EDU Designs is a non profit organization whose mission is to produce and distribute multimedia materials for the education, motivation and character development of children.
Though her CD was titled, ‘Awkward Annie’, this talented artist, singer, copywriter, and volunteer for non profit causes, proves you always get more by giving.
Annie Elliott was recognized as a powerhouse by the organization She Runs It, who flew her to NY to receive an award for NEXT GENERATION FEMALE LEADER at Forbes, on Sept. 13, 2017.
Associate Creative Director for RPA Advertising, Annie has been a contributor to EDU DESIGNS media since 2014.
We deeply appreciate the wealth of knowledge and expertise Annie brings with her about the creative arts, media, and its’ influence on society.
One of Annie’s previous articles from 2014 highlights a ‘female leader’ from a previous generation: June Foray, whowas the Queen of Voiceovers.
Though she passed on at the age of 99, EDU DESIGNS was blessed to have June contribute her voice to our animated short, Somebody Needs You, which premiered at San Diego Comic-Con in 2016. Read more about how June’s contributions are helping kids learn empathy, here.
At EDU DESIGNS, our team of volunteers researches media and networks with others who care about children’s character so we can bring you the best.
Each year we reach thousands of kids and teachers with our art lessons and media for good character.
We are grateful for everyone who gives to support our work.
I love the taste of most non dairy creamers, like Coffee mate, but the corn syrup and partially hydrogenated oils (trans fats) they contain promote inflammation, the precursor to most diseases like arthritis and cancer.
Honey (or real maple syrup) is better for you than corn syrup or refined sugars. Both Coconut oil and Turmericcontain anti-inflammatory, anti-alzheimer’s properties, too!
I was determined to find a way to make my owncoffee creamerwithout bad ingredients and avoid the guilt as well as the inflammation.
Ingredients (If you are allergic to any of these ingredients, omit them):
Water
Coconut oil
Honey (or real Maple Syrup)
Almond Milk, Coconut Milk, or Soy milk
Lecithin*
Vanilla
Spices as desired (I add Turmeric, Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg, Cardamom, Cloves and a pinch of black pepper. All are beneficial for you! When I add them all it tastes like a pumpkin spice Latte!)
INSTRUCTIONS:
Add in blender:
1 Cup very hot Water (If the coconut oil is solid, use boiling water)
1/2 Cup Coconut oil (if the coconut oil is solid, just look at the side of the blender to watch the water level rise to a cup and a half)
3 Tablespoons of real Vanilla
1 heaping Tablespoon of Lecithin*
Honey, Maple Syrup or Stevia to taste
(Note:I add 3/4 Cup of honey. However, you can use less or more. Avoid artificial sweeteners, like Splenda, Sweet n Low, etc. which contain Aspartame, a known nerve toxin)
OPTIONAL: 2 TBLSP Turmeric powder, plus a TBLSP of Cinnamon, a tsp of Ginger, 1/2 tsp each of Nutmeg, Cardamom, Cloves, and a pinch of black pepper, which increases the absorption of CoQ10).
Blend at low speed until mixed
(30 seconds or so)
With blender still running,
slowly add 3 cups of almond, coconut or soy milk for another 15 seconds or until thoroughly mixed:
Refrigerate.
Shake before using.
It will get thicker as it cools.
Have fun experimenting, and adjust to YOUR taste!
* Lecithin is good for you. It is a natural emulsifier, which blends oil and water, and contains many brain boosters, like Phosphatidyl Choline & Other Phosphatides. Sunflower Lecithin is a bit more expensive, but for those avoiding Soy, it’s better.
We are an ALL VOLUNTEER Non-Profit. 100% of your donation goes toward sharing our materials, and NOT salaries. You are guaranteed a Tax Deductible Receipt. PLEASE GIVE!
When I was a child my mom and I would walk a long way to the grocery store. It was hard to keep up unless she would hold my hand. When she did hold my hand, somehow her energy would be transmitted to me, and it was easier to go the distance.
“Connectedness . . . protects us against the harmful effects of stress.”
When I had kids of my own, there were days when the thought of cleaning the house weighed on me like a sack of bricks. But if I knew that someone I liked was coming over, the work breezed by. It was the anticipation of a supportive friend that made the work easier to accomplish – even fun.
[dropshadowbox align=”center” effect=”lifted-both” width=”550px” height=”” background_color=”#faf0f3″ border_width=”1″ border_color=”#dddddd” ]Just the IDEA of being connected to someone can make a positive difference![/dropshadowbox]
The burden we bear alone is twice as hard to carry.
And we don’t have to carry it alone.
If you’re someone who has failed at connecting with others, here are some things you can do. Develop the capacity for empathy, become a flexible thinker, learn to regulate your emotions and practice resilience.
To learn this you will need to find someone who will listen and respond. Some things are more ‘caught than taught’.
A good relationship requires Connectedness.
You throw the ball to me. I throw it back.
Simple, right?
And yet in communication, sometimes we forget to ‘catch the ball’, much less ‘throw it back’!
To have real communication, or ‘connectedness’ with our friends, children, or spouse, we need to establish a good rapport.
That happens by SEEING, LISTENING, and RESPONDING with them.
To truly understand what we hear another say, we need to THINK, FEEL, and SENSE what our instincts are saying at the same time!
Your brain hears the words, then PROCESSES the information using our thinking, feeling and instinctive centers to understand it.
For a good relationship to grow, think before you speak:
Is it loving? Is it kind? Is it helpful?
When you communicate, make an effort to combine your MIND, HEART and INSTINCTS to really connect with others. It’s a great ‘people skill’ that gets better with practice!
“If you don’t STAND for SOMEthing, you’ll fall for anything!”
When my kids were little, I was losing ground. My utopian dream of bringing loving, creative people into the world was turning into a nightmare.Just being a ‘good example’ wasn’t working. The ‘nicer’ I became, the more they took advantage and were becoming people I disliked: Greedy, selfish, mean, petty and squabbling. I had to put my foot down.
Time For A Family Meeting
“All right, guys. There’s been too much fighting going on. We need to work things out. FAMILY MEETING TIME!”
We usually had a Family Meeting once a week, but when something extreme came up, we would have them at any time. We sat in a circle in the living room and I reminded them of the rules of the meeting:
1- Sit quietly,
2- Listen carefully,
3- If you have something to say, raise your hand and wait your turn.
Make A Family Constitution
I challenged the kids to think:
“Who ARE we, anyway? What do we STAND for? What VALUES do we hold dear? We need to decide what kind of people we want to be. We need to create a ‘Family Constitution’.”
Taking notes, each child contributed what they thought were important rules for good behavior – points to add to our Family’s ‘Constitution’. Soon we had a list of ‘DO’s and DON’TS’ we all agreed on, and taped the list to the kitchen wall.
Things like:
DO: Be kind, helpful, do chores, feed the animals, do homework, etc…
DON’T: Fight, stick out your tongue, cuss, hit, yell or throw things, etc.”
Whenever anyone did something wrong (or right), we would add that infraction or good character trait to the list, and soon we needed to add more pages and the list was as long as my arm!
At our next meeting We looked at our list again.
Then it came to us. All the items on the list boiled down to one rule that applied: That if we could treat one another the way we wanted to be treated, it would solve most of our problems.
THAT said it ALL!
“Treat others the way YOU want to be treated” became our new “Family Constitution”. When a conflict came up, the way to resolve it became simpler.
The good thing about going through the exercise of listing all the do’s and don’ts was that it forced us to examine ourselves, to put ourselves in the other person’s shoes, and observe how our actions and attitudes affect others. It increased our empathy for one another, and showed us that everything we do is creating the kind of person we are becoming.
Every day in Elementary school I ate the same thing for lunch: an apple and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, which of course would get squashed by the apple before lunchtime arrived.
At lunch I sat next to a chubby little red haired girl who, along with her frown, always had a gourmet sandwich she would nonchalantly pull out of her fancy designer lunch pail with a huge dessert of 2 hostess cupcakes, Twinkies or Ding-dongs.
I drooled.
At home we wouldn’t eat so extravagantly and have to share if we actually had a treat for dessert. So, seeing that she always seemed to have extra goodies – and wasn’t getting any skinnier, one day I mustered up the courage to ask her,
“Since you have two cupcakes, would you share one with me?”
But she recoiled in horror, saying,
“NO! There’s only enough for me!”
No matter how politely I would change my phrasing, each time she would consistently reply in the same manner. Day after day this hurt me terribly, as I pondered her insensitivity and the cruel injustice of the world.
But it did teach me two things:
1- There are mean people in the world.
2- Your job is not to become one of them
And when the light bulb went off in my head, I knew what I had to do:
WALK AWAY and
SIT somewhere ELSE.
I found some nice kids to sit with. They didn’t share their lunch either because they only had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches too! But we all smiled, and shared laughs instead!
Hoping to get that other girl’s goodies had been a trap for me that ruined my happiness for as long as I hung out with her. You don’t have to HATE your enemies, but you shouldn’t have to hang out with them either!
So – What did I learn from my new friends?
1- IGNORE GOODIES.
2- Choose nice PEOPLE to hang out with instead.
They may be hard to find, but not impossible!
BEING one of the nice people? Well, that’s harder.
However, being RIGHT all the time is even HARDER!
Yeah…like that’ll work!
If you’ve already chosen PEOPLE over GOODIES – the Next CHALLENGE is:
How do you spot REAL love from others when you see it?
1- Real love is a ONE WAY street – which means it goes in ONE direction – from the inside of a person –> OUT, expecting nothing in return.
2- Real Love is KIND, FORGIVING and PATIENT with our shortcomings.
3- Real Love looks out for OUR best interests.
4- Real Love never gives up on us, even when we make mistakes (and we will)
5- Real Love tells us the truth.
LOOK for THOSE LOVING individuals to hang out with.
Learn to recognize them, hidden in the crowd of ‘me-first’ types.
WHAT TO DO with the SELFISH ones?
Ignore them.
They are probably already ignoring YOU.
Giving more won’t help.
They paid attention to what you could give them, not what they could give you.
And WHAT TO DO WITH the PAIN?
Ouch. It Hurts.
I read somewhere that people who are truly loving or very funnyhave usually been hurt deeply in their lives.
It seems so unfair.
But think again:
We’ve ALLbeen hurt at one time or another!
So. . . Why isn’tEVERYONEvery funny or truly loving?
BECAUSE:
WE All make CHOICES in how we react!
How DO YOU React When YOU Are Hurt (and don’t get your own way)?
Here are a few reactions thatDON’T WORK!
1- Become angry and mean yourself. (My daughter once said: “Unforgiveness is like taking poison and hoping the other guy dies.”)
2- Conclude that ‘love isn’t worth it’ – and build a wall to shield yourself from your need to be connected with others. Call it ‘strength’.
3- Become a doormat. Never tell people they are hurting you. Go along, to get along, hoping the mean ones will stop if you are ‘nice’ enough.
4- Retreat into a fantasy world where you imagine you were perfect, or other people were and then you would have your needs met. Strive for that unattainable utopia while you are feeling sorry for yourself.
5- Immerse yourself in work, activities, food or substances to try and numb the pain.
As you probably concluded, none of these work! Wasting our energy trying to protect ourselves from the pain actually ‘protects’ us from finding the nice people in the world who DO exist and who would love us, warts and all!
Though PAIN is unavoidable, there IS an AUTHENTIC secret to HAPPINESS you can take hold of NOW (even if you don’t get the Ding Dong or Twinkie for lunch)…
Pay attention, parents, so you can spring this on your children the next time you’re in the toy aisle at your favorite store):
IT’S CALLED GRATITUDE!
It’s been Scientifically verified that GRATITUDE makes you HAPPIER, and here is MY analysis of how it works.
First:
DESIRE …for what you don’t have.
After which you feel:
DISAPPOINTMENT
Here is theCrucial Point of CHOICE:
“How should I REACT?”
You will choose to EITHER: DWELLon yourLOSS, which leads to: UNHAPPINESS, Bitterness, depression and Poor Health
OR –
ACKNOWLEDGE the loss and if there’s nothing you can do about it, DECIDE to ACCEPT the fact that you can’t change it, and LET it GO if it’s not meant to be.
LEAVE the situation in God’s hands, while looking for constructive options to get what you want other ways without resorting to tactics of manipulation and bad behavior.
It reminds me of the Serenity prayer, written by the American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr (1892–1971):
“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, And wisdom to know the difference.”
It may be difficult to LET GO, but OH, WHAT FREEDOM it BRINGS!
THEN, CHOOSE TO BE GRATEFULfor what you DO have…
Choosing to be GRATEFUL will:
Make you Happier
Improve your appearance, (a smile increases your face value!
Potty Training can be a JOY, and NOT a CHORE – IF YOU MAKE IT A GAME!
This worked for my 7 kids: Make a ladder like the one here, (from adding machine paper, etc., or print this out), and tape it on the wall right near the potty. Choose an inexpensive prize to buy that you know your child will enjoy (a small toy, a lollipop, a candy, etc.) plus a pack of small stickersin advance (and HIDE IT!). Draw or paste a picture of the prize in the square above the ladder. Each time your child goes potty in the RIGHT PLACE (on the pot) they will get a sticker, starting at the bottom of the ladder. Praise him enthusiastically, and mention how each time he does, he will get a sticker, and when he gets to the top, he will win the prize! (If the prize is candy – DO NOT give him ANY Candy AT ANY OTHER TIMES UNTIL HE HAS EARNED IT by doing his ‘JOB’! Many kids enjoy placing their earned sticker on their chart by themselves – and show them where it goes. That in itself will be a temporary satisfaction for their good behavior until they have earned their ‘big’ prize on top.
If he has an accident outside the bathroom, instead of scolding, just say, “I’m sorry, I can’t give you a sticker this time. But next time, when you do it on the potty, I can give you a sticker!” Make another chart after they complete the chart and win the prize, and before long it will be a habit, even without the prize!
You get a PRIZE, too:
a potty-trained child!
Question: What if they pee on the pot but poo in their pants and then hide it? Be calm, don’t mind the mess, and never shame your child for natural functions. Someone along the line has made them feel bad about pooping.
You don’t want your child to hold it in and get constipated, so let your little one to know it’s quite natural to poo – and you can’t wait till you see them pooing on the pot! If you stay with your child and sit and talk, it will be fun and not something to be ashamed of. Let them know how proud you are when they do it in the right place. Usually after a meal people have the urge to go – especially if they get enough liquids. Give ’em more liquids and watch ’em go!But above all, Don’t shame them for ‘accidents’. I LOVE the approach of a wonderful mom named Tara. Check out her blog on potty training here. What she is doing is really the thing that makes any ‘technique’ work- the love and cooperative spirit that you show in being there for your kids. You are on their side, and they can feel it, see it and know it for the great support that it is. How could they NOT want to cooperate with someone like that?
Question: What about while they are learning? Should I use ‘pullups’ or regular underwear?
HEIDI (a fantastic mother of FIVE) made this wise observation ABOUT ‘pull-ups’:
“Pullups = a diaper ; a DIAPER = go ahead and pee.” I agree! SMART MAMA, HEIDI!THANKS for your contribution to the mom’s and kids of the world! I could never afford pullups anyway and thought they were probably invented to get more of my hard-earned money! Some ‘experts’ believe that children actually learn faster when they can feel their ‘mistake’ running down their legs, but you do have to be able to afford the time and handling more mess to allow it! But what about kids DOESN’T involve mess? There’s no avoiding it – JUMP RIGHT IN FOLKS! Join the FUN!
Question: What about CONSTIPATION?
In Constipation, the one thing that always seems to be the problem is a need for more fiber, probiotics, plus more water in the diet, (grape juice works wonders too!). To show the kids how drinking more water helps them go to the bathroom easier, you can demonstrate the mechanics this way: Stuff a wad of toilet paper into an empty toilet paper tube, hold it over the sink and try to shake the paper out the bottom of the tube. Then tell them, “This won’t come out, because it’s dry. BUT – if I pour water into the tube, it will come right out the bottom!”
Brenda Watson tells all about FIBER and it’s benefits: She calls it the HOPE method to improve health – Have you heard about her on PBS? Hope stands for: H= High Fiber O= Omega three oils P= Probiotics E= Enzymes http://www.brendawatson.com/In-the-News/Brenda’s-News/HOPE/ I’ve learned a lot from watching her, and now I’ve lost 10 lbs without trying, plus never have constipation if I follow the diet that way. I heard someone say long ago: “CONSTIPATION IS THE THIEF OF HEALTH” and it seems to be true! Though it is a rather ‘crappy’ topic to discuss, it is important. Learn what you can, do your best and don’t worry – everything will come out all right in the end!
What about teaching them to WIPE?
Here are some great links to help kids learn to wipe:
LINK 1: http://en.allexperts.com/q/Pediatrics-1429/teaching-child-clean-BM.htm LINK 2: http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/8/586186 —From this site I read a cute ‘game’ you can make of wiping skills:
“We make a game of how many wipes it will take, so I will say, ‘I think it is a 3 wipe poo’ and he will say, ‘nope it is 5’, and promptly wipe and check, wipe and check and see who had the best guess before his bottom is clean!” LINK 3: http://parents.berkeley.edu/advice/potty/wiping.html LINK 4: http://www.thelaboroflove.com/articles/how-to-teach-your-child-to-wipe-while-learning-to-use-the-potty/
I imagined that “helping people” meant becoming a doctor.
Then one day, I heard some kids swearing and yelling at each other on the street. I asked my mom, “Why do they act that way?”
She said, “It’s probably because that’s what they hear at home.“
As she shared how the experiences we have as children shape our character, I realized many people walking around need more than just physical help. They need work on their emotional health, too.
I considered maybe I should become a Psychologist, instead of a doctor.
Then I got the idea: If they would just start them out right in the FIRST place, they wouldn’t need fixing up!
To my young mind, being a good mother became the best way to change the world for the better.
[dropshadowbox align=”none” effect=”lifted-both” width=”600 px” height=”” background_color=”#ffffff” border_width=”1″ border_color=”#dddddd” ]My mom had always said things like, “As a twig is bent, so grows the TREE!“ and,“The hand that Rocks the cradle, RULES THE WORLD!” I was lucky she was a patient and loving model to follow.[/dropshadowbox]
At seven years old, dolls were not enough. I wanted a REAL baby to care for. But how was I to get one? I was too little to have one myself.
Gazing up at the sky that night, a shooting star raced across the sky. This was my big chance! I closed my eyes and wished for a baby brother.
A few months later, I noticed my mother’s tummy looking a little bigger, so I asked her, “Mom, are you getting fat?”
And she said, sadly, “No – I’m afraid I might be pregnant”.
“YAY!” I shouted, “A baby!”
But she didn’t smile, and added, “Well… Your father isn’t very happy about it. He wants me to get an abortion.”
“What’s that?” I asked.
“That’s where they take the baby out.”
Horrified, I cried, “NO, Momma, NO! Don’t DO that! I’ll help you take care of the baby! I’ll change diapers – I’ll wake up in the middle of the night – ANYTHING – Just don’t take the baby away!“
After a few minutes of me pleading, she finally assured me that she wouldn’t get rid of the baby. She told me that though she wanted to please my Poppa, it was illegal, [back in 1956] and she didn’t want to do anything against the law.
Then, on the verge of tears, she blurted out, that my father hadn’t wanted me, or my sister, EITHER – because the hospital bill would be $350 – and that was a lot of money back then.
Wait a minute…
MY DAD WANTED ME TO BE AN ABORTION, TOO?
Those words fell like a knife deep into my heart. It was a terrible thing to tell a child, but my mom must have been in great distress to say it.
I adored my father – and when he’d hug me, it felt like heaven in his arms. He’d never never actuallyactedas though he’d wished we hadn’t been born – but the thought of it sent my world reeling.
But from that moment on, I resolved to never need anything from him, or to be a burden to anyone. After all, I reasoned… people could kill you if they didn’t want you around, so I’d better be useful. I became the ‘always ready to help’ kind of kid, figuring if I was indispensable, they wouldn’t want to get rid of me.
And even after I grew up, if Poppa would ask if I needed anything, I would thank him – but politely refuse, because deep down inside, I still felt I would be a burden if I accepted.
My twig had been bent.
When my little brother was born, I kept my promise and did all I could to help my mother – by feeding, cleaning and watching him – even when I was tired, or wanted to do something else.
I’d tell myself, “Real mothers have to do this kind of stuff, so I’d better get used to it.”
I determined to make it my job to teach my little brother everything I knew, though I was only a kid myself. And that little boy soaked it up! He became SUPER SMART! He was always inventing things and grew up to become an engineer – like my dad.
PLUS – my brother became closer to my father than ANY of the other kids in the family.
My dad grew up, too, and finally realized his kids were some of the best things that ever happened to him.
And ME? I went on to be an artist, like my mom. And a mother – of seven children. After all, I’d had lots of practice already!
It was a long road to where I could finally ask for help from others, though.
It was when my kids came along that I learned how precious Iwas as a baby – and worth all the work.
Seeing how much I loved them made me realize I was worth loving.
I learned that there is always help available if you need it.
The charts above are FREE, but if you’d like to support my work please feel free to make a donation. If you do, you can download 100 BEHAVIOR CARDS that help you get Organized! I wish I’d had these cards when MY kids were little! I didn’t have a printer back then, and had to draw each one by hand.
EDU DESIGNS and GoMommyGO® are there to help, providing materials for parents and teachers who can’t afford them.
We recently earned the ‘Top Non-Profit’s Award’ from Great Non Profits and one person commented:
“Art – and the arts – can have such powerful benefits to children. Many go through school with limited access to art…Edu Designs provides these opportunities… I am so grateful that they do…”
Schools, teachers, parents and students need inspiration and enthusiasm for learning.
We offer just that. But doing so costs money. Can you help?
Please click the button below to donate:
With your donation, I have a special gift for you.
After you’ve completed your donation of any amount, don’t close the window right away – WAIT a second or two – until it redirects back to EDU DESIGNS. You’ll be able to download 100+ GoMommyGO® Activity Cards to save and print! (Read how to use them, here)
Since nearly one hundred percent of our funding comes from the generosity of of the community, it is no exaggeration to say that your support is truly making a difference in the lives of people across the globe, who benefit from our materials.
Thank you in advance for whatever you can do.
Ruth Elliott-Hilsdon
Founder, Director EDU DESIGNS, a public-benefit nonprofit charity.
Creator: GoMommyGO®, the Registered Trademark of EDU DESIGNS
EDU DESIGNS is a CA Non Profit 501(c)(3) Corporation. Fed. Tax ID # 261576531 GoMommyGO® is a Registered Trademark of EDU DESIGNS EDU DESIGNS_IRS_Letter of Determination
1- Tape a strip of stiff paper (or cardboard) across poster board to make a pocket to hold activity cards.
Top row is for things to DO.
Bottom row is where to put activity cards when they are DONE.
Kids (and YOU) can keep track of what they need to do next!
You can choose the order of activities, behaviors or chores from over 100 Activity Cards. For instance:
GET UP ON TIME, DRINK WATER, GO TO BATHROOM, DRESS, PUT ON SOCKS AND SHOES, EAT, TAKE VITAMINS, BRUSH TEETH, & HAIR, GET BACKPACK READY, ETC.
How to get Activity cards:
Get all 11 pages that include 100+ activity cards with any donation to EDU DESIGNS, using the button below. Just download and print up the activity cards yourself on 8.5×11 card stock or business card stock!
(The images below shows how the cards are arranged 10 to a page, to print up and cut out yourself.)
After you donate – WAIT! Keep the window open and you will automatically be directed to a new page that includes all 11 pages of activity cards and instructions to print them. When the file appears, right click, or select download to save it to your computer.
Email me if you have any questions!
Here’s to getting organized!
Founder and Director of EDU DESIGNS, Creator of GoMommyGO® <director@edudesigns.org>
Before I had kids, I thought I knew all about child rearing.
Sound familiar?
After they started coming along however, all pride went out the window and humility took it’s place.
It’s been almost half a century since my first darling baby (of seven) was born. Along the way there were seven thousand challenges to learn from, and approximately 36,000 diapers to change.
I read so many books that claimed to have the answer to ‘this’ problem or ‘that’ problem, but only addressed a certain type of child with a particular temperament. I would think to myself, “Well, that might work in their situation, but MY kid is different!”
It was the actual experience of raising my seven kids that gave me a broader insight into what works and what doesn’t work.
Each time I found another solution to a new dilemma, I’d think, “Why didn’t anyone tell me this in the first place? Somebody should be sharing it with other parents so they won’t have to make the same mistakes I did!”
Well, finally someone did come along after my kids grew up: ME!
Now I am putting my wisdom, insightand cartoons (remember, I was an animator for 27 years?) from decades of hands-on experience in real life parenting into a book to share with you.
But I want to make sure it addresses your problems.
I know there are struggles you deal with that are specific to you, so I’ve created a short survey to help me target those areas that are most needed.
Ruth Elliott-Hilsdon
Founder/Director of EDU DESIGNS; Creator of GoMommyGO®
Since 2007 EDU DESIGNS has been creating media for children’s character development.
My good friend Arthur saw Roscoe the baby squirrel fall out of a tree. He hoped that the mother squirrel would come back for him, but the next morning Arthur’s cat brought the baby into the house, carrying him by the scruff of his neck like a kitten.He had no fur, even on his skinny tail – and his eyes were still closed. Arthur wondered who could take care of the little guy and thought of me. So way back in B.C. (Before Children), Roscoe became my first ‘baby’.
The adventures of Roscoe are highlighted in my Art Textbook for kids (“SEE WHAT YOU’RE LOOKING AT”), where you can find out the rest of the story!
Because he had fallen out of a tree as a newborn, he was afraid to climb trees at first.
Does media influence children? You know it does. Profoundly.
From the time I was a child I have wanted to inspire kids to become BETTER people.
Since 2007 EDU DESIGNS has been “Building Brains And Hearts Through The Arts” by sharing positive educational materials with schools, teachers and students.
All of us here at EDU DESIGNS are unpaid volunteers, giving what we can out of love.
THREE WAYS you can help kids without donating a penny!
Amazon Smile (their charity) will donate 0.5% of your eligible purchases to EDU DESIGNS when you do! Bookmark (save) the link to shop from it each time, and you will give while you get, automatically! YAY!
PLEASE ACCEPT MY HEARTFELT GRATITUDE!
Get a copy of my Art Book “SEE WHAT YOU’RE LOOKING AT!”
No way around it. Troubles hit you. Some financial. Some personal.
Like Rudyard Kipling said, how do you hold on when all about you are losing their heads and blaming it on you? Even more, how do you keep trials and troubles from your door? The answer is: You can’t.
If Character is defined as “what you are when no one is watching”, then there has to be that space within to return to that is untouched by the storms of life. The eye of the hurricane, the apex of the pendulum that remains steady while the weight is swinging below it – that place we can hold on to – and align our perspective to. Keep that as an anchor and don’t let go! You can make it. Take the time to find it if you haven’t already. You’ll need it.
I heard a great man once say,
“There are two paths before us: The GOOD and the PLEASANT. He who chooses the PLEASANT misses the mark.”
“You can’t fault yourself for the wisdom you didn’t have at the time.”
He also said,
“The way you feel about yourself is both your punishment and your reward. YOUR job is to become the kind of person YOU can love.”
SO. . . LOVE yourself, FORGIVE yourself, pick up the shattered pieces of your life and GO ON!
Be compassionate with your spouse, too. Whatever their faults, there was something wonderful you saw in them from the beginning. They deserve the same chance to grow that you give your children or yourself!
I love this song my husband wrote over 30 years ago, that says it so well!
Enjoy it here: SHE LOVES ME IN HER OWN WAY, by Jas Hilsdon
Love to you and yours,
By the way, my story, SOMEBODY NEEDS YOU is now a BOOK! You can get it on AMAZON here! Based on the animated short with voices by June Foray and animated by a girl on the Autism spectrum, the story teaches the value of helpfulness and compassion to those around you.
Thanks to Mindi for suggesting I add a picture of “clean your room”, to GoMommyGO’s free illustrated behavior charts.
The simple command, “Clean Your Room” might have been enough for some kids, but it wasn’t for mine!
Many get overwhelmed by the sheer enormity of the task and need it broken up into smaller pieces, so they get a chance to learn a method of tackling the job and also feel a sense of accomplishment from each part. This can become part of their regular routine each day.
With my 7 kid’s, their room could quickly become a giant pile of rubble. I thought of the CTT method here, to help them clean the room in 15 minutes. Here is how it works:
C– stands for Clothes
T– stands for Toys T– stands for Trash
C– First pick up all CLOTHESyou find – quickly – in less than 5 minutes!
T– Then pick up all TOYS (and put in toy box) – in less than 5 minutes!
T– Then pick up all the TRASHleft – in less than 5 minutes!
Be the CHEERLEADER!
ACT LIKE IT’S A GAME! Let them know that you will assist in directing the process, and TIME them doing it. Since this is a bigger job than mere stickers will reward, Let them know this will be a fun event that will have a bigger reward (like going out for an ice cream cone or a trip to the 99Cent store to pick out a treat for themselves afterwards). If you cannot go out, then perhaps offer a special dessert or something you know they love as a reward. To get the child started out picking up the clothes:
(#1) YOU START the game, and show them how to toss the first couple of clothes into a pile as fast as possible! Once you’ve shown them, then let THEM do it.
Do the same with the Toys (#2) and Trash(#3).
This is a quick way to get the bulk of the work done and conquer the hardest part. The details will be easier after that!
I heard another GREAT idea invented by a lady whose son was autistic.
She helped him organize his room till it was just the way he liked it, then took a snapshot of the whole thing.
She printed up the photo, had it framed, and put it on the dresser.
It was used as a model to follow how his room should look the next time he had to clean it!
Her son actually got so detailed in following the photo, that when his little action figure of a scuba diver was shown in the picture with one flipper off, he always made sure he took one off, to match the photo!
I think this is a brilliant idea, and one I wish I had thought of!
Hope this helps!
Warmly,
Ruth
Dir, Edu Designs
We never outgrow our need for positive media and educational resources to lift us up.
You wouldn’t be reading this if you didn’t feel the same way.
Thank you for caring! I am so grateful for you!
Will you donate a little to help us?
Your gift provides educational support for schools.
$5 can provide drawing materials for a needy student.
$10 will allow a child to attend an online class. Please give what you can.
Loving the people in our lives can bring more peace to our world. Maybe not the entire world, but at least to those people our lives touch. I’m so grateful for each and every one of you who has reached out to me..
Love and blessings to YOU!
So much to be thankful for! My wonderful husband, Jas and I were recently busy moving into a new apartment. Now that we’re settled in, we are busy creating musical projects and mentoring students.
♩ ♪ ♫ ♬ ♩ ♪ ♫ ♬ ♩ ♪ ♫ ♬ ♩ ♪ ♫ ♬
Jas created a charming video of his mom, who at 95 years old sang “Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town”! Click on the pic below to see it!
My friend, Satyam Pal, an 3D Animation student in India, created this Christmas message in 3D! I am so proud of him and thankful he allowed me to share it here! Click below to watch:
Our short animated film, “Somebody Needs You” was recently submitted to the 43rd Annual Annie Awards. Though it was not nominated for an award, we are very proud of it. See it here:
We LOVE giving to others. And we have never gotten or expected a salary for the work we do. But there are many expenses in creating, printing and distributing materials to those who need and cannot afford them. Our budget is very slim, and we need help too.
Will you please come to our rescue and make a tax-deductible-end-of-the-year donation?
To donate ANY amount, please click the ‘donate’ button below:
Thank you so much,
Ruth Elliott-Hilsdon
Director: EDU DESIGNS, a public-benefit nonprofit charity.
Creator: GoMommyGO® the Registered Trademark of EDU DESIGNS
With tears streaming down his face, RAY BRADBURY declared, “It’s BEAUTIFUL!”
VAN DYKE PARKS said: “I loved your show, too. Terrific animation to a great tale. The music does justice to it all!”
CHRISTINE BARRY, Librarianat Sun View Elementary said,“…the “lessons” in these books are something valuable to all of us. You seem to have a real handle on how to “entertain” children through books, yet there is a deeper message that speaks to them. I would just hope that you keep up your creative process and keep offering up quality books with good messages for our children.”
The story of THE NIGHT PRINCESS is as gripping as it is mysterious. What do you think happened to The Night Princess? The ending is up to YOU.
Here are questions for discussion with students:
What do YOU think happened?
Was she still alive?
What did the king do?
Did he learn a lesson?
What lesson did he learn?
Unfortunately the Book is temporarily SOLD OUT till we receive more funds.
Sometimes we may want to do something “big and important” in the world, all the while missing opportunities to help those around us.
The story Somebody Needs You is important for kids – to learn to pay attention to their surroundings, and see that they CAN make a difference, wherever they are.
You can see it HERE. And it’s getting rave reviews already!
“This should be a character education tool in schools across the country!”~David McKibbin, writer/singer/actor
“That was amazing. Totally loved it.”~Charles Halloran, artist and owner of Halloran Comics
When June Foray, (best known for her work on Rocky and Bullwinkle), originally heard the story Ruth wrote to help children, she recorded all 4 voices as a wonderful gift to help. Thanks to Dani Bowman and the generous contributions of our talented volunteers, we MADE IT!
Dani Bowman, the director and chief animator of our project, is a high functioning person with Autism. She founded DaniMation Entertainment, at the remarkable age of 14! After Dani agreed to work personally with me, I knew I had found a partner. She has been the prime mover in bringing this story to life.
Others who helped were: Fine artist Dominique Ovalle, on backgrounds, plus Zack Miller and Nicholas Mastrangelo with additional animation.
ALSO: Special thanks go to Patrick Eidemiller and Sandra Vielma, who were supportive in more ways than I can list. We couldn’t have done it without them. And thanks to Toon Boom Animation for contributing the software.
And thank you to everyone who encouraged us along the way!
Somebody Needs Youis a story about a distracted little girl who thinks she’s not important. Once she sees that others around her have real problems, she discovers something new about herself.
Ruth Elliott-Hilsdon, founder of EDU Designs, created the story & music and assists in animation & production.
The animated short features the voice talents of the incomparable June Foray. Best known for her work on Rocky and Bullwinkle in the early 60’s, and a myriad of cartoon characters over the years, June created the annual Annie Awards in 1972 to recognize the contributions of individuals in the Animation Industry. June lent her voice to our story as a personal favor to me.
Photo on left: Ruth Elliott and June Foray at the Annie Awards, 2013. On right: the famous Temple Grandin and Dani Bowman at a conference of AutismWorksNow, 2015.
Dani Bowman is the director and chief animator of our project. Dani founded DaniMation Entertainment, of La Cañada, CA, at the remarkable age of 14. As a high functioning individual with Autism, she has a passion for public speaking, animation, and teaching the arts to others on the spectrum. After Dani agreed to work personally with me on this film, I knew I had found a partner. She has been the prime mover in bringing this work-of-love to life.
Left: Ruth, June Foray, Dominique Ovalle, and Nicholas Mastrangelo. Right: Matt Miller’s stand-in.
We also received valuable support from several other notable artists: On backgrounds, Dominique Ovalle; in animation, Nicholas Mastrangelo; and with character development, Matt A. Miller. All donated their generous time and energy. So thankful for them!
We are now in final production. Look for our animated short to be released online soon!
Ruth Elliott-Hilsdon
Director, EDU DESIGNS
Creator, GoMommyGO®