I mentioned in my last blog that I shared my new book with little Mariah over the holidays but I did not really talk about the book itself.  Let's Play is the ninth book in my Lae Lae book collection and, as with all of the books in the collection, it is about the love of children everywhere and the nurturing of animals and the environment.  This new book is about the importance of play in the human development process and how children all over the world love to (and need to) play.  Play is a fundamental part of the human spirit and an emotional, physical and mental necessity in the growth process.  As with my other books, this book includes games and activities suitable in different ways for children between the ages of two and six.  The collection has been awarded three book awards, two of them international and books have sold as far away as the outback of Australia.

In this book, children will learn how to play the Vision Board game to realize their dreams for themselves and for their world. Vision Boards have been used down through the ages as useful tools to manifest dreams and goals into reality.  In addition to the Vision Board there is a section of the book dedicated to  games from around the world that parents or caregivers can share and play with their children.

Nurturing children is one of the most fundamental duties that we adults have and playing games with children or guiding them in play can be instrumental in that nurturing.  Children copy the world around them and we must be careful about what we expose them to.  They will be the stewards of tomorrow's world and will have the great responsibility to make it a good world.  We need to help them handle that responsibility with love and care.  Games encouraging cooperation, communication, partnerships and team work in a fun atmosphere can help in that effort.

The holidays are always fun with a just turned six year old child.  This year we spent them with Mariah and her family.  The expectations of wonderful surprises had prompted little Mariah to be as good as a little girl can be. She is absolutely adorable all the time and is so full of impish personality but she was especially helpful and polite  during this holiday season.  It was endless music and dancing as she played her way toward "the Big Day".  

​Since she was such a good little girl and surrounded by a wonderful, loving family, she had many treats to unwrap.  Among the things that she received was the first copy of my New Book, "Let's Play".  I will admit that her action toys came first in her priorities as she played because she is a bit of a tomboy.  But then she settled in and we had a wonderful time reading the book and playing the games and doing the activities in the book.  She told her grandmother that she was surprised to see that the book had my photo in the back...and her grandmother told her that that was because I had created the book. It was wonderful experience enjoying "Let's Play" with her and seeing her 6 year old reaction to it.

​Happy New Year everyone! Best Wishes for 2020!

My granddaughter Zoe came back from the HOBY Foundation Leadership conference in Chicago this summer inspired to do something meaningful and she has.  She started a local outreach of the United Nations initiative, Girl Up in her community. Girl Up is a campaign of the United Nations Foundation, created to support the work of the United Nations itself.  Since Girl Up’s launch in 2010, the initiative has partnered with the United Nations to support comprehensive programs that give adolescent girls in developing countries an equal chance for education, health, social and economic opportunities, and a life free from violence.
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The UN partners that Girl Up works with include:

• International Labor Organization (ILO)
• Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)
• United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
• United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
• United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women)
• United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
• United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR)
• World Health Organization (WHO)

Zoe developed an ambitious goal: to host a Christmas holiday fundraiser with her hew group to benefit Mujeres Unidas which provides services for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault in the Rio Grand Valley of Texas. It was a wonderful success; I am so proud of her!  The Lae Lae Collection gave her a seed contribution to help her get started and she and her friends added to it.  What a lovely showing of the true holiday spirit of giving to help those who need it.  Way to go Zoe!  (By the way, she just scored 1580 on her SATs as well).  She is bound for great things in her future!