Andrea Dorn is a mom, psychotherapist, and author of the new children’s books series the Mindful Steps which is aimed at helping children navigate life changes. I have read her new children’s book “When Someone Dies” and I found it exceptional at helping navigate the grief and bereavement process; I highly recommend it! (and… stay tuned, I have a surprise for you that’s coming at the end of the month!)

The Mindful Steps Series combines Andrea’s interest and background in behaviorism and mindfulness, and it was inspired after a year of major transitions in her life with two young children in tow. She found there was a lack of non-fiction, single-step resources for helping her own strong-willed child navigate and know what to expect during these big changes. In order to fill this gap, she became interested in writing children’s books and has discovered a true passion for the entire writing and publishing process. Let’s get to know her better!

How would you describe yourself in 10 words?
Hmmm, I’ll do my best here. I would say I’m pretty consistently: passionate, empathetic, curious, playful, resourceful, trustworthy, authentic, kind, thoughtful, and hard-working.

Tell us a bit about your background and how your love for psychotherapy led you to write children’s books.
I was drawn to psychotherapy at a point of transition in my own life and found a passion for working with people.  As I progressed in my career, I witnessed so many of my clients and others in my life often struggle with transitions, and as a result, experience anxieties and traumas that impacted their ability to truly thrive in life. Many times, this difficulty with transitioning originated in early childhood.  

This became a key focus when my own family transitioned with two young children moving 1000 miles across the country.  Seeing my oldest son struggle with so many transitions in his life at the time sparked my drive to find resources to help support him.  I was amazed at how there were many good books out there on various transition topics but very few that approached things in the way that followed the developmentally appropriate, stepwise approach that I was looking for. 

As a therapist, I felt like I was in a unique position to provide a supportive resource to my own child, but also extend that impact by sharing important techniques with other children and families. One of my missions became to create resources that gently and respectfully help children work through transitions common in early childhood, while also instilling important skills like mindfulness, awareness, connection-seeking, and self-compassion. By introducing these concepts early and often we can help kids grow into working through transitions more easily as they age into adults. And so, the Mindful Steps Series was born.
 

What do you wish that children, parents, and therapists will take out of your books?
I hope that adults will find my books to be helpful tools in aiding them to guide their child through the sometimes challenging times that can come from early childhood development. I also hope my books will highlight transitions as important opportunities to develop coping skills and build secure and healthy attachments that will serve your child for a lifetime. I hope that children will gain a foundational confidence through these transitions that will create a sense of security in the idea that they can do hard things and thrive!

How can we as parents better support our grieving children while at the same time we are most probably also experiencing grief?
Grief is such a situational and nuanced journey and one of the most difficult parts about it is there is no “one-size-fits-all” advice or guidance to offer. One of the most important pieces of advice I can offer to parents or caregivers is to prioritize taking care of yourself. You can take care of yourself by doing things like giving yourself time to grieve, reaching out to others for help or connection even when you feel like being alone (though, be sure to take space for yourself if you need it), and by allowing yourself to authentically feel your emotions. This can not only give you the energy you need to be there for your child, but it can also model important skills they’ll need throughout their life.

Beyond that, play and expressive arts can be a cathartic and healing modality for both parents and children, alike. Children naturally use all types of play and art to process difficult emotions and situations and this can be effective for adults, too. So, if you or your child are in a particularly trying moment, see if connecting with your child on an art project, playing on a jungle gym, singing a song, playing with dolls, or another play activity of choice helps you to both to work through grief feelings in the moment.

What kind of resources would you recommend to better support a child going through the bereavement process? Any favorite books?
There are so many incredible resources out there. The resources I recommend as starting points for families include several websites: www.dougy.org, www.nacg.org, and https://sesamestreetincommunities.org/topics/grief/. These websites can point you to a variety of grief-related topics, books, and other resources that are supportive to families in grief.

There are also so many great grief and loss books for children.  As a therapist, I tend to lean more toward non-fiction books. Books that are more abstract and symbolic are beautiful (and needed!) ways to describe loss and life, however, they can sometimes be challenging for kids, especially young children, to fully grasp. I still encourage reading those books, however, a non-fiction book like “When Someone Dies” is a great accompaniment to these books as a way to bridge the gap and help kids better understand some of the more abstract concepts that might be presented. A couple of titles that I often use in my practice besides my own include: “Ida Always,” and “One Wave At a Time”  – also loving your book “Sunny’s Magical Headband” as an imaginative way to stay connected after someone we love dies.

What is your vision with “The Mindful Steps”, and where do you see yourself 5, 10 years from now?
There are so many transitions kids experience. I have quite a few more titles in the works and hope to keep regularly releasing books.  I want to have a set of good resources for a variety of topics. My ultimate goal is to combine my private practice with my Mindful Families Organization and have a physical location where I create resources and work with families on parenting, transitions, and mindfulness, in person!

Tell us about your proudest achievement.
By far, my proudest and most cherished achievement has been becoming a mom. It is the best and hardest thing I’ve ever done and has inspired me to do so much more.  It is truly my greatest honor in life.

What was your greatest failure and what did you learn from that?
I originally went to school for music – however, I am not currently a professional musician. I had some successes throughout my music career, but overall, quite a few great failures. I believe we find our purpose and meaning through our struggles. Without having to work through the struggle of letting go of (and grieving) a musical career and learning to settle my mind and find patience in finding the path that aligned with my true self, I would have never found psychotherapy or writing (which is something I would have NEVER pictured for myself). I know, without a doubt, working with people and writing is what I was meant to do all along. I just needed some time (and struggle!) to find my way here.

Who do you admire the most and why?
Throughout my life, I have had the great fortune of meeting some of the most incredible people – people who have inspired me tremendously (probably in ways they’ll never know!). However, it’s during my time as a therapist working with clients that I have met some of the most inspiring people. It’s the people who are vulnerable and willing to reach into the depths of their soul and work through their biggest fears – these are the people I admire most. They are the people who have changed the way I look at the world, and they are the people I aspire to be more like!

If you could know the absolute and total truth to one question, what question would you ask? 
These are some thought-provoking questions! I think for me the answer is: What happens when/after we die?  I think this is a question we all grapple with at some point during our lives, and it happens to be particularly relevant when we spend time thinking about our own mortality as we grieve the loss of someone close to us.

 
What’s the craziest thing you have ever done?
I wish I had a good answer for this one. I’m not the most adventurous person! When I was visiting Toronto I did the edge walk on the top of the CN tower. This consisted of walking around (outside) and hanging off the edge of the top of a 365m tall building. I’m terrified of heights so that was pretty crazy for me! 

If you could travel back in time and give advice to your teenage self, what would that be?
These are such good questions! This is one I often ask my clients – it can be such a good self-compassion exercise to consider and connect with the important lessons you’ve learned throughout your life. I would tell my teenage self: 
It’s not what others think or say that matters, it’s what you value and how you follow those guiding principles that helps you create a truly meaningful life. 
I would also tell her: 
You’re doing great. You’ll get to where you’re supposed to be when it’s your time and not a second sooner so enjoy as much of the ride as you can.

How can the readers get in touch with you, and where can they find your books?
I love to connect and am happy to help with questions about any of the topics discussed in my books! You can find me and lots of free resources at my website: www.AndreaDorn.com and you can connect with me on social media at: Instagram: @mindfulstepsseries, Facebook: @mindfulstepsseries and check out my children’s meditation songs on youtube: Mindful Steps Series Channel . You can find my books on Amazon or wherever books are sold!

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Janie Reinart is a fellow author from the USA. I met her online in a small authors’ group where we came together to brainstorm marketing ideas about our debut children’s books. I was so impressed to see she has worked with so many different things prior to the publication of When Water Makes Mud, and her love for children shines through. She taught school, tried her hand as a professional puppeteer, wrote and performed interactive musical stories, presided as a poet in residence at an elementary school, clowned around in a children’s hospital bringing silliness to patient’s everyday routine. Janie encourages emergent writers of all ages to find their voice, share their stories through free verse poetry, and experience the sheer joy of writing. She’s a former Poetry Day Liaison for OCTELA (Ohio Teachers of English Language Arts), Teacher Consultant with the National Writing Project (NWP), member of the NWP Writers Council, educator, author, and poet.

Her children’s book When Water Makes Mud, illustrated by Morgan Taylor and published by Blue Whale Press, addresses the topic of refugee children, and it does so with a lot of respect and sensitivity, helping our own children to really see how reality can be very different for other children their age. The title itself is a tribute to the resourcefulness of children with no toys, who use their imagination, get inventive, and find ways to do what kids do – engage in playing activities, no matter the circumstances. The book can be found across bookstores in the USA, but it can also be found in Europe, Australia, and more, via most Amazon stores. All of the publisher’s profits from the sales of this book are being donated to UNICEF to help the children.

Here’s the official book description: When war forces two sisters to flee their home in South Sudan with nothing but the clothes they are wearing, Big Sister strives to help Little Sister smile again at the refugee settlement. But as quickly as Little Sister’s smile appears, it disappears: that is until water makes mud. In the end, Big Sister’s artistry and kindness bring hope to their situation. This title is a tribute to the resourcefulness of children who have no toys, but continue to play and is dedicated to the 200,000 refugee children living at the Bidibidi settlement in Uganda. Now, let’s get to know Janie better.

Janie: Liza, thank you so much for inviting me to your blog. It is a delight to chat with you about my favorite things, reading, writing, and books!

How would you describe yourself in 10 words?
A Singer. Joy-bringer. Hugger. Grandmother. Reader. Writer. Adviser. Smiler… extraordinaire.

Tell us a bit about your inspiration, and the story behind the story When Water Makes Mud: A Story of Refugee Children.
A National Geographic article about refugee children making their own toys from mud, paper, and plastic caught my eye. The exquisite pictures in the article started the picture book story for me. I was inspired by the children and the complexity of the invented toys they made from found objects using their imagination and critical thinking skills. Children without toys—yet children who play. The universal themes of play, hope, and dreams influenced my story. I noticed Nora Lorek, the National Geographic photographer was on Instagram. I gathered my courage and contacted her to ask if she would consider confirming what animals might be found in the Bidibidi Settlement. Nora was gracious enough to give me her email and became my inspiration and resource. Nora asked to see my story when it was finished. She loved the story and said it reminded her of a photo. When I clicked on the link she sent, it was the very picture of Nora’s that started the story for me. I wanted that picture in the backmatter of my book. It was important to me for children to see that photo to empathize with children in other places in the world. Nora directed me to her agent in London and I purchased the photo.

What do you wish that children and parents will take out of this book? The refugee children find joy in the little things. By using critical thinking, problem-solving, design, and engineering skills Big Sister creates something of value and solves the problem of no toys. The girls are resilient because they continue to play. Their hope becomes our hope. I would like to see today’s tech-savvy children disconnect from screens and spend more time using their imaginations and creating. I’m hoping When Water Makes Mud will also inspire people to donate to UNICEF. Publisher’s profits from When Water Makes Mud are being donated to UNICEF Uganda.


Tell us about your proudest achievement.
My proudest achievement is my family. I’m blessed to be married to my charming husband for 50 years. We have five children (really ten counting their spouses) and 16 grandchildren.

What was your greatest failure and what did you learn from that?
I prefer Thomas Edison’s point of view, “I have not failed 10,000 times—I’ve successfully found 10,000 ways that will not work.” I’ve learned to keep going.

Who do you admire the most and why?
I admire Jane Marczewski, the 30-year-old singer from Zanesville, Ohio, known as Nightbirde. Jane is battling cancer and had to drop out of America’s Got Talent after she won the Golden Buzzer from Simon Cowell. She said, “It’s important that everyone knows that I’m more than the bad thing that happens to me.” Her Instagram page says, “Pretty beat up, but I still got dreams.” Through all her suffering, she writes beautiful lyrics, has a lovely voice, and shares her hope and joy with the world.

If you could know the absolute and total truth to one question, what question would you ask?
Where is Waldo?

What’s the craziest thing you have ever done?
The craziest thing for me was leaving home (my husband took over with the kids) for a week and a half so I could take a poetry class. The class took place in Canyon de Chelly in the heart of the Diné (Navajo) reservation in northern Arizona. We primitive tent camped, hiked up cliffs, and wrote deep in the canyon on the land of Lupita and Jon McClanahan, Diné teachers living and sharing in the traditional “Beautyway”—the Diné way of life. Lupita’s family has lived on this land for more than 300 years. We also worked with John Fox, a certified poetry therapist. I will never forget the peacefulness, the starry nights, the blue skies and red canyons, and stories told about the “Beautyway” on this adventure.

If you could travel back in time and give advice to your teenage self, what would that be?
Do not under any circumstances let your mom perm and cut your hair. EVER!

What is your vision? Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?
I love learning new things and hope to write a graphic novel, and poetry books in the next five years.

Share a sweet story that has happened to you recently.
After a virtual author visit with my grandson’s kindergarten class, I called him when he got home from school. The visit was centered around my picture book retelling of The Ugly Duckling. We read the story, told duck jokes, looked at different-sized eggs, sang a song, and I answered questions from the students. A little girl asked, “How many books did you write?” My answer was three books for adults and six books for children. I showed the pile of books on the screen to the kids. I asked my grandson what he thought about the visit. He answered, “I’m relieved!” This was not an answer I was expecting. I asked, “What do you mean by that?” It seems my grandson was only aware of The Ugly Duckling book. In his mind, I was “fake news”—not an author—if I only had one book. Lucky, I restored his faith in me and came through for him as a “real” author. Tough crowd those kindergarteners.

How can the readers get in touch with you, and where can they find your books?
I look forward to meeting readers. You can reach me on my contact page at www.janiereinart.com, Twitter, Instagram. My books are available on all Amazon stores, and there are free downloadable resources for When Water Makes Mud on my site here.

The post Interview with author Janie Reinart first appeared on Maltamum.

Today I’d like to introduce you to one more fellow writer that I admire a lot. It’s rare to discover writers that have their very own, unique way of telling stories, and Kristine Hokstad-Myzyri is one of them. She’s the creator of the Kate the Kitty series for kids aged 1-6, and one quickly notices that she has a distinguishably playful writing style and the ability to see things from a child’s perspective. I’m sure that most kids will identify with her characters and the situations they find themselves in.

Obviously, Kristine is a mum. Once you’ve read her children’s books, you realize she has totally been there :). Her family is mixed, and multilingual, as many of us here, and their home languages are Norwegian, Albanian, and English. Her love for languages and literature led her to an M.A degree in English literature, and she teaches Norwegian as a second language, Spanish and English, at secondary education in Norway.

This is my review of her adorable book Kate the Kitty Beats Boredom.

Everyday chores can be fun!

Kate the Kitty Beats Boredom is a wonderfully written and illustrated book for young children. Kristine Hokstad-Myzyri has a distinguishably playful writing style and the ability to see things from a child’s perspective. The story is relatable, and I’m sure that most kids will identify with the characters and the situations they find themselves in. Typically, children find it hard to engage with activities that are not fun, like chores, but what if the chores are presented in a different way and are perceived as a game? With this book, children can see that with the use of their imagination, even the most boring and ordinary tasks can turn into extraordinary – when you’re that young, after all, wonders and extraordinary things can be found all around, even in the most mundane tasks like cleaning the room, setting the table, going to the store. A lovely book to help young children turn the ordinary into extraordinary and fun!

Let’s get to know Kristine better.

How would you describe yourself in 10 words?
Caring, whimsical, keen learner, homebody, family woman, restless, kind, talkative.

Which languages do you speak?
Four. Norwegian, English, Spanish and Albanian.

Tell us a bit about your background and how did your love for languages, words, and literature come to be.
I have always loved reading and being read to. My parents read to me growing up and made sure I had plenty of books. I could read when I was 4 years old. I remember reading advanced books to my friends, and they were so impressed. That’s one of my first memories, so I think it has made an enormous impact on me. I think my first encounter with another language was English, from the songs my parents listened to. Elvis, Bonnie Tyler, Whitney Houston, and others taught me to love singing and performing, but I also learned English fairly quickly. I excelled when I started school. I remember the teachers reading my English essays out loud, using them as examples for the rest of the class. It encouraged me to keep writing. One of my poems made the front cover of my elementary school’s annual school newspaper, and I was over the moon about it. The theme of the poem was love regardless of skin, color, and culture. Funny enough, that theme foreshadowed my life. I have traveled the world, married outside of my culture, and learned different languages. I also teach Norwegian to students with a minority first language.

How did you get started with writing your first book Kate the Kitty Goes Potty and then the second one Kate the Kitty Beats Boredom?
It started with my youngest, Aron, who refused to use the potty. I figured why not make it a family endeavor. So, I decided to write a cute little book to encourage him to ditch the diapers. I had honestly never imagined being a published author a few months later, let alone the author of a series of books! (Book #3 publishes early 2022).

Would you consider this as a complete change of career?
I love writing, but I will never give up teaching. Teaching is my passion! Spending time with my students is something I value very highly. I hope I inspire them to be themselves and to be happy with who they are.

What do you wish that children and parents will take out of your books?
The joy of reading and being read to, mainly. I also hope my readers will learn from the life skills I incorporate in each book. Book one teaches independence by learning how to go potty. The second book teaches positive parenting and emotion management. The third book’s lesson is a secret for now.

What is your vision with the Kate the Kitty series, and where do you see yourself in 5, 10 years from now?
I hope to write many, many more Kate the Kitty books. As longs as people buy them and read them to their kids, I’ll keep writing them. In 5-10 years from now, I hope to have written books outside of the Kate the Kitty series, too.

Kristine before the kids, and after. In what ways did parenthood change you?
Wow. In what ways didn’t it change me? Becoming a mom made me understand that I wasn’t the most important person in the world. That was a huge realization, and it changed a lot in me, all for the better. I must say, it was a tremendous relief to love and care for other human beings as intensely as I did my kids. It has given me more inner peace. I love being a mom and a homebody now, whereas the old Kris wouldn’t stay in one place for more than a few months.

If you could travel back in time and give advice to your teenage self, what would that be?
You are valuable, and your opinions are valid, so stop trying to please and imitate others.

What’s the craziest thing you have ever done?
Haa, I am not telling. But a PG-rated crazy thing I’ve done is climb an active volcano.

How can the readers get in touch with you, and where can they find your books?
My books are on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Adlibris, and numerous other online stores. Residents of Trondheim, Norway, can borrow my books from the library. I have an Instagram page and a Facebook page. I also have a website/blog www.makelittlessmile.com. Please send me a message. I love getting to know people, and I’m open to both collaborations and friendships.

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Today I’d like to introduce you to Rita Rosenback whom I had the pleasure of meeting online a couple of years back while I was looking for experts to contribute to the guidebook “How to Raise Confident Multicultural Children”.

Rita grew up in a bilingual household with a Finnish-speaking mother and a Swedish-speaking father in a tiny village in the Finnish countryside, and later on, she raised her own daughters to speak the family languages; Finnish, Swedish, Punjabi, and English. Now she’s actively participating in her grandchildren’s multilingual upbringing.

Languages have always been a great passion of hers and after studying German, Swedish, and Finnish in both Finland and Germany, she worked as a language teacher, interpreter, translator, and as a manager of multinational teams. Now she’s a full-time writer, speaker, trainer, and coach. Rita is the founder of a website you’re most probably familiar with, multilingualparenting.com (FB group Multilingual Parenting), and author of the book “Bringing up a Bilingual Child”.

You’ve also probably heard by now about PEaCH, the project that supports European families raising bilingual and multilingual children, which Rita is actively involved in. PEaCH stands for “Preserving and promoting Europe’s cultural and linguistic heritage through the empowerment of bilingual children and families”, and its mission is to offer guidance for parents and educators on how to support, maintain and develop a child’s home language(s). PEaCH also wants to raise educators’ awareness of the benefits of bilingualism and home languages.

Multilingual Parenting (Rita’s company) is one of three partners in this Erasmus+ funded project, and the other two are Ghent University and PMF Research. Prominent researchers and experts have contributed to the free-to-download guidebooks (including Dr. Ute Limacher-Riebold and Ana Elisa Miranda who I’ve interviewed in the past), and there’s a strong network of volunteer ambassadors, consisting of educators and other professionals supporting bilingual and multilingual families, to help spread the positive message about bilingualism.

Let’s get to know Rita better :).

How would you describe yourself in 10 words?

Passionate about children and languages, writer, speaker, entrepreneur, mother, grandmother.


Which languages do you speak? Tell us a bit about your background growing up bilingual.

Growing up, I spoke Finnish with my mother and an old Finland-Swedish dialect with my father and grandmother. The dialect is very different from your standard Swedish which I learnt at school. I still speak the dialect with relatives and friends when I return to our house in Finland – if I were to switch to standard Swedish it would raise eyebrows. I have picked up English along the way and studied German as my main subject at university. I can barter in Punjabi and get along in a few other languages.


How is it to raise bilingual children today compared to when your daughters were children and when you were a kid?

Today parents have access to much more knowledge about the process of raising a child to speak more than one language, and most importantly, they have access to so many more resources, especially online, but physical books are also easier to order across the globe.


What makes you feel so passionate about bilingualism and home languages that you dedicated your whole career to this cause?

When I noticed that my daughters grew up learning to speak their father’s language, Punjabi, although we had hardly any additional resources or speakers, it occurred to me that we must have done something right and I started to read more literature and research papers about the language development of bilingual children. While I had studied linguistics at university, there had not been any focus on how children learn their languages.

It is worth pointing out that my daughters never got the “one third of their waking time exposure to Punjabi” which is touted as the requirement for a child to learn a language. That is a good goal to have, but there is no research to support the “one third of the waking time” statement. I decided to write an easy-to read, practical guide for parents with examples from our own family, so that is how “Bringing up a bilingual child” was born.

My passion has only grown since then and I now have a website with 100s of Q&As and articles, a Facebook group with more than 10 000 members, and another book, a fictional “Diary of a Bilingual Mother” on the way. I am also collaborating with others on sharing information about the topic – in addition to the PEaCH Project, there is also the Raising Multilinguals Live broadcast series which I run together with Ute Limacher-Riebold of http://www.utesinternationallounge.com/ and Tetsu Yung of https://www.youtube.com/user/asktetsu


How did you get involved in the PEaCH project, and what is your role in it?

I was asked to participate in the 2-year PEaCH project by the two other partners as they were looking for someone with expertise and experience on the topic of raising bilingual children. Together with others, I have co-written both the parents’ guide “How to raise a bilingual child” and the newly released educators’ guide “How to support multilingual children”. I oversee the online language collection, which is growing by the day, and am also running our wonderful group of 100+ PEaCH Ambassadors volunteering across Europe and the world. Thank you for being one of them, Elisavet!


You’ve mentioned that this is a 2-year long Erasmus+ funded project. What will happen to the project when the funding ends?

The project will continue, i.e. the free materials (guides, videos, language resources) will continue to be available on the website. With the generous support of fellow linguists and language lovers, there will be further translations of the guides and the PEaCH Ambassador Network will continue to run. Until we find a more permanent solution, my Finnish company, Multilingual Parenting Ab, will keep the project running.


How can parents and educators help to further support PEaCH and spread the word?

The best way is to share our materials which can all be found on the website, www.bilingualfamily.eu. There will also soon be a call for more PEaCH Ambassadors, so anyone who wants to get more involved should put in an application.


Tell us about your proudest achievement.

Just like I would never choose a favourite child, grandchild, or even language, I can’t pick one achievement. Rather I am proud of the progress I have made since I stepped out of the corporate world and decided to focus on helping others raise bilingual and multilingual children. Initially, I did it all on my own, but I have come to the realisation that real strength lies in collaborating with others who share my passion.

What was your greatest failure and what did you learn from that?

I don’t use the word “failure” and I don’t think anyone should – there are learning opportunities. We all make the best possible decisions based on the knowledge, time, and energy we have available at that point – independent of the outcome, how could you call it a “failure” when someone does as best as they can? There is also no point in saying “If I could go back, I would do it differently” because you wouldn’t – unless you could miraculously change the circumstances, you would make the same decision again, the best one you can. My biggest learning has probably been what I mentioned above, working together is a lot better than trying to do it all on your own.


Who do you admire the most and why?

Again, I cannot pick one person. My respect goes to those who overcome personal challenges and come out with greater knowledge about themselves and understanding for others. In the present time, I do admire parents – especially mothers – who have steered through lock-down, homeschooling, entertaining children who cannot see their friends, staying put and not meeting up with friends and not having others to help.


What is your vision? Where do you see yourself in 5, 10 years from now?

I will transition to teaching others what I do and focus even more on collaborations and network building. In ten years’ time, I will hopefully spend most of my time either writing, with my family, hiking in the Scottish mountains, or enjoying the Finnish countryside.


Share with us the funniest thing that has happened to you recently.

We have just moved to a cottage in Scotland with a garden sloping steeply down to the river. It’s fortunate that I love gardening as it had been neglected for most of the summer! While weeding, I overfilled the wheelbarrow which I then tried to push up the hill. The big weeds got stuck in a shrub, the wheelbarrow tipped over, and I found myself tumbling down the slope in the long grass. Luckily it was a soft landing, and I didn’t end up in the water! I sat there laughing at myself for a good while.

Contact details:
Email: rita.rosenback@multilingualparenting.com
Website: https://multilingualparenting.com/
FB page: https://www.facebook.com/multilingual.parenting
FB group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/multilingualparenting
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RitaRosenback
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ritarosenback/

For PEaCH:
Email: https://bilingualfamily.eu/contact-us/
Website: https://bilingualfamily.eu/
FB page: https://www.facebook.com/peacheuproject
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bilingualfamilies/

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Today I’d like to introduce you to Yoshito Darmon-Shimamori, a language teacher and author who grew up bilingual French-Japanese in France, and currently lives in the UK. Yoshito’s decade-long professional experience combined with his personal bilingual journey has assisted him in teaching his trilingual sons to read and write in French and Korean (his wife’s native language). He recently published his debut book The Parents’ Guide to Raising Multi-literate Children which is all about supporting our children -and students- to learn how to read and write in their other languages.

The book includes 70+ engaging, playful, and very easy-to-do activities with everyday material we all have at home. Whoever said that learning how to read and write in more than one language is boring and a chore, definitely hasn’t read this book which I highly recommend to parents and language teachers. These games are designed to practice reading and writing in ways that will engage the children, and perfect their skills as a consequence. Yoshito seems to be an amazing educator who really understands modern, positive methods of language learning.

Let’s get to know him better.

How would you describe yourself in 10 words?

Multilingual: I became multilingual just because I was in environments that enabled it, but don’t think I am particularly good at learning languages. Speaking several languages has helped me understand how similar ideas can be expressed differently.

Multi-cultural: Growing up with the French and Japanese cultures and now living in the UK, I had the chance to appreciate different customs. I feel like this has helped me understand that the “norm” is arbitrary. I saw very early that the same situation could be seen differently depending on the cultural background.

Self-reflective: Whether it is in my personal or professional life, I like to reflect back on things – positive, or negative. I am grateful for any positive that comes my way, and try to learn from any negative experience.

Grateful: I feel lucky to be able to appreciate the good things I have in my life as it makes every day a little brighter. For example, it is silly, but I have lived the first 5 years of my life in the UK without a car. I bought one 6 years ago and still, sometimes I feel lucky I have one.

A boar: I am realising that I am quite “obsessed”. When I have an idea or an interest in mind, I start thinking only about this one thing. My mum used to tell me it was because, in the Chinese astrological signs, I am a boar (other countries refer to it as “pig”, but I like “boar” better). Apparently, when boars have a target, they go straight ahead until they reach it, without ever deviating.

Different: Being half-Japanese, I have always looked different. So I had to embrace it, and have always liked being different from the others. Liking to be different has proven very helpful in many aspects of my life.

Creative: That is probably the adjective that comes back the most when colleagues describe my work. As a teacher, what I like the most is thinking “I need my students to remember X, or to be able to do Y. What activities, done in what order, are going to make it happen?”

Resourceful: One of my childhood heroes was MacGuyver. I love having to find solutions to problems by using what I have around.

Practical: some would say “lazy”… I am very bad at keeping habits if it doesn’t serve a practical purpose. For example, I have never been able to do exercise for the sake of getting fitter or losing weight. The only way I found to include some in my daily routine was to cycle to work. This helped me integrate 90 min of daily exercise into my routine. This also really helps me understand and work out how I can motivate my sons or students to do things that are tedious.

Dreamer: Dreams make life more colourful, and give a purpose to people. I like giving myself goals starting with “It would be nice if …” and see how far my actions can get me closer to these goals. This is how I started my company The Library 4 Multilinguals: “It would be nice if every bi/multilingual child felt empowered, complete, and proud of who they are (instead of feeling that they don’t belong to this or that country/culture, etc.)” My book, The Parents’ Guide to Raising Multi-literate Children is the fruit of this thought. Being able to read and write confidently in a language plays a big role in how children “let themselves be” of a certain origin or not.

Could you explain a bit more this last thought?

Speaking a language helps us communicate with people. And this is the first step to being able to feel part of a group. As children, this might be enough, but as we grow up, a lot passes through writing (and reading). If we cannot read and write, there is all this written form of communication that we are missing. And when we are bi/multilingual, we might be able to read and write more confidently in one language than the other(s). Reading and writing also enable us to strengthen our knowledge of a language.

To cut a long story short, I wanted every bi/multilingual child to be able to read and write confidently in their home languages as well as the one used in school. Some children cannot attend supplementary schools for various reasons. It then all depends on the family’s ability to provide this teaching. So I thought that if parents wanted to teach their children to read and write in their family languages, I should provide them with a “how to” guide so they can do it confidently.

I also value a lot family time and created a Resources Pack to give a head start to parents with editable (and therefore personalisable) material, so that the preparation of activities takes even less time, and more time can be spent playing (and learning!) together.

Which languages do you speak? Tell us a bit about your background growing up bilingual.

I now speak French, Japanese, English, and Spanish fluently or at a conversational level, and know a little bit of Korean. As you explained in your introduction, I grew up speaking French (with my dad, the school, and the whole community), and Japanese (mainly with my mum). I also had Japanese in my environment through cartoons (on VHS! that my aunt would record and send us), some comic books, and the supplementary school I was attending. In secondary school, I attended an International school where I had 6 hours of weekly lessons in Japanese as part of the curriculum. Until I was about 10-11 years old, my level in Japanese was actually quite good. But once I start secondary school, the gap between my level in Japanese and the average Japanese child living in Japan got bigger. I could talk well enough to follow lessons in Japanese, speak with my friends, but didn’t see the point of putting effort into learning the kanji (Chinese characters used in Japanese) as I wasn’t planning on living in Japan. (Here is the lazy/practical me again!) So reading and writing is what I struggled the most with.

How is it to raise bilingual children today vs when you were a kid?

The biggest difference is probably the internet! It allows easier access to resources and people. YouTube is amazing to have access to cartoons and films in your home language. There are many people now creating resources to support bi/multilingual families around the world. And the internet is making these resources available worldwide. Social media has enabled parents to connect, support, and help each other. There are some very supportive groups on Facebook and amazing accounts on Instagram. Connecting with other people on the same journey is so important, especially when we are struggling! (You can follow me on Instagram @multilingual_dad) And of course, video calls have brought families closer! As a child, I only saw my Japanese family once every second year, and we would exchange letters on important dates. Phone calls were so expensive that they were extremely rare, and when we spoke we were always rushed so that the phone bill didn’t blow up! Now we can see and hear each other every day for virtually free!

What would you advise to parents who’d like their kids to become biliterate and not just bilingual?
I would say “See the language as a tool. Speaking enables our children to connect with more people, to make more friends, to keep in touch with the family. Reading and writing should be seen as a way to access more books to be transported into many more amazing adventures. Please, DO NOT present reading and writing as a tedious task, something hard but necessary. And before thinking to teach your child to read and write specifically in your home language(s), focus on helping them develop a love for reading and writing, no matter the language”.

What do you wish that parents will take out of your book?

To help a child become biliterate, you cannot just focus on the technique. You have to take into account the emotional aspect of learning. So please pick here and there activities that your child will enjoy to practise reading and writing, but make sure you read carefully the first chapter, and read it again from time to time as a reminder. This chapter deals with the emotional side of learning a home language. It is only 10 pages long but is as important as the other 223 pages of the book combined. If you don’t take care of the emotional side, no matter the techniques your child won’t learn as well. (NOTE: you can download the 1st chapter for free here!)

Tell us about your proudest achievement.

My proudest achievement is to have helped my eldest (now 8 years old) become a bookworm! Currently in English and French, but Korean is on its way to. As a child, I couldn’t understand how some children could devour books, and find pleasure in reading. Even now, given the choice between a paper book and an audiobook, I will choose the audio one. I do love stories, but reading is an effort for me. As an adult, I saw how much I have missed out on, and from the moment I knew I was going to be a dad, I wanted to make sure my children would know and experience the magic of books!
Both my parents were bookworms, so they showed me how much they loved books. But showing isn’t enough. Our children need to experience being transported into magical adventures with you first to start loving books.

What was your greatest failure and what did you learn from that?

I love the way you are asking this question! I also believe that failures are only failures if we let them be that way. They can also be the greatest lessons we’ll learn! My biggest failure was not to learn properly to read and write in Japanese when I was in secondary school. It has taught me a lot about teaching a child to read and write in their home language(s). One major lesson I took was that teaching a child to read and write in a minority language wasn’t the same as doing so in the majority language (which I explain in the first chapter). I have also experienced the importance of involving emotionally a child for them to learn. I now do my best to have this in mind when I teach my students and my sons.

Who do you admire the most and why?

Not an original answer, but my mum is the person I admire the most. In the 1970s, she wanted to go and live in France (she was then living in Japan). Her parents were against it as France was on the other side of the world, and as a woman, it was dangerous. My granddad also didn’t see the point as she was a woman and a woman’s role was to find a good husband and have a family. So she worked two jobs to save up enough to go to France and live without having to work for a couple of years. After that, even my granddad couldn’t tell her to stay.

When my parents divorced, she again worked 2 jobs and took care of my brother and I. With a few other families, they founded a Japanese section in the international school I was consequently able to attend. And when the only thing missing to open the section was an extra teacher they couldn’t hire because of a lack of budget, she worked there a few hours a week for free for several years (that was a 3rd job!) Note that she was a university professor and had the qualifications to do the job, and she was one of the few teachers who understood the difference between teaching a home language and a community language, and how to make it interesting. I have learnt a lot from her and the few other teachers in this respect.

My mum is really the embodiment of doing whatever it takes for your dreams and your family. Having such a model growing up definitely gave me the strength to believe in my own dreams and doing what I can to achieve them. One of them is what I aim to accomplish with The Library 4 Multilinguals.

If you could travel back in time and give advice to your teenage self what would that be?

Life is tough right now. You’ll have many challenges yet to come, and you will fail a lot. But all of that will make you who you are. What you consider being failures will turn out to be great lessons for your future. So be grateful for what life gives you, and learn from your failures. It doesn’t mean you can’t be sad. Be sad, but then look back on those events, and try to figure out the positive you can take out of the negative.

If you could know the absolute and total truth to one question, what question would you ask?

I don’t think I need to know the total truth to anything … at least, right now.

What is the funniest thing that has happened to you recently?

My sons are currently in a phase where they love words such as “poo(p)”, “fart”, “willy”, etc. The other day, I was coming back from the park by car, my sons had their windows open. And as we were getting closer to our garage gate, my eldest shouted a bit too loudly “POOP HEAD”. It wasn’t aimed at anyone, but our neighbour was just there. He turned around probably wondering who had insulted him. As he looked in our direction, I was very embarrassed, and I think my son was scared. But then our neighbour burst out laughing! My sons and I laughed out loud too, but more from relief than anything else.

What is your vision? Where do you see yourself in 5 years from now?

I want to help as many multilingual families, and especially multilingual teenagers to feel proud of their origins and everything that being multilingual and multi-cultural offers them. I want to achieve that in various ways.

Firstly, through my books. The Parents’ Guide to Raising Multi-literate Children, is just the first one. I have ideas for a few other books – one of them I am currently working on. It is going to be a book aimed at pre-teens and teens to embrace their multilingualism and multi-culturalism. I named my company The Library 4 Multilinguals for two reasons. First, I wanted to help multilingual children read in multiple languages, and therefore have a multilingual library at home they could fully access. Second, I want to write books that could be in these libraries.

Then, as teaching is my speciality, I would love to work with supplementary schools and support them in designing curriculums that are in sync with their students’ linguistic circumstances. If anyone working in or with supplementary schools would like to get in touch, feel free to email me at contact@library4multilinguals.com

Thirdly, a good friend of mine (Dr Ute Limacher-Riebold) often says: “It takes a multilingual village to raise a multilingual child”. I would love to join forces with others in the multilingual parenting field to help spread information and support to multilingual families across the globe. You and I are both currently doing it by being part of the PEaCH project, and I hope many other opportunities for collaboration arise in the future.

How can the readers get in touch with you and where can they find your books?

The two main places they can contact me online are through my Instagram account @multilingual_dad, or by email contact@library4multilinguals.com My book is available on every Amazon online store, worldwide.

The post Interview with the language teacher and author Yoshito Darmon-Shimamori first appeared on Maltamum.

As an active member of several author and illustrator groups on Facebook, I get to meet different people from all around the world with similar interests. Some of them are exceptionally charismatic, like Dr. Jana Broecker, who is not just a gifted storyteller, but also a scientist. And of course, a mom of two :).

During the day she works as a senior scientist. At night she’s also the author of several fun and adventurous children’s books written in rhyme. Jana is originally from Germany and has moved with her family to the UK in 2017. In her books, you’ll meet characters with dreams and determination, who will inspire your children to believe in themselves and in their dreams and to always embrace challenges and change. 

Jana loves to laugh and to write stories with plots you won’t see coming. So, watch out, as all of her books have twist endings to surprise and delight both, you and your children. Let’s get to know her better.

Q.: How would you describe yourself in 10 words?

Creative, innovative, extroverted, inspiring, analytical, passionate, caring, resilient, competitive, rebel.

Q.: How did you get started with writing your first book?

I can’t say that I’ve always wanted to be a writer. I’ve always been an avid reader, though, and I’m very creative overall and like being crafty in the evenings, as this helps me to relax. By the time my youngest son was born, I had read so many children’s books that I became more interested in the arts of making one. As a non-native speaker, I obviously wasn’t confident enough to write a book in English, but I was eager to cleverly design a search book. As a result, I played around with cat doodles and started learning about the various design software you need to make illustrations, to set the layout of a book, to design visuals to use in marketing, or to make a book trailer. I never really intended to publish this book, but my family and friends absolutely loved it and encouraged me to go ahead. So, it became my very first book called ‘Find Cranky Cat! – A Search Book For Cat Lovers‘.

When reading even more kids’ books, I became obsessed with rhyming books, and I couldn’t stop analyzing their underlying structures (i.e., the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables). So, for my next book ‘Not Like The Others’ I wanted to create a search book that is different from what is on the market currently. Therefore, I added several layers of complexity to it and basically made it a fun and easy-to-remember biology lesson about forest animals written in rhymes.

At the same time, this book is also a storybook that eventually directly speaks to the reader and gently introduces the concept of diversity and inclusion. Encouraged by the positive feedback for ‘Not Like The Others’, I soon realized that I’m naturally very talented to write in rhymes, which gave me the confidence to write my first real story in rhyme. I’m a huge fan of classical storytelling, and by bringing both skillsets together, I wrote ‘Pilot Ray‘, a book that for me and my family marks the moment I found my ‘voice as an author’.

Q.: What do you wish that children will take out of your books?

I very much hope that my books will inspire children to always dream big and believe in themselves. If a tiny snail in “Pilot Ray” can achieve its big dream of flying, just imagine what our kids can do. To read more books, to use their imagination, and to make up their own stories is just the beginning. My long-term wish is to touch children so deeply with the stories and worlds I created that they’ll pass on my books to their kids in order to inspire many generations of children.

Q.:  Can you tell me some of your strengths that really helped you in getting your books published?

As a senior scientist I’m trained well at collecting and analysing information. That’s a useful skill when figuring out all those tiny but important details when it comes to self-publishing a book. I’ve also been working as a science editor and reviewer for over a decade, so I’m familiar with the importance of editing a book and polishing it until it can compete with what is published by traditional publishers. Last but not least, I’m also very creative overall, which helps a lot with developing my own brand and with innovatively marketing my books.

Q.: What was your greatest failure and what did you learn from that?

My biggest failure was to publish ‘Not Like The Others’ in UK and US spelling. Sorting territories with Amazon is a pain, and unfortunately always both versions of the book show up, which is confusing for the customer. Add in the fact that this book is actually a book trio (incl. accompanying colouring and activity books), and you’ll soon see how overwhelmed a customer feels when searching for this book.

Q.: Tell me about your proudest achievement.

Over the last 12 months, my book ‘Not Like The Others: A Hidden-Picture Book About Diversity‘ has found a huge fan base with parents and teachers that would like to discuss inclusion and diversity with their children. As a result, the book’s ranking constantly improved organically until it became the Nr. 1 bestseller on Amazon UK in several categories with the highest-ranking being 217 out of over 8 million books on Amazon. That’s a huge success for an independent author.

Q.: Who do you admire most and why?

I admire Julia Donaldson and Rachel Bright. I love the beautiful language that Bright uses in her rhymes, but her books are a tiny bit too message-heavy for me. Donaldson’s language is less poetic, yet she’s a master of varying meter and of creating wonderful and diverse characters and worlds.

Q.: If you could travel back in time and give advice to your teenage self what would that be?

I’d say: “Don’t bother that you’re getting teased about your broken English. One day you’ll be fluent, you’ll write beautiful rhyming stories, and you’ll even help native speakers with their books.”

Q.: If you could know the absolute and total truth to one question, what question would you ask?

Who let the dogs out? But seriously, my question would be related to the string-theory: Beyond the 4-dimensions of space (length, width, depth) and time, what truly are the other 6 dimensions the universe operates with? I’d love to fully understand this (beyond maths).

Q.: What is the funniest think that has happened to you recently?

The ‘Point of no return’ in my book ‘Pilot Ray’ is one of my favourite scenes. It’s where Ray is happily munching on a juicy, red strawberry before he falls asleep on the spot. Here the reader can clearly sense that something will turn our hero’s world upside down soon.

Ray was easy to spy, lying there on the red,

snoring peacefully, ZZZzzz, in his strawberry bed.

Recently, I was picking cherries in the garden and I spotted a snail that, just like Ray, was munching not on a strawberry but a cherry. It reminded me so much of this key scene in the book. I called the boys, and we all had a good laugh.

Q.: How can we introduce the love of reading to our youth?

I believe that kids need enough screen-free time to be eager to go on adventures through books. We are a low-media household (we even don’t have a telly). My kids get screen time only on days where there’s no school the next day (i.e., Fr/Sa during a normal week). That works extremely well, and they spend most of their down time playing with Lego/cars/stuffies and reading books.

Q.: What would you advice young kids and teenagers who love books and would like to publish their own?

There are sparks for good stories everywhere. Once you caught one, let it float around in your head, stay open-minded, and let it blossom into different, unexpected directions. Over a couple of days, you’ll come up with an amazing story. Write it down and edit it relentlessly before you start dealing with the actual self-publishing process. It’s important to be mentally prepared for slow progress at times. At the same time, you can learn from the snail Ray that it doesn’t matter how slow you go as long as you never give up.

Q.: What is your vision? Where do you see yourself in 5 years from now?

I’m currently planning to release 3 rhyming picture books per year. So, in 5 years from now I hope to have published a significant catalogue of books that inspires kids all over the world to dream big. I’d also like to have grown my editing and coaching business by then to help other independent authors to beautifully write in rhymes themselves.

Q.: How can the readers get in touch with you and where can they find your books?

Jana’s books are available through Amazon. To contact her, please send her an email or message her on Facebook or Instagram.

Website: www.jbroeckerbooks.com
Email: info@jbroeckerbooks.com
Facebook: @JBroeckerBooks
Instagram: @author.janabroecker
Twitter: @janabroecker

The post Interview with Dr. Jana Broecker, scientist and children’s books author first appeared on Maltamum.

I love books, right? This has been well-established :). This means that I giggle with excitement whenever I discover a new gem, and even more so if this new gem is meant to be shared with my children. I guarantee that you will hear your child laughing out loud while you read Super Farty Pants! And as a bonus, it might even entice your child to ask for an extra serve of vegetables.

The main character, Amelia, is just a regular kid. That is until a chance encounter with a strange looking bug that grants her super powers- super farty powers! A hilarious story full of farting and flying that children of all ages will love. Check it out and let me know your thoughts. Here’s the video with the author reading his book.

Paul Wennersberg-Løvholen, a 36-year-old father of two little monsters, is the brilliant writer behind Super Farty Pants! and Frøken Superpromp! (Norwegian Edition). He’s also a horror filmmaker and an actor, known for Grindsploitation (2016), A Christmas to Dismember and Kill Kwazy. Originally hailing from the UK, he has traveled and lived in several countries around the world, and now living in the land of Vikings, Norway, where he works with teenage refugees.

How would you describe yourself in 10 words?
Ambitious, creative, thoughtful, with a quirky unique sense of humour.

How did you get started with writing your first children’s book?
Well, it began with my kids. I have penned a few stories in the past, and also wrote some screenplays, but my first foray into children’s writing began with my children. I love books and love reading to my kids. I’ve tried to foster a positive relationship with reading and books. There are so many great books out there already, that’s no lie, but there are also so many terrible ones. I honestly wasn’t completely won over with the books on offer, so I started writing my own for my own children. They started off initially with just personal books, that I illustrated and printed myself, that became a thing in our house- they would get a book for their birthday. Folks kept saying that I should do something more with my books and try and make it as a professional author, and with Super Farty Pants! I decided to take that leap.

I had read a lot of blogs and books about getting published and self-publishing and tried to educate myself as much as possible. All I can say now is that I still have so, so much to learn!

But I did initially try approaching publishing houses with my manuscript. I even had a coffee with one of Norway’s most successful children books authors -Irene Marienborg- author of the Nora books. She was lovely and really loved the story. She encouraged me to pursue a publishing deal, but alas, it wasn’t meant to be. There are so many reasons an author gets rejected and it can be so hard to get a deal. So I wasn’t too upset but instead was motivated to actually do this myself. I’m a little punk with a DIY sensibility so this was fine with me. So then I began the journey of finding an illustrator and getting this book out there myself. A year later I’m almost there lol. Still, a lot of work to do in regards to promotion but I’m getting there. And most importantly, I am so pleased with the finished book, especially the artistic merits of Kamal M Nair.

Why did you choose farts to be Amelia’s superpower?
Well I have two daughters at home- who were 2 and 4 years old at the time of writing. Toilet humor is popular in our house and anything involving farts and bums is the best thing ever. So, in regards to the humour- that was a winner. But there was an ulterior motive. This was about normalising something that for many has been something to be ashamed of. There are so many folks that do not like fart humour and feel that we should be ashamed every time we let out a little bottom burp. But we all do it! I am all about my kids being comfortable with themselves and their bodies. So there was a little more at play here than just toots and giggles.

What do you wish that children will take out of your book?
R.L. Stine (author of the Goosebums series) once said- “Many adults feel that every children’s book has to teach them something…. My theory is a children’s book… can be just for fun.” So many authors now are all about throwing in morals and lessons into their stories. Sure, I may have slipped in a couple, but that wasn’t the main motivation.

Especially at such a young age, it’s important that children do build a great relationship with books and reading. We’ve already got enough competition from the likes of silly youtube videos and tablets, so why make it so hard for ourselves. Children need to enjoy themselves whilst reading. Those lessons can come from the parents or from school. With Super Farty Pants! I just want children and their parents to sit down together and laugh along, not only enjoying the story but each other’s company. Shared laughter with our children is golden, and I think I managed it with this book.

What is your vision? Where do you see yourself in 5, 10 years from now?
I am already in the process of writing several children’s books and hope that I can actually make it successfully as a children’s book author. I am pretty sure my books will grow with my children so maybe 10 years from now I’ll be more focused on teenage literature, though I am in love with my current genre so there will be a few more children’s picture books in the works regardless. I also have a novel waiting to be penned which I hope to work on next year.

But I guess my biggest hope is that I sit with the same ambitions and drive as I do now, and don’t get bogged down with the business side of things and turn my passion into writing and inspiring kids into a passion solely geared around sales and making money.



Facebook: SuperFartyPants
Amazon English book: Super Farty Pants
Amazon Norwegian book: Frøken Superpromp!

The post Shared laughter with our children is golden- interview with Paul Wennersberg-Løvholen first appeared on Maltamum.

Aditi Wardhan Singh is a mother and a writer based in the USA. Having called many countries ‘home’, Aditi has grown to be an authoritative voice on topics such as cultural sensitivity and empowerment. She is the founder of the online magazine Raising World Children and the author of the book Strong Roots Have No Fear.

The following words are hers and I absolutely adore them – ‘Cultures change every two hours of travel. The food, the air, the places to see, the thinking. We cannot all possibly see it all but we can read or share it with others out there who desire to learn more.’

In her online magazine, Aditi curates content about cultural sensitivity in parenting. She brings together voices from around the world and provides parents with tools to empower their children to grow to be positive, gracious, global thought leaders.

Her book is an honest account of her own journey as a third culture kid and later on as a parent herself raising multicultural children, full of practical advice. Her aim is to empower families raising children amongst different cultures and languages and to raise awareness about important, global values.

In her spare time, Aditi enjoys volunteering, choreographing recitals and having impromptu dance parties with her kids.

How would you describe yourself in 10 words?
A word-loving global citizen raising world children, empowered.

Aditi before the kids, and after. In what ways did parenthood change you?
When I was pregnant, being sick all the time made me feel scared but the women I came across we’re always willing to pass on their wisdom and strength to me. After having children, I underwent a huge philosophical change since before giving birth I used to feel like the Girl From Nowhere, Indian raised in Kuwait lost for a community to fall back on. While raising kids, I realized how lucky my children are to have me be so open to trying new experiences and celebrating different aspects of world cultures with them. It made me realize, in actuality, we belong everywhere.

How did you get started with writing your first book ‘Strong Roots Have No Fear’ and did this result in a complete change of career?
I always dreamed of being a writer. Someone who wrote things that helped another on their journey through this labyrinth that is life. Strong Roots Have No Fear is an extension of the work I’m been doing on RaisingWorldChildren.com. I have been blogging since 2007, but started my career as a freelance writer only in 2016 and now am the author of a book that I personally am proud of. Full of anecdotes of my own life, this book enables people to look inwards and say, “Hey! That’s me.” and empowers them to build confidence with their children. My career hasn’t changed but evolved over time. From blogger to a freelance writer for major publications to the founder of RWC now to the author of this book. I only hope my journey continues. This book is an extension of the work I have done over the years, writing about my personal challenges in raising world children. 

Can you tell me some of your strengths that really helped you in blogging and writing a book?
Persistence and willingness to learn. A writer’s job has a lot of turmoil and rejection, even from surroundings and self. We just have to keep pushing and trying things in different ways.

What was your greatest failure and what did you learn from that?
I had 60+ greatest failures (ie publications) before I got accepted into Huffington Post in 2016. It was a tough time. Every single failure to me is my greatest one since I certainly have never failed in that way before. But I tend to try and look at it as an experience and keep moving, shifting direction, evolving. 

Tell me about your proudest achievement.
I’m extremely proud of our global platform that has now featured over 100+ writers from around the world, talking about empowering multicultural families in different ways. Each perspective is unique and valued. It has become such a hive of global families that are working towards inclusivity, and it lightens my heart to be able to give them a platform.

Do you have some tips for those people who are interested in making money following the blogging and writing route?
For bloggers – Monetize early but focus solely on quality content. For writers – be shamelessly persistent in approaching people for help and submissions. And to both, remember that no opportunity is big or small. Each one is a step. And they all add up.

On a scale of 1-10, how lucky do you think you are, and why?
As I mentioned earlier, I’m lucky to have experienced so many different cultures all through my life. They certainly gave me a special kind of appreciation for what the world has to offer everyone.

If you could know the absolute and total truth to one question, what question would you ask?
What other kinds of life are there in the universe beyond earth? 

What is the one thing you hope to teach your children?
There are of course a multitude of things, all of which I have mentioned in my book, and ways that have helped me achieve a strong foundation for them. Though I feel one of the paramount ones is that there is no substitute for reading and hard work. 

Who do you admire most and why?
Priyanka Chopra. The fact that she constantly evolves as a singer, actress, philanthropist. She doesn’t let anyone tell her the “rules” that a said industry follows. She adapts, she molds herself to the best version of herself and is fearless in being herself. Her and Superwoman, Lily Singh are two people I love for this very reason.

If you could travel back in time and give advice to your teenage self what would that be?
Bullying comes in many forms. Recognize that even friends can gang up on you and try to show you that you are lesser than them. It can be in a group or even in snide backhanded constant comments. Don’t let it knock down your self-esteem. They are not worth your time and emotions. 

What is your vision? Where do you see yourself in 5, 10 years from now?
My vision is to help parents be the best version of themselves for the sake of their children. That’s why all my tips are always intuitive and easily adaptable to every parenting philosophy.  In 5-10 years, I hope I have released many more books that help people around empower their thinking and stand strong in the face of life’s many adversities. 

Social Media and Contact Information
Facebook – @raisingworldchildren
Instagram – @raisingworldchildrenAuthor
Facebook – @aditiwardhansingh
Author Instagram – @aditiwsingh
Website – Raisingworldchildren.com
Book Info Link – https://raisingworldchildren.com/2019/01/18/strong-roots-have-no-fear/

The post Interview with writer Aditi Wardhan Singh first appeared on Maltamum.

Nakita Attard Vassallo is the passionate woman behind the popular blog for mums themamamanual.com. She strives to empower mamas to manage their time better, and most importantly, voices that self-care is a priority. As mothers, we must exercise a love for ourselves first and foremost before taking care of others. A researcher and a writer at heart, she made up time while running her busy life as a career girl in the mornings and a homemaker around the clock, and published her first book –  The Mama Manual – How busy mums get organised which is jam-packed with practical tips you can pick up in no time. Lets get to know her better.

How would you describe yourself in 10 words?
Genuine, loyal, resourceful, organised, vibrant, witty, creative, confident, positive and self-disciplined. 

Nakita before the kids, and after. In what ways did parenthood change you?
Oh, many. Let me just touch on the major two however.  In terms of being organised, I was the complete opposite of where I am today. I had way too much time on my hands and sadly, I wasted it. I spent most of my time looking for stuff I misplaced, or engaging in activities which I could do with my eyes closed today.

Parenthood changed the way I looked at life. It may sound cheesy, but it felt like I had been wearing a blindfold over my eyes all my life. Suddenly, life seemed sweeter. Simple things gave me great joy and I became appreciative of even the hardest days. 

Having children can make you realise that we’re so small in this big, beautiful world, that being grateful is a must and every day is just precious.

How did you get started with writing your first book ‘the Mama Manual – How busy mums get organised’, and how did this result in a complete change of career?
I’ve wanted to write a book for as long as I can remember. I recall thinking to myself, what is it that I’m good at? What do my friends come to me for advice for? All it took was one (well-slept, might I add!) night, and the next morning I had my answer.

It was never my intention to run my own business. The book opened up many doors for me. Back in January of 2018 I launched the blog and the brand’s social media pages, and they took off like wildfire. The book was then launched late July of the same year, and the rest is history. 

Can you tell me some of your strengths that really helped you in blogging and writing a book?
Self-discipline and being resourceful were two strengths that I could not have done without. There were days when I felt like lazing on the sofa, but I set deadlines for myself which I wanted to meet. Of course, being so passionate about the topic was a huge help, so let’s not lend it all to my strengths shall we? Blogging requires many skills, some of which I did not possess, but being resourceful meant I found ways and means to learn and get from point A to point B.

What was your greatest failure and what did you learn from that?
I’ve never failed. What’s failure at the end of the day? It’s a state which only you can declare.  I try, and I don’t give up.  When I have a less than desirable result, I step back, and I analyse. I learn. And I try again. It gets better each and every time. 

Tell me about your proudest achievement.
Would you have guessed if I said it was my children?

A lot of people think that blogging is an easy way to make money online. Do you have some tips for those people who are interested in making money following this route?
I’m not quite sure if you want me to comment on the first statement, but I will. Blogging is not an easy way to make money. It is simple yes, but only if you have the right attitude, skill set and work ethic. I’ve got plenty of tips to share, but I’ll go with one great one. Find your ‘why’. Above all, blogging needs to be consistent. Can you imagine writing at least 52 blog posts a year, one every week on the same day? Your mission has got to be something you’re passionate about, or your blogging journey will very quickly fizzle out.

On a scale of 1-10, how lucky do you think you are, and why?
0! I’ve never won the lottery Luck only exists on such rare occasions, but apart from that, what’s luck? Some people might think I’m lucky to be my own boss. They don’t know how many evenings I spent working instead of playing. They don’t know how challenging it was to strike a balance between a full-time job, a fast-growing side hustle, family and myself. And they definitely don’t know the anxiety I battled on several occasions because of the high standards I set for myself. I worked hard to get to where I am today, and luck had nothing to do with it.

If you could know the absolute and total truth to one question, what question would you ask?
Really, how fattening is a figolla?  Or maybe I really don’t wanna know! *Chuckes* In all seriousness though, the beauty of life lies in the unknown.  I don’t think I want to know the answer to anything life-changing.

What is the one thing you hope to teach your children?
That life is precious.  And to have big dreams.  Anything is possible.  All it takes is passion, courage, and a lot of patience.

Who do you admire most and why?
My parents.  Both of them are incredible human beings.  Our family struggled financially when I was a little girl, and my mother was the epitome of strength and selflessness.  I recall us not having quite enough to go by with, and my mum always forgot about her needs, so we could all be fed and clothed. My dad, bless him, donated one of his kidneys to a non-family member a few years ago.  I am still in awe of him.  He is my superhero.

If you could travel back in time and give advice to your teenage self what would that be?
To make the most out of my teenage years!  I never quite appreciated how ‘cushioned’ life is at that age.  As they say, youth is wasted on the young!

What is your vision? Where do you see yourself in 5, 10 years from now?
Over the past few months, I’ve becoming fascinated with what the online world has to offer.  I’ve got enough ideas and plans to keep me busy for at least a few years! I envisage a thriving online business which I can run from anywhere.  My dream is to be successful enough to be able to run the business with my husband, so we can travel far and long and do the work we so love from anywhere we please.

Social Media and Contact Information
Facebook: The Mama Manual
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_mama_manual
Website: http://themamamanual.com/

The post Interview with Nakita Attard Vassallo first appeared on Maltamum.

Lisa Ferland, a mother of two young children, is a dual US-Swedish Citizen. She moved to Sweden in 2012 and raises her two kids among horses, moose, and noisy sheep in sub-rural Sweden. She’s a multi-talented woman, who was heading for an academic career before life took the reins and she left her home country. Let me tell you a bit about her story before we get on with the interview.

Lisa has academic training in public health epidemiology. Over 10 years of experience in project management, data analysis (SAS), and global public health capacity building, meant that she was already globally minded, detail-oriented, and open to new challenges before she took the plunge and moved abroad with her husband. 

She had always been brave and bold, not one to shy away from challenges. For instance, she is a real enthusiast for travel and adventure and investigated a Dengue Fever outbreak in Brunei and traveled solo through rural China at the age of 23.

Moving from the US to Sweden meant that she would have to give up her career; she couldn’t keep on working in her specialty field from Sweden, and in Sweden, she couldn’t compete with the native speakers. She decided to some time off, became a mum and focused on caring for her two babies. However, her overactive brain meant that she wouldn’t sit still for too long.
With a positive mindset, creativity and flexibility, once she got settled into her new life and the kids started attending pre-school, she set off to build a new career for herself and be her own boss.

Today, as an indie writer, publisher, and business consultant, she wears a lot of hats as an entrepreneur, and she acts as the CEO of ALL of her business’ departments: copywriting, marketing, sales, operations, web design, social media engagement, accounting, SEO, and retail distribution.
She’s the author and publisher of the popular books among new and expectant expat mums ‘Knocked Up Abroad: Stories of pregnancy, birth, and raising a family in a foreign country.’, ‘Knocked Up Abroad Again: Baby bumps, twists, and turns around the globe‘ and an editor of a public health textbook ‘Transforming Public Health Surveillance – E-Book: Proactive Measures for Prevention, Detection, and Response‘.

Lisa is now running a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter for her debut children’s book ‘When the Clock Strikes on Halloween‘ with exclusive rewards available only to the backers. One not to be missed <3

1) How would you describe yourself in 10 words?
I would say, confident, logical, curious, laid back, humble, adventurous, resourceful, sensible, considerate, and ambitious.

2) Lisa before the kids, and after. In what ways did parenthood change you?
Before kids, I watched a ton of TV, went out to eat dinner on weekends, danced with my girlfriends, and stayed up past 11 pm. After kids, I don’t do any of those things, I drink a lot more coffee, and I’m much less judgemental of other families out in public. 

3) What’s the craziest thing you have ever done? 
I’ve done a lot of crazy things, but the one that scared me the most was trekking through the Amazon rainforest in Ecuador. There were poisonous insects all around us, and I was trying to maintain my composure without walking face first into a giant spider web or step on a tarantula.

We went on a day-long hike in a torrential downpour on, and we were walking on the sloping bank of a raging river, and I was terrified that my boots would slip and I’d get zipped off into the currents never to be seen again. I’d say that entire experience – a week in the Amazon – was my least favorite traveling experience.

Also, while in Brunei, we responded to a white powder incident at the post office. The Ministry of Health treated it as a potential act of terrorism and showered everyone from head to toe who had been in contact with the package. It turns out that the box was nothing more than calcium carbonate – a common chemical for treating swimming pools – but the entire team went into emergency mode, and it was fascinating to witness.

Traveling down the Li River in Yangshuo, China was my favorite activity that I’ve ever done during my solo travel. I rode down a bamboo raft, about as wide as a bed mattress and twice as long, with a conductor/driver at the back who had a long pole. We rode over waterfalls, and the front of the raft would dip under the water a bit each time. The mountains were breathtaking, and the scenery was something out of a movie. 

4) How did you get started with writing your first book, Knocked Up Abroad, and how did this result in a complete change of career?
I can credit my kids for inspiring me to write the books. My two pregnancies – one in the US and one in Sweden – were so completely different and I couldn’t help but compare the prenatal services I received in both health care systems. But beyond the health care differences, I noticed that culturally, I experienced different pressures and expectations.
Dining out with babies felt much more welcoming and forgiving in Sweden than I ever felt in the US. In the US, I always felt like our behavior was under a microscope of judgment and felt none of that same pressure in Sweden. In Stockholm, there are baskets of baby toys and books in cafes and strollers lined up outside of restaurants. 

Perhaps, the language barrier insulates me from some judgemental stares or comment, but in general, I think the Swedish infrastructure is more centered around including families than in the US. 

Due to the enormous differences in cultures that I experienced, I knew that other women felt the same way. I posted some questions in discussion groups and reached out to women who had given birth abroad and asked them to share their stories. That’s how the anthologies were born.

5) You have now written a children’s book with a Halloween theme currently funding on Kickstarter. Tell us a bit more about this project and why should people pre-order it at this stage.
When the Clock Strikes on Halloween was a ton of fun to write and it came together fairly easily. However, finding the right rhymes that move the story forward AND make sense was a real challenge. Luckily, I had the good fortune to find a talented illustrator who is also a fabulous collaborator. Seeing my words come to life as my illustrator, Pei Jen, envisioned, was such a treat and so different from my experience with the anthologies.

The book is available to order on Kickstarter until 16/05/2019 with extra rewards for the readers. I enjoy launching pre-orders for books on Kickstarter because it gives me a chance to add those extras with each order that I couldn’t do if I were launching the book on Amazon.

Kickstarter also adds an extra layer of transparency and trust – readers can see exactly how many other people are supporting the book and how many books are pre-ordered. It also gives me a chance to give readers a behind-the-scenes look at how a book comes together. I love the energy and excitement of launching a book.

6) Please describe to us your most memorable Halloween holiday.
I’ll never forget emptying our pillowcase full of candy and sorting and trading candies with my brother and friends. That was always my favorite part, and I made sure to include that illustration in the book.

Most recently, we held a Halloween party and had all of the neighborhood kids bob for apples, which was hilarious. They had a hard time figuring out how to get the apples, and they soaked their heads and shirts in the water.

7) On a scale of 1-10, how lucky do you think you are, and why?
There’s a saying, “Good luck is when opportunity meets preparation, while bad luck is when lack of preparation meets reality.” I’d say that I am usually about a 7-8 out of 10 on the luck factor.

8) If you could know the absolute and total truth to one question, what question would you ask?
Ooh, that’s a tough one. I’d want to know how the first human was born.

9) What is one thing you hope to teach your children?
To accept themselves as they are without any questions or doubt. 

10) Please share with us your best piece of advice for new mums raising their kids in a foreign country.
Enjoy such a unique and beautiful opportunity to raise your child outside of your home culture’s expectations and pressures. It’s not easy to do, but it’s incredibly fulfilling.

11) Who do you admire most and why?
At the moment, I admire 16-year-old Swedish activist Greta Thunberg who is taking such a strong stance for the future generations. I wish I had that determination at her age.

12) What is the funniest thing that has happened to you recently?
Nothing recently but probably the most embarrassing was when a woman stopped me in the grocery store because she thought I worked there. There was a bit of a language miscommunication, and I tried to assist her and answer her questions about why one liter of cream was more expensive than another. We went back and forth for a few minutes until I shrugged my shoulders and pushed my cart away. I saw the realization dawn on her face that I wasn’t a store employee after all and we were both a bit embarrassed.

13) You’re a new addition to the crayon box. What color would you be and why?
What color do you need me to be? I’m pretty adaptable. 

14) If you could travel back in time and give advice to your teenage self what would that be?
If you’re not going to get out of bed and do something about it, stop worrying and go to sleep.

15) What is your vision? Where do you see yourself in 5, 10 years from now?
In five years, I see myself running a mid-sized business with a few employees, an extensive library of both children’s books and non-fiction books under my belt, and happy pre-teenage kids.

I’d really love to keep doing what I’m doing and continue to help authors reach their goals on Kickstarter and IndieGoGo or whatever platform exists at that time. If there’s anything I’ve learned, it’s that my career path is a winding path and I rarely know what unexpected fun is coming around the corner.

Social Media and Contact Information
#whentheclockstrikes – Kickstarter campaign link
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lisaferlandconsulting
Author’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisaferland
Website: https://lisaferland.com/

The post Lisa Ferland, the story of a multi-talented writer and mother to a ninja warrior and a dancing firefly first appeared on Maltamum.