Back to school… ALREADY?
Does anyone else remember back to when we were kids and the end of year holidays went F.O.R.E.V.E.R. ? Now they’re they’re over in a blink of an eye and moreso, our kids are feeling like it goes by super fast too! But, no matter how long or short the holidays felt, back to school is BACK. This is how we set up for a new year.
Grieving Through Term 4
For some, this blog’s title may create intrigue or confusion but for others they’ll know EXACTLY what I mean immediately. The end of year brings big emotions of all kinds, and this one I’m talking about specifically is a doozy. This feeling of grief and mourning that I am referring to is the complex and layered emotions that arise with the end of the school year.
Supports & accommodations work only when they’re used.
Duh, right? You’re probably rolling your eyes at this title, seeing me write one of the most obvious sentences in the world - something only works when its used?! Definitely not reinventing the wheel on this statement.
I know it’s obvious but I’m also serious in stating this as a reminder to stop and reflect.
Interoception. It must be nice to have!
I wouldn’t know though…
Wait! Don’t get me wrong, I know what it is - by definition! I have done a huge deep dive on it, learning a lot about it as well as realising that I personally do NOT have great interoceptive awareness & it’s not something that I can just magically obtain (in my case anyway, I’ll expand further down). In the same breath, I’m not saying it’s hopeless and it’s once again about bringing some supports into place (and potentially training yourself) that lets you do a conscious check in on yourself.
A Good Goodbye.
School drop off. For some of us it’s a kiss/cuddle and a wave, for others it’s a very distressing time. It can feel overwhelming for all parties involved and seem so isolating as a parent at times, but you are not alone. I would love to share our experience with School Can’t, what we explored and what we learned over the last year. (Oh and yes, it’s becoming a children’s book).
Children’s books are put under so much pressure.
This is a conversation that I have been wanting to have with everyone for awhile now, I believe myself to be an observational person - seeing people’s word choices and reviews to not only mine, but in fact other books. Children’s books have a lot of pressure put on them, and sometimes it is an unreasonable amount.
No to Neuronormative Expectations!
ANOTHER ‘neuro’ word, and this one is critical to understand, identify, and most importantly, unlearn. To be truly neuroaffirming, we need to unlearn Neuronormativity. So, what is Neuronormativity?
Spiky Profiles - have you heard of them?
It’s a concept that has been around for awhile but is semi-known, I heard about it last year and simultaneously loved it and wanted to adjust it. Spiky Profiles are a great way to have a visual representation of an individuals strengths, hurdles, and areas that need support.
Hi, This is Me! A Social Story
I want to tell you about and welcome to the world my newest idea! An empowering, self advocacy Social Journal that you can develop and add on. Absent of colour, ready to make it YOU and YOURS!
The Power of Social Stories
Social stories can hold immense power when used correctly (to support & encourage - NOT coerce & control) to reduce anxiety of an event or experience. In fact, I bet you make social stories sometimes without even realising it!
Pricing & selling your self published book.
What price should you sell your book at? How do you find that price? How much do you earn selling books? All the final questions swirling in your head about selling your self published book, I hope I have answered here.
Marketing your self-published book.
Everyone thinks that when you get your book into a physical printed product that the hard work is over, but that’s where it begins. Now its up to you to keep your self published book alive - because if you do not talk about it, nobody will know about it!
Illustrating your book or finding an Illustrator
Illustrating your children’s book can be just as daunting (if not more so) than writing the words. The illustrations hold A LOT of weight in picture books - so here’s my tips on getting started with illustrating or finding an illustrator.
Setting up your file to publish your book.
Setting up you file to print / self publish your amazing book can be harder (or at very least more confusing) than coming up with the idea of the book to begin with! At least for me it was anyway, so here is all the lessons I have learned about ISBNs, file sizes, page bleeds, etc.
BEWARE of vanity publishers!
What is a vanity publisher? Someone who is asking you for money to publish YOUR book! They justify the amount with hollow promises but trust me, you will not get what you think. Vanity publishers tend not to call themselves vanity publishers. Instead, they describe their services as 'joint venture publishing' or 'partnership publishing'.
Where do I print my self published books & why them?
You have the words written now to your amazing, important, and needed story. What next? Most people jump to art / illustrations but its time to do some back end administration in my opinion! Step 2 is finding out where and how you are going to print your books, let me give you an insight to my places and processes.
Writing the words.
So I’ve given you the overview of how I self publish, now let’s get some details laid out - step one is writing the words. Here is what I think is the recipe for success (complete personal opinion and not fact, but experience and also being a lover and collector of children’s books).
“How do you self publish a (children’s) book?”
The authoring and self-publishing world can be a pit of snakes keeping secrets. Here is an overview of how I have created my books (with the backing they are best sellers so maybe SOME of my expertise is useful - fingers crossed).