Go Barefoot !

I was featured in the ForeWard Magazine E-Newsletter in January after the Twentieh Annual Indy And Small Press Book Fair and forgot to share it. How selfish of me. Thanks Eugene!

Barefoot Books. Dawn Cordeiro and Laurie Mattaliano are work-at-home mothers who came down from Massachusetts to present this children’s line “that celebrate art and story,” with a learning experience about themselves and the world. As “stallholders” they are among hundreds of parents who attend book fairs and special events to build their own business and promote the value of the book.

The two illustrated books I bought for my granddaughters (with audio CDs bound in) are Magic Hoofbeats: Fantastic Horse Tales (978-1-84686-129-1) and Winter King, Summer Queen (978-1-84686-009-6). The first one, for middle schoolers, tells the story through words and illustrations of eight horses from countries around the world. The second one is for younger children, and beautifully describes how the seasons of winter and summer are born. Barefoot Books are beautifully designed and printed and can be viewed in their printed catalog or on-line at www.discoverbarefootbooks.com.

http://www.forewordmagazine.com/ftw/ftwarchives.aspx?id=20080109.htm#1

I love discovering New Barefoot Favorites with my son. We have two new ones that I really wanted to share.

Every month, Barefoot runs an order special where you’ll get a free items if you place an order over a certain amount, usually around the $300 range. One month, I received the double CD of Giants, Ghosts and Goblins. I kept it in its packaging and displayed it at several events. My son saw it one day and asked to listen to it. Finally after the fourth time I said we could open it. I am so glad we did. We listened to it in my kitchen and ended up making cozy spot for ourselves on the kitchen floor. It stopped us both in our tracks. My son has listened to many of the Barefoot Storytime CDs but I had always read the books before. It was great to have the opportunity to hear it first. The stories are narrated by Jerry Nelson, the voice of The Count from Sesame Street.

I’ll share our other favs soon.

I was lucky enough to attend Barefoot’s Northeast Leadership Conference in Cambridge last weekend. The group consisted of Stallholders that are also Team Builders. It was great to have dedicated time to talk about my business, get some great suggestions and share my successes as well. We discussed growing our teams, helping them succeed and being successful ourselves. Blogging took up a lot of the conversations. The ins and outs and the simple question, “What do you write about?”. It was great to put the faces with names that I see virtually on a daily basis. I most enjoyed meeting Rebecca Wolpinsky, happy willow, blogging queen and a very successful Barefoot person.

The day ended with a lovely dinner at Nancy Traversy’s. It really could not have been a lovelier time. She, her husband and her family were so gracious and welcoming. I was treated like an old friend.

My kids say and do some pretty amazing things. I always say that I am going to write them down but often forget. Today, though, something very sweet happened. My kids had just finished their bath and were playing in their room. My little one is 16 months and has started kissing and hugging us. My older one asked her for a hug. They had a long embrace and then fell over and my son said, “She’s falling in love with me”.

Barefoot is currently running a great Spring Special. From now until April 30, join for $39.99 and receive the Starter Pack for 50% off. The Pack is $200 worth of merchandise for $39.99.

When you join Barefoot you receive great support and training. I am currently growing my team and am available for any questions.

Learn more about the special here

Since I began blogging, I discovered there is a whole world of online review sites. One of the best it Momviews.net. Along with reviews, they also have giveaways. This month they are giving away a cute poncho from Skipping Hippos. I could totally see my little one running around in this and loving it. Feel free to join the contest yourself. Good Luck!

I’m doing a fun event that I’d thought I’d share. Tomorrow I’ll be a vendor at Wide Horizons for Children China Culture Camp.  WHC runs camps for adopted children to learn more about their background. The event will include cultural performances and workshops for parents and their children. I have previously participated in a Eastern European camp and a Latin American Camp.  It seems to be a wonderful way for the parents to connect about their similar families and for the kids to make new friends.

I’ll post some pictures from the event tomorrow.

A Fellow Stallholder asked to see people’s Barefoot displays. Here are a few of mine. They are a little old as I now carry a lot more inventory for events but they are helpful to see.

This was my first Vendor table. I was at a local Preschool Conference. (Yes, that’s me.) This year I will have two tables and a lot more inventory.

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This one was at Spring Festival. I’m inside of a stall, a perfect spot for me :). As you notice, I discovered height. These blocks cost about $16 at Target. I also now only use tablecloths that go all the way to the ground.

Some of my Favorite Blogs are doing Barefoot Books giveaways this month. Please visit and maybe you’ll win.

At Hilltown Families, you can win a wonderful Holiday package including, Divaali (this is a new family favorite), Babushka and One City, Two Brothers.

At Mom in the City, enter to win two new titles Listen. Listen and One City, Two Brothers.

I know most of my posts recently have been about Motherbridge, but I just love this book and now so does TIME Magazine.

#3. Motherbridge of Love
Illustrated by Josee Masse

Got a girlfriend who just adopted a kid? You’re going to want to get them this book, although the illustration is so gorgeous, you could give it to anyone. The text was submitted anonymously to the charity Mother Bridge of Love, which seeks to connect kids adopted from China with their homeland…. it does explain quite lyrically how two mothers can each have a part in making one whole child.