: About Me

My name is Helene. I've been divorced, for several years, now. (To paraphrase the comedienne who I heard use the concept, first, I went around SNEEZING, for FOUR YEARS - before I discovered the source of the symptom; I'm apparently ALLERGIC TO CHEAP MEN. Once divorce papers were in and the dissolution had been finalized - the sneezing issue CLEARED RIGHT UP!)

Currently living in Henderson, Nevada, I'm originally from Long Beach, California, although I grew up in the West Los Angeles area of the state.

My father having passed, in '04, my mother and I currently share the two-story house that was theirs, together with my daughter (who's currently "awaiting relief from a SNEEZING ISSUE" - OF HER OWN!), her boyfriend (who WAS NOT what motivated her to "relieve her sneezing"; they met, AFTER the separation!) - and my grandson, Steven, who will be three years old, in January (of '07). It may SOUND "crowded" - but there are, after all, four bedrooms and three bathrooms.

Besides writing (which, "pre-Helium", I was doing mostly in the form of stories for children), I own and play an electronic (piano) keyboard - the kind "with all the bells and whistles" - not to mention the musical instrument sounds, rhythms - and every sound effect from clucking chickens to "ghosts" - from horse hooves to fire crackers! I enjoy drawing, which I do, these days, in "digital freehand", using a graphire pen and tablet and Painter software. I share both of these interests with my grandson, along with my love of cooking, DESPITE my "daunting" size - of five feet tall - and being "compact" enough NOT to "have to lie down and suck in", to get into a size four. (The little guy eats more than I do!)

Besides English, I'm also fluent in French, Spanish and Hebrew, with quite a bit of vocabulary in Russian, German, Italian, Japanese and Hungarian - and does "Yiddish" count? Everyone has always "oo"ed and "ah"ed at hearing about all those languages; for me, I was just tickled to death that the foreign language major exempted me from HAVING TO TAKE ALGEBRA, IN ORDER TO GRADUATE FROM HIGH SCHOOL, since that subject SCARED THE STRIPED PAJAMAS OFF MY ZEBRA, let me tell you!

At any rate, I'm thrilled to have found helium.com; I think it's going to become one of my "comfort zones"!

You're also welcome to visit and see my illustrations for children, at the following URLs:

http://www.myspace.com/j2mtp

http://helene0j2mtp.spaces.live.com/ and

http://justpicturit.wetpaint.com

My passion is ...

- Nobody's business! (Haven't you heard? What happens in 'Vegas -!")

I know too much about ...

- A LOT of things, considering the number of BIRTHDAY CANDLES I'VE BLOWN OUT!

My parents always told me ...

- "Never talk to strangers" - but you CAN'T MEET ANYBODY, that way!

My childhood ambition ...

- Was to get older. (What did I know, at that age, anyhow?!)

My favorite memory ...

Seriously? - Was watching the birth of my grandson!

Why I write ...

- Because your computer CAN'T TELL YOU TO SHUT UP, unless YOU PROGRAM IT TO DO THAT!

What I am reading/watching/listening to ...

I'm listening, right now, to a SQEAKING NOISE that I THINK is the WHEEL IN MY BRAIN TURNING.

My first job ...

- Was at a take-out restaurant called Mr. Chicken. (Oh - and YOU had a BETTER job, at SEVENTEEN?!)

My best moment ...

- Hasn't happened, yet (which, at MY AGE, is DISGUSTING!)

My inspiration ...

- Was probably, at least partly, my father; he was FUNNIER!

Health & Fitness > Kids Nutrition How to teach your toddler to eat well and develop good nutritional habits

2 of 4

At some point in each of our lives, we may very well be called upon to prepare one or more meals - for one or more children. How successful you are at carrying out this task will never affect or alter children's feelings for you, overall, as their parent, grandparent, aunt, best friend's mom, teacher or babysitter. Your efforts can, however, leave children who were in your care, during a mealtime, with either the opinion that you really should consider a career in the kitchen - or else that the experience could fuel their next attempt at creative writing, entitled "That Yucky Stuff She Mad...

More..

Writing:

• Marketplace Approved Writer
• Helium Charter Member