I'd Like to Thank My Second-Grade Teacher for this Blog Award and for Helping me Achieve Writing Success!

Thanks to the popular blog:

www.themarmeladegypsy.blogspot.com for recognizing me with this lovely weblog award.  It was given to me by my good buddy Jeanie in July, but I've been too busy until now to give the thought necessary to passing it on (one of the rules) to seven others that I find deserving.  

I admit that I don't read a lot of blogs, simply due to professional demands and time constraints, so when I do, I'm pretty particular about the subject matter.

Heck, I have enough trouble keeping up with my own blog.  

So I've decided the best way for me to honor this award is to share with you seven professional websites and/or blogs that I find especially useful in my work as a writer, speaker, photographer and advocate on special needs.  

These sites/people make me think and laugh, provide valuable information and inspiration and challenge me to be the best me I can be both personally and professionally.  Thank you all!

Ta-Daa!  Presenting:

-Alan Rinzler.com (website & blog): my editor at Jossey Bass.  Insider info from one of the best in the business!!

-parisparfait.typepad.com (an American writer living in Paris).  A newly discovered delight!

-John Schneider: www.lsj.com/schneiderblog (also check out John's daily columns at lsj.com).  Terrific columnist, especially when he writes about his mom!

-writersdigest.com (links to good writing blogs).  More great good insider tips!

-SpecialOlympics.org. Anyone who reads my blog knows I LOVE SO!

-The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation: christopherreeve.org & paralysis.org.  Like SO, a special needs giant!

-The White House Project: thewhitehouseproject.org: helping me become more politically savvy with each workshop, especially valuable in my work and in these trying times! 

There are many more, and so little time.

Full disclosure: My high school, college-prep English teacher actually deserves the credit for hammering good writing into my then undisciplined creative brain, contributing much to my professional success years later.  It stuck, Mrs. Faber!  That said, my second-grade teacher allowed me to color outside the lines, which has proved tremendously useful in my special needs advocacy work.

That's me (photo above) finding my book (face out) at the Barnes and Noble store on Fifth Avenue in NYC- talk about fulfilling a childhood literary dream.  You bet it was a huge thrill. Honing your skills, paying your life dues and never giving up does pay off.  A little visualization never hurts either. 

Click on the book cover at left to order Breakthrough Parenting now from amazon.com! An author's promotion work is never done.

I'm beginning to ramble on and on and on. Must be the caffeine...

JudyWinter.com

Breakthrough Parenting for Children with Special Needs: Raising the Bar of Expectations