Skip the calorie counting—this gentle guide to post-pregnancy weight loss empowers new moms to make lifestyle changes that naturally lead to improved health and happiness After giving birth, even the most confident, fit, and spiritually centered women can feel depressed, overwhelmed by the responsibilities of motherhood, and disheartened by their postpartum bodies. Erin Cox knows exactly how they feel. She wrote One Hot Mama as a comprehensive guide to support, nurture, and steer women through a fun and completely doable process to lose unwanted pregnancy pounds and create an exceptional life. Erin understands that weight loss is an emotional process, and new mothers need to feel empowered and supported to make healthy lifestyle changes. New moms don’t have the time or energy to count calories, but rather need guidelines and easy-to-implement suggestions on how to improve their diet and exercise routines. Using a realistic approach that has proven to be effective, mothers will be encouraged to make positive life changes that will encourage weight loss, positive thinking, and self-love. Women who read this book will not only feel empowered and invigorated to get their bodies back in shape, but the positive changes will impact every single aspect of life—allowing them to live a joyous and fulfilled life as a woman and mother, even emerging happier and healthier than before getting pregnant.
You want the best for your kids, but resources are limited and you’re overloaded with information. From the moment your kids are born, the kiddie-perfecting complex is pushing you to buy-buy-buy. And playtime is no different. You feel pressured to sign the kids up for an ever-escalating array of classes and clinics, send them to the right sleep-away or math enrichment camp, soccer clinic, ballet, art, and music classes—or else they’re doomed to fail. Right? Not so fast. Lifestyle guru Rosalyn Hoffman knows that kids need balance: time to be bored and find their own inner resources, time to ride their bikes and shoot hoops, time to experience the joy of free play. And when it’s time to sign them up for organized activities, Hoffman offers sane guidance for navigating the world of lessons and programs, explaining how to get them in everything from art classes to music lessons to sports to camp—without breaking the bank.
For the legions of harried moms who have tossed in the dishtowel on cooking healthy meals (or any meals!), the easiest-ever guide for bringing super nutrition back to the kitchen. Getting dinner on the table night after night can be a challenge. So it’s no surprise that busy moms often rely on fast food, takeout, and convenience meals like macaroni & cheese, chicken nuggets, and fries. The kids love it but the drawback is that little twinge of guilt moms feel every time they feed their family another not-so-healthy meal. At the end of the day, many children end up with a poor diet high in sugar, saturated fat, and calories … a major factor in the rising rates of obesity. Finally, here are realistic guidelines designed to give families a healthy meal makeover. The Moms lay out a 5-Step Meal Makeover Plan, explaining how to market good nutrition to kids, establish food rules, and make life easier in the kitchen. In The Best of the Bunch chapter they reveal which brands of kid convenience foods–hot dogs, frozen pizza, and more–are the best tasting and most nutritious ones out there. The Moms show how to stock a healthy pantry and whip up delicious anytime meals using pantry staples. They even serve up 120 reworked recipes for family favorites such as Fast-as-Boxed Macaroni & Cheese, Squishy Squash Lasagna, Cheesy Broccoli Soup, Sweet Potato Fries, and Chocolate Pudding with Toppers.
Authors, moms, and fitness enthusiasts Kara Douglass Thom and Laurie Kocanda work to balance motherhood and fitness. They know other moms struggle to make exercise a priority in their lives because they speak with similarly minded women at seminars and on their blogs. It was from these conversations--and the interest in them--that the idea for Hot (Sweaty) Mamas was born. This book is perfect for every mom or mom-to-be thinking about starting an exercise program, as well as moms already pursuing their fitness goals. Hot (Sweaty) Mamas reaches a wider audience than other fitness books that merely focus on "getting your prebaby body back" by presenting advice on how to pursue fitness despite a busy schedule, how to carve out time with or without kids to work out, and how to get the support needed to pursue fitness goals. Moms who find it difficult to start or stick with an exercise program will learn how to reframe their thinking. Women who continue to work out and struggle with the guilt sometimes associated with taking "me time" will be reassured. Mothers-to-be will feel better prepared to pass a legacy of health and fitness to their children and make fitness and motherhood coexist. Thom and Kocanda reveal the secrets to being a fit mom inside Hot (Sweaty) Mamas.
Financial expert Catey Hill shows moms how to spend less and save big in this savvy guide where each step is designed to take 30 minutes max. Let's face it, kids are expensive -- in 24 states, daycare actually costs more than in-state college tuition! And the older kids get, the more you will spend. Every mom could use more money. But who has hours to search for coupons just to save a few dollars? And sure, you know you should learn how to get the most of your 401k, but when will you possibly find the time? Luckily, financial expert Catey Hill has created smart, simple strategies to help you maximize your money in minimal time (yes, even your 401k). Drawing on extensive research and exclusive studies on the actual cost of raising a child at each age, she'll show you how to save in each area of your life, including practical tips on: Shopping second-hand vs. what to buy new and where Lowering your grocery bill (without coupons!) Building up a college fund Dealing with high interest credit card debt Saving on insurance Best of all, these tips are designed to be done in less than half an hour, and the few things that might take a little longer are broken down in 30-minute segments. Catey will even guide you through a one-time five-step process that will allow you to manage all your bills, keep an eye on the family budget, and build savings for that dream family vacation in just 30 minutes a week, so you can stress less and enjoy your life more!"A handy resource for any parent trying to figure out how to balance a family budget." -- Soledad O'Brien, anchor of Matter of Fact with Soledad O'Brien "An indispensable guide for parents who want to gain control of their finances." -- Elizabeth Willard Thames, author of Meet the Frugalwoods
Who was your mother before she was a mother? Essays and photos from Brit Bennett, Jennifer Egan, Danzy Senna, Laura Lippman, Jia Tolentino, and many more. In this remarkable collection, New York Times–bestselling novelist Edan Lepucki gathers more than sixty original essays and favorite photographs to explore this question. The daughters in Mothers Before are writers and poets, artists and teachers, and the images and stories they share reveal the lives of women in ways that are vulnerable and true, sometimes funny, sometimes sad, and always moving. Contributors include: Brit Bennett * Jennine Capó Crucet * Jennifer Egan * Angela Garbes * Annabeth Gish * Alison Roman * Lisa See * Danzy Senna * Dana Spiotta * Lan Samantha Chang * Laura Lippman * Jia Tolentino * Tiffany Nguyen * Charmaine Craig * Maya Ramakrishnan * Eirene Donohue * and many others
A "Medical Mom" is a mother of a child with medical difficulties. Typically these mothers have been through one or more hospital admissions. Their child may or may not have a diagnosis. At first they're frazzled and unsure, but over time they become staunch advocators for their children and their medical needs. My goal is to reach the frazzled and unsure beginners and expedite their development into the advocates their children need them to be. Everyone has to start somewhere. The journey to becoming a fully-fledged medical mama is no exception. Whether you have some medical knowledge already, or don't have a clue what any of the words the doctor is using mean, you're in the right place. I'm going to make sure you know the basics. By the time you're through, you'll know how to survive admission, whether it's a day or a month. You can do this. I know it's overwhelming. The things the doctors say may not even be making sense right now. If you've already received a diagnosis, your head is still spinning trying to figure out what that means for you and your child. If you haven't, but your child is obviously struggling and no one knows why, you're not alone. There is a ton of women out there, just like you, which have no idea what's wrong with their child. If you're a medical dad, let me apologize in advance. Most of the medical parents I know are mothers. Many fathers help, but the mothers frequently provide the majority of medical care to the child. If you are your child's primary medical caregiver, you're just as awesome as us moms! Please don't feel intimidated by the fact I refer to mothers throughout the text. It applies to dads too.
When Emma Johnson's marriage ended she found herself broke, pregnant, and alone with a toddler. Searching for the advice she needed to navigate her new life as a single professional woman and parent, she discovered there was very little sage wisdom available. In response, Johnson launched the popular blog Wealthysinglemommy.com to speak to other women who, like herself, wanted to not just survive but thrive as single moms. Now, in this complete guide to single motherhood, Johnson guides women in confronting the naysayers in their lives (and in their own minds) to build a thriving career, achieve financial security, and to reignite their romantic life—all while being a kickass parent to their kids. The Kickass Single Mom shows readers how to: • Build a new life that is entirely on their own terms. • Find the time to devote to health, hobbies, friendships, faith, community and travel. • Be a joyful, present and fun mom, and proud role model to your kids. Full of practical advice and inspiration from Emma's life, as well as other successful single moms, this is a must-have resource for any single mom.
With Mothers Who Can't Love: A Healing Guide for Daughters, Susan Forward, Ph.D., author of the smash #1 bestseller Toxic Parents, offers a powerful look at the devastating impact unloving mothers have on their daughters—and provides clear, effective techniques for overcoming that painful legacy. In more than 35 years as a therapist, Forward has worked with large numbers of women struggling to escape the emotional damage inflicted by the women who raised them. Subjected to years of criticism, competition, role-reversal, smothering control, emotional neglect and abuse, these women are plagued by anxiety and depression, relationship problems, lack of confidence, and difficulties with trust. They doubt their worth, and even their ability to love. Forward examines the Narcissistic Mother, the Competitive Mother, the Overly Enmeshed mother, the Control Freak, Mothers who need Mothering, and mothers who abuse or fail to protect their daughters from abuse. Filled with compelling case histories, Mothers Who Can’t Love outlines the self-help techniques Forward has developed to transform the lives of her clients, showing women how to overcome the pain of childhood and how to act in their own best interests. Warm and compassionate, Mothers Who Can’t Love offers daughters the emotional support and tools they need to heal themselves and rebuild their confidence and self-respect.