GottaLoveMom

It was just 6 weeks ago when I didn't know how to revise Chapter 10 of the book , "Out of Status" . But  as of March 1st, after only two two weeks since its publication, according to FaceBook metrics, the Out of Status page has reached members in the following 20 countries,  who speak 17 different languages: Australia, Canada, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Macau, New Zealand, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United Kingd om and the USA. I am truly humbled by all your support. I was reviewing some early thoughts about this book and I found this old post which I wrote in 2009. Thanks to Natasha of Thursday Sweet Treat, this week’s theme: “Beyond the Keyhole of Imagination Lies…” touched my heart tremendously. I dream of writing ....to proceed... to be brave.. I am on a mission – a very emotional mission. It’s not an easy task, as the Greek philosopher, Epictetus, once sa...

by resident writer, Dawn Nicholas of   www.dnicholasphotography.com In the beginning, I was determined to teach myself and my husband to be perfect parents.  I read every book available on pregnancy and infant care, and swallowed them down with a healthy dose of expert parenting information.  We would raise our three children on an optimal diet of nutritious foods and boundless love, which would build strong bodies and considerate hearts.  We would protect them from every danger, real or imagined, including broken hearts, bruised egos, skinned knees and closet monsters.   We would have an ideal family; our children would express nothing but love and respect for us and for each other.  Our home would be a stress free haven where we could come together in perfect harmony to enjoy each other’s company.  This would be our reward for following all of the guidelines laid out in my collection of books.  It all started out as planned.  In t...

I would love to be Guy Fieri of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives  because I love to eat, I really do. Even though I can't pronounce Fieri right, I would love to travel, meet different people and gobble-gobble on those scrumptious food. I most definitely would have a stomach ache, but I would have enjoyed every bite of the burgers, potatoes, home made cobblers and of course, apple pie with vanilla ice cream! (photo credit: Food Network website ) Even when I'm on the train and trying to find ways to take the jitters away, I would end up browsing through Pinterest and re-pinning every photos of food online - well, except shell fish! Oh my, just writing this quick post makes me hungry! Anyway, back to what I  wanted to share to begin with... Almost every night, after the daily craziness in our home -- school, dinner, schlepping back and forth to the high school, gymnastics school and the train station, at around 11pm, when the boys are in bed, my husband and ...

by resident writer, Anne Godoy-Organista of Writers Space. Many times these past few months, I caught myself feeling giddy at the thought that I can do something new and radical. Yet in the same breath, I felt my heart thump louder and louder with the scary feeling that doing something like that might be past my prime. Midlife made me think and for a while believe that at this stage, my options are limited. A quick glance at the job market confirmed that thought seeing how most employers preferred the creative minds and the adventurous spirit of young people over the skills and wide experience of the older ones. Midlife, I’ve heard many times, is the school for hard knocks. What else is new?  Isn’t life the same way too? So I’ve learned to move on and realized that though something may have ended when I lost my youth, the loss ultimately gave way for something new to begin. When I realized I was no longer young... ·       ...

I received a lot of inquiries and emails about creative writing after I published, “ Out of Status” .  I am not an expert, but I do plan on writing the steps I took in getting the book published. It’s amazing how modern technology helped and I would love to share what I learned - and I learned plenty! Journal writing is one of the ways you can creatively express and record your feelings. I started writing since grade school. I had a notebook next to my bed. At the end of the day, I made sure I wrote something. So if you’re interested in writing anything at all, start with acquiring a notebook -- the old fashioned, paper notebook! Customize your notebook with whatever design or cover that makes you smile, and keep that notebook handy. This journal/notebook was given by my daughter awhile back. This is just one of many journals I used in putting together my thoughts about the book. Inspiration comes at any time, so whatever idea comes to mind – write it down: Text ...