Bright Side of Disaster
Every now and then a book reels me in so effectively that I forego sleep for story development. This was the case with The Bright Side of Disaster
Bright Side (available in July, but you can preorder
Bright Side no doubt will stir up visceral memories for veteran moms (or give impending moms a preview of what’s to come). Center realistically portrays Jenny's abandonment of basic needs (food, sleep, hygiene) in the face of her new daughter's care, as well as the blisteringly raw relief of discovering mama peeps with whom it’s okay to air vulnerabilities, frustration, and fear. Also ringing familiar were basic relationship quandaries, such as whether it’s better to be single than in a crummy relationship, and the related, nasty temptation of staying in a relationship rut because it’s easy, familiar territory, even though there’s clearly a better option on the horizon (these are both disturbingly familiar scenarios from my pre-Jon days…).
There were a couple of points where Bright Side could have opted for simplistic sap, but Center deftly creates turns to add intrigue while keeping the story real and fallible. Although I have a tendency to cast people (famous or familiar) into the characters of the novels I read, Bright Side was such an entertaining ride that I wager it may actually become a movie.
. The set includes interactive pieces (thermometer, syringe, blood pressure cuff, and a stethoscope that actually works against the skin), as well as an otoscope and bracelet style bandage. Also included is a soft tote, which is nice so you can add other tools - such as a shamanic maraca - easily (a common complaint of kits with hard cases is that it's tough fitting all the pieces back in), and the set is compact for travel.
likely will provide clarity.
. The finale included a fabulous allergy-friendly piggy cake:
, but we’ve also enjoyed 
at many a bedtime. On the lookout for a theme for his 3rd birthday, I stumbled upon 
(which my sisters and I used to pore over in high school).
. There’s no chapter dedicated to squirrel catching (which Jon humanely handled with a trash can and golf club for squirrel nudging), but Dangerous provides excellent fodder to bring back the marvelous, lazy days of summer inquiry, offering the how-to on everything from survival (e.g., knots, first aid, spy codes, tree houses), to gadgets (e.g., batteries, timers and tripwires), to literacy (e.g., grammar, poetry, Latin phrases), to sporting rules, to world history and landmarks, to tales of bravery and adventure. 
is an expanded version of a small tote we own (no longer available), and offers great bang for your buck. Made of textured, easy to handle rubber, the set includes a 25-piece "locktagon" construction set, lacing and tracing cards and shapes, an alphabet puzzle, and four little shape puzzles. 
set. As homage to her love of all things covered in frosting, Laurel has taken to serving her finished pegboard creations as cake.
, Rosalind Wiseman uses the knowledge she has garnered from more than a decade of listening to thousands of adolescent girls talk about the all-powerful clique to let parents into that often notorious circle of influence that shapes their teenage daughters personas. She dissects each role of the clique, including Queen Bees, Wannabes, Sidekicks, and Torn Bystanders, and discusses girls' power plays; from birthday invitations to cafeteria seating arrangements to illicit parties. She goes on to candidly address sensitive issues like teasing, gossip, and reputations, beauty and fashion, and social taboos like alcohol, drugs, boys, and sex. In our world of fast-paced media and marketing influences, it seems to me that the powerful influence of cliques is affecting our daughters earlier than ever before.
provides traction and grip as you tip. Place the towel over your regular yoga mat; the face up side is absorptive while the face down side features silicone nubs that grip the mat, keeping hands and feet in place even when the sweat starts to flow (a little sprinkle of water on the absorptive side pre-session also helps get the traction going). Now you can meditate and breathe into the burn of a pose rather than worry whether your wheel is going to be a back flop, or if your headstand is going to land you in the hospital (or atop a neighboring yogi).
game. We have yet to play with the game in intended bingo style (the chipboard set includes four playing boards showing 9 baby animals each, and 36 individual animal tiles to match to the boards), but little animal enthusiasts will dig the game pieces regardless. As a toddler, Laurel loved looking at the animal pictures, and then one day blew our doors off by matching all the tiles to the boards. We do more of the same now, but accompanied by rounds of “Old MacDonald.”
offers strategies to help moms wade out of the mind game quagmire. This morning I’ll share my thoughts on this book per a review for the 
system); subsequently, the general ideas in Dunnewold’s book actually were not new to me. But familiar or not, Dunnewold's case is solid and she presents her methods for working towards a solution in clear terms. She also is refreshingly honest in acknowledging that reversing habits and fighting the peer pressure tide will be challenging and slow. But clearly – given the countless times I've seen moms clearly blame themselves for their kid's "imperfect behavior" (verbally or via a look of utter dejection and humiliation) – it's a fight worth fighting. And all the better, according to Dunnewold, if you can engage your partner and other like minded mommy friends in the battle.
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and 
handles), 
, and 
that are designed to prevent the growth of bacteria; the straw cup (shown) keeps drinks cool for up to 12 hours (from 
