No comments about 2009 BusyBodyBook Wall Calendar.

5 comments about If This Is Love Why Do I Feel So Insecure?.

1. I was sooooo disappointed. I had high expectations for this book and found that it was really nothing more then stories told from a counselors chair. This book told me nothing about how to overcome the problems, but instead focused on experiments conducted to account for jealous partners. Truly a waste...there are other books out there that are much more useful.



2. Excellent Book !! This book was a gift for myself, and I am amazed at the extensive analysis of anxiously attached people, that it provides. I have a clearer view know as to why I behave like I behave in relationships, as well as why I tend to choose the partners I have chosen. It's all a cycle. It was a long read, but it's really, really worth it. All the examples of other people's experiences that are described in the book, were real eye openers. I am hoping this is a good step to start changing my behavioral patterns.



3. My review is ditto to Crystal's and Ellie's reviews--not enough information about overcoming one's own psychological problems that lead to unhealthy relationship attachments and possessiveness.



4. After what I have gone through, your book is like looking in a mirror. It's amazing how like me these other folks (case histories in the book) were before 1989. I can also see how people met eachother for romance purposes back then, and sometimes still do today. I mean we didn't have matching services like eHarmony and after becoming emotionally attached it is much harder to say, "I don't think we are are good match."



5. The book is easy to read and has good examples one can extrapolate to his/her relationship. It's soothing to be able to identify some of the issues that need work in your relationship in other case studies. In other words, it's calming to see you're not the only one with those set of issues. The book also offers easy solution exercises.

5 comments about Erotic Massage: Sensual Touch for Deep Pleasure and Extended Arousal.

1. If you ever wanted to learn the fine art of sensual massage, buy this book. The techniques are instructive and worthwhile, and the models are great eye candy, too.



2. This is one of the most beautiful books written on massage I have ever read.
   
   The information and pictures make this book easy to use and fun for anyone.
   
   The depth and feeling that are within, bring love into the realm of the massage.
   
   I would recommend this book for anyone wanting to learn to massage their partner.



3. This book is a technical manual and an artistic endeavor, rolled into one! I'd be proud to keep it on my coffee table, but it really belongs in the bedroom, easily at hand for those nights when you want to try something different. Every loving couple should have this book!



4. The photography in this book is beautiful, but I already do massage and it didn't teach me anything I didn't already know. I recommend it-- but if you are already a massage therapist, you probably won't get anything out of it. They showed the woman touching herself but the man had his under the blanket-- is the male model inadequate? Why only pencil drawings of the male genitalia? That didn't make much of a difference for my assessment of the of the book. I'd hoped it would have gotten more into prostate massage for a straight woman to do on her husband.



5. it is a beautiful book, the pictures are amazing.
   
   The information and pictures make this book easy to use and fun for all.
   
   The depth and feeling that are within, bring love into the realm of the massage.
   
   I would recommend this book!!!

2 comments about Conversations with My Mother: A Keepsake Journal for Celebrating a Lifetime of Stories (AARP).

1. This product is great for people who:
   1. Like to scrapbook (there are many spots for pictures to be added)
   2. Have a Mom AND a Dad who are still happily married
   3. Have many brothers and sisters or parents with many brothers and sisters
   4. Want to know EVERYTHING about your mom. "When did you first smoke a cigarette or take a drink of alcohol?" is one of the questions; this may make some uncomfortable.
   5. Have a mother that is fairly old. My mom is 73, and most women she grew up with went to college. The book has statements such as, "It wasn't common for girls of your generation to even think about going to college. Was this something that you wanted to do?"
   
   Since I:
   1. Don't like scrapbooking,
   2. Don't have a mom and dad still married to each other,
   3. Only have one brother and my mom is estranged from her only brother,
   4. Don't feel comfortable asking some of the questions asked, and
   5. Don't have an ancient mom,
   
   I'll be returning the item.



2. I haven't actually started to write in the book but I've looked at some of the questions to answer. I'm going to have fun reminiscing. My sister suggested we discuss some of the questions and pool our memories together. I have a brand new granddaughter that I'm planning to pass the book to after I've filled in the blanks. I'm also planning to do books for my own two daughters.

5 comments about The Happiest Toddler on the Block: The New Way to Stop the Daily Battle of Wills and Raise a Secure and Well-Behaved One- to Four-Year-Old.

1. It felt unusual to do what the author suggests, but every child in my family & day care responded/responds so well to the ideas presented. Children are not little adults, their brains work differently. The adult who assumes the concepts in the book won't work & who therefore practice with obvious cinicism are going to have trouble. Give yourself & the child a fair chance with the suggestions made in this book & the rewards will be awesome!



2. I admit I've not read the book, so take that as you will. However, after reading all the reviews positive and negative, all the information on this book provided by this site and the first page option, I have come to the conclusion that this book will help a small group of people, but on the whole is not useful. I am almost saddened to see so many positive reviews advocating that one lock their child in their room at night to make them sleep on their own. In the same breath this man insists that we speak "toddler-ese" because the child won't understand more? How will a being that doesn't understand more than primitive language (supposedly) understand the concept of being locked in their room, albeit "lovingly".
   
   I also find fault in the idea that one should "talk like a cave man" to a toddler because that's what they will understand. From day one we didn't do baby talk, we didn't shorten words or sentences for ease. We just spoke to her. Normally using proper grammar. At 15 months old her vocabulary was reaching over 150 words. Now, my daughter is almost 3 and is quite articulate. I've never once in her life hear her say, "Kiara need milk". It's always "Mommy, I need some milk." (Please is optional, but we're getting there.) I feel that the cave-man talk stunts their growth and understanding of the way people are to talk and interact with one another. It supports the laziness that we're finding in our children's studies as evidenced by flagging test scores and general apathy regarding education. Give your child the tools to express themselves rather than dumbing down the world. People underestimate the intelligence of babies/toddlers far too much. Quite sad, really, as children are amazing and incredible creatures.
   
   Tantrums happen. Kids want to cuddle before bed. The lack of these things doesn't necessarily make them "happy" nor does the inclusion of these "stumbling blocks" indicate an "unhappy child".
   
   This book is not for our family.



3. Gave this to my daughter who has a 2 year old. Seems to be working well. She read the happiest baby on the block which I love to give as a gift to new mothers.



4. I was so excited about the title of this book but I was terribly disappointed once I began reading. I really could not get past the repeated references to monkey-cave-whatever children. I know I am raising a human being! My child is not "evolving." She is growing and learning. I took this right back to the store.
   
   Better books to read: "Positive Discipline in the First Years", "The First Three Years of Life", and "Raising a Happy, Unspoiled Child."



5. I was pleasantly surprised when picking up Dr. Karp's book. The first section of the book is amusing and written in a humorous tone. Some points may be excessively repeated. If you look at the title of the book it says the book has a co-writer. In other words, these are not Dr. Karp's words verbatim. And perhaps that is where the problems arise.
   
   In the first part you learn about your cave man child, the second part, practical steps to dealing with them. The gem of the book is the simple message, LISTEN to your child, rather than try to thwart or punish them. The HOW to listen part of the book definitely needs improvement. When you can care for and honor your child, they will be happier. So, that's the good message.
   
   I don't agree with ideas like time outs, and I think just practicing these techniques as they are stated could be shallow or superficial. The point which I think Dr. Karp was trying to get through is to BE YOURSELF as a parent. So apparently Dr. Karp likes talking to his children like a cave man. Other parents have different styles. If you are able to step back from the advice and read it objectively, and not feel like you have to do it all, then that is a way to get more out of the book.
   
   What is missing from the book is BREASTFEEDING. Happy babies and toddlers are breastfed because the breastfeeding helps them surrender to life. There is also, as other reviewers pointed out, contradictions in the text, such as honoring and listening to your toddler, and then on the other hand trying to detour or steer your child's behavior.
   
   For those parents who truly want to honor their children with attachment parenting from the heart, a very eye opening text which encourages the parents natural wisdom (which I wrote) is Healing Our Children: Because Your New Baby Matters! Sacred Wisdom for Preconception, Pregnancy, Birth and Parenting (ages 0-6)
   
   Review is by Ramiel Nagel also author of Cure Tooth Decay: Heal and Prevent Cavities with Nutrition (First Edition)

5 comments about Book of Us: A Journal of Your Love Story in 150 Questions.

1. My husband bought this for me, I just love it. It is broken up by sections, dating, wedding, first year of marriage, middle years, later years. I think its such a neat way to keep track of things that go on in your relationship. We will have it for years to come and our grandkids can read funny stories that we would have otherwise forgotten.
   It is a very thoughtful wedding/shower or anniversary gift.



2. This book is great for chronicling events and memories of the couple. The format of the book is that there's a question prompt at the top of the page and 1-2 blank pages following for you to answer. I would say it acts like a great journal, but really one person only need to fill it up (most likely we can guess which of the couple will take time to write in it).
   
   If you want a book where the couple can really interact and learn about each other, I'd recommend: All About Us. It has some of the question & long answer-type format, but it also has series of multiple choice questions and short answer sections. It's a lot of fun, too!



3. I bought this for my boyfriend and I for Valentines day this year. I filled out all the parts I possibly could, and when I gave it to him I told him once we're on our way through getting married, we'll fill the rest out together.
   He loved it, it's a very sentimental gift and it's PERFECT to keep track of your growth together as a couple.
   I strongly suggest getting this if you're already married, or if you're with someone you know you want to spend the rest of your life with.



4. This book is okay - it is what it is. The pages are filled with many questions that you answer to help tell the story of your relationship with someone. I bought this book years ago and found that, since I was in my early 20's and dating, I couldn't answer a lot of the questions. There is a small section geared towards the meeting/dating part of a relationship, but most of the book is about marriage, kids, getting older, etc. It's a great book if you're many years into a relationship with someone. This book would make a great wedding gift.
   Another book I would suggest is called "The Story of Us" - it's the same concept with a more juvenile twist to it.



5. This book is so well organized to chronical every stage of a romance! For anyone who is interested in really documenting the most cherished memories with their sweetheart, get this book! You will look back on it years later and be so glad that you did. Keep it with you at all times and write things down. The absolute PERFECT wedding gift for any bride! Thoughtful and substantial.

5 comments about The Truth About Children and Divorce: Dealing with the Emotions So You and Your Children Can Thrive.

1. I used this book and several others in a talk given to grandparents of children who are coping with "Divorce". This book was helpful not only in helping the children, but, it was helpful to the parents and grandparents.



2. This is a somewhat positive outlook on divorce through the eyes of a professional who considers the children first. He offers practical, helpful advice for setting up things like visition based on the particular aspects of a divorce.



3. I needed some words to use to tell my teen-aged daughter and pre-teen son about our divorce. Dr. Emery wrote it is important to tell children in this age who initiated the divorce, and I used a his words, almost to the letter. So far, that has backfired with my daughter, who is very, very angry with me. I still believe the book will be a good reference, but I am ambivalent about taking his advice quite so literally.



4. I would recommend this book for anyone that is even thinking of getting a separation or divorce. Some of it seems like common sense, but when you are going through the trials of a divorce or separation, common sense can go out the window.



5. This was helpful and provided direction. It provided very straight forward advice during a shaky time. Recommend it.

5 comments about Dads and Daughters: How to Inspire, Understand, and Support Your Daughter When She's Growing Up So Fast.

1. Just take a look at women who achieved and are respected ... and you will find the personification of the father's daughter. This book is a brilliant explanation of why the biological father must be around his children. The whole notion of single super power mother is complete fallacy because fathers are a much better protector of a daughter for reasons that have nothing to do with being anti-feminist. Studies and research has shown that women raised by single mothers are often at risk for relationship problems and addictions. Case studies have also proven that a step-father cannot take the place of the real father, although not the same is true with a step-mother. Nonetheless, a woman raised by a strong father figure often grows up to be confident, intelligent, achieving, and often lands leadership positions in life. Margaret Thatcher, the first female Prime Minister is Great Britain was profoundly influenced by her father, Golda Meir (Prime Minister of Isreal) same thing, and of course Indira Gandhi (Prime Minister of India) yet again. In sports there is Steffi Graf and Christ Evert whose fathers were their original coaches and mentors. So ... for all the women who say that fathers are irrelevant ... think again about how selfish that statement is to the child .... and consider what kind of person you want your daughter to grow up to be. If you don't believe me, read the book and do your own research. Men deserve to be in their children's lives just as much as the mother.
   
   An interesting article on the importance of father's is also probed in this insightful commentary by Rabbi Shmuley Boteach - Friday, 15 April, 2005 on his website:
   
   What to do about female promiscuity
   
   American culture grows more crass by the day. One of the most successful American TV shows is The Apprentice starring Donald Trump, a man loaded with money but bankrupt of class. The highlight of the show is when Trump humiliates potential employees by barking at them, "You're fired!"
   
   One can only grieve over a culture that promotes a coarse womanizer who has dumped a wife or two in favor of young models as its symbol of professional success.
   
   Indeed, watching people be humiliated is big business on American TV. Shows such as American Idol feature judges like Simon Cowell ? known as Mr. Nasty ? who shoot the middle finger at contestants they don't like. Public degradation has become as American as apple pie with programs like Fear Factor garnering huge ratings by having participants eat bugs and swim with dead mice.
   But perhaps the most disturbing example of the culture of crassness is the growing trend of famous young women going through the rite of passage known as the nearly naked photo spread.
   
   Such recent graduates of the you-may-think-I-have-a-brain-but-let's-instead-focus-on-my-bust school of celebrity include Scarlet Johansson, who acted superbly in Lost in Translation, which made her famous enough to qualify for a cleavage-bearing photo op. Janet Jackson, of course, joined the club when she decided to have us all forget about her dancing and focus instead on her nipples, while Britney Spears is the club's founding member.
   
   The reduction of talented and intelligent women to two breasts and a vagina has reached its apogee with the Girls Gone Wild videos, in which tens of thousands of college girls, often on spring break, flash for the camera, their sole remuneration being a feeling of deep satisfaction that they have played their God-given role as entertainment for lecherous men.
   
   Why have millions of young American women abandoned the feminist dream of being taken seriously by men and instead decided to gain male attention with degrading spectacles of their bodies? I am convinced that the principal cause is an increasingly weak link between fathers and daughters.
   
   IN OUR society, we have it all backward. Too much is made of the father-son relationship at the expense of the father-daughter one. The image of a boy being taught by his dad to catch a baseball or throw a football is commonplace, while the only mainstream image of a father interacting with his teenage daughter is telling her not to come home too late when she goes out with her boyfriend.
   Pop tarts like Britney Spears and Paris Hilton, who use partial nudity to advance their careers, are often close to their mothers, who may even serve as their managers, while their dads are nowhere to be seen.
   
   Where you do read about a father's central involvement in his daughter's career, it usually leads to respectable women like Steffi Graff and the Williams sisters, who have resisted the offers for provocative photo spreads even after they became famous as tennis stars. This is not because mothers don't love their daughters but because men are much more successful at protecting their daughters from other men. And when a daughter receives strong masculine validation from a loving and caring father, she is usually not desperate for sexual attention from manipulative and hormonal men.
   
   Recently the New York Times ran a front-page story about a 15-year-old girl who refused to have sex with her 16-year-old boyfriend. He promptly cheated on her. When the girlfriend found out, she told her boyfriend that they should cut class and go and have sex. She did so, she said, "in order to keep him." When I read this story, I wondered Where is this girl's father? Had her father been a strong male presence in her life, she would not have been so desperate for the affection of a scoundrel.
   
   EVEN WHEN I go to a Yankees game, I take my five daughters along with my older son. True, they often don't know the names of the players or even the score, but they know their father loves them and hates being separated from them. There is a special connection that daughters have with their fathers that even a mother cannot replicate, which grants young women a startling immunity from compromising themselves with jerks.
   
   Indeed, when a daughter is close to her father and respects him as a man and a dad, she begins to judge other men by that same high standard. When she dates men, she will not judge them by their smooth talk but by the depth of their commitment because her own father was not a talker but a doer. She will not jump into bed with a man just to please him. She has high self-esteem, and she expects the men in her life to make an effort to please her rather than the reverse. Her idea of a relationship is not going down to the guy's level but raising him up to hers.
   
   THIS IS why it's so important for a father to remain the most important man in his daughter's life until she is at least 20. I always lament witnessing the deterioration of the homes of my friends whose teenage daughters are always out, either with girlfriends or boyfriends. My daughters will not date until they are of marriageable age ? in our communities from 19. Up until that time, my own love for them will sustain their need for male attention. They will not be forced at too early an age to worry whether they're pretty enough, smart enough, sexy enough, or attractive enough. To their father, they are just perfect. And they will internalize that message in their most vulnerable years so they can grow into confident and robust women who attract men out of strength rather than weakness.
   
   As for the criticisms that too close a relationship with your daughter will impede her ability to later form close connections with romantic partners, exactly the opposite is true. A young woman with an involved and loving father gains the confidence in herself to sever the childhood ties with her father and begin a loving relationship with a man precisely because she has learned to trust men. She has no fear of being vulnerable ? a prerequisite for romantic love ? because her father has shown her an example of a man who can be trusted and relied upon.
   
   But if she feels betrayed by her own father, she will often run to another man more to escape pain than to find love, which is what usually makes her a prime candidate for that revealing photo spread.



2. Well written and filled with common sense. Every Dad needs to read this in order to understand a teen-age daughter and how to develop an open-minded relationship with his daughter. Bettye Johnson, award-winning author Secrets of the Magdalene Scrolls.



3. This is the must read book for ANY Dad that has a daughter. Preferably, please read soon after your daughter is born and read over and over again as she grows up. Once she is a teenager, if you haven't read it you are in trouble! If you want to really know what is going on in your daughter's mind and body, PLEASE read this book.



4. I thought this was a pretty good book although the fearmongering was a bit much for me. I felt so much fear and despair after reading it I wanted to curl up in a closet with my little girl to protect her from the hurricane of evil that the world was portrayed as. Particularly the media. The book has some very good, strong points, but the way it gets there sometimes makes me pause. It is definitely geared for the pre-teens on up. I really found nothing applicable mentioned that would apply to younger girls. The book does make some good points about role modeling, leadership and support. I suspect however that those fathers that are reading this book probably fall into two categories - those who are really concerned about being good dads and want to plan ahead and do all they can and those that have found themselves in bad situation they are trying to find some way out of. Either way, dads that are reading such books are likely to be waaayyy ahead of those for whom the thought hasn't even crossed their mind. There probably is a third group of readers, which I suspect are probably moms and wives trying to clue their spouses in. As it is geared towards pre-teen and older girls, I recommend that those with younger girls wait to read it when they reach this point.



5. This is a good book but I was looking more for a book with practical advice on specific issues. This book basically says that religion is the key overcoming all obstacles. I know that religion can overcome all obstacles but I knew that prior to reading the book.

5 comments about Toxic In-Laws: Loving Strategies for Protecting Your Marriage.

1. As a general rule I am not a fan of using the word Toxic. But, when the shoe fits.... This book is very helpful and provides realistic tools that can be used to help strengthen the foundation of a marriage under duress from meddling in-laws. In a messy situation, this book brings focus back to what is really important...the marriage.



2. This book is designed to sell to newlyweds by encouraging their often immature desire to justify their poor behavior. The book accordingly plays to the audience, and provides no balance or a mature dialogue to find mutual accommodation. As a result it is inflammatory and encourages increased separation, and greater conflict. The title itself is inflammatory -- a form of name-calling which the author then blithely advises the reader not to do.
   
   The author really cranks out a lot of these kinds of books. I'm pretty unimpressed.



3. This helped my son whom has this type of inlaws and makes them easier to tollerate!



4. This book is ok enough. I liked other books by Susan Forward better, like Toxic Parents. I didn't find the help in this book that I needed and felt it was a bit stereo type problems. Could have been more general advices included. Also I think some of what she writes about forgiveness is totally wrong. Forgiveness is not about condoning the other persons actions, but about you letting go of the resentment and anger towards this them. I believe forgiveness is an important step in the healing process. Read books by Louise L. Hay if you are interested in seeing things different and get done with the past.



5. This book is a MUST read for anyone who is interested in having their partner be an ally instead of constantly being placed in the middle of every disagreement that comes down the pike, real or imagined. I am not finished with it yet, but already this book has helped me change certain ways of thinking and perceptions toward my husband's family. I have re-claimed my power, now I am looking forward to enjoying a peaceful holiday season instead of being part of an emotional hostage situation.

5 comments about The One Year Book of Josh McDowell's Family Devotions: A Daily Devotional for Passing Biblical Values to the Next Generation.

1. These are light topic devotionals for the family. It is not a devotional if you're geared to more deep issues that your children deal with. But in all, a good devotional.



2. Ordered this product Feb. 3rd and as of today (March 10th) I have not received the product or any information as to why. I finally ordered this product elsewhere and received it in three days. Still waiting to find out if I will receive a refund into my account for this product, since it was paid for in advance. NOT IMPRESSED



3. I really like this devotional.The application is good for everyday life of kids in school. I would recommend it for older elementary and middle school. Some of them are a little too old for 1st and 2nd grade children.



4. I looked around for another devotional book to use with my children. I took a chance on this one and have been very pleased. I like the 'real to life' examples they give with each spiritual lesson.



5. The questions at the end of each days devotion has helped our family to be open and discuss issues that may not have come up otherwise.