By Kakie Fitzsimmons

This year, a den leader by the name of Ann spoke with some parents new to scouting. She shared the story of her role as a parent in scouting and how she came to be a den leader. It happened when her oldest son, Frank, was a Tiger Cub. She shared what being a leader in boy scouts had meant for her relationship with her sons. Her stories played a role in helping some step forward and volunteer to lead.. Read the rest of this entry »

A while back, we had a post here on the Bur Bur and Friends Community Blog called “Putting Family First, How do we Make it a Priority?. The article talks about the importance of family rituals and creating our own traditions with our kids. Perhaps this year is a time to do something new or different with your kids to create memories for them. Read the rest of this entry »

Family values are important to us and a motivating factor in what helped us during the creation of the award winning Bur Bur and Friends children’s book series and products. We believe it is important to educate kids about sports and outdoor exploration in diverse ways. We also wanted to encourage families to get active together and to do it in a way that reflects the real world of today.

This time of year is a perfect opportunity for us to think about all we have to be thankful for. We want to express our gratitude for your ongoing support through purchasing our products and telling others about the good messages we are working to get out to families and communities all over the world.

On behalf of Farmer’s Hat Productions, we want to thank you for your support and wish you all the very best. May you take time to slow down and enjoy the beauty in this time of year. We look forward to staying connected.

Wishing you and yours happy holidays with warmest personal regards.

JoAnne and Kakie

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By Kristin Schumacher

Three years ago my husband accepted a new job in another state. We have three children and the plan was to put our house on the market in Minnesota and move after the sale. This all happend around the time that the housing market was flailing. Unbeknownst to us, the sale of our home took longer and cost more than we expected which created challenges for us. We had the house on the market for over a year and during that time, my husband was commuting weekly to his new job six hours away. When it finally sold, we moved from our 4000 square foot home in Winona, Minnesota, to a temporary 1700 square foot townhome in a south Chicago suburb. We have lived there now for about two years. Read the rest of this entry »

JoAnne Paste and Kakie Fitzsimmons, creators and co-authors of the award winning Bur Bur and Friends children’s book series were guests on St. Paul/Minneapolis 107.1 FM radio on the segment called; “Cool Women doing Cool Things” with Stephanie Hansen. Listen to the Podcast in the link below. Read the rest of this entry »

By Kakie Fitzsimmons

The sound of laughter from children, seeing them have a desire to learn and explore new things, teaching them, learning from them, watching them have a desire to be part of something larger than themselves, etc. These are just a few things out of so many to be thankful for. Read the rest of this entry »

JoAnne Pastel, Founder and President of Farmers Hat Productions and co-author of the award winning Bur Bur and Friends children’s book series, will be interviewed on the St. Paul Minneapolis television show, Crossroads , a weekly, 30-minute show that focuses on the Twin Cities’ minority community, will highlight the many cultural happenings in our area. Crossroads can be seen every Sunday at 7:30 a.m. on Channel 45 (that’s Cable Channel 12).

The interview with JoAnne will broadcast on November 16th at 7:30 a.m. on Channel 45

By Kakie Fitzsimmons

We elected Barack Obama to be the 44th President of the United States of America. Seeing all of this happen at this level in such a public way makes it real for many people who thought they would never see this day. Read the rest of this entry »

America, we want you to get out and vote today. Let us not forget those who have struggled so that we could have the right to vote. It is a privilege and an honor. If you are not sure where to go, be sure to click here and enter the information to find out!

http://www.vote411.org/bystate.php

It’s a new day!

-Kakie and JoAnne Read the rest of this entry »

Sun Country Airlines has been ranked the Top Domestic Airlines by Condé Nast Reader’s Choice Awards in the Top 10 Domestic Airlines category. Condé Nast Traveler is the worlds premier travel magazine. Read the rest of this entry »

Technorati Profile

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports that children who have one hour or more of physical activity per day receive substantial benefits. Read the rest of this entry »

By Kakie Fitzsimmons

Last winter I was at a business conference where we broke off into small groups for a discussion about personal growth and what has shaped us in our lives. There were at least three men at my table, all over the age of 40, and every one of them talked about being a boy scout. I don’t have any brothers, so what they said amazed me and helped me understand why we needed to jump on board this year for my seven year old to join cub scouts. Read the rest of this entry »

A New Chapter On Realism : JoAnne Pastel is creating children’s books that mirror social diversity. by Carolyn Will

Art imitates life, or so JoAnne Pastel thought until she went looking for books to read with her young son, William. “I didn’t find anything out there that reflected real-life characters living in diverse families like ours, or portraying multi-cultural traits, like my son’s African-American hair,” says Pastel. Any books she found typically used animal characters to show diversity. Click here to read the full article Read the rest of this entry »

We are pleased to announce the arrival of Jacqueline Marie, Born June 28th, 2008 to mom, JoAnne and dad, Bill.

There is no question that being a big brother is an important job. We recently interviewed William (a.k.a. ‘Bur Bur’) about his experience.

Q: I understand that you are the best big brother in the world, is that true?
A: Yes, it is true

Q: I can tell you are probably a really good helper, how do you help with your little sister?
A: I help her goes to sleep, kiss her, hold her and I feed her one time!

Q: What is your favorite part about being a big brother?
A: I get to snuggle with her. I am a good snuggler

You have been doing a terrific job William, we are VERY proud of you!

We invite everyone to leave comments below! Read the rest of this entry »

The School Library Journal is the world’s largest reviewer of books, multimedia, and technology for children and teenagers. Amy Bowllan, writer for The School Library Journal, recently commented on our new book, Anna Goes Hiking, on her blog. Read the rest of this entry »