• Created on 6/15/13 by Melanie Mayo

                  Dear Marketing Geniuses,   We don’t watch a lot of television in our house, but I guess the little that we do watch is geared towards women of a certain age because all of the commercials are targeted towards moms.     You paint such a lovely picture of motherhood.  The mom is always well-rested.  She’s usually quite attractive and dressed in something that very easily could have come off of the racks at J Crew.  She’s never sick of cleaning.  We can tell because she smiles wistfully at the shine her new cleaning product produces on... read more

• Created on 6/13/13 by Rachel Wolf

I once asked my grandfather if he'd like to hold my baby.   He sputtered awkwardly, saying he didn't know how to hold a baby. That he'd never really done it. After raising four children.   From the kitchen I heard my grandma mutter something under her breath about how he never made the time to hold their children. That he never wanted to.   My dad, on the other hand is baby crazy.   Though he grew up with a more hands-off father, my dad has never passed up the chance to hold a child. He is different than his dad. More engaged. More present. More... read more

• Created on 6/13/13 by momofnatasha

  By Suzanne Leigh   Following on from my last post, I decided to see a psychic in the desperate hope of connecting with my 12-year-old daughter, who passed away recently from a brain tumor. This is what happened:   “I’m seeing a young girl who passed recently, maybe months ago,” said our psychic, looking directly at me as I sit in a community church, one of 30 other anxious hopefuls, wanting to make a connection with a lost loved one.   Our psychic comes from another country, but she exudes California: she is barefooted, with loose clothing and the shoes... read more

• Created on 6/11/13 by Melanie Mayo

By Laura Grace Weldon     To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is spelled out is a spark.  - Victor Hugo   Reading readiness doesn't come from educational toys or programs. It rises from exactly what kids already like to do: moving their bodies, enjoying words, and free play. Why?   Movement helps children develop the necessary brain-body maturation that must be in place before they can make sense of something as abstract as symbols that decode into words. Find out what kinds of movements are essential here.     Reading aloud... read more

• Created on 6/10/13 by SantoshaMama

           How learning to trust my child allowed me to begin to trust myself.   "Do you trust me?" the Littlest One asked, four years old, legs barely hanging over each side of the big, old tree trunk stretched across the muddy creek flowing rapidly below. My heart leaped again, this time not just from my unnerving fear that he might fall in, but also from the fear that I might not trust him...might not trust myself. And this concept, trust, was the exact thing that had been surfacing in my mind and in my life over and over for the past several weeks. I... read more

• Created on 6/9/13 by JillVettel

Ever go to Target to grab some pool toys or epsom salts and somehow end up with a 20 dollar iTunes card, a vacuum, and ice cube trays shaped like bacon? Or a just quick trip to buy gum and mouthwash (halitosis is serious business) only to come home with five bags of groceries and three abandoned kittens?   All the time, right?   Last week we were heading home with the back full of bags, well past lunchtime, due to the vortex of delightful consumerism that is Target when my husband shouted and pointed out the window.   I barely caught a glimpse of them, just... read more

• Created on 6/8/13 by Monica S

I have three little girls five years old and younger, and they love princesses.  I don’t think there has been a single day over the last two years that at least one person in our house hasn’t been wearing a tiara and pearls.  We have it all -- the dresses, the boas, and the books.  Oh the books!   I know little tot princess culture is a hot topic of sorts, with some people hating everything about it and other people thinking it is a harmless phase that many little girls go through.   I guess you could say I’m kind of in the middle.  I don’t see any problem... read more

• Created on 6/8/13 by Melanie Mayo

We humans are rhythmic creatures. At least that's how we're meant to be. It's why Rhythm is one of the seven Parenting for Peace principles. It is a gift for our children and ourselves to embrace life's ebbing and flowing. Summertime offers us a luscious opportunity for slowing the pace of life.   “As biologists have learned in the past decade,” writes author Jennifer Ackerman, “time permeates the flesh of all living things -- and for one powerful reason: We evolved on a rotating planet.”[1] She observes the many ways in which we carry inside us a model of the... read more

• Created on 6/7/13 by SavvyHomeschool

By Savvy Homeschool Moms   In this episode the moms interview Deborah Markus, author of the Bitter Homeschoolers Wish List, and editor and owner of Secular Homeschooling Magazine.     Some links in this episode:   The Bitter Homeschooler's Wish List   Secular Homeschooling Magazine   Don’t Worry! A Guide for Relatives and Friends of Homeschoolers     To see the full show notes, including a LOT MORE links to all the resources mentioned, please visit our website: The Savvy Homeschool Moms, episode 32. To subscribe to or download our... read more

• Created on 6/6/13 by Melanie Mayo

By Brian Leaf     Samantha Wilde is the author of two books about mothering, I'll Take What She Has and This Little Mommy Stayed Home. She's a full-time at-home mother of three young children as well as an ordained minister and a Kripalu yoga teacher. So when does she find time to write? "Nap-times and night time," says Wilde.   I caught up with Samantha Wilde for the following short interview:   Q: You wrote a book about motherhood and envy, did you have to research it for years?    A: You wouldn't believe the interviews I conducted for this book.... read more