Ma! There's Nothing to Do Here! by Barbara Park

Mag and I have decided that we are going to review both children's and adult books, and the intersection of parenting books as well. Actually Mag suggested it and I thought...I don't think I will ever put a review for a kids book on there. But, here I am, doing just that. I was looking for the book Playful Parenting at the bookstore when I came across this book. We are planning to have a baby in July or late June. I guess we are a little more than planning since we are 31 weeks pregnant. Anyway, the babe in waiting is posterior, so I feel tons of kicks, punches and other such things on the outside of my belly. So when I saw this title I had to stand there and read it. Knowing I would not be buying it. (Ha! Ha!) I am very choosy about the books that come into our house. Especially about babies and such. My daughter received a lot of big sister books after her brother was born and most of them have had to be secretly smuggled out of the house after a few weeks. The things is our babes don't come home from the hospital they come out at home, they don't get bottles or pacifiers from big sis, they get exclusively breastfed by mom, they don't sleep in cribs, they sleep with us. God Bless all of you that can take the time to fill up bottles, want to birth in hospital, those of you that have the energy to get out of bed to feed. That is what most of my friends do. I am just too lazy and we also feel that these things work for our family (they may or may not work for you.) Anyway, the images in most books center around bottles, cribs and pacis. So I have trouble with filling my kids with those pictures. So I assumed this book would give me a smile but I wouldn't leave with it. I was surprised when there were only three pics including these things and they weren't affiliated with the baby, at one point the baby does ask for a crib among shampoo and other things. They were more in the background very small, out of scale. So I bought it.

I liked this book because it the baby talks about all the stuff it can't wait to do when it has escaped. Like swing from monkey bars or paddle a canoe. In the end the baby decides to just wait until it is time. What I like about this book is that it gets the kids and mom excited about all the stuff the baby will learn to do. I creates a bit of expectation. It also is funny to me as a mama in gestation. I am able to avoid the things that most books have that make my kids feel different. (Believe me a four year old picks up on this.)

My favorite part comes at the end: "So, Ma, here's the plan. Let's rest while we can. I'll stay in here longer- get bigger, grow stronger. Then ready...set...YAY! I'll be comin to play! Well, that's it I guess. I've got your address. Kiss Pop for me, please...And give him a squeeze. I'll meet him soon, maybe! I LOVE YOU, Your Baby"

Our favorite book is Welcome With Love. this book is from a child's perspective about the home birth of his new sibling. Very accurate and very helpful in preparing your 2 year old for a home birth.

Expecting Adam

Expecting Adam by Martha Beck is a memoir of the author's pregnancy with her son. She finds out about halfway through her pregnancy that her son is going to be born with Down Syndrome. Beck and her husband are both P.h.D students at Harvard at the time and shock all their professors, peers and the staff at the student medical center with their decision to keep their baby. Beck is very clear that she is pro-choice, but states that for many reasons that she can't explain, she just couldn't abort this baby.

Throughout the book, Beck describes how she felt the presence of supernatural beings helping her through her pregnancy, particularly when she was very sick and lonely or facing extreme criticism for her choice to keep her baby. I can't say that I've every felt a divine presence holding my hand or anything like that, but I have felt like there were regular people that reached out to me under the guidance of God. Once when I was in college I got locked out of my house while my husband was out of town and had to hitchhike 10-miles to my sister-in-law's apartment (she was a student too and didn't have a car at the time). I had tried calling a cab, but our sleepy little college town didn't have taxis running in the summer. Anyway, while I began walking on the shoulder of the highway, I began praying that a woman would stop and pick me up. Within a couple of minutes a young woman did in fact stop for me. She said that she normally would never pick up a hitchhiker, but a voice inside her head told her to. Beck says there is no difference between human love and divine love and that "any person who acts out of love is acting for God."

I have a 21-month-old daughter who has special needs, and while her condition is nothing like Down Syndrome, reading this book made me face how I am feeling about my daughter's difficulties (she has loose tendons in her ankles that have prevented her from learning to walk) and was actually therapeutic. The friend that loaned me the book highlighted this quote, which I would like to share: "I am always perversely happy to hear that a friend has been knocked upside the head by some unpleasant event. I am not glad they've experienced pain, but I am profoundly grateful for the down-to-earth compassion that merges only when people face their pain and absorb it into the fabric of their lives."

I could go on and on about all the different things this book made me think about, like abortion and genetic testing to name a few, but I'll just leave it at saying it was a very though provoking book. I would recommend this book to others, but not to anyone who is currently pregnant.

Welcome

Hi my (pen) name is Meg and I live in Ohio. I am a mom and a student. I love to read. For me reading is something that helps to keep me sane and helps me feel normal. I notice that when my life starts to feel crazy that I have not been taking the time to read. In my past reading has also been like therapy. The book that comes to mind most in this area is Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (I hated the movie though.) I don't have the best relationship with my mom and this book helped me see her more as a person and move past some of my issues with her. My mom is a lot like the mom in this book. I also find that reading is an escape from mothering and everyday life. Peace like a River is one of the best books I have read. See the sidebar for more favorites. Barbara Kingsolver is one of my favorite authors. I also like Tracy Chevalier, the Harry Potter Series, and memoirs and some classics. When I was younger my favorite book was The Crucible, yes I know it is a play, but I read it over and over.
Mag (also a pen name) and I live on opposite sides of the country and this blog is a place for us to review some of the books we are reading. So, pull up a chair and a book and say hello! And please feel free to suggest your favorite books! Right now I am currently reading Playful Parenting, but reading non fiction is just not doing it so I need to find a good fiction book or memoir to double team!
Hi, Mag here. I live in Washington, the state not DC. I like to think of myself as a professional mother. I am interested in art and writing and also spend a lot of my energy helping with my children's co-op preschool. I've been an avid reader since I was in third grade and my teacher recommended the Little House on the Prairie books. I used to read pretty much soley fiction, until I met Meg and she recommended some great non-fiction books like Nickel and Dimed. Most of the non-fiction I read now is either related to parenting or education. I also like memoirs quite a bit, especially ones I can relate to. Last night I finished Expecting Adam and I am in the middle of Operating Instructions and Practically Perfect In Every Way. One of my all-time favorite books is Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man by Fannie Flag--I have reread it several times when I was in need of a good laugh.
I am really excited about having a blog dedicated to books and hope to get to know others that are as passionate about reading as Meg and I are. So, like Meg said, introduce yourselves and tell us what you are reading!

Siblings Without Rivalry

I finished reading Siblings Without Rivalry a few weeks ago, but for some reason didn't get around to writing a review of it. I read it for the parenting book club that I attend. It was a really easy read and had lots of examples that the authors took from parenting seminars that they taught. There were several pieces of advice that have stuck with me since reading it and that I am trying to follow:
1) Not taking sides in an argument between siblings
2) Helping children solve their own disagreements
3) Emphasizing teamwork, not competion among siblings
4) Not casting children into roles within the family
5) Valuing each child fo their uniqueness
Some of this stuff may seem like it is for people with older children than mine, but I want to take a proactive approach on this issue. I would rather be educated early on so that I can prevent as much sibling rivalry as possible. I want my children to be good friends and I hope this is not too much to ask for. I don't want them to see the other one as their competion for attention, love, etc.
This book also made me realize that it is not too late to develop a closer relationship with my brother. The authors describe how many of the people in their workshop ended up having revelations about their own relationships with their siblings and went on to try and repair those relationships. My brother and I are five years apart and have totally different interests and have never really been close. However, I think if I just made more of an effort to stay in contact, we could be closer than we are now. Especially since we share the bond of both being parents now.

Waiting For Birdy by Catherine Newman

Waiting for Birdy

I enjoyed this book a lot. It was good to read while pregnant because I could identify with her pregnancy and some of her feelings. It is a little along the lines of Operating Instructions in my opinion, which is also a fabulous book. What I liked was reading this book and feeling like I wasn't so crazy after all. It is so easy to forget that hormones sort of take us knocked up women down to a common level. The style is sort of a cross between conversation/journal entry. At times I laughed out loud. The whole time I felt like I was right there with her. This wasn't an in depth analyze it read. It was a feel good read. If need something light and at the same time very real and honest pick it up. It may take you back to when you were pregnant or make you feel less crazy if you are currently. Happy Reading!

(This post is lifted from my original blog, The Mama Chronicles)

Spring Recommendations for Children

My son sometimes goes through periods where he is not as interested in reading as he is at other times. When this happen I know it is time for some new books to rekindle his love of reading. Right now we have lots of new books at our house because our Scholastic book order came in and we went to the library to exchange our old library books for new ones. I personally love good children's books and thought I would share a handful of my current favorites.

An Egg is Quiet The illustrations and layout of this book are absolutely beautiful. I also like it because you can choose to read only the main points and still have a cohesive story for younger children, or you can read the more detailed information if your audience has a longer attention span or has questions.

Come On, Rain! When reading this story you can easily put yourself in the main character's shoes and feel how desperate she is for rain. It is also has a fun ending and I like the watercolor illustrations--very fitting for a story about rain.

This is the Sunflower I am not a big fan of books with cumulative rhymes, but my son really enjoys this book and it does a nice job of showing what flowers need to grow, as well as how birds help to spread seeds around.

Living Color This is a non-fiction book that shows children the variety of color that animals can be and teaches them about many exotic animals. This is not a book you would want to read in one sitting, but rather take your time looking at over a couple days.

Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late! My son loves the silly and off-beat humor in this book. It is part of a series and I believe we have checked them all out at the library at one time or another. He was extremely excited to find out I had bought this one for him. When it come to books, I don't mind spoiling my children at all.

Little Pea I have saved the best for last. This is the funniest and most creative children's book I have read in a long time. I am tempted to give a hint as to what makes it so funny, but I don't want to ruin the element of surprise. It is by the same author that wrote the OK Book, another very entertaining story. If you have an recommendations for children's books, I would love to hear them.

The Appeal

I haven't been that excited to write a review of this book, probably because the book itself was somewhat of a disappointment. I have been a John Grisham fan since high school and have read nearly every book he has ever written, but The Appeal has to be my least favorite. If I could describe this book in one word it would be SOAPBOX.
It's not that I don't agree with what he is saying, we do need campaign finance reform in this country. It would be nice to know that our elected officials are not being bought by special interest groups and were only are representing the interests of their constituents. However, if an author is going to use a fictional story as a way to express thier political beliefs, I think it should be done much more subtely. This book could have been so much better if he had only focused on the story and not the message he wanted to send. It did pick up in the last section of the book and there were some twists that I didn't see coming, but in the end Grisham just couldn't get off his soapbox and give his readers the kind of story we are used to getting from him.