The Good Life

As I thought things were only going to get busier in the next couple of weeks - I need to remember my busyness is (sometimes) within my control. I'm sitting in my bed with my laptop on my lap, my son cuddled up to my arm and comfy pillows behind our necks. It's rare that he just wants to sit with me, but the fact that we are taking time to just sit and relax together (not run from this appointment to that practice) is really what the good life is all about. My signing is coming up this Friday and I have several other things that have been consuming my brain power, so taking time to just enjoy my son is the best. I asked Parker to help me write my latest blog - I asked him what the 'good life' is all about for him - what makes him happy. He said seeing his cousin Austin and his mommy and daddy make him happy. That's it - my window of cooperative togetherness was finished after that response. When I asked him if he had anything else that made him happy, he responded with the word 'no' several times to the tune of the theme from a Disney Channel show! I guess the point to all of this is that my husband and I are always telling our son what we should be grateful for (simple things)... food, our house, each other, being healthy, making it home safely from a trip; but I need to remember these things myself. It's so easy to think of what you don't have and dwell. In reality, there will always be something. There are a lot of people in my life that have things I would love to call my own, but they have bigger things to envy at that point... I repeat: There will always be something you need or need to do. So join me in my quest to appreciate those moments (like right now for me) where we can just sit and enjoy that (0r those) which makes up our good life.

The Only Child

Okay - this is a topic that's near and dear to my heart... The only child. I have one son and I have (in his 6 years) constantly heard, "well, he does that because he's an only child," or "He's the only child, so of course he'll react like that." It bugs the crud out of me because there are certain personality traits that go along with birth order and then there are just personality traits. I am the youngest but I am by no means the most spoiled in my family who gets babied; the same with my husband. As far as my only child goes, I see so many children around me (family and friends) that have multiple siblings but still have issues with needing attention or sharing or bickering. It's funny to me that when these children exhibit similar behaviors, it's because they are the oldest or in the middle - so is it really because Parker's an only child or can we stick any child into any template and rationalize behavior as we'd like? He may very well stay our only one, so we try very hard not to stop everything we are doing every time he wants something or doesn't want to do something. He is the light of our lives, just like any child or children would be. Can I really believe that I love my son any more than a mom who has 2, 3 or even 6? I don't believe that. I truly believe that we would be the same with 3 as we are with our 1. This is a very hot topic, but we (mainly I) hear people's opinion on my only child and possible subsequent children on a daily basis - but it's a very personal thing. Do I reel off my position on children every time I'm asked or even every other time? No. It's a very intimate piece of our lives. In a nutshell, there are many only children who are very coddled and babied; by the same token, there are many oldest children who are mature beyond their years and responsible for a lot; my point in this whole tidbit is that we shouldn't keep pegging children as "the sweet one," or "the spoiled one," or "the smart one." Enjoy the aspects of a child - in my only child's case - he has so many different sides, there is no way to peg him. Just when I think I can, he switches it up. The diversity in his personality keeps me on my toes - my guess is that this won't change any time soon. Let's love and enjoy them...



Oh - and if Chipper is reading this - which he swears he does :)... Happy 10th anniversary! I love you and feel very lucky for our 10 years; ups and downs; and our only child. I look forward to the 25th

We've Got Spirit!

So I feel like I'm going through a time machine. To those of you who have met me in adulthood, you may not realize that there is an orange and blue streak that runs through my veins. Those are my high school colors and I was voted "Most Spirited" in my senior superlatives for a reason! I was the co-captain of my cheering squad my senior year and [overly] involved - but I jump in feet first to whatever I do. Somehow I put off the spirited vibe, as closeted as I try to keep it, and was recently appointed to be the "Spiritwear Chairperson" for my son's school. The PTA board is a big deal there, so I don't want to disappoint and am cracking my self up with it! I am sitting on my bed right now surrounded by catalogs and budgets and notes... it's so fun but definitely a perfectionist's nightmare! I had to stop and laugh at myself because now I've gone from Lee-Davis colors to VCU colors to now everything I see is blue and green (his school colors) - it's a sickness! There will always be a cheerleader in me (not the crazy bouncy kind that needs to be bubbly all the time) who gets wrapped up in the camaraderie that comes along with a common thing to cheer for. Even something as small as wearing the same color at the same time for a common theme shows such camaraderie. Go Dolphins!

The Ride Continues

So this has been a crazy ride through promoting and such a learning experience - which has been immeasurable. The ride continues. I will continue promoting my book and spreading the message of teamwork into the end of the summer and into the Fall. I am really excited about being able to take advantage of the (upcoming) basketball season and the fact that the VCU Rams truly are great team players and there aren't any "ball hogs" - those of you who have read the story understand why that's important - is just icing on the cake. Coach Grant is an amazing coach (and person) and it is an honor for me to have a story with which he is a huge part. For right now (to anyone who isn't in a marketing or promoting state of mind this might be tough to understand) I just continue to move forward finding new opportunities and markets to promote the book. In the Fall, I'll start to really focus on new projects and submitting. There are new marketing opportunities every day and until I decide to stop the promotion, I'll continue full force. When people ask me what's new and I say that I'm still promoting, I think they look at me like I'm crazy because there has been so much of it already.
Something neat happened the other day at my son's swim meet. A fellow swim parent came up to me - an acquaintance at the time whom I had seen around the pool - and said, "Your book was recommended to me because my son is having a lot of trouble with competitiveness and being a team player," I didn't really know what to say - I was elated! I have had people that I know tell me that their child enjoyed the book or that they loved the pictures - but never has someone sought me out because another parent [who'd read the book] recommended it them. It was so validating because there is no greater thrill as a writer than to have someone talk to you about your words and how they affected their life.
I'm hoping there are only more and more of these fulfilling moments with readers as the promotion ride continues. Onward and upward with new projects to come!