Welcome to Episode 93 of the Adventures with Grammy Podcast. Today’s guest, Tom Long, began performing as the Singing Santa in 1985 when he was 21 years old. He knew that first Christmas he had chosen the right avocation when a curly headed lad with big brown eyes said he wanted to hear Santa say, “Ho. Ho. Ho.”

Throughout the years the Magic of Christmas and watching parents light up when their children sit in Santa’s lap have fueled Tom’s passion for performing as The Singing Santa. An invitation to work with Marie Osmond and an appearance on America’s Got Talent added a bit of spice to his role. When he retires from his day job as the general manager of the largest restaurant chain in Virginia, Tom intends to up his Singing Santa productions and hopes to perform with The Rockettes and during the Macy’s Parade.

Tom says his career as The Singing Santa would not be possible without the support of his wife. Even his three children help out making the Christmas season truly a family affair for the Long household.

I began our interview by asking Tom to talk about his children and how he incorporates them into his performances.

https://www.singingsantaclaus.com

[email protected]

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063570041670

https://youtube.com/user/TheSingingsantaclaus

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Mrs. Claus has a busy schedule, but she stopped by the Adventures with Grammy Podcast to let you know she is ready to bake cookies with your grandchildren, tuck them in with bedtime stories, and gather around the family room to tell stories and sing songs.

We know Mrs. Claus as Debra Weller, our guest on Episode 54, who talked with us about the art of storytelling. Today she will help us count down the days to Christmas … less than 90 days away … and share with us a special story.

Before we hear the story, Debra will give us insight into her professional credentials and continuing education, including a recent conference she attended.

Please visit the show notes to contact Debra and arrange visits with Mrs. Claus or to learn more about storytelling.

gigsalad.com

palmtreesantas.com

DEBRA WELLER-EDUCATOR, STORYTELLER, CONSULTANT

[email protected]

https://youtube.com/c/DebraWellerStoryteller8084

https://memorykpr.com/

https://www.magicpolygon.com/

Sign up for the Adventures with Grammy newsletter by clicking this link or by texting Grammy to 22828 to get started!

To learn more about Adventures with Grammy and books by Carolyn Berry, visit

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To leave feedback about the podcast and to suggest guests and topics, send an e-mail to [email protected]

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Music:

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Welcome to Episode 85 of the Adventures with Grammy Podcast. I am your host, Carolyn Berry. Today’s guest is Jasmine Jimenez, the author of a new collection of children’s books based on true stories of her grandmother. Her first book, Eugenia Hunts for Gemstones, is available, and her second book, Eugenia and the Christmas Dress, is part of a Kickstarter program that needs to be funded by September 4.

To support the Kickstarter program, visit Eugenia and the Christmas Dress by Jasmine Jimenez — Kickstarter

To visit her website, go to Eugenia’s Books – Reading is exercise for the imagination. (eugeniasbooks.com)

E-mail: [email protected]

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eugeniasbooks/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIn93I4JjOg7_i2nqQ6sIvw/videos

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Welcome to Episode 80 of the Adventures with Grammy Podcast. I am your host, Carolyn Berry.

Sarah Beth Goncarova is today’s guest. She is an American writer, composer and visual artist known for poetry, children’s adventure novels, and writing for film and television.

Her company, CLAY GROUSE KIDS, is a groundbreaking indie press and animation studio that specializes in creating books, read-aloud videos, and audiobooks that inspire creativity and curiosity.

Its mission is to help all children, including emerging and reluctant readers, become better readers by creating books that kids want to read, see, and hear over and over again!

Her webtoon series is “Adventures with Abba, and her children’s chapter books are “The Secret Code of the Heartbeat Drum” and “The Curious Case of the Creepy Cave.” Her children’s picture book, “Super Sleuth,” will be available for preorder next month. Her book “Harnessing Light” won the 2020 N.N. Light Award for Poetry. Sarah tells her books through her website and offers signed copies.

As a visual artist, Sarah has been the grant recipient of the Puffin Foundation and Barbara Deming Memorial Fund. Her visual work can be found in the digital archines worldwide, including at Danube University in Austria, the Brooklyn Museum, and Rutgers University Special Collections. She has been a practicing visual artist for more 20 years.

She graciously shared with us the audio version of her book: The Curious Case of the Creepy Cave, which we will broadcast for you today. Gather your grandchildren around. You are in for a delightful treat!

Before I introduce you to Sarah, I invite you to visit my website, adventureswithgrammypodcast.com, and sign up for my newsletter. Thank you in advance.

You need not take notes; you can find each link we mention in the podcast in the show notes!

Let’s give Sarah a hearty welcome!

https://www.claygrousekids.com/

Visit https://adventureswithgrammypodcast.com to learn more about the podcast and how to be a guest.

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To learn about Carolyn’s books, visit https://adventureswithgrammy.com/

Sign up for the Adventures with Grammy newsletter by clicking this link or by texting Grammy to 22828 to get started!

To learn more about Adventures with Grammy and books by Carolyn Berry, visit

https://adventureswithgrammy.com

To leave feedback about the podcast and to suggest guests and topics, send an e-mail to [email protected]

Welcome to the Adventures with Grammy Podcast. I am your host, Carolyn Berry.

My guest for Episode 73 is Greg Payne, the host of the Cool-Grandpa podcast. At 48, Greg learned he soon would become a grandfather. He felt a bit panicky. He didn’t know a thing about being a grandfather, so he asked questions and embarked on a journey to build a community for grandfathers. I began our conversation by asking him about his podcast.

Welcome to the Cool Grandpa website – The Cool Grandpa – (cool-grandpa.us)

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Ivy Butler loves to snap photographs. He’s done so since his children were little, and he is continuing that tradition with his grandchildren. You can view those images on his Instagram site @thegrandfatherdiary. He and his wife were foster parents to numerous children and adopted the last five, which makes him and his wife the parents of seven children and the grandparents of 13.

The Butler Family is of mixed race and experiences challenges many grandparents face: lack of contact with children and grandchildren, long-distance grandparenting, and grandchildren living with grandparents.

Ivy cherishes his family and enjoys the times with them life affords. Part of his handling life’s challenges so graciously comes through being a certified life coach. He says neuroscience has proven one can rewire his or her brain and change one’s life with new input. Listen to his joy of being a grandfather, the impact Earl Nightingale had on his life, and Ivy’s mission to help others learn the value of positive self-talk and the necessity of positive talk with children.

Instagram:

Ivy Butler (@thegrandfatherdiary) • Instagram photos and videos

Ivy Butler (@ivybutlerofficial) • Instagram photos and videos

Facebook

Ivy Butler | Facebook

References made during the interview:

The Strangest Secret by Earl Nightingale (quality recording) – YouTube

Dr. Shad Helmstetter

The Help

Please sign up for my newsletter by visiting my website: https://adventureswithgrammy.com and clicking the newsletter signup link, or text to join! Start by texting Grammy to 22828.

A quick reminder that my family history storytelling journals are available for sale on my website. Family history is important, and your story is important, but you must “write it down to pass it down.” (TM) The journals are filled with tips to do just that. To learn more visit adventureswithgrammy.com.

The Adventures with Grammy Podcast is pleased to welcome Storyteller Debra Weller, a creative performance artist using oral tradition storytelling, puppets and music to engage her audiences and students.

Debra began her career as a Storyteller more than forty years ago in New Jersey as part of the Annie Lynn Storytellers. They performed in schools, libraries, festivals and the Philadelphia Folk Festival. After a move to California, she helped to form the non-profit, South Coast Storytellers Guild. In California, she led storytelling camps, after school storytelling clubs, performed at schools, libraries and festivals as well as teaching kindergarten for thirty years.

She was the Storyteller in Residence at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles for six months. Her favorite character is Mrs. Santa Storyteller. Three years ago, she moved to Florida and has served as the president of the Tale Tellers of St. Augustine and on the Board of Directors of the Florida Storytelling Association. Debra has taught workshops from docent training to teacher professional development. Storytelling has taken her to China, Vietnam, and Scotland.

During the past two years, Debra has been presenting at international, virtual conferences and storytelling concerts. Her presentations deliver quality professional development and entertainment. In June 2021, she presented a workshop, Storytelling the Heart of the Curriculum for Early Childhood Development Forum and was a speaker at the Sphere of Influence Forum.

She provides voice overs for the Magic Polygon Storytelling App and is a frequent guest teller on Basket of Talez podcast. She offers online education and virtual coaching on her web site: https://story-tellingcourses.com and her YouTube channel. She is driven by a personal philosophy to provide valuable, educational experiences and performances for children and adults to bring stories alive!

DEBRA WELLER-EDUCATOR, STORYTELLER, CONSULTANT

https://youtube.com/c/DebraWellerStoryteller8084

https://memorykpr.com/

https://www.magicpolygon.com/

Learn about the Adventures with Grammy’s books at https://adventureswithgrammy.com

The books are My Family Tree for children ages 5-12; My Life in Pictures: A Legacy Journal for Teens; and Snap Shots of My Life for adults.