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If You Give a Mom a Martini: 100 Ways to Find 10 Blissful Minutes for Yourself
If brushing your teeth provides the only moment of the day when you’re truly alone and at peace, then this book is for you. Sure, you love your kids, but your pre-mom self—the one who savored a glass of wine after work and exercised on her lunch break instead of shopping for baby food—had its perks, too.
The “time-outs” in this book are for moms who love their kids but also long for a few minutes when they’ve got nowhere to be, no one to listen to, and no diapers to change. The authors have compiled 100 imaginative ways they and their friends—including such celebrities as Kelly Ripa and Jill Hennessy—spend their time when they have 10 luscious minutes to themselves. The suggestions for using your moments alone to the max run the gamut from sweet to satiric—treat yourself to a single, beautiful flower for your bedside table or play kickball with your son and punt the ball really, really far. Try surreptitiously rearranging your Netflix queue so your movies arrive before your husband’s and kids’ do. Browse for bling at Harry Winston. Or leave the kids to shop with your husband and slip into Brookstone for a rest in one of their giant massage chairs.
Every good mom deserves a break. This book is a start—to chuckle over with your friends or really use when you need a precious respite.
The “time-outs” in this book are for moms who love their kids but also long for a few minutes when they’ve got nowhere to be, no one to listen to, and no diapers to change. The authors have compiled 100 imaginative ways they and their friends—including such celebrities as Kelly Ripa and Jill Hennessy—spend their time when they have 10 luscious minutes to themselves. The suggestions for using your moments alone to the max run the gamut from sweet to satiric—treat yourself to a single, beautiful flower for your bedside table or play kickball with your son and punt the ball really, really far. Try surreptitiously rearranging your Netflix queue so your movies arrive before your husband’s and kids’ do. Browse for bling at Harry Winston. Or leave the kids to shop with your husband and slip into Brookstone for a rest in one of their giant massage chairs.
Every good mom deserves a break. This book is a start—to chuckle over with your friends or really use when you need a precious respite.
128 pages, Hardcover
First published April 7, 2009
1 person is currently reading
42 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
January 24, 2019
I miss read what this book would be about. I was thinking it would be more humorous stories of motherhood. Instead I found a book that is giving ways to take 10 minutes to yourself. It is a sweet short read and there are some good ideas and fresh ideas. Not my favorite book though.
June 24, 2009
I often hear moms complain that they have no time for themselves. Well, if somebody handed Mommy a book titled If You Give A Mom A Martini… she definitely should make time for herself. This book is über-delightful! It was off to the races for me the minute I flipped the first page. It is definitely intended to make life easier for all the stressed-out moms who juggle work, play, marriage, kids, household chores, PTA meetings, baseball practices, and the list goes on and on. If You Give A Mom A Martini… encourages moms to set aside ten minutes for ourselves everyday for our own entitlement, since the other 1,430 minutes is devoted to taking care of everyone else. I have a two-year-old myself, and as I spent more than ten minutes reading the book, BAM! He managed to masticate the business card that the pool guy left on the dining room table. Aaaaargh! Fortunately, at least after reading some of the anecdotes in here, I realize that I’m not the only one who has “Bad Mommy Moments.”
The book reminds us moms that we can still dance, sing and listen to our own music from the eighties or nineties, even if we are constantly drowned with “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,” the complete set of songs from the Mommy and Me DVD, and that monotonous “Boom Boom Pow” with the indetectable lyrics. Although I really can’t begin to express how grateful I am to Elmo and Barney for the wonder, magic, and help they bring by distracting my kid, because that’s a good thirty minutes of “me” time right there. Oh, and what about those text messages you get from your tween? This book will give you a complete run-down of their frequent bizarre cell phone acronyms and their meanings, helping you to translate the hieroglyphics of your child’s communications. From dealing with the constant “Mom, what’s this?” questions from your toddlers to having to fall in line inside the mall at midnight to get the first copy of the Twilight DVD, If You Give A Mom A Martini… empowers us to indulge in our own guilty pleasures and reward ourselves, too…because - admit it - kids can be so user-unfriendly and husbands are oftentimes not the most attentive, loving, appreciative and sex-crazed partners we want them to be! Might as well reward yourself from time to time, even if it is as trivial as getting ten minutes in the bathroom to catch up on the latest Us Weekly magazine, everyone else’s cellulite and no-makeup paparazzi shots of “Octomom” Nadya Suleman and Kate Gosselin.
I have my own “Mommy Meltdowns,” and it’s nice to know that I’m not alone. Unless you’ve lived in “our” world, you’ll never really consider having a martini in the afternoon, gossiping with a girlfriend on the phone for hours, chatting and stalking friends’ Facebook profiles, watching Jerry Springer, or sitting on a reclining massage chair at the mall as luxuries. Mothering is a noble undertaking and a lifetime commitment, so moms will need all the help they can get to maintain their sanity, to provide a nurturing home, and to be able to always create a circle of love between their husbands and children, no matter how silly or petty it may be. If You Give A Mom A Martini… celebrates moms of all kinds and ages, and I give a toast to the gorgeous and diva-licious mom-authors Julie Clappas and Lyss Stern for the great contribution they have written for the betterment of society. May I have the great pleasure and honor of exchanging thoughts and some afternoon Martinis with you both in the future! Cheers!
The book reminds us moms that we can still dance, sing and listen to our own music from the eighties or nineties, even if we are constantly drowned with “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,” the complete set of songs from the Mommy and Me DVD, and that monotonous “Boom Boom Pow” with the indetectable lyrics. Although I really can’t begin to express how grateful I am to Elmo and Barney for the wonder, magic, and help they bring by distracting my kid, because that’s a good thirty minutes of “me” time right there. Oh, and what about those text messages you get from your tween? This book will give you a complete run-down of their frequent bizarre cell phone acronyms and their meanings, helping you to translate the hieroglyphics of your child’s communications. From dealing with the constant “Mom, what’s this?” questions from your toddlers to having to fall in line inside the mall at midnight to get the first copy of the Twilight DVD, If You Give A Mom A Martini… empowers us to indulge in our own guilty pleasures and reward ourselves, too…because - admit it - kids can be so user-unfriendly and husbands are oftentimes not the most attentive, loving, appreciative and sex-crazed partners we want them to be! Might as well reward yourself from time to time, even if it is as trivial as getting ten minutes in the bathroom to catch up on the latest Us Weekly magazine, everyone else’s cellulite and no-makeup paparazzi shots of “Octomom” Nadya Suleman and Kate Gosselin.
I have my own “Mommy Meltdowns,” and it’s nice to know that I’m not alone. Unless you’ve lived in “our” world, you’ll never really consider having a martini in the afternoon, gossiping with a girlfriend on the phone for hours, chatting and stalking friends’ Facebook profiles, watching Jerry Springer, or sitting on a reclining massage chair at the mall as luxuries. Mothering is a noble undertaking and a lifetime commitment, so moms will need all the help they can get to maintain their sanity, to provide a nurturing home, and to be able to always create a circle of love between their husbands and children, no matter how silly or petty it may be. If You Give A Mom A Martini… celebrates moms of all kinds and ages, and I give a toast to the gorgeous and diva-licious mom-authors Julie Clappas and Lyss Stern for the great contribution they have written for the betterment of society. May I have the great pleasure and honor of exchanging thoughts and some afternoon Martinis with you both in the future! Cheers!
March 19, 2009
A pleasure to read.
100 suggestions/ideas/topics from women in finding ways to recharge your supermom energy. You build a camaraderie with these women instantly as they share their ideas in this witty and charming book.
From famed celebrities to normal Janes, all the women have nothing but the best interest in their hearts in sharing their tips in this book. Everyone is on equal footing and is trying the best to improve the motherhood experience.
I won't be surprised that this book will be an instant hit when it comes out next month. I have no doubt that it might even be optioned into a movie. It has star quality written all over it.
Special "Thanks" to my sister Junnie for lending me this book. Highly recommended.
100 suggestions/ideas/topics from women in finding ways to recharge your supermom energy. You build a camaraderie with these women instantly as they share their ideas in this witty and charming book.
From famed celebrities to normal Janes, all the women have nothing but the best interest in their hearts in sharing their tips in this book. Everyone is on equal footing and is trying the best to improve the motherhood experience.
I won't be surprised that this book will be an instant hit when it comes out next month. I have no doubt that it might even be optioned into a movie. It has star quality written all over it.
Special "Thanks" to my sister Junnie for lending me this book. Highly recommended.
December 4, 2009
My favorite suggestion from this book was:
When shopping at the mall with your hubby & kids, tell them you need to go to the bathroom. Then run to the store with the massage chairs, sit & relax for a bit.
Nice book with creative suggestions.
The only thing I didn't like is that while the book tells moms what to do with 10 minutes, the book does not tell you how to get the 10 minutes of free time in the first place.
As a result, I believe that stay-at-home moms would get more use out of this book b/c they have more time than the rest of us. Even if they feel like they're super busy, they have more control over their time than the rest of us who are beholden to other people's schedules.
When shopping at the mall with your hubby & kids, tell them you need to go to the bathroom. Then run to the store with the massage chairs, sit & relax for a bit.
Nice book with creative suggestions.
The only thing I didn't like is that while the book tells moms what to do with 10 minutes, the book does not tell you how to get the 10 minutes of free time in the first place.
As a result, I believe that stay-at-home moms would get more use out of this book b/c they have more time than the rest of us. Even if they feel like they're super busy, they have more control over their time than the rest of us who are beholden to other people's schedules.
December 26, 2015
Some good ideas, but many were outdated. Websites for dressing up dolls, judging length of new marriage, ordering cookie deliveries. Recommended reading business news online, making cocktails and healthy meals for yourself, standing on your head, taking a bubble bath, watching small increments of soap operas, movies, and yeah TV. Getting a mop to attach to your crawling child, throwing a ball really far too have some time to yourself, sneaking away to a massage chair in the mall, locking yourself in the bathroom.
January 23, 2016
A cute little book of 100 ten-minute escapes for Mom. My favorite was probably to play kickball with your child and kick the ball really, really far, ensuring a few minutes to sip your iced tea all alone. Some were silly like this one, and others were more health and fitness oriented, some were doable and others required things I don't have (cash and more cash!), but overall a book I'd give in a gift bag at a baby shower!
July 9, 2010
Now, i'm not a mom, but I grabbed this cause I figured anyone could use 10 minutes to themselves. Despite not being a mom, I liked a lot of the ideas in this book, it's really important to take care of yourself regardless of who you are and I liked that this reinforced that. My mom definitely could learn something from this!
March 9, 2011
This might be one of the silliest, most impractical books I've ever read. Take a subway ride? Really? Because you could do that in all of ten minutes and get back to your little urchins without being missed.
At least I now have a recipe for a lemondrop martini, on the off chance I couldn't manage to google it.
At least I now have a recipe for a lemondrop martini, on the off chance I couldn't manage to google it.
March 19, 2012
Fun to read. Brings back many happy memories of when I was too busy with my children to even paint my own nails, just like they recommend in this book! Found a super recipe for pasta that the kids won't like (so you can eat it all!)
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July 31, 2011The title is fun but I wouldn't recommend it.
September 1, 2014
Cute, fun, and easy to read
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews