MSI Press Blog

Happy Mother's Day! It is always important and gratifying to find a reason for joy in the midst of troubled times! And, if you have some reading time, here are some books written especially for mothers: 108 Yoga and Self-Care Practices for Busy Mama s by Julie Gentile Mama, do you find yourself too busy to take good care of yourself? Whatever your situation, you deserve spectacular health and wellness. With Julie M. Gentile as your personal wellness mentor, this book coaches you along your own authentic self-care path. Using 108 writing prompts and self-care practices, including yoga poses, meditations, and breathing exercises, Julie shows you practical ways to live well that only a mama modern would understand. Become the self-care goddess you truly want to be—you’re worth it! How to Be a Good Mother When You're Sick: A Guide to Motherhood with Chronic Illness by Dr. Emily Graves Soon after receiving her Bachelor’s Degree, Emily Graves was diagnosed w

Julia Aziz Julia Aziz is a licensed clinical social worker and a mother of three children. She is also an accomplished speaker on topics such as “The Soul of Service,” “Holding Intention While Jugging It All,” and “Motherself,” a monthly mother’s group. In addition to this personal and professional experience in working through motherhood transitions, she has also written for and served as general editor for  Dovetail Journal  for interfaith families. She shares her motherhood observations, both professional and personal, in her book,  Lessons of Labor: One Woman’s Self-Discovery through Birth and Motherhood . Read Julia's posts and information about Julia on this blog. Click HERE .

  We do have books that make great Mother's Day gifts. Here are some of them: Girl, You've Got This! Transitioning to motherhood is hard. Along with it comes a lot of fear, anxiety and responsibility. You want to provide everything for your new child, and it is all too easy to let other things – like self-care – slide. How do new moms stay on top of finances, a healthy diet, housework, a fitness routine, work, and other personal needs? Combining her expertise as a personal trainer and successful entrepreneur with her life as a wife and mother who is pregnant with her second child, Brittany Renz helps readers find balance as new moms by preparing and establishing routines throughout the nine months of pregnancy. She encourages expectant mothers to set themselves up for success as mothers, spouses and working professionals – and she knows what she is talking about. How to Be a Good Mommy When You're Sick Soon after receiving her Bachelor’s Degree, Emily Graves was diagnosed w

From MidWest Book Review: Synopsis: "Girl, You Got This!: A Fitness Trainer's Personal Strategies for Success Transitioning into Motherhood" by Brittany Renz is a complete guide to setting yourself up for success while transitioning to motherhood. The 'real world practical' and experience based advice comes from an expert as Brittany is a wife, mother of one and a half kids (a three-year-old girl and soon-to-be born baby boy), entrepreneur, and personal trainer. In "Girl, You Got This!, Brittany deftly and accessibly shares her knowledge and experience to walk her readers through all of the phases of pregnancy, from before conception to delivery -- and ways to stay fit during each phase. Critique: A perfect gift book for expectant mothers, "Girl, You Got This!: A Fitness Trainer's Personal Strategies for Success Transitioning into Motherhood" features color photograph illustrations and is unreservedly endorsed and recommended for pers

  excerpt from Girl, You've Got Thi s by Brittany Renz -  Introduction   I have a 24-hour cancellation policy.   When I first started my work as a personal trainer, I was single and had two clients I would meet up with at a local park because I didn’t have a studio space. Cancellations at that point weren’t such a big deal. “Oh, you can’t make it today? What about tomorrow around 3? Great, see you then!”   In the past four years, that’s changed. I am married with one kid and another on the way, and I am booked. When I say ‘booked,’ I mean I am still a one-person team (unless you count my two-year-old daughter as my assistant), and I have 76 clients. I work seven days a week from 6 a.m. to as late as 9 p.m. Now when someone cancels last minute, it means:   1) It isn’t easy to reschedule, and 2) Another client could have filled that spot, and        now I won’t make that money.   So, what do I do when I get that last-minute text or call?   Nothing. I do

  Another oldie but goodie, that we somehow missed posting/sharing when it happens. Never too late to listen, though. Here is Julia Aziz, author of Lessons of Labor , talking about reclaiming the self in motherhood, a topic that never dies, on Mom Talk Radio. Link to the video HERE . Read posts about Julia and her book HERE .                                  Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter                           Follow MSI Press on  Twitter ,  Face Book , and  Instagram .

  From the author of  Lessons of Labor: One Woman's Self-Discovery through Birth , Julia Aziz - Lessons of Labor  was conceived a few hours after my first child was born. Battered, bleeding, and still in shock over what childbirth had really been like, one thing was clear to me: I had to write everything down, and I had better do it soon, before I forgot. My birth experience was not particularly unusual in any way, but my internal process felt like a long meditation retreat I had done some years earlier: every personal demon I had ever struggled with had somehow come to face me in the past twenty-four hours, and I was reeling from the experience.  Of course in the months to come, I came to see that giving birth, which I had given quite a bit of thought and preparation to, was actually easier than postpartum anxiety, insomnia, hormonal changes, and newborn care. As I began to inexpertly stumble along the path of motherhood, I noticed those personal demons were coming along for the r

  March is Women's History Month. We celebrate by recommending the following books for women. Order from our webstore and get a 25% discount with coupon code FF25.             108 Yoga and Self-Care Practices for Busy Mamas (Julie Gentile) Are you too busy for self-care? From a one-minute meditation to building a routine you love to wake up to, this quick read and everyday self-care resource gives you the energy to live a mindful, more nourished life by taking good care of yourself. With Julie M. Gentile, award-winning author, yoga teacher and Millennial mom, as your guide, you'll give birth to your highest self through self-care.  Book Excellence Awards Finalist IPPY Living Now Bronze Medal Read more posts about this book HERE . A Woman's Guide to Self-Nurturing (Joanna Romer) A Woman's Guide to Self-Nurturing offers a new perspective on how to comfort yourself while bolstering self-esteem. Using Bible stories as well as creative techniques for self-nurturing, the b

Released yesterday. Mothers everywhere struggle with finding a comfortable balance between their own needs and their children’s needs. “Self-care, what’s that?” many moms joke, but believe it or not, you can be a super mom while still taking care of your home and yourself. Girl, You Got This! is a complete guide to setting yourself up for success while transitioning to motherhood, and the advice comes from an expert. Brittany Renz is a wife, mother of one and a half kids (a three-year-old girl and soon-to-be born baby boy), entrepreneur, and personal trainer. In this book, she uses her knowledge and experience to walk readers through all of the phases of pregnancy, from before conception to delivery. For each phase of pregnancy, this book offers readers advice not only on fitness and dieting, but also: ·         Money: budgeting for a growing family, ·         Medical Concerns: finding an OBGYN and pediatrician, ·         Housekeeping: establishing cleaning routine