September 2012 Reading List

5. SuperFoods for Babies and Children by Annabel Karmel
A nice overview of baby food, but not really necessary for moms on their second/third/etc. child. I did glean a few new ideas/recipes for foods to try with Cason, but other than that this was pretty similar to her other books.

6. The Eco-nomical Baby Guide by Joy Hatch and Rebecca Kelley
I liked this book. I think I'd found most of this information on the internat and via various blogs before Cannon was born, but this was a great one-stop resource for moms not just looking to go green, but even just looking to save money. I liked the practical, no-nonsense, minimalist approach to parenthood. I also appreciated some of the websites/resources for natural toys. The cloth diaper chapters gave a very balanced look at the waste caused by not only disposables but by cloth as well (water, energy, etc.). I felt like it was a very balanced approached to decluttering and simplifying your life with a baby. I would recommend this to anyone starting out on the parenting journey who wanted all of the information in one place.

7. Sane Woman's Guide to Raising a Large Family by Mary Ostyn
I am a firm believer in books. I don't even like e-books (yet), but unfortunately I think self-help, how-to books will soon go the way of the dinosaur because of blogs, pinterest and the internet. This was a good book, but very basic and nothing new for me. I was hoping for some new ideas on household management, but this was more an overview of how a large family is a blessing and so worth the work. She touched on laundry, chores, homeschooling, kids activities, etc. but only briefly. So, while I agreed with everything in here and thought there was good information, I would say it's not a necessary read for anyone who's done any blog reading on this topic.