Equilibrium

A toast to me!

I've been quiet because I've been working day and night making revisions to my next book (note: this document, I've just learned, is called a "blad". It's a booklet with a sample chapter and description, meant to entice the media) But now the edits are all done, and I can breathe again. This publishing business is a lot of hurry up and wait...now that I've killed myself for a week, it'll be a long five months or so until the book is actually released!

In my newest column, I write about how the antics of my toddler, Owen, have taught me never again to speak too soon. (gee, you'd think I'd have learned that with the second kid, huh?)

When my first son was approaching the age of 2, I took pride in the fact that we'd never had to baby-proof a thing. Our house was devoid of outlet covers, toilet locks and gates of any sort. We didn't need them: Jacob was a cautious, laid-back kid whose highest form of mischief was re-arranging our CD shelf.

"Oh, I feel for you," I'd say smugly on the playground to mothers who complained that their junior Houdinis scaled crib walls and tried to hurl themselves out of car windows.

"My little Jacob never climbs the slide the wrong way." (This last part was always said while eyeballing other little hooligans.)

I didn't know it then, but by uttering those words, I might as well have called to the heavens, "Fate, I hereby tempt thee!"

Read the rest of the column. And then come back and let me know--when it comes to kids, what famous last words came back to bite you?

It's a...Book!

I came home from a week-long trip to Chicago yesterday to find a box full of copies of my book: The Everything Health Guide to Postpartum Care: A Complete Guide To Looking and Feeling Great After Delivery And Beyond. And then I was very excited to see that it's now available on Amazon! (note: The cover to your left is the book's actual cover--the Amazon pic is incorrect).

Here's Amazon's description of the book:

' After all the anticipation of pregnancy and the joy associated with childbirth, many new mothers often find themselves unprepared--emotionally and physically--for what comes next. If you are: curious of how you'll feel after your baby is delivered, not sure of how to care for your body after a C-section, unsure of how to adjust to motherhood, or suffering from postpartum depression, you're not alone.

If you're concerned about post-delivery complications or whether you'll need outside help during this sensitive time, this handy guide answers all of your questions and helps you take those first steps to getting back on track.

From getting enough sleep and getting back in shape to answering all of your financial and health-care concerns--The Everything Health Guide to Postpartum Care offers expert, reassuring information on:

• Your hospital stay and post-delivery complications
• Sex after delivery
• Work after birth
• Breast, skin, and hair care
• Postpartum depression

Written by a health writer and mother of four and reviewed by a certified midwife and registered nurse, The Everything Health Guide to Postpartum Care helps you feel and look your best after delivery."

If you're expecting or know somebody who is--or even if the baby's already here--this book would make a great gift. Order it, and let me know what you think!

Writing and Parenting

For readers interested in balancing a writing career and parenthood: Loolwa Khazzoom has written a two-part series on being a freelance writer and a parent, featuring my advice, for about.com. Here they are:

Parenting and the Freelance Writing Career

Tips On How To Juggle Writing and Parenting

And while you're at it, check out From Diapers to Deadlines, where I recently answered the question "What do freelance writing parents do about child care?"

New Column: What Happened to Family-Friendly Sitcoms?

I remember a time when NBC's Thursday night lineup was a full-fledged family event in my house. In the mid- to late-'80s, we flocked to the tube to catch "The Cosby Show" at 8 p.m. and "Family Ties" at 8:30. Parents and older kids stuck around for Cheers at 9, which, while adult-oriented, was still pretty tame by today's standards. There were some changes to the lineup over time, but for years Thursday night was a fun night of television for the whole family.

Contrast that to today's offerings. According to the ratings guide on the Parents Television Council Web site (see breakout), almost every sitcom on today's prime-time lineup rates either "red" - meaning it may contain gratuitous sex, violence or obscenities, or merely "yellow," with adult-oriented themes and dialogue not suitable for children...

read the rest here.

Got lots of kids?

I was very excited to see my forthcoming book Table For Eight: Raising a Large Family in a Small-Family World in Alpha Books' fall 2007 catalogue (page 59 of the .pdf file). The cover art is fantastic!

The book will offer practical advice to parents who are raising (or are planning to raise) "larger-than-average" families. I interviewed dozens of parents with between four and seven kids, as well as a handful of moms with eight, nine, ten, and even eleven kids, and a few with three--because these days, in some communities three kids equals a huge family! And I was struck by how much great advice these parents had to offer. They are the true "experts": parents in the trenches, figuring out what works--from discipline to keeping a house clean to saving money to fitting their whole family in the car to organization and time management--by trial and error as they raise their (many) kids. I've learned a lot while writing it--and know that you'll learn a lot reading it.

That said, the book isn't quite done yet, and I can still use your help! I'm in the revision stage right now, and to make the book even more helpful I'm collecting tips from parents in large families. I would especially love to hear from dads, stepparents, and members of nontraditional or blended families. For instance, if your family is big because you live with three kids and your mother, or you're raising nieces and nephews or other family members, or you have foster kids, or (insert family situation here), I'd love to hear from you! Drop me a line at surveys at larger families dot com, and I'll be in touch soon.

Thanks!