Penny Stones Blog
Archive for the ‘favorites’ Category
Sunday, June 20th, 2010
I’ve been keeping a little journal of quotes. Whenever one of our kids (one girl and two boys) gives us their version of the English language, I write it down so we can remember it. Here are some of my favorites:
“No comments from the popcorn gallery, please.” ~ 10-year old daughter
“You wanna piece of me?” ~ five-year old son as he’s playing a video game
“”I was really starving for my blanket last night.” ~ five-year old son
When our five-year old son was complimented for reading a hard word he said “Oh, I just rememberized it.”
“I’m just like a dinosaur oncologist! I have five books on dinosaurs!” ~ six-year old son
“What’s a time frame? I’ve never seen one before.” (thinking it’s like a picture frame…) ~ six-year old son
When asked how God made a woman, our six-year old son said “He pulled a ribbon out of his pocket.”
“I want to play ‘Corn in the Cobs’” (instead of Corn Hole) ~ six-year old son
“I’m full. Can I have some ice cream?” ~ six-year old son
“We only learn stuff so teachers have somethin’ to do.” ~10-year old daughter
Out to lunch with Papa, Mommy asked her sons to share their sundaes. The older brother replied, “You can have one bite of mine, but you can have as many as you want from my brother!”
Tags: communication, conversation, family, kids, parenting
Posted in Uncategorized, children, communication, family, family relationships, favorites, kids, parenting | 1 Comment »
Monday, September 14th, 2009
Greet your children and spouse warmly when they come in the door. Let them know how important they are to you. Your reaction affects how they perceive you and your relationship. – Susan Fee, licensed professional counselor, speaker, and author
Posted in Conversations, conversation starters, family, favorites, ice breakers, icebreakers, parenting, relationships | No Comments »
Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009
We all talk all the time. But few of us evaluate how well we converse. Here are a few guidelines for successful conversation skills. Before we get to the first one, there’s a basic ground rule: do not text, check messages, etc. during face-to-face conversations. Give the other person/people your full attention and expect the same from them. While it is possible to text and talk, it is not polite. Strong conversation skills are based on mutual respect.
1. Try to listen more than you talk.
People want to talk to people who care about their thoughts and opinions. Make an effort to shift the focus of the conversation to the other person. (The most popular word used in conversations is “I”.)
2. Be aware of your body language.
Look at the other person/people and make eye contact. When speaking to a child, try to get down on their level. During a conversation, try to match the other person’s body language by leaning forward when they lean forward, etc. Attention to small details will give the person you are speaking with a feeling that you truly hear what they are saying and that you are genuinely interested in their opinions. Many of us do this naturally and don’t even realize it. (Note: Be subtle. Don’t do it so much that they feel like you’re a copy cat.)
3. Pay attention to the tone of your voice.
The tone of your voice plays a major part in communicating effectively. If your tone suggests a condescending attitude, boredom, or anger, you will lose your audience. People may no longer want to spend time speaking with you or listening to what you have to say. They may tune you out. Using a respectful, friendly tone, will allow you to communicate efficiently and earn you the respect of others.
4. Ask questions.
In order to move the conversation forward, ask questions to clarify or invite additional information. Questions indicate that you’re paying attention and you’re interested in the speaker’s views. Give your full attention to the speaker. When you show others that you want to hear them, they will grant you the same courtesy.
Penny Stones Conversation Starters
With their fun and engaging questions, Penny Stones help people practice conversation skills in a fun and non-threatening way. Check them out at www.pennystones.com
Posted in Conversations, Games, Penny Stones, Small Talk, conversation starters, family, favorites, ice breakers, icebreakers, kids, parenting, relationships, support groups, supports groups | No Comments »
Monday, August 3rd, 2009
It’s important to stay connected but it’s difficult with our hectic schedules. Some mothers have asked me about texting. If that’s how your child is comfortable communicating, then go with it. And let them know you’re always available to talk. Here’s some common texting shortcuts:
B4N Bye for now
BTW By the way
G2G Got to go
GR8 Great
L8R Later
LOL Laughing out loud
POS Parents over shoulder
THX Thanks
TTYL Talk to you later
VBG Very Big Grin
To see more text abbreviations, visit www.netlingo.com.
Posted in Conversations, Penny Stones, Quotes, Small Talk, Texting, conversation starters, family, favorites, friends, ice breakers, icebreakers, kids, parenting, relationships, support groups, supports groups | 1 Comment »
Thursday, May 14th, 2009
Sometimes it’s hard to know what a person wants to talk about. Really, they are interested in just about anything you want to share.
Some topics should not be discussed. It is not good to talk to people about money, family arguments or other personal problems. The old saying about never discussing religion or politics has some truth as well. Don’t talk about gross things with guests either, for example a recent bout of the stomach flu or a particularly nasty cold.
When you don’t know what to talk about, with other kids or adults, here are some topics that you can safely use:
* The weather (absolutely the safest topic)
* School
* Plans for the day, weekend, holiday, summer
* Something nice about the other person (e.g., you like something they are wearing or you like their new haircut)
* Sports
Everyone loves to talk about themselves. Throw the conversation ball to the other person with a question about them. You may not have to say another word for the rest of the conversation! Remember … to make polite conversation ask the other person about them self. It is more polite to ask questions than it is to ramble on about yourself!
Posted in Conversations, Penny Stones, Quotes, Small Talk, conversation starters, family, favorites, ice breakers, icebreakers, relationships, support groups, supports groups | No Comments »
Tuesday, March 31st, 2009
I came across this story on a vendor’s website and just had to pass it along…
I was shuffling toward the basement with a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and the morning paper in the other. What began as a typical Saturday morning, turned into one of those lessons that life seems to hand you from time to time. Let me tell you about it. I turned the dial up into the phone portion of the band on my ham radio in order to listen to a Saturday morning swap net. Along the way, I came across an older sounding chap, with a tremendous signal and a golden voice. You know the kind, he sounded like he should be in the broadcasting business. He was telling whoever he was talking with something about a thousand marbles. I was intrigued and stopped to listen to what he had to say. “Well, Tom,” he said, “it sure sounds like you are busy with your job. I am sure they pay you well but it is a shame you have to be away from home and your family so much. Hard to believe a young fellow should have to work sixty or seventy hours a week to make ends meet.” He said, “Too bad you missed your daughters dance recital. Let me tell you something Tom,” he continued, “something that has helped me keep a good perspective on my own priorities.” And that is when he began to explain his theory of A Thousand Marbles. “You see, I sat down one day and did a little arithmetic. The average person lives about seventy-five years. Now then, I multiplied 75 times 52 and I came up with 3,900 which is the number of Saturdays that the average person has in their entire lifetime! Now stick with me Tom, I am getting to the important part.” “It took me until I was fifty-five years old to think about all this in any detail,” he went on, “and by that time I had lived through over twenty-eight hundred Saturdays. I got to thinking that if I lived to be seventy-five, I only had about a thousand of them left to enjoy. So I went to a toy store and bought every single marble they had. I ended up having to visit three toy stores to round-up 1000 marbles. I took them home and put them inside of a large, clear plastic container. Every Saturday since then, I have taken one marble out and thrown it away. I found that by watching the marbles diminish, I focused more on the really important things in life. There is nothing like watching your time here on this earth run out to help get your priorities straight.” “Now let me tell you one last thing before I sign-off with you and take my lovely wife out for breakfast. This morning, I took the very last marble out of the container. I figure if I make it until next Saturday then I have been given a little extra time. And the one thing we can all use is a little more time.” “It was nice to meet you Tom, I hope you spend more time with your family, and I hope to meet you again here on the band. 73 Old Man, this is K9NZQ, clear and going QRT, good morning!” You could have heard a pin drop on the band when this fellow signed off. I guess he gave us all a lot to think about. I had planned to go fishing with some of my buddies this morning, and then I was going to work on the antenna, so I could listen to the game. Instead, I went upstairs and woke my wife up with a kiss. “Come on Honey, I am taking you and the kids to breakfast.” “What brought this on?” she asked with a smile. “Oh, nothing special, it has just been a long time since we spent a Saturday together with the kids. Hey, can we stop at a toy store while we are out? I need to buy some marbles.”
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Wednesday, March 18th, 2009
A study of Stanford University MBA alumni found that a person’s ability to converse and make small talk had a significant impact on their success, while their grade point had no bearing whatsoever
Excerpt from Stanford study:
“. . . a large body of evidence suggests that the curriculum taught in business schools has only a small relationship to what is important for succeeding in business. Porter and McKibbin (1988: 65) noted that many critics felt that quantitatively based analytical techniques received too much attention, while there was too little attention given to developing leadership and interpersonal skills, and too little emphasis on communication skills. Not surprisingly, a survey conducted in 1982 by the Graduate Management Admissions Council came to the same conclusions regarding “perceived weaknesses in personal skills” (Jenkins & Reizenstein, 1984: 21). Mintzberg and Gosling (2002) noted that “contemporary business education focuses on the functions of business more than the practice of managing” (p. 28).Another GMAC survey of first-year graduate students in business from 91 schools asked what attributes they believed were important in business and which attributes they thought were enhanced by the curricula business schools teach. Of 10 traits, only one, communication skills, was perceived by more than 50% of the respondents as being both important and something that business schools improved (Stolzenberg, Abowd, & Giarrusso, 1986: 12). . .This study can be found on -http://www.aomonline.org/Publications/Articles/BSchools.asp#AN0007373679-4
Posted in Conversations, Penny Stones, Quotes, Small Talk, Texting, conversation starters, favorites, ice breakers, icebreakers, kids, parenting, support groups, supports groups | No Comments »
Tuesday, March 17th, 2009
Penny Stones are a unique and elegant ice breaker introduced to the market in July of 2008. With engaging questions like “super power you’d like to have” and “favorite summer memory”, they offer a fun and simple way for people to start conversations and strengthen relationships.
Penny Stones are made of clear glass stones. Our customers have let us know that this makes them more attractive, more durable and more interesting than ice breakers made or cards or paper. Because of their interactive, tactile nature, Penny Stones make a great ice breaker for dinner parties, family gatherings, car trips, business meetings, retreats, weddings, and classroom activities. Playing with Penny Stones creates lasting memories and helps foster improved communication in a fun and non-threatening way.
A set of Penny Stones contains 21 open-ended questions that have been tested and approved by consumers. In true form to the saying, “a penny for your thoughts,” each set comes complete with a prize-winning penny and instructions for two interactive games. Penny Stones are assembled by hand in Cleveland, Ohio by disabled individuals. They are available in select gift, religious/Christian and specialty toy stores nationally as well as at their website, www.pennystones.com.
Posted in Conversations, Games, Gifts, Penny Stones, Small Talk, conversation starters, entrepreneur, favorites, ice breakers, icebreakers, relationships, support groups, supports groups | No Comments »
