Today, Kate shares an oldie that, nearly 40 years later, remains a (sociologically oriented) goodie: If you grew up in the 1970s, as I did, chances are that you owned (and loved) the album Free to Be You & Me. Conceived and produced by Marlo Thomas, the album -- and eventual book and television special -- grew out of a project of the Ms. Foundation and was an effort to provide children with positive messages about gender roles.

Today, Kate shares a sweet book that captures the sidekick dynamic: When my daughter was born, she was gifted with a matching pair of plush toys, a yellow duck and a green hippo. She's never paid much attention to the hippo, but -- about the time she turned two -- she bonded with the duck with a love both passionate and lasting. The duck (now known as Duckie and occasionally Mr. The Duck) has long since turned a gray/green, and has traveled by her side throughout her adventures and experiences of the past three years. It has been fascinating to watch my daughter act out her own growth and evolution through her relationship with Duckie: he is her foil as she learns to navigate the world around her. He is her classmate as she plays school, her fellow student as she teaches him how to swim, and her baby as she swaddles him and gives him a bottle.

Today, Jennifer shares two book recommendations from local neuroscientist turned author Lisa Genova: At first "back-of-the-book-jacket" glance, the topics of local author Lisa Genova's first two novels may seem on the heavy side for beachside reading, but trust me, you won't be able to put them down. Lisa -- who happens to have a Ph.D. in neuroscience from Harvard -- does an amazing job of literally getting inside the heads of her characters to tell their compelling stories.

Today, Lindsey shares a favorite chapter book -- a great pick to encourage summer reading and inspire thinking about relationships and kindness before the school year starts: The Hundred Dresses, by Eleanor Estes, might be my favorite early chapter book. Ever. And that is saying something. Estes' book, written 65 years ago, remains salient and touching, her messages of friendship, kindness, and standing up for yourself as important as ever.

Today, Lindsey shares a book that her kids clamor for repeatedly: One of my very favorite books to read with my children is Space Boy. I knew I loved this book, but I learned that they loved it also when my son chose it, without hesitation, as the book he wanted me to read in his Beginners classroom when I was the parent reader. My daughter, now eight, has loved this book also and still does.

I love Katherine Center's writing, so it was such a treat to meet her last year at Mom 2.0 Summit. She is warm, welcoming, lovely, and creative, and probably the only person (aside from Laurel) who I have allowed to mark up my person (she painted the word "awesomeness" on my arm during our first meeting). For today's four favorites guest post (sadly, the last in the series!), I asked Katherine to share four favorite books -- books that are excellent in quality yet easy enough to absorb while in the trenches of nursing and sleep deprivation.

Whether it's craft projects or food, I have always loved making things from scratch. And one thing I suspect the voracious Violet will appreciate in the coming year is homemade baby food. I was a pureeing fiend when Laurel was a baby, but this go around I'm even more excited about experimenting with baby food because I'll be able to draw inspiration from both the locally grown bounty of our CSA, and the remarkably good looking recipes in The Best Homemade Baby Food on the Planet.

Today, Kate shares a recommendation to help cope with picky eating: Like many parents, I periodically wind up locked in conflict with my 5-year-old about whether or not she will eat the food I put in front of her. I know this is a poor parenting strategy, but also know that there were few things I hated more as a child than being made to sit at the table until I swallowed down whatever despised leafy green my parents insisted upon. To this day I have a limited vegetable repertoire, and wonder how much of this dates to my early, agonized relationship with said leafy greens. Dealing with picky eating is particularly frustrating given my sense of responsibility to help my daughter learn how to eat well, and the irksome knowledge that if I cave, she will contentedly eat potato chips until there's nothing left but the greasy, salty bag. What's a parent to do?

I first met Alicia Ybarbo at Blissdom last year and she is such a lovely, smart, and dynamic woman -- every time I've seen Alicia since Blissdom, I just feel happy. Alicia is a producer at NBC's TODAY Show and is co-author of Today's Moms: Essentials for Surviving Baby's First Year. So for today's four favorites guest post, I asked Alicia to share her top four myth-busters about baby's first year. (I figured I could use the reminders, given that it's been six years since I've done the newborn thing!)

The thing about my friend Jenny (aka The Bloggess) is that online she is this absurdly funny, irreverent writer (who writes about everything from parenting to sex to clowns to zombies -- all with a healthy dose of the f-bomb), yet she is -- while still being very, very funny -- an utterly sweet snuggle bunny in person. Jenny's blog never fails to make me laugh (her responses to PR pitches are particularly hysterical), so for today's four favorites guest post, I asked Jenny to share what she finds funny -- to recommend four websites that will make you laugh so hard you'll be crying alongside your baby.

Today, Evadne shares a favorite online reading tool for kids: I first came across One More Story during a play date at a friend's house. Our same-aged children (4 and 2 years at the time) were having a blast together and making quite a ruckus, and then a few moments later, the playroom became noticeably quiet. Naturally, I decided it would be wise to peek in, and instead of trouble brewing, I found the children gathered around the computer listening to a story. The pages of the storybook were on the monitor and the words became highlighted as they were being read, karaoke-style. There was even original sound & music accompanying the storytelling. I was intrigued.

Today, Kate shares a nostalgic oldie but goodie: My father took me to England when I was eight years old. I remember parts of the trip quite vividly, particularly my first taste of lemon squash (sour!) and my discovery of Roger Hargreaves' wonderful series of Mr. Men and Little Miss books.