As I write this, my household is once again in quarantine because my son was exposed to COVID at daycare. When I got the news on Friday, a sense of dread came over me as I anticipated what the coming week would look like, working from home with a one year old and a three year old.
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I recently finished the Hulu miniseries Little Fires Everywhere, based on the novel by Celeste Ng. (I have not read the book, although I understand that the screen adaptation departs from it in important ways.) I was unaware of the plot when I clicked to watch the miniseries, and wow — it resonated with me deeply. I didn’t love the ending, which I won’t give away for those who haven’t seen it, but the show addressed heavy, complicated themes profoundly. It made a big impression on me.
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There is no shortage of pregnancy and parenting advice out there. With numerous books, blogs, podcasts, classes, and tips from friends, family members, and experts, all offering often conflicting advice, sifting through it all can be overwhelming. I wanted to be well-informed as I prepared to welcome my son into the world, but I also understood that no amount of reading would prepare me for what I was about to experience.
Nevertheless, I did my best to educate myself on pregnancy and caring for a baby. Here are a few books I read that were informative and helpful. They are all available in audiobook format, and I believe I’ve listened to each of them at least twice. If you are an expecting or new parent and aren’t sure where to begin, I’d recommend starting with these.
Pregnancy: Expecting Better: Why the Conventional Pregnancy Wisdom is Wrong and What You Really Need to Know by Emily Oster
Parenting: Brain Rules for Baby: How to Raise a Smart and Happy Child from Zero to Five by John Medina
Parenthood and Commiseration: All Joy and No Fun: The Paradox of Modern Parenthood by Jennifer Senior
Productivity and Motivation: I Know How She Does It: How Successful Women Make the Most of Their Time by Laura Vanderkam
What books helped you in your transition into parenthood? Tell us in the comments.
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The summer vacation season is upon us, and the weather here in East Tennessee is already getting hot and humid. Whether you’ll be lounging on the beach with a book or staying in your air-conditioned home avoiding the heat, the lazy days of summer are a great time to do a little reading. Most of the “Best Beach Reads” lists out there tend to focus on novels, but as someone who reads a lot of nonfiction, I thought it would be fun to round up some of my favorite memoirs and inspirational books that I’ve read over the past few years. Here they are, in no particular order:
In this occasional series, I share what I’ve been reading, watching, thinking, and doing.
What I’m Reading:
Nightstand: The Primal Wound: Understanding the Adopted Child; Being Adopted: The Lifelong Search for Self
Handbag: Man’s Search for Meaning (yes, still)
Audiobooks: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance; There There (for a book club I just joined – I read part of this and listened to part of it)
Article: “This is the Secret to Being a Successful Working Mom” (don’t let the click-bait-esque title fool you – there’s a lot of good advice in this piece)
What I’m Watching: The Good Place; Unbreakable Kimmie Schmidt (I’ve been watching very little TV lately and haven’t seen a movie in ages)
What I’m Listening To: I’m way behind on listening to podcasts, but today I listened to this episode of HerMoney with Laura Ling talking about resiliency
Current Guilty Pleasure: Looking at tiny houses and renovated RVs on Instagram
Where I’ve Been Recently: Beaufort, SC for a long weekend in January
What I’m Looking Forward To: Going to a yoga class with a friend this week. It’s a small thing, but I don’t go to many yoga classes these days, and spending time with a friend is always a bright spot in my week.
Where I’m Going Next: Malibu and Nashville for professional conferences
Latest Personal Project: I don’t know that I’d really classify this as a project, but I’ve begun listening to positive affirmations and hypnotherapy tracks on YouTube, and I think they are helping to shift my perspective.
Recent Moment of Joy: Teaching my son to say “thank you”
Grateful For: Increasingly longer days and the lack of snow here
Have a wonderful week!
Alexis
PS: If you were hoping for the next installment in my series about being adopted, it’s coming soon — I just needed a little break from writing about that for a while.