DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME!

I learnt to sew from my mother. She would sew an item, check it then take her razor blade and rip out the seam. So I would use the trial and error method until I started to think about it and decided if I measured the item first then sew perhaps I would only need to sew it once! Voila! It worked. And I bought a seam ripper- a very cheap sewing tool just in case I did need to remove some stitches or hem some pants or a skirt. By taking our time with items in our lives and planning, thinking, measuring it saves lots of aggravation in the long run! New furniture, for example, may not fit the rooms you have in your home! So map out the room before buying! Where to hang a picture on a wall? Measure first! In my first homes there would be many holes behind each picture I hung- now one! When I knit a sweater for example, I knit both sleeves at the same time thus saving time of measuring and checking tension etc. Every knitter has had the experience of one sleeve being slightly longer than the other. Counting stitches and marking them down on a piece of paper is a simple method. Writing in our lives!  It has become so easy for High School and University students with spell  and grammar check. However, it is still a good idea to have a dictionary and thesaurus handy to know the meaning of words. A little concise book of English grammar can be another tool for doing it right! Is it affect or effect? What is the noun and what is the verb? What is an adjective and an adverb? Take an inventory of how long it takes to complete any task. Then dissect the steps involved and you may discover there are ways to eliminate some of those steps. Did you take three steps forward and one step backwards? Perhaps! Each new task takes time to learn how to do it but over time it becomes a skill. So the trial and error method may get you started until you determine your own -- I will do it right the first time! Have you had tasks in your life that are second nature now? Do you find ways to reduce the number of steps it takes to complete a task?

NANA SAYS CHILDREN'S LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT IS AMAZING

Being around a toddler is quite fun. Listening and noticing how every day  language is developing from the age of 12 months to 24 months is incredible. From a few words and sounds to pointing and identifying many objects and things. Trying to put words together into sentences. Grammar, verb tenses and words increase. Continuing with all preschoolers to support and enhance language is important. It is also a time to try to teach another language if it is a goal. Even a few words in another language enhance knowledge.  Grandparents have a role in all language development too. Reading, identifying items in the environment and just talking to them encourages positive language development as well as vital communication patterns. Children need to be heard. Eye contact, attentive listening and often crouching down to the child's level to show them that what is being said is important. Of course, the most important word I never tire of hearing is Nana! I just loved it when the grandchildren knew I was Nana! Do you have fun around little ones? Do you enjoy hearing the language development evolve?

THE TOOLS FOR WRITING

Include more than spell check. A dictionary, a thesaurus, and "The Elements of Grammar" by Margaret Shertzer are on my computer bookshelf. Reviewing, rereading and editing any written word are regular habits. Yes, in modern times the abbreviations for texting have unfortunately become the norm. Read entries on Facebook or other medias and the grammatical errors stand out" like a sore thumb". There and their have two very different meanings. Your and you're are often misused. I regularly resist the urge to correct the grammar I have encountered. Should we be correcting the grammar? Or do we let the modern generation flounder? There are jobs that require the ability to write. If we are not sitting at a computer with spell check and grammar check, it is necessary to know the difference. What do you think?