Customer Reviews

Girlfriends' Guide to Parties and Playdates (Girlfriends' Guides)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

i am a card-carrying girlfiend ... loved iovine's previous books (i have all the guides from pregnancy to getting your grrove back and LOVE them all!). i really wanted to love this book.

instead, it was a huge dissapointment. it had none of the chatty, witty dialougue or cute anecdotes that made iovine's earlier books fun to read, and so different from every other parenting book.

this book read like a very tedious magazine article. the author occasionally tried to sprinkle in some vicki-like humor or language but it was sporatic, awkward and always fell painfully short. and as far as the content -- even the slightly experienced mom will find the ideas redundant.

The title of this book is not at all inclusive. It is about parties and such, but has a lot of great information about everyday home play as well. All of the moms I know, myself included, ask the question "What am I supposed to do with the kids all day?" This is the first real and practical book I have read that answers that question. It has great ideas for setting up your home, play rooms, and game and activity ideas as well. This book most directly answers the questions that plague moms all the time - like how you financially handle all the birthday gifts,what to buy, how to plan your own parties without the pretentious tone of all the other books I've read. The funniest was "How to Play Without Moving Your Body (too much)" Who hasn't felt that? A true must have for every mom.

Having loved Iovine's previous books, I felt betrayed to learn early in the book that Iovine was not the primary author of "her" book. Although the content is helpful, it does read like someone trying to write like Iovine which I found distracting. Also, I couldn't help feeling like girlfriends don't false advertise to other girlfriends--just couldn't get past that. Fine if Iovine wants to support the primary author, but apparently she is now just a brand.

Vicki's book is wonderful! While other books sometimes make you feel like you aren't doing enough for your kids and you need to constantly find new things to entertain them, Vicki helps you relax. She gives excellent advice on throwing parties that will work for all ages, good suggestions on appropriate toys which will get lots of miles and a breather for mom's and dad's tired of playing dinosaurs and dress up. It was so nice to have an author suggest that you don't have to play with your children all day...sometimes it is best to let them play alone and explore their creativity. Like the title suggests, it is an excellent reference for playdate's.

I was really appreciative to find this book, because it offers a lot of concrete, practical advice and ideas for party and playdate planning. My favorite section outlines several sample party ideas, including the invitations, warm-Up/icebreaker activity, cake, food, party favors, main activities, and send-off ideas for several theme parties for kids of different ages. The party ideas aren't out of control, either--they don't expect you to spend several weeks with your glue gun (or several weeks of paychecks), although you could amp up these ideas if you were so inclined.

I also liked a lot of the advice about what NOT to do as you plan a party; the authors offer specific examples about mishaps that occurred in spite of their best intentions. I agree with their fundamental principle that party planning should be about whatever works best for you and your child--whether it's to host an entire class in your back yard or take five best friends to a special event.

The playdate section puts things into perspective for Moms with toddlers--being the Mom of the Bitten is uncomfortable, but so is being the Mom of the Biter. Again, a lot of specifics are offered here (dealing with stages of potty-training, dealing with a child's insistence on wearing a super hero cape everywhere, etc.) to help you prepare for and deal with a variety of child challenges.

Other reviewers mentioned being disappointed that Iovine co-authored this book and that it lacks her typical writing voice. I own the Girlfriends Pregnancy Guide and the Guide to the First Year, and while the different tone is noticeable, there wasn't anything wrong with it. There was plenty of humor, input from some new Girlfriends, and realistic advice, which was why I wanted the book in the first place.

I will say that the gift-giving section could use an update, and it seemed like many of the gift recommendations were more extravagant than I'd want to be, especially if you have lots of parties to attend. Overall, though, I thought it was a great reference and fun to read.

As a person who enjoys cooking and entertaining at the drop of a hat, when it came time to throw a birthday party for a 3-year-old, I was clueless. I bought this book in anticipation of my daughter's 3rd birthday party. I followed the directions to the T and the party went off without a hitch. I have since used it to plan activities for playdates and for gift ideas for other kids' birthday parties. No, Vicki didn't write this all by herself, but hey, she's got a lot going on in her life with 4 kids, etc. I still found the information to be enlightening and helpful.

How disappointing to discover that this Girlfriend's Guide isn't written by Vicki Iovine (her name is on the book, with another author, but it just doesn't sound like her). This volume reads more like a tedious magazine article, replacing those terrific anecdotes with reminders about choking hazards. The party ideas are presented in fairly bland description, and were not really very creative. The playdate information was covered better in other volumes. The gift-giving section was poorly though out (this is supposed to be for moms as they relate to their kids' friends, but extravagant, "grandparent" items were listed (instead of general guidelines about choosing how much to spend). Many of the ideas for play with children just sounded like lists in a magazine article. Most of the things I loved about the other Girlfriend's Guide books are absent from this volume--it just doesn't ring true. It does, however, have enough decent information to warrant a glance--but it could've been in any parenting magazine. The book just lacks the magical quality that made the other books such treasures to moms.

This year I have attended so many kids parties with my 3 1/2 year old, and now its my turn. I am so glad to have this book as a guideline. I have seen parents throw parties where the guests arrive and everyone is just sitting around, there is no plan. They put some food out on a table for people to nibble on and the kids just run around. No structure, no plan, no fun party. Maybe I live in another world, but I found the girlfriends guide a great guide to avoiding having a dull gathering for a kids special day. Weather Lovine wrote it or not, the book is a valuable tool and I will be sharing it with all the mothers I know....especially the ones who have been throwing those dull parties.

This book was a godsend when I was organizing my 3-year-old daughter's birthday party. It not only made suggestions about what to do, but gave critical info about what not to do (and why). The advice worked like a charm -- three moms told me it was the best party they'd ever been to. As for the other readers' complaints about voice, maybe it's because I've only read one other Iovine guide (Pregnancy), but I had no problem with it -- it's fun, friendly and concretely helpful. My copy is now lost in the house somewhere, and if it doesn't turn up before the next party, I'm buying another.

This is a cute book with all the typical Iovine humor. Alot of cute stories about her own personal experiences, and those of her friends. Some cute suggestions too, about parties and toys!