The Girlfriends' Guide to Getting your Groove Back (Girlfriends' Guides) (Paperback)

~ (Author) "Not too long ago, I emerged from my writing cocoon to have coffee with my Girlfriend Sally, the mother of two terrific grown children..." (more)
Key Phrases: Mother Nature, Los Angeles, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Sensible, chummy and sure to be popular, The Girlfriends' Guide to Getting Your Groove Back: Loving Your Family Without Losing Your Mind by author and media personality Vicki Iovine (The Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy; etc.) offers advice to mothers of school-age kids. With an engaging mix of humor, firsthand experience and the insights of other girlfriends, she urges women to relish this phase of motherhood (and their independence from diaper bags), while also realizing that they can't turn the clock back. For example, even if moms can't find time to set aside "date" nights with their partners, there are other, efficient ways to rekindle the flame (e.g., greeting their mate with a long, lingering kiss; going to bed naked).

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review

...worth its weight in gold if you are a stressed-out mother. -- USA Today, May 21, 2000

With great humor and frankness, Iovine addresses the topics most women talk about only with their best friends. -- USA Today

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Perigee Trade; 1 edition (April 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399526307
• ISBN-13: 978-0399526305
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #71,671 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

53 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If having kids has knocked you off your dot, read this book, April 20, 2001

By	Shaz "oi-you!" (Naples, FL USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Everyone told me how great having kids would be. Personally, I think they were trying to lure me into the "mommy club" by not telling me the rest of the story. While having babies is exciting and defenitely one of life's undisputed miracles, there is an aspect of it that changes you forever. You have to give up a lot of selfish behavior (in that, I mean things that aren't in and of themselves selfish in nature, just things you normally do for yourself: i.e. taking a long, hot bath or having a bit of a lie down whenever you feel like it)and in the process, you lose a bit of yourself. Thank goodness Vicki Iovine and her gaggle of girlfriends have returned to tell me that I'm not alone! It's amazing: you think that passing a certain "stage" (i.e. teething, potty training)is a relief, but in the process, you begin to feel your purpose slip away as your kids grow more and more independent. You begin to think, now what? I've been raising my kids for X amount of years, and I've lost who I am. Wasn't I supposed to just slip right back into the fabulous career woman role with little to no turbulence?!? Vicki is right by our side to lend her shoulder and support, and to tell us (perhaps before we even realize it) that life keeps changing- you never pass a "stage" and get relative calm in your life. She uses the anaolgy of a leaky rowboat. You can either cry about the fact that you're up to your knees in water, or you can grab that bucket and bail the boat out, something you'll have to do again and again as eventually, the rowboat fills up again. Vicki helps us to see the humor in motherhood, and the unique role we play as women, but not in some drippy, "I found this book in the self help section" way. Every piece of advice is peppered with humor. Vicki explains how to focus at work when things at home are chaotic, that we should get over the romantic myth of "date nights", and how to turn to your experienced girlfriends for help through what she calls "mommy adolescence". A must for every mom.

31 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A "Must Read" for any Vicki Iovine Fan, April 8, 2001

By	G. Lavelle "lavellebg" (Puyallup, WA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is written for the Mommy who has finally put all the kids in school, and now wants to reclaim a part of her old self. Although I still have small ones at home, I found it reassuring that these "stages" parents go through with the kids don't last long, so we might as well enjoy them. At the same time, we need to remember that "we are the only ones who know how much soul-searching time we need to keep functioning as the locomotives that pull the family train." I think a Mother can never hear enough that the days are long but the years are short, and that taking care of yourself must be a priority if we're to make it all fly and stand a chance of enjoying our families and ourselves.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally a Mommy book that acknowledges Mom as a human being!, April 8, 2001

By A Customer

Vicki had me giggling through babyhood and terrific (haha) twos, but when the babies have stopped coming and it comes time for them and you to grow up, you're on your own. Until now. Vicki is refreshingly honest, sometimes a bit crudely so, but hey, she doesn't live in small-town America. She understands from experience how a mommy's body and soul have been hijacked for years by a bunch of adorable little fuzzballs (who may now be adolescents themselves and hormonal, while you may still be potty training the caboose!)and that, Hello! her dear husband may be ready to welcome her back to being his honey, and that she might actually be able to respond sans the multitude of interruptions. After all, as Vicki says, now they can get their own glass of water! It's time to get a part of our lives back under control, which we willingly gave away when we were needed so much, and now if we've done our jobs right and have helped our children to achieve some level of independence and self-sufficiency, Vicki kicks us in the (too big)tush and says "Lose it! Get your act together, no more excuses, it's your turn! You've done your time!" Thanks Vicki! I needed that.