Natalie: Today on the show I'm speaking to inspirational kids Xanthe who's age 10 and Quinn who's age 8 and they joined by mom Amanda and then talking about the special book that they wrote called Remembering Candy. And I wrote this book to help them through the grim process after losing their dog. This is truly amazing story. So, please enjoy.

Hi! I'm Natalie Ledwell and this is the Inspiration Show and today my very special guest, an inspirational kids and coming all the way from Canada. So, let me introduce Xanthe, Quinn and Amanda it's mom on the middle. Hi guys. How are you?

Amanda: Hello.

Xanthe: Hi.

Quinn: Hello.

Natalie: The reason that I have you here is that your mom tells me that you guys have actually written a book. Which I find it excellent. So, Xanthe how old are you?

Xanthe: Nine.

Natalie: You're nine. And how old are you Quinn?

Quinn: Seven.

Amanda: Yesterday was his birthday. How old are you now?

Quinn: Eight.

Natalie: Did you forget? Now, guys I know that you wrote a book about your dog Candy. Can tell us how it came about. Why did you write the book in the first place?

Amanda: Come, tell her. Shall I start for you? They're a little bit shy to begin with. We have a beautiful Labrador pouter cross mix dog. Back in New Zealand where our house is. And we are here in Canada visiting a Stanford character for us. And it was a tenth birthday on the Friday and we will have a little celebration and on the Sunday we got a phone call from our friends said that unfortunately she passed away. They have to put her down and we are devastated. As you can imagine very sad because you guys like go home and see her again and so, that was really hard. So, what do we do like we were, we were very sad and we were doing something to make ourselves happier, remember right?

Xanthe: Make a Candy site.

Amanda: We made a very special Remembering Candy. Natalie our dog, she was one of the silliest dog ever. We'll make sure that your couple of the projects that we did. She was a crazy dog for example, when a perk she is ugly on her tail she will shake like that one the right one the cup. And all this amazing things she's doing our tears, you know thanks for being car page, this tears is change in laughter as we remember all the silly things that she'd done. Once a day flash away to remember her. And then we baked something, what did we bake?

Quinn: A cupcakes with candles in them.

Amanda: Yeah. Big cupcakes with candles in them and first happy birthday to her and belated happy birthday for our top out there with this thing we love you Candy to the tone of happy birthdays so we did that. And we got a teary eye and we eat each cupcake with the candle and we eat it wishing to it a happy ever after and that night Natalie our kids made a really special. At the end we slept at the same bedroom. Quinn's on the last side and Xanthe's on the other and they took a special blanket and what do you guys do with the blanket.

Quinn: Make a bed for Candy.

Amanda: It was a special blanket, and a little bed in the center of their bedroom. Oh they got my heart so deeply and then I said, Candy, we know that your soul will always be with us. You're always welcome with us, and I'm not pretending crying and smiling like crazy, I'm so proud with these kids. But yeah a few days later the book actually is Xanthe's idea.

Natalie: Yes Xanthe, what was the reason that you started to write a book?

Xanthe: Well, we were trying to get a week and mommy said may be let's make a book. And then I thought that we could make a book about Candy.

Natalie : Oh excellent. So the book helped not just to create some money for the way said, were you able to buy the way?

Xanthe: Yes we did.

Natalie: Yeah good. Okay. But also it helped by you know becoming how sad you felt about Candy.

Amanda: It was a wonderful way to take all the memories that we've created you know two days before, and write it down so we can never forget that.

Natalie: Okay so Quinn, What part did you do in the book? Did you write some of the stories? Or did you do the drawings?

Quinn: I did some of the drawings, and

Amanda: He wants to show one,

Natalie: Oh yes, let's see. And Xanthe what did you do? What was your part in the book?

Xanthe: Doing the drawings.

Amanda: Xanthe decided because when you know she is a really good drawer, she really is. So I suggested she draw the pictures. And she was become the family think, why don't we all draw pictures even daddy draw the pictures.

Natalie: Wow. So the full family affair which was fantastic.

Amanda: Yes exactly. Oh ok this one, Okay so I'll hold on to the camera. This is what Quinn's draw. He makes sure he wouldn't lose the page.

Natalie: So can mommy hold it up so I can see?

Amanda: There you go.

Natalie: Wow. That's fantastic. Now I've, I've actually

Amanda: So they print with me all the blocks that we remember so we could picture out the book that we made. And then this is another one.

Xanthe: She's scared the chickens and cats.

Natalie: Alright so the book remembers all the fun things and you know here's the thing that I love about the book, because I have read it myself, because I actually lost, I have two dogs back in Australia, and I lost Oscar the year before and we have to make a decision that that's a look that I probably get in and take the trimmer out and then you know keeping alive long enough for you to come back and see him. Unlikely that's pretty cruel if you go in and find something you know do the right thing. So it's very sad when you go back and you know that your dog's not there. When I read your book it made me think of all the fun things that I used to do and Oscar, you know and all the things that I missed about him as well. And what I also love about the book is you put some specific things at the end of the book, you know, typing it like a list formation of things you can do as a family to help overcome you know grieving over pet. You know cause they're like a child really. What are some of the things that you have written on the back of the book there that can help people in overcoming you know the grief of losing their puppies?

Amanda: One of the things that I found really was just don't push your children to track it over quickly, you know let them take the time to grieve, it's okay to cry, you see mommy and daddy crying you know, that's the good part of it. And then turn those tears around and just remember all the wonderful things that you're honoring your pet, you're not focusing on the death but you're focusing on the life. And the great times you have, those are the memories that are gonna stay with you. And we found it really helpful to find photos of our pet to a little you know staple it together so you just look at the dogs there and have that. And then to write down the stories that you have, it's great. You know it's just great when we remember because we little forget after a while, so yeah. That's what we found ourselves and when little things that Xanthe told you that she loved about what the book is done and that she's now seeing people cry even the adults cry. That was pretty amazing.

Natalie: So what's some of the feedbacks? What some people say about your book Xanthe?

Xanthe: That?

Amanda: They are loving it. We put it on Amazon and the comments coming back. It's really touched the core one that we ever expected it, really touched the core of people. Because like you said you know your dog is really a part of your family, it's like an extra child, it really is a special bond that you have with the dog, and so many people had that experience, I've had tons of feedback from the book. Just amazing, amazing comments.

Natalie: So what's the name of the book? We should tell everyone the name of the book.

Amanda: Oh that's a good idea. It is "Remembering Candy".

Natalie: Remembering Candy, there we go, fantastic. Now what's really interesting is before you know you mentioned you have your children looking to get away. So you can keep coming up of ideas of how you can generate money to do that. Now may I know that you are actually that's one of your passion. Is teaching children about money. So where can we send people to find out more about what you do, about where can they get the children's book, you know where can we send then to do that?

Amanda: Well, people should go to clever dough kids(cleverdoughkids.com), clever dough as in like making dough D-O-U-G-H, there's a link there to the book as well. But to all the site that helped parents teach their children about money. So yeah. That's the best site you can go.

Natalie: Alright. Now Xanthe and Quinn, are you planning to write another book soon?

Xanthe: No?

Amanda: We actually have a little snappy turn on the moment that we've rescued to our best set free on the spring, so we never know there might be a book about that one.

Natalie: Great okay. So guys thank you so much for joining me today. Thanks Quinn, thanks Xanthe.

Amanda: Thank you Natalie, it's been such fun.

Natalie: Thank you Amanda of course. So guys I encourage you to share this video and you can do that by clicking the Facebook and Twitter share buttons above. And if you haven't done so already make sure that you put your email on the box above there because we'll send you the six pre-made mind movie and we'll gonna keep you up to date on all our upcoming shows. So until next time, remember to live large, choose courageously, and love without limits. We'll see you soon. Bye guys.

Amanda: Bye.