One Frog, Two Frogs, Three frogs, Four

I'm often asked where I get ideas for my books. Sometimes they just pop into my head -- in the shower or while running -- and sometimes they come to me in a dream. And sometimes I'm inspired by real life. Such was the case with this story, "One Frog, Two Frogs, Three Frogs, Four."

My oldest son, Zach, collected these colorful plastic tree frogs. He'd cart them around in his big, yellow dump truck. Using his Fisher-Price Wild West Town and Pirate ship he'd pretend they were cowboys and pirates. Sometimes, he'd stack pillows on the couch and the frogs would scale the pillow mountain to defeat the evil emperor. 

What you would like to tell your kids...

I saw this list (I've added to it) on my Pinterest account. It was a baby shower idea. But I think it's a neat idea not only for a baby shower but also for birthdays or just because.

Here's the one I did for my sons. I'll write it on note cards and leave them on the kitchen counter for them to find in the morning. Not for any special reason, just because I love them, and, well, I'm mushy and huggy and kissy and all that stuff.


I hope you learn... that it's OK to fail as long as you learn from your failures.
I hope you aren't afraid... to try even when your goal seems impossible or out of reach.