Review of Journey to the Darkside: Supermom Goes Home (Paperback)

my baby is almost 11 months and i'm looking at going back to work in a month. naturally i've flirted at the idea of quitting my bank job and staying at home. this book gives a preview of what awaits! it's another jungle out there, and it only seems great and promising when one is still deciding to crossover. to other moms, read this and be forewarned. anyway i really enjoyed the book and would recommend it to others looking for some insight and comic relief!

Product Description
In her latest book, popular humorist and parenting writer Kathy Buckworth takes a good, hard look at what happens when high-powered corporate moms decide to hang up their briefcases and venture into the uncharted waters of the stay-at-home world.

Journey to the Darkside: SuperMom Goes Home explores the culture shock that results when a woman goes from being a corporate go-getter to being an unpaid chauffeur, chef, and maid. Think you're a pro at dealing with office politics? Wait until you attend your first PTA meeting. Confident in your ability to make sound wardrobe choices? Don't listen too closely to what the other stay-at-home moms are saying at the park. Expect your husband to help out when you're feeling under the weather? Hah!

Part guidebook, part warning, Journey to the Darkside is insightful, hilarious, and brutally honest. It will have moms (stay-at-home or otherwise) laughing out loud-which is a good thing, because otherwise, they might have to cry.

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Review of Deceptions and Betrayals (Paperback)

Despite the title of this brief memoir, the story of Marty Wurtz's life is more a story of triumph--so much so that she might have titled the book Deceptions, Betrayals, and Triumphs. While Wurtz glosses over a lot of material in the course of this 50-year review of key events in her life, her ability to overcome the chief "deceptions and betrayals" is the glue that holds everything together in this encouraging narrative.

Wurtz has had a lot to triumph over: a selfish and controlling father, an abusive first husband, and manipulative in-laws in her second marriage (although her husband this time was, as Wurtz puts it, "her prince").Throughout, Wurtz fashions a narrative that resonates with the endurance of one individual over adversity.

More remarkable is Wurtz's ability to do what only a handful of writers have attempted, and at which fewer have succeeded: to write engagingly about oneself in the third person. Charles Dickens accomplished as much in David Copperfield and Great Expectations, as did Laura Ingalls Wilder in her Little House books.What makes this feat so hard to achieve is the difficulty in gaining the distance from one's own experience required to write in a point of view that is so predominantly objective. The level of accomplishment in Deceptions and Betrayals is such that one does not realize, at first, that one is even reading a memoir.

Best of all, Deceptions and Betrayals does have the obligatory happily-ever-after ending, and because Wurtz writes with such skill about the trials she has had to overcome, we end up feeling as if our own problems seem a little less, while our own ability to face them seems a little more.This, perhaps, is why the "triumph-over-adverse-circumstances" theme, from David Copperfield to Little House, to Angela's Ashes and beyond, continues to attract such talent, and such appeal.


Product Description
This is not your average run of the mill autobiography, far from it!Deceptions and Betrayals is a touching and inspiring story with astounding events and triumphs.Marty shares her story of survival with wry wit and humor.Beginning during World War II and touching on the Vietnam era, Deceptions and Betrayals spans over sixty years of highs and lows, tears and laughter.This autobiography reads like a carefully crafted novel, finding grace in straightforward honesty.

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Review of Kid Tips (Paperback)

Each of the tips in this book was submitted by a parent so someone knows they work!It is better than some "expert" giving you advice.I found almost all of the tips to be practical and many were very creative.I just never think of things like this!The layout also works well-it is laid out according to topics such as feeding, bedtime, play, etc...The only negative thing, and it may be just my poor memory, is that I glance through the tips but I probalby will never remember any of them!I haven't yet pulle dout the book because I wanted to find out how someone else did something.A cute idea if you have a good memory and are really organized.At a minimum it is interesting to read how others do things.I think this would be a good gift for an expecting mom!



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Review of Stay-At-Home Handbook (Paperback)

Cheryl Gochnauer does it again.Her insight into the life of a stay-at-home mom shines through this book in so many ways.There isn't a facet she doesn't touch on, whether it's finances, helping other moms who are struggling (being their Godsend), keeping your sanity through those long days, school cancellations woes, and overcoming the need to "do it all."

There's a foreword by Dr. Laura Schlessinger that sheds a VERY interesting light on a stay-at-home vs. working-outside-the-home lifestyle.

This book should be on the bookshelf of every parent....

Product Description
Is your "home number" your "work number" too?If you are a stay-at-home parent, you know the workday never really ends. And every day brings both all-too-familiar challenges and unexpected joys. How do you keep it together--physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually?Cheryl Gochnauer's previous book, So You Want to Be a Stay-at-Home Mom, helped parents consider what staying home requires and whether that choice was the best for them and their families. In this new guidebook Gochnauer tackles common--but often difficult--questions and challenges that beset stay-at-home parents:

• retaining an individual identity
• feeling appreciated
• viewing childrearing as a valid career choice
• spending wisely
• resisting guilt
• evaluating work-at-home opportunities
• handling sibling rivalry
• volunteering at your child's school
• succeeding as a stay-at-home dad
• avoiding the TV
• getting help with chores
• setting a godly example
• nurturing your spiritual growth

Forty-two brief chapters cover a variety of topics and can each be read in about ten minutes. Gochnauer also includes an appendix on networking opportunities for stay-at-home parents and a helpful listing of ministries and organizations that offer parenting resources, services and conferences (all accessible on the Internet).If you are a mom or dad at home part-time or full-time, you'll find immense encouragement--plus practical advice from one who has been there (and still is!)--in Stay-at-Home Handbook.

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Review of The Parents Answer Book: From Birth Through Age Three (Parent's Picks) (Mass Market Paperback)

There is only one thing I disagree in this book which had a very small section suggesting letting a baby cry for an extended period because it says it is important for a baby to learn to comfort him/herself and handlereturning to sleep on his/her own.I am against letting a baby youngerthan 6 months to cry it out under any circumstances.If my baby was 6months or older, I may let him cry him out at night only for 5-10 minutesmaxium.That is also why I only gave it 4 stars.Other than that, Ibelieve the book was very well-written and organzied.The book talks aboutthe newborn basics, covers physical, emothional and cognitive milestones,your child's health etc.

Product Description
Everythingyou need to know about your child's development, health, and safety-in one book!

Why isn't my baby rolling over yet? Will my child start talking soon? How can I get my toddler to eat her vegetables? When will my child be ready to use the potty? What type of preschool is best?

Parenthood is a time of overwhelming emotions-and questions. At last, many of the questions you have about your child are answered in this indispensable reference brought to you by the trusted editors of Parents, America's #1 family magazine since 1926. Like a wise, trusted friend, this comprehensive resource offers authoritative, time-tested advice on how to raise a happy, healthy, safe, and secure child, from birth through age three.

This must-have guide features:
* Q & A sidebars that address parents' pressing concerns
* All the basics you need to know for infant care from day one through the first year
* "It Worked for Me" parent-tested solutions
* An A-Z guide to symptoms and treatments, covering everything from the flu to meningitis
* First aid basics for handling medical emergencies
* Special sidebars on "When to Call the Doctor" and "Pediatricks," original tips from pediatricians
* Childproofing every room in the home
* "Parents Alert" boxes that highlight everyday dangers


From the Inside Flap
The Resource Every Family Should Have On Their Bookshelf!

Newborn Basics, an illustrated introduction to infant care, helps you through the daily routines and quandaries that begin the moment you get home from the hospital. An "owner's manual" for new parents, it takes you from day one through the first year, when your information needs are greatest.

As They Grow covers physical, emotional, and cognitive milestones in a young child's life and underscores what you can do to promote your child's growth in each area.

Your Child's Health gives you all the tools you'll need to ensure your child's well-being with a thorough guide to healthy habits and preventive care, including an A to Z list of common symptoms and treatments.

Safe and Sound provides step-by-step guidance on creating a safe home and a safe environment wherever you go throughout your child's life.


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Review of Dads Toddlers & Chicken Dance (Paperback)

Downey's book is a must read for all dads, old and new to this game of parenting. I was the fortunate recipient of this book, and having read Downey's earlier book, "So You're Gonna Be A Dad," I knew immediately that Downey would deliver with hilarious material that would make a difference in raising my two daughters. I have not been disappointed.
One significant diifference between Downey's book and others is that his approach diminishes the anxiety that comes with being a dad. He lets you know that there's a lot of other guys going through the same things, and they're all doing just fine.
Perfect holiday gift--better yet, the PERFECT gift to give Dad when his son or daughter turns two. I give Downey's book, "Dads, Toddlers, and the Chicken Dance" the highest rating possible: *****.

Product Description
Hilarious and helpful book for fathers explains thereality of toddlerhood. Downeys hilarious no-nonsense style makesDads, Toddlers and the Chicken Dance a refreshingly politicallyincorrect but informative guide for dads whose babies havemetamorphosed into a creature known as toddlerus destructivus.

Get the low-down on all the thrills and chills of raising a toddler, including:

BabysittingNutritionCommon sicknessesMoney LawnmowersArnold SchwarzeneggerTelevisionBedtime Toddler-proofing your homeSpeech developmentSpanking TantrumsToilet-trainingBirthday partiesParentalsanitySperm testingContraceptionChoosing a preschool BathtimeThe chicken danceVasectomiesAnd, ofcourse, lots of stuff about sex!

About the Author
PETER DOWNEY B.Ed., M.A., J.P., Ed.D., describes himself asoutstandingly ordinary. He lives in a red brick house with his wife,his trio of daughters and a rabbit named Chloe, to whom he is allergic(the rabbit, that is, not the kids). He brews his own beer, takes milkin his coffee and often walks to the corner store to buy bread and thepaper. He wrote this book because he believes in fatherhood; becausehe wanted to warn his paternal brothers about the challenges of livingwith a small child; and because he thinks all other parenting booksare lousy. The main reason, however, is so he can claim his vasectomyas a tax deduction. He lives in Australia.

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