My name is Cat - also known as Miss Cat, The Free Book Fairy (and momma ♥).
This blog has been created so that I can help create a love of reading in children and inspire parents to want to be a part of that journey. There are so many great things I want to share with you about the joys of reading, literacy, and books. 📚
For the sake of clarity, I am an Independent Consultant for Usborne Books & More. This blog is NOT going to be a salesy "Please buy my books" kind of blog. While I will be posting often about specific titles and specials that we offer, there will be so many more important posts and stories that I want to share with you.
Here are a few things you can expect to see on this blog:
- Author interviews
- Stories from authors on how they came to be writers
- The stories behind the books
- Literary quotes
- Free printables:✂
- Color sheets
- Puppets
- Word Search
- Anagram puzzles
- Crossword puzzles
- Mazes
- Word Scrambles
- For teachers and homeschool educators:📌
- Questions for before and after reading the book
- Teachers tips
- Discussion questions
- Music, words & rhyme
- Activity ideas
- Vocabulary
- Science & discovery activities
- Color science activities
- Art activities
- Thank you's & Shout outs for sending me snail mail (address at the bottom of this post.)
- Shout outs to children for obtaining achievements
- Shout outs to teachers (from parents and social media)
- Motivation for reading
- Information on fund-raising opportunities
- Spotlight on specific books and themes
- Local event info
- Special offers for my 🌸VIP group (*Free bookmark for each of your kids when you sign up!)
The idea of getting the children in your life (whether they be your children, students, youth group, family or friends) excited about the magic of reading is what motivated me to get this blog going. I am looking forward to connecting with everyone that comes to visit me here and at my events.
Here is the story of how I found Usborne Books & More:
I found out I was having baby #3 in early 2011 and was super excited! My kids were 10 and 13 at the time so I was starting all over! After all of the obvious things (crib, clothes, diapers...sanity) that I would need, I knew I would need new baby books!! Our home library consisted of textbooks, self-help books and romance novels - none which were fit for a newborn. So I hopped online and found a couple of "mom" forums for recommendations.
I found a woman (the all amazing Kim) that was a consultant and leader for Usborne Books & More, a children's book company. I fell in love. I loved the books, the people, the magic. I only bought the consultant kit because it was a great deal on the books and I wanted to be able to have access to the discount it provided me. It didn't take long for me to get hooked though.
At the time I was an Independent Consultant for a very large, well-known company. I had built a team of over 50 people and was fairly successful. However, the CEO of that corporation stepped down that year and the company (in my opinion) took a nose dive. While the products remained timeless and popular, the people and business ethics of the group changed dramatically - and not in a positive light. At one point it was suggested that we "give-away" all of our profits for a two week period so that we could build customer relationships. However, building relationships with my customers was not going to put food on the table.
The same year that the CEO of that corporation stepped down, was the same year that I went to the UBAM Convention in Tulsa, OK for the very first time. I literally DANCED with the CEO of UBAM that weekend and he is an active friend on my Facebook account to this day. He personally has sent motivating messages to consultants and even made a phone call to one to tell her amazing she was.♥ Not to mention he made the bold decision to stop offering our books for sale to Amazon because it was hurting the pocketbooks of the consultants. That could have been devastating for the company, but he made the right call and the company to date is a financial success. That is the kind of company I want to be a part of.
However, in 2016 I took a little step back from UBAM. My little guy was starting pre-K, my two oldest were in high school so the mom-taxi had officially been opened. I also had been studying medical billing because I'm a nerd and thoroughly enjoy it and had been offered a great job. I still worked on UBAM, just not primarily.
I began thinking about all of the great things I had the opportunity of being a part of. During the 5 years, I was a part of UBAM, I participated and raised money for various charities and organizations. Helped schools, daycares, churches and homeschool educators build their libraries. I had the amazing opportunity to watch children's eyes light up as I passed around our plushies at schools I did book readings for. Vendor events are a ton of fun! There is just something about a family coming up to our booth and watching the parent's eyes light up with joy when they see their child pick up a book and sit down to read it just after the parents told me that they couldn't get them to open a book at home. Not to mention when I can offer books to families that have children with learning disabilities and explain why the books will help keep the child engaged, it makes my heart happy.
Fast-forward to now. I had the opportunity to be a part of so many great things through UBAM that I knew I wanted and needed to be a part of it again. I wanted to get back to the books and the people and of course, the magic. My oldest son is a Senior🎓 (and will be graduating in June), my daughter is a Sophomore (in Color Guard 🏴 and trying out for the dance team for next year) and my little guy is just about to graduate 𝕂indergarten. I realized that while I love the medical billing industry, I didn't want to be a part of it in the corporate arena. So in February 2018, I quit my job and started working from home. Not only am I still studying and earning new certifications in the medical billing industry (because again, I am a giant nerd 🤓 and kinda proud of it), I have the opportunity to go big with UBAM. I was working full-time when I was a part of UBAM before and didn't have the time I would liked to have had to commit to it. I reached out to Kim for guidance and she helped me get going again. I AM SO EXCITED!!! 😀
I will be going to convention this summer and absolutely can't wait to see all of my friends. It will be a magical weekend no doubt. That honestly is what books mean to me...magic.
This blog is the beginning of my new journey and I can't wait for you and your children/students to join me! I promise to bring you all of the love and joy I have for reading and share the magic with all of you.❤️
*🌸VIP Club: Upon signing up I will send you a newsletter by email every month, special offers once or twice a month, free birthday and special event reminders by text or email AND free bookmarks for your kiddos. Families: one free bookmark for each child with their name written somewhere on it. Teachers & Educators: Please email me at Freebookfairy@gmail.com for information on how to get bookmarks for your classroom/school/library/church/organization.
🐌Snail Mail Surprises Club: This club is for anyone, but especially for military parents, grandparents, family, and friends that do not live near a child that they want to sign up. The child will receive a book every month. The from address will be my PO Box to avoid lost mail, but the name on the package can be Pops, Nana, Aunty, Momma, Daddy, Santa...really anything you want it to be! (If you choose the Santa program, the book comes with a note from Santa and notes something good the child has done that month.) Note: This is not a UBAM sponsored program, it is offered by me personally.
Connect with me!
FreeBookFairy@gmail.com
www.FreeBookFairy.com
Twitter: @FreeBookFairy
Instagram: @FreeBookFairy
Pinterest: @Wahmcat (FreeBookFairy board)
Medical Billing Blog - all things medical billing
WAHMCat - Work at home mom Cat Blog - all about being a work at home mom, recipes, tips, tricks, crafts, and a little bit of venting from time to time...you get the idea. 😉
Also - I LOVE mail and penpals (like real snail-mail penpals). Drawings from your children/students would be amazing!! I also love post cards from around the world, newspaper clippings on special student achievements, pictures of your kiddos reading, etc.
Write me and send me stuff at:
WAHMCat
PO Box 121861
Fort Worth, TX 76121
I will send a thank you card and/or give a shout out on my blog!!
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