In Which My Cat Takes It Upon Himself To Dictate My Parenting...At 5 AM

I really do not know what is up with this cat lately. For the last month or so, he comes into my room every morning between 5:30 and 5:45 am and meows. And continues to meow until I get out of bed. If I show sign of movement, he'll go out. But if I am not completely out of bed and following him down the hall, he comes back until I am.

I don't have to be awake until 6:45-7:00 so you can imagine how I feel about this early wake up call.

The first time he did this I thought it was one of those "Timmy's in the well" moments and all those stories about cats that had woken their owners and saved them from fires or alerted them to a child in distress, etc ran through  my head. Especially since it was obvious he wanted me to follow him.

So I got up and followed. He went into my son's room and then came right back out, and then went into my daughter's room, jumped up on the bed, and laid down on her pillow (where he sleeps every night).

And that was it....

And now every morning, he does this. Wakes me up. Refuses to stop waking me up until I follow him into each child's room to do a kid check. And then he lays down and goes back to sleep. Why he thinks I need to do this an hour before my alarm goes off, I have no clue. It would be sweet if it wasn't for the whole waking-me-up-an-hour-early thing.

He IS apparently aware of when I'm actually supposed to be awake, because the last two days, when I attempted to sleep in past my usual wake time of 7:00, he came in and meowed until I got up. THAT I wouldn't mind so much since my phone does occasionally crap out on me and the alarm doesn't go off.

But that 5:45 am child check really needs to stop :-)

Quiet Kids and Christine Fonseca

I am thrilled to be hosting the fabulous Christine Fonseca, both here and on Operation Awesome today. I love all of Christine's books, but this one is especially of interest to me because my sweet son is an introvert (as is my husband....and as am I lol). This book not only gave me some great insights into my son but into myself and my hubs as well.

If you know (or are) an introvert, you definitely need to get this book! And now, I'll let Christine have the floor :)

~~~~~

I am so happy to announce the official release of my book, Quiet Kids. This book, in addition to being the book I wish I had read as a child, speaks to introversion in children, pulling on the latest research in the area and providing parents and educators strategies to help support introverted children. As most of you know, my writing career started with my books related to gifted children, and while not all gifted children are introverted, a quiet temperament does dominate that particular subgroup of children.

Quiet Kids looks at what it means to be introverted in today's noisy world. 


Here is the description of the book:


Being an introverted child is difficult, especially in an ever-increasingly noisy world. Often viewed as aloof, unmotivated or conceited, introverted children are deeply misunderstood by parents, educators and even their peers. That's where Quiet Kids: Helping Your Introverted Child Succeed in an Extroverted World comes in. Designed to provide parents with a blueprint for not only understanding the nature of introversion, Quiet Kids provides specific strategies to teach their children how to thrive in a world that may not understand them. Presented in an easy-to-read, conversational style, the book uses real-world examples and stories from introverts and parents to show parents and educators how to help children develop resiliency and enhance the positive qualities of being an introvert. With specific strategies to address academic performance, bullying, and resiliency, Quiet Kids is a must read for anyone wishing to enhance the lives of introverted children.


Publisher's Weekly was kind enough to call the book "Extremely useful for educators and parents, this thoughtful text emphasizes the many gifts of quiet kids.”


Quiet Kids can be found in Barnes and Noble stores across the United States, as well as online at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Walmart and other retailers world wide. 


As part of the launch of Quiet Kids, I developed a little quiz to help you know if you may have an introvert in the house:

1. My child prefers to spend time alone or reading after school? T/F
2. My child is generally quiet? T/F
3. Teachers often characterize my child as shy? T/F
4. I often worry that my child has very few friends? T/F
5. My children struggles when things are not part of a routine or predictable? T/F

A yes answer to most of these questions may indicate that your child has an introverted temperament.

I also have a special giveaway to celebrate the launch:


a Rafflecopter giveaway




THANK YOU for the support of this important book. Be sure to check out the events page on my website to see what other fun things I have planned.

Friday Funnies

In honor of my wonderful little girl (who learned about gravity this week and is now sporting a pretty pink cast on her wrist)...I give you Parenting Funnies :D

Quote of the Day:

Someone once asked me whether I thought women artists should have children, and, since we were beyond discussing why this question is never asked of artists who are men, I gave my answer promptly. "Yes," I said, somewhat to my surprise. And, as if to amend my rashness, I added: "They should have children - assuming this is of interest to them - but only one." "Why only one?" this Someone wanted to know. "Because with one you can move," I said. "With more than one, you're a sitting duck."
~Alice Walker

(the same thing applies to children) ;-D

For those parents who have kidlets in school needing a little help (or who are in school themselves), check out my guidebooks :)

Amazon | B&N 

And coming Oct 2014: