The Secrets of Happy Families

The Secrets of Happy Families is certainly designed for people with children - tips include having a long series of sex talks with your kids throughout their childhood (I had this in my own family, and I'm a big fan) and not worrying so much about the much-praised family dinner. I like researching and planning, so I loved thinking about how we'll do these things with our kiddos when that time comes (this is not an announcement!). However, I'm also a firm believer that Peter and I are already a family unit, and it was nice to think concretely about ways to improve our family's happiness now.

One of my favorite tips that we're able to implement is about creating a family mission statement. We haven't gone so far as distilling it down to a single core sentence (yet?!), but we think and talk about what we value quite a bit. This includes hosting family and friends in our home, traveling and doing new things, spending time together in the evening and cooking dinner, being able to give some money to causes we believe in, and then saving as much as we can without sacrificing all that fun stuff.

This exercise is especially interesting when you think about what gets left out, right? To me, it's fun to think about how your time + money are working toward (or against) the things you've decided you value most. Travel and new adventures can sometimes be hard to invest in, but for us, those things mean so much. Other stuff - like shopping or new gadgets - can easily be left behind because we don't really value those.

All this to say, I highly recommend this book. Bruce is a very likable dad - evidence here - and this is chock full of tips for families of all shapes and sizes. If you'd be interested in receiving a copy of your own, leave a comment below and one will be sent to the winner!

This is part of a blog tour by TLC Book Tours.  I received a copy of the book to read and review.  I received no other compensation and all opinions are mine.

Children's Lit Favorites, and Being a Student Again

1. The Amazing Bone; 2. The Girl Who Spun Gold; 3. Locomotion; 4. Grandfather's Journey; 5. Extra Yarn; 6. A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever

I mentioned before that I'm taking a course in children's literature at the college where I work. Higher Ed has lots of perks - not lots of money, but time off, a nice pace to the days, and the gift of working in an intellectual environment. Also, free classes!

I haven't been an official student since I graduated from college in 2006. And while I write and edit all the live long day, but that's very different than literary critique. We do things like think about Little Red Riding Hood from a feminist perspective, and examine the use of triangles in picture book illustrations. It's nerve-wracking and exciting to use my brain in this new way.

As an undergraduate, I was always a good student, but I remember it being a bit of game to see how little I could get away with doing and how quickly I could complete a decent assignment. Now I want to swim inside my reading assignments; mull over how to make my transitions strong but compact for my next paper. And I see elements of my class all over the place, like beer bottles or in Talk of the Town.

The class about a third of the way finished now, and I thought it would be fun to share a few of my favorite books from our reading list so far. We're doing many of the classics, too, but I skipped those in favor of newer or more obscure books that might be new to you (they all were to me!). Of the ones listed above, Locomotion is my absolute favorite. It is a stunning novel, written in verse, from the perspective of 11 year-old Lonnie. He's a character who stays with you, in the best possible way.

I'll try to remember to check in again at the end of the semester with more recs - we still have historical fiction, fantasy, and YA to cover!

Guest posting on The Culinary Couple

Emily has been a wonderful blog friend to me for years (check out this cute interview with the Culinary Couple buried deep within the Fresh Basil archives!). I was thrilled when she asked me to put together a guest post to share while she and Nick spend time with their darling newborn, Sam. Isn't he just the cutest?!

I'm chatting about how to sew the easiest baby blanket ever - it has cute stripes! Here it is, if you'd like to take a peak.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Baby bibs (not an announcement!)

While I had my sewing machine out and buzzing away last week for my skirt, I decided to do a quick trial version of those cute bibs from Purl Soho. You know, for all those babies my friends are having (not me, seriously, not me!).

This next omission is going to do nothing to dissuade Peter or my family that I am not deep in the throws of baby fever, but seriously. So cute, right? Imagine a fat little neck in that bib!

Here's my pile of fabric for non-trial/very girly pink bibs. Yay!

I need some terry cloth for the backs - on this one I just used a piece of felt since I wasn't sure how it would come out. It could also be fun to try out some little embroidery on them, like baby's initials or something floral? I'll be sure to share when I have a few more completed!