What are your favorite children’s books that talk about being a single parent household?
My husband is leaving me and our almost-two-year-old daughter. I’ve made sure not to badmouth him in front of her and try to keep all conversations about it to a minimum when she’s around, but I know that eventually, she’ll figure out that many of her friends have two-parent households and ours does not.
Teenspiration: 250 books Rory Gilmore mentioned on The Gilmore Girls
I love randomly mentioning The Gilmore Girls on Offbeat Mama because I get to find out how many of you are still true and blue, until the very last day on Earth, fans of the series. So when I found the Rory Gilmore Reading challenge — a list of 250 books Rory Gilmore mentioned or read on the show — I knew I had found a post for you: my fellow Gilmore Girl fans.
What are your favorite baby books and toys that include dads?
So many baby and toddler books and toys seem mama-centric — from the “Nothing’s Okay until Mommy comes home!” genre of books (Are You My Mother?, etc.) to puzzles or toys depicting only mother animals with their babies — where are the DAD-themed books and toys?
5 beautifully illustrated children’s books you’ll want to read over and over again
Children’s books that both tell beautiful stories — whether they’re of small yet courageous mice or artists flitting around Paris in the 1920s — have always captivated me and been part of our bedtime reading ritual. Here are few that I especially adore!
What are your favorite offbeat cookbooks?
I know a LOT of you left some great Megan-simple cookbook ideas for me back when I was doing my cooking challenge. What about cookbooks for people who aren’t afraid to get experimental? Not that this will surprise you, but here are MY offbeat cookbook suggestions…
Going up against Mother Goose: a new take on nursery rhymes
Whether you’re into the cool, hip children’s books like Goodnight iPad or you’re a fan of the classics like Goodnight Moon, one lady will likely be unavoidable in your child’s literary rearing: Mother Goose. She’s gifted at showers, she’s at preschool, she’s at friends’ houses… and if you ask me, she’s got issues.
10 Young Adult novels that don’t suck
As a middle school English teacher, I’ve read a lot of young adult literature and, quite frankly, there’s a lot of crap out there (I won’t even climb on my anti-Twilight soapbox). Navigating the muddy waters of YA lit can be akin to, well, teaching middle school, but there really are some amazing reads in this genre.
Make skull art with bookcases
This is the work of James Hopkins’, who is a sculptor. I realize this is a piece of his art work, but it inspires me to go play around with my bookshelves to see what sort of subtle icons I could invoke…