In Praise of Stay-at-Home Moms

In Praise of Stay-at-Home Moms
Dr. Laura Schlessinger
5 Stars



I saw this on a friends blog, who also heard about it from a friend and so it goes. I had to check it out. I put it on hold at the library and couldn't wait to get my hands on it. I was not disappointed.



This book was so inspirational to me. I might have to look for a copy of this book at my half-price book store or for a used one because I would love to have it around in my own library for future reference on those "bad days."



I never really planned son going back to work after having my first baby, but that first year was a big adjustment to me. Sometimes I just wanted to go back to work and get a paycheck and hear people tell me what a great job I was doing, but deep down I knew I was in the right place, at home.



Fast forward a few years. I now have 3 kids and watch part time another one. Sometimes I wonder if anyone knows that I did in fact graduate college and have a career at one point. Sometimes I get so lost in the day to day grind that I wonder if the little ones care that I stay with them. My husband is a first year medical resident right now so there are weeks that my job is pretty comparable to a single parent job. But I really wouldn't have it any other way.



I was actually sitting on the couch reading this book one night while my husband was working late, I paused and I looked up to see my kitchen - and a sink full of dishes and no dinner waiting for him. I was motivated by Dr. Laura to get up and finish my job, even though I was tired. I know my husband appreciated that dinner when he got home. The house was clean and things were good.



Bringing it back to the book - I loved it and recommend it hands down. It motivates me each time I think of it or passages I read from it to be a better wife and mother.

Teaching Your Children Joy

Teaching Your Children Joy

Linda and Richard Eyre

5 Stars

I picked up this book and Teaching Your Children Values (post below) gearing up for a new school year. I have loved being able to teach my children during their preschool years at home and this year I am teaming up with another mom in the neighborhood to do a joint "school" similar to ones outlined in this book. There were so many fun ideas in this book that I can't wait to use with our little 3 year old participants!

Teaching Your Children Joy discusses different 'joys' each child should learn to experience in life and each chapter discusses the joy and gives great examples and stories of how we can teach these as parents. They are fun easy no hassle ideas. I love that they aren't elaborate or hard to accomplish and that I feel like I can easily do and teach this book to my family.

I love this book as well as the Values book by the Eyres and can't wait to start our preschool group this week. I recommend any book by the Eyres, they are inspirational and fantastic!

Teaching Your Children Values

Teaching Your Children Values
Linda and Richard Eyre
5 Stars

I love parenting books. I'm not sure why I'm so addicted to them, but they are always so fun to read. Teaching Your Children Values by the Eyes was a perfect inspirational book to help me get in gear for the upcoming school year.

The book is divided into 12 values that you teach over the time period of a year. Each chapter has age appropriate examples and techniques to use. I really found a lot of these ideas helpful and can't wait to get started using them. I loved reading the stories and antidotes about the authors and their own family.

I recommend this book to anyone with a family or wanting to start a family. It has great ideas and you can find it at your library or on Amazon or a used book store. I got mine for a steal at a half price book store and it already had ideas highlighted for me! :) Loved it!

I am a Mother

I Am a Mother

Jane Clayson Johnson

5 stars

Last year for Mother's Day one of my sister's and I went in together and sent my mom this book. It had received good reviews, but I had not read it. I finally got my hands on my mom's copy and took a few days to read it. I LOVED it and can't wait to get my own copy.

Jane Clayson Johnson, a former co-host of the Early Show on CBS addresses the question - how do we stop saying we are just a mother? The book really opened my eyes, I became a mom a little over 5 years ago, and have always been blessed to stay at home with my now 3 little ones. I know this is a blessing, but sometimes I wonder if anyone knows or cares that I once worked a great marketing job, that I did graduate with a Bachelor's degree, that I could still do any number of things and work full time, but I choose to stay at home. This book was exactly the boost that I needed. I am a Mother, I should be proud and I should never be ashamed of my decision to stay at home and be with my children.

I recommend this book to anyone, stay at home moms, working moms, sisters, daughters, even husbands and sons should read this book. It has an inspirational message that is good for all.

Why Gender Matters

Why Gender Matters
Leonard Sax
3 ½ stars

This book was recommended to me by a mommy friend I have at a local library story time. (Our boys are similar ages and we meet there each week and let them play together after story time while we chat).

I loved the first few chapters. It was very informative and had very good information. Leonard Sax, M.D., Ph.D. is a family physician and psychologist. After having a parent tell him once at his office that he should write a book about some of the differences between boys and girls he decided that it should be done, but he only wanted to do it if he could prove every point that he wanted to make with scientific background.

I didn’t agree with everything he had to say on his chapters dealing with sex, drugs, discipline and the chapter regarding lesbian, gay, bisexuals and transgender. Perhaps I am old fashion, or maybe naive, but I truly believe that if I teach my children what is right and to follow the spirit that they will be guided to make good decisions and not always follow the crowd or do things just because they have been scientifically proven. There are exceptions and the author agrees. He points out that families who eat dinner together every night almost never have as many problems pointed out in these chapters then families who do not eat dinner together. Score one for me!

On the other hand, I did really love some of the information in this book. For instance he points out that boys and girls brains develop differently and at different speeds. He points out many different outcomes because of this – the information about coloring was fascinating to me – boys tend to use black, grey, silver and blue and simulate action in their coloring. Girls tend to use red, green, orange and beige and color more objects. There is a whole section devoted to hearing and the differences in tones that girls and boys can hear. The chapter on school and aggression were very interesting. Girl bullies have lots of friends, boy bullies don’t. Girls fight and never speak to that person again, boys fight and are best friends. Boys learn totally different than girls. Girls ask for more help. Leonard Sax is a big believer in same sex schools. I’m not sure that is the answer, but I believe that teachers should be aware of the differences. Most good teachers are.

If I hadn’t got this book at the library, the entire first few chapters would have been marked up, underlined and tagged. I enjoyed it and find it very interesting. I think any teacher or parent should read it. Boys and girls are different. Men and women are different. We have different roles here on earth and I am very glad for it.

First-Time Mom

First-Time Mom
Dr. Kevin Leman
4 Stars
As far as parenting books go, I love Dr. Leman. Yes, in general, I love a lot of different parenting books, but Dr. Leman hits very high marks in my book. This book is a great book for a baby shower. I picked it up when my oldest was already almost 2 and we were thinking about number 2 on the way. Dr. Leman gives practical advice for any mom or parent. (He also writes marriage books as well).

He has 5 children and I love the stories he tells about his household as they were all growing up. While Dr. Leman is not a member of my faith, he shares very similar strong family values and I LOVED the chapter in this book about whether a mom should work or not.

The MomsTown Guide to Getting it All

The MomsTown Guide to Getting It All
Mary Goulet and Heather Redier
3 Stars
After seeing this on the Dr. Phil show and on the shelf at my local library I thought I would give this a try. I am typically happy with my life, but why not read suggestions on how to be happier, right? This book is geared towards moms who stay at home, work from home or work part time. It follows a 10 week program with each chapter and gives homework type assignments with each week. For example, get a journal and write in it, buy a planner and use it, make your bed each morning, pay attention to your eyebrows.

I found it pretty simple to follow and items that I did each day before reading this book. It didn’t have any suggestions that I didn’t like, but nothing really new to me either. It was fun to read and gave me some inspirational thoughts along the way. If you have problems feeling guilty about wanting “me time” this might be a good book to pick up.

Raising Your Spirited Child

Raising Your Spirited Child
Mary Sheedy Kurcinka
3 ½ stars
When my first son was born he was very colicky for a solid year. After many doctor visits –and different doctors, we concluded that he just has a strong personality, which can be a great thing if channeled in the right direction. I found myself reading many different parenting books and loved this one.

I love that she points out that these different types of children are “spirited” not “challenging” or “difficult.” She offers many suggestions and has simple parenting plans. In the third chapter she offers a test where you can rank your child on some simple scales to understand their temperament. It was very insightful to use and helped me better understand my sons temperment. On the flip side, I didn’t like some of the suggestions that she pointed out in the second half of the book. A lot of them worked around the child, which are great, but I also believe that the parent can’t always be the one that has to bent, temperament or not.

She also offers a workbook that goes side by side with this book. I haven’t purchased it, but have looked at it. If you are interested in this book, you might check out the workbook as well.