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  • Writer's pictureMai Le

MAMA book review



Its hard to find time to sit down and read some books for my own mama ZEN time. But in an effort to have some me time in order to be calm and happy having alone time has been more and more important.

I have started to read so much more parenting books and have come across these two books and have loved them so much. Especially being a working mama I need all the tips I could get. And of course a book about organization is like a no brainer right???


REVIEW: Just Let me Lie Down

I mean the title in itself made me want to pick up this book. The author "Kristin Van Ogtrop" is a mama herself and after looking for books about tips or tricks to help a mama keep sane, she decided to make her own book, using her life experiences and shared with all of us. Kristin uses funny stories and truly useful tips that you'll actually use. I literally laughed out loud throughout the whole book. Kristin made you feel like she was talking to you, just like two friends sitting down chatting about life.

Here are some of my fave parts of this book:

1) "Balancing Act... A hilarious notion that some feminist (or come to think of it, it many have been an antifeminist) came up with to describe what any working mother must do; that is, bring home the bacon, fry it up in a pan. But the skillet is very, very heavy, and on certain days you'd like to use it as a weapon- and would, it it didn't mean certain arrest, which would have negative playground ramifications for your kids. One these days you are really just acting, to very little applause."

- I mean wow, this had me laughing so hard and also truly recognize these feelings in myself, we as mommas truly take it all on our shoulders wanting to do it all, and sometimes all of it does indeed feel so heavy to carry it all. And seriously when Kristin stated to use the frying pan as a weapon I LOL'd so hard.

2) "Delusions of SAHM grandeur: the phenonmenon by which a working mom will actually believe that just because she is at home for a few days with the kids, it means she will be talented;capable/patient/sane as her full time stay at home mom friends"

- Okay literally this one got me. Becuase if you aren't aware I am a teacher. So I have the luxury of staying home during the summer, winter breaks and spring breaks. And usually during these times, the thoughts of "Oh I will be a more aware and in the moment mama" doesn't usually happen LOL. Its more like running around like a headless chicken trying to get things done before I have to go back to work.

Just from this smidget of examples of what the author talks about can show you her sense of humor, literally not taking herself to seriously and most of all, feeling totally fine with the fact that she is an okay mama.

P.S. check out Amazon because they're having a super awesome deal for this amazing book.


REVIEW: Secrets of an organized mom

The author is a professional organizer, offering all mama readers a system of how to stay focused, declutter your home, living simpler and less chaotic.

Mothers can feel like life is one never-ending loop. Just when one problem or responsibility is overcome, another one trips us up. But help is on the way: Barbara Reich has all the strategies for staying ahead of the curve—and she’s wrapped them up into four easy steps that can be applied to any organizing project: purge, design, organize, and maintain. The keys to Barbara’s success are simplicity and consistency. Room by room, she goes through the most problematic areas in the home—from the tornado-struck play area to the packed basement or storage unit—and approaches organizing in manageable bites. In addition to cleaning and organizing tips, she talks about how to avoid social overload, preaching the power of “No”—for example, when your child wants to attend six birthday parties in one weekend. As the mother of thirteen-year-old twins, Barbara offers insight into the lives of crazed moms as only a mother could. Combining the humor of a sympathetic friend and the no-nonsense advice of a true type-A personality, Reich offers clever, appealing solutions that are genuinely achievable for everyone.

Here are some of my fave parts of the book:

1) "The ten commandments of Organizing.... The whole list is amazing, but this part called make a decision and act on it. This is the biggie- I saved the last for best. If your receive an invitation, respond yes or not. Don't look at it, ponder it, then put it in a stack" LOVE this, just do it instead of putting it off.

2) "The tools of Organizing.... make piles of keep, donate, trash, have lots of clear plastic bins and of course my fave the Labeler, like seriously if you know me, I LOVE the labeler, I would label everything LOL.

If your looking for easy to follow rules, tips and tricks of organizing everything from your closet to your kitchen, it's literally for the whole home.

P.S. You can find the best deal for this book HERE.


Please comment below and tell me what are some of your fave books to read or what do you do when you finally get alone time. Thank you so much for reading along.


#books #mamabooks #mamatime #motherhoodstruggles #motherhood