The Manny by Holly Peterson was my “summer read” that continued way too far into Fall! The story was an interesting peek into the lives of the “uber rich” in the heart of New York City’s Manhattan. While the thought of having my own cooks, maids and nannies is unimaginable to me, it’s always entertaining to read about this ultimate fantasy lifestyle in between doing my own piles of laundry, cooking dinner and helping kids with homework. When you add a young, good-looking, zest for life “Manny” to the mix, you would think that things would get really interesting! Unfortunately, it didn’t quite do that for me.

The character of Jamie, a working mother of three married to a rich, greedy, upwardly striving, workaholic husband, living in the heart of Manhattan intrigued me in several ways. First, I could relate to getting married in my late 20’s and being career and socially focused. Then, after you add kids to the mix and reach your late 30’s, you start to see how husband and wife evolve over the course of marriage and family life. Personal goals change, careers change, and marriage changes. Working hard in both career and family life can cause you to lose touch with what brought you together as a couple. I could see that struggle between Jamie and her husband as they started leading separate lives. Enter in the young, single fun-loving “Manny”, showering Jamie and her kids with attention and affection they’ve been missing and craving, how could she not fall for the Manny? To me the Manny represents all the love, affection, and humanity that was disappearing from Jamie’s marriage. Unfortunately this was very predictable from the start and the book lacked the depth to really draw you further into the experience.

The book continues by pursuing two story lines, one related to her high profile reporter career and the other, the growing relationship between her and the Manny and how he brings out Jamie’s true desires and goals for herself and her children.

I appreciated the fact that over the duration of the story, Jamie really fights to do the right thing…not just giving into her immediate emotions and feelings. She tries to make her marriage work and yet struggles with the realization that staying in an unhappy marriage doesn’t do anyone any favors. On the other hand, she painfully strings Peter (the Manny) along trying to figure out who and what she wants, which often got confusing, especially since her husband seemed to get worse and worse as the story unfolded.

I was disappointed in how predictable this book was and had a hard time making a true connection with the characters. It did improve towards the end as Jamie’s character opens up about her feelings toward the Manny, but overall the book ended up being simply a fun “escape” read.

More about The Manny on Amazon.

NOTE: I’ve been a lover of books all my life and I try to still get in a book every so often even when time seems to not want to permit it! We read to the kids every night and for those of you who read to your kids and yet still don’t have time to read for yourself, remember that it sets a great example for your kids to see you take a moment, pick up a book and read. Practice what we preach, right? It will do everyone good!

Chana Lynn, small business web designer and mother of two girls, Julia and Samantha. She resides in Raleigh, NC.

I am the Queen of reading parenting books, most often written by other Mothers who write about their experiences. This was the first time I’ve read one by a Dad! It was very interesting to gain some perspective from the Father’s side of the parenting spectrum. I really enjoyed this book and literally laughed out loud reading several of the chapters!

Robert Wilder enlightens us with his parenting stories in a relaxed style as if you were having a casual conversation over coffee. I liked this book because it was not bogged down with lessons in child rearing, which I found refreshing; he simply relays the funny or touching experiences that we all have as new and more experienced parents. One thing that I’ve really come to enjoy is spending time with other parent friends and sharing our own funny or embarrassing stories with each other. There were many incidents in Robert’s book that I could relate to, such as a chapter on buying school supplies (“Supply Me”) or his chapter about choosing baby names and keeping them secret from other family or friends (”Hoarding Names”). That one really hit home with me! He also includes some more tender moments with his children. He clearly has enjoyed his fathering adventures as he has watched his daughter (Poppy) and son (London) grow into amazingly clever little people. Highlights included London’s use of a particular “choice” word at different social events or outings, the challenge of high maintenance moms, singing and driving simultaneously to keep his daughter asleep, and a hilarious episode on X-rated broadcasts via the baby monitor!

Another funny chapter is called “Papa Pia”. Wilder’s skillful writing allows you to vividly imagine the scene as he recalls changing his newborn’s exploding diaper on the sink in the Men’s Room! As you can imagine, the whole thing turns into a total disaster, conjuring up unforgettable memories for most Dads and Moms who have experienced something similar in their early child-rearing years.

In the chapter titled “Kidalgo” Wilder describes his children as seasoned air travelers and although well behaved they can still suffer the wrath of a nearby adult who is simply upset once they realize a child has been seated behind them. He humorously points the lights and air towards the discriminating couple in the row ahead to annoy them. In the end, he gets his revenge by being complemented by the flight attendant for having such well-behaved children. That, with a thank you and a swift kick to the seats in front of him!

Overall, the male perspective used to convey these humorous anecdotes creates a refreshingly unique and enjoyable summer read. I would highly recommend it.

Find Daddy Needs a Drink: An Irreverent Look at Parenting from a Dad Who Truly Loves His Kids–Even When They’re Driving Him Nuts by Robert Wilder in paperback on Amazon here.

NOTE: I’ve been a lover of books all my life and I try to still get in a book every so often even when time seems to not want to permit it! We read to the kids every night and for those of you who read to your kids yet still don’t have time to read for yourself, remember that it sets a great example for your kids to see you take a moment, pick up a book and read. Practice what we preach, right? It will do everyone good!

Chana Lynn, small business web designer and mother of two girls, Julia and Samantha. She resides in Raleigh, NC.

As a busy mom always short on time, what I loved most about Confessions of a Slacker Mom by Muffy Mead-Ferro was the sense of accomplishment that I felt after reading it in one night! It is a quick and easy read. I got the sense that the author wasn’t trying to write yet another parenting advice book, but instead wrote about her experiences growing up in the 70’s and her mother’s parenting style versus the popular, trendy parenting methods of today. It was a great tribute to her mother and the important life lessons she took away from growing up on a ranch in Wyoming and being forced to be an independent, hardworking, appreciative child.

I enjoyed reading several different chapters where she takes on many of today’s modern parenting challenges. First, her take on toys (Toys Aren’t Us) humorously describes needing to buy stock in battery companies, the constant chore of picking up the 60+ pieces to the toy or sorting through toys to put them back together, which I know from experience has taken up way too much of my time! I whole-heartedly agree with the fact that today’s kids have so much to choose from that almost nothing is truly special. She also reflects on how much more time was spent outside using our imaginations and playing with sticks, rocks and spending hours building forts out of card board boxes instead of buying expensive “educational” toys that the kids look at once and forget about!

I also enjoyed her takes on scrap booking (“every moment memorable but potentially trivial too!”), formal education (writing a recommendation for a 2 year old’s application to preschool), safety (learning the hard way instead of completely safety-proofing the house) and allowing for the natural consequences of a child’s behavior. Bottom line: she believes in building a child’s self esteem by encouraging them to accomplish a goal that wasn’t easy to achieve, learning a new skill or finishing a task that takes time and effort, and teaching children to want to do well for themselves, not just to gain praise.

By just saying “no” to the pressure of some of today’s parenting philosophies and giving children everything, she calls herself a “slacker mom.” By resisting these temptations, she believes in letting kids learn for themselves, and believing that it is okay for your child to have less and not have to be involved in every kind of activity or sport. She also believes that mothers need to have lives of their own, which as I’ve just hit the 40 year mark, I am a big subscriber to these days. I believe that being a slacker mom just might make me a better mom, wife and friend!

The book is humorous and easy to relate to and I enjoyed being reminded of what is truly important as we raise our children the best way we can in this fast-paced, overwhelming world we live in! Her most important message: she believes we are all generally good parents and we need to trust our inner instincts as the good moms and dads that we are.

NOTE: I’ve always been a lover of books all my life and I try to still get in a book every so often even when time seems to not want to permit it! We read to the kids every night and for those of you who read to your kids and yet still don’t have time to read for yourself, remember that it sets a great example for your kids to see you take a moment, pick up a book and read. Practice what we preach, right? It will do everyone good!

Buy Confessions of a Slacker Mom on Amazon.

I am a mother of two young girls, ages 6 and 4. For years I’ve looked to books in the parenting information section of the local library to help me with guidance on issues such as potty-training, ideas for kid meals, sleeping troubles, sibling rivalry, etc. Although I found an abundance of information, I quickly came to the realization that I wasn’t really enjoying these books with their unique theories on raising children and needed something a little more realistic and down to earth to escape my sense of being an inadequate parent.

The Three-Martini Playdate: A Practical Guide to Modern Parenting by Christie Mellor was the perfect dose of reality that I needed. Mellor’s book takes subjects like screaming, child-proofing and bedtime dramas and reminds us that we are the ones in charge and that we’ve become a society that completely over-analyzes and over-compensates for normal behavior and that it’s time to go back to the basics. She explains that it’s okay to go back to the basics (flashback to our grandparents’ days of raising children in the 50’s!). This book is very funny with a retro feel to it (hence the little tot’s first martini recipes) and at the same time full of practical advice on how to be a good parent and prevent your kid from becoming too full of him or herself (see her chapter entitled Child Labor – Not Just for the Third World). Probably one of the funniest chapters gives a great checklist for leaving Dad home alone with the kids while the mom makes herself scarce for the rest of the day, and doesn’t feel guilty about it!

Another chapter that I really enjoyed was the need for us parents to record every moment of our children’s recitals, plays, and school or sports events. She talks about how the audience has become one huge sea of video cameras with anxious moms and dads elbowing the parent next to them for a clearer view to the stage and missing the moment completely instead of just sitting back and enjoying the moment. Her advice to put down the camera and enjoy the show, and file this special memory away as it happens, hit home with me. It’s a piece of advice I will cherish for years to come.

I gave this book to my girlfriend and she read it all in one night! It’s a great read and a refreshing take on what we all know is true, but somehow we are too busy getting caught up in what has become silly little rules of parenting in our society today to realize it. This book would make a great gift to a new mom or mom-to-be! Just remember, stick to the basics…sit back, relax, sip that martini and enjoy this read!!

NOTE: I’ve loved to read books all my life and I try to still get in a book every so often, even when time doesn’t want to permit it! We read to the kids every night and for those of you who also read to your kids but don’t have time to read for yourself, remember that it sets a great example for your kids to see you take a moment, pick up a book and read. It will do everyone good!