I've Got Your Number

Reading with a baby feels like a luxury, so I've been ever so grateful to have a few moments this week to delve into one of my guilty pleasures - Sophie Kinsella's new I've Got Your Number. I'm only on chapter three, but its already got me completely enthralled.

Tips on Raising a French Baby

French women may be more stylish and slim than us Canadians, but do they also raise better behaved children? Pamela Druckerman is an American expat living in Paris who recently published Bringing Up Bébé: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting (which was also published in the UK under the title, French Children Don’t Throw Food: Parenting Secrets From Paris). Her observations pull out some of the ways French moms remain calm and poised, while toting around well-behaved children and maintaining an intimate relationship with their spouses. Her findings (which are genius by the way!)?

• French moms teach their kids to say bonjour. It seems so simple, but encouraging children to greet friends and strangers makes them less self-absorbed and more aware of their place as social beings in a community.
  
• French moms don't look for kids' menus. If you don't want your child to eat only pizza and chicken fingers, open them up to a wide variety of foods early on. All restaurants are child-friendly if your child is taught to appreciate and explore food like an adult, which begins by leaving 'family restaurants' and taking your little ones to 'adult restaurants' from an early age.
  
• French moms allow their children to be independent. They pause before rushing in to the nursery at night when their baby cries, so as to see whether the baby can learn to transition from one sleep cycle to the next on their own.
  
• French moms trust their children to cuss. Children are taught one swear word -- caca boudin (meaning poo sausage) -- and are trusted to use it appropriately. This teaches discretion from a young age and prevents young children from using adult swear words.
• French women emerge from pregnancy as women, not just moms. Becoming a mom seems all-encompassing in Canada, but in France women remain women, which allows an individual identity apart from the role of mother to be maintained.
• French parents think date night is a bizarre idea. Every evening is a time for adults in a French home.
  

I can't wait to pick up a copy of the book! Images of Jane Birken via Domestic Reflections.

What We're Reading: Fox in Socks

I can't say that I brought a love of Mr. Seuss into parenthood, but when Greg was given a box set of Dr. Seuss books for his last birthday (a kind, soon-you're-going-to-be-a-parent type gift from my brother and his girlfriend) I discovered how fun these books are! Now I love the fun rhymes and illustrations. It's hard not to get tongue-twisted though!

What We're Reading: Hug Time

Thomas' first word was hug. Well, technically he babbled hug, but we're choosing to remember it as his first word. Before T was born, I wondered what his first word might be and assumed one of the usual suspects - mama or dada. When hug popped out one day while out little family was relaxing in our living room, Greg and I looked at each other gobsmacked -- Did Tom just say hug?? Sure enough, a few minutes later he said it again. These days hug is part one his vocal repertoire alongside kiss and hi. I like to think we have a very affectionate and friendly boy on our hands. Given that I'd emailed our entire family exclaiming that T had proclaimed his first word, when my brother saw this book -- Hug Time -- he told me he knew he had to give it to Tom as a present. We love it. It is a perfect reflection of the kind and loving boy we're striving to raise.

If you have children, what was their first word? What was your first word? I'm so curious! xo

What We're Reading: Colors

Thomas received this board book -- Colors -- from Santa. I love that Charley Harper's illustrations were turned into this childrens' book, which gives it a quirky feel.

What We're Reading: Along A Long Road

In continuing my support for Canadian literature, I've been reading Thomas the beautiful Along A Long Road. These strikingly beautiful illustrations - comprised of only 5 colours - are the work of author, design guru and often cover illustrator of The New Yorker, Frank Viva. This book is an early introduction to the fun we'll have as a family teaching Tom to ride a bike in the coming years. I can imagine Thomas running his pointer finger along the long continuous yellow road in the book when we're reading this when he's older.

What We're Reading: A Child's Garden of Verses

There's something special to me about sharing poetry with a little one. Presently, we're enjoying my childhood copy of Robert Louis Stevenson's A Child's Garden of Verses. It's so nice to think that little ones have been enjoying this volume since 1885! Do you have any suggestions for other poetry anthologies?

What We're Reading: Alligator Pie

In grade three, my teacher set up a bulletin board to post poetry written by the students. Each week she'd ask if anyone had a poem that they wanted to share, and more often than not I'd offer to display my musings (others seemed less keen to compose or promote, it seemed). I've long loved poetry (including many painful adolescent attempts). As Tom's attention span decreases (increasing physical curiosity and teething being the reason), poetry is just the solution to inject a little literary time into our days. I want to support Canadian poetry and prose, so reaching for Alligator Pie as a jumping off point was a natural inclination.

What We're Reading: The Night Before Christmas

Tonight, before tucking Thomas in for a deep winter's nap, I'll be reading him The Night Before Christmas.

What We're Reading: Grumpy Bird

What we're reading is what everyone is reading -- Grumpy Bird. This book cracks our whole family up. I'm just walking, ok? This is the book that we couldn't wait to read before Thomas was born. This just might be the most popular kids book right now, so sharing it with Tom is like preparing him for future chats with his friends where they recount common books, characters and shows of their youth.

Planeta Tangerina

These books make adding 'learn to speak Portuguese' to my 'to do' list, a must do!

What We're Reading: The Story of Holly and Ivy

As a child, The Story of Holly and Ivy seemed too long to read in one sitting, and I can attest that Tom's far too active today to get through this book in one sitting. However, this book makes the perfect selection to read while nursing or to enjoy in increments over a day or series of days. It's a beautiful story about wishing for family and a Christmas doll.