Never too Early to Read to Kids!

October is National Reading Group Month

It’s never too early to read with your children. They can even have their own book club. Spend the first ten minutes of your regular play group reading aloud to the kids in an interactive, fun, storytime type setting. Then let them play.

For fun activities to go along with the books, God is with Me through the Day/Night, click on the Moms and Teachers header above.

You’ll find even more ideas to help children overcome fear and develop strong family bonds in the segments titled No Fear and Family Fun.

October is also Church Library Month

Spend a morning exploring your church library. You’ll be surprised how many children’s books, films, and craft activities many churches have available for check-out.

Be sure to look for God is with Me through the Day and God is with Me through the Night in your church library.

Thanks MOPS! Fabulous Support in Nashville!

BIG thanks to all you MOPS out there. Zondervan sold every single copy of God is with Me through the Day and God is with Me through the Night during the big MOPS convention last week in Nashville. I was thrilled to hear the happy news, and I’m so excited that these little stories are being shared by so many more families across the nation. Thank you!

Thanks to Cassie’s Closet

On August 1, Cassandra Gee and her super-sweet family invited me to the Grand Opening celebration of her new store, Cassie’s Closet. The shop is the first of its kind in my little hometown of Walker, Louisiana.

 

Cassie has worked hard to make the store child-friendly in every way. She has also carefully selected high-quality consignment items for children, and she has painstakingly chosen several upscale boutique clothing lines to fill the front of her shop. For any of you in the area, I encourage you to swing by the store and give the Gee family your support.

I was honored to be a part of the fun event, and I was overwhelmed yet again by the kindness of the community. The store was packed, and I had tons of fun visiting old friends.

Here I am with my cousin Greg, his daughter Alexis, and my daughter, Emily. My cousins and aunt drove up from New Orleans and Mississippi to surprise me. I hadn’t seen them in a while, and I cried when they walked in the door.

Thanks so much guys! You made my day!

Big thanks to Cassandra Gee and to all of the wonderful folks in Louisiana who came out to support Cassie’s Closet. Keep shopping!

Kids Celebrate Back-to-School with Library Ice Cream Social

Sunday, August 9 was a HOT one! It was the perfect day to cool off with a scoop (or 2, or 3) of ice cream in our beautiful public library.  I was honored when Dorothy Fitts (the multi-talented head librarian) and Nancy Opalko (the ultra-creative children’s librarian) invited me to read to the children before the ice cream was served.

It turned out to be a small event, but it was actually one of my favorite yet! With less than 10 kids bunched together on the comfy sofas, it was an intimate story time that allowed me to really interact with the children in a way that is often impossible with larger groups. I enjoyed hearing their stories about pets – including mice, cats, and even a crab that died and came back to life.

It reminded me of our own hermit crab, named Peek-a-Boo, who died after a healthy and happy 8 months in our home. After three days of confirming that the hermit crab was officially dead, we proceeded to decorate a shoebox and dig a hole in the backyard pet cemetery. While sharing our special Peek-a-Boo memories over the grave, we heard a scratching noise. My children insisted we open the box, and much to our surprise, Peek-a-Boo had risen from the dead.

My son, Adam, instantly made the connection to the story of Christ — and so we renamed the poor crab Jesus and gave him another few months of memories in our home before he decided once and for all that he was done with this planet.

There’s nothing like spending a Sunday afternoon in the library. Add some sweet children, supportive parents, and scoops of ice cream — and voila! It all adds up to be a perfect day.

Thanks Ms. Fitts and Ms. Opalko for giving me this unique opportunity. The library has always been one of our family’s favorite spots, and I hope you’ll allow me the honor to read there again in the future.

j

Hear Julie’s Interview on NPR’s Mississippi Edition

When I received a call from Lisa Michie with Mississippi Public Radio, I was extremely honored to be invited for an interview on the reputable program, Mississippi Edition. I was packing the car for a road trip to Louisiana and was worried I’d have to miss such a unique opportunity.

Thankfully, the show’s producers were very kind and flexible; and sure enough, on Thursday, July 30, the host, Karen Brown, called me at my mother’s house in Baton Rouge to conduct the interview over the phone.

You can listen to the entire 30-minute program at the link posted below, or scroll forward to hear my Book Club segment at 22 minutes and 10 seconds.

Hear Julie Cantrell on Mississippi Edition radio program (NPR)

Thanks, Mississippi Edition! It was a huge honor to be a guest on your program.

 

Thanks Barnes & Noble, Germantown!

On Saturday, May 30, I was treated to a sweet and stress-free storytime signing at the Germantown Barnes & Noble in Memphis, Tennessee. The kids were fabulously well-behaved and they loved talking about animals of every shape and size. This was a great way to end the book launch and start a fun-filled summer with my family.

Thanks especially to Melinda, the superiorly talented storytime lady who welcomed me whole-heartedly into her terrain with unmatched kindness. Thanks also to the professional and personable staff members, as well as the community relations manager, Valerie Schranz. I greatly enjoyed my visit to your store.

Big Thanks to Trinity Baptist!

I was fortunate to visit Trinity Baptist Mother’s Morning Out in Cordova, Tenn. not once, but twice in the last two weeks. Director Lisa Buckner was extremely welcoming and the sweet children were tons of  fun. I’ve seen a lot of preschool programs, and I have to say – this one was super impressive.

I really enjoyed spending time with such a fabulous group! My eyes even teared over when a brother and sister (pictured above) told me their happy thoughts were each other.

Life has a tendency to get too busy for most of us. In fact, on the commute home from my first visit to Trinity, I had a flat tire. Thankfully, my heroic husband was willing to swoop in and save the day. The trick was that he had to drive an hour and a half to get to me. In the meantime, I was stuck in my van with nothing to do but think, call a few friends, and count my blessings.

It was actually a treat to have over an hour of “free time” and even the time I spent waiting in the Goodyear lobby for my tires to be replaced was a welcoming chance to sit and flip through magazines. That’s why I truly treasure the moments I get to sit on the floor and talk to kids during my author visits. They know how to keep life simple. Eat. Sleep. Breathe. Play. Pray. Create. Question. Learn. My kind of folks.

Thanks Trinity for helping me sell over 100 books and for all the High-Fives. Happy Summer!

j

Meet Missy Pricklesworth

Yesterday, my co-worker Nora brought her pet hedgehog to work with us for the day. Missy Pricklesworth was born February 27 in Chattanooga, Tenn.

I had never held a hedgehog, and I was really amazed by this fascinating little being. She wasn’t exactly what I would call “tame” because she frequently delivered warning hisses and preferred to curl up in a ball and hide under her safety blanket (a cozy green towel nestled inside a wicker basket that looked much like Dorothy’s ToTo basket from the Wizard of Oz).

Petting her felt a bit like rubbing a stiff horse brush, but the spikes weren’t super sharp as I imagined they’d be. Petting a cactus would be much worse. 

While she didn’t really like to be pet on her tummy, her underside was super soft. I thought she was the cutest when she rolled all the way up and showed only her nose. I related well to her — turned up nose and big, poufy fro that can be intimidating to strangers (smile).

Here’s a cute family photo of Nora with Jason (the sweet guy who gave Nora this incredibly, unique gift for her recent birthday).

She enjoyed crawling around in my lap and then settled in for a little snuggle. Once she relaxed, she really liked being held close and pet on her back. She also kept trying to crawl up my sleeves. I am in awe of the many different creatures on this planet, and I feel privileged to have spent a day working with a hedgehog. Another fabulous experience on my little journey.

For the record, hedgehogs are legal in the state of Mississippi but are illegal in many states. This hedgehog was purchased from a licensed breeder and is fully vaccinated and well-loved.

Share the Love

 

A friend introduced me to a happy little website: cuteoverload.com

It’s got tons of cute photos and videos of animals that just make me smile. Here’s one of my favorites (pulled from You Tube) – a Slow Loris shows us all that we just need to Share the Love. Enjoy! (HINT: You need to click the green hyperlink “Share the Love” to see the video.)

In Jesus’ Name We Play

 

Every night, when my children and I say our prayers, we end with the phrase, “In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.”

When my son was two, he mistakenly replaced the world Pray with the word Play. The altered phrase stuck with me and carried a special message. Perhaps my toddler understood much more about faith than I had given him credit for. Was it a simple phonetic substitution, or was he telling me something I needed to hear?

The next day, as I played with my young children at the park, I stepped back, and watched a sister and brother share the slide, play hide-n-seek, and venture out into the world at each other’s side.  I cherished every giggle, as they played together in a zone of perfect peace. Pure joy. Delight.

Delight – one of my favorite words. It makes me think of being so happy, so overjoyed, that we take on a special glow. We become one with the light – the supreme power, the essential energy that keeps the universe in sync. It is, in essence, the effect of touching God – or at least the closest we can come at this stage in our being.

The point of the story is this — it’s not just when we pray that we should be reverent and respectful of our faith, but at all times – even when we play. And perhaps, in those jubilant moments, when we open ourselves up to true peace and happiness, it is then that we are closest to God.

How did I get all of that out of  a toddler’s simple twist of the tongue? I know it may seem a bit hokey. But I try to absorb the many lessons my children teach me. I hope I never let myself get too busy to stop and listen. To look them in the eye and process the connection of the moment.

I truly consider my children to be the greatest blessings in my life, sent to teach me all I need to know about giving and growing. They have been placed into my hands to stir my soul, to strip me of all selfishness. Thankfully, they never fail to remind me that it’s the simple moments, the little glimpses of time I get to spend with them, that are the greatest gifts of all.

Enjoy every moment of your day. Find your joy. Be delightful. And remember, in Jesus’ name we play.

j