The impossible act of wholly loving a child with the expectation of letting them go, begins the gripping chronicle of a foster parents journey through the system, intermingling a once routine existence with a new kaleidoscope of biological relatives, social workers, and court-appointed officials. Suspenseful and engaging, this distinctive point of view coupled with insightful first-hand accounts from other foster parents, social workers, and former foster youth expertly intertwines real-life experiences from multiple perspectives. This unique tour de force will leave you cheering, emotionally winded, and mindfully contemplative. For anyone who is considering being, has been, or knows someone who has been a part of the foster care system, this narrative tale will leave you more informed and intentional about the roles each of us play in influencing the life of a child.
**A New York Times Editor's Choice selection!** This outrageous and hilarious memoir follows a film and television director’s life, from his idiosyncratic upbringing to his unexpected career as the director behind such huge film franchises as The Addams Family and Men in Black. Barry Sonnenfeld's philosophy is, "Regret the Past. Fear the Present. Dread the Future." Told in his unmistakable voice, Barry Sonnenfeld, Call Your Mother is a laugh-out-loud memoir about coming of age. Constantly threatened with suicide by his over-protective mother, disillusioned by the father he worshiped, and abused by a demonic relative, Sonnenfeld somehow went on to become one of Hollywood's most successful producers and directors. Written with poignant insight and real-life irony, the book follows Sonnenfeld from childhood as a French horn player through graduate film school at NYU, where he developed his talent for cinematography. His first job after graduating was shooting nine feature length pornos in nine days. From that humble entrée, he went on to form a friendship with the Coen Brothers, launching his career shooting their first three films. Though Sonnenfeld had no ambition to direct, Scott Rudin convinced him to be the director of The Addams Family. It was a successful career move. He went on to direct many more films and television shows. Will Smith once joked that he wanted to take Sonnenfeld to Philadelphia public schools and say, "If this guy could end up as a successful film director on big budget films, anyone can." This book is a fascinating and hilarious roadmap for anyone who thinks they can't succeed in life because of a rough beginning.
Dr. Spock may tell moms to trust their instincts, but a Misfit Mommy wants to do everything but. Mommies-to-be who feel like frauds and impostors won't feel alone anymore with this insightful and laugh-out-loud guide.
The ultimate must-read handbook for the modern mother: a practical, and positive tool to help free women from the debilitating notion of being the "perfect mom," filled with funny and all too relatable true-life stories and realistic suggestions to stop the burnout cycle, and protect our kids from the damage burnout can cause. Moms, do you feel tired? Overwhelmed? Have you continually put off the things you need to do for you? Do you feel like it’s all worth it because your kids are happy? Are you "over" being a mother? If you answered yes to these questions, you’re not alone. Parents today want to create the ideal childhood for their children. Women strive to be the picture-perfect Pinterest mother that looks amazing, hosts the best birthday parties in town, posts the most "liked" photos, and serves delicious, nutritious home-cooked meals in her neat, organized home after ferrying the kids to school and a host of extracurricular activities on time. This drive, while noble, can also be destructive, causing stress and anxiety that leads to "mommy burnout." Psychologist and family counselor Dr. Sheryl Ziegler is well-versed in the stress that moms face, and the burden of guilt they carry because they often feel like they aren’t doing enough for their kids’ happiness. A mother of three herself, Dr. Z—as she’s affectionately known by her many patients—recognizes and understands that modern moms are all too often plagued by exhaustion, failure, isolation, self-doubt, and a general lack of self-love, and their families are also feeling the effects, too. Over the last nineteen years working with families and children, Dr. Z has devised a prescriptive program for addressing "mommy burnout"—teaching moms that they can learn to re-energize themselves and still feel good about their families and their lives. In this warm and empathetic guide, she examines this modern epidemic among mothers who put their children’s happiness above their own, and offers empowering, proven solutions for alleviating this condition, saving marriages and keeping kids happy in the process.
This practical, reader-friendly textbook for preservice and in-service early childhood education and early literacy courses provides "how-to-do-it" instructions for promoting emergent literacy in reading, writing, and arithmetic from preschool into the primary grades. Early 3 Rs answers the question: "What can I SAY and DO to give each child the best possible start on the 3 Rs?" With the strategies and materials in this book, a teacher can give personalized direct instruction in the 3 Rs to a beginner, in just a few minutes a day. The early chapters tell how to prepare a young child for reading, writing, and arithmetic. Subsequent chapters show how to give a beginner an early start on learning the 3 Rs. All strategies begin with the oral approach (from phonemic awareness to "arithme-talk") and then progress to print that is personally meaningful to a young child. Early 3 Rs: * Includes arithmetic as a component of early literacy. * Gives developmentally appropriate methods for direct teaching of the 3 Rs. * Provides scripts of what the teacher can say to promote early learning. * Helps education students in field-based classes offer personalized instruction. Early 3 Rs is written to be very reader friendly: the approach is intentionally eclectic; the writing deliberately avoids heavy theory; the goal is to provide an easy-to-use, highly practical and accessible guide for those who work in early childhood education settings.
Hilarious and true and inspirational, Hello, My Name is Mommy is for every pregnant woman and new mother who ever felt helpless and out of control instead of confident and aglow. Sure, women know pregnancy is no bed of roses, but Lynch taps into her own dysfunctional childhood and fears about becoming a mom to label a much profounder worry many moms-to-be have: that their own pasts were so screwed up that they're doomed to repeat the cycle. Dr. Spock may tell moms to trust their instincts, but Lynch's Misfit Mommies want to do every last thing but that. They feel like frauds and imposters, and Lynch's real-girl's voice will be instantly recognizable to them. Lynch will walk and talk new moms through it all: from lamenting the hot dogs and second-hand smoke they were raised on (and, of course, "you turned out just fine") to the realization that kids are kind of germy and gross (but feeling that way doesn't make one a bad mother) to keeping it together at work with Cheerios in the old nursing bra.
What Wild at Heart did for men, Captivating is doing for women. Setting their hearts free. This groundbreaking book shows readers the glorious design of women before the fall, describes how the feminine heart can be restored, and casts a vision for the power, freedom, and beauty of a woman released to be all she was meant to be.
“I wanted to tell the secret stories that my great-grandmother Blanche whispered to me on summer nights in a featherbed in Iowa. I was eight and she was eighty . . .” At the age of four, a little girl stands on a cold, windy railroad platform in Wichita, Kansas, watching a train take her mother away. For the rest of her life, her mother will be an only occasional—and always troubled—visitor who denies her the love she longs for. Linda Joy Myers’s compassionate, gripping, and soul-searching memoir tells the story of three generations of daughters who, though determined to be different from their absent mothers, ultimately follow in their footsteps, recreating a pattern that they yearn to break. Accompany Linda as she uncovers family secrets, seeks solace in music, and begins her healing journey—ultimately transcending the prison of her childhood and finding forgiveness for her family and herself. This edition includes a new afterword in which Myers confronts her family’s legacy and comes full circle with her daughter and grandchildren, seeding a new path for them.
Ladies, this collection of stories from moms who have successfully worked full-time, freelance, self-employed, and in other ways, while also raising amazing children and providing financial freedom for their families, has room to add more--your story! Start it today! Of all life’s financial shocks, few compare to the $250,000 price tag--not including college!--of raising a child. How will you pay for it? Many mothers have agonized over that question, letting it fuel their decisions concerning careers, budgets, and families. The only thing they can all agree on is: there are no easy answers. However, there are plenty of rewarding possibilities! Mining successful moms’ experiences to uncover both career advice and strategies for spending and saving anyone can use, Smart Mom, Rich Mom includes stories, checklists, action steps, planning tools, and more to help other moms learn how to: Prepare financially for parenthood, as well as adding to your litter Balance thrift with generating income and investing wisely Find flexibility at work while safeguarding your earning potential Save for both college and retirement Plan for unexpected events Smart Mom, Rich Mom explores how women today are navigating the financially challenging career/parenting years. This invaluable resource for moms everywhere chronicles women who have stayed in the game as both moms and businesswomen--full-time, freelance, self-employed, and more--and emerged more prosperous and empowered than before having children.
