Virginia Ghoniem

Cumulus clouds always fascinated me. As a child, and still today, I see unusual shapes, such as a dog-faced caterpillar, or a bear holding a baby entwined in the fluffy clouds. The clouds fueled my imagination as a child and continue to today.

It is important to listen to the people around you, and Daddy Time Tools is a result of listening. My son-in-law's first child was due in a couple of months. He watched me play and interact with a two-year-old one day. He looked befuddled and said, "I don't know what to do with kids." Daddy Time tools was originally written for him. By the way, he is a great dad, and I catch him doing things that are in the book.

Writing and teaching are my passions. I taught for several years, and then was a principal for 15 years, which in my mind is the best job in world--after writing.

I am blessed with three children and four grandchildren. (I started this process when I was 10 years old and I am sticking with that story.) I grew up on a dairy farm, in rural Wisconsin, a few miles south of Green Bay. My father was firm believer in Women's Liberation, however he didn't know it at the time. He said his four girls could work in the fields and in the barn just as well as his two sons. I attended a one-room school that was built by and named for my grandfather. There was no kindergarten, but I attended Schink School for six years.

I hoped to get a degree in creative writing, but I realized how difficult it was and is to break into the world of writing. Also, I had no desire to be a starving artist, so I majored in Journalism and Public Relations at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

After my children were born, I wanted to make a difference in the lives of many children through teaching. Through Daddy Time Tools, I am hoping to improve the lives of innumerable children.