Change Is Inevitable

Despite our wishes to the contrary, change is inevitable. My husband felt this keenly over the past weekend as he attended a Father/Daughter Dinner with our daughter, Emily. He was so proud to be her escort, but at the same time, looking at her so grown up in her dress and  high heels, it made him wish he could freeze the hands of time.

Most parents have probably felt this at some point. Heck, even children can feel this as you find out in Olivia Measures Up. Olivia is thrilled to finally measure tall enough to ride the coasters. Her brother is not yet tall enough, but her parents mention that one day he will probably be taller then her. Olivia has a hard time coming to terms with the fact that her brother might be taller then her at some point and goes out of her way to convince him he should stop growing. In the end, she comes to realize that no matter how tall her brother might get, one thing would never change. She would always be the older sister.

And while there is nothing at all that we can do to hold back the tides of change, we can encourage creativity. Creativity comes in many forms, music, art, writing, cooking, inventing, gardening, and so forth. One way of encouraging creativity is to encourage reading. Reading be it fiction or non-fiction opens the doors to the universe where anything is possible.

If I Built A Car is a prime example of this. As Jack rides along in the back seat of his father's car, he begins to tell his father about the car he will create some day. As we follow his whimsical journey of creation  told in jaunty rhyme form, we see just how much fun dreaming and creating can be.

Well, that about wraps it up for this week. Join me next week for another exciting episode, same crazy time, same crazy channel. And feel free to drop by my personal website, Fun With Aileen, any day of the week for even more on reading, writing, my very own early grade chapter book, Fern Valley, the sequel, Return To Fern Valley, and the soon to be released Cooking In Fern Valley (fall 2015)! I'm also on twitter @AileenWStewart if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days

Seasons of Change

Just as the seasons change without fail, so do the seasons of our lives. And although change is often difficult, it can also mean new opportunities and fresh beginnings. So as sad as I was to see this past weekend usher in the very last farmer's market of the year in my home town, I really am ready for a breather.

I am eagerly contemplating how I will now use my Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays which for some time have been spent madly baking. One of my short term goals is to finish the third book in my Fern Valley series and then to move onto a completely different work in progress that I have been mulling over for quite some time. This also leaves more time for reading and reviewing!

And speaking of reviewing, I decided to read a book that Emily recently read entitled Ben Franklin's Big Splash - The Mostly True Story of His First Invention. She seemed to really enjoy the story, so I sat down to see why.  What I found was a humorous and well written story that made Ben Franklin seem real to me and not just a part of ancient history. Curiously enough, it also inspired me to keep writing and keep submitting despite the numerous rejections I regularly receive.

Ben doesn't worry about what other people think about him or his inventions, he just keeps inventing. One of my favorite parts of the book says, "Most kids might have felt sad, ashamed, or stupid. Instead, this smart, stubborn, sensible son of a soap-maker simply thought he'd made a mistake___ and wouldn't stop seeking, studying, and struggling until he SUCCEEDED."

My dad always told me that the only way you fail is to not try at all, so just like Ben I will not feel sad, ashamed,  or stupid. Instead, I will keep seeking, studying, and struggling until I succeed. I will keep writing and submitting until an agent or publisher realizes what I already know. That my writing is worthwhile, and I deserve representation.

Well, that about wraps it up for this week. Join me next week for another exciting episode, same crazy time, same crazy channel. And feel free to drop by my personal website, Fun With Aileen, any day of the week for even more on reading, writing, my very own early grade chapter book, Fern Valley, and my sequel, Return To Fern Valley! I'm also on twitter @AileenWStewart if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.