The Must-Have Mom Manual: Two Mothers, Two Perspectives, One Book That Tells You Everything You Need to Know - Softcover

Ellington, Sara; Triplett, Stephanie

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0345499875 ISBN 13: 9780345499875

Publisher: Ballantine Books, 2009

Synopsis

Whether it is bottle- or breast-feeding, cribs or co-sleeping, getting back to the office or staying home with the kids, best friends Sara Ellington and Stephanie Triplett, the team behind the popular book and radio show The Mommy Chronicles, rarely choose the same option. Lucky for us, in The Must-Have Mom Manual, they discuss the pros and cons of every aspect of child raising, from pacifiers to potty training, bedtimes to birthday parties, day care to Disney World.

Their philosophy is simple: There is no one right way to be a mom. Sara and Stephanie just want to make every mother’s life easier. So, with a healthy dose of humor, they share their parenting triumphs and disasters, marital challenges, public meltdowns, and all the knowledge they’ve gained as authors and radio show hosts, with hundreds of tips for moms everywhere.

· 10 things not to feel guilty about–because every mother feels bad about something
· Answers for new moms about leaving the house with baby for the first time, postpartum depression, accepting help, car seats, and dining out with baby
· Sticky parenting decisions–including the consensus on little white lies, family nudity, “correcting” homework, and leaving your child in the car (just for a second)
· Managing your household and how to conquer the clutter with special strategies for organizing every room in your home
· Products for moms, the best mom-gear, cleaning products–including technology, gadgets, stores, and places to take the kids
· Marriage 911, sleep or sex?, how to keep the home fires burning–plus four people who can sabotage your sex life

Covering “all things Mommy,” Sara and Stephanie are real mothers delivering real insights, with real laughs, as they tackle and celebrate the challenges and drama of motherhood in the best, easiest, most mom-friendly guide to life with kids today.

About this title

From the Author

Stephanie and I are so glad you've found The Must-Have Mom Manual! We've tried our best to compile the most useful information you need as a mom all in one convenient place. What you'll find in these pages encompasses more than a year of research, input from countless moms we've met at book signings, conferences and birthday parties, and of course, our own experience as parents. But first of all, it's important that you know a little bit about us. We're best friends who happened to find ourselves pregnant at the same time. Our first children, both daughters, were born just three weeks apart, which led us to write our first book together, The Mommy Chronicles: Conversations Sharing the Comedy and Drama of Pregnancy and New Motherhood. Although our timelines for becoming moms were the same, virtually everything else about our lives as mothers is completely different.  Because we took such divergent paths down the motherhood road, we're going to give you two completely different perspectives along the way. Well, at least most of the time. Every now and then we do agree! But oddly enough, it's our differences that have made us even closer. We've learned that we don't have to be the same kind of moms to be good ones. We've always respected each others' choices, even when they were the complete opposite of our own. Too many friendships have ended due to mothers judging each other. The two of us are proof that a working mom and a stay-at-home mom can be best friends. That a breast feeding mom and a bottle-feeding mom can be best friends. What has worked for one of us often just wouldn't have worked for the other because we are different people with different families. That's the simple message we have always strived to share with other mothers: There is no one right way to be a good mom. Moms have more information thrown at them than ever and less time than ever to process it all. We've tried to combine the important stuff you need in one handy resource. You can learn from our mistakes and our triumphs and we hope, have more time to acutally enjoy being a mom! 

About the Author

Sara Ellington is author of The Mommy Chronicles (Hay House, 2005) and The Must-Have Mom Manual(Ballantine, 2009). She is a graduate of Lynchburg College and the University of North Carolina  - Charlotte. After the birth of her first child, Sara went through a difficult battle with postpartum depression, which she shares candidly in The Mommy Chronicles.
From 2005 through 2006, Sara was co-host with Stephanie Triplett of a weekly radio show for moms called The Mommy Chronicles Show, which aired live on HayHouseRadio.com and Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 114, LIME. She and Stephanie have appeared on NBC's TODAY Show and were selected as "spokesmoms" by Johnson & Johnson for a national satellite media tour announcing the birth of the 300 millionth American.

In 2007, Sara's life took a drastic turn when she was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system. After six months of chemotherapy, Sara remains cancer free. 
Sara lives in Charlotte, North Carolina with her family.

Edition details

• Publisher: Ballantine Books
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0345499875
• ISBN 13: 9780345499875
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 544