There are a lot of pregnancy books out there. When I was pregnant the first time I remember scouring the bookstore looking for every single pregnancy book I could find. With my next pregnancy, when I found out I was having twins, I was back at the bookstore buying up every single pregnancy and baby book they had on twins. I guess you could say I’m a pregnancy book junkie.

So when Mother Talk asked me to review another pregnancy book I agreed. Even though I’m not pregnant. And don’t plan to ever be pregnant again. But this isn’t just any pregnancy book. This is The Working Woman’s Pregnancy Book by Marjorie Greenfield, M.D. I wish this book was around when I was pregnant. And working.

This book touches on the things you would expect from a pregnancy book. Things like how to choose a doctor, how the baby grows, medical tests, your growing body (and the aches and pains that come with it) and labor. But it also goes on to talk about the other topics that matter to a working woman; when to tell your boss, labor laws, the Family Medical Leave Act, handling stress and fatigue and more.

Marjorie Greenfield doesn’t start the book at conception. She begins much, much earlier than that. The first chapter includes a 25 question quiz to determine if you are ready for the changes that will happen once you get pregnant and have a child. She makes you think about everything from what’s the right age, your relationship, your job, your family…everything that will be effected by this new little life.

Then she continues on to talk about getting healthy before you get pregnant. It’s best to be as healthy as you can be before you get pregnant so you have a safe pregnancy for both you and your baby. Ms. Greenfield makes you stop and think about your weight and diet and exercise plus the medications and other things you put in to your body. And it’s not just about the moms-to-be. The dads-to-be need to be healthy as well.

Many women are waiting until later in life to get pregnant. Some woman want to get through college and set in their career before they start thinking about expanding their family. However, when you get to your late thirties or early forties it becomes more difficult to get pregnant and the chances for some birth defects increase. But Ms. Greenfield has you covered. There is an entire chapter on fertility treatments and how to get through all the tests and shots while working.

Chapter 23 is dedicated solely to maternity leave. I really like this chapter. A lot of women don’t give their maternity leave a lot of thought until they are already out. Long before you leave work to give birth you need to think about your time off. How much time will you take? How can you negotiate with your boss? Will you work until you go in to labor or take some time off before the baby is due? If you are pregnant with twins or have complications you may be on bedrest or need to cut back on your hours. Who will cover for you? How and when will you train them? There are a ton of questions you need to ask yourself before you start pushing your baby out.

Chapter 36 talks about reentering the workforce. Again there are a lot of things you need to consider. How will you transition back in after being home with your baby? Who will care for your baby while you are at work? How will you feel leaving your baby in somebody else’s care?

Are you planning to breastfeed, but worried about how you will do it while working. Chapter 38 has all the answers on breastfeeding at work. Where will you pump? When will you pump? How will you store you milk. This chapter will help you figure out a way to keep breastfeeding even after you’ve returned to the job.

One of the things I really love about this book is the comments from real moms. Each chapter has some insight from moms who have been there. And chapter 39 is filled with these comments. It’s all about moms who have been there giving advice on everything from emotions to childcare to relationships and your personal needs. My favorite advice comes from Vivian V, an oncologist, who says, “Somtimes you just have to F–k.” Ain’t that the truth.

If you are a pregnant working mom or thinking about getting pregnant, I highly recommend this book. You will find a lot of great advice you won’t find in other pregnancy books. Advice just for you and your needs as a working mom.

As part of the Mother Talk book tour, I recently read The Cure for Modern Life by Lisa Tucker. The Cure for Modern Life is a “novel about what it means in the twenty-first century to be responsible, to care about other people, and to do the right thing.”

The Cure for Modern Life has a lot of interesting story lines, all of which tie together for a really great read. There are several characters who’s lives intertwine together. Throughout the book we meet Matthew, Amelia, Ben, Danny and Isabelle who make us realize that sometimes we need to look at our lives from a different perspective.

Amelia and Matthew were once college sweethearts planning to get married and raise a family, but years later they have become bitter enemies. Amelia dedicated her life to medical ethics and Matthew is an executive at a big pharmaceutical company. Amelia believes Matthew cares more about money then the health and safety of their consumers.

Amelia and Matthew are tied together by Matthew’s long-time best friend and Amelia’s boyfriend, Ben. Ben is a superstar scientist whose goal is to find cures for what ails children in under-privileged countries.

As the book begins Matthew meets a ten-year-old boy named Danny. Danny is trying to get money to help his three-year-old sister who is sick and vomiting. Against his better judgment Matthew invites Danny and Isabelle to his home to give Isabelle some medicine. Danny and Isabelle’s mother is a drug addict deep in to her addiction. All of them are living in a crack house. This single act of kindness ends up turning Matthew’s life upside down.

Although much of the story is fairly predictable, it’s not done in a boring, I-so-knew-that-was-going-to-happen kind of way. It’s more of a natural progression to understand the characters; what they are thinking and why they make the decisions they make. Ms. Tucker does a great job of showing how and why Amelia and Matthew change with each new adventure in their lives. And the novel really makes you think about what it means to be ethical and to do the right thing. Sometimes what we think is the right thing may not actually be what’s best.

I’m a walking disaster. I have asthma, sinus problems and OCD. It’s amazing I can get out of bed some days. But recently I’ve been getting in to the green movement and it occurred to me that my house may very well be killing me. Of course it’s not the houses fault. It’s my fault for not taking better care of myself and for using products that are potential harmful, such as the cleaning supplies that practically burn the hairs right out of my nose.

Recently I decided to stop bitching (ok, maybe not stop, but at least cut down) about my health and actually do something about it. I’ve started doing some research. I’m switching out all of our cleaning supplies including our dishwasher soap and laundry detergent. I’m reading labels (gasp) on the products I buy and the things that I eat. So when Mother Talk said they needed reviewers for Healthy Child Healthy World by Christopher Gavigan, I jumped at the chance. I need somebody to walk me through this greener process.

Healthy Child Healthy World had me at the foreward (which was written by Meryl Steep).

Childhood cancer is up about 25 percent in the last generation. American children are harmed by air pollution, which reduces their respiratory capacity, rendering them more vunerable to colds and ear infections. In recent years, the incidence of asthma surged; more than six million children now suffer from it. One in every thirty-three babies born in the United States enters the world with a birth defect. One in six children deals with at least one developmental disorder. Between 3 and 5 percent have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. While these troubling increases can’t wholly be attributed to environmental poisons, there are measures we all can take to reduce risk.

Let’s see. Asthma? Check (me). Born with a birth defect? Check (Caleb). ADHD? Check (Justis). Hmmm, maybe our house is killing all of us. I was sold. I had to dig in and read the whole book.

The book is broken down in to several chapters. Chapter 1 (which I admit I just skimmed since I’m not planning on ever being pregnant again) deals with having a green pregnancy. Chapter 2 is all about cleaning green. Chapter 3 talks about the food we eat (or should be eating). Chapter 4 is all about beauty (have you ever read the ingredients on your makeup). Chapter 5 explored safer toys for kids. Chapter 6 went over our green yards and gardens. Chapter 7 discusses clean air and water. Chapter 8 tells you how to stay healthy with pets in the house. Chapter 9 tells you what to do during a home remodel. And Chapter 10 gives you ideas for learning more and sharing your new found knowledge with your friends, family and community.

Christopher Gavigan doesn’t try to scare you with all the toxins out there chasing us down. Instead he gives you the facts and provides solutions. There are quite a few sections of the book that are intended for readers to copy and cut out so they can keep the information with them. For example, there is a carpet spot cleaning guide. There is also a list of fruits and vegetables that you should always buy organic and a list that you can probably get by with the regular version because they are lower in pesticides.

Healthy Child Healthy World also includes tons of great recipes. I don’t mean recipes for meals (although there are a couple including some healthy snacks Gwenyth Paltrow feeds her two kids), but recipes for everything from cleaning to play-do. You can make your own all-purpose cleaner and your own homemade soft scrubber. And every day things like lemons, baking soda and vinegar can go a long way to keep your house clean. There’s also a recipe for a great breakfast for your pooch and a non-toxic pet cleanser. Apparently I can make my cats less tasty to fleas by just adding some brewer’s yeast to their food. You better believe I’m going to try that.

Do you know what you’re putting on your body when you get ready in every morning?

According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), the average person’s grooming routine brings them into contact with 126 different chemicals each day. Also the skin is very porous, absorbing up to 60 percent of what’s put on it — and many of those chemicals enter the bloodstream directly.

There’s toothpaste, mouthwash, soap, shampoo, condition, lotion, makeup, and the list goes on. We goop ourselves up with a bunch of crap each day. Now I’m not willing to give up my deodorant, but I will definitely start being more conscious about the products I’m using and my kids are using. That’s probably going to be my next big project; switching out some of our beauty (or healthcare as the boys probably prefer I call it) products.

Oh and did I mention the great tips on getting lice out a kids hair without Kwell, which contains a powerful, nerve-attacking insecticide that has been reported to cause seizures in some children or Nix, which contains a mildly toxic insecticide? Do you want to put insecticides in your child’s hair? Yeah, I didn’t think so.

I really enjoyed this book. I’m going to keep it on my desk as a quick reference so I can keep my family safe. As the book says, you don’t have to change everything in your life, but making a few small changes can make a big difference in your families health. Whatever I can do to reduce some of these risks, I’m all for it. Healthy Child Healthy World is a must read.

It’s been quite a while since I read anything fiction. I love fiction, but recently all my reading has been about how to get kids to listen, or how to understand teenagers [I've still got a lot of reading to do on that one] or how to design your very own website with just a little CSS and XHTML [as if I have time to design my very own website]. So when I found out Mother Talk‘s latest blog tour is a fiction book about a reality show it was like they were calling out to me to break down and make some time for some fiction. And I’m so glad I did.

Lost and Found is Carolyn Parkhurst‘s second book and it sure makes me want to go read the first. She’s a fantastic writer. The story was intriguing and the characters were so captivating I read the whole book in one day.

The characters are in the midst of filming a reality show, but even if you aren’t a reality TV fanatic you’ll enjoy this book. Reminiscent of Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying, Parkhurst shifts the point of view between several different characters, each with their own unique reaction to the scavenger hunt television show they are participating in and their own feelings about the other contestants they are competing against. Parkhurst does a phenomenal job of allow the reader to identify with each character. As I read I felt like I could completely understand why each character did what they did and made the choices they made. I could feel their apprehension as they opened up to their teammates and their pain as their secrets were revealed.

The main characters are a mother and teenage daughter team who are overcoming a big obstacle in their relationship. The mother, Laura, is trying desperately to reconnect with her daughter, Cassie, and seems to be failing miserably. I think any mother of a teenager can relate to their back and forth of mom trying to talk to daughter and daughter just rolling her eyes at how uncool mom is. But Parkhurst takes this relationship further and lets us look through the eyes of each character to really understand the emotions behind these characters.

There is also an ex-gay married couple; Abby and Justin. They met when they both decided to turn away from their sinful lifestyles and seek help through a program called Redemption. There they learned to lean on God to follow a heterosexual lifestyle instead of a gay lifestyle. But throughout the book they are both dealing with temptations and how to overcome those temptations. I love Abby and Justin; almost more than Laura and Cassie. The conflict both these characters feel in their hearts and in their marriage and in just about every decision they made, sucked me in. I found myself rooting for them and then feeling sorry for them when they couldn’t be true to themselves.

But it doesn’t stop there. There are more [minor] characters and even a little love story for us romantics at heart.

Reading the development of these characters left me jealous of Parkhurst’s writing style. And the plot flowed so smoothly you have no idea you’ve just read almost 300 pages. This is an exceptional book about human relationships and I highly recommend it.