Mother Rising

Different from a baby shower, where gifts are lavished upon the soon-to-be-born child, a blessingway ceremony honors the mother-to-be and creates a circle of support that will cradle her as she prepares to give birth. Surrounded by the most important women in her life, she can explore the challenges and joys that lie before her, gaining a sense of power and confidence that will help her rise to motherhood. MOTHER RISING shows women how to organize and personalize a blessingway for the expecting friends and family-an experience that will give the mother-to-be the best possible gifts of deep happiness, serenity, and abundance of love. A resource for planning and hosting a blessingway ceremony-a woman-centered celebration of the journey into motherhood. Ideal gift for or from an expectant mother who wants a more meaningful and transformational experience than the traditional, gift-focused baby shower. Outlines the five stages of the blessingway ritual, from establishing a safe and sacred space to honoring and pampering the mother-to-be. Finalist in both the 2004 Independent Publisher Book Awards and Foreword magazine's Book of the Year Awards. Features sidebars, inspirational quotations, resources, and checklists.

"In this physically small but conceptually rich volume, Cherniavsky begins by situating the notion of essentialized motherhood within the constitution of modern bourgeois subjectivity and, more specifically, of a rational democratic social order in early national America." -- American Literature "... an admirable contribution to the current debates over the meaning and implications of motherhood in contemporary culture." -- UCG Women's Studies Centre Review "With its wide range of reference and use of sophisticated critical paradigms, this book is a demanding study that will be of special interest to readers concerned with 19th century American fiction and current debates surrounding the maternal." -- Studies on Women Abstracts That Pale Mother Rising concerns the persistence of essentialized motherhood in the midst of the postmodern, linking nineteenth-century sentimentalism to the American founders' understanding of the democratic social body.

THIS HIGHLY GIFTABLE DELUXE EDITION OF THE BESTSELLER INCLUDES THREE ALL-NEW CHAPTERS Motherhood is hard. In a world of five-step lists and silver-bullet solutions to become perfect parents, mothers are burdened with mixed messages about who they are and what choices they should make. If you feel pulled between high-fives and hard words, with culture’s solutions only raising more questions, you’re not alone. But there is hope. You might think that Scripture doesn’t have much to say about the food you make for breakfast, how you view your postpartum body, or what school choice you make for your children, but a deeper look reveals that the Bible provides the framework for finding answers to your specific questions about modern motherhood. Emily Jensen and Laura Wifler help you understand and apply the gospel to common issues moms face so you can connect your Sunday morning faith to the Monday morning tantrum. Discover how closely the gospel connects with today’s motherhood. Join Emily and Laura as they walk through the redemptive story and reveal how the gospel applies to your everyday life, bringing hope, freedom, and joy in every area of motherhood.

Are you struggling to figure out who you are now that you're a mama? Do you feel like you're coming last in your own life? Do you feel guilty for not loving every moment of this motherhood gig? As someone who used to put themselves last-doing everything she thought was 'right' for her children and family, but not really listening to what her body and her spirit was begging for-Amy understands first-hand the overwhelm and complex range of emotions that mothers face. Amy's background as a journalist set her on the path to uncover all that she could about the latest research on matrescence, the transition a woman undergoes when she becomes a mother. She now shares what she's learned in the hope that it will help you navigate this stage of your life. Happy Mama includes interviews with experts, case studies and Amy's own tried-and-tested advice on how to reconnect with the woman you are underneath all that washing, cleaning and caring. Full of useful and empowering insights that will help you change the way you feel about motherhood-and yourself-so you and your whole family can flourish.

The mother of rap superstar Kanye West shares her experiences on being a single mother raising a celebrity. As the mother of hip-hop superstar Kanye West, Donda West has watched her son grow from a brilliant baby boy with all the intimations of fame and fortune to one of the hottest rappers on the music scene. And she has every right to be proud: she raised her son with strong moral values, teaching him right from wrong and helping him become the man he is today. In Raising Kanye, Donda not only pays homage to her famous son but reflects on all the things she learned about being his mother along the way. Featuring never-before-seen photos and compelling personal anecdotes, Donda's powerful and inspiring memoir reveals everything from the difficulties she faced as a single mother in the African American community to her later experiences as Kanye's manager as he rose to superstardom. Speaking frankly about her son's reputation as a "Mama's Boy," and his memorable public outbursts about gay rights and President George W. Bush, Donda supports her son without exception, and here she shares the invaluable wisdom she has taken away from each experience—passion, tolerance, patience, and above all, always telling the truth. Ultimately, she not only expresses what her famously talented son has meant to her but what he has meant to music and an entire generation.

Beyond Good Intentions is a book of essays about the joys and risks of raising children adopted internationally. Cheri Register examines ten pitfalls that well-meaning parents like herself can easily slip into: -- Wiping Away Our Children's Past -- Hovering Over Our Troubled Children -- Holding the Lid on Sorrow and Anger -- Parenting on the Defensive -- Believing Race Doesn't Matter -- Keeping Our Children Exotic -- Raising Our Children in Isolation -- Judging Our Country Superior -- Believing Adoption Saves Souls -- Appropriating Our Children's Heritage Each essay opens with an exaggerated version of something an adoptive parent might say, to prompt a fresh, intense look at practices so familiar they are seldom questioned, even though they may not serve the children's and the family's best interests. Register urges readers to bring their own experiences to bear in a candid conversation about internationally adoptive family life.

Esperanza and her mother are forced to leave their life of wealth and privilege in Mexico to go work in the labor camps of Southern California, where they must adapt to the harsh circumstances facing Mexican farm workers on the eve of the Great Depression.

As a single mother to a growing son, you take on many roles: coach, chef, cheerleader, buddy, housekeeper, teacher, disciplinarian, and nurturer. The Single Mother’s Guide to Raising Remarkable Boys helps you juggle all these roles with aplomb. You’ll also learn how to help your son: Succeed at school Excel on the sports field Find an appropriate male role model Socialize and combat peer pressure Deal with sex, drugs, and video games Complete with resources and recommended strategies for every stage of a boy’s life, The Single Mother’s Guide to Raising Remarkable Boys helps you go it alone—and raise a happy, healthy, well-adjusted young man!

The Mother/Daughter Relationship gets a Makeover from the Feminine Divine. You love your mother, but she can drive you crazy. No matter what you do, it isn't quite good enough. When you speak up, mom says, "Well then, I guess I'm just a horrible mother." The mixed messages and guilt weighs you down and leaves you wondering if you can ever get it right. How can you turn this around, free yourself from self-doubt, and break the cycle for your own daughter? You can meditate, chant affirmations, and dutifully practice feeling grateful all you want, but you can't create the life you desire without addressing the issues around the person who first gave you life. Do you apologize chronically, saying, "I'm sorry" and "it's ok," when it isn't? Second-guess yourself with every decision? Look to others for your sense of self worth? Feel that you have to choose between looking good and feeling good? Come with me, as I show you how the problems you have with your mother mirror the problems you have in life. By understanding what has gone wrong in the mother/daughter relationship and turning it around, you activate the Feminine energy that is the key to having the life you've always wanted. Are you ready to rise up, come alive, and live beyond your mother's limiting messages? Rise up and claim your full true Feminine power! In psychotherapist's Katherine Fabrizio's ground breaking book, DAUGHTERS RISING, she tells you how your relationship with your mother is affecting your life in ways you have not yet imagined. Your struggle with mom mirrors the internal struggle you have with yourself. The impossible standards your mother tried to live up to has caused you to be filled with shame, guilt and self-doubt. It doesn't have to be this way. Buried in each disempowering message is a message of strength and hope when you get back online with your Feminine power. You can't get there with the masculine energy that held your mother down and is so prevalent in the western culture today. This book will break the spells that are holding you back from the life you've always wanted and show you the way home to claim your true Feminine power. Get clear on the mixed messages that were passed down to you and learn how to rise above those messages. What are you waiting for? Your life is waiting. See how you have had the power in you all along. This, my pretty, changes everything."

Written by Virginia Grohl, the mother of Dave Grohl—former Nirvana drummer and current frontman for the Foo Fighters—From Cradle to Stage shares stories and exclusive photos featuring mothers of rock icons, the icons themselves, and their Behind the Music-style relationships While the Grohl family had always been musical-the family sang together on long car trips, harmonizing to Motown and David Bowie-Virginia never expected her son to become a musician, let alone a rock star. But when she saw him perform in front of thousands of screaming fans for the first time, she knew that rock stardom was meant to be for her son. And as Virginia watched her son's star rise, she often wondered about the other mothers who raised sons and daughters who became rock stars. Were they as surprised as she was about their children's fame? Did they worry about their children's livelihood and wellbeing in an industry fraught with drugs and other dangers? Did they encourage their children's passions despite the odds against success, or attempt to dissuade them from their grandiose dreams? Do they remind their kids to pack a warm coat when they go on tour? Virginia decided to seek out other rock star mothers to ask these questions, and so began a two-year odyssey in which she interviewed such women as Verna Griffin, Dr. Dre's mother; Marianne Stipe, Michael Stipe of REM's mother; Janis Winehouse, Amy Winehouse's mother; Patsy Noah, Adam Levine's mother; Donna Haim, mother of the Haim sisters; Hester Diamond, Mike D of The Beastie Boys' mother. With exclusive family photographs and a foreword by Dave Grohl, From Cradle to Stage will appeal to mothers and rock fans everywhere.