7 Tips for Indie Authors to Thrive Together: Care and Feeding of Your Writers' Collective by Jordan Rosenfeld describes how writers can organize writers collectives

Deputy Executive Editor Sarah Schlichter's idea of a perfect trip includes spotting exotic animals, hiking through pristine landscapes, exploring new neighborhoods on foot, and soaking up as much art as she can. She often attempts to recreate recipes from her international travels after she gets home (which has twice resulted in accidental kitchen fires—no humans or animals were harmed). Sarah joined the SmarterTravel team in 2017 after more than a decade at the helm of IndependentTraveler.com. Sarah's practical travel advice has been featured in dozens of news outlets including the New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, USA Today, Budget Travel, and Peter Greenberg Worldwide Radio. Follow her on Twitter @TravelEditor. The Handy Item I Always Pack: "A journal. Even years later, reading my notes from a trip can bring back incredibly vivid memories." Ultimate Bucket List Experience: "Road tripping and hiking through the rugged mountains of Patagonia." Travel Motto: "'To awaken quite alone in a strange town is one of the pleasantest sensations in the world.'—Freya Stark" Aisle, Window, or Middle Seat: "Aisle. I get restless on long flights and like to be able to move around without disturbing anyone else." Email Sarah at [email protected].

The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls is a story of sisters who come to realize just how strong their reliance on each other is. After their mother’s death, Althea raised her sisters, Vio…

The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls is a sincerely written story of sacrifice, love, the strength of women, broken relationships, hope for healing, second chances, and of girls starving for love, stability, and safety.

This is not a warm and fuzzy family story. This is a story of sacrifice and selfishness; of trauma and coping; of pain and suffering. Can a family survive?

“Musical in structure—the octaves rise when the music calls for it; truths are revealed by the invisible beats of this gorgeous, rich story” –Ann Napolitano, New York Times bestselling author of Hello Beautiful (Oprah’s Book Club Pick) “Riveting, rhythmic, transcendent...a stellar family saga.”—Jacqueline Woodson, New York Times bestselling author of Red at the Bone Named a Most Anticipated Book by Time ∙ Essence ∙ Real Simple ∙ Good Housekeeping ∙ Atlanta-Journal Constitution ∙ The Root ∙ SheReads ∙ Atlanta Magazine ∙ Zibby Mag   A father’s sudden disappearance exposes the private fears, dreams, longings, and joys of a Black American family in the late decades of the twentieth century, in this page-turning and intimate new novel from the author of The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls. It’s a warm, bright October afternoon, and Ozro Armstead walks out into the brilliant sunshine on his thirty-seventh birthday. At home, his wife Deborah and daughter Trinity prepare a surprise celebration; down the street, his brother waves as Oz heads back to his office after having lunch together.   But he won’t make it to the party or even to his briefcase back at his desk. He's about to disappear.   In the days, months, and years to follow, Deborah and Trinity look backward and forward as they piece together the life of the man they love, but whom they come to realize they might never have truly known.   In a gripping narrative that moves from the Great Migration to 1970s Detroit and 1990s New York, we follow the hopes, triumphs, losses, and secrets that build up and tear apart an American family. Product DetailsISBN-13: 9781984802477 Media Type: Paperback Publisher: Berkley Books Publication Date: 03-26-2024 Pages: 352 Product Dimensions: 8.00h x 5.19w x 0.72dAbout the Author Anissa Gray is a senior editor at CNN Worldwide and a contributor to Emmy and duPont-Columbia award–winning coverage of some of the most consequential stories of our time. She began her career at Reuters as a reporter, based in New York, covering business news and international finance. Born in St. Joseph, Michigan, Gray studied English and American literature at New York University. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with her wife.Read an Excerpt Read an Excerpt Trinity Spring 1989 It wasn't like any funeral or burial or postburial I'd ever imagined. Not that I'd ever really imagined those things. But as I watched the cars line up along the curb, freshly arrived from the cemetery, all I could think about was the incredible strangeness of the funeral, burial and now, postburial we were all enduring. Everyone was piling out of their cars. They formed a kind of procession that moved over neatly mowed grass to the sidewalk. They made their way up the sloped driveway to the stone walkway and approached the tan brick house and the unlocked screen door that belonged to what was left of my family. I hung back, leaving the hosting duties to my mother, a more than capable committee of one. She was standing next to the white maple coffee table where she'd stacked coasters and yellow, square cocktail napkins. She'd cooked, too, because the days of people bringing over casseroles and platters of food to fortify our bereaved family had ended years ago. Mrs. Neilson, though, from next door had come by with a vanilla pound cake earlier. The same pale, bland, aggressively bumpy cake she'd brought us when we moved to Bloomfield Hills fifteen years ago. And then again, years later, after my dad vanished. My grandmother made a spot for the cake on the dining table where we'd set up a crowded buffet of roasted chicken, sliced and splayed artfully on two big platters with sprigs of parsley. There were also boiled potatoes, green beans and assorted sweets. I hefted the cake up next to a platter of brownies and chocolate chip cookies that my mother had bought at the A&P. She was a master of most of the homemaking arts. She crocheted scarves and sewed complete outfits with personalized labels embroidered with Created by Deborah Armstead. She could pack a good lunch and cook an even better dinner, but she'd never been much of a baker. "Cut her some slack," my father used to say in a kind of backhanded defense of her various sagging cakes and soggy pies. "When I met her, she was just as likely to burn water as not." My mother was standing perfect-posture tall in the living room, a pale-yellow room made brighter by the scent of hyacinths carried in on the breeze. She was smoothing her navy blue skirt and matching jacket, smiling as the first of the visitors came through the door. Her long, blue-black hair that people had admired for as long as I could remember was pulled into a neat bun. She was graying at her temples. I'd noticed the graying earlier that morning as I sat on the bathroom counter, watching her get ready and listening to her lay out the plans for the day. Only partly listening, actually. I'd mostly been enjoying the steam facial from the mug of coffee I had cradled in my hands, until she asked: "You think they'll come? You know, with how long it's been?" "Yes." I wanted to add: They'll come precisely because it's been so long. And because this is strange. But I didn't say that. I didn't want to risk an argument. "It's time to try and go on." "You definitely seem ready to do that," I murmured into my coffee mug, at risk of starting that argument I thought I wanted to avoid. We regarded each other's reflections in the bathroom mirror. Her honey-colored skin was clear and smooth and not made up yet. She looked younger than her forty-five years. I, on the other hand, looked like an aging hooker who'd had a particularly bad night. My puffy-eyed face was a giant smear of blush and mascara from the day before because I'd been too wiped out to wash after my ten-hour drive home. My mother in the mirror was working her jaw, like she was biting back a particularly bitter critique. "What do you think I should be doing, Trinity?" she asked finally. "Not burying an empty casket. For starters." "Goddamn it-" She stopped for a moment, closing her eyes and gripping the counter, like she might collapse. "He's gone." "I know that." "Do you?" Did I? He wasn't just gone. He was presumed dead. It suddenly felt claustrophobic in that bathroom. My mother let out a heavy breath, and when I looked at her reflection again, she was every year of her age. And more. There were the crow's feet feathering out from the corners of her eyes. The deep furrow between her eyebrows, as if she'd endured a lifetime of worry. I noticed my mother's hand trembling as she slid a bobby pin in her hair to fix the bun at the back of her head. I wondered if she was drinking again. Careful with her . . . It wasn't so much that my mother was delicate. It was more that she was already broken and shoddily held together in places. When she made for the bathroom door, brushing past my shoulder, she'd said, "Please fix your face. And put on something decent. Let's agree on at least that much for today. Okay?" Peeking around the doorway to the crowded living room now, I adjusted a rogue shoulder pad under my decent burgundy blouse and secured it under a bra strap as I tried to work up the-well, I didn't quite know what to call it. Nerve? Gumption? Moxie? Whatever it would take for me to go out there and be a normal human. I took a deep breath and dove into the front room, landing in the arms of neighbors and my father's former colleagues, many of whom I knew only vaguely. I turned when I felt a tap on the shoulder and heard my name: "Trinity!" Mr. Adler, my father's cheek-pinching, quarter-behind-the-ear-discovering boss, was there with his wife. He was my mother's boss now. In the days after my father's disappearance, the Adlers were the main deliverers of casseroles, cakes and a few dishes my mother and I couldn't identify-even after copious amounts of poking and debate. The Adlers were also the bearers of reassurances: "The police are on it. They'll find him." "So, a journalist?" Mr. Adler was saying. "We got ourselves another Barbara Walters here?" I smiled awkwardly. "Working on it, I guess." "A reporter." Mrs. Adler nodded approvingly. "That's what your mom tells us." My eyes darted over to my mother, who was standing in a clutch of neighbors-quite possibly, at that very moment, embellishing my resume to them, too. "Well," I said, "I'm actually more of a . . . radio newsreader." "Don't sell yourself short, young lady." "Your dad never would have," Mr. Adler said. "He was a real go-getter." "And so funny," Mrs. Adler added. "Just a hoot, when he wanted to be. He-" Mr. Adler cut in with a return to go-getting, recalling the many Saturdays and late nights my dad could be found "burning the midnight oil" at work. I recalled that time, too, but not nearly as fondly. "We still miss him," Mr. Adler said. "He was one of our rising stars." Mrs. Adler nodded, looking grim. "I can't believe that just, poof . . ." She threw her hands up and simulated emptiness in the air. Mr. Adler shot her a look that said, You'll upset the girl! And boy was he right. Mrs. Adler's words and hand gesture had conjured up a terrible image. Poof. A puff of smoke. The wave of a magician's wand. My father in one moment there on a sidewalk waving goodbye after a birthday lunch. Then, poof, nowhere. I felt tears rise. Mrs. Adler squeezed my arm. "Oh! I didn't mean-" "No, no. It's okay. Seriously." I wiped at my eyes, embarrassed. I hadn't cried, not even once today. Not once since the day he disappeared. I'd spent that time in a state of disbelief, waiting for the next wave of the magician's wand and my father's reappearance, maybe in the front yard cutting the grass or out back tending the garden. Or even popping up on the cracked, black-gum-dotted sidewalk where he was last seen. Like an amnesia patient who couldn't say where he'd been or who he was but had somehow known to return to that spot. Mrs. Adler was rubbing my arm, still apo

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So, Ingrid has asked me to step in and offer a few points from a romance spouse’s perspective, a care and feeding guide for the romance author in your life, if you will. Quite literally care and feeding at times, as anyone who’s lived in the same house with an author on deadline can tell

Care and Feeding of Sprites is a book written by Holly Black and illustrated by Tony DiTerlizzi accompaning the Spiderwick Chronicles and Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You. As the name suggests, the book's subject is how to keep a Sprite as a pet. Letter from Simon Grace Explanation of Terms and Images Used in This Book The Magnificent Sprite Anatomy of a Sprite Selecting Your Sprite Obtaining Your Sprite What's Not a Sprite Sexing Your Sprite Housing Your Sprit

Hunger is a lot more complex than we think.

This Sir Edward Poynter print was carefully removed from a book that was published in 1993. Titled "Feeding the Sacred Ibis in the Halls of Karnac", the original was made in 1871. This is a genuine vintage print, not a modern reproduction. Vintage in the fact that it is over 20 years old. Please note that these prints are not the same size as the original paintings. Sizes are stated in the listing’s ‘Highlights’. The print is unframed. The frame in the photo is for illustration purposes only. Perfect for mounting and framing. Prints are wrapped in acid-free tissue paper and a clear plastic bag and shipped in cardboard-backed envelopes or rolled in a cardboard tube, depending on size.

As music teachers we all know that our instruments and equipment need to be properly taken care of to function. Each instrument and piece of equipment has different functions and therefore differe…

INFJ: The Counselor 2021 Update: HEY Y'ALL! This post has been working its way through the world since 2015. Since then, I wrote a book! ...

INFP: The Healer 2021 Update: HEY Y'ALL! This post has been working its way through the world since 2015. Since then, I wrote a book! It just came out a few weeks ago. You can learn more here or order it here or here. The most helpful thing to understand about INFP is that they are first and foremost deeply introverted. They are also incredibly sensitive. Some vast majority of their cognitive energy is spent simply feeling their feelings. And they have so.many.feelings. This is actually quite a lot of work on an energetic level, and can be exhausting for the INFP, particularly for INFPs who haven't developed skill or comfort expressing themselves, because then basically their whole life is happening inside their heads. The INFP is private and guarded naturally, so even the well-developed INFP is often reticent to express their deepest feelings. When they do, it would behoove their partner to lean in, get comfortable, and listen carefully. The INFP will clam right back up if they feel remotely judged, criticized, or unheard, and it will be a long while before they try again with you. (If they ever do). It is not uncommon to find INFPs who habitually isolate themselves or push people away, often because they had negative relationship experiences in the past or even just because they fear negative experiences. (Remember they are extremely sensitive, so deep emotional wounds can take a long time to heal). A wounded INFP will protect that rich internal landscape with the tenacity of a pack of junkyard dogs. Admittedly, these self-protective INFPs are hard to build relationships with, but it is not impossible with patience, time, and practical affection. And I will add here that it is entirely worth it, because any INFP is a wonderful partner when you really snag one. They will give you all the space and understanding you need, a quality that is especially valuable if you're a big, weird extravert who struggles to find a partner who accepts you fully. An INFP will embrace your idiosyncrasies willingly; in fact, they tend to prefer "weird" or unconventional people. And once they trust you, they actually like it when you encourage them to get outside of themselves. They can be hilarious, silly, fun, playful partners. They can be wonderful performers and storytellers, in part due to their rich imaginations. They are also great with kids, in part because they are somewhat childlike and innocent themselves. They do well with bright, optimistic, cheerful, peaceful, steady, independent partners who are undaunted by their dark spells. Because INFPs (even under the best of circumstances) are prone to dark spells, depression, and self-pity. They are very hard on themselves and prone to feeling guilty or ashamed and getting stuck in cycles of feeling this way. And they will usually withdraw when they are hurt or overwhelmed. It's just how they are. So a partner of an INFP has to learn to curb the urge to draw them out forcefully, because it won't work. They will actually be most likely to dig their heels in and retreat further if you try to force them to open up when they don't want to or aren't ready. That said, they do need your encouragement to come back from the dark side, especially if you have done or said something to contribute to their shutdown. You will need to gently inquire as to what's going on with them, and what you can do or say to make it better, and wait patiently until they are ready to talk to you about it. I know that sounds confusing. Here's another way to say it: https://www.patreon.com/posts/care-and-feeding-8768336 THE REMAINING PARAGRAPHS (of which there are many) HAVE MOVED TO THEIR NEW HOME https://www.patreon.com/posts/24006613 www.patreon.com/amymiller

INFJ: The Counselor 2021 Update: HEY Y'ALL! This post has been working its way through the world since 2015. Since then, I wrote a book! ...

ENFP: The Champion The most important thing to know about dating ENFP is that they need a lot of physical affection in order to grow and thrive in a relationship. They need to feel connected to their partner, specifically in a physical way. ENFP loves to nest; they are the consummate cuddler. While it can sometimes feel smothering or codependent to a partner who doesn't value this, a partner who does will find a warm and inviting home with the ENFP. You will get tons of support, love, affection, and space (which sounds contradictory, but isn't really) in a relationship with an ENFP. ENFP is full of big ideas, and will entertain, delight, and surprise you with all the ways their brain can work at once. They are brilliant at brainstorming and creative problem-solving. They happily live in bigideasabstractconceptpossibilitiesbrainstorm-Land; this is the ENFP's natural habitat and the place they feel the most alive. So, frankly, do not expect them to always attend to the practical things you'd like them to attend to or that you think they should care about. They can attend to those mundane tasks, but it costs them a lot of energy. They just don't really care about details that much and will happily allow their partner to pay the bills, make the appointments, and just tell them (nicely, patiently) what to do and where to be when. They have a relative sense of time, so you can probably expect your ENFP to be late on a regular basis, mostly because they are running around trying to get everything done and be everything for everybody. The thing that makes this less frustrating is that once they do finally sit down with you, they are fully present and totally engaged with you. They will turn on that particular ENFP charm, and you'll forget you were ever annoyed. (Update: I've had a lot of people get stuck on this "ENFP is always late" thing because they're like "this sounds like me except I'm on time all the time"... generally upon probing further, these people are on time because they are concerned with upsetting other people, not because they have some deep commitment to being on time or have any real concern about time in general. The main idea is that ENFP's concept of time is relative, meaning they don't tend to view it as a "real" or objectively meaningful thing. This also relates to why you may not hear from them for hours/days at a time, because they may get immersed in something and completely disregard or be unaware of how much time has lapsed.) So, anyway, one way to show an ENFP that you love them is to allow them space, grace, and forgiveness to be their semi-flighty selves, and to consciously ground them in a loving way that isn't shaming. In other words, they will probably like (value, appreciate, or even need) that you're more responsible than they are, but you don't constantly have to remind them of that, because that will hurt their feelings and make them feel like you don't appreciate them. Pay attention to the things that you are not annoyed by in your ENFP, because there are many! ENFP is prone to guilt and shame trips, when imbalanced. They want to be able to say "yes" to everything. They are active, imaginative, courageous, inspirational…which often means people want them to do stuff with/for them. But ENFP is only human, and also is the most introverted of the extraverts, (meaning they need alone time), so they can easily slip into a cycle where they are promising too much to too many people/places and can't keep up with everything. In these moments, instead of asking for help, they may just double-down on the overcommitment and end up feeling like they let everyone down and are a huge failure. (Enter self-pitying ENFP emotional meltdown here). You can help your ENFP by learning to notice when they seem depleted or anxious, and offering to take up some of the slack, or just be there with positive support and affection. You can do little nice things for your ENFP in these times that will be appreciated, even if in their anxiety and worry they forget to be quite as appreciative as you might hope. There is a slight tendency of the ENFP to be unintentionally self-centered when they are not at their best. A well-developed ENFP will not mind you pointing out when this begins to happen; a gentle, "Hey, I'm here too and I need some attention" should suffice. Avoid shaming language at all costs. ENFP is a social chameleon; they can fit in anywhere. Everybody loves an ENFP! So, the positive aspect of this is that you can take your ENFP anywhere and know that they will be likable, charming, and charismatic. They may not follow any rules or conventions that are expected of them, but no one will really mind because they are generally pretty delightful to have around. They are intuitive about people and have an uncanny ability to connect with and win over virtually anyone, even the most curmudgeonly or reluctant of folks. To read the rest of this post, go to https://www.patreon.com/posts/care-feeding-of-23974968 If you like it PLEASE SUBSCRIBE!

Teach your students how to take care of books. This mini unit includes posters (for little learners and readers), anchor chart, book hospital posters, and a read aloud. These activities are designed for preschool, pre-k, kindergarten, or first grade. This can be used in a classroom, school library, or lending library. This is included in my Social SKills (SEL) & Character Education Bundle for Preschool, Pre-K, and Kindergarten! Buy the bundle and save over 20%! Included: • Read Aloud: I Can Take Care of Books • We Take Care of Books 1-page poster (two options both in color and blackline) o One for little learners (preschool, pre-k, tk) and one for readers (kindergarten, first) • We Take Care of Our Books Anchor Chart with 30 cards and header (color and blackline) o Examples: clean hands, turn pages carefully, keep crayons away from books, put hurt books in the book hospital, put books away, keep scissors away from books • Book Hospital Signs (two options, two sizes all color and blackline) • Book List • 5 Teacher Pages (helpful tips, printing tricks, and direction pages with photographs) Check out more Character Education & Social Skills units! •Red and Green Choice •Class Rules and Circle Time Rules •Problem Solving Techniques •Feelings and Emotions •Hand Washing Book & Routine •Clean Up Routine •All About Me •All About My Family •Calm Down Techniques •Fire Drill Book and Routine •Safety Drills Books and Routines (Earthquake Drill, Tornado Drill, & Intruder Drill) •Playground & Recess Rules •Art Easel Routine • Lunch and Snack Time Routine •Book Care •Line Up and Hallway Routine •How to Be a Friend •Arrival and Dismissal Editable Routine •Going to the Bathroom Book & Routine •I Am Thankful •Helping and Giving Click the ★green star★ at the top of my store to follow me to receive 50% off all new products for the first 24 hours a new product is posted! Visit my store Pocket of Preschool Let’s Connect! → My Website → Facebook → Pinterest → Instagram → Newsletter Sign up for my newsletter and you will receive a HUGE family theme writing center filled with word cards, writing paper, write the room, a teacher page with tons of ideas on how to use it the classroom, and real photos of it in action in a classroom for FREE! Terms of Use Pocket of Preschool™️. By purchasing and/or downloading this electronic file, you agree to the following terms. For personal use/single classroom use only. No part of this document may be distributed, posted on the internet, copied, edited, or resold. ALL contents of this document are under copyright protection including all content, text, fonts, and graphics. Thank you for respecting my hard word as well as the hard work of the artists whose work helped create this product.

This post is Part 2 in a series on the importance of staying inspired. Click here to read Part 1! In Part 1 of this post, I talked about one of my biggest pet peeves, the copycat problem. I believe th

We share the latest accomplished authors, newest novels, fascinating fiction, and popular page-turners, as well as gift ideas for your bibliophile friends.

My students don’t leave with a book during their first visit to the library. This hurts my heart. I want nothing more than to get kids reading, but I’ve found it is best to set up expec…

Here's our favourite children's books about food! These books are a delightful way to introduce them to the wonderful world of food.

You read all the birthing books, took the Lamaze classes, and made it through labor (mostly) unscathed, but now the baby is home—and it’s a whole new ballgame! There are plenty of books and resources about how to properly care for your new baby, but what about caring for yourself? Maria Lianos-Carbone, founder of AMotherWorld.com, outlines the “proper care and feeding” of mothers during their baby’s first year with humor and honesty. From the physical and emotional changes a new mom will undergo to rekindling intimacy with her partner, Oh Baby! Mom’s Survival Guide for the First Year keeps the focus on moms—because you can’t draw water (or breastmilk, for that matter) from an empty well. Maria's straight-talking, no-nonsense approach will give new moms everything they need to survive as they embark on the journey of motherhood. This book is not affiliated with or endorsed by Hestia International, Inc., the trademark owner and publisher of Oh Baby! Magazine in Canada.

Teach your students how to take care of books. This mini unit includes posters (for little learners and readers), anchor chart, book hospital posters, and a read aloud. These activities are designed for preschool, pre-k, kindergarten, or first grade. This can be used in a classroom, school library, or lending library. This is included in my Social SKills (SEL) & Character Education Bundle for Preschool, Pre-K, and Kindergarten! Buy the bundle and save over 20%! Included: • Read Aloud: I Can Take Care of Books • We Take Care of Books 1-page poster (two options both in color and blackline) o One for little learners (preschool, pre-k, tk) and one for readers (kindergarten, first) • We Take Care of Our Books Anchor Chart with 30 cards and header (color and blackline) o Examples: clean hands, turn pages carefully, keep crayons away from books, put hurt books in the book hospital, put books away, keep scissors away from books • Book Hospital Signs (two options, two sizes all color and blackline) • Book List • 5 Teacher Pages (helpful tips, printing tricks, and direction pages with photographs) Check out more Character Education & Social Skills units! •Red and Green Choice •Class Rules and Circle Time Rules •Problem Solving Techniques •Feelings and Emotions •Hand Washing Book & Routine •Clean Up Routine •All About Me •All About My Family •Calm Down Techniques •Fire Drill Book and Routine •Safety Drills Books and Routines (Earthquake Drill, Tornado Drill, & Intruder Drill) •Playground & Recess Rules •Art Easel Routine • Lunch and Snack Time Routine •Book Care •Line Up and Hallway Routine •How to Be a Friend •Arrival and Dismissal Editable Routine •Going to the Bathroom Book & Routine •I Am Thankful •Helping and Giving Click the ★green star★ at the top of my store to follow me to receive 50% off all new products for the first 24 hours a new product is posted! Visit my store Pocket of Preschool Let’s Connect! → My Website → Facebook → Pinterest → Instagram → Newsletter Sign up for my newsletter and you will receive a HUGE family theme writing center filled with word cards, writing paper, write the room, a teacher page with tons of ideas on how to use it the classroom, and real photos of it in action in a classroom for FREE! Terms of Use Pocket of Preschool™️. By purchasing and/or downloading this electronic file, you agree to the following terms. For personal use/single classroom use only. No part of this document may be distributed, posted on the internet, copied, edited, or resold. ALL contents of this document are under copyright protection including all content, text, fonts, and graphics. Thank you for respecting my hard word as well as the hard work of the artists whose work helped create this product.

INFJ: The Counselor 2021 Update: HEY Y'ALL! This post has been working its way through the world since 2015. Since then, I wrote a book! ...

The question on my mind lately is how can I teach my kids to care for books? I love books, I love to read, collect and reference them. Before I had kids I got very

Children's Books about food for a Christmas gift guide. A list of book recommendations for kids books about food and farming.

INFJ: The Counselor 2021 Update: HEY Y'ALL! This post has been working its way through the world since 2015. Since then, I wrote a book! ...

All of our FAVORITE marriage books - read one each month and watch how your marriage strengthens and transforms in a year!

INFP: The Healer 2021 Update: HEY Y'ALL! This post has been working its way through the world since 2015. Since then, I wrote a book! It just came out a few weeks ago. You can learn more here or order it here or here. The most helpful thing to understand about INFP is that they are first and foremost deeply introverted. They are also incredibly sensitive. Some vast majority of their cognitive energy is spent simply feeling their feelings. And they have so.many.feelings. This is actually quite a lot of work on an energetic level, and can be exhausting for the INFP, particularly for INFPs who haven't developed skill or comfort expressing themselves, because then basically their whole life is happening inside their heads. The INFP is private and guarded naturally, so even the well-developed INFP is often reticent to express their deepest feelings. When they do, it would behoove their partner to lean in, get comfortable, and listen carefully. The INFP will clam right back up if they feel remotely judged, criticized, or unheard, and it will be a long while before they try again with you. (If they ever do). It is not uncommon to find INFPs who habitually isolate themselves or push people away, often because they had negative relationship experiences in the past or even just because they fear negative experiences. (Remember they are extremely sensitive, so deep emotional wounds can take a long time to heal). A wounded INFP will protect that rich internal landscape with the tenacity of a pack of junkyard dogs. Admittedly, these self-protective INFPs are hard to build relationships with, but it is not impossible with patience, time, and practical affection. And I will add here that it is entirely worth it, because any INFP is a wonderful partner when you really snag one. They will give you all the space and understanding you need, a quality that is especially valuable if you're a big, weird extravert who struggles to find a partner who accepts you fully. An INFP will embrace your idiosyncrasies willingly; in fact, they tend to prefer "weird" or unconventional people. And once they trust you, they actually like it when you encourage them to get outside of themselves. They can be hilarious, silly, fun, playful partners. They can be wonderful performers and storytellers, in part due to their rich imaginations. They are also great with kids, in part because they are somewhat childlike and innocent themselves. They do well with bright, optimistic, cheerful, peaceful, steady, independent partners who are undaunted by their dark spells. Because INFPs (even under the best of circumstances) are prone to dark spells, depression, and self-pity. They are very hard on themselves and prone to feeling guilty or ashamed and getting stuck in cycles of feeling this way. And they will usually withdraw when they are hurt or overwhelmed. It's just how they are. So a partner of an INFP has to learn to curb the urge to draw them out forcefully, because it won't work. They will actually be most likely to dig their heels in and retreat further if you try to force them to open up when they don't want to or aren't ready. That said, they do need your encouragement to come back from the dark side, especially if you have done or said something to contribute to their shutdown. You will need to gently inquire as to what's going on with them, and what you can do or say to make it better, and wait patiently until they are ready to talk to you about it. I know that sounds confusing. Here's another way to say it: https://www.patreon.com/posts/care-and-feeding-8768336 THE REMAINING PARAGRAPHS (of which there are many) HAVE MOVED TO THEIR NEW HOME https://www.patreon.com/posts/24006613 www.patreon.com/amymiller