It's ready! My e-book "Ready, Set, Sleep" launches today!

It’s here! My first e-book “Ready, Set, Sleep: 50 Ways to Help Your Child Sleep, So You Can Sleep Too” is launching today! I’m so excited!

In this e-book, I share what I’ve learned over nearly five years of answering sleep questions from tired parents—as a moderator for a global sleep website, as the resident sleep expert at www.ParentingSquad.com, and as a widely-published sleep journalist for national and regional publications across the US and Canada.

Some quick facts about Ready, Set, Sleep:

• This is a thinking parent’s guide to sleep; it was written for parents who want to support their child’s sleep needs compassionately, respectfully, and effectively.
• It is geared toward parents of young children, with simple, thoroughly-explained advice that will help babies and young children sleep better tonight and for years to come.
• Ready, Set, Sleep is not an age-specific guide. The tips will help parents of young children from birth through the preschool years and beyond.
• Ready, Set, Sleep does not endorse “cry-it-out.” Of the 50 information-packed tips in this e-book, none involve leaving your child to cry.
• Ready, Set, Sleep is not laden with value judgments. I do not shove a parenting philosophy down your throat. I simply offer practical, specific strategies that work.
• Ready, Set, Sleep is not one-sized-fits all. Using the advice in this e-book, parents can build an approach to sleep that works for their unique child and family.

Here’s what moms are saying about it:

"Malia Jacobson understands the struggles of sleep-deprived modern parents."

"Made a big difference to this sleep-deprived household!"

"Insightful advice for all busy families with sleep problems."

"Wise, useful resource."

"Worked wonders for our family."

I believe you know your child better than anyone else. You are the expert on your own family. I’m here to help equip you with the information to help your child sleep better—so that you might be able to catch some zzzz’s, too.

Interested? I hope you will check it out. And let me know how you like it!

Happy reading—and happy sleeping!

“Go The F**k to Sleep" is brilliantly funny, sad, and also a little boring

Anyone who hasn’t encountered the insanely funny, bestselling mock-children’s book “Go The F**k to Sleep” by Adam Mansbach must be hibernating. Movie rights have been sold, big-name audio versions released, and the buzz keeps on growing.

Because I write about kids' sleep issues, quite a few people have asked me what I think about the book. The answer? I’m on the fence.

On one hand, the book is pitch-perfect and side-splittingly funny. It hits the nail on the head. I find the illustrations by Ricardo Cortés particularly apt.

(Sidenote: I do find it interesting that in mid-2011, we’re still so shocked and titillated by the F-word. In a children’s book! Gracious, me! If you take away the F-word, the book is still clever, but it loses a great deal of its shock value. “Go the Fudge to Sleep” doesn’t have quite the same ring, does it?)

I’m not shocked by the book (not even by the F-word. Get this—I’ve heard it before!) I don’t think the book’s tone skims uncomfortably close to child abuse, like the author of this CNN op-ed. I get the joke. The book resonates with me, and with other parents, because the feelings it parodies are so universal.

When I read the book, I respond primarily to its humor. It’s meant to be funny, and it is.

But after my funny bone has been tickled, I’m left feeling…sad.

Sad, because the frustration that the book captures so well is something I recognize vividly in parents I’ve advised about their kids’ sleep problems. Although the book is funny, the situation it illustrates is not. Many, many parents are in that horrible place. The place where their kids just won’t sleep and they haven’t a clue what to do next.

These people have had their lives ruined by sleep deprivation. Their marriages and jobs suffer. They don’t enjoy parenting, and their kids know it. It’s an incredibly rotten situation that far too many good parents find themselves in.

It’s great to laugh at a crappy situation, but after you’re done laughing, the crappy situation is still there.

So there you have it. For me, the book is bizarrely funny and achingly sad. When I read “Go the F**k to Sleep,” I think of all of the good, conscientious, caring parents I know who want—need—their kids to sleep, who are slowly having the life sucked out of them, night by sleepless night. And that makes it hard for me to enjoy the book, however hilarious and insightful it may be.

While hearing the title repeated endlessly has given me the tiniest bit of F-word fatigue—who would have guessed that the F-word could actually get boring?—it's still darn funny. If you need a good laugh about the often-unfunny topic that is children's sleep, pick it up. I can near-guarantee that you’ll crack a smile, if you don’t crack up. And, when you’re ready to help your child sleep, please check out my new e-book on the topic: “Ready, Set, Sleep: 50 Ways to Help Your Child Sleep, So You Can Sleep Too.” You’ll be glad you did.

(P.S. Is anyone else super-curious about what Fox 2000 is going to do with the movie rights to the book? Should be interesting!)

Zen and the Art of Daddy Day Care

During the summer, I’m one lucky gal. My teacher hubby is at home most days, so we swap childcare duties and work time as needed. His parenting style is different from mine: he scolds less, plays more, and isn’t nearly as productive (and yes, that is a good thing!). I’m definitely learning a thing or two from him. Here are a few pieces of daddy parenting wisdom, courtesy of my husband.

Put Your Feet Up, Already

Chasing after a four-year-old and a one-year-old all day is no easy feat; sometimes it’s downright exhausting. Instead of complaining about how tiring it is (like I would do), he does something more practical: he takes a break when he needs one. He doesn’t neglect the kids, but he does zone out in front of ESPN for 10 minutes when he needs a breather. And get this: the kids survive. They usually take a cue from him and slow down too, snuggling up to him on the sofa or grabbing a book and reading. The result is a happier, less harried parent and kids who appreciate the importance of a well-deserved break.

The Joy of Single-Tasking

On my days with the kids, I’m a multi-tasking whiz. Often, I’ll start the laundry while they watch Sesame Street, fold clothes while they play, answer emails while their pasta boils, and wipe down the counters while they eat lunch. On my husband’s days with the kids, he specializes in single-tasking: he just spends time with them. At the day’s end, there may be unfolded laundry on the floor and dirty dishes in the sink, but the kids are happy and centered.

It’s OK to Stay Home

Like many stay at home moms, I’m rarely at home during the day. I go a little stir-crazy starting at my four walls, so I plan activities and playdates to get us out of the house. This also lets me squeeze in errands so I can feel marginally productive (see above re: multitasking). But Steve doesn’t share my affinity for the carpool lane. Under his watch, the kids have rediscovered the joy of their own backyard. He pulls weeds while Bianca catches butterflies and studies spiders and Mia digs happily in the sandbox. Everybody’s happy, and we save gas and hassle. Steve for the win!

Soon, summer will end and we'll be back to full-time mommy care, complete with multitasking and schlepping around town. I know I'll be a refreshed and ready to get back to our regular routine--and just maybe, a little less harried and a little more relaxed, thanks to my lessons from Dad's Daycare Academy.

Messy face, dirty shirt, laundry basket on the floor: hallmarks of daddy day care (but doesn't she look happy?).

Bianca's Vacation: A Short Interview

Sorry I've been MIA--we're shaking the sand out of our ears after a week and a half in Maui. It's our first trip to Hawaii with the kids (third trip there overall). It was everything Hawaii should be: relaxing, invigorating, and sweet-smelling. They say time slows down in Hawaii, but our time there went way too fast.

Since it's probably our first big family vacation that B will remember, I wanted to get her take on it. Easier said than done. (I'm a pretty experienced interviewer thanks to my article writing and corporate writing work, but she was a tough nut to crack. A very cute nut. But a tough one.)

So, here they are: Bianca's Vacation Memories (as told to her mom)

What was the best part of vacation?

The airplane.

The airplane? Really? Not the glass-bottom boat or the ocean center? Why the airplane?

Because we were up really high and we got lots of treats. I kind of felt scared, but I didn’t tell you. Because I felt shy.

Did you see lots of turtles in Hawaii?

Yes. We saw turtles every day.

What were their names?

They didn’t really have names. But they did have mommies, and their mommies had big, fat heads.

OK. Did you have fun at mommy and daddy’s wedding ceremony? (Actually, our 10-year vow-renewal, but that whole concept was a little complex for a 4-year-old.)

Yes. I wore a pretty dress, and so did you.

I’m glad you had fun. But why were you crying?

I was crying because I wanted you to hold me while you got married.

Oh. I didn’t know that. I’m sorry, honey.

That’s OK.

Do you want to go back to Hawaii when you’re bigger?

Yes. When Mia is a little bigger, too.

Did we eat lots of good food in Hawaii? What was your favorite? The pineapples, mangoes, or the coconut ice cream?

The spaghetti. (Note: this was a meal I made back at the condo, and something we have all the time at home. Go figure.)

Anything else you remember about our vacation?

Um. Mama, can you stop talking to me? I’m trying to watch Charlie and Lola.

And there you have it! She was a great traveler, and I can't wait to take the kids back in a few years. (Someone on the airplane back to Seattle was complaining about how difficult it was to travel and fly with a three-year-old and a six-year-old. From where I was sitting, holding my thrashing 19-month-old and trying to keep her from smearing cookie crumbs on the bald spot of the guy in front of me, those ages seemed pretty ideal. I cannot WAIT to travel with a three-year-old and a six-year-old!)

Here's a link to our vow renewal photos by Karma Hill (Chi Omega sorority sister and pro photographer extraordinaire).