Rating: 
Summary: Great Minds Think Alike!
Review: "The Girlfriends Guide to Getting Your Groove Back..." was an excellent read for me. Vicki Iovine does a great job of expressing the funny and sometimes chaotic life of a mom trying to find herself.
After getting all of her kids into school, she found herself at a loss for what her purpose in life was, and that hits close to home for this mother of two.
The way Iovine writes is so much like my own girlfriends and I talk to each other, reading it is just like sitting down to lunch with one of my good friends. Iovine's unique way of describing her thoughts on what to do after your potty training days are over are, for me, very comical and enlightening. Her book is everything that I need to put my life, as I know it now, into perspective.
So many things that she touched on about getting your groove back were the same things that I am feeling at this point in my life. As a mother of two children in school I can fully relate to the loss a mommy feels when you are not needed as much by your kids. I am relieved to know that I am not the only one who feels like they have lost themselves in the quest for being Supermom!
I can see how some women would not find her writing style easy to follow. It may take a while for her to make her point but the journey is a very enjoyable one. I laughed out loud several times as I read about stretch marks and rediscovering our inner sex kitten.
I would recomend this book to all of my girlfriends! My cousin with four girls will be getting a copy for Christmas.
Rating:
Summary: If having kids has knocked you off your dot, read this book
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: If having kids has knocked you off your dot, read this book
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: groovy mom(???)
Review: I just read this book, and came to amazon to order copies for all my girlfriends. If you have kids who are in elementary/middle school, this book is for you. We get very caught up in our own little worlds, and forget who we were "before" - when we were groovy and hung out with our friends and had less worries and more fun! This book has great tips for finding that fun groove again, within the context of our current lives. And best of all, it lets us know that MANY of us share the same feelings and wonder how we got to this strange place.
So come on girls - give this a read - you won't be disappointed!
Rating: 
Summary: Good idea, horrendous writing
Review: I loved the idea for this book, but Vicki Iovine drowns any useful information in a sea of boring personal anecdotes and terrible writing. Reading this book is like getting a phone call from that dear friend who just won't stop talking about herself. At 280 pages long, you'll learn much more than you ever wanted to know about Viki Iovine and not much about how to get your groove back.
Rating:
Summary: A must have for every mom!
Review: I purchased this book when my daughter was an infant, not sleeping through the night, etc. And it saved me from losing my mind. I recommend it to every new mom!
Rating: 
Summary: mommy off the map
Review: If you are a mommy, you probably feel like you've been kicked off the map to life. I'm talking about your own Life Map. (Even if you're body looks similar to a road map with stretch marks.) Vicki is funny and straight to the point, for the most part. The book is a keeper and you will feel like someone has listened and gone through the same days and nights as we have all experienced. For us mommies who need to reclaim our lives and unplug the kids for a while, in my suggestion box, there are three books which will help, "The Girlfriends' Guide to Getting Back Your Groove," "Your New Life as a Mom," by career consultant, Sheryl Gurrentz, and "Mommy-CEO," by syndicated parenting columnist, Jodie Lynn. Everywhere burned out moms look, there is a book, tape or something to help us get back our groove: OUR GROOVE is our own map of life and is best explained in these three books. "Your New Life as a MOM" shows us how to organize and use our life for others as well as ourselves, "The Girlfriends'Guide" shows us how to get back into a sort-of- normal before marriage state as best as we can and feel ok about it, and "Mommy-CEO" shows us how to get the kids to do things for themselves so we can have a guilt free life to call our own. There's not enough room here to list all of the reasons for moms to buy all three books but they are all full of tips, communication traits we need to share with our hubbys or signifcant other, thought provoking solutions, and most of all just plain old fun and laughter for mommies. If you're like me and feel you are ready to scream several times a day at several different people (including your kids and loving hubby) invest in these books for your own sanity and get back your groove in the family map without being selfish or self centered. Smile, I did it and that's saying a lot, so I bet you can too.
Rating:
Summary: Boring book. Useless advice.
Review: In some ways, Ms. Iovine and I couldn't be more different. I haven't worn a pair of high heels since my rehearsal dinner nearly eighteen years ago; makeup is something I put on in five minutes for my husband's annual christmas party; and I still don't know what I want to do with my life--compared to her highly successful career, stylish TV appearances, weekly newspaper columns, etc. But underneath the surface, we're both "mommies," and that experience of trying to meet the infinite needs of your children while keeping a self intact is universal. Or at least, *now* I know it's universal, after reading this book. I found it warmhearted, encouraging, and practical--even when I knew I'd never do what she's suggesting. And even though all of her books have included discussions of highly personal topics, this one seemed even more personal to me, as if she were truly baring her soul at certain spots. I'd highly recommend it, especially to those, like me, whose youngest child is approaching school age and suddenly there is a light at the end of the tunnel--a thought both longed-for and (I find to my surprise) a bit dreaded.My only complaint, though, is the incredibly sloppy editing. There are typos, misspellings, punctuation marks missing (like periods at the end of sentences). Not Iovine's fault, of course, but the publisher has to be making a fortune off these books, you'd think they could afford a proofreader.
Rating:
Summary: right on target
Review: In some ways, Ms. Iovine and I couldn't be more different. I haven't worn a pair of high heels since my rehearsal dinner nearly eighteen years ago; makeup is something I put on in five minutes for my husband's annual christmas party; and I still don't know what I want to do with my life--compared to her highly successful career, stylish TV appearances, weekly newspaper columns, etc. But underneath the surface, we're both "mommies," and that experience of trying to meet the infinite needs of your children while keeping a self intact is universal. Or at least, *now* I know it's universal, after reading this book. I found it warmhearted, encouraging, and practical--even when I knew I'd never do what she's suggesting. And even though all of her books have included discussions of highly personal topics, this one seemed even more personal to me, as if she were truly baring her soul at certain spots. I'd highly recommend it, especially to those, like me, whose youngest child is approaching school age and suddenly there is a light at the end of the tunnel--a thought both longed-for and (I find to my surprise) a bit dreaded. My only complaint, though, is the incredibly sloppy editing. There are typos, misspellings, punctuation marks missing (like periods at the end of sentences). Not Iovine's fault, of course, but the publisher has to be making a fortune off these books, you'd think they could afford a proofreader.
Rating:
Summary: Honest and funny
Review: It's so nice to have the reality of new motherhood presented in a funny and honest way. New moms will love this book! Sheryl Gurrentz, author of "The Guilt-Free Guide to Your New Life as a Mom: Practical Ways to Take Care of Yourself, Your Life, and Your Baby--All at the same time"
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