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Turn off the TV—Tips for Families

     Just when you think it can’t get any worse, it does—television, that is. One of the best decisions I made years ago for myself and for my family was to cut down on television drastically. At first this may seem like a daunting task, but with a few simple tips, parents find it’s much easier than they suspected it would be.      First of all, there is the matter of reducing the amount of TV your family watches to just a few shows a week. In order to do this, I recommend a family meeting to discuss your goals …

Advice, Children's Author, family, Family Time, Helpful Tips, parenting, television
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Get Some Sleep

     About 70 million Americans experience sleep problems ranging from chronic sleep disorders to sporadic sleep troubles. Studies show that just one night of insufficient sleep can affect memory, productivity, and even the ability to carry on a regular conversation. In my work as a writer, researcher, and humanitarian, with several radio interviews a week, I can’t afford to not be at my mental peak, and chances are you can’t either. Long-term sleep deprivation can have serious effects such as higher risk for high blood pressure, depression, heart attack, decreased immunity, obesity, and diabetes. As you can see, getting enough …

Advice, Children's Author, Helpful Tips, moms, Research, women
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Americans Need to Make More Friends!

     Statistics are showing that Americans have fewer friends than they used to, according to a recent study, “Social Isolation in America,” which was published in the American Sociological Review. The authors found that the number of Americans who feel they have someone with whom they can discuss important matters dropped by nearly one-third from 1985 to 2004, and the number of people who said they had no one they could discuss such matters with tripled to nearly 25 percent of Americans. The authors suggest the cause for this decrease in intimate friendships may be longer work hours and the increased popularity …

Advice, Children's Author, Friends, Research, women
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My Interview in Amsterdam-Holland

This was a fun interview! Charlie Valentino of glutenfreegroove.com found me through a search on the internet and asked if he could interview me. He then sent me the questions and we had a blast form that point on. His questions were fun and so was his interview! He placed my replies up and here they are for your reading pleasure.: http://glutenfreegroove.com/blog/2010/02/from-fairy-tales-to-gluten-free Tina Turbin

Press, Radio Interviews
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Danny the Dragon – A Judge’s Commentary

Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy was entered in the 17th Annual International Self-Published Book Awards.  Below I am sharing with you a wonderful, professional judge’s commentary on the book: “What a terrific cover illustration!  Danny the Dragon is wonderfully drawn and is sure to appeal to kid readers; Skipper and Jimmy are wonderfully drawn, too.  The interior illustrations are as wonderful: bold, bright, comical, full of amazing detail, quirkily fun – wonderful for the story and wonderful on their own.  The story itself is delightful.  What child wouldn’t be intrigued by a talking shell – that turns out to house a talking dragon?  …

Children's Author, Children's Book, Childrens' Literature
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Danny the Dragon Contest Winner – February!

   William Morris is my February contest winner for a Danny the Dragon gift basket full of fun stuff from Danny the Dragon. Here is what William and his family had to share about his winning a basket like this: I’m sending Danny the Dragon a picture of me. I hope he can come to my house soon. I love him.” Thank you Tina!  -William Morrison Age 4

Children's Book, Contest-this month!, Contests, Give-Away
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Q and A session with a HS in Albany, New York

I am often asked many queston on the radio, in a school, or libarary about the many aspects of writing, the book itself, the characters etc. I decided to share a Q and A emailed to me which I had with a HS in Alabany. My answers are after the numbered questions short and sweet but I share my sincere opinion as an Artist and Author to everyone below these questions-especially aspiring writers. Teacher: Hi Tina, I hope your trip was enjoyable!  We did do a read-aloud with your book and the students had a number of questions in both …

Advice, Books, Children's Author, Children's Book, Childrens' Literature, Interviews, writing
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Mom’s Talking About 6-Year-Old Handcuffed and Committed in School

Times have been slowly but surely changing and it is stories like this that really can hit home as to the NEED for teachers and school officials to have some of their control taken into account. As a mother of three, and American citizen and a humanitarian I can not believe acts like this can not only occur but that they are. This is a story for every parent to read and every family to understand. When a simple call to a police official can get your pre-school or elementary school child handcuffed and placed in a mental institution, you …

Advice, Children's Health, family, humanitarian, moms, Research, schooling
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Encourage Social Skills in Children: Danny the Dragon Author Offers Tips

      One of the ways parents can increase involvement is by supporting their child’s education and helping him achieve academic success. An important part of this, which parents don’t often think about, is teaching your kids the social skills they’ll need to succeed in school. Here are some tips for parents on how they can send their child to school with the social skills they need to successfully interact with teachers and other students.      First, it’s important to teach your child to ask for what he needs. How can he get help unless he’s able to admit he doesn’t …

Advice, Children's Author, Children's Book, Children's Health, Education, family, Family Time, Helpful Tips, moms, parenting
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Children Need Good Literature

     The fact that kids need good literature is not a new one. Just look at the number of awards available in the United States alone to reward authors for superb children’s literature. The long list of such awards includes the Newbery Medal, Caldecott Medal, Coretta Scott King Award, and Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal. With such an extraordinary effort made to celebrate good children’s literature, there must be something important about it.      I know how short the attention span of a child can be yet how thrilling it is to watch a child’s imagination partake in an exciting adventure …

Advice, Children's Author, Children's Book, Childrens' Literature, Education, family, Family Time, Helpful Tips, humanitarian, Library Visits, literacy, Media, moms, Research, television, writing
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