Design Mom


Book Description

New York Times best seller Ever since Gabrielle Stanley Blair became a parent, she’s believed that a thoughtfully designed home is one of the greatest gifts we can give our families, and that the objects and decor we choose to surround ourselves with tell our family’s story. In this, her first book, Blair offers a room-by-room guide to keeping things sane, organized, creative, and stylish. She provides advice on getting the most out of even the smallest spaces; simple fixes that make it easy for little ones to help out around the house; ingenious storage solutions for the never-ending stream of kid stuff; rainy-day DIY projects; and much, much more.




Why I Love Homeschooling


Book Description

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of families worldwide have been thrust into schooling remotely at home. Some parents look forward to sending their kids back to school, but others have found they prefer schooling at home. They've noticed things like, "My child has learned more at home with me in the last 2 months than in the past 2 years at school!" Or, "I kind of like spending so much time with my kids and learning alongside them." Many parents are considering continuing homeschooling beyond the pandemic, and this book is here to help them make an informed decision about their children's education.Homeschooling is not about trying to reproduce a school environment at home. It's not hours and hours sitting at a desk with a parent or in front of an online class. Homeschooling is about creating an environment outside of the school structure that fosters a love of learning, creativity, family closeness, and flexibility. There is no one size that fits all in homeschooling; every family is different, and approaches homeschooling and parenting in their own unique way. In this book, 24 seasoned homeschooling families share their experiences. The authors include both religious and secular homeschooling parents from all walks of life. They represent a variety of homeschooling styles (from self-directed learning/unschooling to more formal approaches), abilities and disabilities, marital statuses, educational achievements, job statuses, races, and socioeconomic levels. The authors have children of all ages, from babies, preschoolers, and kindergarteners, to students in elementary school, middle school, or high school. And some have children who are now adults. They discuss what they love about homeschooling and also the challenges they've overcome. We hope that this book will inspire and encourage those who are considering homeschooling, as well as those who are already on their homeschooling journey. And we hope it will expand your ideas about the concept of education, and what's possible for yourselves and your children.




The 12 Week Year


Book Description

The guide to shortening your execution cycle down from one year to twelve weeks Most organizations and individuals work in the context of annual goals and plans; a twelve-month execution cycle. Instead, The 12 Week Year avoids the pitfalls and low productivity of annualized thinking. This book redefines your "year" to be 12 weeks long. In 12 weeks, there just isn't enough time to get complacent, and urgency increases and intensifies. The 12 Week Year creates focus and clarity on what matters most and a sense of urgency to do it now. In the end more of the important stuff gets done and the impact on results is profound. Explains how to leverage the power of a 12 week year to drive improved results in any area of your life Offers a how-to book for both individuals and organizations seeking to improve their execution effectiveness Authors are leading experts on execution and implementation Turn your organization's idea of a year on its head, and speed your journey to success.




Living Your Best Life After 50 All-in-One For Dummies


Book Description

Get inspired — and prepared — for your best life at 50+ Living Your Best Life after 50 All-in-One For Dummies is your guide as you explore new opportunities and make the most of your fifties and the decades that follow. Find a new job, travel for weeks or months at a time, boost your health with yoga routines, take up pickleball—whatever it is you want to do, this book will inspire you to improve your life and show you how to get there. You’ll also find timely information about planning and budgeting for retirement, withdrawing money from IRAs and 401(k)s, and taking Social Security. With this fun- and information-packed Dummies resource, you can look forward to your future with enthusiasm and purpose. Change jobs, move up in your career, or get ready for retirement Get tips for travel, living like a nomad, cooking after the kids leave home, downsizing, and other handy topics for this time of your life Stay in tip-top shape with fun activities like yoga and pickleball Get your finances in order and make sure you can live the life you want on Social Security and retirement income This book is a great choice for readers looking to make the second half of life the best half.




Hands Free Mama


Book Description

Discover the power, joy, and love of living a present, authentic, and intentional life despite a world full of distractions. If technology is the new addiction, then multitasking is the new marching order. We check our email while cooking dinner, send a text while bathing the kids, and spend more time looking into electronic screens than into the eyes of our loved ones. With our never-ending to-do lists and jam-packed schedules, it's no wonder we're distracted. But this isn't the way it has to be. Special education teacher, New York Times bestselling author, and mother Rachel Macy Stafford says enough is enough. Tired of losing track of what matters most in life, Rachel began practicing simple strategies that enabled her to momentarily let go of largely meaningless distractions and engage in meaningful soul-to-soul connections. Finding balance doesn't mean giving up all technology forever. And it doesn't mean forgoing our jobs and responsibilities. What it does mean is seizing the little moments that life offers us to engage in real and meaningful interaction. In these pages, Rachel guides you through how to: Acknowledge the cost of your distraction Make purposeful connection with your family Give your kids the gift of your undivided attention Silence your inner critic Let go of the guilt from past mistakes And move forward with compassion and gratefulness So join Rachel and go hands-free. Discover what happens when you choose to open your heart--and your hands--to the possibilities of each God-given moment.




Mothers Before


Book Description

Who was your mother before she was a mother? Essays and photos from Brit Bennett, Jennifer Egan, Danzy Senna, Laura Lippman, Jia Tolentino, and many more. In this remarkable collection, New York Times–bestselling novelist Edan Lepucki gathers more than sixty original essays and favorite photographs to explore this question. The daughters in Mothers Before are writers and poets, artists and teachers, and the images and stories they share reveal the lives of women in ways that are vulnerable and true, sometimes funny, sometimes sad, and always moving. Contributors include: Brit Bennett * Jennine Capó Crucet * Jennifer Egan * Angela Garbes * Annabeth Gish * Alison Roman * Lisa See * Danzy Senna * Dana Spiotta * Lan Samantha Chang * Laura Lippman * Jia Tolentino * Tiffany Nguyen * Charmaine Craig * Maya Ramakrishnan * Eirene Donohue * and many others




Our Best Life before the Best Life


Book Description

What are the odds of a city boy meeting an island girl thousands of miles away for marriage? This isn’t your typical boy-meets-girl story. Rather, it’s more of a boy-meets-God and girl-meets-God story . . . and the two opposites end up meeting and marrying through God. Written from the perspectives of both the boy and girl, Our Best Life before the Best Life captures the real story of Barnabas and Allie Kwok—married at the ages of twenty-two and twenty respectively—and through the unlikeliest of means. Are you searching for your spouse? Do you have questions about Christian dating and relationships? Why should one bother pursuing love from a biblical perspective? This book follows the adventures of Barnabas and Allie while providing some important tips they learned in their quest for love.




My New Roots


Book Description

Holistic nutritionist and highly-regarded blogger Sarah Britton presents a refreshing, straight-forward approach to balancing mind, body, and spirit through a diet made up of whole foods. Sarah Britton's approach to plant-based cuisine is about satisfaction--foods that satiate on a physical, emotional, and spiritual level. Based on her knowledge of nutrition and her love of cooking, Sarah Britton crafts recipes made from organic vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, lentils, nuts, and seeds. She explains how a diet based on whole foods allows the body to regulate itself, eliminating the need to count calories. My New Roots draws on the enormous appeal of Sarah Britton's blog, which strikes the perfect balance between healthy and delicious food. She is a "whole food lover," a cook who makes simple accessible plant-based meals that are a pleasure to eat and a joy to make. This book takes its cues from the rhythms of the earth, showcasing 100 seasonal recipes. Sarah simmers thinly sliced celery root until it mimics pasta for Butternut Squash Lasagna, and whips up easy raw chocolate to make homemade chocolate-nut butter candy cups. Her recipes are not about sacrifice, deprivation, or labels--they are about enjoying delicious food that's also good for you.




The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning


Book Description

*The basis for the wonderfully funny and moving TV series developed by Amy Poehler and Scout Productions* A charming, practical, and unsentimental approach to putting a home in order while reflecting on the tiny joys that make up a long life. In Sweden there is a kind of decluttering called döstädning, dö meaning “death” and städning meaning “cleaning.” This surprising and invigorating process of clearing out unnecessary belongings can be undertaken at any age or life stage but should be done sooner than later, before others have to do it for you. In The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning, artist Margareta Magnusson, with Scandinavian humor and wisdom, instructs readers to embrace minimalism. Her radical and joyous method for putting things in order helps families broach sensitive conversations, and makes the process uplifting rather than overwhelming. Margareta suggests which possessions you can easily get rid of (unworn clothes, unwanted presents, more plates than you’d ever use) and which you might want to keep (photographs, love letters, a few of your children’s art projects). Digging into her late husband’s tool shed, and her own secret drawer of vices, Margareta introduces an element of fun to a potentially daunting task. Along the way readers get a glimpse into her life in Sweden, and also become more comfortable with the idea of letting go.




Grown and Flown


Book Description

PARENTING NEVER ENDS. From the founders of the #1 site for parents of teens and young adults comes an essential guide for building strong relationships with your teens and preparing them to successfully launch into adulthood The high school and college years: an extended roller coaster of academics, friends, first loves, first break-ups, driver’s ed, jobs, and everything in between. Kids are constantly changing and how we parent them must change, too. But how do we stay close as a family as our lives move apart? Enter the co-founders of Grown and Flown, Lisa Heffernan and Mary Dell Harrington. In the midst of guiding their own kids through this transition, they launched what has become the largest website and online community for parents of fifteen to twenty-five year olds. Now they’ve compiled new takeaways and fresh insights from all that they’ve learned into this handy, must-have guide. Grown and Flown is a one-stop resource for parenting teenagers, leading up to—and through—high school and those first years of independence. It covers everything from the monumental (how to let your kids go) to the mundane (how to shop for a dorm room). Organized by topic—such as academics, anxiety and mental health, college life—it features a combination of stories, advice from professionals, and practical sidebars. Consider this your parenting lifeline: an easy-to-use manual that offers support and perspective. Grown and Flown is required reading for anyone looking to raise an adult with whom you have an enduring, profound connection.