Can you sense my excitement for camping? I do actually think it will be fun. My son keeps telling me that I can’t sleep in his cabin though, because he’s a boy and I’m a girl. Good to know…
I’ve got a stack of books that I’ve read ready for review. Reading is much more fun that reviewing. Today I picked a book about getting it all done – it’s a short ebook around 100 pages. With 3 kids still at home most of the day I couldn’t go on this overnight field trip if it weren’t for a supportive husband, this never would have been possible a few years ago when we were in residency – sometimes there are pretty good perks to being your own boss. Awesome neighbors and friends are helping too. I love reading books with ideas about how to get more done, how other mom’s do it.
Here’s today review…have a great weekend!
Anne Bogel
90 pages
Kindle Edition
From the Publisher:
Today’s working woman looks a lot like you.
She’s a:
• stay-at-home mom, working on her passion at naptime
• a part-time professional sharing childcare with her husband
• a full-time creative planning a future on her own schedule
She’s a woman – like you – with the opportunity to find fulfilling and profitable work without the mother guilt of previous generations. The possibilities are endless for today’s woman in this shifting work place – but the roadmap for getting there hasn’t quite been written.
Until now.
In How She Does It, author Anne Bogel unpacks these trends in family & work culture, and gets to the core of HOW you can make your work goals fit into your unique family situation.
Review:
A friend of mine once told me about a blog that she loves to read and follow, Modern Mrs. Darcy. Every since it’s been recommended to me, I’ve enjoyed following this blog and site too. It’s always full of good book suggestions, or kindle deals or good posts. If you haven’t heard of this blog, click on the link and follow her, or like her on facebook. She’s got some great posts.
One day while looking around on her site I noticed that she wrote this book! I love books with ideas of how to “get it all done”, so I couldn’t wait to get started and read this book.
I wouldn’t say that I didn’t like this book, but I’m not sure I would say that I loved this book either. It was a middle of the road book. I just wasn’t really a big huge fan.
On the website it talks about how this book will help you:
• Explore options for the shape of your work life, and plan ahead even before there’s a husband or kids in the picture.
• Abandon old limitations on home life demands leftover from previous generations.
• Embrace this changing landscape where it’s easier than ever to find time to work and be there for your family.
• Squeeze in more work hours without increasing childcare.
• Overcome common barriers like a tentative husband or a seemingly inflexible boss.
• Set priorities for your personal, budgetary, and family goals.
• Create a plan for your unique family situation.
• Adapt your work and family rhythms to the changing seasons of life.
• Meet other women like you who have walked the path of blending work and family–and succeeded.
I think the book had some good ideas. Nothing fantastically new to me however. I am not sure that a single mom would really find anything helpful in this book. It talked a lot about balancing out your home life with your spouse. I think that is a great idea. I think everyone should have a relationship like that. But I also know that it doesn’t always realistically happen. In residency I could not count on my husband for much – sounds bad, I know, but it wasn’t him, it was his schedule, and the darn on-call pager that I wanted to shoot when we finished the 3 years. Most people don’t understand unless you’ve been there. You have to keep an open mind and do what works best for you and your family.
My big beef with the book, maybe the only reason I didn’t love it more, is that I truly believe that there is NOTHING wrong with being a stay at home mom – who doesn’t do anything else, but stay at home and focus on her family. I strongly believe that is enough for some women. You don’t have to have a side business, a part time job, a fantastic blog that makes you money, you don’t have to do any of those things to have it all. If you have some of those things, or want some of those things, there is nothing wrong with that either – and this book might be just the one for you. But I don’t think this book is for you if you are a stay at home mom who loves being just that.
I think being a wife and a mom is hard. I think being a woman is hard. I think we judge each other too often and too quickly. I think this book had some good ideas, it’s not for everyone, because I know know a couple girls right off the top of my head, who are stay at home moms and would read this and wonder “what is wrong with me, why don’t I want to do this or that?”
There is nothing wrong with you if you want to do them. Nothing wrong with you if you don’t!
I did really like the parts of the book that told the story of a couple real women that were interviewed for the book. That was interesting and helpful.
This book was easy, and fast to read. If you are looking for ideas to balance your working and home life it might have some good ideas for you.
I love the Modern Mrs. Darcy blog. If I had to give this book stars (out of 5) it would be a 3.5. I’ll continue to follow her and if she writes another book, I’ll probably read it too.
