Chicago Moms Blog

What Happened to the Girl I Married? by Michael Miller: A Silicon Valley Moms Group Book Club

Silicon Valley Moms Group bloggers' monthly book club is tackling a subject today that can become heated. What DO stay-at-home-moms do all day?? We are a diverse group here on Silicon Valley Moms Group - we are SAHMs, working moms, WAHMs, moms somewhere in between. We ALL have different perspectives and we're sharing them today as we discuss what this guy, this dad, a Silicon Valley executive, learned when he walked a year in his SAHM wife's shoes. 

Join in as Silicon Valley Moms Group bloggers discuss the book What Happened to the Girl I Married? by Michael Miller.

• Silicon Valley Moms Blog's Jessica leads us off with a confession
• Julie from Just Precious toasts another 111 years of understanding, love, trust and family
• Sophia from Moody Mommy says she's NOT the girl he married
• Cynthia from Cynthia718 announces that the woman you married has left the building
• Bonnie from Just Peachy Baby loved the payback!
• Stacy from The Fabulous Miss S wants her husband to take another dude's word for it
• Erica from wellthoughtoutspot thinks about a parent's identity: segmentation or fragmentation?
• Nicole from Not Just a Working Mom and her husband don't really fit into a parenting category
• Silicon Valley Diva from Blog on the Wall turns the tables and asks what happened to the (french) guy she married?
• Melanie from Tales from the Crib thinks her husband will be getting a crash course on staying home with kids when she heads to BlogHer next week
• Bonggamom from Finding Bonggamom will also be leaving her husband next week to live her life...sort of...while she's at BlogHer
• Jennifer from Connect with your Teens asks: did marriage and kids change you?
• Amy from Le ShallowGal took the Seal/Heidi Klum angle on this book
• Rox from Rox and Roll muses on adaptability
• Chefdruck from Chefdruck Musings re-establishes a balance of power
• Laughing at Chaos from Never a Dull Moment says "OH, I'll tell ya what happened to the girl he married"
• Musings from Me from Musings from Me bristled at Mr. Fix It
• Linsey from Me Too You has never-ever-ending laundry
• Heidi from Coast 2 Coast Mom advises you to man-up and find yourself already
• Teresa from Elebelly thinks she may be at the point where she is ready to take care of herself, so she can take care of others
• Robin from My Life As It Is says I'm right here, you're right here
  
• Lori Landau declared The Girl You Married is a Woman 

More posts will be put up throughout the day on our writer's personal sites, so be sure to check back to follow along.

.... and if you have a post up on YOUR personal site on this topic, please leave a comment here and we will add your link!

About the book - read a description here.

Past Silicon Valley Moms Group Book Clubs have included:

• Testimony by Anita Shreve
  
• Comfort Food by Kate Jacobs
• Much to Your Chagrin by Suzanne Guilette
  
• It Started with Pop-Tarts by Lori Hanson
• Who By Fire by Diana Spechler
• The White Trash Moms Handbook by Michelle Lamar
• Writing Motherhood by Lisa Garrigues
• The Vaccine Book by Dr. Robert W. Sears
• The Other Mother by Gwendolen Gross

What Happened to the Girl I Married?: Join us for Silicon Valley Moms Group's next Book Club on Friday, July 17th

Let's face it - sometimes a couple's relationship changes once they have kids. Join us Friday, July 17th as we discuss the book What Happened to the Girl I Married by Michael Miller and talk about what we think happened for our next book club.

About What Happened to the Girl I Married (from the author's website): In What Happened to the Girl I Married?, Miller steps out of his corporate executive job and into his wife’s uncomfortable shoes at home. With no staff or administrative assistants to support him, Miller’s “ah hah moments” begin on day one and become more profound with each step down the path. Through his journey, Miller offers a new found appreciation for the tireless efforts of stay-at-home mothers and clues as to why women might lose themselves in the job. For the men they married, Miller lets them connect with his evolution through humor, man-isms and motivations for change that are hard to resist.

In his journey to enlightenment in What Happened to the Girl I Married?, through both laughter and tears, Miller provides readers with:

• A revealing perspective on the job of a stay-at-home parent and appreciation for it’s unique challenges
  (from a man who never had it)
• Creative imagery and colorful examples to help communicate the job’s complexities and the feelings they can generate that are sometimes hard to put into words
• A non-threatening way for the partner of the stay-at-home parent to examine how their words and actions might be contributing to a loss of self worth and identity
• Ideas for small, manageable changes that can have a big impact on the relationship, and how the stay-at-home parent feels about themselves and their job
• A simple terminology that both partners can use to help get their love affair back on track and keep it that way

What Happened to the Girl I Married? is an honest and enlightening love story that’s funny and thought-provoking throughout. The story’s messages help heal old wounds and offer both partners a language to get back on a loving path together – and stay on it.

Read along with us: Buy your copy of the book today and get ready to discuss with us on Friday, July 17th. See you at book club!

Past Silicon Valley Moms Group Book Clubs have included:

• Testimony by Anita Shreve
  
• Comfort Food by Kate Jacobs
• Much to Your Chagrin by Suzanne Guilette
  
• It Started with Pop-Tarts by Lori Hanson
• Who By Fire by Diana Spechler
• The White Trash Moms Handbook by Michelle Lamar
• Writing Motherhood by Lisa Garrigues
• The Vaccine Book by Dr. Robert W. Sears
• The Other Mother by Gwendolen Gross

Read along with us: Buy your copy of the book today and get ready to discuss with us on Friday, July 17th. See you at book club!

Past Silicon Valley Moms Group Book Clubs have included:

• Testimony by Anita Shreve
  
• Comfort Food by Kate Jacobs
• Much to Your Chagrin by Suzanne Guilette
  
• It Started with Pop-Tarts by Lori Hanson
• Who By Fire by Diana Spechler
• The White Trash Moms Handbook by Michelle Lamar
• Writing Motherhood by Lisa Garrigues
• The Vaccine Book by Dr. Robert W. Sears
• The Other Mother by Gwendolen Gross

Testimony by Anita Shreve: A Silicon Valley Moms Group Book Club

This month, for Silicon Valley Moms Group bloggers' monthly book club, we read a novel that many of us, as mothers, found tough to read. But probably every mother should read it. And their teenagers too - especially their teenagers.

Join in as Silicon Valley Moms Group bloggers discuss the book Testimony by Anita Shreve.

• DC Metro Moms Blog's Amy G. leads us off with hoping she has done enough
• Wife and Mommy from Wife and Mommy thinks of all the moments she knew her life would never be the same
• Jennifer from Connect with your Teens discusses the ramifications and repercussions of teenage drinking
• Melanie from Tales from the Crib forecasts the future
• Bonggamom from Finding Bonggamom remembers temptation
• The Fabulous Miss S from Fabulous Miss S screamed in her head "No! Don't do it!"
• Silicon Valley Diva from Blog on the Wall shudders when she thinks back to her teenage years
• Kim from Passion & Art says no one asks to be raped
• Chefdruck from Chefdruck Musings gives her own testimony
• Jessica from It's My Life thinks about when the best isn't the best after all
• Robin from Who's the Boss gives her testimony
• Gayle from Everyday I Write the Book reviews Testimony
• Christina from The Carpool Reader goes through the evolution of a marriage
• Linsey from Me Too You is glad she got caught

More posts will be put up throughout the day on our writer's personal sites, so be sure to check back to follow along.

.... and if you have a post up on YOUR personal site on this topic, please leave a comment here and we will add your link!

About the book - from the publisher Hachette Book Group:

At a New England boarding school, a sex scandal is about to break. Even more shocking than the sexual acts themselves is the fact that they were caught on videotape. A Pandora's box of revelations, the tape triggers a chorus of voices--those of the men, women, teenagers, and parents involved in the scandal--that details the ways in which lives can be derailed or destroyed in one foolish moment.

Writing with a pace and intensity surpassing even her own greatest work, Anita Shreve delivers in TESTIMONY a gripping emotional drama with the impact of a thriller. No one more compellingly explores the dark impulses that sway the lives of seeming innocents, the needs and fears that drive ordinary men and women into intolerable dilemmas, and the ways in which our best intentions can lead to our worst transgressions.

Past Silicon Valley Moms Group Book Clubs have included:

• Comfort Food by Kate Jacobs
• Much to Your Chagrin by Suzanne Guilette
  
• It Started with Pop-Tarts by Lori Hanson
• Who By Fire by Diana Spechler
• The White Trash Moms Handbook by Michelle Lamar
• Writing Motherhood by Lisa Garrigues
• The Vaccine Book by Dr. Robert W. Sears
• The Other Mother by Gwendolen Gross

What's Cooking - A Silicon Valley Moms Group Book Club on "Comfort Food" by Kate Jacobs

There are quite a lot of foodies among us, but we are also readers, writers, mothers, friends, colleagues...rivals, people who are searching for themselves?

Today, Silicon Valley Moms Group bloggers are enjoying our monthly book club, eating...and discussing the book Comfort Food by Kate Jacobs.

• Chicago Moms Blog's Serena leads us off with some food for the soul
• Chefdruck from Chefdruck Musings reflects on her comfort food evolutions
• Bonggamom from Finding Bonggamom was surprised by reincarnations
• Jenn from Kids and a Keyboard steps outside her comfort zone
• Robyn from Who's The Boss asks if you're passionate about your job
• MamaNeena from The Carpool Reader takes comfort in the simple things
  
• Silicon Valley Diva from Blog on the Wall talks about her (dis)comfort with some French food
• Jennifer from Connect with your Teens combines work with kids
• Melanie from Tales from the Crib is finding comfort
• Kim from Passion & Art is happy to be enjoying her Vietnamese comfort food
• Rose from It's My Life wonders if applying childhood labels translate to grown-up characteristics
• Roxane from Rox and Roll on comfort food
  
• Nicole from Not Just a Working Mom says Mmmmm.....
  
• Stacy from Laptop TV Mom says pass the cream of mushroom soup
  
• Amy from Occupation Mommy asks what's your favorite comfort food?
• Jessico from This Mom Rocks It talks about when life gives you lemons
• April from Its All About Balance does some kitchen bonding
  
• Laughing at Chaos from Never a Dull Moment thinks about her transformation
  

More posts will be put up throughout the day on our writer's personal sites, so be sure to check back to follow along.

.... and if you have a post up on YOUR personal site on this topic, please leave a comment here and we will add your link!

Past Silicon Valley Moms Group Book Clubs have included:

• Much to Your Chagrin by Suzanne Guilette
  
• It Started with Pop-Tarts by Lori Hanson
• Who By Fire by Diana Spechler
• The White Trash Moms Handbook by Michelle Lamar
• Writing Motherhood by Lisa Garrigues
• The Vaccine Book by Dr. Robert W. Sears
• The Other Mother by Gwendolen Gross

Food for the Soul — “Comfort Food” by Kate Jacobs

Food is everywhere. It provides nourishment,  plays a large part in learning one’s cultural roots, maintains our ability to function, and in many cultures, is part of one’s rite of passage, or in the case of Kate Jacobs’ novel, rites of passage.

We blog about food, as mothers, it is always on our minds—what to make for dinner, what to feed our little ones, organic vs generic, what restaurants are kid friendly, what restaurants are date night friendly, how can we cut our grocery bill in this economy without sacrificing the quality of the food we buy.  On a bad day, we can turn to food to provide solace. On a good day, we turn to food to celebrate our bodies and minds. Kate Jacobs captures the human spirit in her book “Comfort Food” and brings back my memories of my 29^th year, obsessing over my “checklist,” what was coming next, where I was in life, where I was going, where my life needed to change. Like the main character, Gus, my life came to an impasse (abet 20 years younger) and food and drink played a huge part in that. I started entertaining again—the bigger the party the better, regained a love of food that I had discovered on my own (my mother to this day eats because it’s a necessity and hates to cook even though she did almost every night when we were growing up—sorry mom!), and as I am staring the big 40 in the face next year, my favorite room in the house, as it was ten years ago, is the kitchen.  In the kitchen, I have loved, lost, celebrated and mourned, over wine, homemade applesauce, pot-roasts, birthday cakes and the occasional bag of chips.       

Like Gus, without the career in food, I have spent my life in the kitchen, entertaining, concocting, debating, finding solace, finding my soul.  Gus is real, even for those who are kitchen challenged. For those of us who love the kitchen she is our mirror image on the Food Network, whichever chef is closest to our hearts. For those who are kitchen challenged, she is the waitstaff that directs us to the menu item that becomes our "usual" or the person behind the deli counter that saves the day once again in a pinch before a dinner party. Gus is a thinker, an artist, a doer. She is the modern day woman, the modern day mom, with her forte being the kitchen.

Life is a celebration. Bring on the food that creates our everyday memories and gets us through the mundane as well as the challenges that arise. Bring on “comfort food.”

This is an original Chicago Moms Blog post. When she's not shooing her kids out of the kitchen or running a school fundraiser, Serena Beltz can be found at Chic Simple Moms or  Multicultural Mama.

Our Embarrassing Stories - A Silicon Valley Moms Blog Book Club on Much to Your Chagrin by Suzanne Guillette

Ever been embarrassed? Nah, we didn't think so. Well, we have and, after reading this book, we're ready to share our embarrassing stories with you...maybe...possibly...although, frankly, we already have.

Today, Silicon Valley Moms Group bloggers are having our monthly book club, discussing the book Much to Your Chagrin: A Memoir of Embarrassment by Suzanne Guillette.

• Silicon Valley Moms Blog's Erica leads us off
• MamaNeena from The Carpool Reader tells her embarrassing birth story
• Robyn from Who's The Boss recounts a memorable shopping trip pre-mommyhood
• Bonggamom from Finding Bonggamom asks if you are a scamster, shy or shameless
• Chefdruck from Chefdruck Musings has fun playing with writing in the second person, determining that you shouldn't mix business with pleasure
• Rose from It's My Life tells one ambitious blogger's embarrassing tale
• Nicole from Not Just a Working Mom relates embarrassing moment #287
• Marinka from Motherhood in NYC has engages in mortification Monday
• Amy from Occupation Mommy thinks about kids developing the sense of embarrassment
• Jennifer from Connect with your Teens thinks about different levels of embarrassment
• Stacy from Laptop TV Mom decides she is a private person
• Roxane from Rox and Roll believes there is such a thing as TMI
• Rebecca from Life with Boys is SO embarrassed
• Heather from I Want a Book Deal has a wealth of embarrassing stories
• Melanie from Tales from the Crib asks aren't we all in this together?
• Fabulous Miss S from Fabulous Miss S points out that it happens to all of us
  

More posts will be put up throughout the day on our writer's personal sites, so be sure to check back to follow along. Tell YOUR embarrassing story here today!

.... and if you have a post up on YOUR personal site on this topic, please leave a comment on Silicon Valley Moms Blog and we will add your link!

CLICK HERE TO COMMENT ON THE POST AT THE SILICON VALLEY MOMS BLOG

About the book:

In May 2005, twenty-nine-year-old writer and recent MFA graduate Suzanne Guillette was on the verge of transformation. With the coming of spring, she had fallen in love with New York again and had finally broken up with Ondra, her sexy, long-distance boyfriend via a transatlantic phone call and the invaluable help of a Czech-English dictionary. She had just signed on with a handsome, enthusiastic literary agent named Jack and was beginning work on her first book—a clever collection of other people's most embarrassing moments. Admittedly a far cry from the important journalistic tomes on human rights and her time in Africa she had envisioned writing throughout graduate school. But according to Jack, it "could be huge." The responses she received from countless friends, family, and fellow New Yorkers ranged from mortifying bodily function mishaps and outrageous sexual gaffes to workplace chagrin and cringe-worthy dating humiliations. Immensely entertaining, to be sure, but Suzanne slowly started to observe that all of the stories were somewhat superficial, at least when compared to the deeper reasons one might be embarrassed in the first place.

Body Image: Ours and Our Kids' - A book club for It Started With Pop Tarts

On Tuesday March. 10, Deep South Moms Blog is hosting, as the writers of Silicon Valley Moms Blog hold a book club for It Started With Pop-Tarts, by author Lori Hanson.  We're looking at body images of ourselves and our kids. Take a look at what we're saying:

• Deep South Moms Blog's Christina Y. leads us off
• Bonggamom from Bonggamom Finds is thinking about pop-tarts
• Chefdruck from Chefdruck Musings ate only half and melted away
• Jenn from Kids and a Keyboard is not a fan of pop-tarts, but that didn't stop her
• Fiona from MommyVents looks at over commitment as a sign of low self-esteem
• Fabulous Miss S from Fabulous Miss S says this book fell into her lap at a rather precarious moment in her life
• Rebecca from Life With Boys saw survey results that opened her eyes
• Erica from wellthoughtoutspot is looking for a way to pass on healthy notions of body image to her kids
  
• Jessica from It's My Life wonders will they grow up to love their bodies
  

More posts will be put up throughout the day on our writer's personal sites, so be sure to check back to follow along.

.... and if you have a post up on YOUR personal site on this topic, please leave a comment below and we will add your link!

CLICK HERE TO COMMENT ON THE POST AT THE DEEP SOUTH MOMS BLOG 

Guilt and Rescue - A Book Club for Who By Fire

 On Monday Jan. 26, Los Angeles Moms Blog is hosting, as the writers of Silicon Valley Moms Blog hold a book club for Who By Fire, a novel by Diana Spechler.  Themes of guilt and rescue abound. Take a look at what we're saying:

• LA Moms Blog's Florinda leads us off, talking about family to the rescue...like it or not
• Meghan from Meghan's Mindless Muttering says Who By Fire's Jewish guilt had her at hello
• Amy from I Could Cry But I Don't Have the Time thinks about helicopter parenting
• Gayle from Every Day I Write the Book reviews Who By Fire

More posts will be put up throughout the day on our writer's personal sites, so be sure to check back to follow along.

.... and if you have a post up on YOUR personal site on this topic, please leave a comment below and we will add your link!

CLICK HERE TO COMMENT ON THE POST AT THE LA MOMS BLOG

Who By Fire: SV Moms Group next Book Club Day is scheduled for Monday, January 26th

Mark your calendars for Monday, January 26th as the writers of Silicon Valley Moms Group discuss the book, Who By Fire, authored by Diana Spechler. New York City Moms Blog, where Diana currently lives, will be hosting. Given what is going on is Israel right now, this is an especially timely read.

About Who By Fire: Bits and Ash were children when the kidnapping of their younger sister Alena, an incident for which Ash blames himself, caused an irreparable family rift. Thirteen years later, Ash is living as an Orthodox Jew in Israel, cutting himself off from his mother, Ellie, and his wild child sister, Bits. But soon he may have to face them again: Alena’s remains have finally been uncovered. Now Bits is traveling across the world in a bold and desperate attempt to bring her brother home and salvage what’s left of their family. Told from the alternating points of view of the three family members, Who By Fire is a searing commentary on guilt, grief, and the inescapable bonds of family from a fresh and extremely talented new voice in American fiction.

Read along with us: Visit Amazon or Target (Who By Fire has been selected as a Target Breakout Book) to buy the book today and get ready to discuss with us on Monday, January 26th. See you at book club!

Past Silicon Valley Moms Group Book Clubs have included:

• The White Trash Moms Handbook by Michelle Lamar
• Writing Motherhood by Lisa Garrigues
• The Vaccine Book by Dr. Robert W. Sears
• The Other Mother by Gwendolen Gross

The White Trash Moms Handbook - Book Club TODAY!

Here we are at book club again at Silicon Valley Moms Group, as announced last week, and Silicon Valley Moms Blog is hosting. Today, we are talking about The White Trash Moms Handbook, authored by our own Michelle Lamar from Deep South Moms Blog.

Click HERE to join in on this bookclub!