Q&A with Carla McDougal on Living for Jesus

Carla McDougal is founder of Reflective Life Ministries headquartered in the Houston, Texas area. Her true passion for her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, shines brightly whether she is speaking or writing. She shares experiences from her own life to encourage women to live every day for Him. God is sending Carla around the world to speak to women from all walks of life—those living in the best of circumstances to those who have hit rock bottom.

Carla’s book, Reflecting Him: Living for Jesus and Loving It, is a 10-week study that encourages you to open your eyes to God’s daily life lessons. The more you ask God to be in your life, the more you will recognize His hand on everything you do. For more information on a growing number of products from Reflective Life Ministries, and to see about booking Carla for an event or interview, go to www.reflectivelifeministries.org.

Product descriptions of the Reflecting Him Bible study

Carla's book caught my attention because I've been struggling recently with fitting God into my everyday, busy life.  I really enjoyed the way that Carla uses everyday objects—pottery, the human body, the rooms in our houses—to illustrate faith principles.  For example, I've heard all the Bible verses comparing God to a potter and Christians to clay, but until Carla explained the pottery process and helped me dig into those verses, I didn't really understand them.  While her study is intended for a group, I used it by myself and found it insightful and uplifting.  Here's a Q&A with Carla about living for Jesus.

Q: What practical steps can believers take to be less self-focused and more God-focused?   

A: Life is not about me, but all about Him. This phrase changed my life. Prayer is the key to keeping your eyes on Jesus. The more we pray, the more God moves us to do His will and not our will!

Q: You say it’s important for believers to discover how to pray everyday prayers.  What does this mean? I heard a speaker say she would never bother God to help her find her lost keys or a good parking spot—how do you feel about that statement?

A: I pray about everything! Jesus tells us in Luke 16:10, “He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much.” We categorize prayers, God recognizes prayers. God wants us to bring everything to Him. Nothing is too small or too big for God! Prayer builds our faith and trust in Jesus!

Q: What are some of the blessings of having an intimate life with Jesus, and how does one develop that intimacy?

A: Humbleness abounds as I realize there is nothing I can do to earn an intimate relationship with Jesus. I can only obtain it through His grace and mercy, which He gives so freely. Jesus is my all in all.

Carla McDougal, founder of Reflective Life Ministries

Leave a comment here before October 7 for a chance to win an instant small group kit, including video teaching series, Bible study book, leader guide, and music CD!  KCWC will draw one lucky winner on October 10.  How do you find time for Jesus in your everyday life?

Childhood Memories of Canning Pears

One summer in my childhood, the pears arrived in small, 7-litre boxes rather than the much larger, 2-foot wide cases.  My mom bought five boxes of pears.  When they ripened, we canned them.  My brothers and I each got one box to peel and my mom peeled the other two.  I still remember the four of us sitting around the kitchen table, eating pear peelings as we worked through our boxes.

My box of Bartlett pears

Mom canned peaches, pears, cherries, applesauce and apple pie filling from our own apples, raspberry and saskatoon jam from our own berries, ketchup, pickles and relish from our own cucumbers, pumpkin from our own pumpkins.  I remember the hours of work she put into the jars that I helped haul down into our root cellar.  My brothers and I were mostly willing helpers, as long as we could snack on fruit peelings.  When the jars were ready to put away, I had the job of creating fancy labels, worthy of Mom's work in preserving the food.

Last week, when I walked into our local green grocer, I saw a box of pears that took me back to my childhood.  Bartlett pears, in fact—the ones that Mom watched for, as they were the best for canning (just as freestone peaches are).  She waited until the fruit was in season and on sale at the local grocery store, and then she'd show up and pick up cases, as much as she thought she could put away in a day or two.  I peered into this box, wondering what I would do with so many pears, and then I bought it.

Pear Cardamom Muffins

I ate a few pears and baked muffins with a scrumptious recipe I got from my neighbour.  There was still most of a box of pears on the counter, attracting my swarm of fruit flies.  I called Mom.  How hard is it to can pears?  Easy, she said, and outlined the process for me.  I googled it the next day and found myself surprised that it was just the way I had remembered it.

When Mom was doing most of her canning, I wasn't really paying attention to how she did it, other than how many pears I had to peel or how many peaches I had to slice.  By the time I might have learned how to do it myself, Mom was canning less and I had started university.  Now, I look at canned fruit in the store and think it's so expensive.  At the same time, I remember the hours of work that Mom put into feeding our family for the winter.  Do I want to try learning that for myself?

Before this box of pears, I didn't think so.  Now, I'm really tempted.  If only I could invite my mom over and spend a day peeling pears together again, like we did when I was little.

Book Review: The Realms Thereunder by Ross Lawhead

Reading Ross Lawhead's new novel The Realms Thereunder

There are some books that draw me into their world, their characters, so completely that I keep thinking about them after I've stopped reading.  I want to know what happens "next," even though the book has ended and the story is resolved (to some extent, depending on the book).  Sometimes, I find myself reluctant to start another book, because I want to hold onto the feelings and thoughts generated by this first book.  Ross Lawhead's novel The Realms Thereunder was such a book.

I did not pick up the book simply because it was written by Stephen Lawhead's son.  In fact, at first I wondered if the book would sell because of his name alone, whether it was well-written or not.  I checked a few other reviews before reading it myself, and the general consensus was that Ross is just as good a writer as his father.  It's been years since I read Taliesin, so I can't compare the son to the father.  I can say, however, that Ross Lawhead can stand on his own name as a writer.

The Realms Thereunder is set in England, where dark forces are conspiring against the island.  Daniel Tully and Freya Reynolds discover a hidden, underground city when they get lost on a school field trip.  There, they are sent on a quest and learn about sleeping knights, gnomes and other enchanted creatures.  Daniel, who has troubles at school and a rough home life, relishes the adventure; Freya, who comes from a well-to-do family, just wants to get home again.

Eight years later, Freya is a student at Oxford with OCD tendencies and Daniel is living on the streets; both are trying to forget their underground adventures, but strange things are happening.  When they run into each other again, neither is sure that they want to renew their friendship.  Then Daniel is sent from our world to Elfland and Freya is kidnapped by a changeling.  Each of them realizes that they need each other—and they need to go back to the underground city.

In many ways, The Realms Thereunder reminded me of The Lord of the Rings.  Lawhead spins a similar story of a quest, of small people being given big tasks, of dragons and trolls and mythical creatures with varying roles to play in the story, of wise men and women, of riddles and ballads.  Like LOTR, this is a trilogy, and while the first part of Daniel's and Freya's adventures concluded at the end of the novel, there is clearly more to come (in September 2012, when The Fearful Gates releases).

Fantasy fans will want to get their hands on this book (now that I'm done, I'm passing it on to my husband).  From a writer's point of view, Janet Sketchley raises some interesting points about the book in her review (yes, I noticed the typos in the book and found it interesting that editors at big-name publishing houses miss errors too).

Book has been provided courtesy of Thomas Nelson and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available at your favourite bookseller from Thomas Nelson.

Genni Gunn Talks to KBW

I was delighted to have the chance to talk to Genni Gunn after reading her newest novel Solitaria.  She is a fellow Canadian writer who has a BFA and an MFA from UBC.  Genni has written a variety of books, including collections of poetry and short stories.

KBW: You are one of few writers I've encountered who has a degree in writing.  How would you say that has influenced your writing?

Genni Gunn

Genni: My decision to do a degree in writing occurred in a roundabout way. Music and writing have been constants in my life. I went the musician route first, did three years of a Bachelor of Music and then played in different bands for a number of years. At a certain point, I decided I didn’t want to be on the road any more, living that particular life, so I returned to university to hone my writing skills.

I was very fortunate, because in the years I was at UBC, one of the professors I studied under (Robert Harlow) was the most amazing writer/teacher/mentor anyone could have. I am indebted to him for much of what I learned about the writing craft during those years. Of course it influenced my writing, in that Bob did not mince words, and would point out every single writing sin anyone made. He would not tolerate clichés, bad turns of phrase, sloppy sentences, etc. He wanted us to be aware of the different ways that a story could be told. In other words, he wanted us all to strive to be the best writers we could be. This does not mean that he influenced our styles, but that he taught us craft. And a facility with craft is what allows the writer to express, experiment and explore narrative in original ways.

KBW: Your bio sounds similar to David's.  Would you say that he is a reflection of yourself?

Genni: I think all characters contain some parts of the author, and David is no exception. Is he a reflection of me? In some ways yes, and in some ways no. Like David, I was born in Italy, but I lived there for the first ten years of my life, versus David who comes to Canada as a newborn. This sounds like a tiny detail, but childhood is a monumental time for building character and for beginning to understand how to manoeuvre one’s way into the world. Whereas David is perplexed and bewildered by the larger-than-life Italian family, I am both participant and onlooker, and totally comfortable within it. Where I think we are similar, is in our identity, both of us with one foot in each culture.

Solitaria

KBW: You write detailed descriptions of Italy.  Do these come from your memories or did you return to Italy to research the novel?

GennI; I have many relatives in Italy, and I went back every year for a number of years to do research (how fabulous is this?) on the novel. I carried a notebook and a laptop and a recording device, and took extensive notes, probably much to the annoyance of some people. Superimposed on this were my memories of Italy as a child, though not in the locations that the novel takes place, and not in the era of the novel.

KBW: Do you have a regular writing routine?  If so, what is it?

Genni: I have a regular writing routine for about eight months of the year. The other four, I teach Creative Writing (September – December), so I don’t have time to write, but I make notes and keep an idea journal. When I’m not teaching, my regular routine is something like this: I work 8:00 am to 5:00 pm weekdays, and during those hours I can write or read or research. If I have nothing to write, I make notes. If I’m working on a novel, I give myself a 3-page-a-day minimum. So I consider myself fairly disciplined. However, life often interferes with my plans, and I go with that.

KBW: I was pleasantly surprised to see that the main character is from Vancouver.  Most Canadian writers I've read set their novels in the States.  Why did you chose Vancouver as David's hometown?

Genni: I chose Vancouver because I live in Vancouver and it’s a place I know and love so well. I don’t think I’d set a novel in a place I hadn’t been to, unless I did a lot of research, and even then, I’d have to be in the place to really understand the feel of it. What you can never get from only research is the sound of a place, the cacophony or silence of it, the scents and whiffs of foods or vegetation or animals. And of course, the snatches of conversations, the way people dress and look at each other, etc. – all these types of things can only be gleaned through observation. 
 
KBW: Do you think it's harder to be a writer north of the 49th?

Genni: I haven’t ever thought of it that way. Being a writer is both difficult and exhilarating, and I don’t think geography can change that. Writers, like other artists in the cultural sector, are statistically the highest educated and the lowest paid. Yet we all continue to do what we love.

KBW: What advice would you offer to new writers?

Genni: Keep writing. Don’t be satisfied by the first thing that comes into your mind – it’s most likely the obvious. Dig deeper. Don’t be afraid to use the delete button. Edit, edit, edit. Revise, revise, revise.

Thanks, Genni!

Genni is giving away a copy of her book!  Just leave a comment here to be entered in the draw.  I'll draw one lucky reader on FRIDAY to receive a copy of Solitaria.  (Contest open to residents of Canada and the United States only.)  To find out more about Genni or her books, drop by her website.

Night Waking

Into the deep drowse of dream comes a cry.
Fling off the covers.
Fling off the slumber.
Move—Where? What? Why?
Hallway, window, streetlights,
a baby, awake and alone.

It’s 3 am.  Go to sleep.
Here’s blanket, soother, lullaby.
My eyes are slits, yours are wide.
The Baby Book says you
should be sleeping through the night.

Hushabye, I’ll hold you tight.
Trust like a blanket wraps us both.

Book Review: Solitaria by Genni Gunn

One of the best things about being a book reviewer is discovering new favourite authors and reading books that I probably otherwise wouldn't pick up.  Genni Gunn's new novel Solitaria came to me from the same publicist who promoted Come Sunday; because I had really enjoyed Come Sunday, I agreed to read and review Solitaria.  It is one of the best books I've read this year; already, I want to read it again.  I wasn't surprised to learn that it has been longlisted for the Giller Prize.

The story begins with a newscaster covering the story of a renovation crew discovering a buried body in an old Italian villa.  We then meet two sisters-in-law, Piera and Teresa, who are going about their day-to-day lives when the news catches their attention... and they realize that Vito—Teresa's husband and Piera's older brother—has not spent the last twenty years in Argentia, as they thought, but has rather been lying several feet underground.  Piera locks herself in her room, refusing to speak to anyone except her nephew, David, who lives in Canada.  Slowly, the family assembles in Italy, trying to comprehend the murder and the mystery.

When David arrives with his mother Clarissa, Piera begins showing him her scrapbook.  She has compiled the family memories, though her siblings dispute with "her" version of the events.  Piera recounts what life was like growing up in Italy before, during, and after World War II.  Finally, for the last chapter, the woman who has been solitaria in her room for years ventures out with David to revisit the place of the murder.

Solitaria is a complicated, spell-binding tale.  Most of the siblings remain minor characters, brought alive only in Piera's words, but they each have something to say about the other.  Piera herself is a complex character, as we are challenged to ask ourselves whether her memories are "the truth" or not.  Her siblings present a view of Piera's character that clashes with what Piera herself gives us, yet only Aldo, one of the brothers, presents any alternative stories from their childhood.

Genni Gunn is a Canadian writer (born in Italy) who lives in Vancouver, BC.  Like her, David also lives in Vancouver (though he spent summers in Italy with Piera during his elementary years), teaches at a university and does Italian translations.  I liked having a Canadian main character in a novel—so many other Canadian writers set their novels in the US for their American readership.  Gunn displays a deep knowledge of Italy and its culture, with fragments of Italian in the characters' speeches and detailed descriptions of the homes and villages in which the story takes place.

I would put Genni's book into that elusive class known as "literary fiction," but don't let that scare you away.  "Literary fiction" isn't hard to read or to understand.  It is fiction that prompts the reader to think on deeper things, fiction that (like Dickens) will stay around for a long time because of its timeless value.  I read books like Bound By Guilt and The Fine Art of Insincerity to have fun; I read books like Solitaria to be inspired as a writer and to challenge myself to think about the issues that the author has so creatively brought to my attention.

Come back on Wednesday to read my interview with Genni Gunn!

Rocks and Rockslides

Valley in Ram Range, AB

“You’re doing fine,” I assured Willie, giving him a smile.  Glancing down the mountain, I wondered if the words were for his benefit or mine.  My hiking boots were planted on the loose shale, my fingers digging into a boulder as I watched Willie inching down toward me.

We were hiking in the Ram Range, a mountain range outside the parks in the Rocky Mountains of Alberta.  Willie was nine years old, my friend Anna's younger brother.  He, Anna and I and five others of our group had climbed up a mountainside to a shallow cave, and then discovered that going down is harder than going up.

From where I stood just below the cave, I could look all the way down the valley to the east where we’d hiked the day before.  The river snaked back and forth, early morning sunlight glinting off the water.  To the west the valley continued around to the pass we’d be climbing later that day.  Almost straight below us was our camp, where Anna’s dad, a mere speck, stood watching us.

Without letting go with my hands, I slid one foot down slightly, then the other.  We’d climbed up an old rockslide, clambering easily over the large rocks at the bottom.  Towards the top the mountainside had gotten steeper and the rocks more slippery, and we had to use hands and knees to get up.

The rockslide we climbed

After sitting in the cave, admiring the view, we’d started down.  Anna and the others soon got ahead as Brandon and I went slower to help Willie.  Brandon was in Grade 12 as I was and we were casual acquaintances.

Planting my feet again, I held my hand up to Willie.

“Slide down right here,” I said.

He reluctantly let go of Brandon’s hand and slid.  When he was standing beside me, I continued on, feeling less secure now that Willie clung to my left hand.  It meant I had one less hand to hang onto the rocks with.

Below, Jason waited, directing us over an awkward rock.  He and Brandon were close friends, but while Brandon was daring, Jason was cautious.  Like us, he was going slow.  With Willie sitting on the rock, I let go of his hand and crawled down where Jason showed me, keeping my body low to the rocks.  Then I turned to help Willie, offering my hand again.

The mountains were my domain, the place I loved to be.  This was my idea of fun.  Nevertheless, even I wasn’t immune to height and gravity.  I was sure we would make it down, but a niggling little fear in the back of my mind considered what could happen if one of us made a wrong move…

Hanging onto the rock, I eased over to give Brandon room to get down.  As I clung to the large, solid rock, a phrase drifted through my head: "Rock of ages, cleft for me, let my hide myself in Thee…" I found myself smiling, and thought, “Thank you, Lord.”  My confidence returned, I continued down the mountainside, clinging to what bushes and rocks I could find and guiding Willie.

About halfway down we were over the worst of the rocks.  I walked sideways, holding Willie’s hand, while Brandon took Willie’s other hand.  We moved faster, jumping down the rocks until we reached the bottom.

As we continued hiking, every rock I saw reminded me of the words that had assured me of God’s presence and kept me going.  Repeatedly through the Scriptures, God is referred to as a Rock.  Clinging to the mountainside that day, I discovered just what that meant.  God is the Rock I can cling to when life seems a slippery rockslide.

“The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” ~ Psalms 18:2

Growing Up Sisters

Sunshine and Lily are playing quietly on the floor behind my computer chair.  They have scattered their scissors, stickers, notepads and crayons all over the carpet, but they aren't fighting with each other.  I've come to treasure that working-together silence; the times when they can play with each other or just side by side, without screaming or whining or poking or pulling or fighting.

I've enjoyed watching their relationship develop as Lily has grown up.  Sunshine was delighted to meet her when she came home from the hospital.  We have several cute pictures of Sunshine hugging Lily tightly (almost strangling her) with a huge smile on her face.  Yet there were also times when Sunshine resented Lily, because Lily demanded instant attention when Sunshine also wanted something.

Looking back, it's hard to remember exactly when they began playing together.  At six months, when Lily could sit in her Exersaucer and grab toys?  At ten months, when Lily began crawling after Sunshine?  At fourteen months, when she could stand beside Sunshine?  Or now, as Lily is sixteen months and running after her sister, hugging dollies, pushing strollers, riding trikes, reading books, going potty, and in general trying to do everything that her big sister is doing.

The other morning, Lily woke up before Sunshine did.  She ate breakfast with me and then sat on my lap while I checked my email.  Then we heard Sunshine wake up.  I let Lily down while I started to turn off the computer.  By the time I got upstairs, Lily was already there with Sunshine, holding the shirt and pants that Sunshine had found for her to wear that day.

I grew up with two brothers and while I love them, I always wanted a sister.  My best friend had four older sisters and one younger sister, and I enjoyed tagging along with them and pretending that, for a little bit, they were my sisters too.  I'm happy that Sunshine and Lily have each other and I pray that they will always appreciate the special relationship they have as sisters.

Book Review: Espresso for Your Spirit

I admitted in my last post that I often turn to books for help and encouragement.  When I saw Pam Vredevelt’s book Espresso for Your Spirit: Hope and Humor for Pooped Out Parents, I quickly downloaded it.  The book didn’t offer to solve any of my parenting questions; it simply offered encouragement from another mom who’s “been there, done that” and knows what it’s like when the dishes are piling up and the kids are bickering and you didn’t get any sleep last night.

Espresso for Your Spirit is the second ebook I’ve read.  It came with Adobe Digital Editions when I downloaded it, which is like an e-reader on your computer and makes it easier to “flip” pages and leave bookmarks.  While I still prefer print books (this one could have sat in my bathroom with my parenting mags, since that’s sometimes the only time I have to sit and read), I found the short chapters made it easy to read before checking my email or while waiting for the computer to do something else.  A few of the chapters were unusually long, leaving me thinking, "Get to the point already."

One chapter that spoke to my heart was “Percolating Prayers.”  Often, I’ve criticized myself for getting too busy to spend time with God.  I used to be able to read several chapters of my Bible before starting my daily routine; now I’m running from the time the girls wake up until I get them into bed. Pam shares how she connects with God through short, daily prayers.  She lists examples of these prayers in Scripture and in her own life—just a few seconds in our daily rush when we can turn our thoughts to God.  She says, “For those of us who are pooped-out parents, what matters most is that we connect with God and link our soul with our Source. As the gentle touch of a light switch generates power to illuminate a room, so, too, our little prayers connect us with God and release His energy to empower us for the day.”

Pam talks honestly about slumps and ruts—those days when a mom's energy is simply spent, when we don't feel good about ourselves and become overly sensitive about tiny issues.  Then she says, "The best prescription for the Slump Syndrome is grace.  We give ourselves grace when we refuse to expect more from ourselves than we can possibly deliver.  We give ourselves grace when we grant ourselves permission to rest, sleep, play, take a break, and get alone with God.  A few minutes of quiet interaction with God can get us out of a rut much faster than striving, trying harder, and forcing ourselves inot overdrive."

Pam is refreshingly honest throughout the book, sharing her own struggles as a mom of three.  Each chapter began with a Scripture verse and an anecdote from her life (or from her counselling experience).  Most chapters were short and “Power Perks” appeared between chapters to provide tidbits of humour, advice, or inspiration.  Like Chicken Soup for the New Mom’s Soul or Blue Like Play Dough by Tricia Goyer, this is a book I’d be happy to share with my mommy friends (or I would, if I had a print copy to pass around.  You're more than welcome to come over and sit at my computer to read my book.  I'll even brew some coffee for you).

This book was provided for review courtesy of the publisher.



Blogging for Books is now setting aside 50-100 free copies of various titles each month to be given to YOU, blog readers.  If you read and rank my review, you'll automatically be entered to win a free copy of this book.  Blogging for Books will notify both of us if you are chosen as a winner and they will ship you your book.

Who's the Baby Expert?

I’m a book person.  When I want to know more about something, I’ll find a book on that topic.  On my shelves, you’ll find a section of writing books, a section of marriage books, a section of baby books.  When I wander through Chapters or a second-hand kids’ store, I scan the titles of the baby section.  Maybe there’s a book I want (still haven’t found Henci Goer’s book) or that will promise to solve whatever parenting dilemma I’m currently facing.

A recent newsletter from Birth Source focused on parenting philosophies, talking about how “our generation’s focus on higher education and professional pursuits has only naturally led to our desire to parent as professionally as we trained and work(ed).”  That rang a bell with me, because I’ve always thought that all the research I did in university influenced all the research I’ve done on various topics (vaccines, sleep, natural childbirth) since becoming a mom.

In the face of conflicting advice, though, parenting can get confusing.  One mom wrote a parody in a Brain, Child magazine about interviewing Dr. Sears, Elizabeth Pantley, Dr. Ferber, and a couple other sleep experts for advice on getting her child to bed.  I’ll admit a preference for Dr. Sears and a slight prejudice against how she portrayed him in the article.  In the end, she ignored the experts and her baby fell asleep just fine.

Recently, my husband and I started reading Hold Me Tight, which is a marriage book but in the first chapter discussed some breakthroughs in psychology that began with how children are treated.  Dr. Sue Johnson talks about how the terms “emotional starvation” and “failure to thrive” emerged in the 1930s and 40s to refer to youngsters in orphanages who had everything they needed physically but died for lack of emotional contact or seemed unable to relate to others.

Johnson talked about how parents in that era couldn’t stay in the hospital with their children.  One psychiatrist, John Bowlby, made a movie about a family dropping their two-year-old girl off at the hospital.  His colleagues weren’t moved by the girl’s tears and terror at being left alone in a strange place.  Bowlby developed more tests to prove that “children have an absolute requirement for safe, on-going physical and emotional closeness, and that we ignore this only at great cost.”  (Johnson then takes attachment parenting a step further and looks at what it means in adult relationships.)

What shocked me about reading how children were raised in that generation was that this was the advice of the experts of the day.  Bowlby’s ideas about children’s emotional needs were ridiculed by his colleagues, who agreed with the “conventional wisdom [that] held that coddling by mothers and other family members created clingy, overdependent youngsters who grew up into incompetent adults.”  Even today, there are experts who say attachment parenting will create wimpy kids.  So which experts do you believe?

In the past four years, as I’ve talked to friends about their parenting styles and read a lot of books, blogs, websites, and magazines on the topic, I’ve developed my own parenting style.  Some of what I do with my children may be different than what friends are doing with their kids.  And that’s okay.  We are different families with different kids.  Each of us has to make the choice that is best for us in our situations, with our unique personalities.   

I agree that “we all do our best parenting when we follow our instincts, but finding researched and proven support for that which we already feel in our hearts is profound” (Birth Source).  So read and research what the experts are saying.  But test it against your heart—your sense as a mother about what you and your child need.

September Write Mama Blog Carnival

Welcome to the September 6, 2011 edition of the Write Mama blog carnival.  As you get your kids (or yourself!) ready for school, here's a few great articles from other moms about writing and mothering (and even about teaching writing).
 

Moms and Writers

Toni presents Stories I Tell My Son: The Moon's Keeper posted at Wifely Steps. 

siobhan curious presents Word Jars and Grocery Lists: Your Child's Writing Life by Pam Allyn posted at Siobhan Curious, saying, "I think this review - and the book it examines - might be of particular interest to your Carnival readers, as it deals with both parenting and writing, and how to encourage the writer in your child!"
 

Mothering

Jo Bryant presents Brothers and sisters… posted at Chronicles of Illusions.

Pamela Jorrick presents Real posted at Blah, Blah, Blog.

Sara Fagley presents Frumpy Mom Syndrome posted at 1-moms-ramblings.

Amber K presents What is a Mother? posted at Parent Palace.

Bonnie Way presents her tips on doing road trips with young children in How to Survive Long Drives with Toddlers posted at Untrained Housewife.
 

Writing

Tash Hughes presents Discussing automating social media updates posted at Word Constructions, saying, "Maximizing blogging by linking to social media makes good sense - but does the how matter?"

kellie hastings presents Can Writing Evolve To Become Linguistic Art? posted at Health-Earth-Self Awareness.

Bonnie Way presents Good Writers Can Write Anything posted at Inscribe Writers Online. 

That concludes this edition, which will be the very last edition.  I've appreciated all the moms and writer who have taken the time to share their articles in the carnival, but I've decided to discontinue this to focus on other things on my blog.  Past posts can be found on the blog carnival index page.

What Every Woman Should Know About Postpartum Depression

I met Robin of Farewell Stranger at a writing workshop hosted by Island Parent magazine.  During the workshop, she talked about her struggle with postpartum depression and how she blogs about that.  Since then, I've been reading her blog and really enjoy Robin's sense of humour.  While I've had bad days as a mother, Robin's blog has helped me realize that's normal.  Bad days happen (and so do good days).  What happens, though, when the bad days never end?  That's why I asked Robin to share a little bit about PPD with us.   

When Bonnie asked me to guest post for her on this topic, I immediately said yes. After all, I suffered—badly—with PPD and it’s become something of a mission to raise awareness. And how hard could it be to write about this?

Harder than I thought.

First, I totally forgot about the date I’d agreed to. (Which, in a way, is one thing you should know about PPD. It kills brain cells. Or that’s what happened to me, anyway.) And then I couldn’t figure out what to say about it because it’s such a complicated illness. So let’s start with that.

The first thing you should know: Postpartum depression takes many different forms. I always thought of PPD as being “depressed” or having difficulty bonding with your baby (and reading Brooke Shields’s book when my son was a baby reinforced that perception. It’s a great book, but just one person’s experience). Women suffering from PPD can feel depressed, sad, hopeless, or just nothing at all, but there are other symptoms as well.

For many women, PPD is experienced as guilt, anxiety, or feeling overwhelmed. I think all new moms feel those things on some level at some point, but with PPD these symptoms tend to really hold on tight.

A lot of women—many more than I ever imagined—experience PPD as irritability, anger, or rage. That was my experience, and I never once connected my incredible anger and frustration with depression.

I just, unfortunately, didn’t know the symptoms were so varied. If I’d known, I’d probably have asked for help much sooner than I did. (If you’d like to read more about symptoms, Postpartum Progress has a great post in “plain mama English.”)

Second, PPD is not limited to the first few weeks. PPD can happen any time within a year of birth, but I’ve heard of so many women whose doctors told them it’s not PPD if it occurs later. That’s wrong, and it leaves so many people without the help they need.

Third, to address the PPD elephant in the room, postpartum depression is not just about women killing their children. It’s not even mostly about that. It is sometimes, of course, and in many cases those women are suffering from what’s called postpartum psychosis. This is tragic for everyone involved, but it’s thankfully not the average family’s experience. People (ahem, media) who characterize PPD sufferers as monster mothers are doing everyone a disservice. 

The fourth thing on my list is related (sort of). PPD is really common. Much more so, sadly, than most people realize. 15-20% of new mothers suffer from PPD, so chances are you know someone who has dealt with this.

The fifth and final thing you should know is what I consider the most important: It’s okay to ask for help. It is. If you are struggling, you are not weak. You are not the worst mother in the world. And you are not alone.

There are many of us who have walked this path before—or are still on it—and are willing to help. I’ve got a page on my site with the best online resources I could have hoped for, and these communities saved me many times. If you or someone you know has PPD, please reach out.

You’re not alone.

Book Review: Love Finds You in Sundance, WY

Love Finds You in Sundance, WY and Love Finds You in Last Chance, CA

Love Finds You in Sundance, Wyoming is Miralee Ferrell's fourth book in the Love Finds You series, which features real towns with romantic or intriguing names across the USA.  Each novel is well-researched, giving a strong sense of place, though most of the characters in the novel are fictional.  Ferrell does mention the infamous Sundance Kid, who took his name from Sundance, WY, but he doesn't really appear in the story.

Angel Ramirez has been raised in an outlaw band by her uncle Jose after her parents' death.  However, one of the outlaws has his eye on her.  To protect her, Jose lets her ride on a cattle drive and, when the rustlers are overtaken by Texas Rangers, urges her to escape while the rustlers are busy defending themselves.  For the next three years, Angel disguises herself as a man and makes a living for herself by tracking varmints across Texas and Wyoming.

When Angel arrives on Travis Morgan's ranch, in response to his request for a varmint hunter to deal with a wolf problem, she's tired of hiding.  However, revealing that she's a woman compromises her job, as Travis insists he won't have a woman hunting varmints.  It's up to Angel to prove herself before Travis finds someone else to hunt his wolves... but when Angel falls in love with Travis and when the outlaw from her past comes calling, suddenly there is more at stake than just Angel's job.

After the high suspense in Sigmund Brouwer's novel Broken Angel and the deep character insight in Jodi Picoult's novel Handle with Care, I found it a bit hard to get into Ferrell's novel at first.  In the opening chapters, I found the premises of the novel—woman dressing as a man and woman falling in love with rancher she works for—rather cliched.  The novel felt predictable, right now to the happily-ever-after ending that included three weddings.

Once I stopped comparing Angel's story to other books I was reading, I found myself enjoying the story.  I don't often read romances but once in a while, it's good to slow down and just appreciate the things that draw a man and a woman together.  One of my friends likes books like this simply because they are predictable and life isn't.  And so I found myself reading the last half of the book faster, wanting to find out that what I thought was coming really was coming—and encountering a few pleasant surprises along the way.

This book was provided for review courtesty of the publisher.