Some Mother's Day Books

Of all the things I could offer the mothers out there this weekend I'd imagine "time" would be at the top of the list. More time for sleeping, more time for a shower without interruptions, more time for enjoying the sunshine--so I'm a little worried that adding some more reading material to your already-towering piles is the last thing you need but I'm going to risk it because some of these are really worth it.

Everyone Is Beautiful by Katherine Center.
If you read momblogs to find solace from shared stress or joy from mutual success then I can say confidently that you'd like this book. It reads like a blog post--conversational and homey and with scenes that I swear I've seen others living out in real life.

This story, Center's second novel after The Bright Side of Disaster, follows Lanie Coate in her own personal pygmalion-esque journey.

The set up is familiar to many of you out there: she has three children (she's with them all day long) and while her husband hasn't hardly aged a day she, on the other hand, has become a little worse for wear after three pregnancies and too many "tubes of refrigerated cookie dough."

The family moves across country and in a chance meeting with an old acquaintance she decides that it's time to take her life into her own hands once again. The opening scene at the park where she's waiting for her husband while nursing the baby and one of the other children bites a stranger's child could have been written at any number of my favorite blog haunts but her journey of discovery is perfect for a Mother's Day weekend. I'm quite sure you'd enjoy her easy-going narrative style and sweet message--it's a great option for a Mother's Day weekend read.

A Sane Woman's Guide to Raising a Large Family by Mary Ostyn.
Now while I was sent each of these books for review I need to confess that this was the one that I was already sure I would love before it ever arrived.

Many of you already know Mary Ostyn from her wonderful blog Owlhaven which I've read for three years now. I had the pleasure of meeting Mary last summer at BlogHer and I can assure that she's as lovely in person as she is in writing so perhaps I'm a little biased toward anything she writes.

But having said that I also have to say that this book is terrific. It does just what it says it does: gives you good advice for how to deal with raising a large family (and with 10 kids Mary knows her stuff) and I love it that someone is speaking out and saying "Yes! This can not only be done but done gracefully!"

How many times have I heard people spout off about how if you have too many kids that you or your resources will be spread too thin? Ostyn addresses these issues with great chapters such as "Is a Disney Vacation a Childhood Essential?" (I'll give you a hint: it's not. Vacations and family time are important but the expensive resort? Not so much) or "School Success: What If My Kid Isn't an Honor Student?" or "Celebrating Each Child: Will They Know How Special They Are to Me?"

In a time when large families are becoming more rare I love hearing from someone who's not only down in the trenches but winning the war against the myth that big families are only for the insane or the saintly. If you are thinking about the possibility of another child, wondering how you can fit another child into your life or even just looking for a practical insight into parenting with Mary's enjoyable style of writing then please grab a copy. Grab a copy for your friend who is thinking about having another one.

Better yet, leave me a comment here and I'll draw a winner for the extra copy I was sent. You'll love it, I promise.

Seeing the Everyday
I'm going to again mention the new magazine "Seeing the Everyday" which has just produced its fifth issue full of stories, poetry, photographs and personal essays that celebrate the small and tender moments in life--so often those that center around our family relationships.

I mentioned last December how I teared up reading one of the articles before (and I'm not usually such a sap, really!) but the pictures and the whole feel of the publication convey quality and warmth and "old-fashioned" values that are not old-fashioned at all but are alive and thriving today.

There are no advertisements, just real stories and thoughts from real people and while you're reading it you feel the atmosphere of hanging out in your grandmother's kitchen while she's rolling out the biscuit dough for dinner.

The Smarter Preschooler: Unlocking Your Child's Intellectual Potential by Renee and Mike Mosiman.
And finally, if you're one of those parents (probably rather fresh off the assembly line) who is always analyzing your child and trying to gauge whether he or she is keeping up with her peers or if you're still changing diapers but wondering if you should be interviewing preschools this might be a good book for you to read.

Now honestly? After 16 years of parenting four children most of what the book had to say was stuff I'd already figured out or heard from other sources--for example, that children under the age of two really shouldn't be involved in any way with the television or that talking and reading with your child helps their mental growth--but if you're interested in a basic handbook on improving your child's mental development in a way that is readable and not too long to overwhelm then this is a good book.

It takes the approach that while it's rather trendy to get your child started in all sorts of lessons and curricula so that he or she can shine academically there are plenty of things you can do that are far more practical, affordable and beneficial as you interact with your child regularly.

While much of the material isn't a surprise--for example, that the fine arts are fabulous for developing creativity--the part I really appreciate is the practical way to use every day activities to foster that growth rather than having to hire a tutor. The authors give lots of examples of questions you can be thinking of and ways to talk with your child while you're driving in the car or out at the grocery store that help increase their mathematical or linguistic awareness which is the major selling point of the book and the corresponding website The Smarter Preschooler.

Anyway, it's a good handbook for helping brain development in small children and would be an excellent addition to a new mom's library. A good baby shower gift package item.

So happy reading and happy Mother's Day! I hope your weekend is filled with sunshine and good books and strawberry stuffed French toast.

Sponsored by Tiny Prints for the holiday party invitations for children.