Thank you to everyone who recommended additional parenting books on the blog and on Twitter. I will definitely add your suggestions to my list of must-reads. Now I just need to find some quiet time to sit and start reading!

While we’re on the subject of books, how charming are these colorful Ideal Bookshelf prints featuring children’s books? Framed, they’d be perfect to hang in a nursery or playroom. Artist Jane Mount also does custom work and will paint your favorite adult books, from travel guides and cookbooks to memoirs and fiction.

How many of your little one’s beloved books can you identify in these prints? (I spy at least seven that are in constant rotation at our house.)

Here are some of my favorite posts from around the web:

Gretchen Rubin’s advice on how to be a happy mom

What to know about raising a boy

I’d like to travel back in time and be a guest in this Palm Springs house

An indestructible “lifeproof” iPhone case? (but not as cute as these printed J. Crew cases!)

I’m so inspired by the beautiful and creative life of this mom/photographer/writer

I may have done a little bit of damage at the semi-annual Anthropologie clearance sale

Must remember to buy tickets to this tomorrow!

Have a wonderful weekend, friends! Levi and I are very much looking forward to tomorrow…

I regularly worry that I’m not a good enough mom. Multiple times a day I question my parenting skills and wonder if I’m providing Levi with the best possible environment for his development.

For the most part, there has been no method to my (mothering) madness. Perhaps you can describe my style “parenting on a whim.” Yes, I refer to my mommy friends for their opinions and turn to our pediatrician for medical advice, but, truthfully, I don’t feel as though I have a clue about how to raise a son. Ten month in and I’m still not convinced I have any idea what I’m doing as Levi’s mommy–especially now that he’s approaching toddler-hood.

Maybe it’s time for me to start doing some research. I occasionally glanced through pregnancy books last year, and when Levi was born, I skimmed through tomes on sleep training. But now I want to know how to nurture my child as he grows into a little boy. I need to know that letting Levi play independently rather than constantly being on the floor with him or allowing him to catch a glimpse of the Today show in the morning is not going to somehow screw him up later in life.

Blogs have been buzzing lately about Simplicity Parenting, which is interesting to me because it’s not a very new book. Joanna covered it in this post, and Fern and Feather dedicated a whole series of guest posts to the book. Then, of course, there’s Bringing Up Bebe, which has been on the New York Times best-seller’s list for weeks.

I’ve compiled a list of additional parenting books that I’d also like to read. (Ha! As if I have time to read anymore…) Tell me, have you read any of these parenting books? Do you have any favorites to add to my list?

NutureShock by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman

Free-Range Kids by Lenore Skenazy

Raising Our Children, Raising Ourselves by Naomi Aldort

Playful Learning by Mariah Bruehl

How to Raise an Amazing Child the Montessori Way by Tim Seldin and Vanessa Davies

{image via Pinterest}

Dear Levi,

You are ten months old! I can’t believe how quickly you are growing up–and growing out. You officially have a pudgy baby belly! You’re now in size 3 diapers and are already starting to outgrow the size 6-9 clothing you only starting wearing last month. Gosh, I love your chunky little rolls. Read more

My first Mother’s Day started off so promising — Levi woke up slightly later than the crack of dawn, and we were able to FaceTime with JB while still in our pajamas. He watched me open the Mother’s Day gift he had shipped from Anthropologie. It was the astrological maps bracelet by Julie Nolan! The mister does read Bunny & Dolly!

While Levi took his morning nap, I showered, straightened my hair and even put on makeup. We were meeting a friend and her six-month-old boy for brunch (her husband was away for business), so I dressed in a skirt, striped sweater and, on a whim, accessorized with a necklace. I never wear necklaces anymore for fear that Levi might yank it off my neck. I also had time to change the sheets on my bed while Levi slept. Imagine that!

Brunch was lovely. We ate at Upstream in West Omaha and each enjoyed a large, well-deserved mimosa with our meal. The kiddos were well behaved as we chatted about the recent Time magazine cover, attachment parenting and first birthday parties. My sweet friend even had a Mother’s Day card for me! (I wish I had thought to bring one for her!) Read more

My musings on being a military wife was so long that I decided to share this week’s links in a separate post!

Here are some of my favorite posts from around the web:

My sister’s favorite childhood toy recently got a makeover.

Will Levi grow up to be an introvert like me?

I could use a lesson in organization from Danni — I am obsessed with her tape notebooks!

A lovely twisted ponytail. (via Sacramento Street)

Do you remember Maurice Sendak’s Really Rosie?

Lessons about motherhood and business.

How to miss a childhood (hint, it has to do with your iPhone).

I also write for Lifetime Moms:

Surviving Military Life: Sometimes You Have to Lean on Your Friends

Why I’m Annoyed Jessica Simpson Gave Her Daughter a Boy’s Name

Have a wonderful weekend, friend! And happy Mother’s Day!