I’m flipping through the phone book
astonished by my find:
there are too many last names
that are the same as mine!
400 Harry Hansons,
A thousand Jens and Sams,
250 Stevens,
And twenty Bens and Pams.
A Hranson (silent R),
The Hansens and ten Matts.
I think Meow-er Hanson
May be somebody’s cat.
Why are there all these Hansons
with names just like my own?
I guess it’s because each of them
has a telephone!
My wife and I read out loud to our son every day…. which made me realize we all start reading by having books read TO us. It’s an important step in learning language, culture and fables — and stories told aloud have been around much longer than writing.
I enjoy how interactive reading out-loud is. I get to see my son’s reaction to each picture and sentence. I can speed up, slow down or emphasize different words depending on what he’s interested in.
The best thing about being married to an author-wife is that I get to be a child again! My wife is always reading her new manuscripts out-loud and I get to sit back and immerse myself in the story. Not only is it easier to catch mistakes (because your brain doesn’t make the same assumptions it makes when you’re skimming), but it forces you to concentrate on the flow of the words. Words that looked fine next to each other, sometimes don’t sound right when spoken together.
We wish we could read our books out-loud to all of you, but that isn’t possible (even as much as we love travel)… so that’s why my brother-in-law built a free Butterflies Don’t Chew Bubblegum android app. If you have an Android phone, you can now have books read to you whenever you want. Now that’s what I call progress!
Fill out these questions to generate your own silly mad libs letter instantly online! (Hint: a Verb is an action. An adverb usually ends in “ly” and describes an action (like slowly). A noun is a person/place/thing. An adjective describes a person/place/thing.)
This weekend I was exhausted. I wanted to write, but I had no energy. I felt bad giving myself some time off to sit and watch movies, but I did it anyway. I knew I would get sick if I didn’t listen to my body.
While resting, I spent a lot of time thinking breaks and I don’t know why breaks get a bad rep! We’re told we need to study more, try harder, work later and be more successful — but I disagree. Most people need more rest.
Nature is built in cycles. Trees grow in summer and rest in the winter. The moon shines brightly before waning and then going black. Animals forage all day and then sleep all night (or vice-versa!) So why are Americans always go-go-go? What happened to the break?
Winter is the season to take stock of your harvest and plan your next garden. If you are constantly planting — even when the conditions aren’t right — eventually your garden and energy levels will collapse. The cycles of life demands breaks. So this weekend I am proud to announce that I did nothing. I watched movies that inspire me. I napped every time my son napped… and I feel so much better for it. Breaks are a beautiful part of life.
When I’m looking for a new book to read, I usually steer clear of graphic, violent, cruel novels. Blog readers may see that preference trickle into the blog posts we write as well. It’s not an accident, but a conscious choice so I thought I would explain why.
I believe that most action starts as an idea. In another words, what you think about can influence how your life turns out. That’s why I start my day by writing what I’m thankful for and what I want to do with the day. It helps me remember what my priorities are. Then when I have to make a decision about watching TV or edit a book chapter, it’s really easy to choose the editing.
I don’t want cruel, inhumane thoughts poking my brain as I try to fall asleep at night, so I try not to put them in my head. (I even avoid a lot of news because it is mostly negative.) Plus, I think it’s possible to tell an engaging story without graphic elements. Stories are about people and the changes they undergo. When done right, they’re an emotional journey and the details of the plot almost become inconsequential to how they change.
Fill out these questions to generate your own silly mad libs letter instantly online! (Hint: a Verb is an action. A noun is a person/place/thing. An adjective describes a person/place/thing.)
Almost every time my wife breastfeeds our son, he falls asleep eating. Sometimes she keeps waking him so he can finish eating. I’m sure a belly full of warm milk to someone already prone to naps is the reason why… but it makes me laugh.
When was the last time you ate a giant Thanksgiving banquet in bed? Why do we let kids eat and fall asleep, but not parents? I’d love to have a giant sandwich or cheesecake on my nightstand and then slowly eat as I drift off to sleep. Aside from waking up when I rolled over into a bowl of cereal, I don’t see any problems with this plan.
Did you fall asleep eating as a kid? Any funny photos asleep at the dinner table?
Tasha and I just hit our 100th blog post, which feels very noteworthy. We thought it would be a good time to take a step back to examine what we’re doing.
Last year we wrote about starting an indie publishing company, starting a family, updates about our books and the things that inspires us. As we look forward, we want to start posting more short stories, poems, interactive activities and short fiction. Since we publish books, why not publish short works free on our blog?
But this blog isn’t just about us: it’s also for you! Please send us an email… leave a comment… let us know what you’d like to hear about. We’re always happy to have suggestions. Thanks!
Authors Steve & Natasha