Every woman has stories to tell about her mother. The mother she has, the mother she wants, the mother she misses, the mother she didn't know. We carry our mothers with us. Sometimes we carry her in our hearts, in our heads-or on our backs. Sometimes we are connected to our mothers with the thick, strong cords of intertwined love and true acceptance; other times the bonds are stretched thin and taut, scratching against our consciousness, rubbing raw the sore spots in our souls.

But we are always linked to our mothers: both to the dreams of the mothers we wish for and the realities of the mothers we have. Even if our mother has been gone for years-for decades-the relationship is still very much alive.

Mom is still with us: offering advice, encouragement, criticism, appreciation, rejection, solace. What we daughters do with this ongoing commentary-whether we unknowingly incorporate it into our reality, or consciously and carefully review it, deciding what to keep and what to put away-is fundamental to how fully we lead our own lives.

In Dear Mom: Women's Letters of Love, Loss, and Longing, you meet women who have stripped away pretenses, societal constraints, and basic fears to uncover and express their most private truths about their relationship with their mothers. You get to peer over the shoulders of the women, share in their laughter, and experience their struggles. You see how other women cast light on this most complicated, rewarding, and sometimes frustrating relationship. You witness women at different stages of their lives reflecting on the legacies their mothers (knowingly or unconsciously, but always powerfully) left them. You hear how other women experience the glories and the scars, the hurt and the healing that make up this most primal of connections.

You also get to meet the women behind the letters, since each Dear Mom letter is followed by a profile of the contributor. You learn about the surprises, satisfactions, and challenges they faced in writing down their most private truths. The 25 Dear Mom contributors include women from a variety of backgrounds, careers, religions, and lifestyles.

They include (present and former) teachers, business owners, homemakers, real estate agents, artists, secretaries, social workers, journalists, and government officials. Some are accomplished professionals, well-known in their fields and public figures in their communities. They are married, single, divorced, widowed. Many, though not all, are mothers themselves. Many contributors are baby boomers, in their 40s and 50s. Others are in their 60s, 70s, and 80s. (The oldest contributor is over 90; her conversation with her mother continues!)

"Child You Ought to Listen" is a collection of quotations, short stories and poetry that will warm the hearts of its readers, but also will remind them of the teachings and guidance instilled i nthem from their mothers. For some of us our mother figure may have been an aunt, grandmother, sister, or friend. But through their instructions and diligence we were taught about the values of love and family, courage, loyalty, and spirituality.

"Child You Ought to Listen" demonstrates that learning never ends (no matter what age you are). It shows that learning can come from many different avenues including: ancestral sayings, hand-me-down quotations and stories told from generation to generation.

Since learning is an adventure you will embark upon throughout your lifetime, this soul inspiring book, filled with love, pain and other tidbits, is a great place to start another exciting, fantastic journey. Recommended to all individuals whether you're eight to eighty years of age. There is something in this book for everyone.

This book is written in a simple, down-to-earth language and offers wisdom and lessons on how to live your dreams and may inspire you to never give up hope for a better tomorrow. This book can be a gift that you give to someone you care about. It will keep on giving and teaching life's lessons on a personal level. Remember, "You have to go through some things to grow through some things!"

Last of all, these stories are meant to uplift, inspire, entertain and motivate any "Child or adult that just might listen."

My Mother, My Friend

Rules she would bend,
wounds she would mend.
Money she'd lend.

My mother, my friend.
Scenes she'd pretend,
pals she'd befriend.
Good wishes she'd send.

My mother, my friend.
With life, she contends,
pain, she suspends.
Bad moods, she forfends.
My mother, my friend.
Until the end,
and even then
we'll meet again.

The book is an appreciative tale of a good, fun filled childhood. The tone is positive and humorous, yet incorporates earnest contemplation on how very essential a good role model can be. Each chapter springs from a quote or other verbal traditions (songs and stories) with which the author's mother relayed valuable lessons. These carefully chosen words served as tools for nurturing a confident approach to life. The stories detail the memory of growing up loved. Those seeking family meaning will experience it here, and come away with concrete ideas for thoughtful parenting.

You may wonder about My Mother's Notebook. My mother was terrifi ed of losing her memory. She watched Dad's mental decline for six years as he suffered the indignity of Alzheimer's.

She wanted no part of that!

To keep her mind sharp, at 85, she picked up an old spiral notebook and began: "There was a time when". I believe she felt good about this project, and just continued remembering and making lists and comments.

Before she died, she told me about the notebook and asked me to take it, as there was a message in it for me. You'll be able to recognize it, and I hope you will have one for your family. You might notice I did not write something of my own under every category, but I have allowed room for you.

This is a thoughtful response to the question posed to all mothers of girls, implicitly or explicitly, of what it means to be a woman. It's written as a letter directly addressing the daughter in clear, everyday language, offering the best answer that the mother has been able to figure out, based on her analyses of eleven dimensions of women's lives.

These appear in chapters about: gender origins; women's relationships with children and men's lack of equivalent relationships; the reproductive as well as the so-called "productive" economy where women work; human formation via childraising practices; social identity and self-experience resulting from those practices; Marxist and other governments' failures to "liberate" women; race and class colorations of women's experience in the U.S.; and the shitwork factor en(gendered) by present social relations.

What makes this book different from many others addressing these issues?

1. An historical perspective of gender relations as a product of human development created by both men and women.

2. A highly original analysis of political economy which defines labor relations as including:

* the production of socialized humans
* the servicing of human emotional needs
* the production of leisure time and
* the production of all non-profitable goods and services (usually those for immediate consumption) necessary for human survival

3. Practical suggestions yielded by that analysis for creating a new social order in which children, women, and men enjoy themselves and each other much, much more than they do today (a vision).

4. Humor, hope, and a flat-out sincere voice spoken by a real mother to a real girl.

(Lit critters beware! This book is in earnest.)

It's for mothers to give to themselves and to their daughters.

It's for all men and women bewildered by these issues who want to make things better.

Texas Cowboy pledge Gabe Higgins drowned during the fraternity’s initiation in the early morning hours of April 29, 1995, after a semester of hazing, including cattle prodding, forced drinking, and paddling. Even though the organization had been on probation for one year due to paddling their pledges, they blatantly continued. The traditional initiation finale was to be a paddling the following morning until “blood ran into their boots.”

Earlier in the semester when Gabe was accepted as a pledge, he had been told to get real drunk, it was gonna hurt. He was paddled that night 20 times, followed by a party with friends and beer and told to act like nothing happened.

Emails to his older brother revealed that Gabe had no idea pledging the Texas Cowboys would involve so much hazing and that if he were to do it over again, he wouldn’t have pledged. He was already a member of the Kappa Sigma fraternity; The Texas Cowboys was a second fraternity exclusively on the University of Texas campus. They were known for shooting the cannon off at the football games. One Texas governor, a state senator and many other high profile men belonged to this group, who, until the mid-50’s branded their pledges.

In the beginning, Gabe felt honored to be asked to join the Cowboys since he was the only Northerner, from Idaho. When his girlfriend told him to quit, his reply was, “No, I can’t. I’ve got too much into this. It’s almost over.”

Gabe was told the initiation would be a piece of cake. It was, until something went seriously awry on the river that fateful night, which remains to be: The Cowboys’ Secret.

Hazing is the wrongful act of initiation. Will your son or daughter be next?

The last third of the book includes information on hazing: the definition, bullying, binge drinking, hazing stories, problems at University of Texas (and many other schools), how hazing can be stopped and advice to parents and students.

As a mother you have the greatest career in the world. You should lift your head and know that the work you are doing affects not only your children but your community, your country and the world.

Your career will pay benefits for the rest of your life if you put on the mantle of mother, wear it with pride and feel the love and power that comes with that mantle.

You are unique; there is no other mother like you. As a mother you are the most important person in your child's world.

A Mother's Worth will help you to know and feel just how important you are to your child, family, home, community, country and the world. Develop your own self worth, confidence and powerful self belief by following the words and strategies suggested. Learn how to use your own mind to create your future and your child's future. Learn the incredible power of example and how you can have tremendous influence on your child through it.

As a mother you are the life blood of society and with out you society would cease to exist. I say to every mother feel your own value, you are more powerful than politicians, business men and women, doctors, nurses, and any other professional because without you they would have no profession.

This world is nothing without its children, they are the future and their future is in your hands, you can make it a great future.

The frustration she felt being moved from Family to Family and never Knowing her Parents.

The Smart Mom's Guide to Staying Home addresses in detail one of the most common fears that often prevents parents from shifting their full-time focus from the office to home: how not to sacrifice your standard of living when going from two incomes to one. Based on the philosophy that deprivation never worked for anyone, you will learn how your family can enjoy many of the riches they currently do and still prosper without missing a beat.

With real-world, every day approaches to spending decisions, The Smart Mom's Guide to Staying Home provides 65 easy and simple ways to keep more of your family's money and make the money you have go further. From grocery shopping and eating out to fashion and feedback, The Smart Mom's Guide to Staying Home is a terrific resource for planning and achieving financial harmony, greater life balance and personal fulfillment.

Christine Walker spent over a decade working in politics and business-to-business sales before making the jump to stay-at-home mom. Having made this challenging transition herself, she was inspired to help other parents who wanted to spend more time with their children. Christine lives in suburban Chicago with her husband and three young children, still amazed that she was able to find time to write this book. FORMAT: Softcover OUR PRICE: $15.95 A Mother’s Pearls By Carla D. Brown This book celebrates some of the most memorable moments of motherhood. The joy, laughter, and even embarrassment that only a mother can love. FORMAT: Hardcover OUR PRICE: $20.03 A Mother’s Pearls By Carla D. Brown This book celebrates some of the most memorable moments of motherhood. The joy, laughter, and even embarrassment that only a mother can love. FORMAT: Softcover OUR PRICE: $10.03 A Mother’s Pearls By Carla D. Brown This book celebrates some of the most memorable moments of motherhood. The joy, laughter, and even embarrassment that only a mother can love. FORMAT: E-Book OUR PRICE: $3.99