Since I work outside the home, my decision to read Dr. Laura’s new book In Praise of Stay-at-Home Moms was a bit masochistic. If you are a working mother and you pick up this book, prepare yourself for a massive guilt trip.

As I read, I tried to remind myself that this book wasn’t written for me. In Praise of Stay-at-Home Moms was written for SAHMs who feel under-appreciated and who may face criticism from family and peers for their decision. And Dr. Laura provides validation, praise and talking points to use when dealing with naysayers.

Your Best Birth: Know All Your Options, Discover the Natural Choices, and Take Back the Birth Experience, by Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein, is a book I would love to recommend to all of my pregnant friends–and I almost can.

Lake and Epstein, or, as they would probably prefer to be called given the “girlfriend” tone of the book, Ricki and Abby, set out to awaken the inner birth goddess in every pregnant woman, but more in the fabulous and fearless sense of goddess than in the crunchy or new-age meaning. They want you to have “YOUR best birth,” rather than THE best or the PERFECT birth, because there is no one-size-fits-all and they know that flexibility is key in childbirth.

As the mother of an active toddler, I barely remember my pre-baby self. Lyss Stern, founder of Divalyssicious Moms, sent me a copy of her new book If You Give a Mom a Martini: 100 Ways to Find 10 Blissful Minutes for Yourself.

Bedtime can be quality time rather than battle time. By establishing a consistent routine, you can make bedtime more enjoyable for the whole family.

Haydenburri Lane’s Bedtime Safari products were designed in conjunction with child development specialists to help children learn the necessary skills and activities needed to get ready for bed.

Haydenburri Lane provides advice to parents on how to establish a positive bedtime routine and why routines are important. (Click here to read their Parents’ Guide.) And they offer a series of board books for preschoolers that make learning routines fun. There are five main characters- Bubbles the Hippo, P.J. the Bear, Chomper the Crocodile, Paige the elephant, and Rory the tiger. Each character stars in a board book and teaches a different skill.

The folks at MomCentral sent me a review sample of Suzy Welch’s new book
10-10-10: A Life-Transforming Idea. From the cover, it looked like another “self-help” book. Since I’m not a big fan of that genre, I’ll admit that I only cracked open 10-10-10 because of Suzy Welch’s…ahem…notoriety.* But I kept reading because the 10-10-10 idea actually made sense.

If only Elizabeth Pantley would accept my offer to come live with me, I could hear her helpful and calming advice all day long. Maybe her next release will be an affirmation CD for stressed-out parents.

Pantley’s The No-Cry Nap Solution: Guaranteed Gentle Ways to Solve All Your Naptime Problems is another winner–combining research-based information about children’s sleep needs with practical and gentle advice and Pantley’s own unique supportive perspective for parents.

Congresswoman Barbara Jordan once said, “Think what a better world it would be if we all, the whole world, had cookies and milk about three o’clock every afternoon and then lay down on our blankets for a nap.” That woud be lovely, but I would content myself with just my household…

Even a billionaire like Oprah, who can afford personal trainers and chefs, has a difficult time staying on the diet and exercise wagon. (Read about Oprah’s recent weight gain here.) It’s even harder for moms– especially if you don’t have a lot of childcare help.
My biggest difficulty is finding time to exercise and prepare healthy meals. I am juggling work and volunteer commitments as well as taking care of my son (which is a full-time job in itself). When naptime comes, I have a long list of tasks to complete. And …

Now that all your presents are unwrapped, give yourself a big present: get organized in 2009!
Keep Track of Your To-Do List:I’m a busy mama, and I keep track of all my appointments, playdates, volunteer commitments and work projects using the 2009 BusyBodyBook Personal & Family Organizer. As a type-A person who actually enjoys organizing things, I’ve tried lots of calendars and planners over the years.
I first discovered the BusyBodyBook in 2007. Its 5 column grid design has made it my favorite. Plus, you can tell it was designed by a mom since Saturday and Sunday have …

Kids know how to navigate the Internet, look up the latest baseball stats, and can tell you what their favorite celebrity wore to the most recent awards ceremony.
But what about financial responsibility?  Are they money savvy? Money Savvy Generation is a program of children’s books, curricula, piggy banks, and financial organizers, develeoped to teach kids about saving, investing, and donating part of what they earn.
The Millionaire Kids Club books, for ages 4-11, children examine these ideas in a clear, fun, and relevant way.  In Putting The “Do” In Donate, the …