When my first daughter was little, I wanted her to know how to reach me in case of an emergency — but memorizing numbers wasn’t exactly a preschooler’s idea of fun. So I came up with a quick little hack that worked so well, I used it years later with my second daughter!
This simple activity helps kids see, say, and touch the numbers — hitting every learning style and making it stick. Best of all, it takes just a couple of minutes to make.
What You’ll Need
An old phone (disabled, or toy)
Round pricing stickers
Painter’s or masking tape
A marker
How to Make It
Stick the round labels where the numbers would be and write in the digits. (Bonus tip: draw the green phone/call icon at the bottom so kids learn to “press call.”)
On the back, add three strips of tape and write down:
Mom’s number
Dad’s number
911
life skills for kids
That’s it! Your child can now practice dialing anywhere — at home, in the car, or while waiting at appointments.
Once they’ve memorized your number, it’s one less thing to worry about. You’ll feel more at ease knowing they have the skills to reach you when it really counts — and they’ll feel so proud showing off their “grown-up” phone skills.
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Need a fun story for 2-7-year-olds? Ringo Picked is a seriously silly story about a really good raccoon with a very bad habit!
Find the paperback/ebook/audiobook available here.
I was recently on the Investor Mama podcast to talk about easy ways to coach your kids through money and business topics in a fun way.
I shared seven conversation starters, and each takes just five minutes or less. You can easily start one of these conversations in the car, at bedtime, at bathtime, in the doctor’s office waiting room, or even sitting around the dinner table.
I recommend starting when your kids are in elementary school, but the great news is that these conversations apply to middle schoolers and high schoolers, too.
Before starting these conversations, I’d encourage you to read your kids some picture books on these topics. The Money Smart Kids series is a great place to start to help get their wheels turning about what it could look like to start their own business – as a kid!
To hear our full podcast conversation, with in-depth examples for each question, listen here (link coming soon).
Remember, these are just a starting place to learn and grow, no wrong answers!
Seven Questions to Get Your Kids Thinking Like an Entrepreneur:
Ask–If you had your own money, what would you buy?
This question creates immediate engagement and helps kids value what comes next. They could brainstorm a list and then pick their Top Three.
You could even help them estimate how much they would have to earn to buy their Top Three items.
This is also a great time to plant the seed about giving.
What type of charity would they want to give to? It can be a fun way to reveal what moves the heart of your child.
Then – get into questions about creating a business (questions 2-7)
2. Ask – If you were to start a business, what product or service would you sell?
Here you can discuss…
… products vs. services
… your child’s unique skill set and strengths (they will love hearing from you, and it’s fun to hear what they think their own best skills are)
…what could they make better? A special kind of roller skate, folding laundry, a service for kids to deliver snacks! All ideas are welcome.
3. Ask – Where would you sell XYZ?
Let them brainstorm locations– school, park, local craft faire, door-to-door. Then make sure to dive into the pros and cons of each (traffic, visibility, safety, cost, fun factor).
4. Ask – How would you let people know about what you are selling?
When I was in college I read something along these lines:
Selling without advertising is like a man winking at a woman in the dark, he knows what he’s doing, but she doesn’t have a clue!
Make it easy, give people a clue!
So how will your kids be bold and get the word out about their business?
Sign, flyers, talking to people 1:1, website, business cards, email, a short video text to family and friends…
Challenge your kids – how will you make your message short and exciting so that people will want to use your service or buy your product?
5. Ask – How much would you sell it for?
If your kids are younger, you may have to help with this one.
Have them think about how much their supplies will cost – for the product and advertising.
Then have them think about how much they want to make each time their product sells. Now add those two numbers together to get the price you will charge.
Example: $1 total in supplies and advertising, and I want to make $5 per item after expenses, so I need to sell each one for $6.
Have them wrap up with a gut-check:
Is that price reasonable for the item I’m selling?
Would I pay that much if I saw this item for sale?
6. Ask – If your product wasn’t selling, what would you do?
Ideas: Could change the location you sell it.
You could change the advertising message: What words and description would make the item more likely to sell? Handmade, one-of-a-kind, will solve XYZ problem.
Or do they need to keep pitching and then adapt their product based on feedback?
In the book How to Sell a Rock, all the neighbors say no – but Sebastian keeps adapting his product and message until he finds what his customers really want.
7. Ask – How will you make sure you have money left to buy more supplies?
You can help them break their money into three buckets like Sophia did in the book How to Sell a Flower.
She used the three S’s for the money she earned from her business:
Supplies (short-term expenses)
Save (long-term expenses)
Spend (pay yourself and get some of the things you want + need for you)
Helping your kids have this responsible money mindset early on will help make sure they can stay in business and keep earning their own money!
One Final Ask:
Support these entrepreneur kids when you see them.
I once had two neighbor girls come to my door asking to walk my dog.
My dog is kind of a punk, so I didn’t want to put them in that situation. However, I saw their desire to make money, and I hired them to be mother’s helpers for the summer to entertain my girls while I worked from home. We all won!
Gives these kids the gift of practice: Engage in conversation, Give them at-bats to practice, let them work out the kinks, and then let them earn the money!
If I’m being honest, my 10th book was one of the hardest to publish. It had little to do with the book itself, and everything to do with my own motivation…
If I’m being honest, my 10th book was one of the hardest to publish. It had little to do with the book itself, and everything to do with my own motivation.
My goal was to finish writing and publishing Ringo Picked last month…but I was on twelve different planes, bouncing from city to city and it left me feeling overwhelmed.
You’re kind, I’m sure in your head you gave me a pass for not reaching my goal.
But what if I told you that my goal was the same for the last three months and for various reasons I didn’t get there. That changes things a bit.
Obviously life happens, but in reality, I wasn’t making progress because of me.
Sometimes we all need a little motivation to hold ourselves accountable.
I actually made a plan of what needed to happen, set aside an entire day to actually do it without excuse, changed my environment for inspo (cute coffee shops always help me), and planned a reward for myself once I reached my goal.
Whether it’s a bad habit you (or your kids) are trying to quit, or a goal you are trying to reach, visually seeing progress and having a reward to look forward to at the end can help.
I’ve created this free Progress Chart to help your kids (or students) reach their own goals. Get FREE your printable here.
Wondering what my “reward” of choice was? A new coffee mug and a massage! Oh yeah, plus the personal gratification of publishing book ten 😉
Think of this as your permission from the universe to write.
Each November I participate in a challenge with a daily goal of writing one children’s book a day. Yes, some of the stories stink, most really. But there are always a few bits of magic in there. And those little gems are the ones I try to massage later in to stories worth publishing.
The key is to do the massaging once the month is over. Having a perfect story by month end is not the goal. Creating thirty totally new stories is.
Here’s how the challenge works:
Set aside thirty minutes a day, for 30 days straight
Use one writing prompt, found below, per day
You can go in order, or skip around, but finish every one – even the ones that don’t inspire you at first glance, because you want to stretch yourself to take on new subjects, perspectives, and ideas
Use the hashtag #chibowrimo on social media to see what others are writing
Don’t overthink it. Just print out the list of prompts, put it by a fresh notebook and pen, and set a reminder on your phone to get started on Nov. 1st.
If you want some other prompt options check out these, and pick your favorite.
The universe is ready to hear your stories. It’s time to let them out.
30 Stories in 30 Days, Children’s Book Writing Prompts:
A story about a backpack full of…
A story about an epic hike
A story about a cell phone that only calls one person
A story about an animal that lives abroad (ie: a pigeon in Paris)
A story about a kidpreneur that makes money for someone in need
A story about the Worst Teacher Ever
A story that uses alliteration. Pick a letter of the alphabet before getting started.
A Story about a topic kids find hilarious
A story about caring for grumpy people or animals
A story about how to clean a big mess
A story about Plan B being better than Plan A
A story about caring for something small and fragile
A story about a person with an embarrassing secret
A story about your new world record in…
A story about a letter that gets lost in the mail and found again a year later
Free Day, YOYO (Your on Your Own)
A story about a Holiday with a twist
A story about an adult that needs help from child
A story that is a song, or has a rap in it, to teach something new
A story about a train carrying a special surprise
A story that is under 100 words
A story about a magical item of clothing
A story that is non fiction (but still interesting)
A story about going to sleep
A story that is a sequel to something else your wrote
A story about finding $100 and having an internal debate about what to do with it
A story about how you stopped the “bad guys”
A story about how to stop anger in the world
A story about being the first kid on the moon
A story that includes Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas – bonus points for New Years too!
#ChiBoWriMo 30 Writing Prompts for Children’s Books. Read on for thirty writing prompts to keep you motivated.
I’ve fallen off the wagon.
This last year has felt out of sorts.
In the last two months, we have…
…said goodbye to our dog of fifteen years
…our 3.5 yr old daughter left the daycare she had been at since she was four months old and started at a new preschool
…we sold our house
…we bought a new house and did a large remodel in thirty days
…then we moved and went right into having house guests visit
All that to say, I need some routine in my life. Especially in my writing.
My birthday was this week and I’d like to start the year off right.
I want to help you gain a feeling of accomplishment too. So whether you have thought it would be fun to write your own children’s book, or you just need a new goal to flex your creative muscle, I’ve got something for you!
Come November, you often hear the writing community discussing NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). Their goal is to finish a 50k word manuscript in the month of November.
It’s a great goal, but it doesn’t translate to those of us that want to write children’s books.
So in an effort to get motivated and try something new, I’m challenging myself to write 30 children’s books in 30 days. One book a day in the month of November,
Sure, these will not all be gems. I know that. But the goal is all about creating routine and space for creativity to come out.
Want to write 30 stories too??? I’m starting #ChiBoWriMo (Children’s Book Writing Month), and you can join me!
(yes I totally just made up #ChiBoWriMo)
Read on for thirty writing prompts to keep you motivated. Then use #ChiBoWriMo online if you want to share your progress for accountability.
#ChiBoWriMo: 30 Writing Prompts for Children’s Books
Write a story about a pet
Write a short, silly rhyme for 1-3 yr olds (think Sandra Boynton)
Write a story about a bubble bath gone wrong
Write a story where they live in a strange location (spaceship, treehouse, etc)
Write a story about how to promote kindness in the world
Write a story about ice cream
Write a story about kids that sell something
Write a story about a free day with no routine
Write a story about a unique animal
Write a story explaining how you would make new friends if you moved to a new place
Write a story about a grumpy object
Write a story about a hair cut
Write a story about something strange happening at the library
Write a story that has a game element to it
Write a story about an animal that is part of the circus
Write a story about a secret door
Write a story that pulls from a fond childhood memory
Write a story on a hot topic for kids (use google to research)
Write a story that has a character with a growth mindset
Write a poem
Write a story about a food eating contest
Write a story about a shocking gift from a crazy aunt
Write a story about the profession you wanted as a kid
Write a story that revolves around one emotion
Write a story about a child that woke up and was all of a sudden an adult
Write a story about a never-ending supply of something totally normal (floss, paper plates, shoes, etc)
Write a story about your car breaking down and having to ride your bike everywhere
Write a story about waiting in line for a very long time (think about everything you might observe)
Write a story about never growing up
Write a story about something random you find in a junk drawer
Happy Writing!
Now I’m off to do ALL the Halloween things. Thankfully I finally had kids so that I don’t have to be the creepy adult trick or treater in the neighborhood – anymore-:)
Parenting doesn’t have to be attached to gender roles. Thankfully, it can be a team sport where we back each other up and fill in each other’s gaps.
To the ‘All-in’ Dads out there, we see you.
The Dads that…
Wake up at 4a.m. to console tears, make scrambled eggs for breakfast, pick out twinning shoes for them and their mini-me, make homemade baby food and pack lunches, braid hair and brush teeth, do the daycare/school drop-off, go to work, handle doctors appointments on lunch breaks, always carry the diaper bag, cheerlead at swim lessons and send photos from soccer practice, clean up vomit and pee sheets, make the best forts and sidewalk chalk art, get silly dancing in the kitchen with their little fam, and then wrap up the day with a bedtime routine that includes story-time character voices, laughter, lullabies, and back scratches.
Photo Credit: @Johnlegend Instagram
But even so, sometimes Dads get shorted just because they’re not Moms. Like a Dad’s contribution to his children is less significant because he doesn’t ‘do it all,’ and ‘needs the Mom.’
Sure, they didn’t carry their children inside them for nine months, or experience breastfeeding firsthand, but the longer women hold on to the idea that they are the one-and-only capable caregiver, the longer they belittle a Dad’s amazing assistance.
Ideally, no parent should be expected to have to do it on their own. Plenty of Dads totally step-up it when it comes to parenting these days, and spoiler – they are making Moms’ lives easier too.
Parenting doesn’t have to be locked to gender roles, especially in homes where both parents work. Thankfully, it can be a team sport where we back each other up and fill in each other’s gaps.
It’s about knowing each-other’s parenting strengths, joys, and weaknesses. But beyond that, it’s about stepping up as-needed for the good of our families.
Photo Credit: @therock Instagram
‘All in’ Dads, we see you going to bed satisfied and exhausted from killing this fatherhood thing all day.
We are lucky to have you, we appreciate the help you provide, and your children are better off by the fatherhood examples you set every day.
In short, thank you.
***
Traveling with children? You’ll love my next book. ‘Best Trip Ever’ will be out July ’19. Want to join the Launch Team and get an early copy of the book FREE?
Sign up here – and include the words ‘Launch Team’ in the subject.
Resolutions are for quitters. One slip-up and you feel like all is lost. You’re a failure. You didn’t try hard enough. Game over.
I am a goal setter. Are you?
I’m currently mapping out 2019. My list is long and spans many facets of life (business, marital, social, physical, spiritual, financial, family, hobbies…), but the one thing you won’t find on my list?
Resolutions.
Resolutions are for quitters. One slip-up and you feel like all is lost. You’re a failure. You didn’t try hard enough. Game over.
That kind of self-talk flat out stinks. It’s not motivating. Goals, on the other hand, help you frame everything with a growth mindset. “Today (fill in the blank) happened. What can I learn from that to take the next step toward the goal I set for myself to achieve in 2019?”
I literally just finished four miles on our treadmill, then picked up my phone and started typing this post. Probably not a huge surprise for those that know me, but two of my goals this year are:
1, Set a new PR for a half marathon. (Benchmark: Surf City 2017 1:50:14//8:25 pace)
If you want to use the same goal tracker I’ve been using for years – here is the monthly and quarterly template view:
No matter which way you chose to attack 2019 – be courageous. Set big goals and set out an action plan for each.
Yes. You have to write it down.
More specifically you have to write down the S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, andTime-Bound) action steps that will point you in the direction of your goal, and let you know if you actually got there!
Once you’ve decided on a goal and written down your S.MA.R.T. steps, share it with someone. A boss, a spouse, a friend, Instagram. Me. It doesn’t matter who, but it does matter that YOU DO.
This year I started by writing down every goal I could possibly hope to achieve in each category. Then I spent the next week just letting them swirl around my head to see if…
…anything else came to mind…
…then really consider which one was most critical in each category.
Not which was the easiest to achieve, but what would truly take that area of life to the next level.
Next week I’ll be putting them in to my template so that I can track them weekly (honestly, sometimes weekly becomes monthly, but do what you need to do to keep yourself accountable).
Don’t be afraid to let this goal-setting process take a week or two. Remember, you are planning out the next year. That’s pretty major.
You’re pretty major.
GO GET THIS YEAR!
…
I’d love to hear which goal you are most excited to work on in 2019. Drop it in the comments below.
Happy New Year from the Coys! Cracking up because the little ones eyes are saying, “Help me!”;)
Can you imagine being pregnant and having the “due date” continuously pushed back, week after week?
At some point you might just think you are going to stay pregnant forever.
Many times I felt that way during the writing of the latest book. Things took far longer than I expected to come together. It literally ended up taking nine months from the time I put a call out that I was looking for positive, minimal intervention birth stories to then compile, write, edit, format, and publish this baby. And like an anxious mama-to-be, I was losing my patience with the process toward the end.
Even the name took longer than expected to choose. But a title, is pretty important. It will be around for a while. I wanted a strong title, yet one that wasn’t too “birthy.” So like most of us do when we are expecting, I made lists and ran them by friends (and fans) to gauge their reaction.
But ultimatly the decision was mine. This book was my baby. The final title is one I feel honors the women that shared their positive birth stories in the book. And it also encourages any woman, that decides to one day give birth, to believe in her body:
Because YOU Are Superwoman: How to Harness Your Superpower and Create a Positive Birth Experiance with Minimal Medical intervention
Things are finally coming together. This baby is fully baked and ready to make an appearance.
Speaking of appearances, let me share the first official cover photo!
The cover clearly lets readers know that the topic is “birth,” but hopefully the strong, modern, and bold look and feel alludes to the tone of this birth book.
I also threw in some humor and overly personal details, just to keep it light;) Think of the book You are a Bad*ss and then add the words, At Giving Birth.
Here is the working book description:
***
Do you want a positive birth experience, but haven’t heard of any?
Do you think a more natural birth experience sounds ideal, but don’t know how to go about having one?
Have you ever wondered if other strong, educated women choose to birth with minimal medical intervention?
Fortunately, these are not your typical birth stories.
These are the remarkable stories of modern-day superheroes. A bunch of bad*ss super women, just like you. They are bold, educated, strong, and they decided to do things differently. Ultimately, they chose to make their belief in their body Plan A, while reserving the marvel of medical interventions for Plan B.
Over twenty birth stories, paired with six evidence-based steps for a Minimal Intervention (M.I.) Birth, will provide you with the confidence and skills you need to go after the birth experience that you desire. An empowering experience that likely strays far from everything you’ve been conditioned to believe about birth.
Stop simply hoping for a positive, minimal intervention birth. This book contains the specific birth plan for you, and it’s easier than you think.
***
Cursing, pooping, grunting, naked, raw, real and candid birth stories told by strong, intelligent mamas. Above all their stories will encourage fellow women that they too have everything they need to birth their baby with minimal intervention.
So here is the exciting part. Unlike childbirth where you never know the exact birthdate, this book is going to be available on Amazon on Nov. 11th, 2018! That’s just two weeks away, and I couldn’t be more thrilled for you to read it! If it lives up to the expectations of those of us that collaborated on it, this book is going to change the way women, and practitioners, think about birth.
If you’d like to get an advanced copy of Because YOU Are Superwoman in exchange for an honest review on Facebook or Amazon, join the launch team! Contact me here and include the words Launch Team in the heading – I’ll follow-up with details next week. To join the team and get your free advanced copy, I need to hear from you by Monday, Nov. 5th.
Not everything you did before kids was that awesome. You had freedom, but I’m sure it wasn’t always used wisely.
If we’re being honest, little pieces of you die when you start having kids.
Hold up. This is not some marter-fest where we sit around and talk about how our best days are gone now that we had kids. I’ve actually come to see this as a good thing. Stick with me.
Not everything you did before kids was that awesome. You had freedom, but I’m sure it wasn’t always used wisely. You could have traveled the world. You could have spent time volunteering at a children’s hospital. You could have read more books. I actually really hope you did!
But you all also spent a decent amount of that time picking the right filter for your rose’ picture by the pool, binge watching shows on netflix, and spending long hours sitting in front of your computer at the office.
And there is nothing wrong with any of that.
Except that kids are vacuums. They suck up most of the hours you once had.
Because of that, pieces of you will have to die. The great part is, you are an adult with a tiny semblance of control. You get to pick which pieces you keep and which to let go, but you will be forced to be selective.
@mommyconvos
Read the book or watch the show?
Do your make-up or snuggle with the kids?
Take the pictures or live the moment?
Run the extra miles or write the next book chapter?
Take on the extra work project or make dinner from scratch?
This is not a test, there is no wrong answer. But you still need to chose wisely. Not because one is bad and the other is good. Chose wisely because there is less time that you have to work with. If you don’t intentionally chose, you will feel like there is never any time, and feel resentful that all the former pieces of you were forced to die. Thanks kiddos.
Your goals will naturally need to be fewer in number, incredibly focused, and likely with a grace-filled (ie longer than you would like) timeline. Coincidently, that is actually a great formula for successfully accomplishing your goals with or without kids.
Before kids, it’s just easier to assume you will act later because you own all the hours. But when kids are present, you don’t know which hours will be yours. You have to be intentional. You need the day’s game plan in your head so that when the minutes and hours appear, you can seize them.
Do you see how kids can actually be a highly effective tool at helping you decide what the best pieces of you are? Go tell that sweet baby thank you. Unless they are sleeping. In that case DO NOT WAKE THEM!
My current goal is getting my third book finished up. I literally have one step for it, each day, that I plan to complete. Beyond that I don’t even try because with young kids I wouldn’t be setting myself up for success or happiness. After I finish that one goal, I let my kids guide most of the day. My goals are few and focused, and accomplishing them takes much longer than I’d like. But I get to enjoy my kids in between. It makes me happy knowing that there is a small, but very important, piece of me still thriving amongst that chaos.
My Mom is the Worst Children’s Book, Available on Amazon Here
Which pieces of you have you intentionally chosen to focus on once having kids?
No one wants to come up with a new gift idea every time an invite arrives in the mail. So here is a simple and unique idea to CYA all season.
Hey Mama,
Did you know that the most popular birth month is September?
Maybe it’s thanks to all those winter cuddles?!
Whatever the reason, all those expectant mothers will be in their third trimester come summer time. It feels appropriate to coin those months Baby Shower Season!
It may not be science, but babies seem to be contagious among friends. If you have one baby shower to attend this summer, you’ll likely have more.
No one wants to come up with a new gift idea every time an invite arrives in the mail. So here is a simple and unique idea to CYA all season.
Then, give this set of fun books so the new mom and her baby can enjoy them together.
Need a little something more? Pair it will body butter, slippers, bubble bath, a bottle of wine, or dark chocolate. All the other mamas in the house will be jealous!
If the expectant mom is miles away, keep it simple by mailing them right from Amazon. She will get them in two days, and you won’t have to hit the post office. I seriously dread going to the post office.
My Mom is the Worst 