Posted August 23, 2011 at 4:50 PM

Books about alternative family building

filed under: resources, ChoiceKids, donor offspring, donor conception, book

Thanks to Danielle for bringing this list of storybooks to my attention for those of us who have used alternative methods to bring our children into the world.

Posted January 23, 2011 at 8:40 AM

Emma: our international similarities

filed under: thinking, trying, dating, book, sperm, profile, UnitedKingdom, partners

One thing I'm excited about is that in the coming months we will be featuring more content for our communities in Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia. Here is the story of one of us, currently living in the United Kingdom, that is in keeping with the February focus on "Partners."

Posted November 23, 2010 at 10:30 AM

Tips for happiness

filed under: commentary, thinking, trying, waiting, becoming, being, book, Minnesota, healthy living, support network

I went to a talk by a well-respected neighbor of mine, Dan Buettner, whose latest book, Thrive: Finding Happiness the Blue Zones Way, is about tips he gleaned from worldwide research, database correlations, and conversations with individuals in the happiest cities in the world.

Posted November 18, 2010 at 9:40 AM

Book: instilling our kids with gratitude

filed under: being, parenting, book, ChoiceKids, inspiration, resources, simplify, tips

At Thanksgiving time, it's easy to remind ourselves and our kids to be thankful and appreciative. But what about all the other days of the year? I recently read several good tips from one book that might help.

Posted September 24, 2010 at 3:20 PM

Being happy as a single mom

filed under: being, parenting, book

When Sandy Chalkoun's son was 11 months old, her husband decided to leave the marriage. Since then, this Montreal-based lawyer has written a book about how to be a happy single parent. There are useful insights for Choice Moms.

Posted September 15, 2010 at 10:25 AM

Voices of Donor Conception

filed under: ChoiceKids, genetics, anonymous donor, donor conception, thinking, trying, book, donor offspring, expert insight, insemination, open-identity donor, parenting, policy, resources, sperm, sperm bank, telling and talking

ONLY TEN COPIES LEFT IN PRINT! Years ago I collaborated with Wendy and Ryan Kramer, the mother-and-son co-founders of Donor Sibling Registry, on some new tools for families created by donor conception. This was one of them.

Posted September 15, 2010 at 8:30 AM

Choice Mom Guide to Fertility

filed under: fertility, book, insemination, trying, thinking, checklist, 2ww, doctor, terms, expert insight, home insemination, IVF, ovulation, sperm, stress, profile, resources

There is nothing that prompts more questions on Choice Mom discussion boards than when a single woman is purposely trying to conceive. We quickly learn how little we know about something we've been taught can be so easy. The Choice Mom Guide to Fertility gathers the most common questions and answers them, with the help of 15 fertility specialists we interviewed specifically for this book.

Posted September 15, 2010 at 8:10 AM

Choice Mom Guide to Adoption

filed under: adoption, book, international adoption, open adoption, transracial, parenting, thinking, trying, birth family, expert insight, resources, profile

In National Adoption Month I want to share some of the stories of single women who have become mothers because of adoption.

Posted September 14, 2010 at 3:25 PM

Happy Baby checklist: Leading a healthy life

filed under: waiting, becoming, newborn, book, parenting, healthy living, stress relief

After I became a mother to Sophia back in 1999, I ended up unexpectedly creating a less stressful and healthier lifestyle. Partly this was because I didn't have time to work 60-hour work weeks -- and didn't want to. But also because I wanted to instill better habits in my child so she would eventually live a healthy lifestyle.

Posted September 3, 2010 at 12:00 PM

Nature v Nurture: book excerpt

filed under: commentary, telling and talking, being, thinking, waiting, becoming, ChoiceKids, parenting, book, expert insight, growing up without a father

I've become acquainted with the very interesting work and brain of Harvard professor Steven Pinker, and have been reading his 2002 book "The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature." So it was with pleasure that I read (pages 398-399) some of his thoughts on the nature vs. nurture debate as it relates to how we raise our children.

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Posted August 21, 2010 at 8:50 AM

Book excerpt: Newborn Baby Boot Camp

filed under: becoming, newborn, parenting, emotions, book, stress, humor

One of the things I loved about the new Choice Mom memoir by Stacey MacGlashan, "Just you and me, kid," was the insight she offered to other Choice Moms about the reality of the newborn days. Her kind reminder to women like us that attempting to be superwoman is just plain dumb. And her warning to pre-moms that you need a certain kind of stamina -- that most of us do have -- in order to succeed.

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Posted August 20, 2010 at 7:15 PM

Book excerpt: Waiting and Delivering

filed under: waiting, book, humor, support network

There are many things I like about Stacey MacGlashan's Choice Mom memoir "Just you and me, kid." One of them is the wonderful, honest detail she offers about the delivery process.

Posted August 20, 2010 at 6:40 PM

Stacey: Just You and Me, Kid

filed under: thinking, becoming, waiting, profile, book, inspiration

"Even the most independent or progressive among us didn't play house without at least going through the motions of assigning someone the dad role...Our childhood fairy tale fantasies involved Prince Charming and happily ever after, not donor number 5931...and a brief encounter with a syringe."

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Posted August 20, 2010 at 2:30 PM

Book Review: Disciplining Preschoolers

filed under: being, parenting, book

Although I've written about all the ways other people and experiences can fill in gaps in a child's life, our role of parent can -- and should -- be the strongest influence on our children's lives, if done well. To that end, I'm launching a new area of ChoiceMoms.org that helps us become the best parents we can be.

Posted June 27, 2010 at 7:20 AM

Daily Meditation

filed under: commentary, thinking, waiting, being, inspiration, emotions, stress, reviews, book, trying

I recently discovered the book "DailyOM: Inspirational Thoughts for a Happy, Healthy and Fulfilling Day." It is a great compilation of short philosophical insights from Madisyn Taylor, co-founder with her husband of the DailyOm website, including:

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Posted June 7, 2010 at 7:00 AM

Books about donor conception

filed under: being, donor offspring, ChoiceKids, resources, telling and talking, adoption, donor conception, insemination, expert insight, book

Some time ago a librarian wrote to me asking that I send my various books for Choice Moms and donor-conceived families to the Library of Congress for cataloging. This stemmed out of her discovery that there are very few books about donor conception available. She compiled this list, however, of everything she had found to that point.

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Posted May 18, 2010 at 1:00 PM

Childcare on a single income

filed under: money matters, childcare, book, thinking, waiting, becoming, being

I recently discovered a great book by Kara Stefan titled "Head of Household: Money Management for Single Parents." It covers budgeting, childcare, credit, healthcare, housing, insurance and more.

Posted April 24, 2010 at 8:20 AM

Recommended reading with our kids

filed under: being, book, ChoiceKids, daddy question, growing up without a father, parenting, resources, telling and talking

We love reading stories with our kids about non-traditional families. Here are some of the books that have been recommended by Choice Moms.

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Posted March 5, 2010 at 7:20 PM

The Trance of Scarcity

filed under: inspiration, book, thinking, commentary, emotions, support network

Are you thinking that life is unfair? That you might not be worthy of having a child? That Choice Motherhood is a path of defeat? That no one has chosen you? That you are an oddball for even considering this voyage? That your child would be branded as an outsider? Before you embark on this journey consider these words from Victoria Castle, author of The Trance of Scarcity.

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Posted February 2, 2010 at 10:10 AM

Baby books

filed under: waiting, becoming, resources, ChoiceKids, pregnancy, book

It's hard to find baby books that don't have the obligatory "how I met your dad" and two-sided family tree chart to fill in. But there are options. Here are some of them.

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