Sunday's Friday Addendum
Lookie here! I’m posting twice in one day! This is something I haven’t done since I first discovered blogging years ago on LiveJournal. I used to do more than one post a day and posted several times a week for any reason. Then, it hit me, why am I talking about my life and day-to-day things when really, no one wants to talk about the mundane. I thought the day-to-day things just weren’t very interesting. As a result I started posting less and less until it became weeks or even months between posts.
Of course, this needs to change, I have been told, if I want people to know who I am. It is also a means to tell more than just close friends about my efforts to become a published author. I am advertising with just thoughts on random things in life and about things going on in my books.
Honestly, I find it difficult to talk about my life or about my creative efforts, but I am trying. #writemotivation is to help with others cheering me on and getting at least one post a week in so they know what is going on as far as reaching those goals.
During all this, I am now trying to ignite the spark of wanting to read in my youngest son. He’s only seven and thinks everyone should be playing video games all the time. We limit his time to the computer and the Wii and even then, he has to earn that time by doing his homework, helping take care of our cat, and keeping his room clean.
right now, he hates reading. He finds it boring. As part of his daily assignments, his IEP teacher requires her students to read at least 20 minutes per day in order to earn credits (known as fun cash) to participate in Fun Fridays where the kids get to have a little party, have treats, or do fun things rather than the normal learning they do the rest of the week. She sneaks the lessons in the fun and they love it!
Getting Colin to read is like pulling teeth. He whines and moans and tries to put it off for as long as possible until we are given no choice but to make him sit down and read to us. He is actually very good at reading and nearing the third grade level in his skill and still working on his comprehension.
Recently, he has been complaining about the books he has not being long enough to fill the full twenty minutes. Admittedly, these are books geared toward the younger child; four, five, and maybe six-year olds, and it takes him only five minutes to go through each. This is frustrating to him since he knows it used to take much longer for him to read these short little books. Each one also comes with a life lesson to teach the young reader about important things.
Well, I promised Colin I’d buy him a new book; one that would take more than five minutes to read and be one he picks out on his own. Mom and I took him into Barns & Noble and let him look around. Firstly, we found their kits to learn things like sustainable energy, astronomy, and the like. He found one he really wants, but he has to earn it, first. he has until next payday to earn it.
When we finally go into the children’s’ book section, he immediately finds a book on Star Wars characters, Lego version and begs for that. I had to explain to him that while it was a book, and thick one at that, it wasn’t a book his teacher wants him to read. Mom and I point him to the section just for his age group, the seven to 12 year books, and point out several titles, but we don’t push him toward any specific one.
Oh, he decided to throw a small fit and distracted, or tried to anyway, by saying his eyes were hurting him and refused to look at any of them. He wanted that Star Wars character reference book. I had to sit there with him a few minutes to explain why he couldn’t have it, though, maybe, if he was good, he could get it later, then asked him what kind of animals did he like to look at and read about. After telling me cats, I showed him the Warrior series and others then let him pick one out.
All on his own, he picked out a box set of three and held on tight to it. After that, I asked him to pick out a book mark, Star Wars, and then we went to look around at other books and games before heading off to do the grocery shopping. So, finally, he has picked out something to read all on his own. With luck, he will enjoy them enough to want to get more to make his own private library grow. Maybe, these first books will turn on that lust to read that his father and I have.
Either way, we’re going back on my next check. I’ve every intention of purchasing one or two of the books I had to leave behind in NC when I had to move almost four years ago. Having to leave them behind, along with other things I couldn’t bring home with me, have put me into a funk for a while. At least now, I’m breaking free and looking forward to rebuilding what was lost and adding to it as I put fingers to keyboard to write my own.
I haven’t done any writing today other than this blog. Besides finding and organizing the character notes I had found, nothing new has been done to Black Friday or the next in the series. Tomorrow, I will be putting some effort into something before writing my post for #writemotivation.
At this weekend has come with some good news and the hope of a new reader joining us soon.
Of course, this needs to change, I have been told, if I want people to know who I am. It is also a means to tell more than just close friends about my efforts to become a published author. I am advertising with just thoughts on random things in life and about things going on in my books.
Honestly, I find it difficult to talk about my life or about my creative efforts, but I am trying. #writemotivation is to help with others cheering me on and getting at least one post a week in so they know what is going on as far as reaching those goals.
During all this, I am now trying to ignite the spark of wanting to read in my youngest son. He’s only seven and thinks everyone should be playing video games all the time. We limit his time to the computer and the Wii and even then, he has to earn that time by doing his homework, helping take care of our cat, and keeping his room clean.
right now, he hates reading. He finds it boring. As part of his daily assignments, his IEP teacher requires her students to read at least 20 minutes per day in order to earn credits (known as fun cash) to participate in Fun Fridays where the kids get to have a little party, have treats, or do fun things rather than the normal learning they do the rest of the week. She sneaks the lessons in the fun and they love it!
Getting Colin to read is like pulling teeth. He whines and moans and tries to put it off for as long as possible until we are given no choice but to make him sit down and read to us. He is actually very good at reading and nearing the third grade level in his skill and still working on his comprehension.
Recently, he has been complaining about the books he has not being long enough to fill the full twenty minutes. Admittedly, these are books geared toward the younger child; four, five, and maybe six-year olds, and it takes him only five minutes to go through each. This is frustrating to him since he knows it used to take much longer for him to read these short little books. Each one also comes with a life lesson to teach the young reader about important things.
Well, I promised Colin I’d buy him a new book; one that would take more than five minutes to read and be one he picks out on his own. Mom and I took him into Barns & Noble and let him look around. Firstly, we found their kits to learn things like sustainable energy, astronomy, and the like. He found one he really wants, but he has to earn it, first. he has until next payday to earn it.
When we finally go into the children’s’ book section, he immediately finds a book on Star Wars characters, Lego version and begs for that. I had to explain to him that while it was a book, and thick one at that, it wasn’t a book his teacher wants him to read. Mom and I point him to the section just for his age group, the seven to 12 year books, and point out several titles, but we don’t push him toward any specific one.
Oh, he decided to throw a small fit and distracted, or tried to anyway, by saying his eyes were hurting him and refused to look at any of them. He wanted that Star Wars character reference book. I had to sit there with him a few minutes to explain why he couldn’t have it, though, maybe, if he was good, he could get it later, then asked him what kind of animals did he like to look at and read about. After telling me cats, I showed him the Warrior series and others then let him pick one out.
All on his own, he picked out a box set of three and held on tight to it. After that, I asked him to pick out a book mark, Star Wars, and then we went to look around at other books and games before heading off to do the grocery shopping. So, finally, he has picked out something to read all on his own. With luck, he will enjoy them enough to want to get more to make his own private library grow. Maybe, these first books will turn on that lust to read that his father and I have.
Either way, we’re going back on my next check. I’ve every intention of purchasing one or two of the books I had to leave behind in NC when I had to move almost four years ago. Having to leave them behind, along with other things I couldn’t bring home with me, have put me into a funk for a while. At least now, I’m breaking free and looking forward to rebuilding what was lost and adding to it as I put fingers to keyboard to write my own.
I haven’t done any writing today other than this blog. Besides finding and organizing the character notes I had found, nothing new has been done to Black Friday or the next in the series. Tomorrow, I will be putting some effort into something before writing my post for #writemotivation.
At this weekend has come with some good news and the hope of a new reader joining us soon.