Book Giveaway: It Gets Easier and Other Lies We Tell New Mothers

I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for this giveaway to be posted. All opinions are my own.

It Gets Easier and Other Lies We Tell New Mothers is a fun and funny book geared toward new moms to tell them what having a baby is really like. There are tips on labor, recovery, feeding, body changes, scheduling, working, and more!

Author Claudine Wolk is a Babywise Mom, so you will find lots of tips you agree with in here. Of course, like most any book, there will be things you will do differently, but the book has great tips for new moms and is a light, easy and honest read. This book could be a perfect gift for you to give friends if you are unsure if they would be interested in Babywise or not.

A little about Claudine. Claudine Wolk is a mother of three, wife of one, and author of It Gets Easier and Other Lies We Tell New Mothers, a book for new moms.  When faced with motherhood for the first time, she completely freaked out (it was so hard) and decided to write a book so that other new moms would not freak out like she did. She enjoys long walks on the beach, bubble baths with a good book, and men who aren’t afraid to cry.

To give you a taste of her writing, Claudine has written an article for you:

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Can a Healthy Marriage Is an Important Part of Parenting?

Your marriage can be put on the backburner and may not even reside on the stovetop after the birth of a baby. I like to remind new moms that they make a vow to their spouse, not their kids!  I also tell new moms that one of the best ways to be a good mom is to stay happily married.  That may be easier said than done.  Here are a few ideas to try.

·         Put your spouse first.  Now obviously, I would never suggest to ignore the needs of your infant over the needs of your spouse, but does a child need to sleep between the two of you, every night, for the first three years of his life?  Ah, No!  Keep in mind that sometimes your bed is for doing adult things with your spouse – treat it with the respect it deserves and save some alone time in it for your spouse!  PS.  If he says he doesn’t mind, he’s lying!

·         Recognize each other’s need for time away from the family.  Everybody gets burnt out by doing the same job over and over – even parents.  Use the tag-team strategy and insist that you each take time away from the family to re-group.  The benefits of this time away will be felt by the entire family, but especially in the marriage.

·         Keep laughing – Sometimes being a parent can be so stressful, we forget to take things a bit lighter and laugh at the absurdity of it all.  You’ve heard that laughter is good for an illness - it’s also the key to  a happy marriage. Rent funny movies, watch funny reruns of Seinfield and The Office to get some well-needed and shared laughs.

·         Get Out Alone Without The Kids – Remember all those folks who sat as witnesses to your wedding and promised that they would support you in your marriage?  Well, now is the time for those folks to ante up.  Call them and collect on that promise so that you and your spouse can get out alone together.  One of the first ways that a marriage falls apart is by focusing on all the wrong stuff – the house, the kids, the bills, extended family (yes, I said it!) and work.  Putting your marriage on a pedestal means staying connected.  Find a local watering hole and sit down together without distractions and enjoy each other over a glass of wine.  Talk about your kids (yes, that is ok), talk about your work, talk about your dreams – plug into each other, I’ll bet there is still a lot you have to learn about one another.

Remember that being happily married gives your kids two happy parents.  It also gives your kids an example of a happy marriage and teaches them how to be a good spouse.  Making time for each other and your marriage can be the best parenting technique available.  Does anyone else have ideas for ways to put your spouse first?

You can read more from Claudine at http://Help4NewMoms.com/wordpress

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Now, time to enter to win a copy of her book for yourself!

For Your First Entry:

Become a follower of this blog. Then leave a comment. If you are already a follower (the thing where your cute face pops up with all the other cute faces of people following), comment telling me so.

Sample Entry

I am a follower!

For Your Second Entry:

"Like" this blog on Facebook. Once you have done so, come back and leave a comment saying you did so.

Sample Entry

I "like" Chronicles on Facebook!

For Your Third Entry:

Go to Claudine's blog: http://help4newmoms.com/wordpress/. Watch the video of Claudine on ABC, then come back and comment on something you agreed with that she talked about.

Sample Entry

I like it!

For Your Fourth Entry:

Share what the biggest shock to you was when you were a new mother.

Sample Entry

I was shocked that my baby didn't want to sleep. Who doesn't want to sleep?

For Your Fifth Entry:

Follow me on Twitter. Once you have done so, come back and comment and include your Twitter ID. Already do? Comment saying so.

Sample Entry

I follow on Twitter! @valplowman

For Your Sixth Entry:

Free entry just for reading entry six...so long as you comment.

Sample Entry

Follow Claudine on Twitter: http://twitter.com/help4newmoms. Once you have done so, come back and comment and include your Twitter ID. Already do? Comment saying so.

Sample Entry

I follow on Twitter! @valplowman

For Your Seventh Entry:

Answer Claudine's question from her post above: Does anyone else have ideas for ways to put your spouse first? Leave a comment with your answer.

Sample Entry

Listen to your spouse and don't just talk about what you did all day (whether you are the one home or the one at work).

Entry Rules

• Open to US and Canadian residents only.
• You must leave a comment in order to have an entry.
• You must leave a separate comment for each entry. This is not so I can get lots of comments--it is because it makes it a million times easier to choose a winner. It takes less time, and less time is good. Plus, it makes sure I don't miss an entry.
• You don't have to do all seven entries...for example, if you just want to follow this blog, you can just do entry one.
• One entry per comment.
• Up to seven entries per person.
• You must fulfill the rules of each entry for each entry to count. If I see the entry is not valid (did not meet entry requirements), I will disqualify your entry. Trust me, I check.
• Entries will be accepted until 11:59 PM Friday, March 18 Mountain Standard Time.
• The winner will be randomly selected at random.org
• The winner will be announced Saturday, March 19.
• If you would like, you can add your email address to your entry. If you are the winner, I will email you to let you know. You do not need to add your email address in order to win. I understand not everyone wants to share their email addresses with the world. I will announce the winner on the blog, so you can check the blog Saturday to find out if you won.
• Once the winner is announced, you will have one week to contact me or another winner will be chosen. Be sure to check back. The only thing worse than not winning is to win but not realize it in time!