Our Count the World with Me app is working its way through the menagerie of that creative process and “should” be done and in the Apple store within the next 4 weeks. (There I go again setting deadlines!)

It is of course looking spectacular with puzzles, match games, educational fun, and entertaining interactivity going on, all the while teaching numbers 1-10. Kids will be able to collect stars and stickers as they collaborate with kids from all over the world to learn their numbers!  Look at all the excitement going on!!

We are “counting” down the days and anxious to share all the fun!  When it is done we will let you know and you can join with us  doing this fun jig that we learned from our cute friends in Nairobi, Kenya.

You know you can’t wait!!!

Studies show outdoor time helps children grow lean and strong, enhances imaginations and attention spans, decreases aggression, and boosts classroom performance. In addition, children who spend time in nature regularly are shown to become better stewards of the environment.

When E3 traveled around the world last September we discovered that no matter where you live in the world, there is always fun to be had.

Aaryan has fun swinging on his swing.

Benjamin, Ian and Teddy like to go on walks outside.

Sophia loves to skip with her dad in the city.

Encourage your kids to get outside this summer and get active!!

As we traveled to the summit I found myself reciting these few questions in my mind:   1) What can I personally learn?  2) What can we at E3 do?  3) How can we use our experiences and understandings to help promote literacy around the world? No small order!

Here is a small portion of some of the answers that came after attending the summit.

1) There is a direct correlation between poverty & literacy. The poorer the community the more illiterate the community and vice versa. When people have knowledge, they can elevate their lives! There are many schools in the world full of teachers with insufficient training, a lack of material and a lack of instructional focus (Makes me want to recruit teachers to go teach teachers!) Children have a universal hunger for reading. Literacy is not just about reading, it is about reading, writing, listening, and speaking! (LitWorld.org) One in 5 adults cannot read.

2) Obviously E3 Imagine is one tiny thread in a giant tapestry of those wanting to help and do something to change the lives of children throughout the world. But after attending the World summit I came to realize even more, that every small thread is important. E3 might be small, but we have grand hopes of making a difference in many lives. Seeing the great things people are doing in organizations such as Litworld, Worldreader.org, Room to Read and African Library Project, among others, inspired us to keep working at it. All of these great organizations are made up of people – just like you and me!

3) How can E3 use what we know to help? We move forward just like we have. Developing great products, getting the word out, working hard each day, sharing what we know and look for ways to lift and inspire those around us. AND by giving a book to a child in these underdeveloped countries for every book we sell. One child at a time!

The World Literacy Summit didn’t change the world overnight! But it definitely put a lot of great people with great ideas moving in the right direction.

Just this morning I received a call from a friend I made in Nairobi. I spent a total of about 1/2 hour with my new friend Roselyn while there, but Roselyn continues to keep me motivated. She works hard and prays hard everyday as she see’s the people she loves dealing with issues that could be avoided if they just had knowledge.

That can only change when we help them fight this disease we call illiteracy!!

Want to know something else that happens about once every second, actually a little more than once a second? Apple sells an iPad every second, every day, around the clock. During the Christmas season last year, it was more like 2 or 3 every second. Surveys show that the iPad was the most desired Christmas present by kids around the country and that excitement hasn’t waned. Why do kids want iPads so bad? If you have one, you already know. They love the apps, the games, the books! We love books! Now, before you continue reading, take a seat because this next number is staggering.

There are already over 700,000 books for the iPad to date! The best part is , there are books for everyone. There are novels, DIY, history, children’s and most recently added, education books! You may wonder if there is anything special about these books compared to the books you grew up with. Well, keep reading, and I’ll give you the inside scoop.

E3 Imagine’s 3rd new book “123 Count the World With Me!” just hit the Apple iBookstore last week, and we are thrilled to see people all over the world downloading it.

Tens of millions of people have access to the iBookstore, and you can download a book in seconds from wherever you are, all you need is internet. Then once the book is downloaded, you can take it and the rest of your collection anywhere. But that’s only a fraction of the scoop.

E3 Imagine’s books are considered “enhanced”. That means they have ‘extra features’… and lots of them. Not only can you read the book as you would any paperback or hardcover, but also you can INTERACT with it! You can touch buttons to reveal more photos, maps, and even videos. Everything is there for you and your kids to explore. See the kids we met in Cambodia, Egypt, France, Nepal, and more! Watch videos of them at home and in their community, learn words in their language, become immersed in culture and discovery.

Now you can listen, watch and learn, with your kids, all while sitting inside or outside, on the couch or in the car. It’s really starting to make sense why the iPad is so popular! By the end of the 2012, there may be 100,000,000 iPads in the world, maybe more. Will you have one? If you get one, grab a book by E3 Imagine and take the opportunity to sit with your kids and show them the world!

Oh and by the way, for every book sold, a printed book gets donated to kids in need. #SpreadtheWords #buyabookgiveabook So what are you waiting for!?

Apple iBooks Link
E3 Imagine iTunes Author Page

The global literacy crisis effects over three quarters of a billion people worldwide, in both the developing and the developed worlds. Low literacy levels are regarded as being one of the main factors that contribute to the poverty cycle.  Despite this, little progress has been made to address what is one of the most pressing issues facing our world today.

• One in five adults, or 796 million people, lack basic literacy skills.
• 67 million primary school aged children don’t attend school.
• Millions more are sitting in classrooms and receiving education of such a poor quality that it will do little to enhance their life chances.
• Each year of primary school increases the wages people earn later in life by 5-15% for boys and even more for girls.

Only through the combined efforts of people everywhere can the devastating effects of illiteracy be overcome.

Working together we can bring hope for a future.  Working together we can reshape the world.

Marie has always wanted to make a difference but financially never felt that she had the means to.  She explained, “I would find myself dreaming of ‘what if’ I had the money Oprah or other “stars” have….what would I do with that?” She decided to quit dreaming and just do what she could with the other resources she had.  She would write cards, give out small pieces of candy to kids at church, hand out Reeses Cups or Little Debbie Cakes and noticed that they were received with such gladness. When asked how she came up with a name she explained, “A friend told me that her mom always showed her the “little things” that I had given her, cards that I sent her and just how wonderful it was to her.  She then said ‘Thank you for spreading joy to my mom.’ At that point, I had a name for what I was doing.  I was in awe at how it sounded and decided that I would keep spreading joy with what I had and would try and include and help others to do the same.”

Marie continued with some reasons why Spreading Joy has made a difference in her own life, “We all have so many resources that others don’t have and we can all make a huge difference with those resources.  The problem is that we get discouraged with wanting to give “Oprah Big” that we simply don’t try.  With Spreading Joy Corporation, I want to tell everyone that I come in contact with that they can make a HUGE difference with what they have.  When they do their life, like mine, will be flooded with great joy each day!”

Marie has created these two lists that in total have 100 ways for anyone to make a difference without using any money! She has received a ton of positive feedback and is happy to find that there are people everywhere that are looking for ways to spread joy! Thank you Marie for doing all you can to make a difference, we find your story inspiring and it has motivated us to continue working hard ourselves to make a difference in this world!

You can contact Marie on twitter and learn more from her website!

www.spreading-joy.org                http://twitter.com/spreadingJOY

Here are the links to Marie’s ideas in how to make a difference without using any money:

50 Ways to make a difference without spending a penny

Another 50 ways 

Thank you, Marie, for inspiring us to go out and make a difference in the world.

But now I’ve excepted the truth that he is really just smiling for no reason at all. And who says he needs a reason anyway?? The fact that he is alive and beautiful and healthy and therefore able to make that certain facial expression is good enough for him so why not for me too?

Take a second and think about how much you actually smile.  Do you hop out of bed with a grin on your face?  Or go through the whole day without a hint of a happy face?  Sometimes that’s me. Well, it was before I had Mr. Grin-all-the-time to wake up to.

If you’re just now realizing that you’ve lost that “smile for no reason” nature that you probably had as a newborn, take a second and smile. There’s always a reason to be happy. Just taking a look at these beautiful kids and families should do the trick.So do yourself a favor.

Get rid of that heavy frown on your face and show the world your smile!

I had one of the most enjoyable evenings I’ve had in a long time.  I’d almost forgotten how much I enjoy my brother.  This (now old!) man who I spent my childhood with, who could make me laugh or irritate me or make me cry like no one else could.  It’s funny, in a sense it made me miss my brother, even though we were sitting together having the time of our lives.

It really is all about family.  I’m glad to have had that fact reminded to me again.  Friends can come and go, but family, they’re with you forever.