The creation of Boston-area moms Nina Coslov and Tara Keppler, Food For Thoughtful Parenting is a quick read of modern mom mantras shared as 12 unique lists. Nina and Tara share their favorite parenting strategies and tactics and helpful personal experiences in this fun book. This is not a book with every milestone you should expect in the coming years or about teaching your child to sleep. It is simple, fun, and practical ideas for enjoying (or sometimes just surviving) the bumps and joys of raising children. It’s the kind of advice your friends would (will) give you, if your friends were (are) as experience and creative as Nina and Tara. See the lists and take a peak inside at foodforthoughtfulparenting.com.

Here at The Shopping Mama, we are fortunate to get even more incredible parenting advice with an interview with authors Nina Coslov and Tara Keppler. Our sincere thanks to Nina and Tara for taking the time to share with us and for the awesome ideas!

TSM: You guys are so creative, and I love the creative ideas in your book. I don’t feel like I’m nearly that creative. Have you always been creative people, or has having children really brought it out in you?

Nina: Tara is the creative one of our duo. I don’t think of myself as a creative person, but more of an ideas person and a seeker of adventure.  However, having kids has forced me to get creative about age-appropriate fun for whatever stage our family is at combined with a desire to look for simple ways of enjoying our time together.

Tara: This is going to sound like one of those loathsome “cherished moments,” but here goes: I remember being a kid and going out with a plastic colander to pick beans in our family’s backyard garden.  Back then, it was just another job to be done. I remember imagining a complicated and exciting life on a farm, a reflective voice narrating a story in my head, me, the main character heading out to the fields.

So yes, I think I’ve always been creative. And dreamy, and distractible. Going through school I loved art and poetry and writing and math. When I worked as a teacher and curriculum developer, I loved figuring out different and fresh ways to present material — clearly not everyone learns the same way, and being able to give a kid a foothold in subject matter in a way that resonated with them was really cool.

Having kids provided 100 chances a day to try something more creatively or approach something from a fresh perspective. It also gave me a chance to think about how my kids learn (i.e. what kind of teaching they best responded to) long before they got to school.

TSM: Follow up on the last question, any advice for parents, like me, who don’t know how to be as fun and creative?

Nina: Some ideas for inspiration: look back to your childhood for fond memories and re-create the today version for your own kids; what are your kids specific interests, play off of those?  A kid really interested in baseball, find a little league game, teach them to read the box scores, or learn about different players. What were your pre-kid interests? Likely you can find a kid-friendly way to enjoy them now depending on the age of your kids.  And hey, borrow ideas that you appeal to you, we’re big fans of sharing the wisdom!

Tara: “Thinking in 5 senses” is also a great way to get some ideas for new approaches. When aiming to tee something up as learning opportunity (say, a trip to the zoo), think about different ways that someone could experience it and make part of it “their own.” Some kids love words, others drawing the most, others facts. Get books out of the library that get you thinking about animals in a certain way: read poetry about animals. Look at how an artist would draw or collage animals. What shapes are they putting together? Read about habitats, and relate it to geography. Find out about different diets, and talk about food. Listen to animal sounds. Show them how to use the map. So much about learning and curiosity is about making connections.

Sometimes it’s just a matter of getting some new ideas or giving a something a new spin. Kids won’t always go for the “let’s pretend we’re librarians and line up all of the books!” but a little distraction in a tedious moment (“find toys with wheels,” “anything with red,” “race the 3 minute timer,” “the princess needs a place to sleep”) can go a long way. (Note: parental enthusiasm and playfulness is key! Don’t worry about being too polished or professional with any kind of pretend playing. You can be that any effort toward wackiness and fun will be much more happily received than the same old reminders dished out the same old way.)

TSM: Last month we focused on “On the Go” with our families. I love your chapter Out and About Adventures. Any special advice for families traveling or just getting out of the house more as the weather gets nicer?

Nina: My kids like exploring anything with a picnic.  A picnic can be some nuts and a water bottle.  We keep a blue fleece “beach blanket” in the back of the car for impromptu picnics.   Explore a new playground on your way to something else, pull out the blanket, a snack and voila! An outing!  The spontaneity of “saying yes,” when they say, can we go there sometime is a big hit and a good shake up for we over-planned adults too.

Tara: My big tip about traveling (like actual travel, such as long car trips or journeys that take you en masse through airport security) is that it is not a time to stick to rules or teach lessons. It is a time to indulge. Our goal is to have fun even on the “getting there,” which always means (yes!) candy, good things to listen to if we’re in the car (music we all like, recorded books), and plenty of time so we don’t feel rushed.

On a plane trip, we liked to board last with our little kids instead of first, since it gave them more time to run around and less time to be strapped in seats.

For getting out and moving when the seasons turned, we would go on little walks or hikes and look for “signs of spring.” Lots of little things popping out of the ground, little buds on tree branches. Suggesting something for kids to focus on or find gives you both a way to connect and share. And if you’re feeling ambitious, a trip into the city (for us, taking the T few minutes into Boston) can be anchored for kids by a scavenger hunt. For my pre-readers, an index card with images of things like a T sign, a Red Sox hat, a baby, a hot dog cart, a statue with a horse, a Starbucks coffee cup, a willow tree, a swan boat, a skyscraper, a parking meter, and the golden state house dome, made the trip a special adventure. OK, maybe I had the most fun on those days…!!! (They loved it, they really did! And kept asking for the next one.)

TSM: Tara, I love your idea of the “Never-Go-Away Cuddle.” How did you come up with this idea and what advice do you have for families making it their own?

Tara: I think it probably arose from sheer exasperation one day when I really needed to get something done and it became clear that it just wasn’t going to happen. While I don’t recall the particular situation, I can easily summon the feeling of relief I get (and would have gotten) when something so simple (and, let’s face it, cuddly and YUMMY) totally changes the tide. How do families make this their own? Families make it their own by listing their favorite toys, foods or friends they’ll miss when they spend the rest of eternity cuddling on their own couch . Now, my kids always knew I was kidding…they were in on the joke. I’m sure some children will be better served by their special toys, food or friends being sent to join mom or dad on the couch.

TSM: Your last tidbit of advice is “Say Yes When You Can,” but I feel like it’s one of the most important messages. Can you share a little bit with our readers what Say Yes When You Can means to your lives?

Nina: Our mantra “Say Yes When You Can” is where the book started.  It was an idea Tara suggested to me when I felt like I was saying no all the time and I didn’t want to be.  I was very skeptical at first, worried about indulging my kids too much.  Would they become spoiled?  Out of control?  Expecting everything to be yes and pitching a fit when it wasn’t.  But it really worked, by saying yes more, they respond to the Nos better.  I still say No more than I like, but it’s a work in progress.  Saying Yes more has really been a wonderful shift in my parenting frame.  It feels much better to the entire family.

I will say I have a very good friend who contends this wouldn’t work for one of her children because he would just continue to push for more.  This ties back to another idea we introduce which is “you really do know your children best – trust that.”

Tara: For us it gets us to think more carefully about why we might be saying “no” to something. As my kids have gotten older, this has lead us to be more clear about our expectations and the reasons for our rules.   What are the motives behind the “no?” Is it the need to control? Is it fear? Or is the “no” truly in the service of something that is important to your family? In the day-to-day moments, it’s mostly about not sweating the little things.

Shop! Food For Thoughtful Parenting is a perfect baby shower gift, Mother’s Day gift or even a gift for yourself. It can be purchased for $ 14.95 on line at foodforthoughtfulparenting.com at Amazon or other select retailers.

Win! A Copy of Food For Thoughtful Parenting. Two winners!

How to Enter: Leave a comment with which of the 12 sections (see full list here) you are most excited to read. Or, leave a comment with one piece of advice that made you nod your head in an “a ha moment” from this interview.

We’ll pick two winners are random April 15. Open to US & Canadian residents.

Thanks to the authors of Food for Thoughtful Parenting for providing samples and the giveaway prizes.