1)Every day that is sunny, I’m going to open curtains as wide as they will go, place a chair in front of it and sit facing out for as long as possible. Sound funny, well not really, there is a medical benefit from this as anyone who suffers from Seasonal Affective Disorder – or SAD – knows. 2)Purchase every Home Decorating & Garden magazine that has any articles or pictures dealing with spring that I can find. 3)Looking through Home Decorating magazines, I’m going to begin making a list of all projects I want to do, to change my décor from winter to spring.

4)Since moving from our large home into a townhouse, I don’t have an opportunity to do a lot of gardening anymore. But I love looking at garden magazines anyway; pictures are always so beautiful. Now I do have planters outside back door, so I can still plan on some flowers and getting my hands dirty.

5)Begin watching Travel Channel a little more frequently. I’m not planning on taking any trips, but to sit for a half hour to an hour looking and imagining myself in some warm, sunny places will be wonderful. Well, I think this is a pretty good start. Oh, one more thing, every morning after getting up, going to kitchen to pour my first cup of coffee I’ll then stand at back door look out at mounds of snow and repeat several time

“This will not last, Spring is coming”.

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Reading to your child should become second nature. Anytime, anywhere is an opportunity to read to your child. During hectic toddler days, books can be lifesavers in public places. If you have to stand in line at a bank, take a book bag along filled with engaging books that your child enjoys. Before they get fussy, take out a book and start reading. Yes, it is very difficult to read to your child while you are holding him and standing up at same time! Instead, put her in a stroller and bend down. As you read to your child, you are using your time preciously. By bending down, you are coming down to his level. By reading, you are expanding her knowledge and growing neurons. Make your waiting time, his reading time!

Reading while waiting also works well if you have several children with you. Although my daughters are 11 and 6, my oldest daughter will still lean over and read along to book I am reading to my youngest, despite carrying along her own stash of Harry Potter and Manga books. The key is that, by making reading part of your child's everyday experiences, she will come to expect that reading is norm.

If you are not a reader and do not enjoy reading, you have a great obstacle to overcome. If you do not enjoy reading and/or you were not brought up with reading in home, it will be doubly difficult for you to get in habit of reading. Please, don't let this stop you! The exciting thing about being human is that you can change anytime. Start slowly. Find a topic that interests you and start reading. Buy a bookcase and make it a goal to slowly fill it up with children's books, classics, or whatever else suits your fancy.

Read to your child. Engage his imagination. Don't assume that children read at a certain age. There are so many things that you can do to prepare them for day when they start to decipher letters and words on their own. Lay foundation early in life and your child will reap wonderful rewards.

L.J. Davis is author of A Simple Brown Leaf, a story for a new generation of children.

"Every child has a purpose. Every child asks question, 'Who am I going to become.'"

Learn more at ljdavis.com.

©2005 L.J. Davis