The Culture Mom» Children

Review: Dear Daughter: The Best of the Dear Leta Letters by Heather Armstrong

CultureMom — Tue, 01 May 2012 02:21:28 +0000

Time has never flown faster than these last nine years since I became a mother. Sometimes when I try to remember certain parts of my children’s early years, it’s hard. The memories are getting blurrier and blurrier, and they are still quite young.

That’s why I really enjoyed reading Heather Armstrong’s “Dear Daughter: The Best of the Dear Leta Letters”. It took me back in time to a time that was unlike anything I had ever experienced. I read the book on a plane and spent the next hour and a half dreaming about my first child and what it was like bringing her into the world. It was my first born specifically, as that is also what Heather wrote about. The joy of the unknown.

The book consists of monthly letters that Armstrong wrote to her daughter, Leta, from the age of 8 weeks old to age 5. From diaper changes on the changing table and sticking her feet in her mouth to the dimples that first formed on her cheeks, Armstrong talks fondly about these times and how she fell deeply in love with her daughter. It reminds me of my own unconditional love for my daughter that started as soon she exited my womb and marched into my life.

I know that Armstrong suffered from postpartum depression after she had her daughter, I have read her thoughts on that time and time again as there were parts of that time I could relate to, but she focuses on the good times in this book, and there were many. I love the way she summed up the times with her new child and jotted down these lines while reading:

“I wanted to scoop you up and cover you in kisses for as long as you would. I know there are only a handful of moments like that in life. Thank you for that one.” (page 42)

“Motherhood is not at all like the image I had in my head for decades. It’s so different, so phenomenally different and what a wonderful surprise.” (page 57)

“When I see the features in her face, the way her cheekbones meet her thin nose in symmetrical angles, her milky complexion peeking out of the black of her business suit, I realized that everything was going to be okay. That was one of the most spiritual moments of my life.” (Armstrong on her mother) (page 72)

“We all know that we would sacrifice anything for each other, and one of the many reasons your father and I decided to have another child was to give you the possibility of that friendship.” (page 173)

My only question is how much of this was truly written when Leta was in her first five years and how much were these lettered edited or embellished along the way? I thought about that many times when reading the book, but in the end I am happy that it took me back to a time in my life I want never to forget.

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book to facilitate this review but all opinions are my own.

Feeling the Need to Unplug in Order to Plug

CultureMom — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 18:56:30 +0000

I never used to be like this.

I used to read a lot – newspapers, books, magazines. I’d carry literature around with me. And I had more human interaction than I have now. I called my friends. I knocked on people’s doors at work and in my neighborhood. I never let a certain amount of time go by before I got in touch with the people I care most about. I had a cell phone, but to be honest, before I got an iPhone, I hardly used it.

Then I had kids and went back to work, and I relied more on my cell phone to keep in touch with the babysitter, doctors, teachers, camps, activities, friends who helped me get the kids from place to place. Between working part-time and having two babies, who had time to go online?

But then I started this blog. And that evolved into freelance writing. Then my career transformed itself and I now work in the digital space almost completely. I got an iPhone (from my husband for Valentine’s Day about two years ago, perhaps he is regretting that decision now?) And now my life revolves around email, iPhones, my laptop and every social media tool you can possibly imagine. I check my email, Twitter, Facebook, etc. everywhere – on the beach, at the movies, at traffic lights, at the grocery store, and stupidly and admittedly, during spin class. I look at it as soon as I wake up in the morning and even keep it under my pillow at night (am I a freak?) I am addicted to my iPhone and checking everything over and over. The question is WHY? Am I so important that email can no longer wait to be answered later after I’ve spent time away from all tech gadgets? It all seems to important, and exciting, and it’s almost like I have to feel the sensation of pushing those buttons on my iPhone to see if I have more email coming in.

Do I have a problem? I’m not sure, I don’t think so. I certainly get a lot of pleasure out of tech, but I do recognize a need to unplug in order to recharge myself as an individual and as a parent. Plus, my kids spend a heck of a lot of time on digital gadgets and who am I to tell them to unplug when I rarely unplug myself?

I need inspiration to unplug and it’s come along in the form of a National Day! And the other cool thing is that it happens to fall on Shabbat, the Jewish Day of rest. I happen to be going to synagogue twice this weekend and I need to spend quality time with my daughter. So hard can this be?

The National Day of Unplugging is a respite from the relentless deluge of technology and information. With roots in Jewish tradition, this modern day of rest was developed by Reboot as a way to bring some balance to our increasingly fast-paced way of life and reclaim time to connect with family, friends, the community and ourselves. Shut down your computer. Turn off your cell phone. Stop the constant emailing, texting, Tweeting and Facebooking to take time to notice the world around you. Connect with loved ones. Nurture your health. Get outside. Find silence. Avoid commerce. Give back. Eat Together.

The National Day of Unplugging runs from sundown Friday, March 23, to sundown, Saturday, March 24.

To connect with National Day of Unplugging on Facebook, go here:http://www.facebook.com/SabbathManifesto.

To learn more about the Sabbath Manifesto, the on-going unplugging project that was the genesis of the National Day of Unplugging, go here:http://www.NationalDayOfUnplugging.com

A Life Free From Hunger with Save the Children

CultureMom — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 20:44:14 +0000

This morning I headed to the Millennium Hotel near the United Nations to hear a very special talk co-hosted by Save the Children in support of the U.N. Secretary General’s Every Woman Every Child movement for maternal, newborn and child health with a group of other bloggers from MamaDrama. The session was empowering as we heard from leaders in the movement to eliminate hunger from around the world.

The breakfast and discussion were being held to launch a new global report “A Life Free from Hunger: Tackling Child Malnutrition,” marking a critically important year for nutrition. The global launch is taking place in partnership with organizations around the world to ensure that governments, international agencies, civil society, business and the media respond to the hidden crisis of chronic malnutrition, which kills 2 million children a year and has left 170 million children under age 5 stunted.

Every hour of every day, 300 children die because of malnutrition. The good news? This crisis is solvable. Here are some of the pieces from the presentation and report:

Chronic malnutrition is preventable, but remains deadlier and more widespread than food scarcity.
Almost half a billion children are at risk of permanent damage in the next 15 years.
Chronic malnutrition, or a lack of proper nutrition over time, is deadlier and far more widespread than the short-term acute malnutrition frequently seen during food crises.
Chronic malnutrition weakens young children’s immune systems, leaving them far more likely to die of childhood diseases like diarrhea, pneumonia and malaria. It leads to 2 million child deaths a year, three times as many as result from acute malnutrition.
Malnutrition underlies 2.6 million child deaths every year, or one third of all child deaths.

It was shocking to hear that malnutrition is hidden, it is everywhere. The world has enough nutritious food to feed these children, and together we must ensure that every woman and child has enough to eat.

Despite these horrific numbers and statistics, the report calls for for action on proven solutions that would prevent these deaths and help all children affected by hunger and malnutrition. Many expect President Obama will again address food security when he hosts this spring’s G8 meeting in Chicago. Save the Children is calling on the G8 to extend food security funding at current levels for three years while including greater focus on nutrition. They also talked about interventions such asencouraging breastfeeding to avoid contaminated water, proper introduction of varied foods for infants, fortification of basic staples and vitamin supplementation.

If the world fails to act and the current rate of progress of reducing chronic malnutrition continues at less than 1 percent a year, 450 million children will be affected in the next 15 years.

What can you do to help? You’re invited to join Save the Children for their annual Advocacy Summit and help fight child hunger. Don’t miss your chance to help change policies to make the world a better place for children. You can donate to Save the Children to help make a difference. But the easiest thing to do?Follow @SavetheChildren on Twitter using hashtag #HiddenCrisis and on Facebook.

Meredith LeVande “What Are the Odds?” CD Giveaway

CultureMom — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 03:10:31 +0000

NYC-based singer/songwriter Meredith LeVande could truly be termed a “Renaissance woman of children’s music.” Meredith not only holds undergraduate degrees in Women’s Studies and English, she also has a master’s degree in music and a law degree! Drawing from all these disciplines for her multi-faceted work with children, Meredith heads up a project with the marvelously mischievous moniker Monkey Monkey Music, with a focus on “putting the child back into children’s music.” Her new CD “What are the Odds?” is coming out soon.

Five years ago Meredith’s debut album, Monkey Monkey Music with Meredith LeVande, became an instant hit with families nationwide, was a Parenting magazine “Pick,” and was in rotation on Sirius Satellite Radio, earning a grassroots reputation as a classic children’s recording. Meredith LeVande has, since 2005, devoted herself to performing for children in intimate settings, becoming a favorite among NYC area families and creating a repertoire that has grown organically due to her one-on-one interactions with children of virtually every culture imaginable.

With the new Monkey Monkey Music CD, What Are the Odds?, Meredith has created something remarkable, finding the middle road between baby songs and pop band songs where kids’ lyrics are simply added to music that would otherwise be played for adults. Meredith’s music is not only child-friendly, it’s truly child appropriate, developed with the healthy growth of the young child in mind.

Please visit Monkey Monkey Music with Meredith LeVande at http://monkeymonkeymusic.com. What Are the Odds? will be released on August 31. AND YOU CAN ENTER TO WIN HER NEW CD HERE ON THE CULTURE MOM!

To enter, here’s what you have to do:

Comment in the section below and leave contact information (email or Twitter handle).

The winner will be chosen randomly on Friday, September 10th at 11:59pm. Good luck!

Disclosure: This CD is being provided to this blog free of charge for the giveaway, with no requirement or agreement of review requested in turn. To enter, you must live in the United States.