RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) -- It's not what you can buy for your children that makes you special, it's how much you love them that really counts, a Rapid City mom and grandma says.

Arlette Schweitzer gained international attention when, in 1991, she became the first woman in the United States to be a surrogate mother for her daughter. Her daughter, Christa, was born without a uterus. Schweitzer gave birth to her twin grandchildren, Chad Daniel and Chelsea Arlette Uchytil, now 12, at Avera St. Luke's Hospital in Aberdeen.

From her salt-and-pepper hair and beautiful smile to the bottom of the lady bug apron she recently donned for a class project at Canyon Lake Elementary School, Schweitzer exudes love.

"There's no more important job than your family," Schweitzer says while sitting in a pint-sized chair in the school's library.

That sentiment carries over into the title of her new book, "Whatever it Takes." It's a story about faith, family, love and determination, Schweitzer says.

"I thought it would be a book just for my family, but it's become much more than that," Schweitzer, 55, said. "It conveys a message of hope and faith. If I've learned anything, it's how important family is and how fast the time goes by."

Parents today often dismiss sage advice about cherishing their children while they can, Schweitzer said, but children will be grown and on their own before you know it.

"My mom's advice was to savor every moment," Schweitzer said. "Not too long ago, my own children were in kindergarten, and now, I have grandchildren in college."

Schweitzer calls her mom the most selfless mother ever. Because her father was an alcoholic, Schweitzer's mother did the work of both parents in their household.

"I knew that Mother suffered a great deal. She suffered physical exhaustion. She suffered from worry and sadness because she couldn't provide her children with the things other children had," Schweitzer said of her mom, the late Mary Friesz Rafferty. "All of us had our mom on a pedestal. We had the best life. We didn't need stuff to fulfill us."

With today's parents so frenzied by jobs and activities, time is a precious commodity. And some parents believe they can replace time with children with material goods, Schweitzer said.

"Money or your job are not more important than family," she said. "It isn't how much you can buy, it's about love."

Schweitzer's book chronicles her life -- growing up in Lemmon, meeting her husband, Dan; moving to Mobridge, the birth of their first son, Curtis, then Christa, the death of their second son, Chad, to SIDS, Christa's devastating diagnosis and the birth of the twins.

She wrote the book in the year after Chad and Chelsea's birth, but for various reasons, did not have it published until recently. Paula Crain Grosinger of Crain Grosinger Publishing in Mandan, N.D., assisted Schweitzer in writing the book. Schweitzer met Grosinger at an event hosted by United Blood Services in Rapid City in 2002. Grosinger had written "Home in One Piece: The John Thompson Story," about a young man from North Dakota who lost both arms in a farm accident in 1992.

"Arlette gave me a copy of her manuscript, and I took it back to North Dakota," Grosinger said. "When I read it, I knew immediately that I wanted to see the story published. There are few stories that match this one in terms of emphasizing the importance of a loving and nurturing family."

Schweitzer also tells in the book of how she and Christa inspired mother and daughter Sharon Dunn and Trisha Roberts, of Sturgis. Trisha also was born without a uterus and feared she would never have children. In early 2002, Sharon Dunn called Schweitzer to tell her that she was going to be a surrogate for her daughter. The Roberts twins were born in the fall of 2003.

Schweitzer talks about the family's "15 minutes of fame" after the birth of Chad and Chelsea, the media frenzy that followed and how they dealt with it. She says Christa and Kevin Uchytil have done a great job shielding Chad and Chelsea from all the hoopla.

Chad and Chelsea understand that Grandma Arlette carried them because their mom didn't have a uterus.

"They also know they are from their parents, Christa and Kevin, and that I just sat on the nest," she said.

Schweitzer contends that even though she has a special bond with the twins, she loves all her grandchildren equally.

"I've got six grandchildren ages 12 to 20 years old. How can you love one child more than another? It's equal. They're all so special."