Some Helpful References and WTH are Playdates?

Here are the names of some books that helped me along:

NOBODY SAID IT WOULD BE EASY by Dan Kiley
THE WOMANLY ART OF BREASTFEEDING (La Leche League Manual)
NURSING YOUR BABY by Karen Pryor
and any book by Dr. John Rosemond.
Also Adele Davis' book about nutrition for children...the title escapes me in my old age!
Plus, THE STRONG-WILLED CHILD by Dr. James Dobson....plus I gave his book, RAISING BOYS to my daughter who has two sons.

Sadly, several of these books are out of print, but you never know, you might find them online somewhere....
The most important thing I learned for myself was to use the ideas of an author that reflected the things that were important to me in raising my children...in other words, I never took just one "expert" and blindly followed him or her.....

Today, I hear so much about "playdates".
Well, for us, back in the day, it was "mommy dates"!
Every Wednesday, rain or shine, three or four of us, plus children, would gather at the home of one mom and exchange store coupons and have grown-up talk time. In our little neighborhood circle, it would mean about 6-8 children present in the school months, more in the summer!
This is how we kept our sanity!
Oh yes, the children would play, and we might have to referee a little, but it was for us and about us moms! I don't get that idea when I hear about "playdates" today...
It was good too, in that it provided each of us a motive for straightening up for company, and we provided a healthy snack and beverage for all....well, most of the time it was healthy!

So, if YOU are not the focus of these "playdates", Moms, wise up! You definitely need your sanity, if you haven't already noticed! Change the focus of your gatherings and let your children play together while you enjoy each other's company!