Dr. Seuss Says it Best!

“Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.” 


Be yourself, everyone else is taken!

Ways to Promote Positive Self-Esteem in Children

I found this from http://www.ricklavoie.com/esteemart.html and love it!

1. Value each child as an individual with unique strengths, needs, interests and skills.
2. Focus on the child's strengths. Emphasize and celebrate his "islands of competence."
3. Reject the child's behavior, but never reject the child. Use affectionate terms and nicknames when scolding ("Your room is a mess, honey. Now turn off the TV and make your bed.").
4. Remember that sincere interest can be more effective and meaningful than praise. Demonstrate a genuine interest in her activities, hobbies, etc.
5. Establish realistic, achievable goals for your child. Anticipate success.
6. Avoid using sarcasm with kids - children with language problems often misinterpret it.
7. When discussing an issue or a problem, avoid bringing up past difficulties.
8. Never compare one child to another.
9. Help the child develop decision-making and problem-solving skills.
10. Understand that mistakes are an inevitable (and valuable!) part of any learning experience. Use these as an opportunity to teach and assist.
11. Divide large tasks into smaller, manageable ones. This will ensure success, mastery, and retention.
12. Maintain a file of his academic work. Use this to demonstrate his progress and development when he is feeling down.
13. Encourage him to maintain "collections" (e.g., baseball cards, stamps, rocks, etc.). This allows him to be the resident expert on a topic.
14. If she does not participate in team sports, promote individual sports (e.g., skiing, golf, swimming). This will provide opportunities for success, exercise, and peer interaction.
15. Communicate your confidence in the child and in her future.
16. Permit and encourage the child to follow the normal fads of his peer group (e.g., clothing, music). This will enhance his acceptance at school and in the community.
17. Emphasize the positive aspects of her behavior or performance, even if the task was not completely successful. Reward direction, not perfection.
18. Anticipate that the child will have plateaus, failures, backslides, setbacks, and regressions. Support and encourage him at these times. Kids need love most when they deserve it least!
19. Look for opportunities to offer him choices to allow him to practice decision-making skills.
20. Never, ever, communicate disappointment to your child. The disappointment of an adult may be too great a burden for a child to carry.

Here is a picture of me and my two siblings in Alaska!

Views of Beauty Across the World!

Though the United States has a very particular view of beauty (rail thin, tan, "Barbie-like"), the rest of the world has completely different views!  This shows that no matter how you look, you ARE beautiful in your own way!


In Iran, both men AND women strive to have a perfect nose!  Their ideal view of beauty means having a perfect nose in the center of their face!


Though spray tans and tanning beds have become very popular in the United States, in Southeast Asia being pale is a sign of beauty!


In certain parts of western Africa, being overweight is a sign of beauty! So are the stretch marks that they have from being overweight!


In Brazil, having a guitar shape has always been seen as beautiful! This means having a little bigger booty is a good thing!


In parts of Europe (even France), the natural look is views as most beautiful! So ladies, put down the makeup and go all natural!


In New Zealand it is seen as beautiful to have swirled tattoos on your face known as a moko.


The Kayan women, a Tibeto-Burman ethnic minority of Burma, wrap brass coils around their necks when young and add more as they age! The more coils and longer the neck, the more beautiful they are!


Though we have learned a certain view of beauty growing up in the United States, it is important to know that our view is not the ONLY view! Being heavier used to be a sign of beauty here too! Just look at Marilyn Monroe (a size 12)!

Just Being You

"Why would you want to be someone else
When you could be better by being yourself
Why pretend to be someone you are not
When you have something they haven't got

Cheating yourself of the life you have to live
Deprives others of that only which you can give
You have much more to offer by being just you
Than walking around in someone else's shoes

Trying to live the life of another is a mistake
It is a masquerade; nothing more than a fake
Be yourself and let your qualities show through
Others will Love you more for being just you

Family and friends will love you more too
If you spent time practicing just being you."



A few years ago I was invited to be a guest speaker at a Girls Rock day in my hometown.  When trying to decide what I should speak about, I came across this poem.  It made me stop and think about how miserable life can be if you try to please others and not do what you want.  I decided to base my speech on this poem and hand a copy out to every girl that attended.  I asked them to place it in their room where they could see it everyday and be reminded of how special they are.  I hope to spread this message and let young girls see how beautiful they are (inside and out).

When I read this poem I thought of what qualities made me who I am.  One of the first things that came to mind was silly.  So here is a picture that shows who I am in a nutshell (and my family and friends love me still)!

Not always glamorous, but always 100% me!

My Sister and I on vacation! She loves me!

What Girls Rock Is All About

Every contestant in the Miss America Organization choses a platform that she will support during her year of service.  I wanted to support a cause that was very close to my heart and so I came up with my own platform--Girls Rock.  Girls Rock promotes high self-esteem and positive body image in young girls (especially those girls in elementary school).

When my little sister was in elementary school she was teased and made fun of veraciously for being overweight.  As my sister aged and grew, she lost all of the weight and became a much thinner girl.  However, because she was teased she still has a negative image of herself and has a hard time believing that she is beautiful.  Instead of seeing what she has to offer the world, she often reverts back to seeing what all of those girls saw ten years ago.  I knew that this was an issue that was a problem for many girls, not just for being overweight, but for height, race, etc.

This triggered my idea for a platform.  Girls Rock.  Showing girls that they are beautiful in their own way and have so much to offer the world!  That girls should celebrate their difference, not tear each other down because of them.  Most programs like this are targeted towards girls in middle school and high school.  I wanted to target younger girls, because the issues start at a young age.  I will post many different blogs that show different views of beauty across the world, struggles with being a girl, and inspirational quotes and ideas!

This is for you Karlee!!!