I’m a huge fan of children’s picture books. I loved them when I was a child, kept a few of my favorites through my teen and young adult years and splurged on them when my own children were young. Now that my kids are mostly grownup, I still have a bookcase (okay, two bookcases) filled with picture books. I was recently in a great independent bookstore near my home that specializes in children’s books. My young adult and teenage children were with me and none of them wanted to leave. Why? Because children’s books are so much fun! Seriously, well-written Read More
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World Kindness Day is November 13
I don’t know about you, but I’m sick and tired of negative news stories. I just survived the U.S. midterm elections. In my nearly 50 years on the planet, I have never seen a more contentious, vile, and downright ugly election season. I’m ready for something uplifting. How about you? November 13 is World Kindness Day. What if we set our differences (political or otherwise) aside and focus on kindness for a while instead? I’m thinking we could make a bigger difference in our world by doing this than all the promises politicians have made in recent months. I recently Read More
365 Days of Happiness: A Book Review
Over the summer, I was contacted by a representative of Jacqueline Pirtle, author of 365 Days of Happiness: Because happiness is a piece of cake!, and offered a complimentary copy of the book. The words “free” and “book” are two of my favorites, especially when put together. I said I’d love to see the book and thanked her for thinking of me. A few weeks later, the package was delivered. I was impressed to not only receive the book, but a cute cupcake bookmark and a personal note as well. And then the school year began, my kids went back Read More
New Gratitude Challenge for 2018
November is National Gratitude Month. Two years ago, when My Cup of Cocoa began, I created a Gratitude Challenge. It is still one of my most popular posts. But I thought an updated version was in order for 2018. What is a gratitude challenge? It’s simply a list of questions to help you think about what you have to be grateful for in your life. And what better time to do that than during November and National Gratitude Month. The idea behind the gratitude challenge is simple. For each day in November, answer the question listed. You can answer question Read More