so far, and she isn't stopping! Episode Summary - Network Marketing is an interesting industry where almost 95% of people leave the industry within the first five years; on the other side, some people get to live their dream lives because of Network Marketing. If you want success in Network Marketing, you need to find your way out; you need to create your own success journey. My today's guest Serena Chow is one such example. After leaving her successful corporate career and a gap of 9 years, she wrote a new success comeback story for herself. In this episode, Serena Chow shares some valuable strategies and insights that have helped her succeed. Serena talks about some essential fundamentals of Network Marketing that are crucial for success. Snapshot of the Key Points from the Episode: Serena talks about how she started her career in Network Marketing after working for 9 years in IBM. And what has been her motivation for sticking with the industry for 28 years. Serena shares the schedules that have helped her succeed. Serena talks about the things that bug her about Network Marketing. Serena shares strategies for how she helps her team members achieve their goals. Serena talks about how she finds people who are leaders. Serena talks about how her corporate experience has helped her in the Network Marketing business. Serena talks about the power of connecting with people. Serena talks about the importance of persistence in her business. Serena's pieces of advice on how to become a successful Network Marketer. How to Connect with Serena Chow: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/serena-chow-passive-income-specialist-56590410 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/serena.chow.773 About the Host - Janet is a Subject Matter Expert in Network Marketing and Direct Selling. She is an experienced Business Coach and Consultant with a demonstrated history of achieving stellar results. She mentors Home Based Business Owners, Entrepreneurs, and Network Marketers to reach the top of their profession without burnout! How to Connect with Janet - Website - www.coachjanetm.com Facebook Profile - https://www.facebook.com/janet.b.metzger Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/386998828820916 Linkedin Profile - https://www.linkedin.com/in/janet-metzger-94975414/ Book a Call with Janet - https://calendly.com/janetmetzger83/strategy-session

Louie Stowell has a long-established career in publishing having worked for Usborne books as an editor and in-house writer and for Ladybird Books. She is now a full-time writer with an expanding list of titles.In this interview, she talks to Nikki Gamble about Loki: A Bad God's Guide to Being Good and her fascination with Norse mythologyAbout LokiA wry, witty and very funny diary-style story packed with doodles and comic strips about the frustration trickster god Loki feels at having to live trapped in the body of a weedy eleven-year-old boy. After one trick too many, Loki is banished to live on Earth as a "normal" schoolboy. Forbidden from using his AWESOME godly powers, Loki must show moral improvement.As he records his lies THE TRUTH in his magical (judgemental) diary, it becomes clear Loki hasn't a clue how to tell good from evil, trust from tricks, or friends from enemies.

Mole in a Hole is about a Mole who wants to find a space of his own. He has a bit of a hard time but eventually he figures it out. Listen along to find out how…… you can find this book at Usborne. Com --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Lizard in a Blizzard is a reading about a lizard who wants to experience snow. Lizards friends aren't to keen on the idea, however lizard finds a way to make it worth everyone's wild! Make sure you check out Usborne.com for more reads!! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Tonight's reading tells a story of a Hyena who wants to be a great ballerina. Hyena has so much talent but she's is discouraged because she is told she has to look a certain way. If you are interested in this book make sure you follow our IG page at sincerelychronicles and check out Usborne.com for books. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Tonight's reading is about a Chimp who tells naughty tales to his friends to get out of helping them. We all know that telling a fib is not very nice and Chimp takes things way to far. I hope you enjoy tonight's story! Remember you can find this books on Usborne.com Don't forget to check us out on IG @sincerelychronicles --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Tonight's reading of spider in a glider is about a spider who wants to fly. However, spider has to learn that she has talents that are specific to her and they are just as good as the next bugs talents. Do you think spider will realize her talent? Let's find out…. If your interested in this book don't forget to check out Usborne.com. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Tonight reading of Ape's Great Escape is about an Ape who find himself hungry and gets into a bit of a jam. He doesn't understand why feeding himself is a crime, therefor he comes up with a plan to break out of jail. On his journey he finds himself in a bit of a jam……… I guess you'll have to find out what happens in the end……check out Usborne.com for the entire collection! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Tonight's reading is a story about a big who is having a hard time sleeping at night. But ends up getting sleep but it may not be in the best location! Come along and listen to the journey. You can find this phonics reader at Usborne.com --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Today Ceira and I discuss all of the times she was too nice to not buy from MLMs. She eventually joined Usborne books. Ceira was also someone that I attempted to recruit *cringe*.  Unfortunately, most of us have been there. https://discord.gg/r3vqStvd --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/danielle6575/support

Tonight's reading of Croc gets a Shock is a colorful tale about a young crocodile who can't manage to make it anywhere on time. Although the young croc can't get it's time together it's friends still manage to pull off a successful party and help the croc with something else….. you can find this book in the Hooked on Phonics collection at Usborne.com --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Welcome to Episode 5 - Early Greece and the first City-States.  Last time, we looked at one of the great civilizations of the ancient world - Egypt.  Our modern culture was not all that directly influenced by Egypt, though you could say our modern culture was very influenced by the Israelites that came out from Egypt.  It's interesting to me that a small, relatively powerless, backwater nation as Israel was for most of its existence, had such a profound effect on the western world.  One could argue that it was one of the 3 most influential ancient cultures, at least as far as influencing the modern world.  One of the others, not surprisingly, was Rome.  We will get to Rome in due time.  The other major influence on the western world was Ancient Greece.  It's hard to overstate how important ancient Greece was in terms of influencing the western world.  Art, government and politics, literature, philosophy, athletics, math, architecture, and worldview - all of these were hugely influenced by ancient Greece.  Who is the most influential philosopher of all time?  Well, it's either Socrates, Plato, or Aristotle.  They were all Greek.  Where did democracy originate?  Greece.  You could maybe argue that Rome was more influential for a longer period, but you could also argue that Rome was simply spreading Greek learning and values.  Rome had its own valuable contributions, as we will see, but Greece was incredibly influential to the western world.  So let's take a quick look at how it got that way. Do you where the first civilization in Europe started?  It was on the island of Crete - one of the islands of the Greek archipelago.  A civilization known as the Minoans began to arise there, around 2000 BC.  This is just a little before Abram makes his journey out of Ur, and also just a bit before King Hammurabi of Babylon.  Not much is known about the Minoan civilization, but archaeologists have found large cities, lots of fresco paintings, and lots of pottery.  Archeologists have also found Minoan writing, including hieroglyphs, and a system of script writing called ‘Linear A.'  So far, no one has been able to translate any of the Minoan writing, which is one reason we don't know too much about the Minoan culture.  The Minoan culture seems to have begun to decline around 1600 BC, which is just about the same time that we begin to see civilization develop on mainland Greece.  [recorded to here] The earliest civilization on the mainland of Greece was known as the Mycenaeans.  This culture is named after one of their important cities, Mycenae.  Mycenaean culture is important for a couple of reasons.  Big reasons, actually.  The Mycenaeans developed a culture of city-states.  Why did their culture develop this way?  Some of it has to do with geography.There are two distinctive features to the geography of Greece that influenced its development.  First, it is a peninsula, surrounded by water on three sides, and with thousands of small islands all around it.  So it was natural that the Greeks would become sailors, explorers, and traders.   The inland parts of Greece, however, are rocky and mountainous, and so it was harder to develop a continuous, connected civilization. Each region developed its own government, usually centered around a main port city.  These regions were called city-states. A city-state is a small nation, centered around a main central city.  Each city ruled the region around it, and developed its own type of government and culture.  Some of the major city-states, besides Mycenae, were Athens, Sparta, Corinth, and Argos.  Each city-state had its own way of doing things, but all the Greek city-states did have some things in common:  They all spoke the same language, worshipped the same gods (though each city had its patron god), and they usually banded together to fight off outsiders.  They also fought each other at times.This fighting is the other reason that the Myceneans are important.  One of the most famous books of all time tells the story of a great Mycenean battle. You might have heard of this one:  It's called the Iliad.  We're going to look at that story next time, but for now, I'll just mention that the king of Mycenaea plays a big role in that story.  That was King Agamemnon, the leader of the Greek army.  The Mycenaean culture was a very well-developed culture, with large cities, art, and their own form of writing.  The Myceneans, in addition to being famous soldiers, were also great sailors, and their trading ships travelled all around the eastern Mediterranean Sea.  They established colonies and trading posts in what is now Turkey, Lebanon, Crete, Sicily, and Italy.  They were the first pan-mediterranean trading culture.  In other words, they travelled all over the Mediterranean. Why is this important?  They Mycenaeans were the first culture that really had contact with a lot of other cultures.  They traded with cultures in Europe, including even Scandinavian cultures; they traded with Egypt, with other African cultures, with several different cultures in Asia, and maybe even Babylon.  It was the beginning of all of these cultures being aware of each other, and establishing regular trade between them.  But around 1200 BC, things started to fall apart.  There was a long period of poor harvests, which led to famine and starvation.  As the Mycenaeans got more and more desperate, they began to raid other places.  There are Egyptian records of migrations and raids from a group called the Sea People.  We don't know exactly who these Sea People were, but migrating Mycenaeans are the leading suspects.  It's also possible that the migrating Mycenaeans became the Philistines, who ruled a sea-side culture on the coast east and north of the kingdom of Israel.  In any case, Mycenaean culture seems to have petered out about 1100 BC.  Many of their cities were abandoned, including Mycenaea.  From about 1100 BC until about 800 BC, Greek culture went through a period where very little of written records, artifacts, or history was preserved.  This is known as the Greek Dark Ages, but after about 800 BC, Greece begins a monumental comeback, which will produce one of the richest, most influential cultures of all time, and some of the most famous people the world has ever known.  Next time, in episode 6, we will look more closely at the Iliad, and the story of the Trojan war.1.  Usborne encyclopedia of the ancient world

Today on a very special episode of B's Views and Reviews, we'll be participating in Fangtober as we take a look at the graphic novel adaptation of the literary classic, Dracula.  Dracula was written by Bram Stoker and was originally published in 1897.  The publishing company Usborne has published a graphic novel version of the story in an effort to make it more accessible to a younger audience.   Check out the article version of this review here: https://geekdevotions.com/2021/10/10/a-review-of-dracula-the-graphic-novel-adaptation/  If you have a family friendly - Faith based comic or book you'd like Branson to review; email him at branson.boykin@gmail.com  Check out Geek Devotions at https://geekdevotions.com/   Join the Devoted Geeks Discord at https://discord.gg/ZekSXbDnJm   Check out our Podchaser Page - https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/comm-talk-by-geek-devotions-519210 We want to give a very special thank you to the Devoted Patreon Geeks who help to support Geek Devotions on a monthly basis: Francisco Ruiz, Adam Arciniega, Cody McGurk, Erin Straus, Andrew Markham, Paul Turner, Jacob Russel, Mike Alderman, Nathan Marchand, The Dapper Man, Dale White, Ashley Kronenbitter, Victoria Dalton, Michael Joesph Manacci, Drew Dodgen, and Jonathan Player, Savannah Wilson If you'd like to become a Devoted Patreon Geek or learn more about the benefits of becoming one, click the link below; https://www.patreon.com/GeekDevotions You can do a one time gift via PayPal here https://www.paypal.me/geekdevotions

We're in the mood for reflections this week: on a girlhood spent between cultures; on the shyness of life in poetry; on resilience when writing long-form, and of dream-like watery scenes past and present. Our guest is Nina Mingya Powles, whose latest collection of essays - Small Bodies of Water - spans oceans, pools and ponds worldwide - and is currently attracting heaps of praise.                   The extended version of the show contains ‘Sh*t I Wish I'd Known' from Nina's perspective as an award-winning nature writer, editor and self-described 'anxious poet'. What were the early steps in her publishing journey? How does she handle her urge to hide away? And what does it mean to have 'a career in creative writing' anyway? Hear all about it on the extended NFP cut, for Patreon subscribers at Silver Nib level and up. Join us at www.patreon.com/join/nonficpod Nina Mingya Powles is a poet, zine maker and founding editor from Aotearoa, with three published poetry collections to her name, as well as Bitter Melon, a small press showcasing poets from the Asian diaspora. Her latest work, Small Bodies of Water, won the inaugural Nan Shepherd Prize for underrepresented voices in nature writing.You can find Nina at www.ninapowles.com, on Twitter and Instagram @ninamingya, and through her monthly(ish) Tiny Letter, Comfort Food.Link to transcript of this episode here (Google doc)Organisations, Events, and Books mentioned:- Bitter Melon website- Nan Shepherd prize https://nanshepherdprize.com/- Wellington zinefest https://www.wellingtonzinefest.com/- Maggie Nelson https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/maggie-nelson- Jake Spicer, ‘You Will Be Able to Draw By the End of this Book' - Usborne's Step-by-Step Drawing books https://usborne.com/gb/activities-for-kids/step-by-step-drawing- Cathy Rentzenbrink, ‘A Manual for Heartache: How to feel Better', and ‘The Last Act of Love: the Story of My Brother and His Sister'Find Us Online- Patreon: www.patreon.com/nonficpod- Bookshop: www.uk.bookshop.org/shop/nonficpod- Twitter: www.twitter.com/nonficpod- Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/nonficpodCredits- Hosts: Emma Byrne and Georgie Codd- Producer: Georgie Codd - Guest: Nina Mingya Powles- Producer: Beatrice Bazell- Composer: Mike WyerAbout UsBrought to you by author and publishing rockstar Georgie Codd and author and broadcaster Emma Byrne, NonFicPod is your home for the latest nonfiction must-reads. Our premium podcast, Sh*t I Wish I'd Known teaches you the lessons that we (and our guests) have learned about writing - and life. Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We sat down with the super talented author behind 'Ace of Spades', a hotly anticipated Young Adult novel that deals with institutional racism, homophobia, and bullying. Faridah chats to us about her experience studying in Scotland, Ace of Spades, the publishing industry, and how she got that million-dollar book deal! it's an inspirational episode!The novel is described as “a love letter to queer Black teenagers who feel powerless and alone finally finding their voices. I hope readers see that Black people belong in stories like Gossip Girl and Pretty Little Liars and that above everything else we deserve happy endings.” Her debut novel ACE OF SPADES is published by Feiwel & Friends/Macmillan in the US (OUT NOW) and by Usborne in the UK (10th June 2021). Make sure to check it out!Author Shout outs of the episode: Dean Atta, author of 'Black Flamingo'Angie Thomas, 'The Hate You Give' Dan Brown, Digital Fortress' Patrick Ness, 'The Knife of Never Letting Go'Garth Nix, 'Sabriel' and the Old Kindom Trilogy You can find Farida on socials @Faridahlikestea on instagram and twitter and at faridahabikeiyimide.com where you can find details on her mentorship program!As ever, if you enjoyed this podcast, leave us a wee comment and rating on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to this pod! You can also reach us and stay up to date on @blackscotpod on your preferred socials and @suziemwanza, @_shirleymcpherson_ on Instagram!P.S EPISODES ARE OUT EVERY WEDNESDAY! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode, we'll hear from Amie Guice, a Certified Eating Disorders Registered Dietitian, owner of Guice Nutrition Counseling and mom of two young sons. Amie shares her story of when her five-year-old son was assigned a worrisome nutrition assignment in preschool and what she did as a result. We discuss: Amie's story of the assignment her son received and how it later influenced his food choices. The value of cultivating a positive food and body environment for our kids.  The importance of children being able to trust that the food their parents provide is an appropriate and good choice. How classroom assignments about health vs. unhealthy for preschool aged children can lead to children developing disordered thinking about food. What parents can do if their children receive a similar assignment in school. Ways to proactively work with your school to support educators in assigning positive assignments related to food. How educators certainly aren't out to sabotage our kids' relationships with food, it's just that there's a lot of misinformation on this topic. How to "fake it till you make it" in helping your kids develop a positive relationship with food if you're still unsure about your own relationship with food.  Visuals associated with this episode: Amie's son's assignment  Diana's daughter's assignment Resources mentioned in this episode: Usborne books about food Dani Lebovitz's books about food Follow Amie:  Instagram: @guicenutritioncounseling Follow Diana: Instagram: @baby.steps.dietitian Visit Diana's website to learn more about her counseling services: (https://dianakrice.com/) Join The Messy Intersection Podcast Community on Facebook: (https://www.facebook.com/groups/messyintersectionpodcast)  

We return for another lockdown special where we discuss the 70s classic children's book, 'Usborne's World of the Unknown – Ghosts'. We also explore some of the UK's strangest museums including Littledean Jail and the Isle of Wight attraction that was responsible for many childhood nightmares; The Brading Waxwork Museum.

On the podcast this week we have not one, but two guests! They've come on to talk about the work that they've been doing to keep the amazingly popular WordPress theme GeneratePress up to date and relevant. Those two people are Tom Usborne, the lead developer from GeneratePress, and Paul Lacey, a long time user of the theme who runs , a WordPress agency based in the UK. Tom thought that it was time to add a new feature called "GeneratePress Sites" and it will allow you chose from a range of pre-designed sites, click a button and import those site's designs and pages.

On the podcast this week we have not one, but two guests! They've come on to talk about the work that they've been doing to keep the amazingly popular WordPress theme GeneratePress up to date and relevant. Those two people are Tom Usborne, the lead developer from GeneratePress, and Paul Lacey, a long time user of the theme who runs , a WordPress agency based in the UK. Tom thought that it was time to add a new feature called "GeneratePress Sites" and it will allow you chose from a range of pre-designed sites, click a button and import those site's designs and pages.

This week, Martha goes into more detail about her game, Stephen gushes about all the plushies he wants and Mark reminisces about the good old days of Super Mario Bros. 3. Merch 0:07:49 Mark LaCroixMarketing Stephen's Kirby Corner The Nintendo World Store is an awesome place for sweet Nintendo swag."Blown Up Game Boy From The Gulf War" -  Vince Veneziani, TechCrunch Mark's pikman plushie watches over his demo setup Mark's “Tails” aka Miles Prower plush! TopataCo is a nice place to host your merch at. The Space Junk team made stickers of their garbage! Don't you just want to hug a Sprocket of your own? Here's an older gif of Fingeance's enemies. Metro Nexus maps would make great posters, right? The Joggernauts team has been selling their pins everywhere you can find them! The Coleslaw Council's official pin design. Starting a Game 0:39:18 Martha MegarryIRL Martha started working on her point and click game Ron Gilbert's blogThimbleweed Park dev We've talked a bit about Programmer Art in a previous episode "Bananas, from here to eternity."Martha realized during the show that the Usborne puzzle adventures were influen…

This is an episode that I really wanted to do. Generate Press is a WordPress theme that I've been using for quite a while now, and it's my theme of choice. The options that it presents are powerful and yet the theme itself if very lightweight. Hooks galore, tasteful defaults, in short a great WordPress theme.

This is an episode that I really wanted to do. Generate Press is a WordPress theme that I've been using for quite a while now, and it's my theme of choice. The options that it presents are powerful and yet the theme itself if very lightweight. Hooks galore, tasteful defaults, in short a great WordPress theme.