Review of Unplugged Play: No Batteries. No Plugs. Pure Fun. (Paperback)

Playfulness is the name of the game in childhood. Unfortunately, in their workaday world, many parents forget that all work and no play makes Little Johnny a bored, lethargic boy. Thanks to Bobbi Conner, Little Johnny just got 710 reasons to get up off the couch and join his hopscotching playmates outdoors.

Veteran radio show host on NPR, Bobbi Conner is concerned about today's kids and their lack of creative outlets. Instead of being busy with electronic entertainment such as video games and push-button toys, she suggests myriad avenues to get down to the business of play in fun, very simple ways. Unlike many guide books that read more like a Martha Stewart manual (and must be secretly backed by major craft store chains), Bobbi's approach is simple - take what you have at home and let `er rip.

The book is divided into three useful sections - toddler play; preschooler play; and grade school play. It was gratifying to see many of the games we've thought up on our own are in the book. Necessity is the mother of invention. This book is the mother of children's creativity.

Bobbi's tone is real-life and compassionate, not patronizing or oozing with `expertise'. She was once a time-strapped single mom raising her kids with nothing more than her ingenuity to keep them occupied. When we think back to our own childhoods or that of our children, the best times were those spent together around a Parchese board or telling stories to one another. But if you think you have to spend hours with your children to right the wrongs of those hundreds of TV hours your kid has logged, you're wrong. Bobbi recognizes the reality in today's world. She recommends ways in which children can learn independent play by sparking their creative thoughts and having them vary the activities themselves. You needn't micromanage their play. In fact, Bobbi warns against it.

This book came in the nick of time as my son recently had a playdate with a boy who is very `plugged' into video games and TV. Concerned we wouldn't make the three hours without hiscrying for TV, I grabbed the book and discovered some cool, easy ways to interest the boys in a new game of toss the button in the bucket. My son's friend only asked to watch TV once, but after I showed him the book and all its possibilities, he never asked again!

I highly recommend Unplugged Play for its usefulness, inventiveness, and fun. It may even remind you that all work and no play makes Little Johnny's mommy and daddy very dull girls and boys, too!

~Christine Louise Hohlbaum, author of Diary of a Mother: Parenting Stories and Other Stuff and Sahm I Am: Tales of a Stay-at-Home Mom in Europe, is a freelance writer living near Munich, Germany, with her husband and two extremely playful children.




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Review of Protecting the Gift: Keeping Children and Teenagers Safe (and Parents Sane) (Paperback)

I hate reading anything that makes me feel anxious and initially this book sat on the shelf for weeks before I actually picked it up.I was so glad I did because there is such valuable information in here and I actually feel better about my child's safety than I did before.

Protecting the Gift: Keeping Children and Teenagers Safe and Parents Sane is about how to teach your child to trust her instincts when it comes to safety.Since 90% of child abuse and abductions occur by people well-known to your child, teaching her to talk to strangers just doesn't work.Instead, the author gives you detailed and logical steps to take, starting as early as toddlerhood, so you'll know how to help your child learn to follow her instincive feelings about whether someone is safe or not.

Crucial information about how to be prepared for (God forbid but we should all be prepared just in case) the event that your child may be seperated from you in public.Examples include making a daily detailed mental note of the clothing your child is wearing, keeping large photocopies of your child's picture and name in your purse/wallet so you can hand them out to security personel within seconds of your child's disappearance and an action plan for immediate implementation.

There is SO much in this book - every bit of it worth reading so you can protect your child - and I can't recommend it strongly enough.Read it NOW and be prepared.



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Review of John Rosemond's New Parent Power! (Hardcover)

I'm intrigued by other reviews here that gripe about the lack of new material in John Rosemond's latest update on "Parent Power!"Remember, folks, the key word here is "update."It makes no claims to be an entirely new book.The other thing to bear in mind is that good, sound, commonsensical advice on parenting is essentially the same today as it was a hundred--or a thousand--years ago.It all boils down to one simple concept: you are in charge; the child is not.

Some people find Rosemond harsh.Those tend to be parents who are willing to fill their time by wheedling, cajoling and bargaining with their children.Others find Rosemond to make perfect sense.Those tend to be parents who understand (and apply!) the fundamental concept that the parents have more experience and more expertise than the children do, and that it is a parental responsibility to take charge and tell the children what the rules are, how the family works, and what the consequences are for disobedience.

Rosemond knows whereof he speaks.Not only is he a parent himself (two grown children--he's now a grandfather), but he has a doctorate in his chosen field.The thing he writes in "Parent Power!" that struck me like a bolt of lightning was that parents who let their kids take the lead and rule the roost are doing the children a disservice.Kids need and crave structure and order.They like knowing what the boundaries are (even if at first it appears that they don't!).When parents set boundaries and then don't keep within them--or lay down rules and then capitulate at the first request from the child--it actually disturbs the child, because it comes across as though the PARENT doesn't really know what the rules are.And to the kid, that translates to the frightening thought, "Well, gosh, if Mom and Dad don't know what the rules are, who DOES know?"

There's so much good stuff here.I urge every parent--frustrated or not--to be open-minded and read this terrific book.It's a treasure trove of useful, usable, sound information.

Product Description
John Rosemond is the dean of traditional, non-psychological parenting.Now, the author of nine best-selling books on raising children has combined his two most successful volumes into a single revised and updated edition for new parents - and those who need new ideas.John Rosemond's New Parent Power!, presents the renowned family psychologist's complete philosophy and methodology from the original Parent Power! supported by the details of his Six-Point Plan For Raising Happy, Healthy Children.As always, Rosemond delivers with a highly readable and refreshing tone, urging parents to listen to their hearts and their gut.

About the Author
John Rosemond is a family psychologist who has both directed mental health programs and been in full-time private practice working with families and children. Since 1990, he has devoted his time to speaking and writing. John's weekly syndicated parenting column now appears in some 250 newspapers. Along the way, he's also managed to write eleven bestselling books on parenting and the family. As if that wasn't enough, he is one of the busiest and most popular speakers in his field, giving over 200 talks a year to parent and professional groups nationwide. He and his wife of 39 years, Willie, have two grown children and six well-behaved grandchildren.

For more information, see www.rosemond.com and www.parentingbythebook.com.

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Review of The 15-Minute Organizer (Paperback)

This is a book that I have referred to over and over again to get myself organized and stay organized.Emile Barnes uses a no nonsense approach to get you organized.Her common sense system of using a timer and giving yourself 15 minutes to stay focused on your area of attack is great.I am a working mom with two toddlers.I read this book originally when I got married 7 years ago.I read it at least once a year to reinspire myself and as a constant reference to stay motivated with a busy schedule to get organized.

Product Description

Bestselling author and time-management expert Emilie Barnes giveswomen the basic strategies they need to survive in today's busy world.Realistic and practical, each chapter offers proven methods for taking thestress out of meal planning, housekeeping, finances, holiday shopping, andmore. In just 15 minutes a day, readers will discover how to—

• whip their entire house into shape
• create a personalized daily planner
• double their closet space
• organize a fail-safe filing system

Now with an updated cover, the 15-Minute Organizer (over 220,000 copies sold) contains more than75 time-saving strategies on topics that include goal setting, involving childrenin chores, grocery shopping, and record-keeping. Women will discover they canget ahead and stay ahead.

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Review of Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child (Hardcover)

This was an excellent book - I cannot tell you how much this book helped our sleepless, colicky infant.But, several friends with non-colicky babies actually recommended this for any infant.This book is a wonderful middle ground for those parents who do not want a severe schedule (BABYWISE) or the opposite end of the spectrum, attachment parenting (Dr. Sears).It was the only book that I found that spoke knowledgeably about colic, and gave the only helpful advice available on the subject (believe me, we tried it all).It is not a cry-it-out book, although some may look at it in that light.What it teaches you is this: 1.watch your child. 2.put him/her down to sleep when you first see the signs of tiredness 3.most children under 6 months do not stay awake for longer than 2-3 hours at a time without needing a nap. 4.DO NOT just put your child down to nap when you feel like it - that's just letting him/her cry, not TEACHING them to sleep. 5.Most children need to go to sleep at night earlier than you'd think. 6.Going to bed earlier promotes later sleeping (weird, but true.As the author says, it's not logical.It's biological - sleep promotes sleep) There's a lot more too.I really like that the author's data is based on studies that he has done involving the patterns of children who naturally sleep and nap well.No, it didn't give us a perfect baby. We happen to have a very sensitive high strung girlie, who also power-naps.But we went from a cranky post-colicky baby who took no naps or 15-20min naps and got up many times per night to a sweet smiling girl who now takes 3 45min-1 hour naps per day and sleeps from 6pm-7am (waking 2 times to nurse).Oh yes.The nursing.She used to think that nursing was the only way to get to sleep.After diligently following the advice in this book, she now can get to sleep on her own, no nursing.Not that it's perfect - she still cries 5-15 minutes at times before naps.But she is sooooooo much happier now.Gotta think something's working.



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Review of Writing Home: Collected Essays and Newspaper Columns (Paperback)

"The sacred is in the ordinary. It is found in one's daily life - in friends, family, and neighbors; in one's own backyard."

The above quote comes from a thank-you note Cindy La Ferle keeps in an "altar" above her kitchen sink. Its simple observation pretty much sums up the philosophy expounded in her book, Writing Home. A columnist for a Detroit area paper and freelance article writer, La Ferle writes about what she knows best - home - and how our home life shapes and colors who we are.

My personal favorite essay is "Quit Picking on Barbie." The big-breasted fashion doll has been getting a bum rap for years... Most little girls just enjoy dressing her up and designing homes and careers for her. She doesn't scar our sense of femininity at all. Another column, "Recovering Perfectionist," stirs up many familiar emotions as well. Women do seem especially susceptible to perfectionistic behavior, La Ferle observes. Our "people-pleasing" impulses prevent us from attempting many worthwhile endeavors because we're afraid we won't be able to do them perfectly. We need to let go of this need to "be right or look good" all the time. In the humorous "Seeing Red" we learn about the pros and cons of being a redhead - or at least the Miss Clairol version of it.

From "Baghdad and Banana Bread"- finding security from the horrors of the world in simple baking - to "The Lost Art of Loafing"- an art I really need to take advantage of this summer- Writing Home wisely reminds us that truly there is no place like home. -- Cindy Appel for the FEARLESS REVIEWS

Product Description
Both a "motherhood memoir" and a handbook for living, Writing Home is a heartwarming anthology of domestic essays and lifestyle columns by award-winning journalist Cindy La Ferle. This timeless collection speaks to every suburban parent who has ever attempted to combine work, parenthood, and homekeeping. La Ferle's essays address such key issues as losing a parent, aging gracefully, reinventing family traditions, facing the empty nest, and finding deeper meaning in the small but defining moments of everyday life. Writing Home has won four awards for creative nonfiction, including one from Midwest Independent Publisher's Association and another from Writer's Digest. Think Club Publications voted Writing Home Book of the Year in 2005, praising it for its values-driven content. Midwest Book Review describes Cindy La Ferle's essays as "Little gems of wisdom from a modern working woman who has a valuable and interesting philosophy on life." The book has been featured on Sirius Radio and in other national media.



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Review of Back to Basics: A Complete Guide to Traditional Skills, Third Edition (Hardcover)

A primer on self-reliance and rural skills, this is a large-format book of456 pages lavishly illustrated with photographs and drawings, about half infull color. Here are 57 subjects, many with subsets, as in gardening, whichincludes information on soil, cultivation methods, making and using agreenhouse, and specific information on many veggies, herbs, fruits. Somepresentations are simplistic, like telling you how to find and evaluate afarm or can produce in only four pages. Building and using a smokehousegets one page. Using dairy products butters ten pages. Woodworking andfurniture making nail down thirty pages. Build and decorate a house and thechairs, tables, beds to furnish it. Build a springhouse, a dam, a well, awater system. Grow vegetables, fruits, grains. Raise bees, fish, chickens,ducks, geese, rabbits, hogs, sheep, goats, cows, horses. Make cheese, maplesyrup, beer, wine, bread, soap, candles, baskets. Cook with wood. Spinyarn, use natural dyes, make cloth, quilts, rugs, hammocks. Learn tanningand leather work, tinsmithing, blacksmithing, toolmaking. Celebrate harvestand holidays with traditional decorations, recipes, toys, games, dances.Learn camping, hiking, fishing, canoeing, snowshoeing, skiing. Whew! Thisbook will keep you happily occupied for several decades.



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