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Not Guilty: My Guide to Working Hard, Raising Kids and Laughing through the Chaos
"I want this book to read like you are getting together with your best girlfriends over a glass of wine to let loose about life and, most of all, to laugh about it all.” Debbie Travis
Debbie Travis, the beloved home decorating icon, launched her hugely successful career when she had two kids at home under two. When women get a chance to talk with Debbie, yes they want to know what colour to paint their living rooms – but most of all they want to know how the heck she did it!
In Not Guilty , Debbie describes in frank and hilarious detail the rollercoaster ride of raising two feisty little boys at the same time as working with her husband to create two thriving TV production companies and three TV series of her own. Full of laughter and tears, survival strategies and reality checks from other moms who've also had their total meltdown moments, Debbie's book will help you lose the guilt, enjoy the ride and stop being so hard on yourself.
Guess what? Even if you screw up at times, you will survive the emotional ups and downs, the incredible highs and impossible lows – and so will your kids.
Debbie Travis, the beloved home decorating icon, launched her hugely successful career when she had two kids at home under two. When women get a chance to talk with Debbie, yes they want to know what colour to paint their living rooms – but most of all they want to know how the heck she did it!
In Not Guilty , Debbie describes in frank and hilarious detail the rollercoaster ride of raising two feisty little boys at the same time as working with her husband to create two thriving TV production companies and three TV series of her own. Full of laughter and tears, survival strategies and reality checks from other moms who've also had their total meltdown moments, Debbie's book will help you lose the guilt, enjoy the ride and stop being so hard on yourself.
Guess what? Even if you screw up at times, you will survive the emotional ups and downs, the incredible highs and impossible lows – and so will your kids.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published October 28, 2008
3 people are currently reading
31 people want to read
About the author
Debbie Travis
20 books6 followersHome designer, television host and producer, best-selling author, sought-after public speaker, and host of Tuscan getaways at her personal villa.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 17, 2020
I love Debbie Travis! This book gives a humorous take on raising a family without the need for feeling guilty for your choices or actions. The message - we all make mistakes and that’s perfectly okay. Debbie often uses her own family scenarios to prove her point, reassure us and give us a laugh or two. This book is relatable to all Mom’s trying to raise a happy, healthy family without losing your mind while doing so. Debbie promotes - just do the best you can with the tools in your kit when raising a family and don’t forget to laugh often. Laugh a lot!
January 27, 2024
I thought this was a great book and it's wonderful how she shared her life from her childhood to her every day life, working and trying to balance being a mom of two. She did it and she is an inspiration
April 21, 2025
I loved this book, funny, serious and just real.
July 15, 2014
Author, TV personality, and home decorating icon Debbie Travis’s book "Not Guilty: My Guide to Working Hard, Raising Kids, and Laughing Through the Chaos" is filled with clever anecdotes about her experience with parenting that will remind you that you are not the only one who has considered leaving their children at the mall.
Described as “the antidote to maternal guilt”, Travis’s book is filled with dry humor, witty observations, and lots of painting. Raising two boys under the age of two while also starting a TV production company with her husband and her struggle to balance career and family is not a new story, but a relatable one that will have you nodding in agreement.
Travis reminds us that it is okay to cycle between loving mother and shrieking shrew in the space of five minutes, and writes about everything from terrifying visits to the hospital to being asked to go on The Oprah Show. Travis’s witty British humor will leave you feeling much more confident about your parenting skills. Even though you may have embarrassing moments or total screw-ups, Travis reminds us that everything turns out okay-kids and parents both.
(This review originally appeared on Mamalode.com July 9, 2014: http://mamalode.com/story/detail/book-review-not-guilty)
Described as “the antidote to maternal guilt”, Travis’s book is filled with dry humor, witty observations, and lots of painting. Raising two boys under the age of two while also starting a TV production company with her husband and her struggle to balance career and family is not a new story, but a relatable one that will have you nodding in agreement.
Travis reminds us that it is okay to cycle between loving mother and shrieking shrew in the space of five minutes, and writes about everything from terrifying visits to the hospital to being asked to go on The Oprah Show. Travis’s witty British humor will leave you feeling much more confident about your parenting skills. Even though you may have embarrassing moments or total screw-ups, Travis reminds us that everything turns out okay-kids and parents both.
(This review originally appeared on Mamalode.com July 9, 2014: http://mamalode.com/story/detail/book-review-not-guilty)
November 1, 2012
I just saw Debbie Travis at a speaking event and instantly loved her. She referred to this book during the event and I ran out and got it. I loved it! Found it to be so real and true to life with some good advice and an interesting look into her life as a mom.
November 21, 2011
Her guide to working hard, raising kids and laughing through the chaos. A cute, light-hearted read.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews