Following are some books that I read last month that were good or great…

For Myself: 
-Heather Reider and Mary Goulet’s It’s All About You: Live the Life You Crave: This book (by two moms) gives practical advice to moms regarding how to be successful in every area of their life.  It’s a good book overall.  However, in my opinion, it covers too many topics (money, sex, appearance, career, family, etc.).  I guess that it’s good for those who like to dabble.  I prefer to go in-depth on one primary topic per book.

-Robin Roberts’ From the Heart: Seven Rules to Live By: I really liked this small book full of practical advice.  (I was pleased to see one of my favorite quotes as her #2 "rule".)  The seven rules are: 1. Position Yourself to Take the Shot; 2. Dream Big, but Focus Small; 3. If at First You Don’t Succeed, Dive Back In; 4. Never Play the Race, Gender, or Any Other Card; 5. Venture Outside Your Comfort Zone; 6. Focus on the Solution, Not the Problem; and 7.Keep Faith, Family, and Friends Close to Your Heart.

-Lisa Kothari’s Dear Peppers and Pollywogs…: What Parents Want to Know About Planning Their Kids’ Parties:  This book is written by the founder of a great children’s party website, Peppers and Pollywogs.  It provides practical advice and tips regarding planning parties for kids.  Some of the tips helped me with certain questions that I have had regarding parties as my children grow older (i.e. how to deal with siblings of invited guests, etc.).  I highly recommend this book as a practical guide. 

For My Sons:
-The Police Cloud
-Ginger Bear
-The Giving Tree (a classic!)
-Baby Bear, Baby Bear What Do You See?
-The Alphabet from A to Y with Bonus Letter Z  
-Big and Little
and
Punk Farm On Tour 

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1. Stacks & Stacks: When we were at the Long Island cottage in September, my husband commented on two things that were in the cottage that he "wished" we had at home…a mail and key holder by the front door and a hanging towel holder in the bathroom.  Instead of the hanging towel holder (his point was that people were coming out of the bathroom with dripping hands even when I put out hand towels), I just got a simple, cute paper towel holder for the bathroom.  That should take away any confusion.  I found both at this great site.

2. Huggies Extra Sensitive Wash: My oldest son has very sensitive skin, so we’ve always had to buy special products for his skin (read: more costly).  I was pleasantly surprised to discover this reasonably priced (around $5), fragrance-free body wash that does not irritate his skin.  (It’s also safe for babies and kids with eczema.)

3. Single-item parting gifts at birthday parties: I love, love, love this idea because (being the clutter-phobe that I am) I’m not a big fan of a lot of little tchotchkes that are normally found in birthday party goody-bags. I went to two birthday parties this month where the moms gave single item gifts.  One, had an assortment of books that she let the kids choose from on the way out. It was really cute, because it had a picture of the birthday boy as part of the bookplate. (An easy way to make bookplate stickers at home is to use a photo of your child with a few typed words and print it out on labels.)  The other had an assortment of puzzles that she let the kids choose from.  Since my son loves both books and puzzles, he was happy too.  This is one idea that I’ll be borrowing in the future. (Except for my son’s next b-day party…he has his heart set on Chuck-E-Cheese, so attendees will be getting their goody bags of toys and candy aka tchotchkes - I apologize in advance.)

4. More variety in term life insurance policies:  I’m not a financial planner.  I just "play" one as a mom.  Seriously though, every mom should be knowledgeable about the basics of finances.  I really like that there are new options in term life insurance (the best type of insurance in my - and Suze Orman’s - opinion).  Met Life has a new "Term Life & Disability Package" which combines the two types of insurance that families need the most.  Prudential Financial, Inc. also recently introduced a new term life insurance policy that includes a money back guarantee, PruLife Return of Premium (ROP) Term, which guarantees the return of all premiums paid if the insured person lives past the end of the term.
 
5. "My First Daily Planner" Wall Hanging by Leaps and Bounds Kids: I have been looking for a kid’s wall calendar to give my son a visual of the days of the week, the months, etc.  I found this and so much more in this wall hanging.  It also has space for the day’s weather, the season, the activities of the day and there’s even a space for how the kid is feeling.

6. It was love at first sight when I saw Staub’s blue, round teapot, but at $120 (coupled with the fact that I already have a perfectly good teapot) it’s going to have to wait until a special occassion … perhaps Christmas.  If my husband is looking, he can find it at Sur la Table.

7. I want a BlackBerry, specifically I want the  BlackBerry 8830.  It includes email, text and instant messaging, a personal organizer, a web browser, GPS and it’s cute.  I won’t get one though because I truly think that it would hurt my relationship with my husband and kids.  (I can easily get obsessed with email.  At least with the computer, I have to turn it off at times.  As such, a BlackBerry would not be a good thing for an obsessive person like me.) It’s still one of my favorite things though. 

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In case you’re interested:

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I read this book back in early August and I’m just getting around to writing about it although I’ve recommended it verbally to several friends.
 
Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton’s book (http://www.marcusbuckingham.com/books/discover-strengths.php) is great in that they encourage readers to focus on using their strengths rather than the conventional wisdom of focusing on fixing your weaknesses. 
 
They start off by defining strength as “consistent, near perfect performance in an activity”.  Then, they write about building strengths through knowledge (skills acquired by facts and experiences) and by focusing on your talents (any recurring pattern of thought, feeling & behavior that can be productively applied).
 
Next, they counsel readers on how to find their strengths.  Monitoring spontaneous, top pf mind reactions to situations and encounters can be a way to trace talents.  They also encourage monitoring your “yearnings”, noting what you learn quickly and simply paying attention to what brings you satisfaction.  They have this online StrengthsFinder quiz that can help you pinpoint your top five.  (Mines are Achiever, Arranger, Fairness, Learner and Responsibility.)
 
The book winds up by encouraging readers to focus on their signature themes, to learn how to manage others’ strengths and to build a strengths-based organization. 
 
Although many of these points are primarily focused towards business professionals, I think that a lot of the concepts can also be used by moms in managing their households.  Since reading it, I have really been making a special effort to focus on my strengths and to encourage my oldest son’s strengths/take them into account.  I don’t know if I’m building a “strengths-based” household but I’d like to think that I am.

In the follow-up book, GO PUT YOUR STRENGTHS TO WORK Six Powerful Steps to Achieve Outstanding Performance (http://www.marcusbuckingham.com/books/gpystw.php) by Marcus Buckingham, he teaches readers how to practically apply the labels that they gave themselves in Now, Discover Your Strengths.  The goal is for people to use their strengths in their workplaces most of the time.  (According to various polls, only 17% of people spend the majority of a typical day playing to their strengths!) 

The follow-up book really made me think about my “dream job” and I was happy to note that at this point in my life, I pretty much have it!  I really love learning and teaching others what I’ve learned, which is what I do as the NYC Metro parenting guide at BabyZone / ParentZone (the #2 baby site on the web!).  The book also made me think of how I could use my strengths even more.  I realized that I want to write more articles, so I’ve started doing that.  Ultimately, I think that in the future, I would like to do what I currently do on a larger scale (perhaps I will be a weekly or monthly parenting columnist for a major newspaper or national magazine).  As my son loves to say (after hearing it on a Bravo commercial): “Watch What Happens”.

In any event, I definitely encourage all moms (both those who work in and outside of the home) to read (or skim) these books.

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I had the following sidebar published in the October issue of Big Apple Parent based on some tips that I gave at a Babies R Us seminar that I led earlier this year.  (If you’re interested in reprinting these tips, please email me at kcoleman@mominthecity.com.)

KIDS’ CLASSES: 5 Money Saving Tips

1. Be sure to do your research before investing in a class.  Many companies offer free (or reduce-priced) trial classes.  All you have to do is call and ask if and when they hold trial classes.

2. Compare prices for popular classes on the provider’s website.  Often you can get the exact same class for different prices based on the facility where the class is held.  Be careful that you don’t pay for “real estate”.

3. Ask about discounts and special offers. Often, these deals aren’t mentioned unless you ask. Common discounts include early enrollment, re-enrollment, sibling discounts and discounts for taking multiple classes.  Also, be sure to check the company’s website because some specials are only mentioned online as monthly promotions.

4. Consider joining clubs and organizations in order to get discounts and free classes.  Many organizations (like the JCC and the Ys) offer substantial discounts to their members.

5. Be sure that you’re comparing apples to apples. When comparing class prices, be sure to take into account the number of classes and the length of each class (i.e. a four session half-hour music class for $200 is not a better financial deal than an eight session 45-minute music class for $350).

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