Motherhood is not for wimps. Mothers need to be strong women. Try these on for strength…
Cool Mom Picks www.CoolMomPicks.com. The tag line reads “we find it, you flaunt it.” Showered with accolades from authoritative parenting sources, (such as Martha Stewart, InStyle, Parents Magazine, Real Simple and Bing) this blog is loaded with guides and reviews from all over the web. Be sure to find the light blue box that says “Browse By Category” to see the full range of content.
Palace Beautiful by Sarah DeFord Williams (Putnam). Share this story of illness, care giving and resourcefulness with your daughter. Two sisters find a diary written by a girl who experiences firsthand the influenza epidemic of 1918. Selected in 2011 for the International Reading Association’s Teachers’ Choice List. (Ages 11 – 14)
If I Have to Tell You One More Time by Amy McCready (Penguin Group). This book is actually about never having to speak those words again. We’ve all heard the quote that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. McCready, founder of Positive Parenting Solutions, is trying to save the sanity of mothers all over the world by penning this book about the issue of power and misbehavior. Isn’t it worth a try?
PrudentBaby.com This DIY website is geared specifically for moms who are creative, fashion forward and technologically savvy! Chock-full of classy ideas and beautiful pictures, it is a little like opening a Martha Stewart magazine for uncrafty ideas – a bit daunting. But keep looking, especially under the tab that says “Hot Mess Mommys,” which gives step-by-step instructions for those with too many thumbs. Other tabs to peruse focus on the baby, home, entertaining/food and craft type. A gold mine for stuff to pin on Pinterest!
StarWalk (Constellation App for iPad) For summer nights and campouts, sleepovers or sleepless nights, this app shouldn’t be missed. Held up to the night sky, all constellations and planets magically appear. Ursa Major, Orion and Cancer the Crab become the starting place for endless discussions or quiet wonder. Try Google Sky Map for a similar Droid version.
Lily’s Victory Garden by Helen L. Wilbur, illus. by Robert Gantt Steele (Sleeping Bear). There could be a similar tale in your family. Set during World War II, this story shows a young girl making a difference in her community by growing a vegetable garden. She befriends an older woman who has lost her son in the work. The magic of courage and strength and healing are gifts every woman needs. (Ages 5 – 8)
Mother: A Cradle to Hold Me by Maya Angelou (Random House). An ode to maternal wisdom, Angelou praises the virtues of patience, knowledge and compassion. Through the course of life, from birth through teenage rebellion and gradually to adulthood, this profound relationship is timeless and unbound by race, religion and culture. A lovely gift.
Julie Hubble’s adorable mother lives in Chapel Hill, NC.