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New info today (9-8-13): HOT NEWS! First grand baby Willa Abigail Hajdusiewicz born May 2, 2013. She's THE SWEETEST! Meet Willa on my FB pages.
More HOT NEWS! New babsyb line of 32 board books for ages 0-3! The first series of 8 of those board books are in production and due to be in stores and online in time for holiday shopping...or this realist tries to allow for production surprises that tend to hit us in the publishing world, shortly thereafter.
My sites (www.ilikeme.com, www.babsyb.com) will have new info very soon...online store there is always up for orders with autographs. Also in the works is a greater amazon.com presence. Check it out!
We will be changing my sites' info, and the new babsyb product line will be in the store and include YouTube videos and other social media presence.
To go back to "since 1962," please check out my Web site and Blog on Parenting4Literacy. See site addresses below. ALSO in the works is my start-up non-profit www.teenparenting4literacy.org. If you have a passion for kids and early literacy and community service, along with extra $$ you want to put to superb use, contact me at babs@ilikeme.com. We'll get you involved...er, put your dollars to work for you! No time to retire for this youngun...just turned a year younger, I did. Yep, I gave one of my best years to my young friend whose birthday is the same day as mine. He had great interest in turning 12, so I up and gave him one of my years. Which gives me added youth, don'tcha know. Takes youth to write for these infants and toddlers. And speaking of that, I began attending a mindful parenting class today. New grandparent that I am, I wanted to learn more about the joys and woes of today's parents while gaining new info for writing books for children. Some young friends (ages 10 and 6) asked me just this morning, "So, Mrs. Babs, does your taking this parenting class mean you're starting to parent again?" Ha-ha!
Also starting piano lessons on this wonderful antique upright carved oak piano. Yep! Sure am. It's in the genes, me thinks. My aunt began piano at age 74 a few years back and is playing her heart out in her 80's now. Oops, full disclosure: This piano playing auntie is actually my aunt-in-law. And more disclosure begs to be shared: This same auntie's son, my 1st cuz, is an author and graphic designer at the Philadelphia Inquirer. His and my 3rd cuz has 1 of 3 top creative positions at FB...though plz don't tell me if FB does this or that to your likes or dislikes. I'm just the cuz.
I now consider myself Quadronic-Plus since I've had total joint replacements of both hips and both shoulders, along withtwo back surgeries (L4/L5 fused and laminectomy--had to go back in 4 months later to remove the fusion cage that had slipped off and onto the sciatic nerve--OUCH!) Given these surgeries in the past ten years I'd do it all again as, though I live with pain pretty much 24/7, I am determined to keep going, as osteoarthritis is not gonna keep me down. I am in the pool every day I can and power-weight-walk 3-4 times a week, as I feel best when moving. Sitting to type is not easy, so I move this laptop from here to there in order to get each book out.
Hope you've checked out my 200-pager titled "WOW! Words: Building Children's Powerful Oral Vocabularies (Ages 4-7)" Yep, I have many more books in me...just need time!
Remembering my own struggles to pay for college and in the interest of helping some youth gain college educations, I funded for 15 years the Babs Bell Hajdusiewicz Scholarship for a Delphi High graduate each year who aspires to teach children and/or write for children. Those monies then went to Delphi schools for use in children's homes. The monies now are headed toward
Relatedly, I want to share my great joy just learned last month...DHS 2003 recipient of my scholarship is now a teacher of 3rd graders and in a writing course to learn more about writing for children! Goals coming full-circle!
My husband and I celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary on Bastille Day 2013. We are active in our Unitarian Universalist Congregation and in PFLAG (Parents, Families, and Friends of Gays and Lesbians). We've both served on PFLAG's Board in Houston; I served on PFLAG's National Board of Directors. We have enjoyed travel to most parts of the world and plan lots more in the future. I am a stripper in my spare time...that is, I repair and restore American antiques for our home.
It's really good stuff to now have this "family" site. I am grateful to all of you who have made it happen! Thank you!
