Happy Mom-Monday, everyone! I hope you had a great weekend.

I mentioned on Friday I’ve been revising the parenting book I’ve been working on and I need your help.

For anyone who might be a new reader here, I wrote the first draft of this book back when I took a break from my blog to spend time on my young adult novel. (I started the break working feverishly on the novel, but ended up shifting gears and writing a parenting book instead: Laugh a Little, Cry a Little, Love a Lot – Three Surprisingly Simply Steps to Mommy-Bliss.) I couldn’t ignore the pull I felt to put what I was thinking and feeling into words.

In a nutshell (you can tell from the title), the book is about finding mommy-bliss. 

I know; I can picture you sitting there reading this, your kids in the background fighting, your two-year-old pulling at your legs, piles of laundry waiting down the hall… and you thinking, bliss?

I know.

But it is there.

It’s just that sometimes we miss it.

Sometimes it hides in the corners of motherhood—in the feel of your baby’s sleepy head on your shoulder as you carry her through the grocery store, struggling to push the cart with one hand,

in the quiet singing of your preschooler as he sits in the corner during his time-out,

or in the smile of your eighteen-year-old as he walks across the stage to get his high school diploma that, after all the challenges he’s had, you weren’t sure he was going to get.

Because those kinds of moments—even though they’re sometimes sandwiched in between a whole lot of stress—are bliss.

And this is where you come in:

I’d love to hear from you–whether a few words of wisdom or your own stories–about the joy you’ve found in being a mom.

Don’t think your story or words are too small or too insignificant to share. I’m looking for all types–from a couple of sentences to several paragraphs. And it doesn’t have to be perfectly written either–that’s what editing is for!

(You don’t have to have a blog or be a writer to send something! Whether you are a friend, neighbor, colleague, or a reader I haven’t met, I’d love for you to send something in!)

I just want to hear from the hearts of moms, to be able to share with the hearts of moms. We are all in this together and whether we realize it or not, our experiences and stories can encourage other moms like nothing else can.

To give you a better idea of what’s in the book and how your words or experiences about finding your own mommy-bliss might fit, here are some of the chapter topics:

-Laugh at Those Otherwise Not-so-Funny Moments: seeing the humor in parenting.
-Laugh Because Your Kids are Precious: cherishing who your kids are.
-Laugh at Yourself: taking a lighter look at life and motherhood.

-Cry for You: acknowledging feelings, as well as past hurts.
-Cry for Help: learning to ask for and accept help when you need it.
-Cry When Life Gets You Down (and then get back up): working through stress and allowing challenges to make you a better mom.

-Love, Even when it’s Difficult: making a deliberate choice to leave a legacy of love.
-Love Perceptively: being in tune with who your kids are.
–Love Takes Time: making time for your kids.
–Love You: making time or yourself.
–Love Your Dreams (and Theirs): valuing your dreams and encouraging your kids to dream too.
–Love Being a Mom: developing a contagiously enthusiastic attitude about motherhood.

If you have a story or words of wisdom to share that might fit any of these topics, don’t be shy! Simply leave a comment or send me an email. If I end up including something you send me, I’ll get in contact with you first.)

I’ll be compiling all replies and emails within the next few weeks, so if you want to send me something but don’t have time today, feel free to send it to me or comment any time before August 8th.

Please help me spread the word about this too! I want to reach as many moms as I can and would truly appreciate it if you could tweet/FB this post or send it to your friends and networks. Thank you!!

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