Oh Baby! A new book in The Whitney Chronicles series!

I am proud to announce the birth of my latest "baby" in The Whitney Chronicles series! Oh Baby! hit the shelves June 1, 2008. This book was such fun to research and write and I can’t wait to share it with you.

Here’s a little bit about the story from the back cover…

From the moment we met, obstetrician Clay Reynolds scorned my profession as a birthing coach. His scathing remarks left me crying on the shoulder of my potbellied pig, Gertie! It seems only the handsome doc’s eight-year-old son, who thinks I hung the moon, can make Clay be civil to me.

Clay is a great doctor and loving father. And we’re finding a lot in common as we volunteer together at a free clinic. But he’s still frowning at me in the delivery room.

So how can I convince him God gave me skills that complement his own? Maybe with a little help from above I can change Clay’s attitude toward doulas in general… and me in particular.

You can find out more or read an excerpt here

Technorati Tags: Judy Baer,new moms,moms,baby,children,chick lit,romance novels,books,doula

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Meet Celebrity Mom: Author Tricia Goyer

I’d like you to meet a friend of mine, author Tricia Goyer. Tricia is the author of eleven books, including Generation NeXt Parenting. She lives in Montana with her husband and three children. Talk about a BUSY mom!  I know you’ll enjoy her words of encouagement below.

A Note from Tricia

“Growing up, I always knew I was special. This was to the credit of three very important people in my life: my mother, my grandma and my grandpa. I knew it because they told me so. I used to be able to draw well (at least for a kid), and they never let me forget that. I read a lot, too, and they always told me how smart I was.

The amazing thing is that my birth (my life) could have been easily despised. My mom was a single mom, and I was conceived from a college fling. It was short-lived, but serious enough to create me.

Back in the early 70s, people didn’t talk as openly as sex and relationships as they do now. My mother never told my grandparents who had gotten her pregnant and they never asked. And my biological dad didn’t even know about me until I was married and had three kids of my own. I, of course, grew up with a lot of questions about where I came from, but I never questioned my worth.

The seed takes root.

Even after I became a single mom myself (I had my son at 17), after I married, and after I had two more kids, the idea that I was destined to do great things still hung around somewhere in the back of my mind. It was a seed planted, and one that took root. The plant was slow growing, and the flowers of special things took many, many years to bloom, but I never doubted they would.

“To feel loved, to belong, to have a place and to hear one’s dignity and worth often affirmed-these are to the soul what food is to the body,” says speaker and writer, Anne Ortlund. My soul had been fed early on, and my heart followed.

This makes me think of my own kids. (And your little ones, too.) As a parent, it’s our job-of course-to train them up. It’s up to us to point out their mistakes and help them grow and change. But more than that, it’s also our job to plant the same seeds of worthiness that my mother, my grandma, and grandpa placed in me. They focused on what was most important-my heart, my talents, my gifts-and they never let me forget that I could do anything I set my mind to.”

A Special Treat!

Tricia will be giving away a copy of her book Generation NeXt Parenting. To enter the drawing, just leave a comment. 

Here’s what Tricia says about the book…

“As a Gen Xer who graduated from high school in 1989, the way I parent is different from the generations who’ve gone before me. I want to do it all-find God’s purpose for my life, impact my community, support my spouse, and provide my children every opportunity available to them. My generation is serious about parenting-just look at all we expect from our children and ourselves! This book offers solutions to our unique questions and confirms that we can ‘parent right’-even if it looks nothing like the way our own parents did it. More importantly, this book focuses on seeking God’s Word and wisdom for answers to growing a new generation of God seekers.” – Tricia Goyer

Be sure to check out Tricia’s website at www.triciagoyer.com.

A perfect day… almost

Judy here… checking in to share a story from my own baby chronicles.

 

When I was pregnant with my second child, my first was three years old.  One winter day I was making cookies.  I had music on, the snow was falling, my little one was playing nicely in the living room on the new wool carpet that had been installed that week…everything was picture perfect—or so I thought.

After putting a new batch of cookies in the oven, I went to check on my little girl and found her sitting in the cold fireplace with ash and soot covering both her and a three foot semicircle around the fireplace—on my brand new wool rug.  Someone had moved the screen and she was able to crawl right in.

She was so filthy that I had to wrap her in towels to get her to the bathtub without spreading ash throughout the entire house. 

She did learn a lesson.  For the rest of the day she assured me that “I’m going to teach my baby never to sit in the fireplace.”  And my second child never did!

Organized Mom: Grocery Shopping

This week’s time-saving tip for new moms is from professional organizer Kay Gallegos…

“Create a grocery list on your computer of all the things you normally buy.  The items should be grouped by category and arranged in the same order as the aisles in your grocery store.  Keep several copies of the list in a binder, along with your recipes, list of favorite meals, a highlighter and a pen. 

Once a week, sit down with your binder and plan your meals for the following week.  Highlight the items you need and write down any “special” items that aren’t listed.  On the back, you can also list the planned meals (so you can remember what you’re going to make).  

When you go to the grocery store you can quickly find what you need and cross the items off as you get them.  This will cut down the amount of time you spend planning meals and at the grocery store.  It will also cut down the amount of money you spend on groceries.

Kay Gallegos is the franchise owner of Clutter Busters in Orlando, Florida. www.clutterbusters.com.

REAL LIFE: Time for Me by Roseanna M. White

It took me months after the birth of my daughter to figure out how to get back into the groove of “me.”  Until she came along, I would write almost every day.  After she came … well, you can imagine.  Sleepless nights didn’t lend themselves toward creativity.  And when she finally started sleeping through the nights, it was such a relief that I just slept in with her.

Finally, I realized that if I ever wanted to feel like “me” again—the me that was more than housewife and mommy—I had to do something about it.  So I started getting up at six, something this stay-at-homer hadn’t even done in college.  And I would write.  When I put her down for a nap, I would write.  I did the housework while she was up, either strapping her on or letting her play nearby, and I finally found that groove in which I actually existed.

Of course, now baby number two’s on the way, and I’ve fallen out of my comfortable groove again.   If I get up early, I’m too sick to really do much.  And then I have to take a nap, I’m so exhausted.  If I get up later, that leaves me a grand total of two hours of free time during the day, which is barely enough to manage my email.

I know it’s only going to get harder when the new baby arrives.  Still, I’m going to start digging my groove again.  I’m just so much happier when I have those precious moments for me—then I can really enjoy the moments when I’m Mama.

Roseanna M. White is the author of A Stray Drop of Blood (WFP), co-founder and senior reviewer for the Christian Review of Books (www.christianreviewofbooks.com) and a member of ACFW.  She lives with her husband, toddler, and baby-to-be in Maryland.

Just arrived!

Writing is a little bit like pregnancy. You write … then WAIT. And WAIT… Then WAIT some more. Just when you think you can’t WAIT another day, the BIG DAY ARRIVES.

For me, that was yesterday when The Baby Chronicles hit the store shelves!

I wrote The Baby Chronicles in response to readers and to my editor’s request to find out what happened next in Whitney Blake’s life.  When I wrote The Whitney Chronicles, I had no plans to write a sequel.  I couldn’t let go of Whitney, Chase, Kim and Mitzi even after the book was complete, however.  Whitney Blake is a character who has many of my sensibilities and much of my sense of humor.  I was delighted to agree to a second book about her and her friends–it was like coming home to a place and to people I’d missed a great deal. 

This was also a wonderful opportunity to dig deeper into her wacky co-worker Mitzi’s personality and life.  Being ”with child” can be pretty hilarious sometimes (well, you either laugh or cry, I guess), and Mitzi is the perfect vehicle for the perils, pitfalls and pleasures of pregnancy.

 I hope that The Baby Chronicles makes you smile—or laugh out loud!

Blessings, Judy Baer

Welcome!

In celebration of the release of The Baby Chronicles by Judy Baer, we thought it would be fun to explore the real life Baby Chronicles written by moms all over the world each day – in the midst of stretch marks, diapers and midnight feedings. This is a place to share your thoughts, dreams about the marvelous adventure of motherhood.

We’re looking for guest bloggers. Real moms (or grandmoms) just like you to share your stories and pictures of your little ones. Please email us for guidelines.

We’ll also be checking in with Judy and several “celebrity” moms each week with their own memories, stories and advice. And don’t miss the weekly tips from organizational experts to help you make the most of your busy days.

Again, welcome to The Baby Chronicles! We can’t wait to hear your story… one snuggle at a time.