Call Mama

Following the abduction of 15 year old Lucy Mears, her mother Brenda, a self made business woman, President of Mears Empire expects a ransom demand. Weeks go by, and when no such demand materialises, alarm bells ring for family and friends. The investigators realise that normal criminal motives have been replaced by more worrying and potentially sinister motivations. Attention changes rapidly from one character to another, focusing on present and former employees of Mears Empire, to the household staff, to Lucy's music tutor and to complete strangers caught up in the mystery of a child's abduction, while all the time the perpetrator of the crime remains undetected. The terrified child and her strange captors encounter countless difficulties and unimaginable dangers as they journey across several states of America to their ultimate destination where their mysterious purpose is finally revealed. 'Call Mama' explores the extremes of human nature and the corrosive nature of revenge. It is an examination of our humanity, the good, the bad and the really ugly in a very human story of crime, in which two prominent detectives, Tony Harvey and Carole Carr almost lose their careers. A crime with tentacles with the potential to reach almost to the White House and throwing the Presidential election into turmoil.

**A New York Times Editor's Choice selection!** This outrageous and hilarious memoir follows a film and television director’s life, from his idiosyncratic upbringing to his unexpected career as the director behind such huge film franchises as The Addams Family and Men in Black. Barry Sonnenfeld's philosophy is, "Regret the Past. Fear the Present. Dread the Future." Told in his unmistakable voice, Barry Sonnenfeld, Call Your Mother is a laugh-out-loud memoir about coming of age. Constantly threatened with suicide by his over-protective mother, disillusioned by the father he worshiped, and abused by a demonic relative, Sonnenfeld somehow went on to become one of Hollywood's most successful producers and directors. Written with poignant insight and real-life irony, the book follows Sonnenfeld from childhood as a French horn player through graduate film school at NYU, where he developed his talent for cinematography. His first job after graduating was shooting nine feature length pornos in nine days. From that humble entrée, he went on to form a friendship with the Coen Brothers, launching his career shooting their first three films. Though Sonnenfeld had no ambition to direct, Scott Rudin convinced him to be the director of The Addams Family. It was a successful career move. He went on to direct many more films and television shows. Will Smith once joked that he wanted to take Sonnenfeld to Philadelphia public schools and say, "If this guy could end up as a successful film director on big budget films, anyone can." This book is a fascinating and hilarious roadmap for anyone who thinks they can't succeed in life because of a rough beginning.

One night, as Mama bathed me, I asked why she didn’t paint her nails. “Who have you seen wearing nail polish?” she asked. “The blond lady Daddy takes me to see on Sundays.” After my parents were divorced, I overheard Grandma say, “Yetta, your baggage will hamper you from finding another husband.” So as Mama bathed me, she said, “Don’t call me Mama.” Hearing this was hurtful. My father hadn’t taken me with him when he left. Now, I felt Mama no longer wanted me. I was four years old. Who would take care of me? It was a desperate, sometimes devastating journey through the depths of despair I lived daily as a preschooler. Then it was a tumultuous adolescence with my malicious grandmother. How did I find the courage to survive the journey through these challenges? You will find it an exciting yet uplifting reading experience.

Author writes about his life and relationship with his mother and her fifteen year struggle with the disease scleroderma.

Baby care book for parents of babies 0-6 months

The Bible says that the kingdom of God suffers violence, and it's the violent who take it by force. The seven major categories of depravity that led to the need for the Flood are common in our world today. Wallace believe it's time for Christian mothers to gather their strength and awaken as warrior moms, ready to equip their children with the spiritual weapons they need for victory before they enter the heat of battle.

“Rachel Macy Stafford's post "The Day I Stopped Saying Hurry Up" was a true phenomenon on The Huffington Post, igniting countless conversations online and off about freeing ourselves from the vicious cycle of keeping up with our overstuffed agendas. Hands Free Mama has the power to keep that conversation going and remind us that we must not let our lives pass us by.” --Arianna Huffington, Chair, President, and Editor-in-Chief of the Huffington Post Media Group, nationally syndicated columnist, and author of thirteen books http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ DISCOVER THE POWER, JOY, AND LOVE of Living “Hands Free” If technology is the new addiction, then multi-tasking is the new marching order. We check our email while cooking dinner, send a text while bathing the kids, and spend more time looking into electronic screens than into the eyes of our loved ones. With our never-ending to-do lists and jam-packed schedules, it’s no wonder we’re distracted. But this isn’t the way it has to be. In July 2010, special education teacher and mother Rachel Macy Stafford decided enough was enough. Tired of losing track of what matters most in life, Rachel began practicing simple strategies that enabled her to momentarily let go of largely meaningless distractions and engage in meaningful soul-to-soul connections. She started a blog to chronicle her endeavors and soon saw how both external and internal distractions had been sabotaging her happiness and preventing her from bonding with the people she loves most. Hands Free Mama is the digital society’s answer to finding balance in a media-saturated, perfection-obsessed world. It doesn’t mean giving up all technology forever. It doesn’t mean forgoing our jobs and responsibilities. What it does mean is seizing the little moments that life offers us to engage in real and meaningful interaction. It means looking our loved ones in the eye and giving them the gift of our undivided attention, leaving the laundry till later to dance with our kids in the rain, and living a present, authentic, and intentional life despite a world full of distractions. So join Rachel and go hands-free. Discover what happens when you choose to open your heart—and your hands—to the possibilities of each God-given moment.

These on-call pediatric nurses and moms answer the questions all new parents have on topics from feedings and routines to common medical questions. Instructional DVD included.