The Mamahood

A Little Local Flavor

I've been devouring Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, author Barbara Kingsolver's book about the problems with the way we currently eat—things like the lack of variety (corn and soybeans and their byproducts make up a vast portion of our diet), the amount of oil consumed in producing and distributing food all over the world (i.e. getting us those mealy tomatoes in January), and the overabundance of "fake food" in our diets. Her family opted to spend a year trying to just eat food they grew themselves or purchased from other farmers in the area.

So we're trying a similar experiment, doing the bulk of our grocery shopping at the farmer's market. We're already getting the girls to try some new foods (purple cauliflower this week), and the food we're eating simply tastes better—a byproduct from buying what's in season, when it's brought in from only 10 to 50 miles away.

According to Barbara Kingsolver, if we all just committed to eating one meal per week that was locally produced, we'd save millions of barrels of oil each week. Great taste and saving the environment? I'm totally on board. You can find out more at Local Harvest.

Review of a Vampire

I just finished reading Twilight (AKA the book you and your tween can both enjoy), and after a slow start, I can finally see the allure. The world she's created and the Cullen family made me run out to the store within an hour of finishing it off to buy the rest of the series.

I retain a passion for vampire stories, thanks to a year spent studying vampire myth for my senior thesis, comparing the evolution of the American vampire myth to the evolution of society's views of sex and death. (It was a great way to get credit for reading Interview with the Vampire and watching Lost Boys.) Meyer adds precious little to the myth that wasn't there before...making them tougher to kill, able to go out in sunlight unharmed, and adding a little venom to their teeth. Otherwise, her vamps are strictly Louis from the Anne Rice world, right down to their love of music and art and desire to live off of animals (they're the vegans of the vamp world).

But I think a large part of the allure comes from Edward, from the idea of this godlike, handsome, chivalrous creature with loads of money falling inexplicably and unimaginably in love with you, and taking care of you no matter what befalls you. Most women these days are pretty darned excited about the fact that they're independent, strong, capable...fabulous wives, mothers, career women, who don't need someone to take care of them. But once in a while, even if it's just in a little escapist fiction, it's nice to feel that there's someone there who will rescue you, be there when you fall...and think your shortcomings are adorable.

A Must Read

There's been plenty of buzz about the book Silent Tears: A Journey of Hope in a Chinese Orphanage on the China adoption boards I frequent. And since receiving it yesterday, I haven't put it down.

This book offers a precious, unforgettable look inside an orphanage, at how the kids are treated (and mistreated) by the "ayis" who are hired to care for them, written by an American woman who volunteered inside one of the orphanages for nearly four years. It's a very tough, emotional read for me...especially when I've glimpsed life inside those walls with my own eyes, and when she includes heartwrenching depictions of what happens to kids with my youngest daughter's "special need." It's giving me some ideas of why my daughter behaves in certain ways, and makes me thank my lucky stars that our oldest daughter, who was in foster care with an obviously very caring family, was not subjected to this harsh life.

This book is essential for those who are adopting from China...and those who care about what happens to the most vulnerable people on our planet.

Birthday Gifts Made Easy

Once upon a time, my daughter had a small circle of friends...which beautifully coincided with my circle of friends. And we only had a few birthday parties and a few birthday boys and girls that I had to find thoughtful, reasonably priced gifts for. But now that she's hit the preschool circuit, she's invited to parties left and right. And invariably, I'm running out the night before (or the day of) to buy a gift bag and something quick to stuff in it.

So, I'm simplifying. I'm taking a little basket in my house, and I'm stocking it with cute, basic birthday cards and a bunch of great kids' books (culled mostly from this list that Cookie pulled together). Because even if a kid doesn't like books now, he'd better learn!

Going "Old School"

Sure, we watch our fair share of Pixar movies and Ni Hao, Kai-Lans...but nothing's more fun than sharing some of my childhood favorites with my daughter. We've just introduced her to the joys of Scooby Doo (or "Scoobs," as she likes to call him), and I love watching her giggle and want to act out scenes from the shows (and unlike her mom, my wise-beyond-her-years baby chooses brains over beauty, and wants to be Velma instead of Daphne).

Our bookshelves are stocked with Beatrix Potter (for now) and Beverly Cleary and Nancy Drew (for later). And watching the Wizard of Oz is a special event in our house, as it was when I was growing up.

So, what "classics" from your youth have you passed on to your little ones?

Free Financial Help

Financial guru Suze Orman's new book, Women & Money, is available for free on Oprah's website from now until 8 p.m. ET tomorrow. After watching today's episode, which featured a widow whose husband spent every penny (and cancelled his life insurance policy) as the ultimate eff-you before he committed suicide. She was left with catastrophic debt, no income and four kids. If that's not enough to make you tweaked (and desperate to ensure it doesn't happen to you), I don't know what will. I'm going to have nightmares about it tonight (even though my very nice husband doesn't overspend and has life insurance, I only have one child to provide for, and I make plenty of income at the moment).

All I want for Christmas...

I'm geeking out yet again over a cool new tech toy. Check out the Kindle, available now on Amazon.com. You can download books, magazines, newspapers and blogs cheaply and wirelessly to this lightweight little reader...and take 'em on the road with you. The startup price isn't cheap ($400), but given the fact that the books themselves are a fraction of their paper cost (and you don't have to think about the forest's worth of trees that are sitting on your bookshelf), it may be a fair trade-off.

I'm already trying to determine if I could write this off as a "work expense." (I do need to read books and newspapers for my line of work, after all.) Or talk my hubby into stuffing my stocking with this this year.

A lazy girl's library

Our entire household is big on reading. (Since my hubby and I are both in the "words" biz, it comes with the territory.) But our hefty book spending has led to overflowing shelves and our daughter's firm belief that Barnes & Noble is the library. We've tried paring down a bit by listing crappy cookbooks and book club duds on Half.com, but we're still in danger of being buried under an avalanche of paperbacks.

Since visiting the actual library poses a real challenge for our family, given our crazy schedules, we might try this new service: Bookswim.com. It's like Netflix for books: You decide which titles you want, how many you want at a time, and free shipping's part of the deal. Plans start at $15, you can keep books as long as you want, without any overdue charges. (I've bought the real library plenty of books on my overdue fees.)

Why We Don't Have Money

Yes, I already own every single Harry Potter book. In hardcover. In fantastic shape. But yet, I feel compelled to buy this set, because it comes with a box. And stickers.

I may have to eat cat food in retirement, but at least I'll have this trunk o' books to read. And then the other set of them, too.

Great adoption books for kids

We've been telling my daughter her adoption story since she joined our family. But now that she and her little circle of friends are getting older, some questions are starting to be raised among her set, as kids start to notice that my daughter doesn't exactly "match" her parents. So, how do you explain adoption to a preschooler? Here's a good start:

A Mother for Choco: This is one of my daughter's favorites--Choco's a parrot looking for a mommy who looks like him, with no luck. Then finally, he stumbles upon the perfect mother: a bear. This book is especially good for explaining a transracial adoption to the juice-box set.

The Family Book: This colorful storybook embraces all kinds of families, and shows that all families, whether single-parent or "two mommy," biological or adoptive, are wonderful.

You might also want to check out Adoptive Families' Web site. The "Explaining Adoption to Classmates" handout here could help you talk to your child and answer any questions they might have.