What's New With Cynthia Reeg

HAMSTER HOLIDAYS and Robin Falls Kids Story Time

2009-07-13T05:28:00.000-07:00

HAMSTER HOLIDAYS: NOUN and ADJECTIVE ADVENTURES is here!!!

A troupe of hamsters celebrate a year of silly holidays in their unique hamster style. The book highlights nouns and adjectives on each page, as well as exploring opposites. Activity pages include scrambled words, match-up and crossword puzzles, and much more. Grammar becomes fun and games with hamster helpers.

Visit Guardian Angel Publishing for information on purchasing this title in either eBook or print format.

HAMSTER HOLIDAYS--and all of the other books in the PET GRAMMAR PARADE SERIES--are available in print format from these online bookstores:

Visit illustrator KIT GRADY's web site for more information on the book's wonderful artist.

Special Education Teacher, Cathy Eshleman of Kearney, NB had this to say about the book:

Through the use of hamster antics, Cynthia Reeg, in her whimsical style, writes about nouns and adjectives in a way that will capture the interest of any student. Hamster Holidays: Noun and Adjective Adventures is a "must have" for any teacher who is introducing or reinforcing nouns or adjectives in the classroom.

To hear some of the HAMSTER HOLIDAYS story, listen to author Cynthia Reeg read from the book and share snippets from her other PET GRAMMAR PARADE titles on WEDNESDAY, JULY 15, at 10:00 am CST on the ROBIN FALLS KIDS STORY TIME on BLOG TALK RADIO.

Six children's authors will be sharing their books and answering questions this Wednesday. If you'd like to call in, here is the number: 646-649-1005.

If you'd like to find out more information and/or register for one of the more than 20 prizes to be given away in August, visit Robin Falls Kids or email robinfallskids@yahoo.com

This is the third of six blog talk programs this summer at Robin Falls Kids.

Don't miss it!

ZeBee's Virtual Summer Zoo Camp for Children

2009-07-06T07:55:00.000-07:00

Too Dog-Gone Good to Miss

and

Just in time to beat summertime boredom--

ZEBEE'S Virtual SUMMER ZOO CAMP

An online cybercamp for children 5-8

Fun, educational activities--starting TODAY!!!

Eight weeks of zoo animal adventures

Prizes, games, animal trivia, arts & crafts, puzzles

July 6-August 28

HAMSTER HOLIDAYS Is Coming Soon

2009-07-01T14:01:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy summer already. Just returned from an international trip--I'll share some photos later. But I didn't want to miss the opportunity to tell you the good news.

HAMSTER HOLIDAYS: Noun and Adjective Adventures--the next book in my Pet Grammar Parade Series is nearly here.

As you can see from the cover, illustrator Kit Grady has brought to life these adorable and entertaining hamster characters in her own wonderful, colorful style.

You'll meet Grandpa and Babe, Carlos and Jenni, Billy--who's rather silly, and Lotty--who is decidedly spotty.

You can join them through a year of hare-brained holidays--sure to make you giggle. Nouns and adjectives are highlighted throughout the book. A study guide, activity sheet, and multiple puzzles are included.

HAMSTER HOLIDAYS is coming very soon in both eBook and print formats from Guardian Angel Publishing.

Find the Perfect Book Match for Your Summer Reading

2009-06-10T13:02:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited to tell you about this great opportunity--just a click away. How many times during the summer when your mom or dad suggests you do some reading, you say, "But I don't have any good books."???

When you follow this link to Lexile's Find a Book, you'll be able to enter your grade and what type of books interest you. Presto! Find a Book will zap out a list of titles for you to check out faster than you can slurp down an ice cream cone on a 90-degree summer day.

Pick out a few titles which sound too good to miss. Go online to your local library. See if they have the books. Put holds on them and plan a trip to the library. In no time at all, you can be relaxing with the best of summer reads.

Not so much into reading...no worries. You can indicate what your reading level is when you enter your info into the Find a Book database. A long list of just-right books--for your interests and correct reading level--will magically appear.

Yeah, but why bother reading during the summer. It's vacation from school time.

So true, but a professor of education at Harvard University, James Kim, did a study. He found that students who don't read over the summer can fall behind in their reading levels by as much as two months. That means you'll have lost ground during the summer. You'll start next school year just trying to catch up to where you left off the year before. That doesn't sound like fun.

But, according to the professor, if you read at least 8 interesting books at your reading level during the summer, you won't fall behind. In fact, you'll probably increase your reading level.

Awesome! Wouldn't that be a cool surprise for your new teacher as well as your parents.

Public libraries usually have great summer reading programs. You may be able to earn prizes reading this summer and beat the summer slide--loosing ground on your reading skills.

So this summer, do your sliding into home plate--not down hill on your reading.

Libraries are truly COOL places to hang out in this summer. Check one out.

Let me know how you do with your reading and what's the best book you read this summer.

Summer Reading, Websites, and Recipes for Kids

2009-06-05T12:42:00.000-07:00

Holly and I took a field trip to the dog park today. There we met Joey and his mom and their beautiful and friendly Irish Setter, Flash. After Holly showed Joey all the cool tricks she can do, we humans eventually got around to the really fun stuff--talking about books.

Joey was on the lookout for some good summer reading. I offered him a couple of favorites:

THE GOLLYWHOPPER GAMES by Jody Feldman

THE GRAVEYARD BOOK by Neil Gaiman

The Gollywhopper Games received the 2008 Midwest Choice Book Awards Honor for Children's Literature. And the book is also up for possible readers' choice awards in both Alaska and Texas.

The Graveyard Book won this year's Newbery Award as well as honor book in the recently announced Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards. Follow the link for the other selections.

Of course, a library is a great place to visit this summer for expert advice on good books. Plus, they usually have special programs designed for kids of all ages.

Some other fun things to do this summer can be found online. Visit the AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION's list of great websites for kids. I've mentioned a few of the websites before, like

ReadKiddoRead and Giggle Poetry. But there are lots more suggestions for summer adventures from math to art to science to film making.

Joey also shared with me that he enjoys cooking. Yum! Yum! Don't forget that I have some tasty recipes on my website. Dirty Worms seems like an appropriate dish for summer fare. For more recipes, click on this link. There you'll also find games, crafts, puzzles, and more reading adventures.

Father's Day Gift Ideas

2009-06-02T11:53:00.000-07:00

Father's Day is fast approaching. Dads love a homemade gifts.

Why not try writing a special poem for your dad?

Remember when we did some ACROSTIC poems here? Try that idea for a Father's Day poem.

Mega-special map reader.

Yaw-some pancake maker.

Dynamic

Arm wrestler.

Dizzy trampoline jumper.

Inventive homework helper.

Super-duper coach.

Good hugger.

Rainy day game leader.

Extra-

Amazing-

Totally the very best ever--Dad !!!

*****

Or write a story for your dad. You can make one up--a fiction story. Maybe write how your dad saved the planet from the giant worms from Pluto. This would be a fantasy story because it couldn't happen in real life.

Or write a fiction story about something silly that could really happen--like your dad deciding to open a pet store, but he ends up with way too many pets and you need to come to his rescue.

Or write a nonfiction story about an adventure that you and your dad shared in real life.

The possibilities are endless. Add your own illustrations too. Dads love that.

Father's Day is June 21. Get started today and make your dad's day something special.

Summer Art Show Contest for Kids

2009-05-28T08:00:00.000-07:00

Quick...take a look at this:

Fancy Frilly Foxy's Kids Summer Art Show

Robin Falls Kids is the hosting this 2-day contest for

kids.

Children's art work and stories can be entered.

What a fun way to start the summer!

Holly has already started

her summer fun with a splash in the pool. What other adventures will Holly have this summer? Check back to find out...or write your own Holly adventures. I'd love to read your stories about my favorite canine.

Spanish Summer Language Fun

2009-05-20T07:09:00.000-07:00

May is speeding by. Soon summer will be here and school vacation.

What a perfect time to relax in the shade and read some new stories.

Or try a new language.

Look at the photo of Holly my dog enjoying Cinco de Mayo earlier this month.

What fun it would be to write a story about Holly dancing the day away! You could include some Spanish words into your story.

Do you know the Spanish word for dog?

perro

day=dia

danced=baila

The dog danced the day away = Baila el perro el dia fuera.

The sentence is arranged a little differently in Spanish with "danced" (baila) coming in front of "the dog" (el perro).

Can you find the words for "the day"?

Right! el dia

And that means fuera is the word for "away."

Try this free online English to Spanish translation site.

Type in a word or a sentence. The translator will transform your sentence for you.

Can you translate this sentence yourself?

El perro es blanco.

You already know what el perro means from above.

Change the "e" to an "i" in es and you'll have the translation for this word.

And your final clue: blanco is the Spanish word for the color of Holly's fur.

Hasta la vista!

Children's Book Week

2009-05-13T11:38:00.000-07:00

Sorry it's halfway through the week already before I had the chance to remind you about CHILDREN'S BOOK WEEK. Click on the link and you'll find a great bookmark you can print.

Since 1919, Children's Book Week has been celebrated in the United States. Schools, libraries, publishers, bookstores and of course, children enjoy this special week, highlighting books and reading.

Click here if you want to help choose the next Children's Choice Book Awards

or here to see the 2008 winners' list.

What great children's books have I been reading this week?

IMMERSED IN VERSE: an Informative, Slightly Irreverent & Totally Tremendous Guide to Living the Poet's Life by Allan Wolf

The title says it all for this poetry how-to book. Discover your inner poet when you take this book out for a spin.

AND THEN THERE WERE EIGHT: Poems about Space by Laura Purdie Salas

These poems are totally out-of-sight! The author shares some star-worthy poems and gives insight into poetry lingo.

A POKE IN THE I: a Collection of Concrete Poems selected by Paul B. Janeczko

When is a poem also a picture? If you don't know, you'll want to dive into this whirl of words.

HOW TO TALK TO YOUR DOG by Jean Craighead George

The author explains dog walk, talk, and body language. You'll decipher your dog's messages in a flash. Fun and informative.

HERO CAT by Eileen Spinelli

Don't miss this sweet picture book highlighting a mother cat's heroic efforts to save her young kittens from a fire. This book is based on a true story. Both the artwork and writing are wonderful.

OK. Now it's YOUR turn. What incredible children's books have you been reading???

Best of Stories For Children Magazine

2009-05-08T12:51:00.000-07:00

It's been a rainy day here today--lots of clouds, lightning, thunder and RAIN! But it finally seems to be stopping and a bit of sun is peeking through. Hopefully, it will dry out for the weekend.

My poor dog Holly hates thunderstorms. They scare her something awful. So this seems to be a good time for a happy announcement.

I have been notified by publisher, Virginia Grenier, that my short story, "BF's & Butterflies," has been chosen from the 2008 STORIES FOR CHILDREN MAGAZINE to be included in their Best of Stories for Children Magazine Volume 2!

Woo-hoo! News like that is sure to make the sun keep shining. I'll keep you posted when I find out more about the projected publication date. In the meantime, visit their site for the latest in great stories, articles, crafts and more for children. And here's the link for Volume 1.

Children's Illustrated Art Museum and iKids

2009-05-04T12:39:00.000-07:00

Exciting News

A new Children's Illustrated Art Museum opened right here in St. Louis, Missouri this past weekend.

And it features Guardian Angel Publishing artists. Click on the link to see some photos.

More excitement for GAP--

Lynda Burch, publisher of GAP, recently released the company's first picture book to iKids Play for iPhone applications.

Maybe We Are Flamingoes by Safari Sue Thurman and illustrated by Kevin Scott Collier is now available for use through Apple iTunes. Kids can color, paint, and read along with the story using the touch screen technology. This new application provides an alternative to gaming for children. The users can also order print copies of the book through their iPhones.

More GAP books will be launched soon for iPhones and iPods in the iKids Read and iKids Story

applications.

Wow! Even more opportunities for children to explore the world of words and art.

Green Facts for the Last Day of April

2009-04-30T12:20:00.000-07:00

I hope you've had a great April. On this last day, here are a few facts on the environment from a local library fact sheet which might surprise you.

recycling just ONE aluminum can save enough energy to equal a half gallon of gas
2,500,000 plastic bottles--that's how many bottles Americans use in an HOUR.
40% of the waste produced in the world is made by us Americans

Some things you can do right now to help:

reuse plastic bags or switch to paper bags (over 1,000,000 sea creatures are killed each year by plastic garbage in the ocean)
change the most frequently used light bulbs in your home to incandescent ones (electricity for lighting could be cut by 50%)
recycle paper (in 2007 in the U.S. more than 56% of the paper used was recycled)

Working together we can make a difference.

National Library Week, National Poetry Month, Earth Day, and More

2009-04-17T10:48:00.000-07:00

This has been a busy week. It's NATIONAL LIBRARY WEEK, so I certainly hope you've visited your local library at least once this week. I'm reading Elise Broach's fun mystery story for middle grade readers called, MASTERPIECE. A cockroach named Marvin is the main character. He has an amazing talent which takes him on an adventurous quest. Click on the link and hear the author read from the book.

And it still POETRY MONTH. I've been writing a poem a day. How about you? One of my favorite young adult novels is written in free verse poetry--OUT OF THE DUST by Karen Hesse. Or another free verse novel, this one a middle grade read by Sharon Creech, is LOVE THAT DOG. This story is wonderful also.

Monday, April 20, is EARTH DAY. Here are 3 suggestions for green activities:

cut two minutes off your morning shower to conserve water
pick up trash in your neighborhood
plant a tree or some wildflower seeds

What else can you think of do?

Last, but not least, I invite you to visit MY LIGHT magazine for the April issue which features my article on St. Catherine of Siena, a 14th century young adult celebrity.

HAPPY EASTER!

2009-04-12T06:00:00.000-07:00

GOOD FRIDAY Remembrances

2009-04-10T14:11:00.000-07:00

As we celebrate this holy day and reflect on Christ's death, we take time to remember special people in our lives who are no longer with us. Our dear family members and friends who have passed on. And, perhaps, some special saints in heaven whom we admire.

I have been reading many of the writings of Blessed Mother Teresa lately. She stresses that we need to see Christ in everyone--and to treat each person as Christ. The little things we do for others become big things in God's eyes.

Whatever you do to the least of them, that you do to me.

If you would like to read about another of my favorite saints, click on this link to MY LIGHT magazine. There you will find an article I wrote on St. Catherine of Siena--a very interesting and amazing saint from the 14th century.

Holy Thursday and Passover as Told to Children

2009-04-09T12:43:00.000-07:00

Today is a very holy day in both the Christian and Jewish faiths.

Christians celebrate Jesus' Last Supper--the meal he shared with his followers on the night before he died. The feast Jesus and his friends were celebrating was Passover.

Passover is a special time when the Jewish people remember how God helped them leave the slavery of Egypt. God convinced Pharaoh to release all the Jewish people after a terrible tenth plaque killed the first born sons of all the Egyptians. The Jewish first born were spared because God had instructed the Jews to mark their homes in a special way. The Angel of Death "passed over" all their houses and their first born were spared. The Jewish people share a special Passover meal each year to remember God's love for them.

During the Passover meal at The Last Supper, Jesus told his followers he would become their bread--broken and shared for them. In THE JESUS STORYBOOK BIBLE by Sally Lloyd-Jones; illustrated by Jago and published by Zonderkiz, the author retells this and many other Bible stories in beautiful poetic words. The Bible stories come alive with Jago's pastel portraits and scenes. What a wonderful way to celebrate this holy day--reading the Bible story.

Oddle, Poodle, and a Schnoodle at Opening Day for the Cardinals

2009-04-08T08:05:00.000-07:00

Holly can't quite seem to keep out of the limelight. She's featured on author, Donna Shepherd's new blog, POODLE AND DOODLE.

Here you'll find the inside scoop on Donna's adorable dogs, Sadie and Angel. Plus, you'll see a sneak peak at Donna's upcoming book, POODLE AND DOODLE, illustrated by a very talented, Jack Foster.

Donna's latest book from Guardian Angel Publishing is CHIZZY'S TOPSY TALE, illustrated by Kevin Collier. It's a rhyming romp through the jungle with monkey Chizzy chasing after forbidden fruit. What a better way to celebrate National Poetry Month than with this clever story.

Holly wanted to share her snapshot from Opening Day with the St. Louis Cardinals. As you can see, in her excitement she forgot her baseball glove. But she usually catches the fly balls in her mouth anyways. Go CARDS!!!

Writing Poetry about THE World's LARGEST Ball of Twine

2009-04-05T12:57:00.000-07:00

Okay, have you been doing it?

Writing a new poem every day during POETRY month this April???

I'm so proud of myself. So far (5 whole days) I've managed to do it.

My poems are posted among the hundreds of poems (click on Comments)

at "Poetic Asides with Robert Lee Brewer" from WRITER'S DIGEST.

I'm amazed how much fun it has been--this poetry challenge.

Mr. Brewer presents a new poetry topic each day.

So far, these are the prompts: origin poem; outsider poem; The problem with ____; animal poem; landmark poem.

Those prompts have helped me create poems on the etymology of "word;" pear tree blossoms;problems; a robin; and THE WORLD'S LARGEST BALL OF TWINE, in Kansas anyway.

Now it's your turn to try writing poetry.

Remember, poems don't have to rhyme.

Free verse poems are very close to regular talking--only you can break up the words and phrases the way you want to.

And you can use zinger words--words that pack a punch. Words that sound special or mean something special or make people almost smell something or see something special.

And poems don't have to be serious either. Read some of Robert Lansky's silly poems at GIGGLE POETRY. Be sure and check out his POETRY CLASS where he shows you how to write all different types of poetry. I've highlighted some of them in the paragraph above.

Henry, my yellow and white kitty,(see photo at the top) suggested a poetry prompt you can try for today: CATS.

And he wanted to let you know that he, and Herman & Holly are featured today at Mayra Calvani's blog: "PETS and AUTHORS."

No Fooling--April Is All About POETRY

2009-04-01T11:48:00.000-07:00

Happy April Fool's Day!

Has anyone played a joke on you? I can remember on one bright and springy April 1st when I was about 6 my dad called from the front room. "Hurry! Come and look. It's snowing."

My brothers and I came running. All we could see out the big front window was sunshine and almost green grass. No snow.

"April Fool's!" Dad said with a grin.

Snow would be an unexpected event for April--although not unheard of. Mother Nature does have a way of playing tricks on us sometimes. One Easter in Oklahoma, we had several inches of snow. No fun looking for Easter Eggs in snow mounds.

April is a fun and busy month. In April we celebrate POETRY and NATIONAL LIBRARY WEEK and EARTH DAY.

If you'd like to learn how to write a poem, go to Kenn Nesbit's Poetry for Kids website. He has lots of fun stuff for you--funny poems, poetry games, podcasts, poetry links, and more.

Mr. Nesbit has a new poetry book out this month--My Hippo Has the Hiccups. What a great title! I'm sure the poems are just as silly. In fact, you can read one, "Don't Ever Bite Your Sister," when you click on the title above.

Can you write a poem every day this month? Why not give it a try.

Start right now...

Friday Fun at KidLit Central

2009-03-27T07:12:00.000-07:00

I've posted an entry at KidLit Central today on writing SENSE-ATIONAL SCENES.

Jump over there and you can find out some tricks for connecting your readers to each scene. Plus, you can see a few photos of my travels.

March Is Women's History Month

2009-03-23T09:02:00.000-07:00

I'm afraid much of March has gone by before I've had time to celebrate WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH. But any day is a good day to honor a notable woman. Today I'd like to celebrate AMELIA EARHART.

I can remember as a child in Kansas reading about Amelia. I thought it was so cool that this famous, daring woman had grown up not so far from me. She had attempted feats which no woman--and sometimes--no man had done before. I read a biography about her and was mesmerized.

In this childhood picture of Amelia, does she look like someone who would grow up to be so adventurous?

She was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean in 1932. Because of weather problems, she had to land her plane in a cow pasture, but she made it. In 1935, she flew solo across the Pacific. She was the first person to accomplish this trip. But on July 2, 1937 when she was attempting to fly solo around the world, her plane was lost near Howard Island in the Pacific. To this day, it is a mystery as to what exactly happened to Amelia on her last flight.

To read more about Amelia, go to your library and look in the biography section for some of these books about her amazing life:

WHO WAS AMELIA EARHART by Kate Boehm Jerome

AMELIA EARHART: YOUNG AVIATOR by Beatrice Gormley

AMELIA EARHART: MORE THAN A FLIER by Patricia Lakin

If you want to find more outstanding women, visit The Women's Hall of Fame.

Lenten Meditations for Children: Jesus Suffers for Us

2009-03-21T09:30:00.000-07:00

Another week of Lent has passed. We've had many chances to draw closer to Jesus. Have we taken the choices to do so? Or perhaps instead made choices which took us farther away?

Jesus was betrayed by one of his own followers. Judas' choice led Jesus to the road of Calvary.

Matthew 27:3-4 Then Judas, his betrayer, seeing that Jesus had been condemned, deeply regretted what he had done. He returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, "I have sinned in betraying innocent blood."

MEDITATION: Before Dina, my older sister, got home from school today, I looked through her dresser drawers until I found where she hid her new perfume. Jasmine Promises. It smells great! She bought it with money she saved from babysitting jobs. It took almost three months for her to earn enough money.

We share a bedroom, but Dina won't share her new perfume with me. That's not a very nice way to treat a sister. So I decided to try it out without her knowing. When she came home and sat down next to me at dinner, her big ol' nose sniffed trouble fast.

"Have you been in my perfume?"

I shook my head so hard my pony tail flipped back and forth.

"You're lying! I can smell it." She bent over closer to me and sniffed some more. "That's my Jasmine Promises!"

I shook my head again. "It was a scratch and sniff coupon in Mom's fashion magazine. I didn't touch your gross perfume."

Dina huffed and rolled her eyes. I tried to take a bite of my mac and cheese, but it tasted gross now.

******

Have you caused someone hurt this week by your actions or words?

Or has someone else hurt you? Can you forgive her or him?

Jesus, help me make choices of love. Help me forgive anyone who has hurt me. And help me to be sorry for the times when I have hurt others. Thank You. Amen.

ACTIVITIES:

Make a Lenten Cross poster for your family and place it in a central location. Help your children understand how Jesus died for our sins. Provide small pieces of paper which family members can use to pin or tape their sins onto the cross. (For more info on this activity, visit Fridge Art.)
Celebrate loving acts done for family and friends during Lent. Place an empty Easter basket on the dining table with a pile of plastic grass beside it. For each good deed or prayer said for others, the family member can place some grass into the basket. Hopefully, by Easter Day there will be a big fluffy pile inside the basket on which to place Easter eggs.

Children's Book Classics--What Are Yours?

2009-03-19T10:03:00.000-07:00

Parents pass their likes on to their children. Especially, their love of reading. Books they liked as children will be shared with their own children.

My husband and my younger son Dan love J.R.R. Tolkien's LORD OF THE RING series. But children also introduce parents to favorites of theirs, which in turn become favorites of the parents.

Both my sons loved WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE by Maurice Sendak. And even now, I delight in repeating the line from the book when Max says, "I'll eat you up I love you so."

This article at CNN.com discusses classic children's books.

What children's books are your favorites???

2009-03-17T12:59:00.000-07:00

HAPPY ST. PAT'S DAY!

Holly has been celebrating, as you can see. Hope you have a great day.

Highlights Magazine has some great St. Pat's Day fun. Here is a link to their Hidden Picture. And this link will help you create and play the HAT O' GOLD Game.

Don't forget to try writing your own Limerick. You'll probably want to try it on the Shamrock at Limerick Fun. Or maybe the Leprechaun Puzzle--all of those treats are right here on my website.

May the luck o' the Irish be with you!

Lenten Meditations for Children: Helping Others Carry Their Crosses

2009-03-13T13:08:00.000-07:00

We've almost finished the third week of Lent--half-way through. I made some intentions at the beginning of Lent. Some of them I'm doing better on than others. One of my intentions was to spend more time in prayer, but I'm not too sure I've been following through on that one as I should.

During Lent, we try to perform acts that will draw us closer to Jesus. Simon of Cyrene was drawn very close to Jesus, even when Simon didn't want to be. He was the stranger the Roman soldiers pulled from the crowd. Jesus' cross was dumped on his shoulders. Simon helped Jesus on His way to Calvary.

Luke 23: 26--As they led him away they took hold of a certain Simon, a Cyrenian, who was coming in from the country; and after laying the cross on him, they made him carry it behind Jesus.

MEDITATION: Pedro, the new boy, sat down next to me at lunch. He had only a small, crumpled paper bag. No milk or soda. He twisted away from me and pulled out a bruised apple and a little pack of crackers--like the ones the lunch ladies hand out on chili days. That's all Pedro had for his lunch.

I looked at my sandwich, loaded with meat, cheese, lettuce, and pickles. Plus, I had chips, carrot sticks, raisins, and a giant chocolate chip cookie I helped Mom bake last night. I bit into a chip, but I didn't feel so hungry anymore. I didn't need all this food.

With a plastic knife from my lunch kit, I cut the sandwich in two.

"Here," I said, placing it by Pedro. "I'm not hungry. You want some of this?"

Pedro nodded. "Thanks."

I pushed the chip bag in-between us. "Take some of these. I won't be able to eat them all."

"Okay," was all Pedro said. But he smiled too and offered me some of his crackers.

By the end of the meal, I didn't even have to think twice before I broke the cookie in two and gave him the bigger half.

*****

Have I helped Jesus carry His cross this Lent? Have I reached out to help someone in need? Have I given my time or resources to aid someone else?

Jesus, show me how I can help carry your cross. Show me how to care for others. I know when I treat others with love, I am loving You. Thank You. Amen.

ACTIVITIES:

Have your child grocery shop with you. Help him pick a less expensive food (perhaps breakfast cereal) than he usually eats. Collect the saved money during the rest of Lent then help your child donate the money to a needy organization.
Have your child make a list of ways that she could aid members of your family. You could post it on the frig or bulletin board, and she can check off her kind deeds.
Have your child make a list of ways that he could aid students and teachers at school. Again, you can post it in a prominent place and celebrate his loving acts with him.
Help your child sort through her clothes and toys. She could donate gently worn/used items to a homeless shelter.