Book Giveaway: The MomsTown Guide to Getting It All

Update: The winner is ... Lazy Wife! Send me your address, Lazy Wife, and I'll get the book right out to you.

Has anyone ever told you to "Get a life"? Did it feel good? It's certainly not a compliment, right?

That's how The MomsTown Guide to Getting It All got off on the wrong foot with me, and judging by some of its reviews on Amazon, some other moms too. Authors Mary Goulet and Heather Reider dub followers of their program "GALs," their acronym for "getting a life." A harried mom who feels lost in the diapers and dishes and laundry and toys doesn't need to be told to get a life. Or does she?

At first I found this book condescending and disorganized. But as I went through it in-depth for this review, it won me over. I like it enough that I wish I hadn't said I'd give it away to a lucky commenter. But I did, so I will. Aren't I generous and honest?

Seriously though, I am happy to pass this book on to another mom. It contains some good information for women looking to kick start her life.

Presented as a 10-week program, "A Life Makeover for Stay-at-Home Moms," the books casts it net wide, offering advice on getting organized, improving your health, staying smart, exploring your spirituality, chasing your dreams, achieving balance (ha), handling finances and more. One section I like talks about turning your passion into profits, a perfect angle for moms considering re-entering the workforce.

The authors do cram a lot into 10 weeks. Week two tasks include cleaning out the pantry and kitchen and evaluating your wardrobe. Week three, they ask you to clean out and organize your office, go through the stacks of papers and create and follow a schedule. These are things I've been trying to accomplish for the last year. I doubt it will happen in two weeks, unless Goulet and Reider show up to watch my kids.

The book covers so much that I had to make a little cheat sheet. Yes I'm a geek like that. But it was the only way I could wrap my brain around all the information and tasks they assign each week. They do summarize each week, but I still felt the need to create a more detailed summary for myself.

During week four, the authors admonish us that we have no excuse not to exercise and eat well: we simply must. While I agree with this on the surface, being in the trenches with small babies and little help has taught me that sometimes, your personal needs do (gasp!) take a back burner. Moms at home with small children (or one needy or ill child), moms whose husbands travel or work long hours, moms with no resources to hire help or join a gym with babysitting services, know this. On that note, I felt the book missed the mark. Many SAHMs, above all, need to learn to nurture themselves and take babysteps, not chastise themselves for their inability to "get it all."

Along with working out three times weekly, the MomsTown program involves writing in a diary, spending time in your "sanctuary," reading the newspaper every morning, making your bed and taking a shower every morning. Stop laughing! They really say to take a shower every morning!

I enjoyed the many self-evaluation quizzes and "homework" assignments, on everything from honoring your authentic self, dismantling mental barriers to exercise, and uncovering your "crazy dreams" and finding ways to make them happen. These exercises add substance to the program. Working through them, I evaluated myself and the choices/excuses I make in new ways. And as a self-proclaimed self-help junkie, that's saying a lot. Later weeks do much to nudge us out of our comfort zone, encouraging us to "socialize our passions," get out to community events, invite new moms into our social circle and even throw a party.

Some readers felt that the authors put down women who love staying at home and do not want to find a job or passion outside of raising their family. On the surface, it appears that way. But if you read the book thoroughly, and don't let the gung-ho language throw you, you will see that they want women to find what makes them happy and honor that, even if it's "just" being a domestic goddess.

The MomsTown Web site does have lots of resources, and they just connected with MeetUp.com to help moms find others interested in the program. There's even a MomsTown radio program. By the way, a few months ago, MomsTown hosted a survey of the most helpful site for moms, and FlyLady won hands down. FlyLady has saved my SAHM behind on a continuous basis for the last five years. If you're drowning in household chores, start with FlyLady, then give this book a try.

So there you have it. Like with any self-help program, read it with an open mind, give new ideas a try, then take what works for you and leave the rest.

Would you like a copy? Leave a comment between now and Monday. I will pick a name on Tuesday.