Best Baby Board Books: Sandra Boynton

When it comes to baby board books, the best books are written by Sandra Boynton. She has a playful writing style, and her animal illustrations are adorable. These great titles are members of our permanent family library collection:

But Not The Hippopotamus, Pajama Time!, Doggies, The Going to Bed Book, and Moo, Baa, La La La!

This book used to be on our shelf, until sadly, it was ruined by a cup of milk:

These two have been frequent checkouts on our library card:

Her books are well-loved in our home, by all ages.

Who can resist those cute singing pigs?!

Life has its seasons

"Women today are being encouraged by some to have it all--generally, all simultaneously: money, travel, marriage, motherhood, and separate careers in the world...Doing things sequentially--filling roles one at a time at different times--is not always possible, as we know, but it gives a woman the opportunity to do each thing well in its time and to fill a variety of roles in her life...A woman may fit more than one career into the various seasons of her life. She need not try to sing all the verses of her song at the same time."

James E. Faust, “A Message to My Granddaughters: Becoming ‘Great Women’,” Ensign, Sep 1986, 16


"To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven." Ecclesiastes 3:1

Write a letter. Encourage a mother.

While doing my nightly reading one of my favorite blogs, I discovered something wonderful.

The Mother Letter Project

A husband and wife who are fed up with the materialism of the Christmas season decided to forgo spending money for gifts this year and donate the money saved to a small village in Africa. They are making gifts for each other that don't cost a dime, and this husband has come up with a truly heartfelt gift. In his words:

"I am creating my wife’s Christmas present-the Mother Letter Project. Simply stated, I am collecting a series of “open letters” from mothers, to mothers. Share your stories—no matter how raw or difficult. Share you concerns—no matter how foolish they may seem. Share your wisdom—no matter how you came by it. Share your mother story."

Will you write a letter? I'll be composing one in my mind tonight as I rock my baby in the wee hours.

Visit the Mother Letter Project blog for all the details. And if you choose to submit a letter, you'll even receive your own copy of the compilation.

So...Share your story. Write a letter. Encourage a mother.

Parenting 101

For today's parenting lesson, we're going back to the basics. Here are some helpful do's and don'ts when it comes to taking care of infants.
















(Don't worry, I know my readers are way beyond this level when it comes to taking care of babies. I just thought these were pretty funny and worth a laugh.)

"You have children who will be yours forever."

"To you young women with small children, yours is a tremendous challenge. So often there is not enough money. You must scrimp and save. You must be wise and careful in your expenditures. You must be strong and bold and brave and march forward with gladness in your eye and love in your heart. How blessed you are, my dear young mothers. You have children who will be yours forever. I hope that you have been sealed in the house of the Lord and that your family will be an everlasting family in the kingdom of our Father.

May you be given strength to carry your heavy load, to meet every obligation, to walk side by side with a good and faithful and caring man, and together with him rear and nurture and bring up your children in righteousness and truth. Nothing else you will ever own, no worldly thing you will ever acquire will be worth so much as the love of your children. God bless you, my dear, dear young mothers."

Gordon B. Hinckley, “To the Women of the Church,” Ensign, Nov 2003, 113

Are you "in the box"?

During my senior year at BYU, I enrolled in a wonderful class that shaped my persepective and gave me a lot to think about. The class was MFHD 480: Moral Foundations of Family Life, taught by Dr. Terrance Olson. Our class sessions were full of thought-provoking discussions centered on the concept of a moral way of being.

One of the key readings for the class was a book by The Arbinger Institute, entitled Leadership and Self-Deception: Getting out of the Box.

While this book is not directly about mothering, it is appropriate to mention here because it has everything to do with interpersonal relationships. I recently re-read the book and have been thinking alot about how I am "in the box" toward my children and my husband.

What does "in the box" mean? Read this great review of the book by my amazing husband, and then go put Leadership and Self-Deception on hold at your local library. Read it, it's a book that will change how you think and help you strengthen your relationships.

To the Mothers in Zion: Truly Love Your Children

This is part ten, which concludes my ongoing feature of President Benson's address to mothers.

Truly Love Your Children. Tenth and finally, mothers, take the time to truly love your children. A mother’s unqualified love approaches Christlike love.

Ezra Taft Benson, To the Mothers in Zion, address given at a fireside for parents, 22 February 1987.


Would you like a recap? In the wise words of a wonderful latter-day prophet, here are ten ways that mothers can spend effective time with their children:

1. Be at the crossroads.
2. Be a real friend.
3. Read to your children.
4. Pray with your children.
5. Have weekly home evenings.
6. Be together at mealtimes.
7. Read scriptures daily.
8. Do things as a family.
9. Teach your children.
10. Truly love your children.

You can read the entire talk by clicking on the citation above. (Scroll down, it's below the excellent talk by Elder Holland.)