We are so excited to announce Reggie Joiner’s newest book for parents and leaders! It’s actually two books in one, so we are more excited than a camel on hump day.

Everything started from a little article that Reggie wrote on this blog a few years ago about Losing Your Marbles. Well, the idea was born before that, but one of the first steps to getting it actually printed in a book happened right here on Orange Parents!

Losing Your Marbles / Playing For Keeps will officially release this week, and we wanted you to be one of the first to know about it!

Reggie teamed up with Kristen Ivy, Elizabeth Hansen, and artist Abby Jartos to write about and illustrate the 6 things every kid needs over time. And it has nothing to do with making them eat their brussel sprouts or impressing the importance of personal hygiene.

The overarching idea of the book is that we have a limited amount of time with our kids, so we need to get serious about making our time with them count.  While it may be a little depressing for some parents to think about how little time we have with them, others may rejoice at the thought of it. But the point is when we visualize the time we have left, we tend to do more with the time we have now.

The first part of the book is a short story that spans a week in the life of a young boy as he races against time. It beautifully illustrates the 6 principles later unpacked in the book, so you should probably start there.

I’m sure you’re dying to discover the 6 things that really matter to kids over time. Well, you’re in luck, my friend! We will be walking through each one of those things on this blog over the next few months and unpacking the 18 practical ideas to help you get serious about the time you have left and “play for keeps.”

Please join us as we unveil this book to the rest of the world.  Engage in the conversation and #playforkeeps on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. Share these ideas with your friends. And of course, follow along with your own copy of Playing For Keeps.