Its easy (and fun!) to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season with parties, shopping, decorations, and holiday shows. But after the final packages have been unwrapped and the last cork has been popped its nice to reflect on all that we have to be thankful for and our hopes for the New Year. And thats why "30 Lessons for Living: Tried and True Advice from the Wisest Americans," is the perfect New Years gift to yourself.
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RECIPE:
1 heaping tablespoon canned pumpkin
1 1/2 ounces sweetened condensed milk
2 ounces milk
1 ounce Fees Brothers Spiced Cordial Syrup
2 graham crackers
Graham cracker crumb rim and whipped cream
Grind graham crackers into fine crumbs in a food processor. Pour onto a small plate. On a separate plate, pour a small amount of spiced cordial syrup. Dip the rim of the martini glass into the syrup, then into the graham cracker crumbs, set aside. Vigorously shake milk, sweetened condensed milk, remaining spiced cordial syrup, and pumpkin into mixing glass, with ice. Slowly strain into rimmed martini glass. Top with a dollop of whipped cream.
This intoxicating (pun intended) delight can be found in Natalie Bovis-Nelsen new book, Preggatinis: Mixology for the Mom-to-be. Link.
"Reprinted from PREGGATINIS (©2009) Published by GPP, Guilford, CT"
My kids LOVE reading. Well, they love listening. K loves reading. They all love listening. So after the big book sort last week I am happy to report we have been reading some new books. And of course the big book dump (we donated MULTIPLE big bags of books away) has not stopped Mama's habit of buying books. In fact, within 24 hours we had several new kids books in the house (hee hee). One of them was an INSTANT favorite. It is the new Piggie and Gerald book called "Watch Me Throw the Ball". If you are not familiar with Piggie and Gerald you are MISSING OUT! They are the newest creations from Mo Willems, an amazing kids book author who has also written "Knuffle Bunny" and "Leonardo, the Terrible Monster" and of course, the Pigeon of "Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus" etal. Mo used to be an illustrator on Sesame Street and totally knows his stuff. Watch Me Throw the Ball is hysterical. The kids were literally rolling on the floor. I highly recommend it.
Other favorites of my kids - Skippy John Jones, Fancy Nancy, Pinkalicious, and of course, Junie B Jones and the Magic Treehouse.
What books do your kids like? (we could always use some more!)
Cross posted on http://www.threetimemommy.blogspot.com/.
Happy New Year!!!! It's been awhile since I've blogged. Between the holidays, preschool holiday parties, winter break, sick kids, family in town, like most of you, I've been swamped.
I was just thinking the other day as I was cleaning out my pregnancy/baby books (since my guy turns 18 months on the 10th -sniff, sniff) about the books that I found helpful and not so helpful. This is just my opinion and you can use some of these suggestions as you build your library of baby/parenting books.
1) "What to Expect your Baby's First Year" (or some version of a first year book): This is so helpful in so many ways. One, it gives you information about what your baby is doing developmentally, how much they should be eating, pooping, sleeping, etc. It also provides guidelines for how much and what types of medicine should be given for different symptoms (of course always consult your pediatrician before giving medicine if you have questions). The book gives information on the types of vaccines, common childhood illnesses, how to give your newborn a bath, umbilical cord care, etc. I remember cracking open this book countless times with my first and second children. The only thing I will caution is to not get too hung up on developmental milestones. You can drive yourself crazy wondering "why won't my baby pick up a raisin with a pincer grasp"......but all babies do things on their own time schedules. Use it as a general guideline.
2) Some kind of Breastfeeding book a la "The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding": If you plan on nursing your little one it's a good idea to have a breastfeeding book on hand to use as a reference. Even if you take a breastfeeding class (which I also recommend) you will have questions later on. What many people don't tell you is that breastfeeding isn't always as easy as it looks. It takes practice, patience, and luck all together. Borrow a book from a friend if you can. It really will help you if you are having some difficulties or symptoms of mastitis, etc. Also, have on hand the name and phone number of either your hospital's lactation consultant or a private consultant. You never know if you might need it and you don't want to be searching for the info while seriously sleep deprived with engorged breasts.
3) "The Happiest Baby on the Block" by Dr. Harvey Karp; This book is wonderful for suggestions for dealing with your brand new baby. Your baby will try you in ways that you've never imagined. Dr. Karp gives wonderful suggestion for how to soothe your newborn into blissful sleep. Buy or borrow the book or it's companion DVD. Have a few designated swaddling blankets or large receiving blankets around for swaddling your newborn.
4) "Healthy Sleep Habits, Healthy Child" by Dr. Marc Weissbluth or "Good Night, Sleep Tight" by Kim West aka the Sleep Lady: I think it is so useful to have a good sleep book on your bookshelf. I had no idea about newborn and baby sleep patterns before I had a baby besides the fact that I wouldn't be getting much sleep anytime soon. It would have helped me if I had at least glanced at a sleep book before I brought my baby home. It was only by the time that I brought my third one home and reading cover to cover both of these sleep books that I really understood newborn and baby sleep. I do think some of it is luck of the draw however, I am convinced that the reason my little guy Alex became such a fabulous sleeper early on was because I knew how to read his cues, how to swaddle effectively, and what habits not to start.
You will continue to add books to your parenting arsenal but I think this is a good place to start prior to bringing home your little one. I'd love to hear what books others found useful for the first couple of months.
Cross posted on http://www.nurseryknowitall.com/blog.php.
Boosting Your Baby's Brain Power is great read for expecting and new parents. I must admit, I read Boosting Your Baby's Brain Power to report back to readers. I was well past the "new motherhood" phase but thought this might interesting for new moms and dads.
I found myself a little disappointed that I hadn't read this type of literature during my daughter's first year. There is a tremendous amount of compelling information that includes: motor skill, hearing, attachment, language, vision, temperament and more. In addition, Boosting Your Baby's Brain Power has a unique approach toward a child's intellectual development. It not only reports of the amazing amount of neurological development that your child experiences as an infant, it also gives you a full arsenal of tools to aid you in expanding your child's brain development during that critical first year of life.
Susan M. Heim (co-author)
The fact is that the first year of life is an extremely vital period of time that lays the foundation for whether your little one will be able to walk, talk, smile, dress herself, draw a picture . . . even get into college! It is an astonishing thing that demands respect from sleep-deprived parents like yourself. Baby development is not simply a list of "to-dos" or "have dones" to check off. It is a long-term building event, with each day being important in how your baby develops the next day, and each event being important in how your baby develops for the next event. Nourishing food, comfort, face-to-face interaction, tummy time, music, and even the lilt of your voice are all brain developers.
The lessons in the book are simple and can easily be incorporated into your everyday life. It is an engaging read that would benefit any parent with a new child under the age of one.
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Over the last couple of months, I have been looking for ways to entertain my little ones while sharing my love for food and cooking while not feeling like I've been sucked into the Kiddie-ville land of random ball shaped foods.
Recently, we received a copy of Kitchen Playdates by Lauren Deen (Chronicle Books). It's a beautiful book with bright, detailed pictures and clear, detailed instructions. As a cookbook aficionado, I loved it, but after trying it realized that some of the recipes are a tad expensive and a touch too-exotic and "adult" for my little ones, 2 year old and 10 months. So I tried the recipes out on some of my favorite mamas and papas and they were hits!
Kitchen Playdates is a great starting point for some rockin ideas and fun way to entertain in a family-friendly way.
Available for purchae at http://www.amazon.com or http://www.chroniclebooks.com/
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Stieg Larsson
Book Link
This insanely addictive read draws you in from the first page. Readers are introduced to a compelling group of characters. Mikael Blomkvist plays the lead in this sorted and engrossing story. Mikael, a financial journalist and magazine publisher, has just been convicted of libel against a corrupt Swedish businessman, Hans-Erik Wennerstrom. Fresh from a guilty verdict that levied high fines and jail time, a vulnerable and cash strapped Mikael is lured away from Stockholm by Henrik Vanger. Vanger, the former CEO of the once great Vanger Enterprises is the patriarch of a dysfunctional family that has veiled years of dirty little secrets. Henrik Vanger, now in his 80s, is desperate to solve the 36 year old mystery of his missing niece.
To entice Blomkvist; Vanger offers Mikael incriminating information against his nemesis, Hans-Erik Wennerstrom. The catch, Mikael must spend one year with Vanger and his family, in remote Hedeby Island, researching the disappearance of Henrik's niece Harriet. Henrik is convinced that she was killed by a Vanger family member and wants Mikael to sort through the cold case details and bring Vanger the answers he longs for before his death.
Through a bizarre series of events, Mikael is paired with the young, heavily tattooed and multipierced computer hacker Lisbeth Salander. Salander's troubled history lays the foundation for her character, a volatile, unpredictable girl on the fringe of society. The union of Mikael and Salander makes for a riveting ride through the story's scandalous discoveries. Add in some unlikely love affairs, financial intrigue and a possible serial killer and the book has you hooked!
The absorbing read delivers shocking plot revelations at every turn. You won't want to put this book down. The book is the first of a trilogy written by Stieg Larsson. Sadly, Larsson died shortly after delivering this manuscript and two subsequent novels. A MUST READ!
We were looking for something fun and cheap to do with our kids, without leaving the city and without a lot of planning.... enter City Walks with Kids DC, a glove box keeper. City Walks actually makes it easy to pick a card, pack a diaper back and just go.
City Walks with Kids DC by Ingrid Roper Catron is a keeper for our family. It's a day trip in a box, well actually about 50 kid-friendly day trips with maps in a box. Each card is chock full of information for an easy family outing: 4 to 5 stops, touristy and local haunts alike plus a fun place for a treat and little snippets of trivia to make the trip lively. Our favorite component is the tri-fold map that connects all the trips together and prevents our favorite habit of getting lost in a city that we love.
It's a must for new families in the area or natives that have never been around to see the sites.
Available for $14.95 at http://http//www.chroniclebooks.com/index/main,book-info/store,books/products_id,7227/title,City-Walks-with-Kids-Washington-D.C./
So, given that I was just in Paris (have I mentioned that, hee hee), I have been reading a bunch of books that take place in Paris or have something to do with it. Before our recent family trip, I ran to our public library to grab a few books. In the "featured book" section I found a book called Sarah's Key. It was such a great read. It is a book about the French treatment of Jews in WW II. It was really fascinating, and took place in the neighborhood we stayed in - le Marais. I highly recommend it. I read it in one day - a day where I spent 10 hours in an amusement park with my kids. Probably got through the whole thing in 2 hours. I couldn't put it down. A bit sappy, perhaps, but I loved it.
frustratingly - it appears the author is French, and all her other books are yet to be translated....
Cross posted on http://www.threetimemommy.blogspot.com/.
When Mommy puts Emily to bed it's quiet and calm. We read a bible story, Goodnight Moon, say a prayer, and cuddle.
When Daddy puts Emily to bed he starts with silly stories, usually some tickeling, and tonight he's reading to her a book about Black Holes. Well, I guess that book would put me asleep too!
Here's the actual title of the book he's reading: "The Black Hole War: My Battle with Stephen Hawking to Make the World Safe for Quantum Mechanics". He picked it up at Borders last weekend.
I love my husband.
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I am a reader, always have, probably always will be, and when it gets hot outside, I love to curl up under the ceiling fan and read. Now that I have little ones, nap time is a time to squeeze in a few pages between laundry, blog posts and dinner prep.
One of my latest reads is Jude Deveraux's Return to Summerhouse, available in our Amazon Store and at local booksellers nationwide.
This is the story of three women, Amy, Zoe and Faith, unexpected friends in need of healing, that come together with the help of Madame Zoya to step back in time to undo a tragedy of the past. The journey to the 18th century teaches them about love, healing, friendship and the power of choices.
Return to Summerhouse was a fast, satisfying read that tugged my heartstrings that made me smile in the end.
Cross posted on http://capitolmoms.blogspot.com/.
After reading an excerpt from The No Cry Discipline Solution by Elizabeth Pantley, I was hooked. I immediately snagged a copy at my local library. I devoured every word in the book. After trying a few of tips and tricks, I was sold. My daughter is high energy and very strong willed. Pantley's guidance helped me to manage the situation, my daughter and myself. It really gave me a parental time out and reminded me that, as the adult, I am the one who needs to steer us out of dark water. I give big kudos to the author for dedicating a chapter on anger management. Kids can push our buttons as infants, toddlers and beyond. It is critical that parents find ways to work with their child and not loose their cool. I recommend buying the book. It is more reference guide than quick read. Here is a flavor for some of the topics that are covered: Eating Out with Kids, Tantrums, Fussing and Whining, What Triggers Your Anger? Hitting, Kicking, Biting and Hair Pulling, Interrupting, Sharing toys with others, Help! I have to go shopping!! and lots more! LINK.
