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Each Saturday I thought I would start posted helpful information for our chapters and other readers about all things social media. As the Senior Advisor for Social Media for The Mommies Network, I have the pleasure of being "social " all day long and most days into the night too. I have learned so much by just trial and error to tell you the truth, learning hands on and reading everything I can get my hands on that is related to social media. Yes they do make a Social Media for Dummies book and yes I have read it too...lol
My most favorite social media spot is Pinterest of course (2nd to Instagram now) and Facebook of course....or maybe Twitter....oh my there are so many. Pinterest has changed if you have noticed, do you understand all those changes? Pinterest is a very highly recommended social media site for anyone with a blog or in business. Even if you wish to just get your name out there in the social world.The infographic above has some of the changes, since the roll out of the new updates Pinterest has updated a few key things, you can share to Twitter still (thank goodness) and I have been using hashtags in my posts and to search just fine. Make sure if you change to the new updated Pinterest that you are sure, you can not go back to the old version!
You can email me anytime if you have social media questions, I will be glad to help you anytime socialmedia@themommiesnetwork.org
Next Saturday we will talk Twitter

***** The Mommies Network is a 501c(3) non-profit organization dedicated to helping moms find support and friendship in their local community. We were founded April, 2005 and currently have 100+ communities in 33+ states with over 31,000 active members.

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When Baby Brown Bear arrives at City Zoo, all alone and very frightened, Mama Polar Bear scoops him into her arms and promises to be his mother.

Thus begins the tale of a mama bear fielding some common, and sometimes thoughtless, questions about raising an adopted child. With patience and a mother's love, she responds to each, with an unexpected surprise at the end.

Inspired by her own family's adoption story, Tanya Valentine weaves a yarn that reminds us all what really matters ... that all bears need love. Delightfully illustrated by Adam Taylor, parents and children alike will want to read this book over and over.

My children enjoy this tale, similar in structure to another favorite by Rudyard Kipling about an elephant asking many questions. I like that it helps me reinforce, in a fun and accessible way, the important message that love is what makes a family.

Available in paperback on Amazon, signed paperback on etsy, and e-book app, All Bears Need Love is sure to become our new go-to Gotcha Day present.

Ready to spread some love? Tanya will send a signed copy of All Bears Need Love to one lucky reader. Comment below to be entered into our random drawing. One entry per person, please.

One of the hats I wear is that of public speaker, which means I?m often looking back at a sea of faces in a crowded room. In the past week alone I?ve been on stage twice, sharing insights and laughs with a few hundred people.
It?s interesting to watch people file into an auditorium or assembly hall and choose their seats. The front half of a room is often sparsely populated, while the seats in the back fill up quickly. Few people automatically move toward the front, and nobody, it seems, ever wants to sit right on the front row.
Which is odd, because if I was Jon Bon Jovi there would be a stampede for those seats. For a presentation or training session, though, many people sit as far away as possible. C?mon, I?m no Jon Bon Jovi, but I?m not Medusa, either.
Recently I started thinking about the front row/back row situation as it pertains to education. Does it make a difference where a child sits in class? Does her seat selection influence her outcome?
The only evidence I?ve seen is anecdotal, but it?s powerful.
A friend of mine told me the story of her daughter, who is mostly a B or C student. She?s also an extremely social child - which partly explains the grades. During a brief conversation one day the mom asked her daughter where she sat in class. Not surprisingly, the answer was ?in the back.?
?Do me a favor,? Mom said. ?Spend the next week in the front row. Just as an experiment.?

At the end of that week the daughter had scored a resounding A on a paper and on an important test. In fact, her test grade was the highest in the class. The mother says that she?s convinced the seating change played an important role.
Think about the factors involved:

Countless distractions - When you sit in the back, there?s a veritable sea of bodies, movement, and chatter between you and the teacher.
Better vision - Kids near the front of the room have fewer problems seeing the examples on the board or the screen. Add to that the noise; it?s harder to hear the teacher in the back.
Teacher?s perception - This is simply human nature. No matter how responsible and/or accomplished a student may be, it?s natural for an educator to assume that someone sitting in the back is disengaged from the learning process. Plus, how many jokes have we heard about troublemakers in the back row? Studies with university professors have confirmed that they do indeed form an impression based upon where a student chooses to sit.

Like my friend, perhaps you should have a casual chat with the young person in your house. Talk to him about where he sits in class; if he regularly hangs out in the back, encourage him to move forward. Then track the results over time.
I believe this choice spills over into other aspects of our lives. People who choose to sit near the front develop a better attitude and more confidence. When I speak at a conference, I sense a strong character in the folks who boldly stride down the aisle and sit in the first two or three rows; they almost exude an air of self-assurance. They strike me as leaders.
Your son or daughter would do well to consider this change. Sure, it might be tough for them at first, but they?ll quickly grow into it. Not only will they be more likely to pay attention in class, they?ll establish a better relationship with their instructors. Believe me, as a professional speaker I can verify that eye contact builds rapport and trust.
By the time she graduates, your child likely will have developed a front-row attitude toward life. And that?s a benefit that goes well beyond test scores and grades.

Dom Testa is an author, speaker, morning radio show host, and has kept a ficus tree alive for twenty two years. He?s also the founder and president of The Big Brain Club, a non-profit foundation that helps young people embrace the idea that Smart Is Cool. More info at www.DomTesta.com.

Thank you Dom for another great post in his series "Building A Better Student" featured weekly right here on The Mommies Network blog

Lets get those kids outside this week, lots of events on your local Mommies Network calendars, playdates and playgroups, library storytimes, park fun, sidewalk chalk fun, bubble time and much much more! Check out your local Mommies Network chapter or find friendship on The Mommies Network National Forum, info here www.themommiesnetwork.org . Proud to support our local communities across the USA.