Book cover sneak-peek! (and Goodreads Giveaway)

Where was I? Oh right, so my next book, Motherhood, is set to launch on April 28th. JUST IN TIME FOR MOTHERS DAY.

"This is the universal story of motherhood, from the gentle moment of birth to the inevitable letting go. In the playful and poignant simplicity that is her signature style, JC Little has captured the tender bond between mother and child. A timeless and wordless picture-book for mothers, sons and daughters of all ages."

Some of you might remember the bare bones of the story as blogpost. I want to bring it to a wider audience, so I fleshed it out into a book with completely new drawings.

1. This book is wordless. Pictures only. And if you get the Kindle version, the page flips animate. So it's like watching a little film. Feel free to hum a little soundtrack to yourself as you read.


2. It's for all ages. It's the kind of book that might be given by anyone experiencing mother-appreciation sentiments. Sons and daughters can give it to their moms. Moms can give it to their sons and daughters to help foster an understanding of the experience of motherhood. I'd want to give it to a new or expectant mom, a teen or young adult leaving home for the first time...and children who like to make up the words to the story themselves. I loved doing that when I was small.

NB: some teenagers react to this book by sobbing on the sofa and needing cuddles.


3. Did I mention that this book will make a perfect Mothers Day present? It'll be available as a paperback. Think of it as a really, really special card. I even included a clear page at the beginning for you to write or draw a little note (I am nice).


4. This is happening:
   
   
   

   
   

   Goodreads Book Giveaway

   

   Motherhood

   by JC Little

   Giveaway ends May 01, 2014.
   See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

   Enter to win


5. If you'd like to review the book ahead of Mothers Day or soon after, please reach out to me for a review copy. I would be honoured...and humbled.
   

As always, I love you all very much.

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Bruise Pride.

What is it about teenagers and their injuries? They show off their bruises like trophies, a testimonial to their survival, thus far, of life's hurlings...

Do not run out of Arnicare gel; especially if you have kids. Or if you're accident-proned.

Arnicare helps bruises heal quickly. So the bruise-pride soon turns into "look how fast this went away" pride.

Lately, The Huz has been wading into MineCraft with the 14 year old boy. Sometimes I can hear them shouting to each other...

"AAAGH! Help! There's zombies!! What do I do??!?"

"TP to me Dad! Teepee to me now!!"

"AAAAAAAGH I'M GOING TO DIE! HELP ME HELP ME HEEEEEEELP MEEEEEEE!!"

"Sorry Dad, I can't help you. You're just going to have to die."

I'm not sure Arnicare works on egos.

Heads up! Boiron Canada and Boiron USA  sponsored the blog-tour for my book, The LAST Snowman, and that was super nice of them. 

What are your "miraculous healing" stories?

PS. The Huz says he's not actually worried about getting eaten by zombies in MineCraft.

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Reflections of a 13 year old BOY.

This is the thirteen year old boy.  Do you remember when he was ten? I invite you to witness the fleeting balance of childhood and puberty.

The boy hasn't hit the tunnel of darkness yet. By that I mean he's still pretty delightful and affectionate. I like to watch him, I can tell he's studying the changes in his body, looking for signs of manhood.

Spiderman needn't worry...somehow I don't think he'll get left behind. What do your teens do in front of the mirror?

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A bunch of parenting TIPS.

I'm nominated for a Top 25 Canadian Moms blogging thing.

I don't usually get involved in contests and giveaways. Especially not the kind where you have to annoy people by asking them to vote for you repeatedly. But, alas, here I find myself doing just that.

But I don't like pestering people day after day for votes, which in the end prolly do more to boost the rankings of the host site anyways. Bleah. I much prefer the idea of offering you something of value as I ask for your precious *click*.

And so, in the spirit of exchange: I'll be leaving a bunch of parenting tips, mined from my personal experience (stuff that worked for me anyways), here on this blogpost from now until September 25th.

In return: puh-leeze consider voting for me every day until then. Just click on the little heart next to the word VOTE.

NO, you don't have to be in Canada to vote. You can be anywhere. And you can vote every day.

So here's the parenting tips:

1. Listen to the kids. Hear what they are saying to me not only with words, but also with their silence. A lack of communication can be as telling as a hand-written letter tattooed on the eyeballs. Never let them shut you out for long.

2. Respect the kids. Treat them as you would have them treat you. You know how you've nagged at them a million times to say "please", to lower their voice, and to speak with a civil tongue, even if they disagree? When they insist on the same respectful treatment in return, you'll know you're doing a good job.

3. Cop to it. If you make a mistake (and you will) you should always own up to it. Apologize, and explain why you did it. When a parent screws up, it's important to show that you're trying to do better. But you also want to move forward, so don't forget to forgive yourself too.

4. Be Consistent. Whether it's rules, or family routine, decide what it's gonna be and stick with it. Kids need that familiarity, it helps them feel secure - even teenagers, though they protest and complain. This doesn't mean that you can't surprize them once in a while by changing your mind (it keeps them on their toes!) but this should be rare.

This is fun right? More in a day or so. Please go votez for moi!

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Second chances.

It strikes me that a "no second chance" attitude is pretty much why teens commit suicide, why there are honor killings and burning brides in some cultures, and why a woman can get arrested, flogged or stoned to death for being raped in certain countries. It has a pernicious shame at its root.

On the plus side, there's a lot of discussion going on about it and I think that's healthy.

Helping our children navigate the insanity that is adolescence is difficult enough without social media archiving everything. After all the mistakes I've made in my life, I can't imagine not ever having the chance to get it right, somehow. The second chance, and all the chances after that are what made me all that I am today.

And I refuse to believe that I am not worthy.

What would your life be like if you'd had no second chances?

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Mom Super-Powers.

The ten-year-old boy is now thirteen. That means we now have three (3) teenagers in the house.

CRIKEY. HOW DID THIS HAPPEN.

A rhetorical question.  Actually it wasn't even a question (I didn't put a question mark, did I?) ...more of a "wondering aloud". Seems like only yesterday, I myself was but thirteen, and not entertaining any deep thoughts beyond pondering how to dance without making people laugh and point.

Nonetheless, here am I, on yet another Mother's Day, reflecting on my three children. The  thirteen year old boy loves comics (especially Spiderman); superheros with superpowers are a big topic of conversation around here.

This is one example:

He's always so eager at this point in the conversation. It's really cute.

Actual. Tears.

What Spidey said, dude.

When given a choice of what my super-power would be, I always answer, "The power to heal, my son" cuz check it out yo. That would be epic...you ain't got no problems if you got your health. Give folks their health, make the world better. And so on.

Well anyways, Happy Mother's Day. What would your super-power be?

PS. I've decided to be a little more personal with my blog. 

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Party FOOD.

The 15 year old girl will soon be 16.

In case you were wondering what kind of party food would be appropriate to serve at a Sweet 16 party, one of my daughter's friends made some suggestions on FaceBook.

I hafta say, the celery kinda surprised me.  Celery is a ninja.

On Friday night this place will be crawling with starving teenagers. Any advice?

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Motherhood = Nerves of Steel.

Mother's Day comes once a year and it's a day for mom to take some time for her self.

Of course, it could end up being just like every other day. Children are so demanding!

As a mom, I think it's important to consider their demands and make the right decisions.

This is where the "nerves of steel" come in handy.

Kids can say terrible, hurtful things. And in the heat of the moment, they really mean it too.

I never take these insults personally. Instead, I choose to focus on important issues, like respect and honesty.

As long as the lines of communication remain open between myself and my kids, and my reflexes remain sharp...


...I think things will probably turn out alright.

A little patience goes a long way, so we try to give them time and space to reflect on their actions.

And while it may often seem that being a mom is a thankless task...

...it actually isn't.

There's just enough pure joy to be thankful for. Remember folks: every day is Mother's Day.

Confession time! What's the worst insult ever hurled at you by your offspring? Or that you ever hurled at your mom?

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