October 2011 Reading List

36. Hundred-Dollar Holiday: The Case for a More Joyful Christmas by Bill McKibben
I was a little disappointed in this book. I was expecting a little manual on homemade gifts, ways to cut down for the holidays, and how to have a simpler Christmas. The majority of this book was spent retelling the history of Christmas and talking about how materialistic the holidays have become. There was a little bit of "how to simplify" at the end, but it wasn't the focus. I was also disappointed in the author's reasoning for simplify Christmas, as I felt he left out Christ.

37. Toymaking with Children by Freya Jaffke
I thought this was a great little book on basic Waldorf methodology and simple toys to make for children. I appreciated their view that children's play is just "re-playing scenes from daily life."

38. Blogging for Bliss by Tara Frey
This book was not what I was expecting. I was looking for a book on blogging or blogging for business, but this was just a simple introduction to what blogging is and how to do it. There were very simplistic instructions for starting a blog, uploading a picture, customizing a header, etc. All of this information could be easily found online (and probably more up to-date too. She also writes primarily to crafting bloggers and spends quite a bit of time interviewing and highlighting different creative bloggers.

39. Seven Times the Sun: Guiding Your Child Through the Rhythms of the Day by Shea Darian
This was a sweet little book about creating rhythms and patterns to your day with your children. It's Waldorf based. I didn't find all of the information useful (I didn't necessarily need song or fairy tale recommendations) but I appreciate the reminder that it's good to slow down, enjoy your children, and include them in the everyday activities of your life.

40. I Love Dirt: 52 Activities to Help You and Your Kids Discover the Wonders of Nature by Jennifer Ward
I'm a mom of boys - I need to learn to embrace the dirt.<br/><br/>A very basic guide to getting outdoors with your child. Some of this stuff might come naturally to some, but I love getting prompts on questions to ask and activities to do for when my mind goes blank.<br/><br/>This book helps you observe nature and ask good questions. It helps you learn to use your five senses to explore what's right in front of you.

Some of my favorite activities include: playing in the rain, painting with mud, creating a trail of ants, playing catch by moonlight, planting a butterfly garden, camping in the backyard, racing roly polies, making up stories about where the wind has been and what it has touched, and sketching a bare tree in the winter.

41. Exercises for True Natural Childbirth by Rhondda Evans Hartman
This was a good book on stretches and simple exercises during pregnancy. If you've ready anything on the Bradley method or husband-coached childbirth most of this book will be nothing new (squats, tailor sitting, pelvic rocking, etc.), but since I'm not reading as much this time around it was a great refresher.

42. Handmade Modern by Todd Oldham
This book wasn't my style at all. The book was about handmaking furniture and decor. I think was expecting smaller, craftier projects, and I definitely wasn't expecting the 70s style that pervade the book (although I suppose I should have taken a hint from the title).