Around the Pond with the Frog~October/November 2014

December 1st already!  Where does the time go? Time is definitely going to fly between now and Christmas. In case you've missed anything that's happened here around the pond, here it is summed up in one convenient place.

I sort of fell off the blogging wagon in October. I wrote about our upcoming move and how I hate change. I also shared my inclusion in the latest Chicken Soup for the Soul book, Chicken Soup for the Soul: Find Your Inner Strength: 101 Empowering Stories of Resilience, Positive Thinking, and Overcoming Challenges. I'm so honored to have been included in one of these well-loved and timeless books. It would make a great gift for anyone this holiday season. Finally, I stopped by Coach Daddy's blog for another of his wonderful 6-word posts - this one on how we'd spend Hermit Day.

Early in November, I was struck hard by the death of Brittany Maynard, the young woman who had a brain tumor similar to Joey's. I quickly lightened the mood by reviewing my friend Nikki's series of children's books called The Peppermints. These would also make a great holiday gift for the kids on your list.

National Children's Grief Awareness Week was at the end of November, so I shared some personal experience by giving 10 Tips for Talking to Children About Death and sharing The Best Grief and Grieving Resources for Children. The holidays can be an especially hard time for anyone who is grieving. Please share these if you know someone who can be helped by them.  

Finally, I asked and they answered: I shared some Christmas gifts that teachers actually want. Now get out there and get shopping!

December is such a busy time for everyone, and it's going to seem even shorter this year with Thanksgiving being later. It's going to fly for us, as we are finally moving at the end of the month! It's supposed to happen five days before Christmas, but there's still a lot of work to do on our house. I really have to get busy packing, so I probably won't be around blogging or on Facebook very much. 

January will mark FOUR years that I have been blogging and writing. That seems so crazy to think about. Read my very first blog post here to see how the whole thing got started. Throughout the month, I will take a trip down memory lane and share some old posts with you and for the people who have found me along the way. I might write something new; but in case I'm too busy with the move, I wanted to give you something to read. It's kind of a crazy time for me right now, and packing is hard because, you know, I have "help."

"But it's fun, Mommy!" #nothelping

Anyway, I hope that you have a joyous and safe holiday season. I will talk to you again soon, Dear Readers. 

I Found My Inner Strength with Chicken Soup . . .For the Soul

Longtime readers of Kissing the Frog know that I have been through my fair share of hard things. Icky stuff like cancer and autism and infertility and miscarriage and bed rest and birth defects.

Each of these things has sucked in it's own way; but I can't say any have broken me. No, not even losing my sweet Joey to cancer has broken me. It can't. None of it can. Some days I feel like I don't have a choice but to go on and forge ahead. For my spouse, for my children, for me. 

As someone who grew up living a simple life with an extremely loving and supportive family, I've had it pretty good compared to some other people. Many people have faced challenges that I'll never begin to understand. Since Joey's cancer battle and death, I've begun to say to people that just because I've experienced something worse than you have, it doesn't make your hard thing any less difficult for you. It's all in what we know. It's all in what we know as our personal experience.

I am so honored to be sharing my personal experience in the newest Chicken Soup for the Soul book, Find Your Inner Strength, which is officially on sale today. In my essay, "Bit by Bit," I share how I, along with my family, am healing a bit every day since Joey's loss.

Rawr!

Find Your Inner Strength includes 101 stories of resilience, positive thinking, and overcoming challenges. Included are sections on overcoming self-destructive behavior, fighting health challenges, powering through loss (in which my story is included), moving past disabilities, accepting the new normal, accepting what makes you different, learning to reach out, rising to the challenge, pursuing your dreams, and taking back your life. I cannot wait to read the other stories in this anthology!

Chicken Soup for the Soul has been around for over 20 years. It's tag line - "Changing lives one story at a time" - alludes to their powerful purpose. They allow writers to share their stories in the hopes that they just might change someone's life. You can follow Chicken Soup for the Soul on Facebook and Twitter. You can get your copy of

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Find Your Inner Strength: 101 Empowering Stories of Resilience, Positive Thinking, and Overcoming Challenges from Amazon (this is an affiliate link), from the Chicken Soup for the Soul website , or anywhere books are sold.

OR you can get one from me. I have a copy to give away to a reader who can tell me:

What is the greatest challenge you have overcome and how did you do it? 

The rules are simple:
1. Go to my Facebook page and find the pinned post at the top.
2. Answer the question honestly. Speak from your heart.
3. You will get an automatic "like" from me.
4. The post with the most likes by 10:00 p.m. Central Time Wednesday night 10/29 will win the book. In the event of a tie, I will ask my fellow BlogU planning team bloggers to help decide the winner.
5. I'm only sending the book to residents of the US. Sorry, if I were a famous author I could afford to ship anywhere. Maybe someday. :)

That's it. Good luck finding your inner strength!

*This giveaway has ended.