I haven't been giving my children's book adequate attention. It's a very cute story, so I wanted to share with you where the idea came from.

My great-grandma (aka Granny) was an incredible woman! She was killed when she was 92 years old by a distracted driver while crossing a crosswalk. She was on her way home from performing a dance for her friends at the retirement home. If it weren't for that car, I'm sure the woman would have lived forever! She was so full of life! Along with my gift for writing, I also inherited a love for dogs from Granny. She loved dogs more than anything. When we were little, Granny used to tell an old folktale about a giant dog meeting that took place hundreds of years ago. All the dogs gathered in a barn, hung their tails on the wall, and danced the night away. But a fire broke out and in the smoke and confusion, many dogs grabbed the wrong tail on their way out the door. That's why dog's sniff each other's tails when they meet. Many of them are still searching for the tail their ancestors lost many years ago.

A Tale of Tails is a retelling of Granny's old folktale. It revolves around Scruffy-Duffins, the wise and gentle king of the dogs. The book is illustrated by my cousin's wife, who captured the story beautifully! The book is dedicated to Granny. I hope she's smiling down from heaven, knowing her stories are living on. 

The books is available on both Kindle (click here) or in Paperback (click here)
Or contact stacylynncarroll@gmail.com to place your order, and have the book signed by the author. (books are $8.50 plus shipping)

I've gotten a little behind in posts. I've been busy with book events and it's actually these events that have inspired tonight's post. If you want to be a professional author, you need to have a supportive spouse. Not just a spouse who thinks everything you write is brilliant, but a person who fully and completely believes in your career. When you first start out, it's going to cost money. Whether you're published with a big publishing house or you do it on your own, you are in charge of your own marketing. And marketing costs money. Writing retreats, conferences, book signings, the candy you put on the table beside your books while you attend expos and events, all of these things cost money. If your spouse does not believe in your career, spending family money will turn into a big problem.
I have thankfully reached a point in my career where I am self-sustained. I don't spend a dime of family money for anything book related. But it took me a little while and several books to reach this point. My incredible husband never complained once. Whenever I was worried about the cost of books or an event, he would always tell me he knew I would earn it back. And you know what? I did.

You also need a supportive husband who will allow you not only time to write, but time to sell. My husband helps a couple hours a week with the kids so I can have some non-late writing time. He also takes the kids for two weekends a year (including using his vacation time at work) so I can attend writing retreats. I make time for my husband so we can cultivate and continue to build our relationship. We have a date night once a week and a couple nights a week I write for a little less time so I can still spend quality time with him. But he also doesn't give me a guilt trip when I say I need to write tonight. He understands how important my career is and I can't have that career without adequate time to write.
It's important for your husband to have his own hobbies too. My husband loves to play video games. I'm not a gamer at all. So the nights I work, he plays, and neither of us feel guilty because we both get to do things we love and also make time to do things together.

Whenever I have a book signing, it's usually an all-day event. It's even oftentimes a two day event. Again, my husband has to use his precious vacation time at work to take Friday off. He has to play mom and dad to our three awesome kids, which is super exhausting! But he does it with a smile, he kisses me as I walk out the door, and he never questions me. Whether I sell one book or fifty books, he always makes me feel successful. And you can't get any better than that. 

Some days being a stay-at-home mom can be overwhelming! Especially when you're trying to balance a career as well. If you're like me, you never get as many things checked off on that to-do list as you would like. Part of finding balance is breaking up those daily tasks, so you don't feel quite so overwhelmed. Because my kids are my number one priority, I spend all day with them. I get my grocery shopping and errands done during the day, with my kids in tow. I can't wait until they're all in bed, that's my writing time. I also have my kids help with the daily cleaning jobs. That way we're all doing it together. My kids' have their morning jobs (get dressed, make bed, do hair, feed pets, etc.) then they have their daily jobs, which mirror my own. Each of my girls (4 & 6) are in charge of a bathroom in the house. Giving them ownership of that room has really helped with getting chores done with less complaining! They love that it's "their" room. My 2-year-old doesn't have his own room yet, but he helps me in the master bath and kitchen. Here is a breakdown of my daily tasks and my kids' daily chores. This is the schedule that works for me. Find one that works well for you!

Monday - Laundry day. I wash all the clothing and towels for the five members of my family. A timer helps me know when one load is done so I can start the next. And put away each basket as it comes out of the dryer! Otherwise, you'll end up with piles of wrinkled clothes and be overwhelmed and give up.  On Mondays, my kids are in charge of bringing all their dirty towels from their bathrooms to the laundry room, and putting out fresh towels from under the sink. They also put their own clothes away in drawers after I've folded them. Occasionally they help with the simple folding.

Tuesday - Wash all bedding, dust house, empty garbage. The kids each get a duster and are in charge of dusting their own rooms. They usually like to help me in the main rooms too. We blast some Taylor Swift and rock out! They also are each in charge of emptying the garbage in their room and replace it with a clean bag.

Wednesday - Mopping, windows, plants. I sweep and mop my entryway and kitchen floor. The girls mop their bathroom floors. If there's time, we clean windows around the house and also water plants. I highly recommend Norwex cloths for window cleaning. No chemicals, no streaks ever, super fast, and even my 2-year-old can wash windows without assistance. (I do not sell Norwex and I am not affiliated with them in any way. I just love their window/mirror cloths)

Thursday - Bathrooms. I clean my master bathroom: mirror, sink, toilet, tub. The girls clean their bathrooms: mirror, sink, and toilets. I help with their tub.

Friday - Vacuum day. The kids each need to have their rooms clean. I vacuum every carpeted surface in my house, stairs included. Kids know if their rooms aren't clean by the time Mommy gets upstairs, the hungry vacuum will eat their toys. Works pretty well :)

Saturday - Playroom and other odd jobs. Saturday is my day for extra jobs around the house like the occasional job which doesn't occur every week or working outside (though my hubby does most of the yard work). The kids have to have their playroom cleaned up every Saturday and they clean the fish's bowl.

Sunday - We take a break! No jobs on Sundays. We just enjoy the day together as a family :)

I hope this breakdown of tasks helps you find some more balance in your daily lives so you can clear more room to write!