martinis, hard time and rubber ducks
Filed Under Stuff | June 24, 2009
Okay, it’s not exactly a list of beach reads, but we do have some reviews on new books that touch on topics near and dear to a mummy’s heart – everything from pesticides to play dates to prison:
Slow Death by Rubber Duck by Rick Smith and Bruce Lourie
Despite the possibly misleading title, this is no humourous look at parenting, instead it’s a commentary on how the chemicals in everyday life affect our health. The authors used themselves as guinea pigs to see how the products we use daily can change our body chemistries. If we weren’t worried about how we (as a society) were affecting our children before we read this book, we are now. Did you know that newspaper ink and cash register receipts are full of BPA? While the tone of the book tended toward being a bit alarmist, it also showed hope. Canada has banned the use of BPA in baby bottles, and was the first country to do so. Taking the lead in an environmental issue has led to other governments to have their own bans and companies that were the worst offenders have taken steps toward getting rid of BPA in baby products.
Hard Time & Nursery Rhymes by Claudia Trupp
Though we’re not usually big on biographies, NYC criminal defense attorney Claudia Trupp’s chronicles of being a working mum of three while plying her criminal-filled trade, kept us engaged from beginning to end. While the book focuses more on her work life than her children, the two are more connected that you might think. Each chapter of the book focuses on one of her clients and she seamlessly intertwines their story into a parenting dilemma she’s facing while challenging our perspective on everything from guilt to tantrums. We’re guessing that any mum who’s ever struggled with work/life balance and enjoyed an episode of Law & Order will enjoy this book.
If you give a mom a martini…100 Ways to Find 10 Blissful Minutes for Yourself by Julie Klappas and Lyss Stern
New York mamas Klappas and Stern know that what mamas lack most is time, which is why they’ve come up with lots of quick and easy ideas for frazzled mums to reclaim some of that precious time for themselves. While they play up the celebrity involvement in the book, we preferred their “regular” tip to the celebrity me-time tips like Melissa Joan Hart’s suggestion to get your nails done. Some of our faves included throwing yourself a mom prom, snooping about on overheardinnewyork.com (a must for anyone who loves eavesdropping on the bus) or sorting out your skivvies. Even if you do no more than read this review and then mix yourself a martini, well there’s your ten minutes. And the book includes a luscious looking recipe for Lemon Drop Martini if you need inspiration.
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