Mamas, it's all about the children. I sacrifice and I sacrifice and I sacrifice for the children. Those precious, precious children.
As proof-positive of said sacrifice and of my worth as a mother (do they not go hand-in-hand?), I give you this, my latest ridonkulous creation my masterpiece:
I've titled it: "Smug Mummy's Easter Basket."
Do you not see the calligraphied "R"? The "R"...
I love when moms get a little credit in the media. Especially in a supportive, cool, or even glamorous way. I mean, c'mon people - not all of us are posing on the sidelines of the playground gossiping about the latest "mommy war" or wearing patchwork denim vests. (In fact, I don't have a single mom-friend who is the...
One of my very favorite children's authors is Charlotte Zolotow. I remember my mother reading her to me when I was a little girl. Zolotow captures childhood so acutely that I am transported, with each reading, back to my own. Her books are both heartfelt and sincere - and completely in tune with the rhythm of children, the simplicity...
There's all sorts of warnings about kids and TV exposure. Too much TV may inhibit babies' language development. And toddlers? To summarize another recent study, too much TV makes toddlers fat and dumb. Whoa. Think I'm exaggerating? Dr. Linda S. Pagani, the lead author of this study, says (much more eloquently than I do):
We found every additional hour of TV...
Not all kiddos like scary, but if yours does....we have some books for you! The books below are just scary enough to capture a kiddo's attention, without going too far over the edge. And the illustrations in these books? OH MAMA. Crazy-amazing.
1. Guess What, by Mem Fox and Vivienne Goodman
R has loved this book for well over a year (He's 3.5 now)....
I don’t need to tell you that there are countless books on babies, parenting and motherhood lining the bookshelves of your local Barnes and Noble. You could read non-stop until your child graduates from college and still you would have barely scratched the surface of all the reading material there is on the topic.
If you’re like me, a...
OMG. Have you seen this? I'm sure you have. I'm always the last to know about FaceBook phenomenon, but Hubs gave me a heads up to this as I sat here tapping away about the fabulous and beautifully illustrated children's book, Augustus and His Smile. Needless to say, while tender, sweet, and the perfect book to talk to...
Sure, music soothes even the most savage two-year-old human beast. But for some of us, powering through a kids music CD is a cloying act of endurance, often precipitated by an already stressful meltdown situation. Not so with Anya Jane & Friends’ Lullabies, a recent release of “old favorites and new gems,” beautifully rendered in acoustic guitar, requinto (a cute little guitar), mandolin, harmonica and piano, with amazing vocals that will leave both you and your tiny person breathing a sigh of relief.
...this is simply a newsletter that started in 1971, and will, very patiently, explain to us newbie mums why manners are still important (hint: it's all about "caring and consideration"), and what you can and cannot expect from your 2-year-5-month-old in terms of manners. This is a newsletter that teaches parents specific language and behaviors to make us more effective parents (Say, "Hitting hurts Peter" rather than "Don't Hit"). This is a newsletter that encourages parents to focus on what's important: helping your child develop courage and independence, empathy, imagination.
...but what struck me as new was the additional (self-imposed) "requirement" that girls now also be sexually sophisticated. Not just active, mind you, but sophisticated. Sophisticated in a way that really isn't achievable by anyone still in their teens. So what we've ended up with are high schools full of girls who look and act the part...but who still have no idea how to orgasm. The bottom line? These girls aren't enjoying it. Like porn stars, they are pretending.