Awareness
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A Gottman Institute Therapist Provides Tips to Keep Your Marriage Strong
The Gottman Institute: Many of you might have heard about Dr. Gottman of The Gottman Institute and his ability to predict with 98% accuracy which marriages would end in divorce. When I read this statistic, I was intrigued to learn more about this man and the compile of work he has done through the years. The Gottman Institute was co-founded by Drs. John and Julie Schwartz Gottman. The Gottman Relationship Institute has two major functions: helping couples directly, and providing state-of-the-art training to mental health professionals and other health care providers. The Gottman Institute applies leading-edge research on marriage in a practical, down-to-earth therapy and trains therapists committed to helping couples. No…
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To Ponder Love
Most mornings I begin with meditation. Like so many words associated with the inner-life, or that potentially eek towards the edge of spirituality or even religion, it seems to me that maybe these days there ought to be a glossary attached when a person writes or speaks. Therefor, in the interest of context, let me just say that I use that word to equate my personal period of quiet and introspection in the morning. It is, to be clear, the period of time that counts and not at all the actual practice. I am a big advocate of learning and using tools such as breathing and present-centeredness that help…
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The Chuck Jones Center for Creativity Review and Giveaway
The Chuck Jones Center for Creativity: Brings out Creativity in the Young and Young-at-Heart: Most of us grew up watching Bugs Bunny, The Roadrunner and Coyote and many more of the characters that Chuck Jones created in his lifetime. I had a chance to speak to his grandson, Craig Kausen, who spoke about how his cartoons are timeless and children today enjoy them just as much as we did as kids. I completely agree and just love that one man created such wonderful characters! My daughter and I found The Chuck Jones Center for Creativity a few months ago at the new SoCo shopping center in Orange County. We…
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10 Books You Mustn’t Leave Childhood Without Reading
Oh, the joy and pleasure of a great children’s book! There is something so special about the books you read as a child. They often have a far greater impact on us than the books we read at any other stage of life. From enchanting picture books to cherished novels, from long ago to recent times, here is my pick of the time honored tales that have captured children’s hearts decade after decade. Charlie and The Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl What can be more exciting for a child than a tour of a chocolate factory? But imagine a chocolate factory that is staffed by Oompa Loompas, has rivers of…
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Instagram of the Week: The Getty Museum Garden
The Getty Museum Garden: It might seem hard to believe, but yesterday our family took it’s first trip to The Getty Museum up in Los Angeles. Hard to believe in that it is one of the more well-known and revered museums in our area – but as busy parents (you know how it is) we didn’t make time for this cultural trip. But am I glad we made the effort yesterday! The museum itself is quite amazing and they are currently featuring paintings from The Renaissance Era and the photography of Ray K. Metzer who is considered one of the most original photographers of the last half-century. If you are local or…
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Celebrate Dr. Seuss Read Across America!
One of my favorite things about being a children’s author is reading to a classroom full of kids! I just love to see their faces light up when we get to an exciting part of the story. Recent studies show that reading to a child up to age 5 is a positive predictor for literacy in later years. (Source: National Early Literacy Report). In May 1997, a small reading task force at The National Education Association (NEA) wanted to get kids excited about reading. Thus, NEA’s Read Across America was born and celebrated on March 1, 1998, Dr. Seuss’s birthday. Now we see everyone from schools to libraries to community centers host events to…
