Books for the Maternally Inclined
Thank you to our intrepid band of reviewers—Linda Cundiff, Fiona Hamersley, Shannon Mintenko ad Carolyn Wilkinson—who read and reviewed the following books in hardly any time at all.
It’s All About You
by Heather Reider and Mary Goulet
Free Press, 2007
At first glance, I never would have bought this book with its off-putting title and the two perfect blond authors smiling on the cover. However, the subtitle, “Living the Life You Crave,” made the book more enticing.
I have to admit, the authors’ advice is balanced and encourages readers to start putting intention into action. Little things count, the book reminds us: live a better life with tiny tweaks; and create your own opportunities. They even include some good meditation advice—go with the rhythm of your day and not the rigid routine; practice flexibility; breathe out for clarity and stop worrying and predicting outcomes.
Each chapter—money, sex, family, body and friendships—focuses on getting organized, not in a tiresome way but in a “better done than perfect” way. Learn through mistakes and choose wisely how you spend your time.
It’s All About You started from the authors’ website where they encourage mothers to use their natural creativity to challenge their comfort zones and develop their dreams into businesses with the internet support of Momstown.
Slow down, discover your potential and make deliberate choices about your future. Practical advice with peaceful tones. LC
1001 Ways to Save the Earth
by Joanna Yarrow
Chronicle Books, 2007
My first reaction to yet another environmental tips book was, ho hum, more clotheslines, cloth bags and curly light bulbs. Somehow I am not so sure it is the education that people are lacking but the actual doing or maybe the slowing down to have time to change habits, so is another book really going to help?
So I gave the cute, fat little book to my kids and told them to find some interesting facts. Here’s what they came up with:
1. Stock your freezer as it takes more energy to run an empty freezer.
2. Get a new flatscreen TV as it takes up less space and uses 30 per cent less energy.
Green dreams for teenagers. Still, you have to start somewhere and as the book says: set small changes to keep up your eco-stamina. Now our freezer is stocked and we are keeping our old TV off which I’m pretty sure saves more energy than any LCD.
My local favourite is soft plastic recycling which has greatly reduced our garbage. As for the book... well, it’s good for bathroom scanning and gets the whole family thinking. LC
Rockabye: From Wild to Child
by Rebecca Woolf
Seal Press, 2008
What a book! This funny, heartwarming, shockingly honest tale of pregnancy and motherhood will suck you in from chapter one.
Billed as “a memoir of a spontaneous young city-girl who becomes unexpectedly pregnant,” Rockabye follows the author after her “holy shit, I’m pregnant” realization—from deciding to keep the baby, marrying the boyfriend (in Vegas, no less), and trying to figure out how to blend her rock n’ roll lifestyle and impending motherhood.
If you are a parent or are about to become one, you will likely identify with the author’s fears and uncertainties. This young woman has an amazing ability to put thought on paper. You may not have been a wild child or found yourself unexpectedly pregnant, but I’m sure you will see yourself on a few pages. Enjoy! SM
Between Interruptions: 30 Women Tell The Truth About Motherhood
Edited by Cori Howard
Key Porter Books, 2007
When I showed my friends the title of this book, Between Interruptions, their reactions were the same: “Whatever—my life is one constant interruption.” Thankfully, this book is not a just-couldn’t-put-it-down type of book. The short essay format lends itself to reading in the bathtub or just before your head hits the pillow at the end of a long day. While I enjoyed connecting with some of the mothers’ stories, I also found that since I am a mother all the time, there is only so much I really want to read about mothering when I get a precious break from it.
I loved reading about the variety of experiences at different times in a mother’s life. Some of the writers are well-known Canadian celebrities. I can’t tell you how satisfied I felt when I read Monika Deol (former host of the Electric Circus dance show) tell her story about lugging her four kids through the airport. It seems I am not the only one who has had to cut back on partying. One of the most poignant truths about motherhood for me has been how much it has changed my life. The second shocker was how long it would take me to get used to that change. Reading these essays confirmed that other women feel the same way. Some essays felt like I was sitting across from a friend, sharing a cup of tea. CW
The Creative Family: How to Encourage Imagination and Nurture Family Connections
by Amanda Blake Soule
Trumpeter, 2008
I was looking through our parenting library on a quest for bedtime routine advice, when I was suddenly struck by the fact that all of our parenting books are about how to deal with challenging issues and behaviours. Well, no more! The Creative Family is a welcome new addition.
It’s a nice change to read something fun and inspiring before going to bed instead of the usual “how am I going to improve on my poor parenting moment of this morning by tomorrow?” Most of the creative projects are simple to do—no major planning, prepping or extra purchases necessary for most of them.
This book has also made me think: maybe we need to focus more on the fun things we can do together rather than on how we can improve all the time. By taking this approach, some of our discipline and behaviour issues are already melting away. Like any sentimental mum, I really like the keepsake projects like the embroidered pillow made from your child’s drawing. Our children, aged two and four, are a bit young for some of the activities, but I like that there are lots of ideas, for now and later. Great book purchase for this summer. FH•
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