As they say...WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW...

What do I know?

I know that fads and trends and the coming and going of them are a way of life for kids. Three years ago if you would have told an elementary student that wearing jeans UNDER his buttocks was the cool thing to do, he would have shot you the infamous, "Get real, Mom!" look. Today, that same child is walking like he just got off a horse trying to keep his pants up.

One day my youngest will play with Play Doh unattended for a longer period of time and I think I have found the piece de resistance. SO, the next day I plan a major cleaning project and figure I will just get out the Play Doh. WRONG! Play Doh is "so yesterday!"

My oldest will tell me to sign him up for Fall soccer after watching his old team win a game on the soccer fields that border our property. Then the next day he is searching for skateboards online because at some point during the night Tony Hawk and Ryan Sheckler have become his heroes...and THEY don't have time for soccer.

My daughter, on the other hand seems to stay even keel for longer periods of time. If she likes mustard today, I can pretty much bet she will still like it tomorrow. However she is starting to feel the need to 'keep up with the Jones's' when it comes to fashion. She has made sure I know that SHE WANTS SKINNY JEANS. She is all about Aeropostale and Hollister (mind you, we have NEVER bought a full price item in either store - SALES only!). I have also noticed a bit of "sass" in her voice when I hear her talking to her friends. Hmmmm. Not so sure I am going to be good with this mom of two 'tweens thing. Well, I have a couple years to get ready...or medication!

So, I was moved to write the other day and I wrote...and wrote...with a toddler on my lap watching YouTube videos of monster trucks, I wrote...while the whole neighborhood played HORSE in our driveway, I wrote. The next day, I put everyone on the bus, got myself a cup of tea and I pruned my word and got them into manuscript form.

I don't want to pat myself on the back and I don't want to give too much away but I wrote the sweetest book with an feisty little duck (I am working on the images of him, too) with a preschool/early elementary version of an identity crisis. All I have been able to think about for the last three days is sitting in the midst of elementary kids, eyes glued to the images of Duck trying out other identities and making my mark on this world.

Inspiring children to be all that they can be is my purpose in this life! I am certain it is why I breathe. It is what I live. It is what I know!

Two crazies...

Some of you have one, some have six, I have three. Three little crazy people that run around my house and make messes and eat a lot of food. But whether they are handing me their boogers or giving me sticky kisses or ridding themselves of their latest guilt I wouldn't trade my life for that of another. Sure a little quiet bungalow on a beach with the sounds of waves and seagulls sounds nice some days but who would tug on my hand and grunt to go outside for a mid-morning swing? Who would ask for "quality time" together by backing into my crisscrossed legs with an open book? The time I have with my children is so priceless yet it flies by at the speed of light. The one who first blessed my belly is now more than shoulder height, his sister who came only 15 months later is giving him a good run for the money academically and size-wise. Then the baby who came 7 1/2 years later is quickly pushing into the terrible twos when his first steps seem like yesterday's headlines. God continues to bless me with these babies, boogers and books and I am forever thankful for all three!