Book Review-”Crawling” and “A Good Night Walk”
Written by Elizabeth on December 19, 2007 – 2:30 am -
Elisha Cooper wrote and illustrated children’s books for years before becoming a parent himself, a situation he did not expect since he really didn’t care much for children in person. And parents-parents were former married couples who used to go to movies and out to dinner at fine restaurants. Beginning with the day his wife delivered their first daughter, Cooper lays out in fine detail exactly how it felt for him to be a first-time father.
In “Crawling: A Father’s First Year“, Mr. Cooper takes us along on his journey to learn how to be a father to his baby daughter Zoe. Beginning with bundling her up for walks down the hills of Berkley to his favorite coffee shop, navigating the tricky business of eating in restaurants with a child who goes from basically being a “handbag” (I know exactly what he means) to being a ticking time bomb, and ending with learning to speak the language of the Moms at the playground, Cooper uses humor and a true way with words to give the reader a unique perspective on parenting. The fact is, fathers parent differently from mothers, and we don’t often get such a candid look at how they really feel about it.
One way that Cooper learned to cope with the unpredictability of a baby was to take to the outdoors whenever possible. With Zoe secured in a Baby Bjorn, he would take her for long walks and as they went, he would point out to her what they were seeing and hearing. There was always a walk in the morning, and quite often, another walk in the evening as well. I have It was from those evening walks that Cooper was inspired to write “A Good Night Walk“.
The story begins at the front door of the Cooper home, walking past the neighbors’ houses, with descriptions of the sights, sounds, and smells they encounter. When they reach the bay, “with long boats on top, and the round moon rising above”, they turn around and head back. This time, the sights, sounds, and smells are reversing themselves, as everything and everyone prepares for the coming of the night, and the story ends back at the Cooper’s front door.
The single sentence on each page gives the reader ample time to enjoy Cooper’s charming pencil-and-watercolor illustrations-follow his example, and point out everything you see on each page. “A Good Night Walk” is the perfect bedtime story.
Both books are perfect gifts for first-time parents, especially fathers. A copy of each would be an excellent baby shower gift! You can pick up both books on Amazon or at local bookstores. I know you will enjoy either book as much as I did.
Tags: Books
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MotherTalk-The Daring Book for Girls
Written by Elizabeth on November 8, 2007 – 11:10 am -
If you are looking for the perfect gift for your daughter, niece, cousin, friend, or any special young lady you know, The Daring Book for Girls needs to be at the top of your list. I received the book from the authors and founders of MotherTalk, Andrea Buchanan and Miriam Peskowitz, and I haven’t stopped reading it since. I read it quickly, then I went back and read it slowly, and then I started telling everyone around me about it.
It’s 279 pages of everything from how to build a scooter to the history of Queens and Princesses around the world. The introduction to the book reminds us that “Girls today are girls of the twenty-first century, with email accounts, digital cable, iPods, and complex video games”. They seem to be abandoning childhood sooner and sooner every year, and what this book does is remind us of all the possibilities that girls have.
Would you like to hear what Andi and Miriam have to say about the book? Watch their interview on The Today Show. Or, read the reviews posted on the book’s Amazon page.
I was amazed by the vastness of the knowledge contained in this book. I had forgotten all about Handclap Games, which took up most of recess when I was in elementary school. Same with Cootie Catchers-remember making those? My daughter is still too young for most of the games and crafts in this book, but you can bet that The Daring Book for Girls is going to occupy a prime spot on our living room bookshelf, and in five years when she’s having her first sleepover, I’ll know exactly how to teach a room full of seven year olds how to make God’s Eyes and how to do a cartwheel.
I also enjoyed the detailed information on basketball (I had no idea that there was more than one type of Forward), the 14 different ways to play Tag, and the history of women Explorers and Inventors. Women in history have done some amazing and, well, daring things, and that’s something that every female should know about, regardless of age.
Go, buy this book. Let’s help teach girls that there are a lot of things they can do besides text their friends and listen to their iPods. Let’s show them how empowering it is to know how to change a tire, paddle a canoe, and negotiate a salary (well, that one might be more for you than for a seven year old!). Let’s bring back jumping rope, how to tie a bandanna, and how to write an actual letter (on paper you make yourself, even, written in secret spy language!)
This book makes me want to be a kid again. Thank you so much Andi and Miriam, for writing this book and keeping the traditions of childhood alive. For reminding us of how important women have been in history up until now, and how important they will be in times to come. For making me excited about having a daughter to whom I can teach all the things in The Daring Book for Girls. I just wish I could get the words to “Miss Merry Mack” out of my head now 
Tags: Books, Mother Talk
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The Teen Whisperer-a book for every parent
Written by Elizabeth on October 26, 2007 – 9:25 am -One of my biggest fears as a parent is that my kids will hide things from me. As a teenager, I felt like my parents were so wrapped up in their own lives that they just didn’t have time to learn anything about mine. I lied to my parents all the time, about where I was, who I was with, and what we were doing. And it terrifies me beyond belief that my kids will lie to me too. All I can hope is that with the right communication, my kids will know how important they are to me and their Dad, that they will understand why it’s important for them to make safe choices, that they won’t ever feel like we don’t care about them.
Parent Bloggers Network sent me “The Teen Whisperer”, by cattle rancher and counselor Mike Linderman. That’s right, he’s a real-life cowboy who raises cattle on a working ranch, and then goes to a job at the Spring Creek Lodge in Montana. Spring Creek is a place where teens whose parents have tried everything to keep their kids away from drugs, alcohol, and other unsafe behaviors can go to learn the reasons behind their behavior, and how to live different lives. Mike Linderman has a no-nonsense approach to counseling these kids that works. What does he do? He treats them with respect, he is honest with them, he challenges them. And it works.
In “The Teen Whisperer“, not only will you learn how to talk to your teens, but you will also get a unique inside look at what teens are really thinking and feeling. By using examples from his counseling sessions, Linderman gives us a glimpse inside the minds of some really troubled kids. It turns out that the corpus callosum, the set of nerves that connect all the parts of the brain, is not yet fully developed in teens. Which means that teens can’t make the connections that adults can make-cause and effect, actions and consequences, etc.
I can hear myself, saying to my 11 year old, “didn’t you understand that if you did THIS, THAT could happen?” The answer is, no, he probably couldn’t. Not that it lets me off the hook, but it shows me that I need to ease up on the expectations.
The book is broken down into four separate sections-Part One is an introduction to Linderman, his philosophy, his method of counseling which is called “reality therapy”, and his experiences working with kids.
Part Two is a discussion of our five primary needs, which shape all of the choices we make. Those needs are Survival, Love and Belonging, Power, Freedom, and Fun.
Part Three gets into specific acting-out behaviors that teens use when one of those needs isn’t being met.
Part Four combines all of that knowledge with an understanding of how teens communicate so that you can develop your own approach to communicating with your teen.
Even if your children are not yet teens, I recommend reading this book. By incorporating some of these methods into how we communicate with our kids now, maybe we can avoid problems in the future. If our kids know that we understand that they are different than us, but that we are here to help guide the choices they are going to make, we can hopefully prevent breakdowns in communication at a later date. I am so grateful to Parent Bloggers Network for sending me this book, it might make the difference between having troubled teens and having, well, less troubled teens.
Tags: Books, Parent Bloggers
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PBN Book review-Deceptively Delicious
Written by Elizabeth on October 10, 2007 – 9:32 am -
Although my kids probably don’t eat a wide enough variety of vegetables, we serve a veggie every night for dinner. Our standards are steamed frozen green peas or green beans, steamed carrots, or canned corn. Occasionally I steam broccoli, but not often. My boys have never eaten beets, or squash, and neither has eaten a sweet potato since they were infants eating the baby food variety (they don’t know what they are missing, either. Mmm, sweet potatoes). So when Parent Bloggers Network asked for volunteers to review Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld, I was interested both because I love cookbooks and because I like the idea of sneaking a few extra bites of veggies into their food when I can.
I have a confession to make. I knew this review was today, I knew I wanted to make a few of the recipes in it for the review. But, I didn’t. I got flattened by the Bronchitis truck almost two weeks ago, and I have been SICK SICK SICK ever since. I barely make it through each day before handing the kids off to Chris pretty much the second he walks through the door. We’ve been living on…gasp…takeout and frozen food. The last thing I want to do is pass this on to anyone else by handling their food.
Please accept my apologies, I promise I will be making some of the recipes soon. I don’t plan on telling either of my boys that the Blueberry muffins have pureed yellow squash in them, or that the chocolate chip cookies contain pureed white beans. I’ll know I’m sneaking extra bites of fruit and veggies into their food, and they will be none the wiser. In the meantime, here are a few recipes you can try, taken from Oprah.com, created by the lovely Jessica Seinfeld, wife of Jerry, mother of three, and author of this gorgeous-to-look-at cookbook.
Macaroni and Cheese 1 (with Butternut Squash or Cauliflower)
Created by Jessica Seinfeld
From the book Deceptively Delicious
Serves 4
- 1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni
- Nonstick cooking spray
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup nonfat (skim) milk
- 1/2 cup butternut or cauliflower puree
- 1 1/2 cups shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese (about 8 oz.)
- 4 oz. (almost 1/4 cup) reduced-fat or nonfat cream cheese
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/8 tsp. paprika
- 1/8 tsp. pepper
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the macaroni and cook according to package directions until al dente. Drain in a colander.
While the macaroni is cooking, coat a large saucepan with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Add the oil, then the flour, and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture resembles a thick paste but has not browned, 1 to 2 minutes.
Add the milk and cook, stirring every now and then, until the mixture begins to thicken, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the vegetable puree, Cheddar, cream cheese and seasonings and stir until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth. Stir in the macaroni and serve warm.
Chicken Nuggets (with Broccoli or Spinach or Sweet Potato or Beet)
Created by Jessica Seinfeld
From the book Deceptively Delicious
Serves 4
I don’t know any kid who doesn’t like chicken nuggets. Just don’t tell them what’s hidden inside!
I don’t know any kid who doesn’t like chicken nuggets. Just don’t tell them what’s hidden inside!INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup whole-wheat, white or panko (Japanese) breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup flaxseed meal
- 1 Tbsp. grated Parmesan
- 1/2 tsp. paprika
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 cup broccoli or spinach or sweet potato or beet puree
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast or chicken tenders, rinsed, dried and cut into small chunks
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- Nonstick cooking spray
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
In a bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, flaxseed meal, Parmesan, paprika, garlic and onion powder on the paper or foil and mix well with your fingers.
In a shallow bowl, mix the vegetable puree and egg with a fork and set the bowl next to the breadcrumb mixture.
Sprinkle the chicken chunks with the salt. Dip the chunks into the egg mixture and then toss them in the breadcrumbs until completely coated.
Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set over medium-high heat. When the skillet is hot, add the oil. Place the chicken nuggets in the skillet in a single layer, being careful not to crowd the pan, and cook until crisp and golden on one side, 3 to 4 minutes. Then turn and cook until the chicken is cooked through, golden brown and crisp all over, 4 to 5 minutes longer. (Cut through a piece to check that it’s cooked through.) Serve warm.
helpful information: Who doesn’t love food.
All different
types of food from spanish food
to great tasting italian
food. And who doesn’t love holiday food
during the holidays!
Tags: Books, Parent Bloggers
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MotherTalk Blog Tour-The Splendor of Silence
Written by Elizabeth on September 26, 2007 – 10:52 pm -
Last year while preparing to move to a new country, a friend of mine boxed up some books she thought I would enjoy and mailed them to me. Among the selections were two books by an author I had never heard of, and the jackets told me that the books were historical fiction. I was immediately skeptical, since I had never read any books in that genre. But, with an open mind, I picked up the first book and began to read. And was instantly swept away into a world I had never knew existed, the world of royal India. I read, fascinated, about palaces and harems, and unimaginable wealth. The book was The Twentieth Wife: A Novel
So, when MotherTalk asked for reviewers for Ms. Sundrasen’s newest book, The Splendor of Silence:A Novel, I clicked Reply as fast as I possibly could. When the book arrived, I couldn’t wait to dive right in. It starts in the present with a young woman receiving a trunk containing a letter written by her father, telling her the true story of her parentage. Then, the story jumps backwards to May, 1942, when Sam Hawthorne arrives by train in Rudrakot in West India. He has been injured after being sent by the newly-formed OSS into Burma to rescue a missionary. He arrives in Rudrakot ostensibly to heal at the home of the Indian Political Agent, a job that I think means government representative.
At the home of Raman, the political agent, Sam meets Raman’s daughter Mila and is instantly enchanted by her. He also meets Mila’s brother Ashok who we later learn is planning to join up with a Nationalist movement plotting to bomb the car of the British Political agent. I found that not knowing the history behind the British occupation of India made it hard for me to understand some of the story. It was also somewhat confusing to have the story jump back and forth between Sam’s rescuing of the missionary, Sam staying at Raman’s house, and then forward to Olivia reading this letter she received in the trunk.
The setting is the West Indian desert, and the desert itself should be thought of as a character in the story. It is four days before a monsoon is expected to hit, and the heat has built up to the literal boiling point. The sands of the desert, the waves of heat, and then the monsoon itself, are forces to be reckoned with. Sam has not told anyone in Rudrakot that he is actually there to search for his brother Mike, who had been stationed with the Rudrakot Rifles regiment, but has gone missing. Sam figures out that his brother is being held in a prison detention center, which might as well be the bowels of hell. I shudder to think that this is based in reality.
Other minor characters come and go, all the stories weaving together in and out. Mila has been promised to Jai, the Raj of Rudrakot who lives in extravagant palaces and for whom money is no object. But her heart belongs to Sam, and that mere fact will have repercussions for all of the characters in the story.
I loved this book. I loved the lushness of it, the “love at first sight” romance between Sam and Mila, the mouth-watering descriptions of each meal that was prepared and served, the beautiful clothes. I sympathized with the prostitutes who kept the soldiers happy, yet couldn’t read or write, and so had to be tutored by Mila in secret. I found myself hoping by the end that Sam and Mila would find a way to ride off into the sunset together, even as I knew it couldn’t be possible. I loved Mila and Sam huddled together under a blanket during a sandstorm, exchanging stolen kisses. I was fascinated by the party thrown by Jai, the prince of Rudrakot and Mila’s intended husband-the dessert was milk foam set in saucers in greenhouses so it would be perfumed with the scent of roses.
Even if you don’t think you are a fan of historical fiction, I encourage you to pick up this book. If you like romance, intrigue, espionage, and excitement, this book has all of that and more.
Tags: Books, Mother Talk
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