Fun ways for Moms to Go Barefoot!

One of my favorite things about being a mom is getting to know other moms. I'm involved with MOPS, Mothers of Preschoolers. Our group is comprised of 50+ women who meet twice a month for much-needed Mommy time! If there's anyone who understands the pressures of being a mom, it's Barefoot Books. This company began because two moms wanted to be able to stay home with their kids, while doing something challenging and worthwhile that would contribute to their children's creativity and intellectual development. We moms like to get together outside of MOPS, sometimes with our kids and sometimes without. So, here are some fun ways MOPS can go Barefoot!

1) A Barefoot Playdate~ Kick off your shoes and dance to a Barefoot beat! I've never met a kid that didn't love to boogie with Animal Boogie! Sing-along with other fun books, or just let the kids play. I have puzzles, puppets, musical instruments and activity sheets as well as lots of fun books for kids to browse. While the kids are busy, moms can get started with some early holiday shopping or enjoy some everyday multitasking as we chat, eat, drink and laugh together.

2) Moms Night In~ Brew some coffee, tea or cocoa, or have some yummy mixed drinks, and put your shoes up, Barefoot style! Enjoy hearing a beautiful folk-tale or two while sipping on a yummy beverage. Feel your creativity being reborn as you daydream your way through our catalog and display items with complete relaxed, childless leisure.

3) Barefoot Storyteller Workshop~ Leave your littlest ones at home, or come alone, and learn about the art of good storytelling. We'll have fun while learning about the construction of a good story, what works and what doesn't, how to engage your children in your stories, and some practice storytelling! Buy and browse fun books now that you're excited about good stories!

4) Barefoot Puppet Fun~ Invite some creativity into your life with puppets! Watch a little puppet show with your kids then help them create some puppets of their own out of household items and generic craft supplies. Read or sing a few stories and browse the books!

5) Barefoot Art Class~ Wear your grubby clothes, kick off your shoes and meet together in an outdoor space for some creative fun! We'll paint murals, sculpt with clay, and express our creative side while singing along to some fun Barefoot tunes. Moms can kick off their shoes along with the kids and get their creative juices flowing!

If you love these ideas and want to implement them in your own mom's group or community, contact me and we'll talk!

Jumping into Fall with a Little Leap Forward!

I just received a box of Barefoot Books in the mail...this sentence makes me happy in so many ways. Beyond the obvious, that I love books, I'm also really excited about what Barefoot Books can mean to our children and our communities. Living Barefoot is about so much more than buying or selling books. Living Barefoot can also mean encouraging a budding poet or artist, not just in our children, but within ourselves. Our new chapter book in the young fiction category is a read that will inspire musicians, artists and cultural revolutionaries, alike. Little Leap Forward: A Boy in Beijing is about a young boy growing up during the cultural revolution when it must have felt that the world had turned upside down. The New York Times Sunday Book Review did the book justice by recognizing "how Little Leap Forward bears witness with the eye of a poet, the ear of a musician and the transformative imagi­nation of a storyteller."

This book is more memoir than fiction, and author and musician, Guo Yue, tells a beautiful story of a young musician feeling his way through a tumultuous cultural song.

Barefoot Books continues to stun me with it's cultural awareness, environmental consciousness, and an inexorable eye towards what children love, and always within the framework of amazing art and well-told story. As always, you can find these books and much more on our website.

Here's a video of Guo Yue reading an excerpt of the book and talking a little more about his childhood. Enjoy!

Once upon a time...

Once upon a time there was a girl who kept a flashlight under her pillow. Once upon a time there was a boy who had a fort, stocked with his favorite books. Once upon a time you had a story, too. Take a moment to watch this introduction to Barefoot Books and see if your story is a Barefoot story. Maybe you'll remember the feeling of grass between your toes or bark against your feet. Maybe you'll start keeping a flashlight under your pillow, again. Maybe you'll begin to see your own children build forts of pillows and blankets as your tv becomes dusty and outdated. Dream a Barefoot dream.