Have you gone through self doubt as a parent, chased by a glass or two of wine after the kids are in bed mumbling to yourself, “Geez parenting isn’t easy!”

Yes this is true, AND did you know that kids are stronger and more resilient than we give then credit for AND more often than not learn in spite of us?

Yes and if you want a story to affirm these premises, read Wine Girl by Victoria James. It’s now available at Costco (yes, this is one of the five books that added to our $689 bill this week…yikes!). At 21 she became the youngest certified sommelier from the Court of Master Sommelier Program. She is now 29 and a leading expert in the wine industry.

The memoir begins when Victoria is 7. The first third of the book chronicles her exceptionally challenging family life, struggling with poverty, coping with a father who left her mom with four children then subsequently started a new relationship with another partner, fathering another child and after years of sobriety became an alcoholic and gambling addict. Her father was also a very demanding and difficult setting standards that were extremely high and at times cruel. It is safe to say her life as a child was more like a life as an adult. She began waitressing at 13 and it is going to break your heart to hear how that diner experience ended.

At 17 she ended up moving to New York with a scholarship. Life quickly shifted from promise to despair. Did this stop her? No, this young lady is brimming with grit, optimism and a determination to find the lesson from any difficulty and forge through. The following two thirds of the book recount the last third of her life clawing through and up the insane jungle of fine dining in New York.

Now an added bonus of this book is that you are going to learn a ton about wine in a very palatable manner. Cin Cin!

Phew got this blog in under the wire BC time…lol

Here is a poem I wrote which might reflect how Victoria James felt at points in her life or maybe how you might feel at times when having doubts…

Dazzle’s Challenge:

  • It is so easy to be hard on ourselves as parents and be hard on our families when it seems like our agenda isn’t being accomplished and life just seems chaotic and stressful. I urge you to take the time to keep a gratitude journal. It is a great way to celebrate the small accomplishments made by you and your family AND it is a great keepsake that you can look back on with pride and affection. When life gets so busy our memories get short.

Quick Take Away Links:

Grit for parenting, two fabulous books:

Oh and remember the Marshmallow experiment highlighting the benefits of delayed gratification?

Victoria James

Have you gone through self doubt as a parent, chased by a glass or two of wine after the kids are in bed mumbling to yourself, “Geez parenting isn’t easy!”

Yes this is true, AND did you know that kids are stronger and more resilient than we give then credit for AND more often than not learn in spite of us?

Yes and if you want a story to affirm these premises, read Wine Girl by Victoria James. It’s now available at Costco (yes, this is one of the five books that added to our $689 bill this week…yikes!). At 21 she became the youngest certified sommelier from the Court of Master Sommelier Program. She is now 29 and a leading expert in the wine industry.

The memoir begins when Victoria is 7. The first third of the book chronicles her exceptionally challenging family life, struggling with poverty, coping with a father who left her mom with four children then subsequently started a new relationship with another partner, fathering another child and after years of sobriety became an alcoholic and gambling addict. Her father was also a very demanding and difficult setting standards that were extremely high and at times cruel. It is safe to say her life as a child was more like a life as an adult. She began waitressing at 13 and it is going to break your heart to hear how that diner experience ended.

At 17 she ended up moving to New York with a scholarship. Life quickly shifted from promise to despair. Did this stop her? No, this young lady is brimming with grit, optimism and a determination to find the lesson from any difficulty and forge through. The following two thirds of the book recount the last third of her life clawing through and up the insane jungle of fine dining in New York.

Now an added bonus of this book is that you are going to learn a ton about wine in a very palatable manner. Cin Cin!

Phew got this blog in under the wire BC time…lol

Here is a poem I wrote which might reflect how Victoria James felt at points in her life or maybe how you might feel at times when having doubts…

Dazzle’s Challenge:

  • It is so easy to be hard on ourselves as parents and be hard on our families when it seems like our agenda isn’t being accomplished and life just seems chaotic and stressful. I urge you to take the time to keep a gratitude journal. It is a great way to celebrate the small accomplishments made by you and your family AND it is a great keepsake that you can look back on with pride and affection. When life gets so busy our memories get short.

Quick Take Away Links:

Grit for parenting, two fabulous books:

Oh and remember the Marshmallow experiment highlighting the benefits of delayed gratification?

Victoria James