parentJamie at Steady Mom launched her new book, Steady Days, last week and asked me if I would review it and host a giveaway. I said “Of course!”.

It’s no secret that I’m always looking for new inspiration to be able to do my job as a parent better. Although it’s title is Steady Days: A Journey Toward Intentional, Professional Motherhood it really is for any parent (not just mom) who wants to take a deliberate and professional approach to the important job of raising our children.

When I first became a mom I thought : “yeah sure I can do this”. Now as my kids are getting older, their needs are changing and having never done this before I feel I’m floundering a bit. Quite often, like Jamie, I find myself thinking … if I could just see how others do it. And that is exactly what this book is.

Jamie gives us an inside look at what it’s really like raising kids. With three little people of her own she has a lot of advice to share.

This is not a long book, nor does Jamie take the “this is what you must do” approach. Jamie knows that no two families are the same and so what works for one, may not necessarily work for another. Instead she gives you the tools that empower you to create a system that works for you.

Written as 40 short (and I mean short) chapters this book is divided into 4 main sections.

  • Getting organized
  • Retaining enthusiasm
  • Learning together
  • Making memories

It also comes with over 30 pages of sample worksheets that Jamie refers to throughout the book. You can use them as is or as inspiration to make your own variation.

Overall, my favorite part of the book was developing a steady routine. It lets you set a framework for your day as opposed to specific activities attached to specific times. This is what I was missing. I have already implement my steady routine and the day just flows so much more smoothly. There is no more wondering what we’re going to do, play with etc … it’s all written out already. It’s helped the kids as well in that they know generally what to expect in any given day.

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Jamie has given me a signed copy of Steady Days to give away to one of my fabulous readers.

How to enter: All you have to do to enter is leave a comment here sharing one of your fondest family memories.

On Friday January 22, 2010 at 8:00 am CST I will enter the number of comments into the random number generator at random.org to select our winner. Good luck!

Photo courtesy of: greekadman.