Deliberate Motherhood - Barnes & Noble

I just had one of those "dream come true" moments and wanted to share.  (I hope you won't mind.)

Ever since I was a high school student, I would walk into Barnes & Noble with wide eyes and stare in amazement at all the shelves stocked with colorful book jackets and engaging titles. 

There's something about that store that gets my heart beating fast.

I can't even tell you how many times Eric and I have sat side by side in the aisles of Barnes & Noble on our date nights, surrounded with stacks of books.  We inevitably leave with one or two new ones (have I mentioned our bedroom is primarily decorated with bookshelves?), and our discussions on the way home from our date nights are always filled with new ideas and animated discussions about our goals.  (He's my soul mate.)

In the back of my mind, I've always hoped that someday I would have the opportunity to put my thoughts and ideas up there on a shelf next to all the others who love writing as much as I do.  And I've always hoped that in that process, someone would walk by and see my book and say, "That's exactly what I need right now."

Well, I don't know when or where or if Barnes & Noble will stock our book on their actual shelves, but Deliberate Motherhood, our first Power of Moms compilation (written by more than 60 moms from our community), is now up on Barnes & Noble's website.

See?

I'm giddy inside.

I keep looking at the page and smiling.

This is a neat moment for me--and for all of us at Power of Moms.

So thank you to all of the wonderful authors of Deliberate Motherhood for helping to create such a fantastic book.

Thank you to our Power of Moms community for coming to the website and supporting us as we do our very best to strengthen families.

And thank you to Familius Publishing for believing in us and making this book appear in so many places!  (The book is being relaunched on September 3rd.  Press "Buy" on the Familius' Deliberate Motherhood page to see all the places where the book is being offered.)

Just one more note: If you have a sizable blog and would like to review a copy of the book, or if you want to stay up-to-date on what's happening with this book project at Power of Moms, please visit our Power of Moms book page for more details.

This has been a huge, huge project--spanning more than three years--but my heart's so happy about it.

Thanks, everyone, for your support! 

Much love,
April

Favorite Organizing Books

My sister was asking me about my favorite organizing books this week, so I thought I'd put them up here on my blog (and ask for your suggestions, as well).  Honestly, I'm dying to write about all the "real" stuff going on in my life (because I'm learning and growing more than ever before, and I'd like to share it), but our Power of Moms Retreat is this weekend, and I have too much to do between now and then, so for now, here are some thoughts on organizing . . .).

I really, really, really like organizing.  My life is never as organized as I'd like (because I'd like to have everything perfectly clean and beautiful and orderly at all times), but when you are trying to raise a happy family and you don't want to spend your entire life being a cranky perfectionist, you've got to let some things slide.

My motto is, "Clean enough to be healthy, messy enough to be happy."

That being said, our whole family functions better when things are organized.  Here are the books that have helped me attain a level of organization that enables me to "cook on all burners," as my mom would say.

#1: It's Here . . . Somewhere

I read this book more than 10 years ago, and I still think of it every day.  It shows you how to take a cluttered house and turn it into a simplified haven in a few weeks' time.  I love it.

 

#2: Getting Things Done

This is an obvious one, since I based my whole Mind Organization for Moms program on it, but really, David Allen does for your mind what book #1 does for your house.  That cluttered mess in your brain becomes a simplified haven.  Brilliant. 

#3 Sink Reflections

I heard about this one years ago, but I didn't read it until last month, and I am kicking myself for waiting so long.  It shows you how to create simple household routines that basically keep the house clean without ever having a big "cleaning day."  I've been teaching the steps to my children, and they're all pitching in.  Now, when we're together on Saturdays, we can spend the day playing because the house is already clean.

The "Fly Lady" has also taught me to take more breaks during the day and spend time doing things that I enjoy.  I LOVE this book. 

#4 Organizing from the Inside Out and Never Check Email in the Morning

These are two books by one of my heroes, Julie Morgenstern.  She has such a pleasant writing style, and she's helped me learn to organize with my family's habits (and not to force my family to develop new habits just so I can organize the way I like).

For example, I used to make the whole family put their laundry in my closet--right into our laundry sorter.  Well, one of my children kept leaving piles of clothes behind the children's bathroom door.  I kept getting mad and saying, "They belong in the laundry sorter!  Why do you keep shoving them behind the door?"

After reading Organizing from the Inside Out, I decided to try something new.  I put a narrow hamper behind the children's bathroom door, and now there aren't any piles of clothes on the floor (and my children are in charge of bringing down/sorting their own laundry).  Case solved.

Never Check Email in the Morning is a brilliant book, as well.  Morgenstern shows you how to make a time map, spend your best energy on the most important, creative projects, and not get distracted by email, Facebook, etc.

So those are my top picks.  Anyone else have a great organizing book to add?