When I was pregnant, I was a BIG fan of What to Expect When You’re Expecting.  Some folks hate it.  They think it fear-mongers or that it doesn’t have enough information.  I was also a fan of the Mayo Clinic, & y’all know how deep my love of Baby Proofing Your Marriage runs.

But parenting books?  Parenting books are on a WHOLE DIFFERENT LEVEL than pregnancy books.  Because really, there’s only one way to be pregnant.   Sure, there are mild differences, but at the end of the day it’s the same  - don’t get drunk, don’t do drugs, don’t roll down hills.  BAM.  Parenting?  PANDORA’S BOX.  One book written by an “expert” will tell you to Cry It Out to teach your baby to self-soothe; the next “expert” tells you that Cry It Out only results in a a woman-hating pathological serial killer.  Needless to say, every time I walk through the “how to raise your child without destroying the universe” section of Barnes & Noble, my head explodes.

TLC Book Tours contacted me a bit ago, asking if I would be interested in perusing a new parenting book.  Sure, why not? I thought.  I’m new to this whole gig & by golly, I need all the help I can get.  So they sent Eat, Nap, Play by Robyn Spizman & Evelyn Sacks.  I was pumped by the tagline alone – “How to Get Even More Out of Your Child’s Day for Less.”  MORE OUT OF THE DAY.  That is my ultimate goal.  MORE!  For less!  The American dream!

Moms will concur – routines & creative ideas help your day & sve your sanity.  & once you’ve established a routine that works, the inclination is to stick with it until the kids are off to college.  But sometimes the rigidity of a “tight ship” doesn’t allow much time for good old-fashioned, spur-of-the-moment fun.

Wait.  No.  I like routine.  I HAVE A SIX-MONTH OLD.  Routine is my love language next to sarcasm & chocolate chip cookies.

Written by moms for moms, this timely guide centers on back-to-basics philosophies:  spend quality time with your kids & spend less money.  But this is not a guilt trip – it’s a fun-filled adventure.  Eat, Nap, Play shows you how to turn every day mayhem into precious moments to build memories, foster growth, strengthen bonds, & just have fun.

Okay.  I can get behind that.  So I started flipping through.

There are some great tips.  Like sharing a skill – aka Nate teaching Harrison how to golf & that becoming their “thing.”  Granted, that’s not part of the “less money” aspect of this book.  Or if I had a cool skill, which I do not, I could teach my children how to sew, or garden, or cook.  (note to self:  get a skill)  The book shares the idea of having a “song” with your children – this, I LOVE.  The Momma & I have a song.  We turn up “It’s In His Kiss” every moment we get, take turns with the harmony, roll down the windows, & sing at the top of our lungs.  & I love that anytime I hear that song, I think of The Momma.  & the book has EXCELLENT tips about long trips in the car – that is it’s shining moment.  About packing treats specifically for the movie, setting up a “movie time” to draw out the suspense, etc. rather than just plopping in the DVD the moment you hit the highway.

But honestly?  I think this book is wrongly titled & massively unorganized.  (I’m sorry, authors & publishers!  Don’t hate me!)  It’s not telling me how to get more out of my child’s day.  I thought this would be about scheduling & finding those little moments.  Instead, it bounces around from cheap gift ideas to cheesy crafts to recipes &…walking the mall?

Maybe someone with an older child that loves disorganized mess would dig this.  & I’m not slamming that, either.  But it’s just not for me.  & I think that is the basis of finding the right parenting book – flipping through & either finding that it resonates with your family, or it is simply not a fit.

For now, I’ll go back to just letting my head explode every time I hit Barnes & Noble & relying on my Momma Gurus to help me out, rather than a book.