The Times, They Are A-Changing

Things in my household are changing. At least it feels that way; actually, nothing is very different than it was a few months ago, but we can all see it on the horizon.

Our oldest daughter is beginning her senior year in college. This summer, she’s been working full time and taking classes both online and at her school. She’s a busy girl, and we don’t see her nearly as much as we did, even though she’s still living here. Our second daughter, who just graduated from high school, is also working part-time as well as volunteering at an assisted living center. Between that and a busier social life, she’s coming and going much more frequently, too. My husband and I find ourselves at home with just the two youngers, or sometimes even just with our son. After 21 years of having all the kids with us to some extent, it’s really kind of strange.

I was prepared to be very emotional about this. I am, as any of my friends or family will tell you, someone whose feelings lie very close to the surface. I cry at the airport when anyone is leaving, even if I know I’ll see them shortly. I can’t handle Hallmark commercials—or even worse, the Publix ads that play around the holidays (all of you in the south—you know what I’m talking about!). So I expected to be a blubbering mess when it came down to my kids leaving home.

But I’m really not. I was thinking about this the other day. My oldest daughter is likely going to be getting married next year after graduation, and Haley talks about moving to Italy when she’s finished the first two years of college. I adore my children, I love to spend time with them. They, with my husband, are tops among my favorite people in the world. So why am I not deep in depression?

I think it’s mostly this: I have been blessed by each phase of my children’s lives. I have enjoyed infancy, babyhood, the toddler years, childhood and adolescence. I don’t think I’ve missed anything. I’ve been in the trenches with them through the good times and the bad; we’ve made it through together.

And so this next step—this fully embracing the independence that actually began the day they were born—is exciting to me, too. I know that I’m not going to be so much a part of this next phase, but that’s okay. I can still appreciate it. I’m eagerly anticipating the new lives my children launch as they step out on their own. I’m curious to see what they take with them and what they choose to leave behind.

I hope that I’m still part of their lives, and I think I will be. I’m thrilled that as siblings, my children are close to one another, and it makes me happy to anticipate those relationships growing even as roles change. One of my goals as a parents has been to raise children who love and support their brothers and sisters, and it gives me joy to see that happening.

So yes, our nest is emptying. I still have a few little birds left to cherish and teach before it’s their turn, and maybe I’ll be tweeting a different tune in eight years when David’s finished high school.
But I hope not. I hope that I can send my kids out into the world full of confidence in their own wings and ready to take flight.

After all, that’s the whole point, isn’t it?




Tawdra Kandle is stay-at-home, homeschooling mom of four children who range in age from 10 years to 21 years. She and her husband of over 22 years live in central Florida, where he is in seminary. Tawdra spends most of her precious free time writing and reading, and she loves to travel. She is also a resident writer for Taking Time for Mommy. View more of her Articles HERE. You can also follow Tawdra on twitter and her blog, Publishing Quest

Those Who Choose

{This was an essay I wrote about two years ago for my personal blog. I’m happy to report that those who chose then are still close to us now.}

In the past few years, I have learned so many lessons. . .literally hard-learned ones! And don’t get me wrong, I am grateful for them, even if I didn’t know at the time I would be.

One of the hardest lessons has been learning about those who choose. It is sweet, and it is painful.

When my dad first got sick, back when he was first diagnosed with multiple myeloma, we had all sorts of friends and family rally around us. There were meals delivered, cards sent, offers of help. And we were grateful and appreciative. And then. . .life went on. My dad came home from the hospital, and all of our lives fell into what became the normal pattern.

Fast forward five years: my dad started needing hospitalization more and more frequently, until finally, in May, he went into the hospital and never came home. It was a long six weeks of trips to and from the hospital, followed by the blur of grief. When my mother was diagnosed with acute lymphatic leukemia two months later, it seemed more than we could bear.

Apparently, it WAS more than some people could bear. We realized as the months went on that we heard from fewer and fewer people.

But that is not who I want to talk about. I want to talk about those who choose. Because those who chose to hang on with us, those who chose to call each week, those who listened when we cried or whined. . .those are the people whom I will always treasure as my nearest and dearest. Turns out blood isn’t thicker than water, but love is stronger than obligation.

Those who choose could have stopped calling or writing after my mom died. They could have decided that since we moved south, or since it was really my parents with whom they were friends, or since we really didn’t “need” them anymore, they could back away.

But they didn’t. They called. They wrote. They listened. They advised. They visited! And most of all, they loved. They chose to love, even when it was painful or less than convenient.

I want to be one who chooses. Don’t you?



Tawdra Kandle is stay-at-home, homeschooling mom of four children who range in age from 9 years to 21 years. She and her husband of over 22 years live in central Florida, where he is in seminary. Tawdra spends most of her precious free time writing and reading, and she loves to travel. She is also a resident writer for Taking Time for Mommy. View more of her Articles HERE. You can also follow Tawdra on twitter and her blog, Publishing Quest

Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness

This past weekend, we observed the 234th birthday of our nation. . .the 234th anniversary of the day that our forefathers put their names to the Declaration of Independence, a radical and exciting document that put forth some pretty out-there ideas for the 18th century.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

Up until then, the idea that all men were created equal was just crazy-talk. Sure, there were some philosophers who were writing about these principles, but to actually put forth a document that would not only generate talk but birth a nation was a breathtaking proposition. Because by all men, they didn’t just mean the educated, the land owners, the wealthy, the nobility. All men reached out to include the lowly workers, the servants, those who could never have any hope of bettering themselves in society as it stood.

And rights! Who ever said anything about human rights? Up until not too long before that time, the biggest right a man could hope to have was to live his life with as little interference as possible from the king or government. And now these crazy men in Philadelphia talked about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?

The men who wrote these words and the men who put their names to this document were essentially signing their own death warrants, for what they said and agreed to amounted to high treason. We think of the portraits that hang in museums of the Continental Congress formally gathered to sign the Declaration. But we don’t know the half of it.

So enough of the history lesson already? Maybe not. What we have forgotten about the early days of our nation are the essentials, the courage, the dangers and privations faced. Men who marched with Washington had no shoes more often than they had shoes. The trail was literally marked by the blood of their feet as they marched. They weren’t paid often by a Congress who was paranoid about the strength of the army, even as they expected those same men to defeat the well-trained, well-appointed and well-armed British and Hessians.

Why did they do it? They were fighting for an ideal, for a principle. They fought for their homeland.

As you celebrated Independence Day with barbecues, parades and fireworks, perhaps you took a little time to read those words again, the ones that made us who we are, not the 13 British colonies in North America, but the United States of America, a free and sovereign nation. I hope you read them to your kids, too, and tell them what it means. Tell them about the courage of men and women, “who more than self their country loved, and mercy more than life.”



Tawdra Kandle is stay-at-home, homeschooling mom of four children who range in age from 9 years to 21 years. She and her husband of over 22 years live in central Florida, where he is in seminary. Tawdra spends most of her precious free time writing and reading, and she loves to travel. She is also a resident writer for Taking Time for Mommy. View more of her Articles HERE. You can also follow Tawdra on twitter and her blog, Publishing Quest

The Demise of the Dinner Party?

I have been accused more than once of being a regressive throwback. (In fact, I’m thinking that would be a great title for a new book: “Confessions of a Regressive Throwback”. Hmmmm. . .) This is mostly because I’ve been a stay at home wife and mom my entire married life, and I have a pretty old-fashioned point of view about home and family. But recently I became aware of another way in which I’m apparently outdated.

I like dinner parties. I love to throw them, and I enjoy attending them, too. But it seems that I’m in the minority. During a discussion with girlfriends a few weeks ago, I found that they all had a terror of this kind of entertaining. And when I stopped to think about it, I realized that for years, I have been almost the only person in my circle to host dinner.

My mom used to throw wonderful dinner parties. She was a great cook, and she loved to entertain. I fondly remember her preparations, making the house spotless and bringing out her best dishes, working so that each and every other guest would feel welcome and comfortable.

I love that part of the process, too. Planning the menu, setting the table, cooking the food. . it’s all so much fun.

And of course the actual dinner is always enjoyable, too. The conversation allows everyone to get better acquainted. I always learn something new and come away with an increased respect for my guests.

Following my mother’s example, it was only natural that I wanted to host my own parties after I was married. I remember making a big spaghetti dinner for my college friends who were still living in dorms as well as for my husband’s fellow Army officers at officers’ basic training. I barely knew how to cook, and we had the tiniest of kitchens, with only two burners and an oven whose pilot light went out every time I closed the door too hard. But that didn’t matter—it was the company and the effort!

After we moved to Hawaii and were settled in the Army, I loved to entertain our friends, most of whom were young unmarried officers, homesick and tired of eating fast food or sandwiches. We couldn’t afford anything fancy, but we served dinner with love and friendship, and that’s what made it memorable.

Sharing a meal with friends old or new is a wonderful way to get to know them better or to deepen an existing relationship. The dinner table is the perfect place to share intellectual conversation or even old family stories.

So are you intrigued? Ready to try it out? May I share a few tips that I picked up over the years from my mother’s and my own experiences?

First: Plan. As my friends Lee and Amy say, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” Choose a menu with dishes that are simple and familiar to you. This is not the time to try an elaborate new recipe! Anything that you can make ahead of time is a great option. Think about serving a simple appetizer for when your guests arrive. This can be as easy as fresh marinated mozzarella cheese and tomatoes or even crackers and sliced cheese. Also, plan a dessert of some sort, even if it’s just fruit or even if you must buy it at the bakery. Ending the meal right after the entrée can feel awkward. And even if all your guests don’t drink coffee, it’s a nice gesture to have some available for those who do.

Second: Make your guest list with care. Try to invite a mix of people, both those who are more outgoing and talkative as well as those who are a little quieter. You don’t have to invite too many people; more intimate parties are sometimes much nicer. Invite your guests with care and with little fanfare: simply ask them if they’d like to join your family for dinner on the chosen night. Give them the time and be sure to ask if there are any food allergies or specific preferences. Also be clear about whether or not children are included in your invitation. Kids can certainly make a dinner party fun, but if you choose to make this an adult-only affair, give parents plenty of time to find a sitter.

Third: Don’t stress over your house. Certainly you should try to make sure everything is as clean as possible; dusting and vacuuming seems like a minimum of effort to me. I like to clear all the clutter of life out of the way before my guests arrive, and I also try to light mildly scented candles. Don’t forget the restroom; make sure it’s clean and that you have a pretty hand towel near your sink.

Fourth: Pace yourself. Plan plenty of time for all your cooking. Try to set the table ahead of time if you can. Lay out serving dishes and utensils. This will all work together so that when your guests arrive, you’ll be cool and relaxed, not hot and frazzled.

Remember that the most important element of any successful social gathering is the comfort level of the host and hostess. If you are obviously comfortable and relaxed, your company will feel at home. They may not remember your fabulous frittata or your succulent squash, but they will recall a good time with friends. And that’s whole point after all.



Tawdra Kandle is stay-at-home, homeschooling mom of four children who range in age from 9 years to 21 years. She and her husband of over 22 years live in central Florida, where he is in seminary. Tawdra spends most of her precious free time writing and reading, and she loves to travel. She is also a resident writer for Taking Time for Mommy. View more of her Articles HERE. You can also follow Tawdra on twitter and her blog, Publishing Quest

Review & Interview: Well Fed Family: Breads

If you’ve been following my healthy eating articles, you’ll be familiar with my whole foods guru, Lee. Lee and her sister, Amy, have produced the first in a series of DVDs that explore the fundamentals of whole foods cooking and eating.

This DVD, subtitled Breads, covers the essentials of baking fresh breads for your family—everything from sandwich breads to tortillas—using soaked grains and entirely natural ingredients.

It’s a very user-friendly format: after an introduction explaining why it’s important to understand the concept of soaked grains, there’s a menu that allows the viewer to choose any variety of bread. The opening screen of each segment presents the recipe for whatever is being demonstrated in that portion, so that it’s an easy task to have ingredients and tools ready ahead of time.

Lee and Amy do an excellent job of carefully and thoroughly explaining each step of the recipe and why it’s important. They introduce ingredients and demonstrate machines and tools, sharing the benefits of each particular one. Together they present a compelling case for meal planning and the use of only fresh, natural food products.

This style makes it easy to cook along with Lee and Amy, in effect presenting a living cookbook.

If you’re not craving fresh bread right out of the oven. . .or cinnamon rolls. . or pancakes after you finish watching this DVD, you must not have been paying attention!

An Interview with Lee Burdett

Lee Burdett, along with her sister, Amy Knowles, is the co-founder of the Well Fed Family website (www.WellFedFamily.net). The two also produced and starred in a recently released DVD that details the overall goodness of making your own bread at home, from fresh and natural ingredients.

Lee presents Healthy Eating classes to small groups, wherein she shares her journey to whole foods and demonstrates tips and recipes. She graciously agreed to answer some questions about that journey.

TTFM: What launched you into the practice of cooking and eating whole foods--how did you get started?


Lee: The journey has two main starting points – while I was growing up my mother taught both of her girls how to cook. We both enjoyed the satisfaction and tastier results of cooking from scratch but would occasionally use convenience products as well. I was always an adventurous eater and cook; whenever I would discover a new food I would try to learn how to make it myself. Getting married and working full time changed the way I cooked due to demands on my time. I began running when I was 15 and after I got married I also began running in various races. This sparked my interest in eating for performance and health, which combined well with my earlier culinary experiences.
When our children began arriving, it caused my sister and me to re-evaluate a lot of what we were doing. My sister began earnestly searching for non-medical solutions to some health issues they were facing, and she discovered we could be doing so much more for our health than we were currently doing. She was the first to purchase a grain mill and commit to making her family’s bread rather than buying it. It seems one commitment led to another, and after reading Ruth Yaron’s Super Baby Food I was inspired to really take control over my own family’s food. Making baby food was easy and much cheaper than buying those little jars. From those first “baby steps,” it became a constant learning process that continues to this day. The goal is to take back control of our health and well being through taking control away from commercial industrial “food”. My sister and I are always learning new ways to do things, healthier ways to cook and sharing them with each other and anyone else who will listen.


TTFM: Can you give us a definition of whole foods, from your perspective--in other words, how do whole foods and healthy eating translate into your family's life?

Lee: Whole foods are foods that are as close to the way God made them as possible. In our day-to-day life, we strive to eat foods that have been processed very little if at all. Ideally we ourselves are the ones who do the processing – when you cut an apple you have processed it in a very simple way – not relying on a company to process things for us. We seek out sources for our food that come from people we know we can trust, who have integrity and who do things the way we would do it if we could do it ourselves. I teach my children how to cook; I want them to be able to feed themselves wisely and well when they grow up. They are already avid label readers and can spot artificial ingredients and additives with skill and accuracy!

TTFM: How did changing how you cook and eat change your life and your family's life?


Lee: For one thing it has helped me to be able to stay at home with my children. I don’t think people realize how much money is spent NOT cooking for yourself. Restaurants, fast food, convenience foods from the grocery store – they are all very expensive and usually not very healthy. We save money up front by planning meals and cooking at home, and we save money in the long run by not having constant medical bills piling up. I look back at the records from “before” and see month after month of antibiotics, ear infections, allergies, flu, etc. and realize just how sick a “normal, healthy family” can be. Now I can honestly say I cannot remember the last time either child or adult in our family had to take an anti-biotic or any other prescription medication for typical illnesses. The same transformation has happened with my sister’s family. When we do catch something we are able to bounce back and recover quickly. We haven’t had over-the-counter cold medications in our house for years now.

TTFM: For a family just starting the journey of healthy eating, what would you suggest as the most important first steps?

Lee: First steps would be to get rid of all the dangerous stuff lurking in your cupboards and refrigerator. Be an avid label reader, tossing out anything with artificial colors, artificial flavors, chemical preservatives or artificial sweeteners. It was reading the labels on store-bought bread that caused me to make the initial commitment to learning how to make my own bread. It is so easy and much less expensive to make your own with almost any kind of bread product from sandwich to muffins to tortillas. I even do crackers now. The DVD is a great first start tool for families who want to take control of their health.
Toss out the rancid, refined liquid vegetable oils and replace them with unrefined nutritious oils like extra virgin olive oil and extra virgin coconut oil. Use organic butter in place of the margarines and “healthy spreads” whose ingredient lists read like a chemistry textbook.
Once you’ve gotten rid of the junk bring in only real food. Plan your menu each week, make a shopping list and prepare yourself so you can eat well and healthfully without getting caught at the last minute without a plan for dinner.


TTFM: Your first DVD is all about breads and baking. What comes next?

Lee: I have been teaching the “Healthy Eating 101” class for almost a year now. We are looking into a way to put the class onto a DVD to make it accessible for those who don’t live in Central Florida and can’t come to a class. We’ve also had requests for a DVD about fermented foods like yogurt, kefir, lacto-fermented vegetables and sourdough. A cookbook is in the works too. I will be speaking at the LIFE fest Homeschool convention in September here in Orlando. You can check out more information on that at www.learningis4everyone.org


The Well Fed Family website http://www.wellfedfamily.net has a lot of information for people who are starting out on the healthy eating journey.
The Well Fed Family: Breads DVD is available for purchase on the website under the “education” tab. Website content is updated once a month. The Well Fed Family is also on Facebook where you can find resource listings for local farmers markets, farms, stores and co-ops. There are also recipes and tips on the FB page. It’s a great place to ask questions as there are quite a few knowledgeable people available there to answer quickly.


Tawdra Kandle is stay-at-home, homeschooling mom of four children who range in age from 9 years to 21 years. She and her husband of over 22 years live in central Florida, where he is in seminary. Tawdra spends most of her precious free time writing and reading, and she loves to travel. She is also a resident writer for Taking Time for Mommy. View more of her Articles HERE. You can also follow Tawdra on twitter and her blog, Publishing Quest

Homeschool Convention 2010!

Homeschooling can be a very solitary venture sometimes. Even with the explosion of homeschool groups both online and locally based, it’s easy to feel isolated sometimes as a mom or dad teaching at home. Additionally, curriculum purchasing can be frustrating when it’s done completely online; not getting your hands on the books or materials sometimes means that homeschoolers end up purchasing the wrong tools. And that is why homeschool conventions exist.  When I began my homeschooling journey back in New Jersey, I attended my first convention at the end of my first year as a homeschooling mom. I wasn’t sure what to expect. I drove a little more than an hour away from home, taking my oldest daughter with me. When we arrived, we found a small convention hall (Edison, NJ isn’t exactly the epicenter of anything!) with vendors set up in rows. Workshops (basically informational lectures) were offered in various rooms adjoining the hall. Right outside the vendor area there was a large area for the sale of used curriculum, and even a table of “Take me, I’m free!” materials. It was an eye-opening experience for me.  I hadn’t been around so many homeschoolers—ever. And the opportunity to put my hands on books I’d been examining on the internet made me giddy. I don’t think I bought too much during that first convention. I know I took away lots of information and brochures, and later in the summer, I placed an online order based on what I found there. I also attended quite a few workshops. That was nine years ago. In the interim, I’ve both attended and worked several NJ homeschool conventions, and over the past four years, I’ve become a regular attendee at the country’s largest homeschool convention offered by the Florida Parent Educators Association. Each May, FPEA takes over a resort. Homeschoolers from all over Florida and other bordering states swarm the convention floor. The first FPEA convention I attended was overwhelming. Coming from my little NJ show, I wasn’t prepared for the sheer scope of the vendors’ hall. It opened on Thursday evening, with both Friday and Saturday offering full days of shopping opportunities.  Since that first experience in Florida, I’ve gotten used to the size of the convention. I’ve learned how to navigate the floor quickly and easily. But I never fail to be impressed and amazed by the whole thing. Imagine the varied shapes of homeschooling families. Now picture a representative group of those families. That’s a good sketch of what a convention looks like. There are lots of very large families as well as the more “typical” smaller ones. It’s not unusual to see conservatively dressed children and women, as homeschooling is very popular among groups who embrace that lifestyle. There are certainly lots of children on the show floor, from tiny nursing babies to those who are about to graduate.  The vendors include what you might expect: larger homeschool companies offering a rare chance to examine all their materials and book and supply companies with every kind of paper, pencil, crayon you can imagine. There are also college tables, as well as reps from different attractions that cater to the homeschool set. I haven’t participated in workshops or lectures for several years, but they are certainly available for those who need guidance, inspiration or information. Really, all the inspiration I need comes from simply walking the convention and seeing all these families, thriving and growing together, learning in every different style under the sun. It never fails to get me excited for a new school year


Tawdra Kandle is stay-at-home, homeschooling mom of four children who range in age from 9 years to 21 years. She and her husband of over 22 years live in central Florida, where he is in seminary. Tawdra spends most of her precious free time writing and reading, and she loves to travel. She is also a resident writer for Taking Time for Mommy. View more of her Articles HERE. You can also follow Tawdra on twitter and her blog, Publishing Quest

Homeschool Graduation: Yes, It DOES Exist!

I've been in contact recently with people at 
the very beginning of the homeschooling adventure--people with very 
young kids. They’re interested in how to begin, anxious to get it right from the very beginning. And they are very concerned about the not-uncommon lack of support from family and friends when it comes to homeschooling.

I want to share some encouragement 
with everyone.
 Our second oldest daughter graduated recently through the ceremony at the Florida Parent Educators Association convention. This is our second child to graduate high school, but 
our oldest had attended a high school of performing arts in New Jersey and so 
had a "traditional" ceremony; this was our first true homeschool 
graduation.



There are so many people who will challenge your decision to 
homeschool as you go along, and one of the comments we frequently 
received was, "You're denying your child things like prom and 
graduation!" While I certainly believe that the benefits of 
homeschooling outweigh the very fleeting pleasures of things like 
dances and ceremonies, it is pretty wonderful that we can still offer 
our kids the option to participate in so-called milestone events. 
Within her senior year, our daughter attended several dances, including a prom, went on her senior trip and 
participated in a very well-done and lovely graduation weekend.
 For anyone who hasn't experienced a graduation ceremony through a homeschool convention, I can tell you 
that we were very impressed. On Friday, there was an informal but well-organized day of senior fun, where the kids met their fellow graduates, played 
games and swam. On Saturday, they had a mandatory graduation practice 
and then that night, a dinner and dance.

What made this uniquely 
homeschool-centric is that the dance was a family affair--it was multi- generational! There were little ones, parents and grandparents, not 
to mention the graduates themselves, alumni and siblings of various 
ages. It was pretty impressive.
 
The ceremony itself on Sunday morning was also amazing. There were 
touches that allowed everyone to get to know each graduate, even 
though most of them had not met each other prior to that weekend. There was a real sense of 
cohesiveness despite the fact that these graduates probably hadn't 
attended a single class together ever.



We had family come in from New Jersey, California and Georgia for weekend. 
Most of them hadn't experienced homeschoolers, other than my own 
family. Without exception, they came away with a totally different 
view of the homeschooling community than that which is popularly espoused in the world. One 
uncle is a retired college professor (he educated special needs 
teachers and still works within that sector). He attended the 
convention on Saturday morning. He was quite literally blown away. 
He kept saying to me, "I just had no idea."



So to everyone at the beginning. . .know that this journey will 
go faster than you can imagine. One day you're teaching phonics, and 
the next you're waiting for SAT scores! And know too that you are 
doing the absolute best things for your children by educating them at 
home. The payoffs are incredible, and when you watch your child 
receive his/her diploma, you have the gratification of knowing that 
you were not only supportive parent, you were also the teacher and the 
guide--a full participant in this amazing experience.



Tawdra Kandle is stay-at-home, homeschooling mom of four children who range in age from 9 years to 21 years. She and her husband of over 22 years live in central Florida, where he is in seminary. Tawdra spends most of her precious free time writing and reading, and she loves to travel. She is also a resident writer for Taking Time for Mommy. View more of her Articles HERE. You can also follow Tawdra on twitter and her blog, Publishing Quest

Friendly Follies

“Mommy, do we have to go play with Mary today?” asks your daughter, and once again you feel a twinge of regret. You’ve made a commitment for a play date or group outing, and your children are less than enthusiastic.

As adults, we understand that friendships ebb and flow. We know that sometimes we might not enjoy every visit, but we grit our teeth and get through it. Kids don’t always see it that way.

Children are not always the kindest creatures. They play rough, they say whatever might cross their minds and they can be spiteful. We bring up our own kids to be as kind as possible, but we can’t protect them from every hurt.

But it can be a very delicate situation. How do you explain to another mother that your children don’t mix well—particularly if you and the other mom are friends?

There are a few options, but I’m afraid none of them are good ones. If you feel that you know the other mom well enough, you can tactfully approach the subject with her. It will take a great deal of delicate maneuvering to share with her that her child has been unkind or even that your kids’ personalities don’t mesh. If her son or daughter has put your child into a dangerous situation of any type, then you simply must be honest and tell her that while you enjoy the time spent together, you can’t subject your children to that kind of situation.

Another choice is to simply back away from the situation. You can gradually stop making dates and plans with that family, and pretty soon, they’ll get the message. Of course, that may cause more hurt in the long run, and it probably isn’t fair.

Then there are circumstances wherein your child has to grin and bear it. If the other child is an extended family member, for instance, you can’t write him off (although you can certainly minimize the amount of time your families spend together). And if the offending kid is a long-distance friend, it can be easier to console your offspring that this is only a “once in a while” problem and not worth causing upset to anyone.

My own children have experienced this. While we have taught them to be gracious hosts and to always acquiesce to the wishes of a visiting friend, those visitors often take advantage of this courtesy. We’ve also known the situations where the children just don’t get along. Sometimes we’ve gradually removed ourselves from the relationships, and other times, we have not been able to do so. We’ve found that talking about it with the kids is helpful; when they know that Mom and Dad have sympathy for their plight, they seem to be able to bear it a little better. We praise them for their continued kindness, even in the face of hurts and cruelty.

The important thing is that your children realize that you are on their side and that you recognize their distress. We’ve frequently had conversations where we discuss why little Mary is so difficult to get along with or why little Billy hits all the time. When we point out some possible reasons, the children tend to have more compassion and patience.

The easiest solution, of course, is to avoid developing these sorts of toxic friendships at all. Be cautious when making new friends; don’t jump into activities or regular dates until you’re more sure of how your children will get along. It’s far simpler to go slower and then commit than it is to pull back!

Hang in there. With some time, patience and understanding—and perhaps, if possible, a few well-spoken words—it’ll all work out, and you can spend your time with fun, relaxing pals!
Tawdra Kandle is stay-at-home, homeschooling mom of four children who range in age from 9 years to 21 years. She and her husband of over 22 years live in central Florida, where he is in seminary. Tawdra spends most of her precious free time writing and reading, and she loves to travel. She is also a resident writer for Taking Time for Mommy. View more of her Articles HERE. You can also follow Tawdra on twitter and her blog, Publishing Quest

Baby Steps Part 4: Making it Part of Life

The other day I was grocery shopping, which isn’t unusual; no matter how much I plan, I end up at Publix or Super Target at least twice a week. But on this day, I was struck by a change in my shopping pattern. I looked down at my basket, and realized that I had almost no prepared foods in there. There were plenty of ingredients—very basic foods. I realized that I didn’t need to go down as many aisles in the grocery store, either. I stuck to the perimeter and the baking row (for flour, baking soda, etc.).

We’ve noticed a few other changes, too. When we might be tempted to go out to eat at a restaurant or bring in take out food, one of us usually finds an alternative at home instead. That’s both a money saver and good for us! And when we do go out, we’re much choosier, insisting on fresh, basic foods instead of fried fare.

Even recreational activities have been affected. We pack lunches for our Disney outings and other field trips. And when we spent a few days at the beach recently, we packed a cooler and several grocery bags of “good” food. We had fruit salsa, fresh mozzarella with tomatoes and other delicious snacks, which we kept in the hotel room. When anyone was hungry, there was food at the ready, good for us and at no additional expense!

Don’t get me wrong; we fall off the wagon occasionally, and when it happens, we try not to get too upset. We just get back on track as quickly as possible. And it’s always interesting to hear the kids talk about what eating “bad” food does to them, or how it makes them feel—there are headaches, stomach issues and sometimes just a general feeling of yukkiness. (That’s a medical term in our family!)

I mentioned shopping above. If you’ve been reading my articles all along, you’ll know that last summer we embarked on a couponing adventure. I have come to the conclusion that it is almost impossible—or at least impossible for ME—to coupon and to prepare healthy, whole foods on the regular basis. I still clip and organize my coupons, but I’ve found that very few are for products I feel comfortable buying. I still try to use coupons for cleaning products and other consumables, and I keep my eye open for healthy and safe ingredient specials. Coupon Queeny, whose site I have used frequently, has begun sharing info on coupons that can be used in stores like Whole Foods. So I think there is hope out there. . .

Has changing our way of eating helped my family? I would have to say yes. I love that my kids are aware of things like high fructose corn syrup, genetically modified foods and the like. I like how good I feel after eating a meal of non-processed foods. I’m in a good routine with my kefir, and I am slowly getting the hang of the kombucha, too. Like anything else worth doing, it takes time and requires planning, but so far, I’d call this experiment a resounding success.



Tawdra Kandle is stay-at-home, homeschooling mom of four children who range in age from 9 years to 21 years. She and her husband of over 22 years live in central Florida, where he is in seminary. Tawdra spends most of her precious free time writing and reading, and she loves to travel. She is also a resident writer for Taking Time for Mommy. View more of her Articles HERE. You can also follow Tawdra on twitter and her blog, Publishing Quest 

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Kombucha Tea

Is it just me, or does it sound as though I’m swearing in a foreign tongue when I say that word? Kombucha!

When I first heard someone mention kombucha months ago, I had no idea what they were talking about. Then a few friends brought along their kombucha tea to a meeting, and I tried some. It wasn’t bad. It was different, but it wasn’t bad.

More recently, as I poured over Sally Fallon’s excellent book Nourishing Traditions, I read more about this beverage. It is in fact tea-based. Kombucha tea is a fermented beverage that first was consumed in east Asia before it was introduced to Germany in the early part of the twentieth century.

The benefits associated with kombucha all come from anecdotal experience. People who love the tea claim that it boosts immunity, aids digestion and prevents both hair loss and grayness. For me, it was the digestion aid and probiotics that caught my attention. Now that I’d mastered the whole kefir routine, how hard could it be to brew some tea, right?

HA! I soon learned. I casually mentioned to whole foods guru Lee that I might want to give kombucha a try, and she quickly offered to allow me to “mother sit” her kombucha mushroom while she was in Europe. Sounded okay, although I wasn’t quite certain what “mother sitting” would involve.

A few days before her departure, Lee arrived at my house with a cooler and her arms full of stuff. She handed me a box of tea, a box of organic sugar and a large glass canister. Within the cooler was a glass bowl that contained the mother.

I don’t know that I could do justice to the description of a kombucha mother mushroom, or SCOBY (symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast) as it is called more accurately, so I’ve included a picture here. Suffice it to say that I was a bit taken aback. While it’s called a mushroom, it’s actually a gelatinous mass of bacteria and yeast. Fun!

Lee gave me my instructions, and there I was, ready to brew and mother sit. A few days later, I began the process.

First, it’s extremely important to keep everything associated with the tea and brewing as sterile as possible. We’re dealing with bacteria here, and you don’t want the wrong bacteria crashing your kombucha party. The first thing I did was boil water, about a gallon of it. I used the black tea bags to brew the tea, and I added a cup of organic sugar to the pot. Once it had cooled, I poured just under a gallon of the sweet tea into the glass canister. I removed the kombucha mother from the fridge and carefully slid her into the top of the tea-filled canister.

Now it was all up to her. I covered the canister loosely with a cotton dishtowel and hid it in a dark corner of my kitchen counter.
Four days later, with no small amount of trepidation, I uncovered the canister. I gingerly slid the mother, still floating serenely on the surface of the tea, back into her small glass bowl along with about half cup of the tea.

I poured about a ½ cup of fruit juice—I used cranberry—into six quart jars. Then I ladled the tea—now kombucha—into each jar, leaving a small amount of breathing room on the top. I put lids on the jars and moved them to the same hiding place the mother had just vacated. Two days later, the jars were ready to move to the fridge for chilling.

Now was the crucial moment—tasting. I was pretty nervous; after all, it kind of looked as though this stuff had gone bad. There was a film on top of the jar I opened. Bravely I skimmed it off, poured the kombucha into a cup. . .and took a sip.

Hmmm. It wasn’t bad. In fact, it was good. Really good. Encouraged, I called my oldest daughter over and had her take a sip. To her credit, she didn’t hesitate, and with a surprised expression, she agreed that it was good.

“But just don’t sniff it first,” she advised everyone else. “Just drink it.”

The real test was my husband. He is very particular about what he drinks, but he drank a little and told me he liked it. I could tell he was pretty surprised, too!

So the kombucha brewing was a success. Well. . .mostly. When Lee came home, she separated a layer from the SCOBY so that I could have my own “mother”. (Yes, the mother has babies, and you can share and pass on your babies. True story.) My second batch was also good. I’m drinking at least one glass of the kombucha a day. My oldest daughter has had a little now and then. The rest of the kids are steering clear for the moment, and my husband, while he enjoyed it, isn’t exactly seeking it out in place of his Arnold Palmers.

And here are the disclaimers. Kombucha brewing isn’t that complicated really, but it does take a time commitment. We had company come into town and it put a crimp in my kombucha schedule. And it should be understood that some medical professionals doubt the validity of the health claims surrounding the tea and have advised caution, as over use might lead to some difficulties (check out the NY Times article at http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/25/fashion/25Tea.html ). It’s important to be scrupulous about cleanliness when brewing your own.

I would rate the kombucha experiment as a partial success. I’m enjoying it, and I don’t mind the little bit of work that goes into making it, but in my family, it hasn’t caught on the way kefir has.

Give it time though. Give it time.

(For more information on kombucha and how to start your own, the best website is:
http://www.foodrenegade.com/how-to-brew-kombucha-double-fermentation-method/ )

Tawdra Kandle is stay-at-home, homeschooling mom of four children who range in age from 9 years to almost 21 years. She and her husband of over 22 years live in central Florida, where he is in seminary. Tawdra spends most of her precious free time writing and reading, and she loves to travel. She is also a resident writer for Taking Time for Mommy. View more of her Articles HERE. You can also follow Tawdra on twitter and her blog, Publishing Quest

Baby Steps Part 3: The Whys and the Wherefores

The reasons for making any lifestyle change have to be compelling, or those changes won’t stick. On one level, I knew that eating better foods would benefit my family, but since none of my children have any major health issues that demanded an immediate change, in the beginning I kind of dragged my feet. We were never the kind of family to consistently eat horrible food; we weren’t eating fried Twinkies or a steady diet of fast food.

But at the same time, we did use processed food. My kids ate breakfast pastries. I made scalloped potatoes from a box, with the powder and dehydrated potatoes. It was easy, it was convenient, and my family enjoyed it.

True, my husband had some weight and health concerns. And yes, our son has asthma. But I never truly believed that diet changes would make a huge difference.

What really made an impression on me—finally—were some of the facts that Lee shared at that Healthy Eating class held in my kitchen.

The first thing that surprised me was the news about fats. Most of us in this generation grew up understanding that butter is bad. Margarine is a safer alternative. Canola oil is the safe and healthy way to cook foods that must use oil.

What Lee shared was eye-opening, to say the least. She told us that our bodies need healthy fats, especially saturated fats: animal fats and tropical oils, including butter, lard and coconut oil. These fats are called stable, as they don’t become rancid even after heating. Monosaturated fats like olive oil and peanut oil also can be used for cooking.

However, polyunsaturated fats, like soy, corn and canola—yes, canola!—oils are quite reactive, meaning that they go rancid fast and should never be heated. Never! The corn and canola oils you buy from your grocery store have been allowed to go rancid and then refined and bleached. YUCK!

I was actually happy to learn that incorporating some fats into our diet is a GOOD thing. According to Lee, “Butter from cows eating rapidly growing grass is one of the most nutritious foods you can eat.”

We have begun ordering our butter through our organic vegetable co-op; our butter and cheese come from an Amish farm. We don’t use any form of artificial butter, and may I just say. . .yum?

Another piece of good news was hamburger. When Lee sent me the name of a local farmer who sells her grass-fed, humanely raised, non-hormone including beef, I told her that we had stopped eating much red meat. I was happily surprised when she shared that having a hamburger—from this good kind of meat—once a week might help my newly diagnosed osteoarthritis. The burgers we’ve made have been the best I have eaten in my entire life. And I eat them with a light and happy heart!

We’ve switched almost entirely to olive oil and coconut oil. I say almost because we still have a little leftover canola oil that I’ve used in non-heating situations. Be assured that I won’t be buying anymore!

I also learned some important facts on proteins, sugars and carbohydrates. I’ll be sharing them with you as we go along in this series.

So why did what I learned from Lee that day make me change my family’s way of eating? I think at least part of it was shock factor. Hearing how much of what I had accepted as truth was really not shook me. And of course, not all of this was completely new to me. But hearing it, seeing the documentation and reading the studies—that was the final push I needed.

And it simply felt right. Cooking and eating this was—this new, old way—hearkened back to my history. Both of my grandmothers, women who were very influential in my life, grew up on farms. My maternal grandmother cooked from scratch almost all of her life; she fed thirteen children, her husband, grandchildren and various other people who showed up at her table with the simple bounty of the land. She canned her own vegetables and fruits. She made her own bread.

When my mother married, though, it was the mid-1960’s, and cooking from scratch was considered hopelessly old-fashioned. My mother would have sooner flown to the moon than to have canned tomatoes. She made her rice from a flow-through bag; her recipes usually included canned soup or other processed foods. I’m not criticizing her; she was a good cook, and she was a product of her generation. But when I began to cook after my marriage, I found I wanted to more. I liked canning tomatoes. I enjoyed making my own bread.

This new way of eating—it’s not that new. It’s a return to a real and literally down to earth way of life.

(Credit for the information in this article goes to Lee Burdett. Check out her website at www.wellfedfamily.net)

Tawdra Kandle is stay-at-home, homeschooling mom of four children who range in age from 9 years to almost 21 years. She and her husband of over 22 years live in central Florida, where he is in seminary. Tawdra spends most of her precious free time writing and reading, and she loves to travel. She is also a resident writer for Taking Time for Mommy. View more of her Articles HERE. You can also follow Tawdra on twitter and her blog, Publishing Quest

It Is All in the Way You Think Review & Author Interview

                                                       “It Is All in the Way You Think”



By Karen Repassy

It’s so hard to see our children suffer in any way, even—or especially--when we can see that it’s at least partly their own way of thinking that’s making things so hard.

Negative thinking and its effect is the message of Karen Repassy’s debut children’s book It Is All in the Way You Think. The book is a thoughtful lesson in how outlook influences our feelings and choices.

Young Sarah awakes one morning, and it seems that one thing after another goes wrong. Looking in the mirror, she sees frizzy, mousy hair instead of curls. Feeling insecure, she glumly predicts bombing a spelling test and assumes that giggling girls on the bus are laughing at her. At every turn, her own negativity colors what she sees and how she acts.

After school, Sarah pours out her woes to her sympathetic mother, who takes the opportunity to enlighten her daughter about positive thinking, telling her, “Remember, you always have a choice on how you think and feel about something!”

The next day, Sarah puts her mother’s advice into action and is amazed to see how beautiful the world looks when seen through hopeful and positive eyes.

The insightful words of Repassy’s story are reflected in the illustrations as well. At the beginning of the book, Sarah is drawn in black and white, with only small glimpses of color. As Sarah’s way of thinking changes, the pictures become brighter and more colorful.

It Is All in the Way You Think is available at www.angelicremembering.com .

Karen Repassy, author of the children’s book It Is All in the Way You Think, is a yoga teacher, writer, wife and homeschooling mother. The story behind the book is a glimpse into Karen’s own journey in life.

TTFM: What inspired you to write It Is All in the Way You Think?
Karen: There is a lot of history that inspired me to write this book. I was 30 years old and I had everything I ever dreamed of: a home, supportive husband, and I was a stay at home mom. I always lived my life based on the idea that when I have “this” I will be happy. Well, I had all the things I expected to make me happy, but I was very depressed. After a “dark night of the soul” when I surrendered everything and prayed for help, literally the next day I had friends handing me books/affirmation cards saying “I thought of you when I saw this.” Everything that fell into my hands from that day forward had to do with thoughts and how powerful they were. I had an inkling of this growing up, but I don’t think I understood it. I started taking inventory of my thoughts and I discovered I really did not think too highly of myself. I started first to shift my thoughts of others (judgments-I feel judgments are reflections of what we do not like within ourselves), because that was easier, then thoughts of myself. When I began doing this and changing my perspective of things, my life began to change. I began to find joy in life, synchronicities were happening, and everything around me “looked” different. Most importantly, I started to genuinely like myself.

I wanted to teach children the amazing treasure I discovered when I was thirty years old. I thought, wouldn’t it have been great if had known this when I was a kid? I was sitting with my family on the couch one evening and I had what I call an “inspired moment”. The idea popped into my head and I HAD to get it out. I went into the office, shut the door, and I wrote “It Is All in the Way You Think” in 45 minutes. As I reread my story, I realized that I was Sarah on the first day in the story the first 30 years of my life. That is how I looked at life. I always thought negative things were going on around me, people were saying things about me, no one liked me, and I did not like myself physically. I was shown often enough it was not true, because that one person I thought did not like me would suddenly come up to me and say that she DID like me, or the complete opposite of what I was thinking would show itself in some way or another. I had often missed the good, because I was so busy on focusing what I thought was the truth. However I never GOT it until I started shifting my thoughts and my perspective. I was creating “untruths” in my head all my life and these “untruths” were exactly what I saw in life. When I shifted my perspective, let go, and focused on what WAS true, I was Sarah on the second day. Life became almost magical. I started seeing the good in my life. I still shift back and forth between days, depending on what is going on in my life, but the difference is I recognize it and I take full responsibility for it. As one of my favorite teachers, Wayne Dyer said, “I am much better than I used to be.”

I have always loved children’s books and as a schoolteacher it is one of my favorite avenues to introduce a concept and to branch off my lessons. I wrote this book to use as a medium for my teaching and also as a tool for children and the adults with them to open up to thinking about their thoughts and changing them to a positive perspective.

TTFM: Can you describe the artistic process of the illustrations, as they move from simple black and white to more vibrant colors?
Karen: I LOVE this question, because there is so much growth in myself attached to it. It is a long story, because the beginning leads into the growth of my adding color.

If someone said to me when I was graduating college that I would be a writer, illustrator, and talk/teach about what I was writing about, I would have first laughed, thinking it was some kind of joke. Then when I realized it was not a joke, I would have found a big rock and hidden under it the rest of my life. They were the three things (among many others that do not have to do with the book) I used to think I was NOT good at: writing, drawing, and speaking to an audience. Well, I wrote the book. One down, one thought/perspective changed,: “I CAN write.” However, I needed illustrations for the book. I asked my artist friend to do the illustrations; she attempted it and said she was not comfortable drawing characters. I asked around, and it was very costly to have someone illustrate. Never did it cross my mind that I could do it. Again, one night around midnight I was lying in bed. I had another inspired moment; I could feel it running through my body (for me inspiration means God planting the seed). I was thinking about drawing and I felt this strong urge to draw a picture of my daughter. I grabbed a photograph of her, sat on my couch, and I started drawing. When I finished, I looked at it in awe. It was raw, but there was something there that I had NEVER done before in my drawings. I always loved to draw, but I just thought I was not good enough, and I didn’t have the “gift.” I would become frustrated and give up. I could not draw and that was it. But sitting on my couch that night, I sat there for hours thinking, “What just happened?” I realized I COULD do it, and perhaps I could draw. WOW! What a moment! I contacted a local art studio to inquire about taking a drawing class. The only one available was character drawing for kids. They said I would need to talk to the instructor because it was a kids’ class. I told the instructor my reason for taking the class--to illustrate my own children’s book—and she said, “You have NO experience drawing and you think you can take ONE class and illustrate a book?” She went on laughing for about 2 minutes. I sat quietly on the other end and when her laughter ended, I said, “Yes!” That was a true test of all that I learned in one moment. Apparently, she was in the process of illustrating her own children’s chapter book with her many years of experience, and here I was coming in with NO experience doing the same. It was quite unrealistic to her. Needless to say, I took the class, and she offered the human anatomy drawing class to me as well. I shocked her and myself with this talent I NEVER knew I had. Those were the only two classes I took. That was my only “training.” Two down: I CAN draw.

This leads to the answer to your original question, the color in my illustrations. I could draw my pictures, but what about color? I struggled with this for months, and as I kept hitting my head up against a wall, getting nowhere, I stopped and said, “I CAN do this.” I researched mediums. I really like colored pencils and the control I had with them, but I did not like how they looked; I wanted something softer. I discovered watercolor pencils, but I was soooo not ready to add color to a whole picture. I was feeling inexperienced, and I did not want them to look amateurish. I was also thinking of the cost of the book, because I was feeling drawn to the route of self-publishing-it would be cheaper if there was less color, but I did not want black and white. Then the idea hit me (inspiration again). I could color the positive things she was missing in each picture. This led to the idea of showing the positive things she was missing in each illustration. I did not have to color a lot, and I was comfortable with that. Well, as my confidence grew, so did the book and color in the illustrations. As I got toward the end of the book, I knew I could do every aspect of it. So, as Sarah grew and her perspective and thoughts changed, so did I, toward the end of the book. She began to see all the good going on around her in her life, her life became more colorful and vibrant. In the process, I was starting to feel good as an illustrator, and I was able to add more color to the pictures. I was able to be a full-blown illustrator by the end of the book as Sarah figured it all out for herself, too. When it was all done, it was amazing how the two came together. I really feel the illustrations tell half of the story. If I had not gone through the growth that I did, I would have missed an important aspect to the illustrations. The more positive we become, the more colorful our lives become, too, as well as ourselves (as depicted by the color around Sarah). Everything looks and feels brighter. This is reflected in the story and in me as well.

TTFM: Did you base the story on your own experience or on that of your daughter?
Karen: The book is based on my own experience. It was partially inspired by my daughter, but not on her experiences. My daughter was only three years old when I wrote the book and a very happy, positive child. I did not want her to lose that about herself. She was part of my inspiration, because I wanted to be a better person for her. A depressed, negative mom was NOT what I dreamed of for my daughter. As I mentioned before, I was Sarah on the first day the first 30 years of my life, so Sarah’s experience is mine. However, my daughter was the model for a lot of my illustrations. In the beginning I needed a human figure to look at for my illustrations, and she modeled for me. Everyone who knows my daughter knows the physical attributes of Sarah’s are hers (except my daughter’s hair is not brown), but the character attributes are mine.

TTFM: How does yoga tie into the positive thinking theme that you present in the book?

Karen: In the beginning, along with all the information regarding positive thinking I
was receiving from friends, yoga also come into my life. I instantly fell in love with it. I loved how it made me feel and it was integral in helping me find my self-esteem. I loved the fact that it was non-competitive, and it was just “me and my mat.” Yoga is one of the tools in my toolbox. It helps me calm, de-stress and clear my mind. When I do yoga, it is so much easier for me remain in a positive perspective. Yoga is about being at peace with who you are in present moment of time and feeling good about yourself. In addition, one of the eight limbs of yoga is Yama, which includes non-violence. This includes being non-violent with our words about others and ourselves.

TTFM: Why did you decide to take the publishing route that you did, rather than a 'traditional' agent/publisher route?
Karen: In the beginning, I did submit my book to many different publishers. I submitted it before illustrations, and also when I was in the process of creating the illustrations. I received many rejection letters, although I never let it discourage me. In the interim, I took a class on self-publishing and the whole idea of it intrigued me. As I got deeper and deeper into the project and completed more and more illustrations, I saw my own personal growth emerge. As my book got closer to completion, I decided it would be best to introduce my book under my own business. I had done enough research to know that a publisher would and could change any aspect of the book they felt was not sellable. The idea of the title, illustrations or wording in the book being changed just did not feel right to me. I feel every aspect of the story reveals so much about my own growth and was an important part the message I wanted to convey to the world. If something were changed, my own personal growth would have been changed in the book and would have hindered why I put the book out there in the first place. By self-publishing under my own business, I could share the message of the book and my own personal growth in that manner. Since the release of the book, I have received numerous responses that I had inspired someone (child and adult) to write their own book. A lot of that had to do not only with the book itself but the story behind it. I did not want any of that changed. However, now that the book has been released, I am completely opened to a publisher taking it on. I would LOVE to get the message out there to a larger population.

TTFM: What message would you like children to take from your book?

Karen: I would love for children to learn at a young age that happiness comes from within. We can alter how we perceive our lives by the thoughts we hold and create in our mind. Our happiness does not come from outside circumstances, but from what we hold on the inside about ourselves. Negative thinking becomes a habit. The longer we do a habit, the harder it is to break. I want to catch children at a time when it has not become a habit, when taking inventory of their thoughts and how they feel about themselves is natural. Many of my yoga students have told me I started thinking negatively about myself, but I thought of you and I stopped. That is the message.

TTFM: Any plans for a follow up book?

Karen: Yes, I have started on a second book, but it is in its infancy stage. Just as this book gave birth from my growth, I am in the infancy stage of some things in life and I feel the book will emerge as I do. Everything produced by my business Angelic Remembering, LLC is from my own personal experiences, based on my own growth and products in the future will encompass that.

TTFM: Are children's books your preferred venue?

Yes, at this time it is. I love children’s literature. Also, it is what I am comfortable with at the moment, but as experience has shown with this one book, you never know. As I get the message out there, if the need arises to write adult books, I am open to it. What I have learned through all of this is that it is safe to move out of my comfort zone and what is there to meet me as I move past it is amazing.

TTFM: Please describe the meditations you offer on your website and what your goals are with these meditations.

Karen: One of the tools I use to help me stay in a positive mind set is meditation. Meditation calms me and clears my mind, so I can get past the clutter and move to the truth of the situation. The meditations on my website are tools to help re-center and refocus to a good place. Life will toss all kinds of obstacles at you. The meditations are tools to help move through the obstacles. They are imaginative journeys using the tools I teach. The Transforming Forest is a companion meditation to the book. We all have times and situations where it is hard to move past a negative perspective. This meditation helps to get back on track. It involves letting go of the situation you are holding on to and seeing it from a new positive perspective. The other meditations I offer correspond with the topic of the Yoga Remembering Stories. For example, The Affirmation Adventure is a magical journey using affirmations, another tool in my toolbox, to move to a positive state.


Tawdra Kandle is stay-at-home, homeschooling mom of four children who range in age from 9 years to almost 21 years. She and her husband of over 22 years live in central Florida, where he is in seminary. Tawdra spends most of her precious free time writing and reading, and she loves to travel. She is also a resident writer for Taking Time for Mommy. View more of her Articles HERE. You can also follow Tawdra on twitter and her blog, Publishing Quest