June 23rd, 2011 by admin

Take Good Care of the Garden and the Dogs
A True Story of Bad Breaks and Small Miracles
By Heather Lende
Published by Algonquin Books
978-1-61620-051-0

Description
After a near-fatal bicycle accident in her tiny Alaskan town, bestselling author Heather Lende has an opportunity to contemplate faith and friendship, observe the breathtaking beauty of the northern wilderness anew, and truly come to appreciate the remarkable inhabitants of Haines, Alaska, without whom she could never have recovered. Lende’s idea of spirituality is rooted in community, and her irrepressible spirit and commitment to living life on the edge of the world deepens our understanding of what links us all. Like her own mother’s last instructions, ”Take good care of the garden and the dogs,” Lende’s writing, so honest and unadorned, offers profound lessons to live by. Here she reminds us (courtesy of Ralph Waldo Emerson) that “the proper response to the world is applause.”

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May 8th, 2009 by admin

By Michael DeJong,
Author of Clean Body:The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing Yourself

“Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing up is like shoveling the walk before it stops snowing.”
–Phyllis Diller
Don’t blow your nose. Just use your sleeve.”
“Is that shirt dirty? Ehhh . . . whatever.”
“Yeah, I ditched school too.”
“Sure . . . lets keep the dog.”
“Curfew — Schmurfew.”

. . . not exactly what you’d expect mothers to say. But if they did — the world wouldn’t be nearly the same place. Read the rest of this entry »

April 27th, 2009 by admin

Excerpt
The following is an excerpt from the book Spilled Milk: Breastfeeding Adventures and Advice from Less-Than-Perfect Moms
by Andy Steiner
Published by Rodale; September 2005; $12.95US/$17.95CAN; 1-59486-040-8
Copyright © 2005 Andy Steiner
To wean or not to wean? That is the question

This could either feel like a beacon of light on the horizon or a sad reality of life: At some point, every mother stops breastfeeding. Some start thinking about stopping not long after they’ve begun. Others find that nursing becomes such an important and rewarding part of their lives that they feel like they could go on forever. Usually a mother (or, regrettably, another outside adult force) leads the charge to stop nursing, but sometimes it’s the kid who makes the final decision to quit. Read the rest of this entry »