Rating: 
Summary: Mother's Unite!
Review: PROFESSIONALIZING MOTHERHOOD
Where was Jill Savage and her fabulous book, Professionalizing Motherhood, when at forty, I
left my career to raise my daughter? Having been in the work-force as a professional for
twenty years and not knowing beans about children, I was at a real loss. Thankfully my
daughter is just ten and I'm a quick study. Thank you, Jill Savage, for arriving in the nick of
time with tons of encouragement, education, and enabling. I have never read a "mothering"book before which recognizes motherhood as a vital and viable profession. Savage understands
"profession" in its purest, original meaning: an occupation requiring considerable training and
specialized study; an act of faith or belief in something important, as in professing something
we espouse with all our hearts. In the truest sense, a profession has nothing to do with earning
money. And Savage helps us realize that no price tag could be put on motherhood anyway; our
contribution is invaluable! She helps mothers understand their worth in Christ and the
worthiness of their role. She encourages us to take our jobs seriously as any professional
would by employing goals, mission statements, organizational skills, planning strategies,
networking, etc. Wow! What a refreshing way to mentor mothers-with a little business-savvy
for the most important business in which they will ever engage! Yes, she also mentions diapers
and dishpans, but with the underlying knowledge that even seeming "drudgery" takes on great
meaning when done with great purpose-to make our families secure. Savage has written a
sparkling gem that lights a mother's heart-that makes this mother glad she took her heart
home to stay!
-Lynn D. Morrissey, author & speaker
Rating:
Summary: This is a must read
Review: PROFESSIONALIZING MOTHERHOOD
Where was Jill Savage and her fabulous book, Professionalizing Motherhood, when at forty, I
left my career to raise my daughter? Having been in the work-force as a professional for
twenty years and not knowing beans about children, I was at a real loss. Thankfully my
daughter is just ten and I'm a quick study. Thank you, Jill Savage, for arriving in the nick of
time with tons of encouragement, education, and enabling. I have never read a "mothering" book before which recognizes motherhood as a vital and viable profession. Savage understands
"profession" in its purest, original meaning: an occupation requiring considerable training and
specialized study; an act of faith or belief in something important, as in professing something
we espouse with all our hearts. In the truest sense, a profession has nothing to do with earning
money. And Savage helps us realize that no price tag could be put on motherhood anyway; our
contribution is invaluable! She helps mothers understand their worth in Christ and the
worthiness of their role. She encourages us to take our jobs seriously as any professional
would by employing goals, mission statements, organizational skills, planning strategies,
networking, etc. Wow! What a refreshing way to mentor mothers-with a little business-savvy
for the most important business in which they will ever engage! Yes, she also mentions diapers
and dishpans, but with the underlying knowledge that even seeming "drudgery" takes on great
meaning when done with great purpose-to make our families secure. Savage has written a
sparkling gem that lights a mother's heart-that makes this mother glad she took her heart
home to stay!
-Lynn D. Morrissey, author & speaker
Rating:
Summary: Very encouraging and uplifting!
Review: Five years ago, amidst diapers and a crunchy kitchen floor, I was asking myself (or really, TELLING myself) "There has to be something more to this Mothering Thing." This is that book! Living in an academic community has made the choice of Professional Motherhood challenging at times, but this book (along with the support of my dear husband) has made that choice a noble calling. A "must read" for mothers of all ages and stages.
Rating:
Summary: This is a must read
Review: I have read so many books on mothering and parenting, and none of them have lifted me up as this one had done, and also made me feel proud and excited to be doing this important career choice. I also received lots of practical advice for my home, for changing my thinking patterns, and for doing what is best for my son and my family. All mothers out there (especially those who have had to leave a previous career) should read this book.
Rating: 
Summary: This book needs a different title!
Review: I think if I'd been looking for a book to tell me that (1) God loves me and that (2) staying home with my kids is a good choice, then I would've rated this book much higher. But I already know that God loves me, and I don't have any qualms about leaving the workplace to be a SAHM. I was intrigued and inspired by the idea of considering motherhood as an actual career, not just my "job". I thought from the title that this book would be a way to help me go about my "career" as a mom in the same way I would a professional career. Maybe it would help with training, planning, time management, skills, tools, etc. It's none of those things. Sure, a chapter is devoted to organization, but it's not full of the practical advice I was looking for. It basically boils down to one sentence: You should use a planner, be it electronic or paper, and be sure to tailor it to your needs. In fact, ALL the chapters can each be boiled down to a sentence. Staying home with the kids is good. Pray. Spend a little time taking care of yourself. Pray. Don't forget your husband. Join a moms group. Make time for fun. Don't be too uptight. Pray. So, while I thank the author for giving me the idea to approach motherhood in a new way, I really wish she'd given her book a more appropriate title.
Rating:
Summary: Not for non-Christians
Review: Nowhere in the description or in any of the reviews did I find any mention of the emphasis on faith and religion that this book has. I was a little disappointed upon first skimming the book, but even after reading here and there, it didn't seem like it had much value, even for what I wanted. I don't have any particular qualms about staying at home, and a good portion of the book seemed to be devoted to making SAHMs try to feel better about their decision. Then there were the sections about how to use prayer and how to bring up godly children. Um? How exactly is this going to help me treat my daily life like a profession, and not just a mind-numbing time-waste that others think it is? I'm not a particularly religious person, and I found this book to be pretty much unreadable. I am sure that there is good advice in there somewhere, but I just couldn't get past the very religious underpinings of this book. Are there any books devoted to advice about adjusting to SAHM life that are not written from an annoyingly Christian perspective?
Rating:
Summary: Not for non-Christians
Review: Nowhere in the description or in any of the reviews did I find any mention of the emphasis on faith and religion that this book has. I was a little disappointed upon first skimming the book, but even after reading here and there, it didn't seem like it had much value, even for what I wanted. I don't have any particular qualms about staying at home, and a good portion of the book seemed to be devoted to making SAHMs try to feel better about their decision. Then there were the sections about how to use prayer and how to bring up godly children. Um? How exactly is this going to help me treat my daily life like a profession, and not just a mind-numbing time-waste that others think it is? I'm not a particularly religious person, and I found this book to be pretty much unreadable. I am sure that there is good advice in there somewhere, but I just couldn't get past the very religious underpinings of this book. Are there any books devoted to advice about adjusting to SAHM life that are not written from an annoyingly Christian perspective?
Rating: 
Summary: Why judge everything by the standards of the workplace?
Review: This book has two major faults. First, as other reviewers have pointed out, it's too simplistic. You'll get the same advice for free on a variety of websites - try flylady.net for a start. If you want to run your home at a "professional level," spend your money on Cheryl Mendelson's "Home Comforts," and a good all-purpose cookbook (I like "The Joy of Cooking"). But this is a minor point compared to what I think is really wrong with this book. Something terrible has happened when homemakers need to compare ourselves to people in the workforce in order to feel valuable. We are not professionals in any meaningful sense of the word. The professions are created and sustained by competition, by peer review, and by the maintance of exacting standards. These are values which are appropriate to the workplace but which are entirely inappropriate to the home - I know you don't want to compete with another wife and mother to keep your home, children, and husband, or be called up by the ladies in your neighborhood for a yearly review, and the exacting standards needed to keep your floor clean just don't compare with the exacting standards needed to perform surgery. This is not where the value of the homemaker lies. If a mother feels like it is only by behaving as a professional she can be worthwhile, than I honestly think she and her children will be better off if she stays in or returns to the workforce. We live in a culture that denigrates all activities that are not income-producing and this can hurt our self-esteem. But trying to run our homes like they're the jobs we left won't cut it. Say it loud, say it proud: I am not a professional. I am a housewife.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book!
Review: This book is a wonderful resource for women committed to the profession of motherhood. It is both affirming and challenging to those who have chosen to be "homemakers" rather than "housekeepers." Savage discusses the issues real women face, when choosing to be "stay-at-home moms." She offers practical suggestions and advice -- from her own experience, and that of countless others she has come in contact with through her non-profit ministry to mothers, HEARTS AT HOME.
Rating:
Summary: Tools for the job
Review: This is the "manual for mommies'!!! I love the way Jill validates motherhood as a "profession". Her style of communicating is comfortable you feel like you are sitting down with an old friend for conversation and coffee. I love the way she shares her Christian faith, she is authentic and real. This is a must have book for every mom.
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