Kena writes mostly children's stories, but also enjoys creating articles, poetry, and short stories. She was the recipient of the Ezra Jack Keats Memorial Fellowship at the University of Minnesota in the summer of 2003. She has published articles in Reflections, TeacherLink and Skipping Stones Magazine. She has finished her poetry anthology and is currently working on two young adult novels and a short story anthology.

Tip: Multitasking

You may think that breastfeeding is down time for you and baby, but if you are a busy working mother you can make good use of feedings while bonding with baby at the same time. I use this time to cut my son's nails. He is calmer and still for the most part. He looks up at me with his big, brown eyes, as if he were saying, "Thank you for making trimming my nails a less traumatic event." All I do is use the arm he is resting in to hold his hand still and clip away with the free hand. If only I could get the dog to cooperate this well.

Tip: Making Menus

An easy way to practice your survival phrases in another language would be to make a menu and practice ordering and taking orders. Invent your own restaurant, cut out pictures of your favorite foods, and design your menu in the language you are learning. Make sure to label the foods in that language and include a short description along with the price. I had made one called "Tomates y Mas" with only tomato-based foods and the cover featuring the tomato-fighting festival in Spain. I had a blast creating it as well as practicing my Spanish with it. Using the restaurant scenario really fine tuned my greetings, numbers, food, and small talk skills all while having fun.

Tip: One-liners

All writers know how to recognize brilliance when the lightning strikes. However it sometimes is a very quick bolt, leaving us with only a character idea or fantastic phrase that enchants us. I like to keep these snippets in a file called "One-liners." I keep them there in this file for future use when I need to beef something up or write another piece that they will fit into. I have even combined them beforefor a twisted plotline. This is great for writing excercise as well.

Tip: Edit Yourself

Whenever you and your partner or pal are on a rocky road, it is better to edit one's words than to speak out in anger. Try writing a letter to your dear one instead. This way you can throw away draft after draft of what you find will make the situation worse, and only hand over what you find might help. Working out your words will give both you and your friend or lover time to cool off. They will read with more attention than they will listen.

Tip: Non-maternity Maternity Cothes

I made the decision when I was pregnant to buy a couple of maternity shirts and only a couple of shirts. The truth is that if you gain baby weight but not a lot of extra weight, you can continue to wear a lot of your previous wardrobe for most of the pregnancy. When your jeans do not button, take a rubber band, loop it around the button, through the button hole, and then back around the button. Use a longer shirt to cover up the top of your pants. After I got really big, I lost the rubber band trick for pants and simply did not zip them at all. I folded the flaps inside to where no one would know that under my long shirt I had my pants undone. With a little creativity, your pre-pregnancy clothes can go a long way. After all, wouldn't you rather congratulate yourself for losing the baby weight later with some more non-pregnancy clothes that you will enjoy a lot more than spend your money on what you will wear for a few months?