Good reads for girls in junior primary

Popps is now 7 years old and in at least one thing in her life, she takes after me!

We both really love to read.

I have constantly found sourcing new books for her to be a challenge. Some classics are written in a language she doesn't understand or can not handle at this stage, modern books can be too simplistic for the 6 - 9 age group. Popps has made her way through close to 100 Enid Blyton books in the last year,  gee could Enid write! I googled to see exactly how many books she did write and it was 1802 books with 11,125 short stories! The lady could sure spin a tale.

But finding something more than Billy B Brown and not as full on as Little Women is hard for the junior primary girl. It could be for the boys too, but I don't have a boy and I have no idea what little boys like.

The things being re read here this term have included:

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Third Wheel

This is the 7th book in the series of Wimpy Kids. To be honest I don't get these books. But as a 7 year old Popps thinks these are extremely funny. She read the entire 217 pages on Monday night after I bought her this book as a reward for an excellent report from the dentist. She has marked some of her favourite pages - which is pretty much the whole book.

Next we have something more 'girly'.

 Bridget Lucy wants needs a pet
by Leonie Norrington

The highlight of this book is that the illustrations have colour, which is of course rare in chapter books, but really it is a shame that more don't have them. Young children's books have such beautiful illustrations at times and then all of a sudden as chapter books become the norm you start to miss out on the artwork. Note to authors of kids fiction - don't skimp on the artwork for your story.

This is the third book in the set of Bridget Lucy books. The font is a good size, the words that need emphasis are often highlighted with a different font, for children that need to improve their reading out loud or reading with expression this can be a useful reader.


More diaries...

Dear Dumb Diary

These books are all about coping with the dynamics of school. I have found so far that the politics of the playground can be much more distressing than any other part of daily school life. Dear Dumb Diary is funny. Really really funny if you are in grade one. Popps also likes this book because the characters are older than her, it is a bit like reading a book about the big kids at school. These books are not literary classics, this is not The Secret Garden, but if you are happy for your children to read for enjoyment, give Dear Dumb Diary a go.

Last for today is

Truly Tan by Jen Storer 

 

Tan is a female character that I like, she is smart, she is funny, she is adventurous and she is very interesting. The writing in Truly Tan is much more complex than in the other books I have mentioned today. I would suggest this book is for more advanced readers in junior primary, the website suggests it is designed for children aged 9 and above, I would expect that boys would also like reading Truly Tan, I am half way through it myself!  Truly Tan has some small illustrations scattered through it for those readers who are still keen for the text to be broken up. There is a second Truly Tan book called Jinxed.

Any other suggestions for the junior primary school years? 

P.S. I am Lighting the Night to help raise a cure for Leukaemia. Join in if you can.

Who's Counting?

Once upon a time, 550 blog posts ago I started writing this blog.

I was so keen for people to read it that I would ring my Dad and say, quick click on my blog so I can see if the google analytics works, only to find him to be a page view, but not to increase my unique viewers as he had already checked the page when I previously rang him and asked him to do it.

550 posts later and I hardly ever check those stats. Firstly because they are boring and secondly because when would they ever be high enough - Never?

Recently I worked on a marketing campaign where I wanted to find some bloggers to advertise with. I had my marketing brief and my strategy all worked out and from there I did the research to decide which bloggers I wanted to work with. I didn't ask any of these bloggers for their 'numbers'. One of the bloggers sent an email reply which included her media kit which covered all her numbers and was very professional looking. This was useful, but I had already decided that I was happy with the content and style of the blog.

I wanted each of these bloggers and their blogs because they 'fit'. They fitted with the message I wanted to share. They fitted with the target audience that I wanted to reach. They fitted with the general culture and mission of the business wanting to advertise. The topics that they write about, the people who read their blogs, the design of their blogs, the 'feel' of the blogs, the tone of voice, the community that joined them. These were the things that I was looking for. I keep a close eye on the blogs that match my client and regularly read them and look out for others that might also be a match.

I can tell just be reading these blogs that some have a readership substantially higher than others. This was ultimately reflected in the price point. The smaller blogs quoted smaller rates, the bigger bloggers had higher rates. It then became my decision to decide if the rates were of value. The interesting part was, that the bloggers I spoke with, they all had a very accurate concept of what their blog was worth. The smaller bloggers didn't request rates that were sky high. They requested rates that I considered fair and reasonable - as did the bigger blogs.

I fully understand that marketing needs to be justified.

I will certainly measure the traffic that the advertising brings in from those blogs, I can look at my own information to see if the blogs generated any traffic. There are other things too, like brand recognition and building relationships with key industry influencers.

Everyone wants the figures, PRs need to justify the spend, campaigns need measurement etc etc.

However, my blog, these 550 posts, is a hobby. It's a place I chat away and share information and stories and photos and life.

For the last six months I have rarely provided my stats to PR companies and brands, mainly because I would have to click around and find them and I just don't have time, but also because I want brands that just simply think I am a 'fit' for their product. This has of course meant that many opportunities may have been lost. I might not have received an invite to an event and gained a swag bag of free stuff. There are less packages of goods arriving at the door. I may have missed out on being paid for a post on something.

Maybe.

You might not have noticed but many of my sponsored/review posts have dried up, but those you do see are people and businesses that have products that match me and this is what works best for me. I do provide them with stats after the post but some of these posts get excellent long term hits rather than short term, which is not always considered by a campaign manager, but I do like to (if I remember) let a brand know about any retweets or facebook shares, instagram photos, and I certainly provide them if I have agreed to work with a brand.

But it gets tricky:

Like my review on a car seat. Every day it gets hit over and over again, the hits on this post the week it went live were very small. But I know parents are searching for this information. Place the words into google and look what comes up.

Any statistics I provided at the time this was written would have been a fraction of what they became - over time it keeps getting whacked big time by parents wanting to know more about this car seat. I wrote about it (unpaid) because it was a great fit for me. Like the sheer beauty that compounding interest is to your bank account, the same seems to occur to some blog posts.

If you run your blog as a business than your numbers might be vital. If you are seeking opportunities and putting yourself out there than you will need to present yourself and your blog (and your numbers) in a  professional way to assist in your long term success. If you have/are working with a brand than share with them your numbers after a post, big or small it all helps justify the spend and the brands will LOVE you for it.

Just don't underestimate the power of your voice, your space, your feel. The people, brands, businesses and services that think they fit with you and really want to be seen on your blog, they will do so regardless.

Trees and Nests

How was your weekend?

I think I am nesting, no idea why, in case you wondered, I am certainly not pregnant. But I am feeling an urge to pretty things up a bit. Maybe it's the glorious sunny weather after months of cold grey days.

I have been wiping skirting boards and cleaning out cupboards. I have had Mr H move a desk that nearly went out in hard rubbish to another room and I am considering turning the space into my designated work from home spot. The current position drowns in the fadmin. The bills, the school notices, the doctors reports and to do lists. Throw my work stash into the small space and it isn't working for me.

The garden is also getting attention. Today I planted a massive bucket of bulbs, all sorts of bulbs that I stole from my Mum's garden. While I sat and dug and planted in the sunshine I tried to picture how I want the rest of the garden to look. The problem is that the area has one massive big tree that ruins all my plans. I want that tree to go, Mr H loves it. It's a landmark.

We tell everyone visiting our house - remember to look for the big ugly tree. The neighbours have also told us that they use it too, except they get to say - we are next door to those people with the big ugly tree.

The girls like to climb the big ugly tree and there are days when Popps sits at the top of the big ugly tree and looks down on the world around her. Knowing that Mr H and I can't get up that tree, that walkers by do not notice her. She can spy on all those that pass below her.

With the inside and the outside of the house needing some fresh ideas we did what we do best.

Packed some fruit and headed out.

Met some family at our favourite city park, where we played football, rode bikes, talked and tight roped.

A little stroll around some shops and a little purchase, because my wardrobe also needs a little bit of attention.

How is your nest? Do you fluff it up regularly? Are you a tree lopper  - I need a quote.

Do you know that man Goode?

Imogen has two major besties at Kindergarten, she is very jealous of them both, simply because they are both five years old, and that is just not fair.  Because they are five, they know pretty much everything.

This week she returned from a day with Anna and Sharnie and said "Mum, you know Goode?"

I said I wasn't sure I did know Goode.

Yes, you do, everyone knows Goode, he is that man.

I asked her where she met Mr Goode.

"I didn't meet him, Anna told me that Mr Goode is the dad of Jesus. She also said that Jesus came back after he was dead, but I have never seen Jesus, I don't know where he lives, but we should all say thank you to Jesus because he lets us have Christmas."

I replied that I think she was talking about God, not Goode.

No, she said, I don't think you are right, Anna knows about these things. Not like you or Sharnie. Sharnie was born in Hindu and that's why she is not allowed to eat meat, people born in Hindu are allergic to it."

And there endth my lesson from my four year old today.

One of us seems to have a lot to learn.

Parental Service Announcement

This is like a Community Service Announcement, but for parents.

Actually just for parents with kids in creche or kinder that abide by the SunSmart rules.

It's hat season!

There are a few things you need to do pronto:

1) Dig through all the drawers and bags and find the hats from last summer.

2) Try each hat on the head of your little people and turf all those that no longer fit.

3) Be totally amazed at how your child's head could grow so much since April.

4) Wash all the hats that fit. If you are inclined - give them an iron.

5) Get out your sharpie and hand write names inside the hat - in big big letters. Big enough for your kiddo to recognise their name. I have often found our hats (named with iron on labels) in the lost property box.

6) Put the hat you don't like much in the creche bag. NOW. You are now prepared for all the days that you will forget the hat.

Because believe me, they never want to wear the 'My Mum forgot my hat spare', that manky left over hat that was left behind by another Mum who kept forgetting to pack a hat, and it is no fun to have your children crying at you and chanting the no hat chant:

No Hat, No Play.

 No fun for you today.

'hat's all Folks.

Stage Fright

Tomorrow I am off to present at a conference. I will be talking about personal blogging - why would anyone write a personal blog? (I don't really know, perhaps I should just say because they are a little crazzzzzzeeeeee).

This means that a handful of people might be clicking over here for the first time, which in reality does happen sometimes -  New people click here and take a look around. But when you expect that people are going to meet you 'for real' and then come over here and take a look around, well, I think I get a little stage fright. It makes me think I need to have a great and amazing post here. Something they read and think, wow, that woman is fantastic, I can see why people read her blog!

The truth is that today, I am stuck for words. Nothing I have in my mind seems interesting enough.

Nothing seems exciting and thrilling and something worth sharing.

Usually I would share what we got up to on the weekend, how much fun we had doing a few things, how steep the hills were that Popps ran up and down and what it was like having a father's day when you don't have a father for the first time.

But the words are not cooperating.

For those of you here for a first visit, I am sorry this is all you get, maybe click back another day when I am not expecting any visitors and you will see me as I usually am - whatever that actually is. For my wonderful and most loyal regular readers, regular transmission shall resume once I have my stage fright under control.

Where Hope Shines

It is really easy to be someone who says no all the time. Once you have a little bit of practise and come up with some useful fall back reasons of why you can't do things, saying no is simple pimple.

Making the decision to be a doer and then following through on this decision is much harder.

I am someone who feeds off others, I am inspired by what others do.

When I put out the request this week to see if anyone would pay a fiver to advertise on my blog, with the money going to the Leukaemia Foundation, I really didn't know if anyone would. It was deathly quiet for a few hours and I thought it might be a little embarrassing if no one at all wanted to join in.

But the very inspiring easy peasy kids jumped in.

Nathalie was happy to pay for the spot and she thought it was worth much more than I, so I am giving her the spot for the rest of the year. THANK YOU NAT!  If you don't follow easy peasy kids already, you are missing out.

But Nathalie inspired me to do even more. Rather than just add a widget and get some branding recognition, I have now joined up for the Leukaemia Foundation Light the Night Walk.

It's simply a walk, held all around Australia with Blue, Gold and White Lanterns to represent people affected by Leukaemia.

I added my fundraising page to my little facebook page and was instantly supported by some close friends and a business who requested that I don't promote them - they just wanted to let me know that they too have been affected by Leukaemia. Another friend has also decided to join me, so I won't be doing the walk alone.

Good people surround me, and I am truly a lucky duck to have them in my life.

The Leukaemia Foundation use the words 'shining a lantern of hope to help cure leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma forever'. Hopefully one day, they will add Amyloidosis to the list so that people hear of it a bit more. One day.

On cold nights and busy weeks I do find being a 'doer' a tough gig, but I am yet to find something I regret saying yes to. Filling my days with things is certainly a better way to live, and a way to make sure that Hope does continue to shine.

Seeya later Wave Zapper.

I remember back in the eighties when we all went out to buy Mums mothers day present and Dad decided we should buy her a microwave.

Great idea, we were all so excited.

Mum was not impressed. It was my first lesson that Mums do not ever want a kitchen gadget as a gift. Ever. There is never an excuse for this rule.

We quickly showed Mum how you could put chips in a bowl and melt cheese over them in TEN SECONDS!! Or heat a frozen jam doughnut. This was fun until you got to the jam and BAM. BURNT TONGUE ON FREAKING HOT JAM.

Us kids loved this new gadget for a few weeks.

But I have never used the microwave for much more than melting. There is the odd reheated leftovers and the kids like to have the instant porridge sachets for breakfast sometimes, but other than that I am not a big microwave user. It does seem that I am the only person considered to be a microwave cleaner in the house. Not only that, but no one here covers the food they put in the microwave. They just don't care, they are happy to see mould grow in that box and just shut the door quickly and zap that food as fast as they can.

I admit to still being a little wary of the 'waves' but I am also wary of the germs that seek out our microwave and consider it a long term residence.

I recently got the big plastic box down from its perch in the cupboard and started cleaning it again.

Then decided I am not doing it anymore.

Instead I am throwing it out.

Mr H has failed to throw it right out the door and instead has actually carried it back to the kitchen bench to use once or twice before I carry it back to the step before the bin - my dining room table of junk.

The wave zapper is no longer welcome in my kitchen. I might change my mind, there might be too many things that I didn't think of that I do use it for.  It may be that I have to buy a brand new one for us to use.

Let's see how it goes.

At least I won't be cleaning it for awhile.

Have you got rid of an appliance? Did you even miss it?





Image - this image is for a Microwave Jam recipe - I will no longer be able to make it.