Good Enough is the New Perfect

I’ve been reading Hollee and Becky, as they are known on Twitter, for many months now, and they never fail to impress me.  Whether the topic is going back to work or giving up the guilt, they’re always there with an encouraging word.

Their new book, “Good Enough is the New Perfect,” brings their experiences interviewing over a hundred working mothers – and surveying over 800 more – about work, life, mothering, breathing space, and striving for the best that we can possibly be into a compact, easily digestible book that is a must for anyone beating themselves up over motherhood.  Or work.  Or the combination.

The book has hundreds of examples and showcases just as many ways of making it work.  It’s this decade’s compendium of how we’re making it work, and it’s a great read, browse, or just-carry-around-because-you’re-so-busy-book.  Check it out.  Take a breath.  And realize – you are working hard, and you can achieve great things.

Perfect is optional.

Disclosure: I was sent this book to review by Hollee and Becky (or their publicist – who remembers?); I received no compensation for this post.  Which is good, because it’s about two months late. 🙂

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Mystery novels featuring new mothers

Look what I found at Type A Mom!  Bundle of Trouble, by Diana Orgain, is a mystery novel featuring a brand-new mom trying to balance her own interests and goals with the chaos of new motherhood.  The book was light but engaging, and every detail rang absolutely true with this mom of two – work-life balance isn’t easy, and this book sure tells the truth about how difficult it can be to care for a newborn and strike out on your own to create a job that gives you the work-life balance you need.

I bought the book myself, at the conference market, and received no compensation for this post.

Fun family card game – Jungle Speed

Looking for a fun family game that everyone from kindergartners to grandparents can enjoy?  Jungle Speed is a new game that encourages the family to sit together around the table and take turns playing a card from the stack in front of them.  The little ones will enjoy the fact that they don’t have to hold cards in their hands, and adults will like the easy play that allows conversation.

The concept is simple – play a card, and check to see if it matches any of the other players’ top cards in shape or color.  If it does, grab the totem!  First one to grab the totem wins the round, and the other player takes both stacks of cards.

The game shifts with the addition of three special cards, alike enough to be a challenge, but different enough that a quick 5 year old can play — and keep pace with Mom or Dad.  We were sent this game to check out recently, and it’s quickly become one of our go-to games.

Disclosure: I was mailed a game to review; I received no compensation for this post.

Filtrete Water Pitcher

The Filtrete Water Pitcher fills super-fast!

The thin filter filters out large particles and improves the taste, and best of all it fills quickly enough that the water is ready to drink by the time the water is turned off.

That makes this pitcher something we will actually USE – every day.

Works for us!

Disclosure clause: No product or compensation was received for this review.

Filtrete Water Station

The Filtrete water station is perfect for families on the go!  I saw the water station in action at BlogHer 2010 in August and had to get to Wal-Mart to get my own right away!  We’ve been using it weekly or more ever since, filling up the boys’ water bottles for school and soccer practice, and one for Mama to have in the car while I’m shuttling them around!

The water tastes clean and fresh, and the water station (you’ll want to buy extra bottles, or use your own aluminium ones by holding them up to the spouts) makes refilling them over and over again very easy.

Thanks, 3M, for this great new product!

Disclosure clause: No product or compensation was received for this review.