The Things They Didn't Tell You

I've said no to lots of things this year, all in the aim of keeping the promise to myself that 2012 would be the year of keeping things simple.

That's what no one ever told me: that when you're pregnant and/or raising young kids, sometimes the rest of the world is racing at too high a speed to be involved in. Sometimes you have to step out of the race for a bit.

BUT, what this ultimately means is that when I say yes to something it means that I really want to do it.

Being involved with the new ebook, Things They Didn't Tell You About Parenting, is something I'm proud of. Working with the people who made it happen - Allison, Tracy and Mal - was a chance I jumped at. And contributing to something that is doing so much good... well, you can't go past that.

So, what is it? It's an anthology of pieces by myself and 31 of Australia's top bloggers, all about parenting. This isn't a book filled with tips and advice and how-to's, it's a book of real stories by mums and dads who have lived it.

When I read all the contributions, I cried and cried. In a good (and emotionally unstable, pregnant woman) kind of way. It's good - these people can write, they know how to get to the guts of what really matters.

Best of all, every cent raised from the sale of the ebook goes straight to charity. Foundation 18, to be exact, which funds the orphanage set up in Indonesia by the inspiring Cate Bolt.

In Cate's words: "The proceeds are all going to children who don’t have parents, or whose parents’ greatest concern is whether they can feed their child at all."

The ebook is $4.95 and we'd all love it if you grabbed yourself a copy and, when you realise how awesome it is, tell everyone you know!

Buy Things They Didn't Tell You About Parenting here.