TheMommyBlog

Friday, May 22, 2009 Other people who write, Family, Fellow Parenting Authors, Moms Like Us

I have over fifty books in piles next to my desk that have been sent to me by publishers, publicists, authors, and agents. Their hope is that I will review each book. Mind you, these are only the ones I have expressed an interest in reading. There are lots more requests that get deleted because no one is paying me for this shit and I only have so much time to read after everyone’s in bed.

So, to do at least a bit of justice to these fine authors, knowing full well that it will be a warm day at a Chicago Bear’s playoff game before I get around to them all, I will list them here, and try to maintain a running list of what’s on deck. (Chances are that at any given moment I am reading a half-dozen of these at once and would give a schizophrenic review at best, which would beg revisitation of my med schedule for which I haven’t time nor money nor inclination.)

If I have missed any titles, please let me know in the comments. Any omissions or errors are mine and not a reflection on a book’s merit. Void where prohibited. Results may vary.

Family Life:

1. 30 Ways in 30 Days to Save Your Family
2. Best Baby Products, 10th Edition
3. The Best Old Movies for Families: A Guide to Watching Together
4. Blindsided by a Diaper: Over 30 Men and Women Reveal How Parenthood Changes a Relationship
5. Cheers to the New Mom!/Cheers to the New Dad!: Tips and Tricks to Help You Ace the First Months of Parenthood
6. For The Dad Who’s Best At Everything (The Dads’ Book)
7. Don’t Sleep with a Bubba: Unless Your Eggs are in Wheelchairs
8. The Double-Daring Book for Girls
9. Hump: True Tales of Sex After Kids
10. For The Mom Who’s Best At Everything (The Moms’ Book)
11. The No-Cry Nap Solution: Guaranteed Gentle Ways to Solve All Your Naptime Problems (Pantley)
12. The Perfect Baby Handbook: A Guide for Excessively Motivated Parents
13. Secret Recipes for the Modern Wife: All the Dishes You’ll Need to Make from the Day You Say “I Do” Until Death (or Divorce) Do You Part
14. See Dad Cook: The Only Book a Guy Needs to Feed Family and Friends (and Himself)
15. Sippy Cups Are Not for Chardonnay: And Other Things I Had to Learn as a New Mom
16. Staying Connected to Your Teenager: How to Keep Them Talking to You and How to Hear What They’re Really Saying
17. How to Survive Your Marriage: by Hundreds of Happy Couples Who Did and Some Things to Avoid, From a Few Ex-Spouses who Didn’t (Hundreds of Heads Survival Guides)
18. How to Survive Your Teenager: by Hundreds of Still-Sane Parents Who Did and Some Things to Avoid, From a Few Whose Kids Drove Them Nuts (Hundreds of Heads Survival Guides)
19. Today’s Moms: Essentials for Surviving Baby’s First Year
20. True Mom Confessions: Real Moms Get Real
21. Welcome To Grandparenting

Biographical/Autobiographical:

1. Close Encounters of the Third-Grade Kind: Thoughts on Teacherhood
2. enLIGHTened: How I Lost 40 Pounds with a Yoga Mat, Fresh Pineapples, and a Beagle Pointer
3. It Sucked and Then I Cried: How I Had a Baby, a Breakdown, and a Much Needed Margarita
4. Mafia: The Government’s Secret File on Organized Crime
5. Old World Daughter, New World Mother: An Education in Love and Freedom
6. Things I Learned About My Dad: Humorous and Heartfelt Essays, edited by the creator ofwww.dooce.com

Fiction:

1. A Girl’s Guide to Modern European Philosophy
2. The Christmas Chronicles
3. Little Face
4. Willow

Non-fiction/Inspirational:

1. Age is Just a Number: Achieve Your Dreams At Any Stage In Your Life
2. Days from the Heart of the Home
3. Hate Hurts: How Children Learn and Unlearn Prejudice
4. Jewels: 50 Phenomenal Black Women Over 50
5. Made Here, Baby!: The Essential Guide to Finding the Best American-Made Products for Your Kids
6. On Becoming Fearless…in Love, Work, and Life
7. Packaging Girlhood: Rescuing Our Daughters from Marketers’ Schemes
8. Parenting, Inc.: How the Billion-Dollar Baby Business Has Changed the Way We Raise Our Children
9. PrimeTime Women: How to Win the Hearts, Minds, and Business of Boomer Big Spenders
10. Simple Abundance:  A Daybook of Comfort and Joy
11. Sew U Home Stretch: The Built by Wendy Guide to Sewing Knit Fabrics
12. Trillion-Dollars Moms: Marketing to a New Generation of Mothers
13. Your Best Life Now for Moms (Faithwords)
14. The Survivors Club: The Secrets and Science that Could Save Your Life

Children:

1. Cooking Fun: 121 Simple Recipes to Make with Kids
2. Princess Bubble
3. Songs from the Garden of Eden: Jewish Lullabies and Nursery Rhymes
4. Uncover a Dolphin (Uncover Books)

Thursday, February 26, 2009 Family, Life, Children's Health, Moms Like Us

I’m swerving off my usual sarcastatrack to talk about something that touches an astonishing number of families given the word “rare” in the description. This Saturday is World Rare Disease Day, and they have very simple objectives for 2009:

The main objective of Rare Disease Day 2009 is to raise awareness with policy makers and the public of rare diseases and of their impact on patients’ lives. Other main objectives of Rare Disease Day are to:

• Raise awareness on rare diseases
• Strengthen one voice of patients
• Give hope and information to patients
• Bring stakeholders closer together
• Coordinate policy actions in different countries
• Inspire continued growth of the awareness of rare diseases
• Get equity in access to care and treatment

Awareness raising events will take place in each participating country. To find out what is happening in your country, click here.

If that seems like a mouthful, at least watch this video about Baby Hannah, whom I want to snuggle and tickle and take home with me until I remember she is in the very best and loving hands already. You may want to grab a box of tissues. first.

Thursday, February 05, 2009 Fun Finds, Moms Like Us

It’s a little early for “creative” and “original” writing, so I’m just gonna post an exchange from about ten minutes ago, mmkay? C’mon. It’ll be fun. I promise you’ll laugh.

I am a mom and actress at the Groundlings Theater in Los Angeles (http://www.groundlings.com) ... and thought you, being a creative funny mom writer might get a kick out of this 3 minute movie I made about skinny jeans, post baby belly (I call it a “booty belly”) and… SPANX!  It’s embarrassing but ..pretty funny. Please post or spread around if you like.

Thanks! Ariane

Hi Ariane,

I think I just peed myself. AWESOME! I’m posting it now! I must have four things from SPANX (which means it’s closer to eight), and intended to wear the full body one to my brother’s wedding, but was so not into my boyfriend seeing it that I went without. And in the pictures? I looked just like you, plus some. God bless you for showing what a real mom’s tummy looks like - mine is exactly the same. I think I love you.

M

Btw, I don’t think husbands like that exist in the wild. Stanislavsky would be proud.

Thursday, January 01, 2009 Other people who write, Family, Moms Like Us

2009 is already shaping up a whole lot better than 2008! Frankly, I admire anyone who can manage a list of more than ten items. The Mommy Blog is #31 on Momdot‘s Top 50 Mom Blogs of 2008.

Happy New Year!

And, um, I’ll try to make 2009 fun, too.

Thursday, July 03, 2008 Children's Health, Moms Like Us, PPD Resources

My best friend is pregnant with her second, and as always is Janie on the Spot with helpful backup. She sent me a couple of emails that are sent to her weekly from WhatToExpect.com. I don’t have the direct link to the articles so I’ll quote them here:

WEEK 11: DEPRESSION DURING PREGNANCY
“Could I have postpartum depression before the baby’s even born?
It’s not easy being blue — especially when everyone around you is expecting you to be rosy pink and giddy with excitement. The truth is, depression during pregnancy is as common — even more common, according to some studies — as postpartum depression is (though the postpartum variety gets all the press). And it’s no wonder. After all, pregnancy is a life-altering (not to mention body-altering) experience that can throw even the most eager parent-to-be emotionally off-kilter. The physical changes alone can take a tremendous toll (it’s hard to be giddy with excitement when you’re feeling crappy with morning sickness, fatigue, heartburn, fatigue, constipation, fatigue, bloating.…). Coupled with the emotional stress that pregnancy (and the upcoming transition to parenthood) can bring, it’s a recipe for depression — a recipe that’s shared by more than ten percent of expectant women.

No one knows for certain what causes pregnancy depression, but it’s almost a sure bet that those raging hormones play a significant role (just as hormone fluctuations can wreak premenstrual emotional havoc). Relationship problems, complications in the pregnancy (or a high-risk pregnancy), a history of fertility difficulties or pregnancy loss, or stressful life events (such as trouble at work or death of a close family member) can add to the strain. Depression is also more likely if you have a history (or a family history) of depression, or if you suffer from pronounced PMS.

Often, it’s difficult to diagnose depression during pregnancy because its symptoms mirror so many “normal” pregnancy symptoms: sleep and appetite changes (and every pregnant woman has those!), loss of interest in sex (ditto), anxiety, inability to concentrate, and general emotional instability. What’s not normal is to feel consistently sad, hopeless, or generally uninterested in life — especially if such feelings are keeping you from eating properly, sleeping regularly, or otherwise taking good care of yourself. To help you sort out whether your feelings are a result of normal pregnancy-related emotional changes, or whether they’ve progressed to depression, speak to your practitioner.