In honor of Children’s Book Week, here are 87 great kids’ books. (That should help keep your minions busy this summer.) Bookmark it, load up your library queue, or head to your local bookstore to pick up a few for someone special. Most of these are for younger kids, but if you scroll down to … More Kids’ Books
In honor of Mother’s Day, here are five ladies who taught me about the mother I want to be. Who are your five? Or for the guys, what mom figures most influenced to you?
Moms, why is it so hard to invest in ourselves? Is it parental guilt? A relic notion of “modesty”? A societally ingrained notion of selfishness? Why, even in situations when the return on investment is quite obvious, does this feel so uncomfortable? For instance, this weekend there’s a kids’ book conference, and I dilly dallied … More Return on Investment
As a progressive, free-thinking mom with a daughter, I’m always looking for girls’ toys beyond the traditional options, like Barbie and Disney princesses. Not that there’s anything wrong with those (with some exceptions), but why limit burgeoning imaginations to such a small field of options? Research shows we shouldn’t. Same holds true for boys. That’s why I’m thrilled … More Top 3: New Toys for Girls
That’s right, you heard me. Put your toddler to work. They’re always so bored with their buckets full of fancy toys, right? And they love chores. Why? Because they see you doing them, and they idolize you. (We don’t have to tell them we don’t like chores. They’ll figure that out on their own … … More Put Your Toddler to Work
I recently wrote this to a friend, a new mom having a tough day. If any of you moms (or dads) find yourself in this situation, I’m writing to you now. Letter to a New Mom You’re going through an overwhelmingly incredible moment in your life right now. I don’t need to tell you about all the … More Letter to a New Mom
Turn Around: A Love Story I got the call from Ryan on a Wednesday evening. “You’re going to have to pick up Szaba. I’m stuck in traffic.” The daycare was closing in 20 minutes. We share one car, and I was working miles away. I had to hop a bus and hope. Cue panic mode.
Looking past all the tantrums and nose picking, toddlers have a Yoda-like way of bringing us back to basics. I’m often reminded of that with my 2 year old. But last week, when I had an extra toddler in tow, their “force” was all the more pronounced. From home to work to school, the following life … More 2 True: Life Lessons from Toddlers
Heads up: Starting next week, I’m going to post on Mondays and Thursdays. I have a couple of writing project that have been idling on the back burner, so I need to cut down to two weekly posts for a while. I’m sure you’ll manage just fine. In the meantime, I have a bit of … More The Many Lives of a Laundry Basket
In her TED Talk “Dare to Disagree,” Margaret Heffernan speaks to the power of “no” and the people who aren’t afraid to tell us that. I know all about this kind of person. I’m married to one. He’s honest with me and challenges my ideas, even when it’s not what I want to hear. And … More The Power of No
My Castle Heart Publications 