Each Kindness
Each Kindness is a beautiful picture book with a powerful message about how we treat people and the regrets we may have. Written by Jacqueline Woodson and illustrated by E.B. Lewis, Each Kindness is told from the perspective of a young girl named Chloe who tells the story of what happened when a new girl named Maya joined her class in primary school (the book does not specify the grade but it appears to be about second or third grade).
Chloe recounts with brutal honesty how she shunned the new girl, made fun of her, and refused all attempts at friendship throughout the school year. When Ms. Albert, their teacher gives a lesson on kindness, Chloe wonders how much better the year could have been if she had shown Maya a little kindness and opened her heart to friendship. Read more 
Beets and Spinach
There are times a vegetable bowl will take my breath away – the vibrant colors of freshly cooked vegetables are literally eye candy but it’s the flavor that ends up reeling me in. When I think of a veggie bowl, I try to combine veggies of different colors and textures like beets and spinach.
Beets get a bad rap (i.e.borscht) but freshly cooked red or yellow beets are not only striking but earthy, flavorful and perfect to use in a vegetable bowl. Add sautéed dark green fresh baby spinach and the ultimate snack veggie bowl is done. All you have to do is grab a fork and enjoy. Read more
Food For Life® English Muffins
An english muffin’s most defining characteristics are its nooks and crannies but the ingredients to make this breakfast favorite are even more important because most of these round fork-split yeast-leavened breads are made with enriched white flour, sugar, oil, dairy products, and scary sounding ingredients (mono and diglycerides) which from a nutrition standpoint is not optimal. Read more
Tips to Understanding an IRS Form 990
Most charitable organizations exempt from income tax under Section 501 are required to file an IRS Form 990, which details financial, management, program, and fundraising information. These returns can often be hundreds of pages long which can be overwhelming to potential donors who are trying to understand where charitable dollars are spent. Although all of the information is important, there are key pieces of information to focus on if time is limited. With that in mind, here are 13 tips to gain a quick understanding of a non-profit. Read more
Amy and Isabelle
Because if everyone just turns out like their mother, then what’s the rat’s-ass point?”
Elizabeth Strout is one of the few writers who has mastered the art of writing about difficult women we loathe but love to read about. In her Pulitzer-prize winning novel, Olive Kitteridge (2009), Strout gave us an opinionated, forthright, bossy, cantankerous, and self-righteous protagonist (Olive Kitteridge) who was also loyal, honest, and conscientious. Most readers identified in some way with Olive Kitteridge – the school teacher, the wife of the local pharmacist, and the mother who loved imperfectly – but felt relieved the similarities only went so far. Read more
Paddock Post 