Harlem Shake by SendOutCards

Many people know I am a fan of SendOutCards.com and a fan of these Harlem Shake videos.
Well, here is a Harlem Shake video from the production room over at SendOutCards and I think it's super-fun-




If you wanna know why I like SendOutCards so much, and how I earn a bunch of extra money using it, then check out THIS LINK

"Half-Assed is better than Whole"- Says the New York Times

HALF ASSED IS BETTER THAN WHOLE...

That's right people, I've been vindicated by none other than the New York Times.
The article says that after a long study that a bunch of women worked out in groups- some at twice a week, some at four times, and some at six.

And at the end, the twice and four times a week groups got BETTER RESULTS than the 6 times a week women.

As I wrote about in Half-Assed Health- How To Look Good Naked WITHOUIT Starving, Suffering, or Surgery, 3 times a week is ideal, and you do NOT need to kill yourself doing it.


 When are you going to stop acting like it's so HARD to work out, when it's not-

You can LOOK GOOD NAKED within 90 days, from almost any point- and MY BOOK will help you do that without killing yourself over it. I only work out 3 times a week, and today I had 2 donuts, and 5 Munchkins... by myself!

IT'S NOT AS DIFFICULT AS THEY SAY.

3 Tips to Teach Your Child How to Read PENGUIN BOOKS!

3 Tips to Teach Your Child How to Read

by Bones | on February 22, 2013

What Kind Of Penguin Are You?

WE REACHED BEST SELLER STATUS!

One of my goals in writing “What Kind Of Penguin Are You?” was to make it understandable and repetitive enough to helps children learn how to read it on their own. The “OWL SURPRISE” is something kids pick up right away, and are excited about it.

Below are a few reading tips from Children Learning Reading that many find effective.

I hope you enjoy them, and use them in your Story Time!

3 Tips to Teach Children How to Read

By: Children Learning Reading

Learning to read at a young age is important for the development of the child. It helps them develop a better understand of their surroundings, allows them to gather information from printed materials, and provides them with a wonderful source of entertainment when they read stories and rhymes. Children develop at different rates, and some children will develop reading skills quicker than other children; however, what’s important is that as the parent, you are keenly aware of your child’s maturity and reading level to provide them with appropriate books and activities to help them improve.

As parents, you are the most important teacher for your children. You will introduce your child to books and reading. Below we have some tips to help you teach your child to read.

Teach Your Child How to Read Tip #1

Teach your child alphabet letters and sounds at the same time. Studies have shown that children learn best when they are taught the letter names and letter sounds at the same time. In one study, 58 preschool children were randomly assigned to receive instructions in letter names and sounds, letter sound only, or numbers (control group). The results of this study are consistent with past research results in that it found children receiving letter name and sound instruction were most likely to learn the sounds of letters whose names included cues to their sounds. [1]

When teaching your child the letter sounds, have them slowly trace the letter, while saying the sound of the letter at the same time. For example, if you were teaching your child the letter “A”, you would say:

“The letter A makes the /A/ (ah) sound.”

Then have your child say the /A/ sound while tracing the letter with his or her index finger.

Teaching a Child How to Read Tip #2

When teaching your child to read, always emphasize with them that the proper reading order should be from left to right, and top to bottom. To adults, this may seem so basic that anyone should know it. However, our children are not born with the knowledge that printed text should be read from left to right and top to bottom, and this is why you’ll sometimes see children reading from right to left instead – because they were never explicitly taught to read from left to right. When teaching your child how to read, always emphasize this point with them.

Teach Your Child How to Read Tip #3

Teach final consonant blends first. Teaching words such “at” and “and” can lead your child directly to learning words that rhyme with these. For example, for “at”, you can have:

Lat
Pat
Mat
Cat
Sat
Bat
Spat
Chat

For “and”, you can have these rhyming words:

Sand
Band
Land
Hand
Stand
Bland
Brand
Grand
and so on…

You can start teaching blends once your child has learned the sounds of some consonants and short vowel sounds. You don’t need to wait until your child has mastered the sounds of all the letters before teaching blends.

Learning to read is a long process, but it doesn’t have to be a difficult process. Broken down into intuitive and logical steps, a child as young as two years old can learn to read, and older children can accomplish even more.

>> Click here to for a simple, step-by-step program that can teach your children how to read, and watch a video of a 2 year old child reading

Are you a SUPER Penguin?

"SUPER PENGUIN SPECIAL":

OK-OK- Maybe 10,000 is a little much, but how's ONE THOUSAND?

Can we make it to 1,000 downloads
by MIDNIGHT 2/14/2013 ?

Enter your email below, and then continue..

 

"Help Me Super Penguin... You're My Only Hope!"

Yesterday I released my first book for children- "What Kind Of Penguin Are YOU?" for FREE and I plan to keep it that way until midnight on Valentine's Day, but I have a goal-

I want the book to get 1,000 FREE Downloads.

Why? Well, more people will see the book, and parents cruising Amazon for a book for their kids will see it, and enjoy it with their kids, and wouldn't that be awesome?

But I can't do it alone, and yesterday, my AWESOME FRIENDS have been passing along my webpage and sharing it, and making me feel fantastic- but I need it to go further if it's going to break out past my personal contacts and be seen over the Disney's and the Toy-inspired books.

So I figured out a plan- but I need help- From SUPER PENGUINS

When you share something on facebook, there's a little "Promote" button right under your post.:

I'm asking you to hit that "promote" button for me, and that would be SUPER!

It'll cost you $7. 

Yes- I know, I'm asking you to spend your money on MY promotion, and even though I don't get a cent out of any of this, I figure I should compensate you for the $7... here's what I figured out:

1- You OF COURSE get the Book- "What Kind Of Penguin Are YOU?" FREE at Amazon (click now)

2- Amazon will ask if you want to post that you downloaded the book, and you can click "Share"- (If you already did, just share that) When you post, just comment on it saying "I'm a SUPER PENGUIN!"

When I reach 1,000 downloads- I will add these bonuses for EVERYONE on the list:

3- I will send out 4 NEW PENGUINS that you can download as a .pdf, along with the bonuses I included in the first book- a coloring penguin and instructions for making a Paper Penguin Beak.

4- You will get VIP treatment at a show that I do with Freestyle Repertory Theatre in New York sometime.

4- You'll be on my list, and be the FIRST to learn about the next books I release!

All for hitting that $7 "promote" button, (of which I get 0- it all goes to Zuckerberg, but that's cool- he deserves it)

So- If you're down with that, and want to be a SUPER PENGUIN. please post THIS WEBPAGE and click "Promote".

THANK YOU SUPER PENGUIN- YOU'RE MY HERO!!!

How To Make a Paper Penguin Beak For YOUR Children

A Paper Penguin Beak for Children

Now that you have a copy of "What Kind Of Penguin Are YOU?", your little one might want to show off their creativity. Why not  discover what kind of Penguin they see themselves as? You can start by printing out this coloring penguin, and having your child draw on it and color it in.

Then you might want to get more 3-D and create a Paper Penguin Beak that they can wear around the house and flap their wings and shuffle their feet. Children (and adults!) love playing with things they've made, just like something you've cooked tastes better because YOU did it. Let's give your kids that fun too!

This is a great craft to get them engaged, and remind them of the different kind of Penguins in the book. You can also teach them about other kinds of birds along the way. Thanks to EHow for these great instructions:

Things You'll Need For Your Paper Penguin Beak:

• Construction paper
• Scissors
• Glue

Instructions To Make a Paper Penguin Beak:

1. Fold one corner of a sheet of orange or yellow construction paper to the opposite side, matching up the edges evenly. You should have a triangular flap and about 2 inches of paper sticking out from the bottom on one side.

2. Cut off the 2 inches of paper that sticks out from the triangle. Unfold the triangle from bottom to top so that it looks like a diamond shape with a horizontal crease through the middle.

 Sponsored Link- How Does This 35-Year Old Mom Stay At Home With Her Children, But Make More Money Than Her Husband?

3. Put glue along two bottom edges of the diamond. Fold the triangle down along the crease again and press the edges together. Let the glue dry for a few minutes.

4. Fold the triangle in half from left to right. Crease well and unfold the paper. Make sure the crease forms a peak and the top edge of the triangle is still the folded edge.

5. Fold the top edge of the triangle down about 1/2 inch. Crease well. Punch a hole in both sides of the triangle under the small flap you just made.

6. Cut two pieces of string 1 foot long. Tie an end of one of the strings through the hole in one side of the triangle. Tie an end of the other piece of string through the other hole. Wear your construction paper penguin beak mask by placing the folded edge over your nose and tying the two pieces of string together behind your head

Now You Have a Paper Penguin Beak For Children!

GET THIS FREE BONUS FOR KIDS

Books for Children- "What Kind Of Penguin Are YOU?"

If you're looking for books for children, "What Kind Of Penguin Are YOU?" may be what you're looking for...

Written by a 12-year veteran of Performing for Kids, "What Kind Of Penguin Are YOU?" is one of the rare books for children that talks directly to the reader.

The question is asked so that your child may ask themselves who they want to be- but not "when they grow up", but Who They Want To Be RIGHT NOW, then you'll understand why this is one of the special books for children.

John "Bones" Rodriguez has been performing with Freestyle Repertory Theatre for the past 12 years, and they are the #1 Assembly group in the Tri-State area of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

You may have seen their video about the shows they do in schools, but they have also been doing writing workshops, so they have EXTENSIVE experience entertaining and educating children.

Now that author John "Bones" Rodriguez has started writing Books for Children, he intends on writing several more to bring parents and their children to experience some joy together.

There will be a special LIMITED-TIME FREE OFFER for the bonus book- Get on the mailing list to get the offer:

Email:

We respect your email privacy

-->

There are Many Books For Children- Why "What Kind Of Penguin Are YOU?"

As a performer, I often hear children talking about what they want to be "when they grow up" instead of what they want to be NOW. Many children don't know that they can choose what they want to be at ANY MOMENT, and the freedom and fun that comes with that CHOICE.

You can sign up now and get on the mailing list for future books for children from John "Bones" Rodriguez on his personal website.

SendOutCards? Here's What They Won't Tell You...

SendOutCards- What They Won't Tell You...

There are a lot of people who have taken a look at SendOutCards and have asked if it's a scam, or if people are making any money.

According to them it's a great service, and easy to sell, so you might as well join. However, what you might not have heard is that just like everything else, it requires some work to build a SendOutCards business.

I first saw SendOutCards when someone gave me a random call and wanted to "Show me something"... I was suspicious, but I said sure.

Next thing I knew, I was making a greeting card for my wife over the web, and when I realized that the card was going to be sent through the REAL mail, I was like:

"AWESOME- SIGN ME UP!"

I just thought it was such a great way to make my wife or anyone else feel great- I mean, who gets cards anymore? I also saw what a great tool it would be for any business trying to get attention. But then they said I could make money by telling other people about it!

 "AWESOME- SIGN ME UP!"

So then I called some friends who said they wanted to make some money and talked to them about it...

They weren't into it.

 I talked to some other people... They weren't into it either.

Then my sponsor asked me something: "Bones- did you TALK to them, or did you SHOW them? Isn't that how YOU saw it?" Well that changed everything!

SendOutCards- Show and Tell

SHOWING people and having them send a card is the most effective way of helping people see what a no-brainer it can be- for the right person.

Here's your BEST way to Make Money with SendOutCards:

Have people who ALREADY HAVE A BUSINESS send a card on the system, and then ask if they'd like to join as a customer, or as a distributor.

And if you want to do it automatically, I use THIS SYSTEM to do it.

So now, I DO NOT "talk to people" about it, I SHOW them how it works, and let the system to the work.

I've made money with it, and it remains one of my favorite services on the web. I HIGHLY recommend you get started today, DO NOT TRY TO TALK PEOPLE INTO IT, and instead SHOW them how we can all make people feel great and make some money doing it!

SendOutCards is a great way to make people feel great, help businesses market, and to make money from home, even if it does take some work...

Sounds good to me- by now, you think so too, don't you?

GET STARTED HERE

Mandy Evans Asks: “What YOUR Emotional Options”?

Did you know that every second of your life is filled with "Emotional Options"?

That high-faluting question is actually super-simple and obvious, but I had never considered it until I read Mandy Evan's book "Emotional Options".

You know I'm a big reader, and after reading this powerful and simple book (It's only 50 pages), I became Facebook friends with Mandy and really enjoy her postings.

Speaker, writer, coach and seminar leader, Mandy Evans teaches people a VERY FAST process that she calls "The Option Method" to help people BE HAPPIER. She is a contributing author to four books by Joe Vitale including bestsellers, “The Attractor Factor” and “The Key.” The are several videos of the two of them discussing life and happiness, and he often credits her for his growth:
Joe Vitale Introduces Mandy Evans

My copy of "Emotional Options" is highlighted all over the place, and I even DOUBLE starred this passage:

"To believe I need something requires, by definition, that I also believe I cannot be okay without that something. It may be an object, or an experience that I desire. In this view of reality, if I don't get it, that very not-getting threatens my well-being, my hopes for happiness, my ability to be okay. When i use un-happiness in order to help myself get what I want, or to get you to give me what I want, I live in that need. That experience is self-extinguishing- it is the state of non-being. The very thing I do to help myself cripples me, choking the life force and my ability to create." I know- it sounds like a lot, but by the time she gets there, it's pretty profound.

Anyway, I hope that you take the time to look Mandy up, get some of her work, and help yourself BE MORE HAPPY by exploring your "Emotional Options".

Barry Manilow wins Best Segue Ever Award

You Ask Why I'm A Barry Manilow Fan?

Because he just won the Best Segue Ever award from me!

Last night I went to see BARRY MANILOW in concert at the St. James Theater with my mom.
It was a GREAT show; he was so crowd-pleasing, humble, and fun! A true professional with an amazing catalog.

My mom used to listen to his records when I was little, and they all stuck with me. So, when the chance came up for us to go together, it was a really nice thing I could do with her, and we had a wonderful time together. Here's my cute mom:

He was such a professional, I had no choice but to make this awesome quote that he made last night, (paraphrased a little bit by me).

They gave out glow sticks, I sang along with all of the over-50 crowd, and it was great. Someone really oughtta start remaking his stuff- I think the emotionality of his songs is still very powerful- Sad, depressing, but also uplifting and exciting. Great Job Barry!

How To Make Any Woman Touch Herself… THERE.

Men Touch themselves all the time… 

This is How To Make Any Woman Touch Herself… There.

Some women require a little bit of time, some need some coaching and a feeling of safety.

But some just need a new secret guy to ask her:

I can’t say I’m not jealous… I am definitely jealous, but hey- it’s for a good cause, right?

I mean, this may be an even better aphrodisiac than making a lot of money with this simple blogging system!

Ladies- Share this post with your women friends… and get a woman to touch herself.

Men- If you care, you’ll share this, and make  your woman touch herself.

And um…. feel free to send me pictures!

Tags: breast cancer, men breast cancer, woman touch herself, women touching themselves

Watching The Golden Globes...

Will I EVER amount to anyhting? Will I ever do anything that anyone cares about? Will I ever be interested in car commercials, or will I be pathetic and have no belief that I can even look at them? I am so much older than my lack of success should be. I am not as young as my lack of success usually is.

I really gotta stop watching these awards shows...

For the Parents I know...

I watched my friend crying at the end of Les Miz, and thought to myself:

How fascinating it is to imagine...

A piece of me has left, and now it turns around, looks back at me, and calls me Daddy.

-And I love it.

But that’s not all. It’s also the realization that what I created wasn’t just my own, but my wife’s too. And her own mommy and daddy, and my own mommy and daddy.

Am I just them, looking back at themselves? Do they love it as much? More?

But even more fascinating to me is that- We are all just parts of ourselves and eachother, looking back, marvelling and quarrelling about, kissing and missing... ourselves.

And the Trees, the Oceans, and the Mountains that we came out of watch us look back at them;
and the Planet looks at the trees, oceans and mountains and says “That is me, and now they are looking back at me- and I love them”.

And the stars look at the planets, and the galaxies at the stars.

And they cry with joy, knowing that love is never-ending, because we are just us, looking at ourselves, from the stars, wanting our happiness, and willing to give everything of ourselves to give it to...

You.

The Perfect Breakfast

What is the Perfect Breakfast?

Ok, so I know that many people are on the go, and they just want something to eat before they have to be wherever they're going, and if it does the job then great.

But I also know that many people have coffee because they want an energy boost to start the day, so they can start making money at whatever they're doing.

 Well what if you could eat something that were quick, easy, and gave you that boost that also prevents you from being hungry for hours, was easy to digest, and was actually HEALTHY for you?

Wouldn't that be the perfect breakfast?

The Perfect Breakfast To Look Good Naked

The video gives you my recipe for the Perfect Breakfast, and it has everything you need in a meal to get you going- AND provides you with the servings of Fruits and Vegetables you need in the day!

Perfect Breakfast Recipe:

1-2 Cups of Orange Juice 1 Banana (frozen or unfrozen)
1-2 scoops of BIOTRUST Low-Carb Protein Powder
1 Serving of SCOOP OF SEXY Green Drink Powder.

 Optional: 3 Frozen Strawberries, small handful of Frozen Blueberries, or any other frozen fruit you'd like to add for taste or variety. Blend together and drink it down!

Play with your own recipes, but know that the Banana, the BIOTRUST PROTEIN and the SCOOP OF SEXY make the Perfect Breakfast ingredients so that you can go and be Half-Assed Healthy!

Here's why- The energy you get from the sugars in the fruits are longer-lasting than the carbs you'll get from a bagel, and the bagel will eventually put a ring around your belly. Not good naked. The Scoop Of Sexy powder will help to detox and rid your body of the build-up of other foods and non-digestibles because of all of the super-greens in it. The protein is high-quality, and will burn longer, staving off hunger.

If you'd like to know how else to Look Good Naked, buy a copy of  "Half-Assed Health- How To Look Good Naked WITHOUT Starving, Suffering, or Surgery!" from Amazon. 

Looking Good Naked is EASY if you do it Half-Assed!

In The Heights- Usnavi, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Bones Rodriguez

This post is going to sound very self-serving, but stick with me here...

I love the musical IN THE HEIGHTS by Lin-Manuel Miranda, about a group of neighbors in Washington Heights, and what happens when one of them wins the lotto. The main character and narrator USNAVI is a complicated part, and when performed well, can really bring the audience an understanding of the theme of home and family. Lately, I have noticed that less and less people understand this, and many directors are making a terrible mistake in their casting...

I recently finished performing as USNAVI in the musical IN THE HEIGHTS by Lin-Manuel Miranda, and I loved doing it. I found that the part is perfectly in my skill range, and feel connected to the character in many ways.

One of them is that although he is part of his Latino community, there's definitely a part of him that feels outside of it. The main theme of the play is finding the definition of "Home", and for Usnavi, his journey and discovery is what the play is about.

He is a Latino who doesn't dance particularly well, his singing in the show is minimal, and he raps most of the show, almost as an outside narrator, which furthers the theme of finding home.

Which is where I see people in casting messing this up over and over again.

Having seen a number of performances live and online now, I notice that very often a director will cast a "Musical Theatre" baby as Usnavi, and audition his beautiful voice, and see how good of a dancer he is, and then throw on the costume and BOOM- Usnavi!

But they never see if the person can ACT like an OUTSIDER in a musical, and then they also forget to see if the person can convey STORYLINES in RAP form.

I keep seeing these "Musical Theatre babies" do Usnavi songs with wide arm sweeps, as if they were performing in THE SOUND OF MUSIC, or rapping like they see people in music videos- completely forgetting to CONVEY THE WORDS that Lin-Manuel created for the part.

I also see these same performers do obviously graceful movements as they glide across the stage instead of TELLING THE STORY of an outsider, walking in New York, who feels a little disconnected even though he's in the middle of everything.

Lin-Manuel Miranda, the originator and creator of In The Heights is NOT one of these "Musical Theatre babies", as he's demonstrated to his critics. His vocals are not particularly melodic, but he CONVEYS HIS STORY through his words. He grew up listening to KRS-ONE, BIG PUN, and several other NY rappers who were known for their clever rhymes and word pictures. Not many people get that-

But I do.

And here's the self-serving part of this post.

When I was performing Usnavi, from rehearsal through to final bow, I knew that there was a STORY to be told that came WAAAAYYY before knowing the Choreography, and way before perfecting vocal notes.

It was more important to me that the theatre-going audience know what the HELL I was talking about, because most of them weren't used to listening to rap lyrics. Even the rap fans of today are more used to hearing highly produced hip-hop tracks with catchy choruses more than intricate rhyming, so even they need the rapping to be COMMUNICATED instead of "theatrical".

When I performed Usnavi, who grew up rapping in the streets with his buddies, I performed him like he was a REAL PERSON, not a "musical theatre protagonist". I grew up on the upper west side of Manhattan, way before it was filled with strollers and Whole Foods customers. We went to school and RAPPED to each other, making up bad rhymes, and listening to the Ol' Skool rappers. USNAVI is a REAL PERSON to many of us, and I think that's why so many of us take so much pride in the show Lin-Manuel created.

I'm not saying all of this to toot my own horn, but to ask that directors take CARE of this fantastic show, because to some of us- IT'S PERSONAL.

IT'S PERSONAL to have someone tell our story.
IT'S PERSONAL that other people who wouldn't normally sit through a rap/latin music set for 2 hours come out singing and feeling like they were PART of something.
IT'S PERSONAL to me that a director SEE THE POINT before they choose to mount their "show"

For the usual melodic musical theatre hero, you have Benny.
For the usual belting female songs, you have Nina, Abuela and Daniella.
For the clown, you have Sonny and Carla.

The usual templates are there- just like in Fiddler on The Roof- but this is a show that's ABOUT something too.

So for USNAVI, you need someone who can play an outsider version of all of them- and that's when people will believe that he's lonely in the middle of a crowd of friends, that's when people will believe that he feels lost without Abuela, and that's when people will CHEER when he finally gets that kiss from Vanessa.

Instead of having these oh-so-passionate and over-the-top vegas acts twist and emote through the part, why not look for someone who understands what "Fo!" means to begin with, and can tell someone else?

Please stop auditioning Musical Theatre Singer/Dancers and look for ACTORS who can RAP- then you'll have that USNAVI that actually conveys what happens in those couple of days in the life of what it's like-

In Washington Heights.

and here's my ad:




I also wrote two other blog posts about In The Heights:
HERE and HERE.