BULLYING STOPS HERE: GETTING MY NIECE TO SEE THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BULLYING COIN

Hey All!!!
Late last week I found out some really horrifying news from my sister. She told me my niece - my sweet, always helpful, ever loving niece - has been hanging around with the wrong crowd in her after-school program and they've been mean to other kids. When I found this out, it broke my heart (almost as much as her telling me that she wasn't the biggest fan of reading, but I digress).

As someone who's vertically challenged, I spent a large part of my middle school, and some part of my high school, years being picked on. It was a difficult time, and one I would never want to inflict on anyone else. I was so upset when I first heard this news that I didn't know what to do.

After throwing out all of my ideas on strict punishments ("No birthday party for you!"), I decided that maybe the best way to handle this is to build a bit more empathy in my niece. So I'm on the lookout for ways to show her what it's like to be on the other side of bullying, and to encourage her to use her size (she's bigger than most of the kids her age) to protect others and not the other way around. I remember that there's a documentary on bullying in America, so I'm going to pull that out, and try to find a few children's books on the subject. Any suggestion y'all might have are more than welcomed.

I just want to show her that J.K. Rowling really did have it right in Harry Potter, when Dumbledore stated that, "...sometimes you have to choose between what is right, and what is easy."

Happy reading and writing!!!

SO WHAT DO YOU WANT?

Hey All!!!

Yesterday I was getting my meals together for today and my husband and I got to talking about goals. See, I've been trying to lose the same 30 pounds for years now and seem to continually get distracted by one thing or another. It's been a tough battle, but the one constant question Brandon asks me when I'm "starting again" is what I want.

It seems like a simple question, right? Unfortunately, the simple questions are often the ones that throw us for the biggest loops. And I've found that simple question plaguing me in so much more than my weight loss journey, but with my writing as well.

What do I want?

So I had to sit down and really start thinking about my short-term and long-term goals, and be more specific than I've ever been. And while it hasn't been easy, I'm feeling more happy and focused than ever these days. I even wrote a whole chapter last night!

I've been thinking of vision boarding boarding lately and focusing on what success means to me. Maybe it's not the number on the scale, but obtaining a certain body look? Or maybe it's not about being the next J.K., but writing more diverse books and finding my audience.

I don't have all the answers, but I do feel like I'm on the right track!

Happy reading and writing!