The Inspiration: A Children’s Book About Everyday Moments

For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to write a children’s book.

Ever since I was a teen who worked with children as a high school student. That desire only grew in me when I had children of my own.

For years, though, I never quite knew what that story was supposed to be.

So I waited.

Life happened.

I became a wife.
Then a mom.

I homeschooled my children, spent afternoons outside, planted gardens, watched seasons change, and slowly began paying attention to the ordinary parts of life.

Those ordinary moments ended up becoming far more meaningful than I ever expected.

One afternoon, I was sitting in our hammock with my youngest.

And somewhere in that quiet moment, the first few pages began to form.

A story about the moments we often overlook.

The smell of flowers.

Watching clouds drift by.

Sitting beside a river with our babies who are exploring ever part of this world will all their senses.

The simple moments that quietly become the memories we carry for years.

I realized those little moments aren’t little at all.

They’re where relationships grow.

They’re where love deepens.

They’re often the moments children remember long after we think they’ve forgotten.

That became the heart of You and Me.

Creating the Book

Writing the story was only the beginning.

When I get into something meaningful, I dive head first, so I spent the next week writing and dreaming of the illustrations. I rewrote pages, changed illustrations, adjusted colors, experimented with fonts, and learned more about self-publishing than I ever expected.

There were moments I wondered if I’d ever actually finish it, even when I finished it I then thought I would never publish it.

There were moments I thought I’d finally gotten everything right, only to notice something else I wanted to improve.

Even after submitting the book for publication, I found myself making little changes because I wanted every page to feel just right.

Looking back, I don’t regret any of it.

I learned that creating a book isn’t only about writing.

It’s about patience.

It’s about paying attention to the smallest details.

And sometimes it’s about refusing to settle until your work feels like it truly reflects your heart.

The Kind of Book I Wanted to Create

When I sat down to write You and Me, I wasn’t trying to write a fast-paced story.

I wanted to create a book that felt different.

A book that invited children—and maybe their parents too—to slow down for a few minutes.

Each page was written to be read slowly.

Not to rush to the ending, but to enjoy the feeling of each page along the way.

I wanted the story to invite little ones to notice the world around them.

To hear.

To smell.

To see.

To taste.

To simply be present.

In many ways, I hope reading this book feels like taking a deep breath together.

Holding It for the First Time

There’s something incredibly strange about holding a book that once existed only in your imagination.

For twelve years, this dream lived quietly in the back of my mind.

Now it’s something my own children can hold in their hands.

That feeling is difficult to put into words.

I’m grateful I didn’t give up on it.

Sometimes dreams take longer than we expect.

That doesn’t mean they’re not worth pursuing.

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Thank You

If you’ve supported my writing, watched my videos, read my blog, or simply encouraged me along the way, thank you.

Your kindness has meant more than you know.

If you’d like to read You and Me with your own little one, you can find it here:

https://a.co/d/0578Jen8

I truly hope this little book becomes part of your own quiet moments together.