Baby days

I love having an infant in the house. She's now smiling, laughing and babbling away to anybody who will listen. She's trying desperately to roll over and has started playing with toys that are handed to her.

I never realized how much fun these milestones are. When my son was going through the same steps, it blew my mind. But I was so much more focused on making sure he was hitting the target, rather than enjoying the ride.

But it made me think hard about the milestones that I've still yet to hit. My parents still worry about me on a daily basis, almost as much as I worry about my own kids. I never thought to ask them how they felt about me having children and them becoming grandparents. How did it make them feel? Or rather, how do they feel? What were their first thoughts when I decided to relocate to the US? How do they feel about my writing career? What crossed their minds when I bought my very own house?

Parenting is way more than just first steps, teething, pre-school, graduation and driving. It's a life-times worth of work. Even now, my parents are guiding me through the decisions I make as an adult - as a mother. Kids may grow-up so fast, but the love we have for them just grows. Period.

H1N1

I can't believe how long it's been since I've posted here. I've been horribly ill with the flu and as you can imagine - at 6 months pregnant it's been rough. Thankfully, I'm back on my feet again, ready to take on the world.

In order to make sure that people are aware of the flu symptoms and how they can be managed, I've written a couple of articles that you may find useful:

http://www.examiner.com/x-20546-Hartford-Early-Childhood-Parenting-Examiner~y2009m11d10-Cleaning-up-after-flu--making-sure-your-home-is-germfree

http://www.examiner.com/x-20546-Hartford-Early-Childhood-Parenting-Examiner~y2009m11d7-Signs-and-symptoms--of-H1N1-and-when-to-seek-medical--help

http://www.examiner.com/x-20546-Hartford-Early-Childhood-Parenting-Examiner~y2009m11d4-Current-H1N1-flu-clinics-in-your-area

I hope you find these useful. It's important to get as much information out there in regards to the flu, even if we've read it a million times. I wouldn't wish the symptoms I had upon my worst enemy (not that I have any!) especially if they were pregnant and trying to take care of an 18 month old.

The life of a 'work at home mom'.

It's been a long week. The Dude had music class and toddler class, we've taken a tour of daycare (he's going once a week so I can focus on my work now that things are picking up) and we've been to the library, the pediatrician, and the store - Several times.

On top of that, I've been trying to publish an article or two every day, have applied for a couple of jobs and eaten a lot of food - at least every 30 minutes! I feel like I've accomplished a lot in 5 days. Yet, the house still looks like a wreck. In fact, as I type, I'm waiting for the washing machine to finish so I can put the last load on. When did life become so fast-paced? Why do we feel like we have to cram so much into one day?

I've written an article about Fall leaves games and crafts today. I'm ever so proud of it! Check it out and tell me what you think. http://www.examiner.com/x-20546-Hartford-Early-Childhood-Parenting-Examiner~y2009m10d10-Fall-leaves-play-and-craft-ideas

Do you have any games or crafts you like to do with your kids that relate to the Fall season? If so, please drop me a line by posting a comment below. I love to hear from you!

Career defining moment!

I am so happy right now it's ridiculous!

When I first went into freelance writing, my son was 4 months old and I was a total wreck where organization was concerned. I knew I wanted to get into publishing - my dream is to work for a publishing house some day, but I had no idea where to start.

So, I trawled through the pages of Amazon.com and read every editorial review going about starting a freelance career. That's when I came across 'The Writer Mama' by Christina Katz. It's broken down into easy-to-follow sections with a task at the end of each chapter - which is the best way for me to learn. She also gives practical advice on how to juggle Motherhood with a writer career - something I was in desperate need of.

So I bought it, loved it and signed up to her E-zine. It's become my writing bible.

I didn't realize that Christina is on Twitter until today when I read through my copy of her newsletter, so I decided to follow since I find her advice invaluable. Guess what though - she is now following me back! I have said that I will write an Amazon review for her - I promise I will, but I'm too star-struck for words right now.

It definitely feels like a defining moment in my whole writing career so far; like I've finally 'made' it. I feel like she's been a huge help every step of the way through her writing, but I'm so glad I've finally been able to thank her. I'm so looking forward to taking one of her classes and I hope she likes the Amazon review!