Seven Years Later...

As most Americans today, I am devoting much of my thoughts to remembering the horrifying events of September 11th, 2001.

While I don't pretend to have anything to compare with the thousands of lives that were shattered, my own story that day shaped my parenting. My husband and I were sitting in a Gold Coast McDonalds, early for a 39 week ultrasound during my first pregnancy. The TV was on CNN and as we sat down with our orange juice (hoping to get the baby wiggling with a sugar high - it all seemed so exciting, in an ordinary sort of way), the news suddenly cut to live images of the burning North Tower. We watched flight 175 hit the South Tower: any remaining mystery about the event was dissolved and we walked silently disturbed onto the doctor's appointment. Baby was fine, ready for delivery in a week (which became 11 days), but the worry had started to creep in... what was happening to our world that day? My husband and I decided to skip work and just head home. The South Tower fell as we drove and we watched the North Tower go down when we arrived home to more TV coverage. What sort of world was I bringing this baby into? Could I somehow keep him inside until we were sure? My heart was broken thinking of the victims and their families. I ached deeply for all the mothers. (of course, that only begins to describe my feelings that day, but I'll just leave it there - my words could never honor our victims and heroes sufficiently.)

Seven years later, my heart still aches for those directly effected and I still worry. We are still unsure and nothing is significantly safer. We are still at war... a war that hasn't advanced the purpose of making us safer. And there really isn't anything that the average American can do about it. Is there?

In 2001, we stocked bottled water and prepared emergency kits. We bought duct tape (why did we buy duct tape?). In 2003, we believed our president when he had Colin Powell present us with faulty intelligence about Iraq. In 2004, to make a long story short, we botched our election. 2008, perhaps our only course of action as average Americans is to vote for a new administration that we can only hope might make a change.

But this is not a political blog. My purpose and thoughts lay with our children and the kind of world we are shaping for their future. The things we can do on a grass-roots level.

We can teach them about our world and other cultures, teach them not to hate. Instill in them a sense of honor and pride in our country and a respect for other nations as well. We need to remember that political views, religion, sexual orientation, nationality, color and gender do not make someone more or less worthy of our respect and consideration. Teach them how lucky we are to be Americans and to have the freedom of expression that so many others don't have; yet so many of us take for granted.

Today, and everyday, I will teach my children about Tolerance. Be kind to each other. It probably won't effect our national security, but I am hoping that common, everyday Good Deeds will make a difference somewhere.

Barefoot Books Free Shipping July 25-27

Just a quick notice that Barefoot Books is offering FREE SHIPPING on all orders this weekend, July 25th - July 27th!

Little Leap Forward is now available and we have a new set of Monthly Special Web Offers.

I also want to share with you all the video of Guo Yue, author of
Little Leap Forward. In this deeply moving clip, Guo Yue shares his story, plays his music, and reads excerpts from his book.

My Barefoot Boys at Gilson Beach - Wilmette, IL

OK, we've got the cheesy and predictable Boys of Summer look going, but I hope you will agree that it is a nice sequence of semi-candids.

It was a perfect sunny 80 degree day so I decided to take the boys down to Gilson Park. We avoided the big crowds at the swimming beach and hit the area to the South where they could run through the tall grasses and play that they were "On Safari", with Maxwell as their guide.

After escaping the "lions" of the "savannah", they discovered the "ocean" and took off for the waters edge to "go surfing". Maxwell is bold and so grown up now, he could splash forever in the waves. Beckham's confidence was boosted by watching his big brother and Ryker is fearlessly game for anything that his brothers are doing.

45 minutes later, they were soaked, covered in sand, and happy as can be. We dried and brushed off the sand by the car and went home naked (except for me).

Introducing Barefoot Book's Young Fiction! Little Leap Forward

from Barefoot Books:

“Wouldn’t you rather be free, just for a day,
than spend a lifetime in a cage?”

It’s the summer of 1966 and Mao Zedong’s communist regime is about to move to a new level. Little Leap Forward lives in Beijing, with his mother, brother, and four older sisters. When he is not running errands or attending school, he loves to play the flute and to fly kites. One day, Little Leap Forward and his best friend capture a small yellow bird. Little Leap Forward wants her to accompany him on his flute – but behind the bars of her bamboo cage, she is not happy. What will he do – persist with his experiment or set her free?

In a year when China is banning the sale of wild songbirds, ending a 2,000 year history of selling and trading caged thrushes, this story of a young boy learning about freedom of spirit is all the more timely. Little Leap Forward’s touching story is based on author Guo Yue’s boyhood experiences of the Cultural Revolution in China. Sensitive, authoritative and deceptively simple, it offers young readers many intimate and powerful insights into one child’s life and dreams as the Cultural Revolution tightens its grip. As China modernizes and prepares to host the 2008 Olympic Games, interest in this superpower and in the rapidly changing lives of its people is escalating. The games in Beijing this August will bring half a million international and 2.5 million domestic spectators to a newly sanitized city.

THE STORY:

• Video-based e-campaign; national media campaign; author tour timed to coincide with the Beijing Summer Olympics 2008.
• Launch title for Barefoot Books’ new Young Fiction list, perfect for young readers ages 9 -12.
• Looks at close friendship and at the conflict between political change and personal freedom.
• Afterword offers simple historical notes on the Cultural Revolution and talks about what it meant for the author, his family and the Chinese people.
• Gorgeous full color illustrations throughout.

THE CREATORS:

GUO YUE is well known in the music world for the soaring beauty of his bamboo flute playing and compositions. He has performed and recorded worldwide, creating sounds which, in the words of one film director, ‘haunt the soul’. Yue and his wife, Clare Farrow, are also the authors of an adult memoir, Music, Food and Love.

CLARE FARROW is a writer and journalist specializing in modern contemporary art. She and Yue have two young children and live in Richmond, London.

HELEN CANN enjoys using patterns in her artwork and she has a large collection of reference material from around the world, taken from textiles, ceramics, furniture, jewelry— even body paint.

Little Leap Forward is scheduled to release in mid-July!
ShopBarefootBooks.com

Beating the Gas Crisis

My Husband had the answer last summer. He started putting all the kids on the bike. Yup, all three; two in the Burley and one on the Co-Pilot. Everyone congratulated his strength and courage. It looked way too hard for lil' ol' me. But I shouldn't underestimate myself.

Summer Camp started last week and after 2 days of idling my car in the pick-up line for 20 min at about $4.20/gallon, I'd had enough. Frustrating, expensive, and bad for the environment. So, with a little bit of coaching and practice close to home, I was soon comfortable enough with the weight and stability issues of pulling about 135/140 extra pounds (kids+seat+trailer) on George's mountain bike.

I feel like a rickshaw driver, but perhaps this is an important concept to keep in mind... Cycle rickshaws are used throughout the world; from developing countries that have used human powered vehicles for hundreds of years, to major European cities with an eye on global conservation. Most Americans have come to think that we "need" our SUV's and minivans; but in this new economic era with poor environmental health, it is critical that we re-think this habit.

The other added benefit of biking the kids around, is that it has become my new fitness program. We get out the door early and head up the shaded Green Bay Trail to North Shore Country Day School Camp. I work pretty hard those first 20 minutes and my boys support the effort by chanting "Go Mommy, Go!" when I climb the steep overpass over the railroad tracks. On Monday, Wednesday and Friday, after Max is dropped off, we head out around the back of the school and through the roads that circle the Indian Hills Golf Course until we arrive another 15 minutes later at Harper School for Beckham's Tiny Tots program with the Wilmette Park District. Then I head back home (a 10 min cool down period) with Ryker. A pretty decent workout, efficiently packaged with kid-schlepping duties.

On Tuesday and Thursday, when Beck doesn't have camp, I take the two little guys a few blocks past Max's camp to play at Lisa and Bonnie's wonderful Free-to-Be-Kids babysitting center at the Winnetka Community House, so that I can get into the gym and supplement the bike workout a little bit.

But my biking hasn't stopped there. Since I can't bear sitting in that camp line, I load everyone up again for Max's 3:30 pick-up. I have also been using the bike for all the usual errands and excursions (grocery store, post office, bank, pool, beach...) There is little reason to go too far these "lazy" summer days, I prefer shopping local, and with construction on the Edens Expressway and Sheridan Road, traffic is simply a nightmare best avoided.

To be honest, I'm not sure how this will go when things really heat up in July and August. But my hope is that the inertia of my fitness routine and my commitment to greener living practices will override the fear of a little discomfort in the heat. I cringe to think of the way I used to run my car for a solid 5 min to get the A/C going before I would drive anywhere last summer. It seems an unthinkable strain on the environment now. I'd much prefer to avoid that issue altogether. With proper hydration and plenty of sunscreen, we should all be fine.

Summer is the Time for Reading!

I feel it is so important to engage our kids with great literature while school is out. Try an outdoor storytime in your yard or at the beach, enjoy books with story CD's in the car on your road trip, break from the hours of fun in the sun with a quiet few minutes indoors or in the shade. My boys, who never run short on energy, love the sing-a-long books/CD's when we get stuck inside on a rainy day. We can dance, act and use the art as inspiration for our own creations! Happy Summer!

Below are some great tips for successful reading with a child, provided by Barefoot Books...

TEN TIPS FOR READING WITH A CHILD

Learning to read is the cornerstone of every child’s education. By reading aloud and teaching your child in a way that is a pleasure for both of you, you will be sharing one of life’s most valuable gifts and open all kinds of doors for the future. Here are some tips on making the most of reading with your child:

1. Choose a time and a place where you can be quiet and give your child lots of attention. Make the occasion a special one.

2. Turn off any distractions such as televisions, radios, and computers.

3. When you are reading aloud, show that you are enjoying yourself.

4. Involve your child. Let yourself be interrupted with questions; talk about what you think of the story and the pictures.

5. When your child has started learning to read, follow the text and help your child point to the words as you go along.

6. Establish a routine. Try to devote some time every day to reading.

7. Take your child to your local library and involve him or her in choosing books.

8. Notice what kinds of stories your child enjoys and look out for ones with similar themes.

9. When you are reading aloud, praise your child for listening well and sitting still.
When your child is learning to read for you, give praise and encouragement too, but be sure gently to correct your child when he or she makes mistakes.

10. Help build your child’s vocabulary and memory skills by supplementing reading sessions with audio books on car journeys and after meals or at bedtime. Audio books are especially helpful in building memory skills and supporting the learning of dyslexic and autistic children.

Sharing your child’s journey into reading can be one of the most rewarding experiences of parenthood. You owe it to your child, and to yourself, to make it a priority in your daily life.

Y-Me Race to Empower

I recently added more running to my fitness program. Not only has it improved my physical well-being, but it has also provided mental wellness. My daily run is as opportunity for reflection, relieving stress and stimulating my creativity. In contemplating overall health, I think it is a natural desire to be a part of something bigger...

On Mother's Day, I will be participating in Y-ME's Race to Empower. My goal is to raise at least $100 to help Y-ME continue providing its indispensable programs and services to anyone touched by breast cancer. This a very modest goal that I hope you will help me exceed in the few short hours before Mother's Day. Every little bit will make a difference.

By providing emotional support and information, Y-ME is here today for those who can't wait for tomorrow's cure. Through the support of financial contributions from donors like you and me, Y-ME can continue offering its services free-of charge programs and services to breast cancer patients, caregivers and loved ones.

I am committed, like Y-ME, to ensuring that no one faces breast cancer alone. In fact, I have created a personal Web site where you can make a donation in support of my Race to Empower participation. Support me online using the "Click here to visit my personal page" link below and help me reach my goal. Of course, I always welcome company and would love for you to join me as well.

Your help truly makes a difference in the lives of those touched by breast cancer, and I am grateful for your support.

Sincerely,
Leonore Lee
Click here to visit my personal page.

Click here to view the team page for Women's Group of Northwestern

Click here to view the company page for Women's Group of Northwestern