some awesome parenting books and advice to make you laugh, think, and smile!

Lately I’ve been reading a lot about parenting from different cultures, and also getting some really good advice from one of my sisters-in-law and mother-in-law!  If anyone has other good book suggestions, let me know!

-Bringing Up Bebe by Pamela Druckerman: You can read my previous post with lots of concise and practical lessons learned.

-Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua.  CRAZY book about how one Chinese-American woman sought to instill the values of hard work and success into her daughters.  I read this book in a really short time; it was fast and interesting reading.  Might be of special interest to those who are very interested in the extremely high end of classical musical instrument training for kids.  You will come to respect the success of many immigrants and people from other cultures, but you will also probably realize that some good old American “balance” is the way we like it!

-Run Like a Mother: How to Get Moving and Not Lose Your Family, Job, or Sanity by Sarah Bowen Shea and Dimity McDowell:  I actually read this hysterical book a while ago and couldn’t stop laughing.  If you‘re a runner or athlete type of mom, it’s a must-read!  

-Bonnie:  As I previously mentioned in my first post about sleep, Bonnie helped me with those ideas and also with general behavioral questions about toddlers.

-Simi:  Among her amazing contributions to my parenting strength and style are the following ideas:

Sleep post, #2

Update (a week or two later):
Toddler bed with specially chosen sheet set has overall been a success!  She's more than adorable sleeping in it and overall it really helped transform a spiraling situation of not sleeping in her room to a much, much better one.  Make a celebration out of it!  We still have to bring her back in sometimes if she tries to "escape" but more often it's just our usual stories, songs, reminders, and I-love-you's.
A few of the best tools from our toolbox:

Concise and useful parenting lessons from Bringing up Bebe by Pamela Druckerman

I read a long and fascinating book about an American woman's experience raising her children in France.  I really recommend it for it's entertainment and cultural value!  I learned SO many useful ideas!

Below are terms that Bringing up Bebe uses.  I found sharing my favorite terms to be the best way to sum up a lot of the ideas in the book.  The terms don't cover the semi-magical way that French parents teach babies to sleep, and the terms also don't explain the general routine of family meals where children are expected to eat a variety of foods, not throw food, not leave the table frequently, etc.  To get those ideas, you'll have to read the book!  You'll laugh a ton also.

Attend- wait, stop.  Implies the child doesn’t require immediate gratification, and that he can entertain himself.

Autonomie- the blend of independence and self-reliance that French parents encourage in their children from an early age

Betise- a small act of naughtiness.  Labeling an offense a mere betise helps parents respond to it with moderation.

Bedtime solutions coming soon!

The Bed Switching Saga
We're trying to get our dear daughter BACK to being comfortable falling asleep in her room.  Suddenly she changed her mind about liking her bed!

Principles and Golden Rules of Toddler Discipline and Behavior

Enjoy, learn, comment, and see note at the bottom when you are done :)

Principles of Toddler Discipline (expanded on in “Golden Rules” below) 
1. Make rules and instructions as clear and simple as possible. 

2. Remind children of rules, and repeat gently and often.

3. Ignore the small things or address them without emotion. 

4. Know your child- and what expectations are appropriate.

5. Be consistent with rules and follow through with consequences.

6. Do not call a child “bad” or “bad girl/bad boy.”  Only label the behavior as “bad.”

Golden Rules for Teaching Toddlers Good Behavior

My Mom's Legacy- the "Mom-mark"

This is the text of a commemorative book mark that I distributed to about 300 family and friends at my mom's memorial service and following.

Julie Brophy–our beloved mom, wife, relative, and friend-of blessed memory- 1/4/54-10/2/10- Lessons We Learned From Her

 

Be Honest. Be Modest. Be Good.

Whatever you do, do it with dedication.

Preserve your memories the extraordinary and the everyday, too.

Plant a lot of flowers, look at them often, pick for friends.

Look for hummingbirds.  
Volunteer in your community, and sometimes for hard jobs.

Sewing work past, present, and future

Learn to Sew with Kate

Workshop #1, January 8, 2012 8:30pm

Welcome and thanks for coming!  I’m so glad you are here.  I plan to teach you a lot of practical skills and enable you to carry out some of your own clothing repairs at home after this workshop.  I hope you will want to come again to continue learning and having fun.  I am always open to your questions and suggestions.

Agenda:

·         Brief introduction to sewing supplies and how a machine works

·         threading a needle

·         types of hand-sewing stitches (backstitch, blanket stitch, overhand/whipstitch, running stitch, blind hem stitch)

·         types of buttons and how to sew them on; other types of attachments (hooks and eyes, snaps)

·         ways to close a gap (repairing a rip, hole)

·         examples of basic repairs

·         hemming (if time allows)

Tot Towels! by Kate So many uses, just wash and re-use!

Homeschool blog links

Homeschool resources and bloggers
Just a short start on a long list:

Sustainable Jewish Schooling
Breathing Space
Oceans of Joy

Orthodox Jewish Homeschooling Conference- a must see link!

Fourth Annual Torah Home Schooling Conference Draws Participants from Far and Near (Photo Essay & Video) By BaltimoreJewishLife.com/Margie Pensak

This article is about an incredible conference that I attended, and I am quoted within.

Great books for parents

Just a Few Great Books I've Read on Parenting

Sleep books by Kim West, the Sleep Lady
Bringing up Bebe (about the French view of parenting and family)
The Toddler Busy Book (phenomenal resource of ideas)

Storytime is where.it's.at.

Recommended Toddler Storytimes in St. Louis

My most highly rated ones are the top three for quality of librarian/reader presentation

St. Louis County Library- Midcounty/Clayton branch-10am Wednesdays

Brodsky Jewish Community Library-9:30am first Friday of the month

St. Louis Public Library-University City/Delmar branch- check their website in the fall for next season's time

Missouri History Museum- check their website for many amazing kids, family, and homeschooling programs
Magic House- check their website; they have a great storytime during visitor hours
Jewish Mommy and Me- contact me to learn more about a group in U. City, 9:45am Wednesdays

Why do I love storytime for toddlers?
It is a high quality activity you can do with your little one that teaches them appreciation for reading and how to behave as part of a group when they are too young to be in school.

Please contact me if you wish to be included in the start-up of our Storytime b'Ivrit!  (Hebrew language storytime.)  We are starting this summer and looking for a core group of interested parents.

My Parenting Ideas: Games, fun, and things to do with toddlers!

Great games to play, fun toys, & things to do - My great big list (and please submit your comments!)

Toddler gymnastics- rolls, body shapes, stretching, balance, etc
Build things with blocks (tower, zoo, house…)

Art!  Crayons, markers, scissors, coloring books

Music: parade, band, with or without a CD

Farm house-small model toys

Felt boards you can make or buy- tell stories or play make believe scenarios

Look at photo albums together- or make one!

My Parenting Ideas: why teach kids sports/games?

Playing sports* and games helps kids learn:

Good sportsmanship

Fair play

Taking turns

Sharing

Patience
Effort

Stamina

Focus

Attaining a goal

*My husband and I are referring to actual team sports, individual sports, or other challenging physical activities like that.  Just come talk to us if you want to really understand how much we believe in the value of sports as part of a balanced lifestlye!

Intro post: Why am I blogging?

I'm keeping track of my ideas on this blog to keep a record of my personal work.  If you want to see some of the things I've collected in my work as a mommy, wife, and teacher, please browse through the headings at the top of the home page!  I am still learning about the format and am about to put the material on my "pages" into posts, also, so that there is a searchable, labeled archive of it in "true" blog format.  I hope everyone can figure this out, if you have comments about accessibility of the blog content, please let me know.