Green Mama by Manda Aufochs Gillespieama: How You Can Give Your Child A Healthy And Green Future

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Recently I was contacted by this lovely lady from FingerPrint publishing, Megha, who asked me if I would like to read a copy of a very interesting book titled Green Mama By Manda Aufochs Gillespie, which focuses on various easy to incorporate and simple lifestyle choices that we can make as individuals, that will not only teach our kids how to live a more balanced natural life, but also create a greener world. The book aims at mixing the various teachings of science in our everyday lives while also combining it with the age old wisdom and teachings of grandma.

Quite an interesting concept, especially because I as an individual, and as a parent, believe in the power of natural and green living. With so many changes happening around us in the environment, the effects of global warming are already here. But all it takes is a little change, a little switch from what we may have been doing till now, and create healthier and safer alternatives.

Of course I said yes and was eagerly waiting for the book. So when it arrived, I went through it, randomly at first because I was flipping in and out of work, but finally got down to reading it at leisure and give it the time and the attention that I feel the book truly deserves.

Before I tell you what all you can find in the book, here is a look at what the blurb on the cover jacket says:

What are the most pressing problems facing new parents today? As the world has become increasingly more complicated, so has parenting. We are concerned about pervasive toxins in the environment and anxious to raise our children in ways that will protect them as well as safeguard our already fragile world.

Manda Aufochs Gillespie, The Green Mama, shares what today's science and Grandma's traditional wisdom tell us about prenatal care for mothers-to-be, breastfeeding, detoxifying the nursery, diapering, caring for baby's skin, feeding a family, and healthy play - redefining the 'basics' of parenting for today's world. With an upbeat tone, stories of parents who have 'been there,' real-world advice for when money matters more, and practical steps geared toward immediate success, Green Mama engages and guides even the busiest, most sleep-deprived parent.

 The Green Mama helps parents become what they were always meant to be: experts on the care of their own children. 

The first thing that I noticed and really loved about the book was the dedication:
This book is dedicated to all the world's children, especially my own beloved Zella Rose and Zada 'Maela.' May we create a world worthy of them all.

Isn't that really the need of the hour? May we create a world worthy of them all. For as parents and as adults, we know that the world we live in is not a gift we got from our ancestors, but a treasure we have taken on loan from our children, and one that needs to be taken care of, nurtured, truly treasured and handed back safely.

Each time we start talking about living green, the first thought that comes to mind is that it will mean a huge transition from your current lifestyle, that trying to adopt a greener lifestyle will mean too many uncomfortable changes. Well, not really.

Once you know that you are on the path to becoming a parent, you attitude towards the world changes, and everything that was till now about you tends to become more about your baby, about how it will affect your baby. And hence the little everyday things that you do.

The book tells us about small things you can do at home and the very small but very huge and very important changes that you can make in little things and ways around the house that will help to make it greener and more natural. Also, the book is not a preachy handwork of someone who knows it all and wants you to simply follow. It gives you all the info you need, in a very easy to understand and even interesting way, full of colorful and heart-warming images of real children and families.

To make it really simple to understand and implement, the author has broken down the 'green' concepts into the following areas:

• how to have a green home and nursery
• a more natural and greener way to diapering
• breastfeeding the natural and green way
• how to ensure your baby's foods are natural and belong to the green concept
• easy ways to take care of your baby's skin the natural way
• how to incorporate safer, natural and greener aspects in your baby's play time

I feel that the above topics pretty much cover almost everything a new mommy would want to know about her baby's first year needs. And once you start off to a green start, the road ahead is only bound to be easier and more and more comfortable. In addition to all the above, the book also provides a lot of insight into what all is really going on there behind labels and other things that you may not be aware of, and how you can be a more alert and informed parent.

I absolutely loved the book, and I am really happy I got a chance to learn more. It is definitely a must-read for any parent, whether you are about to be a parent, already have one child or many, or even if you are not a parent.

And yes, I am definitely going to suggest it to all my friends and people I know of. So make sure you have a look too.

Where To Buy:

India:
If you are based in India, you can buy the book here.

Outside India:
You can buy the book here

About The Author:
Manda Aufochs Gillespie is a consultant, writer, environmentalist and mother. She has worked in the 'green' field for more than fifteen years, advising businesses and homeowners and engaging directly with hundreds of parents through green living classes and her website, thegreenmama.com 

- Debolina Raja 

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And like I always believe in and say:
'Heal the world we live in
Save it for our children' - MJ

Happy Parenting!!!!

Debolina Raja

My Little Body Book By Shruti Singhal And Q&A With Author

Few weeks back I was contacted by the PR team of a book titled My Little Body Book By Shruti Singhal. They asked me if I would like to read the book and talk about it with my readers.

I have always tried to find out ways in which we can share information with children about how they can keep themselves safe, in terms of physical abuse. So this mail came as a good way to connect more on the topic. The PR team sent me a copy of the book and I immediately sat with my 7 year old daughter to help her go through the content.

Details About The Book

• The book is in hardcover.
• It is really small in terms of the number of pages.
• The font is big and very easy to read for younger kids, even as young as 4. 
• Every page is filled with colourful and cute illustrations that will immediately attract kids.
• The book is written in an easy to understand format that slightly older kids, aged 6 and above, can understand on their own.
• Priced at INR 225 and published by Zubaan Books and supported by Pearl Academy

My Take On The Book

The book is realllyyy cute. In fact, I think this is exactly the way you should make a book if your target audience is kids and the message is something as important as keeping your body safe from others.

When I opened the book with my daughter, she immediately loved the illustrations and the many colourful sketches that were inside. She could understand almost all that was in the book, but there were a few new words she didn't know and which were very crucial for this understanding. You will see later in the author Q&A where I pose this question.

In these times, keeping our kids safe is a very difficult and scary thought, especially with so many child offenders present in society. Statistics have revealed time and again that in most cases, it is not a stranger but a known person to the child who is the offender. I know for a fact that this is true, that these things do happen, and it is something we as parents and as adults should watch out for.

The Birth of A Reader

Hey world!!!! That time has come for me as a mother when I can proudly announce from the status-tops of all social networking sites that yes.....as much as I've been a book worm till date, my little 5-year-old princess has taken over the legacy and decided to carry it forward with much love, attention and care.
(image for representation purpose)

I can proudly say that I'm one of the proudest and happiest mums today! Oh yes....what started as a fun way of spending time with my little one and introducing her to the world of books has today taken on quite a proportion - what with both of us trying to figure out how we can make more space to fit in new bookshelves and how we can fit in all our books in those! Huh...tough task I tell you...

It's right when they, and me too, say that there is no age too early for books. I first introduced my daughter to books when she was about 4-5 months old, and she took to it with a lot of enthusiasm and interest. By the time her first birthday came she already had a collection of her own books. And when she passed a few months after her first cake was cut, she could identify all the 26 letters of the English alphabet.

Supermom's Recipe Book - A Must Have For All Moms

Sonali Shivlani, the Supermom, has recently come out with her book Supermoms’ Recipes. The book, whose tagline is ‘Of The Moms! For The Moms! By The Moms!’ has been compiled with healthy and delicious recipes from the kitchens of real moms, the main scoring point being that each recipe has been tasted by the child, approved on taste factor, and also been approved for its nutrition content by Paediatric Nutrition Counselor Sonali Shivlani.

In cases where Sonali felt the nutrition factor had to be worked upon, the recipe was changed a bit with the consent of the mum, and the child was asked to taste it, and only once the taste factor was approved again was the recipe published.

Each recipe takes up a page and features the mother and child who have shared the recipe. The fun part being that the recipe is named after the child.

Online Stories For Little Ones

My little one is always asking me for stories - while eating, bedtime, in the car, while drawing, while playing, while on the swing, while going to bed, lately she has even begun asking for stories while brushing!!!!!

Of course I read her favourite stories to her from her books, and sometimes she asks me to tell her a particular story, so those times its really easy, but there are those tough times when she really wants me to tell her 'new' stories, and those tough times, I am afraid, are growing more frequent in number.

So what better way of telling her a new story each day than taking help of some cheating online? Of course, as a parent I really need to be well-read and up-to-date about all things...who said story-telling wasn't a part of the parenting curriculum? So for all you parents and grandparents out there, here are a few online links where you will find stories for your little ones (especially for Indian children). Do have a read and let me know if this was a help.

1. Chandamama: The classic Chandamama that we all grew up reading. Now let your child enjoy the Chandamama experience online as well.
http://www.chandamama.com/index.htm

2. Pitara: This site has a huge collection of short stories for children from across the world.
http://www.pitara.com/talespin/story.asp

3. Free Stories For Kids: The site offers a huge collection of short stories for kids in different topics.
http://freestoriesforkids.com/

4. Kidsgen: Teach your child about values and ethics with these moral stories, based on Indian folktales and Indian values.
http://www.kidsgen.com/moral_stories/

5. KindBook: Your children not only learn new stories here, they also learn about different topics they learn in school, like maths, but in a fun way.
http://www.kindbook.com/catalog_en.htm

6. Learn English Kids: An initiative of the British Council, the site lets your child watch and listen to hundreds of interesting stories.
http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/short-stories


You can also check out some amazing children's books by clicking Baby Bestsellers

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And like I always believe in and say:
'Heal the world we live in
Save it for our children' - MJ

Happy Parenting!!!!

Debolina Raja Gupta

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