Chicken Soup: Campus Chronicles

With so many students heading to college for the first time in just a little over a month, Chicken Soup for the Soul’s latest book, Campus Chronicles has perfect timing and might make a great gift.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Campus Chronicles offers advice and support to students, whether they are preparing for graduation day or beginning orientation. With inspirational stories about overcoming fears and trying something new, this tell-all book is filled with accounts from experienced collegians as they help others learn who they are, and more importantly, who they are not.

With candid stories like Maloney’s, Chicken Soup for the Soul: Campus Chronicles is divided into sections ranging from “Campus Antics” to “Difficulties and Obstacles,” offering stories on first loves, acclimating to college life, resolving roommate squabbles and surviving that dreaded class. Brimming with wisdom for students and parents, the book is an excellent conversation-starter for parents to talk to their teen about being away from home, providing them with an opportunity to share stories from their college days.

Inside Chicken Soup for the Soul: Campus Chronicles, you’ll also read about:

• One student’s struggle with the hardest decision: “What’s my major?”
• Studying abroad in Venice, Chile and Scotland
• Finding closure in a college romance gone bad
• An unusual spring break trip spent serving others in need
• Dealing with a problematic roommate’s unwanted guests

Chicken Soup for High School

The next book we’re giving away for our Grand Opening Party is a Chicken Soup book for a little bit older of an audience – the high school student. Being the mother of a high school student, we both read this book – Chicken Soup for the Soul Teens Talk: High School.

This book is much like the Middle School version from yesterday’s post, but it deals with issues that are more common to the high school age student. Some of the similar topics are being happy with yourself, teenage love, family issues, and embarrassing moments, but then there are the categories that are more focused towards the 15 to 18 year old such as love gone bad, going for it, tough stuff, and moving on.

I thought the best way to summarize this book was with an excerpt from the forward,

“These are the best days of your life!” Has anyone ever said that to you about high school? They said it to us.

We grew up watching movies and TV shows and reading books that made high school out to be such a fantasy. Great-looking prom dates! Football games with friends! Cars! Freedom!

No one ever mentioned that we might wake up the morning of the prom with a pimple the size of Mount Everest protruding from the tip of our nose, or that we would have to study like crazy, or that our parents would still tell us what to do. They also failed to tell us that the football team might continuously lose, or that the driver’s license doesn’t get placed in your hand until you pass the dreaded driver’s test. But even though high school has its blemishes, ti’s guaranteed to be a special time.

This book has inspiring stories to help make the tougher times of high school manageable and doesn’t let them prevent high school from being a special time.

I read this book more thoroughly than the Middle School edition as not only do I have that 17 year old in my house, but I also teach 9th through 12th grade.  This book is heading straight to my classroom shelf now that both Becka and I have read it because I really would like to see as many of my students as possible to read at least portions of this book.

And now, it’s your turn to win a copy of Chicken Soup for the Soul Teens Talk: High School. This would make a great gift for any teen you know about to go to high school or already there.  Don’t have one of these teens in your life? I can guarantee your local high school library would love to have this donated to their collection. So enter now for your chance to have your very own copy.

REQUIRED ENTRY:

We’ll do an entry similar to yesterday’s – tell me a story of a memorable experience from high school that you think would be fitting of a Chicken Soup book.

EXTRA ENTRIES:

**To earn these entries you must first complete the REQUIRED ENTRY**
**For each extra entry, you must leave an additional comment**

1. Place my button in your sidebar (Grab it on the right sidebar) or add a text link
2. Subscribe to my feed
3. Follow me on Twitter and tweet this contest out! (you must leave a link to the tweet)
4. Add me to your Technorati favorites (leave your username)
5. Blog about this contest (WORTH 3 ENTRIES – LEAVE 3 COMMENTS) linking to this post.

The Fine Print

• Must be a US Citizen
• Contest ends Saturday, March 30 at Midnight CST.
• You do not need to be a blogger to enter, but you must have a valid email address.
• All entries will be verified before naming the winner.
• Winner has 72 hours to claim prize and then a new winner will be selected.

Note: While you are here, be sure to enter the Grand Opening contests for a

• If Mama Don’t Laugh, It Ain’t Funny ball cap
• This Is the Day
• Preacher Creature Strikes on Sunday
• Chicken Soup Teens Talk Middle School

….and more to come…check daily!

Chicken Soup for Middle School – ENDED

I decided to cover the Chicken Soup for the Soul books that I was given over the next few days.  I’ve got 4 books so I’ll start with the one geared towards the youngest reader – Chicken Soup for the Soul Teens Talk Middle School.  I have a sister in middle school so I actually skimmed the book and then passed it on to her to read and tell me about it.

The book is geared towards the 12 to 14 year old and focuses on how their bodies are changing and the peer pressure that becomes so much stronger at this age.  It also covers love, family, being happy with yourself, harder classes, and dealing with embarrassing moments.

One feature I really liked (that is a good feature of all the Chicken Soup books I’ve read), is that it was divided into the sections mentioned above so that if a teen is not a “real reader” but is struggling in one of these areas, they can just read that portion of the book.

The portions I read were great stories that I think teens today can really relate to. As a ninth grade teacher, I still think that many of these issues apply to my 9th graders and think that I’ll be adding my copy of this book to my classroom library.  I’m not sure if I can get them to read a book with “middle school” in the title, but I think a few will pick it up that are fond of the Chicken Soup series.

My sister enjoyed my copy of this book, and I can tell read it thoroughly from the wear and tear on it.  I find that as the first sign of a good book when I let students read the books in my room.

Do you know a middle school student? Or someone who will be one soon? Or maybe you would like to win it to donate it to a local middle school? Whatever the case, I have been generously offered a second copy of this book for one of you.  All you have to do is enter the contest following the guidelines below.

REQUIRED ENTRY:

In the comments below, tell me (briefly) one situation you faced in middle school that was challenging.

EXTRA ENTRIES:

**To earn these entries you must first complete the REQUIRED ENTRY**
**For each extra entry, you must leave an additional comment**

1. Place my button in your sidebar (Grab it on the right sidebar) or add a text link
2. Subscribe to my feed
3. Follow me on Twitter and tweet this contest out! (you must leave a link to the tweet)
4. Add me to your Technorati favorites (leave your username)
5. Blog about this contest (WORTH 3 ENTRIES – LEAVE 3 COMMENTS) linking to this post.

The Fine Print

• Must be a US Citizen
• Contest ends Saturday, March 29 at Midnight CST.
• You do not need to be a blogger to enter, but you must have a valid email address.
• All entries will be verified before naming the winner.
• Winner has 72 hours to claim prize and then a new winner will be selected.

Note: While you are here, be sure to enter the Grand Opening contests for a

• If Mama Don’t Laugh, It Ain’t Funny ball cap
• This Is the Day
• Preacher Creature Strikes on Sunday

….and more to come…check daily! 

Chicken Soup for the Soul: My Resolution

As we are now entering the third month of the year, I feel safe in saying that most of us have abandoned those New Year’s resolutions that we made so determinedly just 60 days ago.  Resolutions tend to stick to being more healthy and losing weight, with the failing economy, there were probably a lot more financial resolutions made this year – from getting completely out of debt, to increased savings accounts, to just putting less on credit cards, it would be hard to find someone that doesn’t have one realistic ( but challenging goal).

Being a single mom, financial issues are of great concern for me, and I’ve also realized that with age, I’m adding on the pounds. When I found out that one of my favorite book series, Chicken Soup for the Soul, was putting out a book dealing with setting resolutions and sticking to them.  It covers everything from finding financial peace to going green. The book is filled with tips from real people on ways to make small changes to accomplish big resolutions.

The publishers of Chicken Soup of the Soul have actually created a tip sheet based on the newly released book that I’m pleased to say was shared with me to pass on to my readers.

Tips for 2009: This year’s resolutions and the troubled economy

Inspired by stories in Chicken Soup for the Soul: My Resolution By Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, D’ette Corona and Barbara LoMonaco

Everyone makes resolutions: The new year motivates all of us to improve our habits, and holds the promise of a clean slate. But after January passes, many of us may beat ourselves up for letting resolutions fall by the wayside – which is why now is precisely the best time to renew commitments you’ve made to yourself. While most years, our resolutions are primarily about things like diets, being on time, becoming neater and similar issues, this year many resolutions have a different feeling. Set a household budget. Start recycling. Save more. If these sound familiar to you it is because this year, more than most years, the resolutions are related in some way to the troubled economy.

Here are 9 Tips for 2009 for surviving and thriving in turbulent economic times:

Simplify. As Mary Davis writes in her story “Resolutions for Sale,” we all have items from previous resolutions that never panned out: Exercise equipment still in its original packaging, organizational gadgets collecting dust. So why not make a buck or two and have a “Resolution Sale?” Sell all of your unwanted and unused items, make some money, and simplify your life for the better.

Go green. When going green, little changes can make a big difference for the environment — and your wallet. Ashley Sanders writes in her story “I’m Not a Dirty Hippie” that her husband was apprehensive about going green at first, but got on-board once he saw the savings benefit. “After a lot of testing and trying, we began to find products that we could not only use, but that were more affordable than the products we previously used,” Sanders writes.

Count your blessings. List-obsessed Sarah Jo Smith shares in her story “A Daily Practice in Gratitude” how even the most sincere resolutions can turn sour. “I planned to write down three things a day that expressed my appreciation and love for the things and people around me….[But] what started as a positive exercise turned into a mental list of countless complaints and worries,” she writes. However, after an emotional encounter with a stranger, Sarah realized there was much more room in her life than she previously allowed for gratitude. In the face of financial worries and other daily stressors, remember your gifts – you’ll likely discover the strength you need in life’s intangibles.

Don’t exceed your needs: Try downsizing! Chicken Soup for the Soul: My Resolution story contributor Harriet Cooper had a size problem – with her home. Saddled with double the house space she needed, she realized there was a lot going to waste. Cooper was also unhappy with her home’s “double identity” – one side that guests saw, and one side that she actually lived in. In her story “One House, Two Faces,” she writes about selling the house and moving into a smaller one. With her savings, she bought herself two years of freedom to explore new job possibilities. What’s more? Now, her guests get to visit a relaxed hostess who is happy with her (smaller) home, just the way it is.

Put the unnecessary items back. Single mom Rebecca Jay tried to save money, but every month she was living paycheck to paycheck. So she invented a game that she and her son could play to save money at the grocery store. At the check-out lane, she and her son perform a “Cart Check,” pulling out items they really don’t need. When her son puts something back, Jay rewards him with the savings. In her story “Check the Cart,” she recalls how this game not only helped rein in impulse spending, it taught her son a valuable lesson on personal finances in the process. What a great legacy to pass on to a younger generation! 

Find financial peace. Kristine Byron likes to look at what she spends, rather than what she saves. In her story “Spend, Spend, Spend,” Kristine resolves to save money by cutting out certain things, but recognizes all the ways she gets to “spend” time doing something else. “As I have pledged to save on lavish meals dining out, I have vowed to ‘spend’ more time entertaining at home,” she writes. When you make resolutions to save, you can also resolve to “spend” more time with your family and doing things that you love to do … for free!

Work with those you love. Working with someone you love might seem scary at first, as B.J. Taylor describes in her story “A Leap of Faith.” But when her husband needed her to work at his company because of financial setbacks, she stepped up. The two agreed to sit down and talk every six months about what’s working and what’s not. Though challenging at first, the couple has worked with each other now for 15 years. Could it be possible to go into business with your loved ones?

Give gifts of yourself. You don’t have to spend a lot of money on the people you love, just spend time doing things with them. In his story “A Commitment to Play Dolls,” Timothy Martin recalls his decision to play with his four-year-old daughter for an afternoon. “I still thinking playing with dolls is dumb,” writes Martin. “But my four-year-old daughter, Emily, loves them. She plays with her Barbie dolls every day. Since I want to be a good father, and because Emily and I don’t get to spend much time together, I resolved to learn.”

Celebrate the old. While everyone else may be resolving to try something new, don’t forget to remember your old treasures. Dayle Allen Shockley writes in “Let’s Celebrate the Old” about all the many items, principles, and people that she celebrates every new year. “I enjoy making new friends, but old friends who have shared my pain and sorrow, celebrated my joys, and remained steadfast when trouble came knocking; they are the ones I will celebrate most in the New Year,” she writes. In 2009, which old pleasures are you thankful for? Life can be improved just by recognizing the wonderful gifts we already have.

And remember, improving yourself is not exclusive to the month of January; it’s a year-round opportunity.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: My Resolution (Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, D’ette Corona and Barbara LoMonaco) is published by Chicken Soup for the Soul Publishing, LLC. For more information, please visit chickensoup.com.