Rating: 
Summary: You Go Girlfriend
Review: Laugh here and there and all the way through. Great pick me up and give yourslef a pat on the old back book. Goes straight back to the "If Momma Ain't Happy - NO ONE IS!" theme. Not a lot on what to do with kids as we know them - in our house and sure fire organization tips - but a pleasure anyway. Funny and tell it like it is to begin to realize the path of mommy days are limited so gain control of your old self now! Not for everyone as my best friend said - but a must have for us more modern moms. For more parenting and "getting family life organized," we'd both like to clue mommies in on two books who are quite kindred spirits to "getting your groove back," with a little more down to earth doable tips, "The Family Manager" by columnist, Kathy Peel and Mommy-CEO, by nationally syndicated parenting columnist, Jodie Lynn (both have new books coming out very soon). The message of all three books are clear - there is a light at the end of the tunnel so get help now and look for today to end in the near future and include hubby. DON'T FORGET HUBBY!
Rating: 
Summary: Helpful advice on trying to do it all
Review: Ms. Iovine has a great knack for hitting the nail of motherhood right on the head. This book is a real look at what most of us moms are going through- loving our family, but wondering when we will have time for ourselves, and why we are so suprised that everyone's needs are being met, but somehow, not our own. I felt this book not only spoke to my struggles at being a mom, wife, carpooler, volunteer and holding a job, but certainly made me feel as if I were not alone on this treadmill. The best advice she gives is to look forward, and that we will never be the single girls we once were, so it is time to create a new identity and take care of ourselves, so we can enjoy our lives NOW and in the future. Thank You for a great book!
Rating: 
Summary: Boring book. Useless advice.
Review: Not her best work. Very boring. Her advice is useless. Humor not the same as in her previous books.I loved her "Girfriend's Guide to Pregnancy." It was a hoot. This book is not interesting. Do not waste your money on it.
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Summary: Vicki Has Been Peeking In My Window!
Review: Parenting books abound with advice on breastfeeding to whether or not children should receive an allowance, but at last there is a book that discusses what REAL mothers discuss when they get together.Chapters on feeling comfortable with your body now that the baby machine is put to rest or maintaining a relationship with the man who you were originally involved with (your husband) before your time was taken up by caring for your children are written with an honesty that is usually only heard at coffee clutches. Tongue and cheek humor fill each chapter even as she discusses the need to stay together for the sake of the children which is sure to raise a few eyebrows in this high divorce rate era. If you have children who are pass the diaper stage and not yet driving or are about to enter this stage, this book is a must read. OB/GYNs and Pediatricians should make this book mandatory reading; it is always nice to know your not alone and your not as crazy as you think you are!
Rating: 
Summary: Get Your Groove Back -- my new affirmation!
Review: Sometimes I think I am loosing my mind. It is so hard to be a loving parent, yet feel like I am in, well, my "groove," I suppose. What a reassuring connection to Vicki I feel because of this book. She could literally be me. (Well, not literally, I supppose really I mean figuratively.)
Rating:
Summary: Get Your Groove Back -- my new affirmation!
Review: Sometimes I think I am loosing my mind. It is so hard to be a loving parent, yet feel like I am in, well, my "groove," I suppose. What a reassuring connection to Vicki I feel because of this book. She could literally be me. (Well, not literally, I supppose really I mean figuratively.)
Rating: 
Summary: This is really two reviews because...
Review: the book seems like two different books. I really enjoyed the first half or so. The "advice" was clear and made sense and I felt like, YES someone understands my feelings. Then, halfway through, the book became more a series of poorly written and poorly edited, hard-to-follow rants that made little to no sense to me at all. There are EXTREMELY long and rambling run-on sentences, some of which never actually complete the thought they began. She randomly uses colons and semi-colons in ways that make the sentences feel disjointed. Things like this may not matter to others, but when the writer and editor are "girlfriends", it annoys me that the reader has to work even harder just to get the gist of what should be an easy and fun read. It feels like she just used this book as a forum to ramble about her own husband-complaints (which I could NOT relate to at all, luckily) and her willingness to let her children walk all over her. She seems to love being needed so much that she has no personal boundaries with her children. To me, part of getting my "groove" back is being able to shower and use the bathroom without children as an audience. Not a great grooving message in my opinion. And how many times in a "grooving Mommy" book does she HAVE to mention getting your kids vaccinated? All in all, if you love Vicki Iovine and have enjoyed her books before, you will probably like it. But if not, save the money and buy yourself something else to help get your groove back. After reading her thoughts, I realized I never lost my groove after all. It's hard to take advice from someone who obviously lives in a different world from the one I inhabit. Maybe fun to read, but I worry for those women who will take her every word and try to live this book at home.
Rating:
Summary: Refreshing and re-centering
Review: This book is wonderfully refreshing and will put motherhood into perspective with the rest of your life. It helps to re-center my thinking and laugh along the way. If you've had a bad day, this will certainly make you feel better about being a mom. It's nice to know many others are going through it too.
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Summary: A "Must Read" for any Vicki Iovine Fan
Review: 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.
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Summary: What Happened to Vicki Iovine?
Review: This books stinks. I've read all the other books and somehow Vicki has bought into gender norms, Christianity, and all the dated tropes of parenting. Does getting older = being a fuddy duddy? This book was PAINFUL to read and I felt like she had some agenda to put me back into the house and not take care of myself. I also don't like that she doesn't note that her husband makes BIG BUCKS. He is a big-time music producer. Please. Her life is radically different from most in the US!! Read _Breeder_ or _Mother's Who Think_ instead of this!
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