2002 started with The Parents Toolshop receiving another award: a Certificate of Merit from Writer’s Digest for the 2001 National Self-Published Book awards. The award says:

The Parents Toolshop offers remarkably clear, insightful and practical advice (I say "remarkably" because so many parenting books do not do this!).There were many things that impressed me about this book, including its comprehensive nature and the no-nonsense approach, but I was most impressed by the book's simple step-by-step plans for handling parenting challenges. Although it is helpful to know the details of development and theory, what parents need most in the moment is the answer to the question, "What on earth do I DO?" The fact that this book can answer that question so reliably and for so many different situations makes it a stand-out in this category. It also has terrific endorsements and is well-priced for the amount of material being offered, and I felt that the cover and copy did a good job of "selling" the book to the buyer by letting them know right away which problems the book was going to help them solve.

Also in early 2002, Nancy Ordonia received the 2001 Outstanding Tour Guide of the Year award, for her hand in coordinating the certification of 12 instructors in Fort Walton Beach, FL.

Since 1992, I have personally certified each Parents Toolshop instructor. In 2002, I finalized and launched the video certification training. The first participants gave this review:

The videos are a win/win situation for both Jody and the student. Her videos can teach one person at a time. Jody is shown teaching a training class, so it is as if you are in the class. But rather than having to remember everything she said in a session, you have the videos to refer to over and over again. In answering the workbook questions, a student is required to listen carefully to everything said. If you miss something, you can always pause and rewind. When I prepare a lesson in the future, I can review how Jody presented it and then revise it to fit my capabilities and needs. I wondered if the videos could fully meet my training needs. I am happy to report, they do. — Rose Patterson, Huntington Beach, Ca.

As usual, I spoke and exhibited at several conferences, including:

The last conference of the year was the 2002 NCFR conference (National Council on Family Relations). I devoted most of 2002 developing a one-day workshop to present there, called "Marketing Magic." The workshop was a big hit. If you want the 30-page handout, order it (for $4.95) at the PTC website in the "Parent Educator" catalog: http://www.parentstoolshop.com/HTML/parentedCATALOG.HTML#Marketing Magic.

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