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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Mojo Mom stands out, June 22, 2005
As an editor at a parenting magazine, I see hundreds of parenting books each year, but Mojo Mom stands out as a personal favorite. Many moms read about pregnancy, delivery, newborn development, potty training, discipline, but forget to pick up a book about what's happening to mom.
For a job that is so life-changing, so consuming, so challenging, there are very few books with thoughtful, practical advice about how to take care of ourselves - I found Mojo Mom hit the target beautifully. Tiemann writes like a best girlfriend, a coach, an expert, and fellow mother about the earth-shattering shifts to a mother's identity and how to nurture that tremendous change with down-to-earth, thoughful advice.
I recommend this book to expecting moms, new moms, any woman with children. Chapter 8 "Keeping Your Resume Fresh and Your Financial Future Secure" is particularly inspiring, especially if you've taken a step back from your career to raise children, but want to be prepared for the next stages of your life. Chapter Five, "Centering, Silence and Reclaiming Your Mind Space" is a wonderful chapter if you're drowning in demands, not only from family, friends and work, but from noise, media, news. Chapter Two, "Life Inside the Cocoon: The Early Months of Motherhood" is an essential read for expecting and new moms.
What grabbed me about Mojo Mom was the subtitle, "Nurturing Your Self While Raising a Family." Everyone tells us to enjoy these years with our children, and Mojo Mom is a wonderful "how-to guide" to show us how to do that. Plenty of references, resource, suggestions, advice, insights, and easy-to-read chapters. Highly recommended.
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Get your mojo back, May 2, 2006
This review is from: Mojo Mom: Nurturing Your Self While Raising a Family (Paperback)
I bought this book and literally could not put it down. Even before I finished, I started putting Amy's suggestions into practice. And the small changes I've made have already made a difference. I am examining all the things I do and determining which activities are really necessary and bringing me (or my kids) enjoyment. I'm realizing how important it is to have an identity other than mom - not that being a mom isn't a great or important thing but just that we are still our own person too.
I so recommend this book for all moms. It would make a great shower gift too. There are tons of books about taking care of your children, your body, etc. This one tells you how to nurture your spirit and gives practical ways that you can do it no matter what the age of your children are or what your situation is.
This would be a wonderful Mothers' Day gift too!
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Moms need nurturing, too!, May 8, 2009
One accusation often leveled at "bad mothers" is selfishness. But there's a selfishness of self-importance and superiority, and a selfishness that simply acknowledges that one's self is just as important as anyone else's. The subtitle of Amy Tiemann's book refers to the second kind of selfishness; it's the idea that we're actually better nurturers of our families and communities when we don't lose ourselves in the process.
Acknowledging that motherhood changes our identities, Tiemann's premise is that change doesn't have to equal loss. Even when we're overwhelmed by the exhaustion and demands of early motherhood, we need to recognize that our own needs and wants still exist - and deserve time and attention. It's not going to be like this forever, and self-care is the first basic step in ensuring that a sense of self remains healthy.
Tiemann's tone throughout the book is knowledgeable and encouraging, rather than authoritative and insistent. Beginning with the early-motherhood period she calls "the cocoon," she suggests that this time of intense mother-and-child togetherness can also be a time when we re-evaluate who we are and who we want to be. The changes motherhood brings can help us focus on how we want to go forward as ourselves. And despite the somewhat New-Age-y way I've put that, Tiemann's approach is very practical. She discusses ways to handle guilt and anxiety, claiming time and "mind space," and discovering outlets for self-expression. She examines relationships with partners, money, and the larger community, and suggests that at-home-mom/working-mom "mommy wars" may be fighting the wrong enemies. She offers references and resources in every chapter, as well as illustrative anecdotes.
I would recommend this book for mothers-to-be and new moms as a little nudge to care for themselves during this wild transitional time. However, motherhood has a number of transitional times - as do the childhoods is parallels - and Mojo Mom's ideas and guidance could be valuable to mothers whose children are emerging into the pre-school and school-age years, and even mothers of teens and those on the verge of emptying nests. Amy Tiemann's book suggests that it's never too late to locate and nurture your Mommy Mojo.
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