First, man do I need a nightstand (I'm coveting the one pictured here but it's a little spendy); right now I have a big stack of books sitting in a pile on the floor next to my bed. Second, one of my favorite ways to unwind and get my brain off the work/household minutia track at the end of the day is to curl up with a book in bed. Today I wanted to share three recent reads that I think deserve a place on your nightstand (or in your summer beach tote!):First, man do I need a nightstand (I'm coveting the one pictured here but it's a little spendy); right now I have a big stack of books sitting in a pile on the floor next to my bed. Second, one of my favorite ways to unwind and get my brain off the work/household minutia track at the end of the day is to curl up with a book in bed. Today I wanted to share three recent reads that I think deserve a place on your nightstand (or in your summer beach tote!):
Today, Lindsey (also of A Design So Vast) shares a roundup of great books for boys:
My 10-year-old daughter was an enthusiastic and avid reader from the day she figured out how to sound out words. She reads everything: novels, biographies, Ranger Rick, the side of the cereal box. In contrast, my son was much harder to interest in books. He was so disinterested, in fact, that I went into his 1st grade teacher conference convinced he needed outside help with reading. Imagine my surprise, then, when we learned he was one of only two boys in the top reading group, and that his aptitude was galloping ahead.
Today, Lindsey (also of A Design So Vast) shares four lovely sources for book plates:
I love gifting personalized book plates. Book plates may seem, I realize, old-fashioned, but I adore them. They celebrate reading and speak to a child's deep desire to mark things as their own. My children loved choosing which of their books deserved book plates, and to this day, when I happen upon their book plated copies of Goodnight Moon or Make Way for Ducklings, tears spring to my eyes when I remember their chubby toddler hands smoothing the stickers into the books. The crooked angle at which some of these plates are adhered reminds me of their fierce determination to "do it my own self!"
Today, Miriam (also of Other Pieces of Me) shares a handy resource for organic cleaning:
It's that time of year again! The birds are chirping. The snow is melting. The flowers are starting to poke out of the ground. And the sunshine can't get through the grime on my windows -- eep! Time for some spring cleaning. A few years ago, I decided to try to cut down on the chemicals we were using in our house. My husband is a bit of a cleaning supply addict and we had amassed a collection of sprays, powders, liquids, bleaches and wipes -- all with their very own cleanliness claims but none that I wanted gracing the surfaces of our home.
Today, Lindsey (also of A Design So Vast) recommends a captivating game for the whole family:
My children love board games. I'm always looking for games that meet a few simple criteria: interesting enough that the parents don't want to poke their eyes out, simple enough that my 8 and 10 year old can follow and enjoy, and long enough that I don't have to play five times but short enough that it doesn't take all night to finish one round (ahem, Monopoly). A recent discovery hit it out of the park on all dimensions.
Today, Judy (also of Talking Thirty) shares 9 tips for reducing anxiety around doctor visits:
Visits to the pediatrician have become a nightmare since our little one has entered toddlerhood, a stage in which he's old enough to remember past experiences (particularly painful ones like shots) yet still too young to comprehend everything and be reasoned with. From the moment we enter the waiting area until we leave the building, he is in hysterics, occasionally resulting in an incomplete exam. Anxiety over visiting the doctor is common for kids, but can become stressful and troublesome when it is so severe that it interferes with the doctor doing his/her job. Here are 9 ways we've been working with our toddler on reducing anxiety around these visits:
Friends, I'm so excited to share some fun Minimalist Parenting news today. Thanks to the generosity of Isis Parenting, there is going to be a totally awesome (and fabulously do-gooding) Minimalist Parenting launch party here in Boston! Please join us on Thursday, March 28 at 6:30pm at Prudential Center to enjoy an evening out, meet other awesome parents, celebrate the launch of the book (I'll give a short presentation and will be available for high fives, questions, and to sign books), and support an amazing charity all at the same time!
Today, Lindsey (also of A Design So Vast) shares a wonderful roundup of books for strong and smart girls:
My 10-year-old daughter Grace loves to read. I'm always looking for books with strong female protagonists, books that model bravery and smarts, books with characters who are worthy of admiration and emulation. It's been fun to watch Grace fall in love with some of my old favorites, and equally interesting to observe her discover new titles that I didn't know, from recommendations from friends, ideas suggested by teachers, or afternoons wandering in the library.
Today, Miriam (also of Other Pieces of Me) shares nine sensory processing disorder resources:
This past fall, our three-year-old son started at a local Montessori school. About a month ago, my husband and I nervously sat in a small chair in his classroom waiting for our very first parent-teacher meeting. It went very well, but his guide did have some concerns about his developmental progress and some of his behavior. It was a tough pill to swallow though not too surprising -- as you might recall, we were just down this road a little less than a year ago.
Today, Hillary of Mass Audubon shares seven favorite winter books for kids:
Getting outside sometimes can seem more of a chore than a fun activity, especially when -- after the endless battle of zipping jackets, strapping boots, and finding mittens -- your child inevitably needs to go potty. But even if you feel like hibernating indoors for the winter, that doesn't mean you can't appreciate and revel in the wonders of nature. To help get you in the spirit, here are seven of my favorite illustrated winter children's stories. And you never know. They might just inspire you to brave the bundling and head outdoors.
Ever since Asha and I finished writing Minimalist Parenting in July, we've been chipping away at a seemingly endless to-do list (actually, multiple to-do lists...thank you, Basecamp) related to the book. All the work has been good and productive (for example, check out our new website, which I redesigned during the winter break, and please join our totally non-spammy mailing list!) and it's incredibly exciting to finally be in the year 2013 and realize, OMG, we can now say the book comes out THIS YEAR and start sharing some of what we've been up to. Here are two exciting developments:
Today, Lindsey (also of A Design So Vast) shares a favorite game:
My children are crazed for board games. We have teetering stacks of game boxes in our family room and I feel like every time I straighten couch cushions I find a stray die. There are definitely some favorites, some default choices that they like to play the best. One of these is Swipe. My son picked it out one afternoon with my mother and brought it home, and from the first time we played we were both hooked.
Today, Kate shares a favorite book:
I've always shared my love of libraries with my daughter. When she was still a tiny bundle, I would push her stroller up the hill to our local branch library, both to give us an outing and to reorient me to the world of books I hoped to someday return to after we were past the newborn months (I did, and surprisingly quickly). Now that she is in 1st grade, we often stop at our neighborhood library on our way home in the evenings, and I am pleased to see that my daughter takes pride in her library card and her increasing ability to pick out and read her own books.
Today, PPLM Parent Education Program Manager Amy Cody shares tips for what to do when you find your child "playing doctor" with another child:
Now that school is back in session, your kids are making new friends, reuniting with old ones, and spending more time on play dates. Given the timing, I wanted to share some thoughts on a question that comes up a lot in my parent education workshops: what to do if you find your child "playing doctor" with another child.
When I was in New York for BlogHer, I was thrilled to celebrate my friend Gretchen Rubin at her book launch party (if you're interested, here are some very happy photos!). I loved reading The Happiness Project and am now immersed in Gretchen's new book, Happier at Home (given how crazy things have been with work and general household minutia these days, I've been particularly tuned to the marriage chapter). Gretchen is awesome -- so warm and down to earth and smart. She's going to be reading at Brookline Booksmith this Thursday at 6pm; I hope you'll be able to attend. We all deserve to be happier at home!
Today, Kate shares a great chapter book series that will inspire a love of mysteries:
My 6-year-old daughter has been slow to warm to chapter books, and I can't say that I've rushed her to move away from the lush and thoughtful world of picture books. Recently, though, we received a bag of hand-me-down chapter books, including several volumes in Marjorie Sharmat's wonderful Nate the Great series.
I have developed a deep appreciation for many things in the six years since I started this blog, and two of those things are photography and daily reflections of gratitude. So when my talented friend Tracey Clark told me she was writing a photography book called Elevate the Everyday, I thought, this sounds divine. And the book is just as delightful and artful as I imagined it would be, given Tracey's general thoughtfulness about life and her experience with publishing (among her publications is the lovely Expressive Photography).
Today, Kate shares a lovely book to inspire kids to use their hands:
My kindergarten-age daughter loves yarn. She likes the colors, the fibers, the feel, and she finds a surprising number of ways to incorporate it into her art projects and imaginative games. I find bits of yarn all over the apartment, often sticky with glue or sparkly with glitter or decorating her dolls. In the past few weeks, she has actually made the leap to being able to knit on her own -- haltingly and with lots of dropped stitches -- giving both of us the pleasure of watching her take a step toward independence and the joy of knowing a craft.