BOOKWORM.PH

Description:
This mother's memory journal takes you on a journey that will become a cherished family memoir. Designed in a 12-month format, each month features 12 intriguing questions with space to write a personal answer. Questions explore family history, childhood memories, lighthearted incidents, cherished traditions, and the dreams and spiritual adventures encountered in a lifetime of living. Her written words become windows to a mother's heart.

Hilarious... [Jenny] takes a no-holds-barred look at the joys, challenges, and humiliations of the first year of motherhood. (Time Out New York)

Product Description
Crayons in the Dryer is a collection of Cheryl's humorous, all-too-true observations on motherhood that will have you nodding and saying, "I know exactly what she means!"

But she does more than make you laugh—she finds the inspiration in those everyday moments and shares her insights in a wise, heartwarming style. You'll come away refreshed and ready to be the best mother you can be.

About the Author
Cheryl Kirking uses her experience parenting triplets to encourage others to identify, delight in, and use their God-given gifts. She is a songwriter and popular conference speaker who tickles the funny bones and tugs at the heart strings of women nationwide through her Ripples of Encouragement presentations. Cheryl has been a frequent guest on Christian radio and TV shows, including Life Today with Betty and James Robison.

Review:
Talk show host and prolific author Leman (Making Children Mind without Losing Yours, etc.) dispenses traditional parenting advice to new mothers in this stern but encouraging book. A family psychologist by training, Leman is strongest when dealing with the emotional and psychological aspects of parenting, such as bonding, playtime and discipline. (His philosophy: "I don’t believe spanking is appropriate under the age of two, and I think it runs its course by the age of six.") For Leman, the most important thing a mother can do is to "create a place of belonging and an attitude of family togetherness." He emphasizes the importance of sacrifice, of breastfeeding, of maintaining a romantic marriage and of staying home to raise the kids. Some readers may find Leman’s opinions quite dated. He assumes, for example, that first-time dads aren’t interested in reading parenting books and warns mothers that if they don’t take time off work to raise their own children, they and their child may "end up in some counselor’s office" confronting the problems of detachment and delinquency. Leman’s tone also varies throughout the book. At times, he is almost excessively encouraging ("Good for you. You did it. You’re a parent!"). At other moments, he is winningly realistic ("Parenting is about decades, not days"). Occasionally, however, he can be quite patronizing, as when he uses child-talk to explain to his readers that "babies don’t need daddies to act like mommies or mommies who try to act like daddies." Fans of Leman’s television show, Reality Talks!, will appreciate his practical, fatherly attitude, but those seeking more progressive advice and opinions will be better off looking elsewhere.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Description:
More and more women are becoming home-based business moms, attempting the delicate balance of serving God, their husbands, their children, and running a business from home. Kendra has a passion to help women succeed in achieving these goals . . . without losing her mind. Using the awe-inspiring example of the Proverbs 31 woman to teach readers how to prioritize her commitments and opportunities, Smiley provides practical tools and time-saving tips that will guide women across the tightrope to the achievement of the goals.

Description:
"A book that many mothers...might find to be a life-saver. Or, more accurately, a sanity-saver." (USA Today)

Yes, some women are opting out of their careers, taking an "off-ramp," and heading home to raise their babies. But millions of us cannot afford to make that choice. And millions more choose to work because we love our careers. So how are women holding on to financially necessary or stimulating and rewarding careers and still being engaged mothers?

Wendy Sachs, journalist and mother of two, set out to find what's really happening at the intersection of motherhood and work today. Based on her in-depth interviews with mothers from diverse backgrounds, How She Really Does It explores the creative and courageous ways in which stay-at- work moms are making it happen.

Here are the moms next door-as well as lawyers, doctors, entrepreneurs, fashion designers, journalists, and television personalities-who are navigating the everyday work/home conflicts, and, yes, dealing with the guilt. Through it all, they are empowered career women and caring, present mothers.

A modern working woman's survival guide, How She Really Does It will give you hope that even if you can't have it all, you can have at least some of it all of the time.

Product Description
Teaches young moms to meet their need for finding and maintaining friendships during this unique season of having small children.
From the Back Cover
How to find new friends--and keep the ones you've got

Your friends walk beside you, making everything about life--especially motherhood--more fun. But it can be difficult to find time for friendship once you become a mother. Motherhood is wonderful, but its consuming nature can leave your life out of balance. That's when friendships become the lifeline that makes all the difference. How do you find time for supportive friendships in the midst of a busy mom's schedule?

Description:
Here she comes to save the day . . . again! Gwendolyn Diaz, author of The Adventures of Mighty Mom, offers practical and insightful keys for raising super kids. (And whose kids aren't super?) Whether you are a brand-new mom or are raising children of all ages, you will be surprised, inspired, and challenged to grow as a mom.

With chapter titles like Don't Underestimate the Power of a Bad Night's Sleep, Go Ahead and Dance on the Dining Room Table, For Every "No" There Should Be an Equally Attractive "Yes," and Sometimes We've Got to Bore Our Kids to Life, Gwen serves up wisdom, sprinkled with a large helping of humor and common sense.

Description:
Two real moms—with six kids between them—inspire women to find purpose in nurturing their children and cherishing the present with the families that God has given them. Fresh voices in the mom arena, Laurie and Sharon, who happen to be sisters, are compassionate and transparent as they share from their lives and offer practical help to lift the weight of motherhood. Discussion questions with each chapter make this book ideal for groups as well as individuals.

Description:
Most moms don't think of themselves as leaders. But in reality, moms are the most important leaders in the world. This simple, six-step course will equip mothers to be the Positive Home Directors God intended them to be.

Review:
When a lawyer in California tries to ban the sale of Oreos to minors, Paula Spencer comes to the rescue, showing how good old common sense trumps the "parenting experts" any day. The author and mother of four, who writes the "Momfidence" column in Woman's Day magazine, dispenses what she's learned on the job in an upbeat, funny and practical way: "There is no right or wrong way to do most of the business of parenting. There is, however, almost always a more expedient one." Debunking parenting overkill, Spencer provides helpful reality checks ("Every firstborn is a guinea pig") and reassuring tales of her own moments of doubt, poking fun along the way at health trends, safety angst and the overwhelming number of childhood experts ready to make your parenting decisions for you: "No matter how many tax dollars are being spent ... on researchers dissecting the minds, bodies and stomachs of our kids, raising a child will always be an art form, not a science." For Spencer, parenting is about mothers doing what works for them, losing their guilt and having confidence in their choices-whether that means bedtime at 8:00 p.m. sharp, drugging your kids with TV, or choosing to feed your picky child "whatever he will eat."
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Amazon.com Review
So you have young children or a baby on the way and you think it would be great to work at home. Well, picture this: key reports livened up with crayon, loud shrieks during client calls, and no way to leave the office at day's end. If you envision yourself sailing over these hurdles and think you have a talent that can help you make money while still in your sweats, Mompreneurs is for you. It is packed with good tips on writing a business plan, getting a loan, setting fees, creating office space, and finding the right mix of child care. The guide includes inspiring tales of mothers whose businesses are now household names. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist
Many articles and books have been devoted to the art of home-based business. And some publications even include a few paragraphs or one chapter about the special situation of work-at-home moms. Valuable tips and advice, however, have been missing. To plug the hole, freelance writers Parlapiano and Cobe quite literally cover the complete home front, from figuring out job requirements to planning business growth. Need hints about discouraging kids from telephone interruptions? Confused about child care options and possible expenses? Want to identify a workable schedule that considers children's and husband's time? Almost every conceivable question has been anticipated and answered, buttressed by online statistics (what other moms do), individual success stories, and the "mompreneur Hall of Fame" (e.g, Sheryl Leach, creator of the ubiquitous purple dinosaur). Barbara Jacobs --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description

Home–management experts and authors Emilie Barnes and Sheri Torelli spruce up this classic by adding newly updated material and an eye–catching cover. For more than 25 years, Emilie and Sheri have conducted time–management seminars and taken the opportunity to listen to the thousands of attending women express their hearts’ desires—to find more hours each day for what really matters most: family, home, and quality of life.

This book is their response. Here’s a thorough collection of those time–tested answers to every woman’s dilemma...

* Establish simple systems that save time and money and gain peace of mind
* Organize the home’s problem areas—kitchen cupboards, crowded closets, home offices, and more
* Reclaim precious time for family and friends

Filled with inspiration, encouragement, and tried–and–true tips, this book is a must–have for every woman!

Review:
According to Penley, who self-published The M.O.M.S. Handbook, the key to making mothering easy and enjoyable is to become aware of ways of interacting in the world (e.g., being extroverted or introverted, sensing things based on facts or feeling them intuitively) and balance personal needs with external demands. Penley developed her "Mothers of Many Styles" (M.O.M.S.) program to free women of the image of the "perfect" mother and help them identify their strengths and weaknesses first as mothers, and then in all relationships. Based on the Myers-Briggs personality inventory, Penley's questionnaires and evaluations may aid some readers, but others may find the system—it involves 16 personality types and 16 corresponding mothering styles—complicated and time-consuming. Perhaps the most valuable aspect of Penley's program is her focus on self-care and her recognition of the unique gifts that each woman has to offer her children. However, trying to work with Penley's system on a daily basis could, ironically, add more stress and yet another layer to the image of perfection: the thoroughly self-aware mother who can respond appropriately to her child in all situations. (May 1)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Finding encouragement in the ultimate helping profession

Description:
What is it like to be a mother? Forty-two women seek the answer to this question as they tell their own stories in their own words. Mothers Talking brings the reader face-to-face with the rewards, sadness and humor of motherhood.

Description:
The day Angela Thomas sold the only thing she had-the diamond from her engagement ring-to take care of her kids was the day she began to believe they were going to make it. In that decision, the faith she had always talked about became the faith she was going to learn how to live. In the years since, God has given Angela a passionate desire . . . to live an amazing life, even while raising four kids as a single mom. In this book she shares her hard-earned wisdom on loneliness, dating, finances, and parenting, encouraging every solo mom. "As a gift to our children," she says, "we can become healthy moms who are strong and amazing women in spite of our circumstances."

Product Description
Moms get a lot of advice from TV shows, magazines, friends, their own mothers, and more. But all of this well-meaning counsel tends to paralyze moms. They worry about their children's self-esteem, their health, and whether or not their children like them. They even agonize over scrapbooking every moment of development. Julie Barnhill says, "Enough already!" Unapologetically raucous, slightly irreverent, and refreshingly relevant, One Tough Mother exposes the mind-numbing, brain-draining, confidence-depleting minutia moms get stuck in. With humor and a sharp wit, Julie offers moms a dose of reality and a way to calm their fears about raising children. She encourages moms to straighten up, take back the control from their children, and stand firm on the nonnegotiables. With her help, any mom can become one tough mother.

From the Inside Flap
EXCERPT FROM CATALOG: Motherhood has been sliced and diced, reviewed and dissected. Yet I find myself writing to and speaking with hundreds of thousands of women a year--a large percentage being mothers--and being struck time and time again by consistent mothering tales of feeling out of control, ineffective, and more often than not, under the embarrassing thumb of a precocious toddler, headstrong preschooler, increasingly mouthy grade-schooler, or junior high know-it-all. Sometimes all four. All those websites. All those reality shows. All those books. All those CDs, DVDs, and ancillary teaching items still being paid off on a credit card, and yet many moms aren't convinced they know what they're doing when it comes to actually being the mom. Go figure. I believe this is where I scream at my blinking cursor and declare: enough is enough. It's time for a change--better yet it's time your spawnlings got a dose of long-lasting One Tough Mother change!