If you order a copy I will give you any one of my other picture books or novels at no cost to you—even Turn Back Time, our winner of the Benjamin Franklin Award, which Barnes & Nobel, etc. sells for $20.95.

The Rabbit and The Promise Sign, a beautiful and touching Christian fable, which I wrote with Pat Day-Bivins, and illustrated by the incomparable Donna Brooks, has been highly honored and praised. It touches heads and hearts of those who read it.

Here’s how to take advantage of this special offer: Click (or paste) the following link: http://www.everykidawinner.com. Next, click the “Family Store” tab on the left. Scroll down to “The Rabbit and the Promise Sign.” If you wish, read some of the praise and commendations from publications nationwide, click “add to cart.” Then “resume shopping” if you want to consider other books. When you’ve ordered the books you want, complete the cc information (which I will never see—it is all handled by the top secure system on the Internet) and when the order form shows the space for “Comments” just write, “Dale, send me a free copy of _____(your choice)__ and sign it to _____________.” I’ll be happy to do so. If you order other books you want me to sign, I’ll be glad to sign those, too. It is so rewarding to constantly get words of appreciation for how these books have blessed.

If you enjoy clean historical-fiction with a blend of romance, adventure and persistent family love, you will especially enjoy Turn Back Time, the award-winning story my daughter, Lisa, and I wrote about family life in Muhlenberg County, KY during the Great Depression. People are insisting that it be a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie. Which we’d love, of course.

Get your order in right away and perhaps I’ll get to wrap it tonight while I watch Kentucky play Indiana in the NCAA tourney! Once a sports reporter, always a sports fan.

Click this and get your order on the way!  http://www.everykidawinner.com

Happy reading and happy bonding with those little ones you love—through reading together!

–Dale

PS No matter how many books your order, your part of shipping and handling will never be more than a total per order of $5.00! Save by ordering gifts for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, birthdays, baby showers, etc.

And I apologize to you for having “parked” this site for such a long time.  A number of factors have impacted my schedule and my priorities. Among the greatest and most significant of these is that my Mary Jo, my wife for more than half a century, over the last year and a half has slipped into early stages of dementia. When she decided in 2010 not to enroll at Western KY U, I should have suspected something–but I just thought she was tired (and tired of getting parking tickets for parking in wrong places!)–and that having taken classes at 16 colleges and universities, she just wanted a break. But it was more than that. The condition is not progressing rapidly and she is still functioning quite well much of the time.

It does impact my schedule, though, and is likely going to limit my travel. I was extremely sorry to have to cancel a long-anticipated somewhat extensive parenting-training tour of Africa last spring when Mary Jo’s condition was first diagnosed. Much of the past year has been spent in evaluation and adjusting.

Added to that, in the last month I have spent 5 days in the hospital, have had two surgical procedures (gall bladder removal and gallstone removal, with some complications) but I’m back to functioning almost fully (90%, I’d say) and am continuing to do some restructuring of my work.

I feel I should have another decade, at least, the Good Lord willing, in which to make contributions to the lives of others. I’d be happy to have any of you who know me well to suggest how you feel I can best benefit others. I may be running some ideas by you as to what I should make my highest priorities.

Watch for emails from me, also FaceBook and Twitter messages. I’ll look forward to being in touch!

Take a moment and envision that: folks from all walks of life, all relationships, past and present, all ages of people whose lives you’ve touched–wherever they are, whatever their circumstances, imagine them standing, smiling at you, waving and cheering!

During the last three months I’ve watched you stand and cheer for Steve and Pat Sardeson as they received and dealt with the sudden and shocking news that Steve would quickly leave this life. You who knew them stood and cheered for them as he made final preparations, had final visits, ate those last bowls of ice cream, wrote his last blogs, emails, and facebook entries, and then, when he could keyboard no more, he  read what you wrote, and when he could no longer read,  listened as family members read to him your notes of love and appreciation.

Now, he is gone from this life, and we still stand and cheer just as a crowd does when the winning team runs off the field and out of sight into the tunnel. Steve has passed through the tunnel to the other side. And we still cheer. And, Pat, we still stand and cheer for you and the family. That’s as it should be. May God richly  bless you! –Dale

Mary Jo and I did and both Kent and Lisa and their families have benefited from it immensely. Plus it certainly made travel easier and more enjoyable for all of us!

Do you have a trip planned for Thanksgiving or Christmas—or otherwise? Plan ahead. Make a driving trip pass quickly and add educational value. How? Get a map, highlight the trip, and assign different family members to research, online or otherwise, points of interest on or near the route. As you get close to a location of interest, let the person assigned to that place tell about it.

If you plan a trip from Chicago to Dallas, obvious highlights would be Springfield, IL, St. Louis, and assuming you’re taking the Eastern loop, Memphis, Little Rock and Dallas. And there are many secondary locations. You might say, “We’ll go by the towns of Pontiac and Lincoln, IL. Who would like to find out what they’re are named for? Do you think it’s automobiles?” And you might add, “We’re going to go by America’s only diamond mine. Who’ll look it up?”

Along the way you’ll be near Indian mounds, huge caves, the site of one of our biggest earthquakes ever, battlefields and other historical sites, towns named for prominent Americans, etc. Capitalize on the opportunity to pique interest in the events, places, and people who have played a part in the shaping of our nation.

It is obvious that most children are learning little of our country’s geography or history in the public schools. So families are the key if we want them to know our land and the stories of our founding fathers and mothers and others who have made our country great. Family travel can be an enjoyable and enriching way to achieve those goals.

In   1998, when our oldest child graduated from high school, I was one of the youngest parents in attendance. In 2014, when our youngest child graduates, I will—very likely—be the oldest parent at the ceremony. The last chick in our nest starts high school in about three weeks. While that seems incomprehensible at times, it’s also almost as incredible that in the last several years, our daughter—the first-born—and her wonderful husband, have given us five incredible grandchildren.  We are blessed!

On Sunday afternoon this past weekend, I was holding our newest granddaughter, two-month-old Mara Grace.  She and I were having a chat. Mara Grace is at that precious stage when babies lock their eyes onto yours and mimic your facial expressions, turning their little mouths into perfect O’s and cooing, then bursting into gummy grins. Exquisite joy! I was carrying on a running conversation with her.

“Tell, me. What do you have to say? Is it important? I’m listening. Tell me all your secrets. Do you know how special you are? Well, you are! You are the most special baby in the whole wide world. Yes, you are! Yes, you are!”

After a few minutes I picked up her sweet little feet and began to play pat-a-cake.

Our oldest granddaughter, eight-year-old Mariah, came and leaned against my arm.

“Boppie, what are you doing?”

“I’m talking to the baby.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s important.”

“When do babies learn to talk back?”

I maintained eye contact with the baby and started answering Mariah in the same sing-song voice I had been using when talking to Mara Grace.

“She’s learning to talk back right now,” I said.

“She is?” Mariah didn’t sound convinced.

“She sure is, just by me talking to her, she’s learning to talk back to me. Listen to the little noises she’s making, and watch how she’s moving her mouth and sticking her tongue out.”

“But those aren’t real words, Boppie.”

“Not yet, but they will be.”

Imagine a baby’s brain as a giant electronic circuit board just waiting to be fired up. It needs a “spark” to get it started, but once there is stimulation, those sparks fly from neural path to neural path. They leap across voids as synapses fire and open new channels for growth and intelligence. Every time we speak to our babies, those synapses start jumping! Reading to your baby, singing to your baby, tickling down a little leg, or holding their hands in yours and clapping them together causes the synapses to fly!

What does playing pat-a-cake have to do with all this? Why it’s a treasure trove of synapse stimulation. The chanting stimulates the part of the brain that recognizes music and speech/language, the patting stimulates tactile (or touch) regions of the brain and fine and gross motor skills areas are awakened, oh—and equally important—you are stimulating the part of the brain that tells your baby they are important to you because you are interacting with him or her. Just from playing a 15 second game. Great results from so little invested time.

Of course, you’ll want to do it over and over when you see how excited your baby is. Try “Itsy-Bitsy Spider.” They love that one. You may have to modify the movements with your two month old, but that’s okay. They won’t mind a bit. And while you two are having such a good time, remember your baby is learning how to focus attention, listen, talk—and to love.

There, I’ve said it—even shouted it!

Doesn’t make sense, though, does it? Might not seem to, in view of the fact that I’ve never even met most of you. But I do. I’m not talking about warm vibes, and happy fuzzies (yet). I’m always delighted and a bit surprised when I glimpse a name on FB and respond spontaneously and instantly. I know you. Your name is a handle attached to a package of immense value. So my heart jumps. But…that is the second level of loving you. It takes some knowing you to make those happy feelings occur.

But for those of you I don’t yet know, I love you, too. I’m talking about the respect I feel for you—you count! You are awesome at the most basic level. I value you, treasure you—honor your worth. And I’d like to experience knowing you. And feel the added joy of being a close friend and brother. But whether I get to know you, or not, I want to honor you and bless you life. I LOVE YOU!

You’re at the right place! GrandpaDale.com is our sister site and a bit of renovation is underway there, so we’re happy to serve as your host. Welcome!

And welcome to those coming from FaceBook, Twitter and elsewhere–possibly looking for information about one of our most exciting projects of all times…

ff0000;">Pat-the-Baby!

All of my adult life I’ve wanted to make a difference in the lives of children. As a result, I’ve written children’s picture books, have been a founding director of youth camps in three states and Canada, have worked extensively as a family coach, have spoken coast-to-coast on the theme, “Every Kid a Winner!” etc.

Nothing I’ve ever done is more exciting than “Pat-the-Baby.” Nothing holds more promise for positively impacting untold thousands of children and their families, and nothing is simpler than “Pat-the-Baby.” It doesn’t cost a cent, and to access it, just click:

http://www.tinyurl.com/PatTheBabyNow

If it fails when you click on it, simply cut and paste.

Get ready for a fun experience that, for many, will be life changing. If kids count to you, you’ll love it.

Remember: it’s free–but invaluable!

–Dale

If you have questions, email me at Dale@TheFamilyMinute.com. Poke around while you’re here at www.theFamilyMinute.com and look over some of our archives related to family. Needless to say, family is high priority here! We hope to have more and more helpful content, so visit often.

I stop for minimum bathroom chores—after I’ve taken PowderPuff out. Then I boot up the computer and let flow. You might prefer to grab pen and paper.  Here are some suggestions:

• Do, indeed, just let flow…don’t try to prioritize or edit as you go along.
• Don’t go over yesterday’s list before you start today’s list. This is a new day!
• Don’t feel guilty if the first items aren’t about God, family, country and income taxes!
• Make a numbered list. Not mandatory, but probably would help
• Don’t try to make complete sentences. Just get the concept down.
• As you write a gratitude thought, let yourself glow—feel good!
• Don’t feel you must have a comprehensive list, just go/stop as you choose- no pressure!

Perhaps having an example will make it easier for you to get underway. Here’s how I started my list today [The first line is one I keep in place]. Oh, yes, I confess that I did a tad of editing, otherwise some of the thoughts would have been incomplete to you and wouldn’t have made sense. Some won’t really, anyway, as they relate to personal matters you don’t know about. Here goes:

May 28, 2010   “This is the day which the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” Random thoughts about things I’m happy about as I begin this day:

1. It’s good to be so alive and alert at 5:10—after PowderPuff got me up at 4:30.
2. Mary Jo and I sleep amazingly well and are so full restored by it.
3. Tracie and Mara are doing so wonderfully. What a beautiful baby!
4. Happy we could babysit Annabelle & Mosie while Rich & Amy were haying
5. Glad they got the hay in before it got rained on.
6. This precious puppy sleeping under my chair!
7. That we have neighbors like Terry & Laura
8. Bonnie & Ron are so thoughtful and supportive
9. So good to be making contact with so many people through Facebook.
10. ETC…
11. Ahhhh! for a good cup of fresh coffee–think I go make one!

Try this for a few weeks and let me know how it works for you. I have no doubt, if you try it consistently for a few days, you’ll find it makes a wonderful difference.

Have a grateful day!

–Dale

This whole site totally vanished! It was gone without warning and left no clues as to why, how, or where to. No one could find it. Not even my ISP–though they finally located its folder, which they said was empty.  They had no clue as to what caused it to happen. And they couldn’t do a thing about it.  Talk about frustrating–this was it!

I’m about as technically gifted as the smallest of the beagle-basset-huskie (Bebasskie)  pups out in our kennel! I had no clue as to what to do. I was sick about it. Then a dear “Twitterfriend” decided to take on the “Mission Impossible” challenge (yeah, I know that dates me)–and she found the site but it was inaccessible. It was as though it was in the bottom of a barrel and covered by layers of trash. One by one she removed the bits of debris until, finally, Whoosh! It popped to the surface and right back into place! So here we are again!  I hope I’ll be able to post regularly and that you’ll drop in often so we can share ideas about building wonder-full families that are happy havens (at least most of the time) for all family members.

We can grow. We can improve. We can make a difference! And we want to!

Those are some of the premises of this site.  Most people definitely want to do a better job of being parents, grandparents, teachers, scout leaders, etc. We want to have a positive influence on the lives of children.  That’s what this site is all about. Little things can make a big difference.

Read the story of a man who did grow, improve, and make a difference–what a difference! See the article below: “Want to be adored? He was.”

We love being in touch, so…

1. If you’re on Facebook, “friend” me there. I’m Philip Dale Smith on Facebook. I’ll confirm that we’re friends.
2. If you tweet on Twitter, I’m there as GrandpaDale. Follow me and I’ll follow you back.
3. If you haven’t seen the video of me and “the little redhead” in a brief discussion re: communication with a baby and the awesomeness of a baby’s mind, see that screen down to your right?  Click on the triangle in the middle and join us. If your computer is “up to speed” it will be smooth–otherwise may be a bit jerky.
4. You, and your friends, can also see it on YouTube by clicking on this link: http://tinyurl.com/99m69h.  While you’re there you can click “subscribe” and you’ll automatically get word of when the next video is up. It’s free!  If you check back here regularly you’ll catch new videos as the are posted.
5. Did you sign up for our free occasional newsletter? As a bonus, you’ll get our daughter Lisa’s story  (you’ll love it!) of making Thimble Biscuits with my mother, the famous “Ma” who inspired the character “Hattie” in our novels, including the award-winning  Turn Back Time. See the form up to the right? Fill that out and you’ll get the story–and two recipes, so you can make thimble biscuits with children you love! What fun! Okay, it can be a mess, too–but a wonderful, fun mess!

This site is going to be a very special one with lots of valuable insights, tools and techniques to help big people equip little people to reach their full God-given potential!

Keep checking in here. And send me notes about things of interest to those of us who place a high value on children and families. Tell me some topics you’d like us to discuss on this blog–or on teleseminars we hope to schedule in the future. Or just to tell me you love me no matter what! .   For now, to communicate with me, use smithdale2@aol.com or leave comments below.

We have some good news we’ll get to share with you soon. In the meantime, be looking forward to a free five-lesson eCourse about the wonderful benefits of reading together as a family. It should be ready soon.

For now, have an abundant and joyous day!

Philip Dale Smith (mostly known as Dale or GrandpaDale)

P.S. Be sure to read the posts below.

It took only five words…

If my dad spoke those five words at the beginning of a sentence, they worked wonders! They grabbed my attention and snatched me back from wherever my little-boy mind had wandered. They riveted my attention on Dad.      I was ready.

“Did I ever tell you….” That  phrase was the preamble to adventure. Television was a thing of the future and our family had no radio. But soon we might be in the jungles of the Philippines cowering in fear with Dad and other young recruits listening, dry-mouthed, to rhythmic war-beat of tom-toms getting closer and closer—tom-toms, the drums of savage cannibals, according to the old sergeant. Or we might be enjoying breakfast at a street cafe in Paris. Or awed by smoke and smell and sound of colorful life-size parade-dragons weaving their way through the streets of Tokyo. Or we might be frantically scrambling through underbrush in Borneo with fierce headhunters closing in. Or setting dangerous explosives deep underground in the vein of Number 9 coal in Muhlenberg County, KY; “That’s how Jeb Matheney lost the thumb and forefinger on his right hand, you know.”

“Did I ever tell you…” and its counterpart, “Once upon a time…”: are signals that it’s story time, a time of remembering. The “mem” in “remember” and the “mem” in “memorial” carry the suggestion of something or someone who made a difference—who contributed parts of the mosaic or tapestry of our lives.

When Alex Haley wrote Roots, he struck a responsive chord that continues to reverberate. We all yearn to know our story: who we are, who they, our ancestors, were, and what we’ll find when we follow our roots. Stories reveal the tale—the tales, I should say.

Memorial Day is a time for remembering…a time of stories. We’ve almost forgotten that. I’ll remember, in particular, my brother, Reg, (the “Jackie” of our novels): His service in WW II, his being missing in action (He was in a German prison camp), his Purple Heart, his three years in the hospital after the war. And the good times afterward.

I’ll remember Dad (the “Smith Delaney” of our novels): his time as a teen soldier in the occupation forces in the Philippines after the Spanish American War; his time in Europe in WWI, the rascal he was and the gentleman he became after he met my mother (to-be).

I’ll recall my children’s great-great grandfathers’ service during the Civil War—at least one for the Confederacy and two for the Union. And I’ll remember the mothers (my Mom, of course) and wives and the sweethearts (Reg’s Jo) who stayed behind.

But our memories aren’t just of the military actions of our forebears. Let’s remember those ancestors’ trips over the mountains or down the rivers. Let’s remember their hard times and good. Let’s remember how they laid the foundations our lives are built on.

Visit their graves, if you can. Those memorial stones mark the final resting place of real people who once felt the joys and heartaches of life much as we do. Be thankful for each bit of good they bequeathed and forgive their failures.

Learn their stories. Write them down. Share them with the children who will be your bridge to generations to come. The stories help us know who we are, and may well give insights into why we are what we are. For example, it’s easy to trace my love of nature, of people, of my faith, and of stories. No doubt it’s easy to follow paths that suggest why you are who you are, too. And how I love it when I get a peek into a secret closet of the past and see a garment that I now wear.

I’ll write more about stories and storytelling in future posts on my blog, http://theFamilyMinute.com Be sure to visit there regularly.

– Philip Dale Smith (GrandpaDale)

PS We’ll discuss how you can make the most of storytelling to enrich family life and bond family members.

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