Family & Relationships

The ultimate baby shower gift, sure to become a keepsake

What's in a word? If the word is a wish, a powerful plenty times a hundred. Mina Parker has chosen one hundred words any new parents might wish for their baby and paired them with inspirational quotes, silly sayings, and little poems. Here are just a few examples:

Take achievementSleeping through the nighta fine achievement for baby and mom.
• Or beauty: "The most effective kind of education is that a child should play amongst lovely things." Plato
• Or generosity: "Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared." Buddha
• Or freedom: Barefoot in spring grass. Running without your diaper. Living the good life.

Find these plus ninetysix more whimsical, inspiring, and loving messages for baby, all rendered in vibrant pastelswith polka dots, hearts, stars, rabbits, teddy bears, and more.

100 Sweet Nothings for Baby is a feel good book for babies and the big people who birthed them. This lovely little book is the perfect gift for new parents, or for a three -- (or sixmonth) birthday, or for christening or naming ceremonies. As Mina Parker writes in the introduction, "Every moment of your life has led you to this one -- holding a beautiful, sacred, burping little wonder called your baby. Whether this is your first time or your fifth, new parenthood delivers a sweet and exciting jolt of electricity into your life. So welcome to the sweet life of parenthood, and from my family to yours, here is a book to celebrate and support what you do best -- loving your baby in every way, from top to bottom." 100 Sweet Nothings for Baby is an outofthebox, notyourgardenvariety baby present. Wise quotes are sprinkled throughout. Consider Carl Sandberg's "A baby is God's opinion that life should go on." Along with little rhymes to read out loud and comfort both of you, "Trilling r's, rides in cars, every balm to soothe and calm." Along with little comments on the daily wonder of babies, "Cuddling close the one you adore and hearing the music of one baby snore."

In Every Bad, There’s Some Good─And A Lesson to Be Learned

Twenty-four survivors recount their stories of living in a dysfunctional family. It isn’t always easy. You can’t choose your situation or where you come from, but you can choose the lessons you take away.

Is there a silver lining to growing up in a dysfunctional family? Bestselling recovery author Karen Casey looks at stories of people who grew up in dysfunctional families and "the good stuff" that can come from the experience. "Throughout my many decades in recovery rooms I have interacted with thousands of women and men whose journeys reveal, in detail, the harrowing history of dysfunction that has troubled their lives," says Casey. "But what is also apparent in their stories is their eventual and quite triumphant survival, often against extreme odds."

From 24 families rife with dysfunction. Casey interviews the survivors who emerged from the fires of a turbulent household to willingly share their stories and come to realize they had, surprisingly, thrived as the result of their often-harrowing experiences. In The Good Stuff from Growing Up in a Dysfunctional Family, Casey reveals the stories and the skills these survivors developed to live more creative and fulfilling lives.

In this book find tales that help you to:

• Realize lessons in disguise
• Acknowledge your personal growth
• Point out your own silver lining

If you enjoyed books like Daring Greatly, Codependent No More, or Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents, then you’ll want to read Good Stuff from Growing Up in a Dysfunctional Family.

Not all children learn in the same way. Written by two educators, How Your Child is Smart identifies six patterns of learning and teaches parents how to help their children learn and communicate most effectively. Through simple questions, activities, and charts, parents can identify their child's pattern and learn how he or she can best be taught in school.