Life on Planet Mom:
A down-to-earth guide to your changing relationships
by Lisa T. Bergren

Nothing changes a woman like motherhood.

Becoming a mom affects your relationships with everyone - your spouse, your parents, your friends and even God. During this time of life, you need to feel nurtured and loved by solid Connections you can trust. But in the chaos of raising children, cultivating relationships can take a backseat to just getting the kids fed and to school on time.

Author Lisa T. Bergren helps busy moms like you prioritize your relationships with others and offers practical ideas to enhance your six key relationships: with self. spouse, friends, family of origin, community and God. With in-depth research, heartfelt personal experience and expert advice, Bergren shows you how to keep vital relationships during the parenting years.

Whether you have just brought home a new baby of you're still trying to find your footing raising young children, you will benefit from the wisdom found in this book.

Excerpt from Life on Planet Mom:

It’s difficult when we’re young mothers — in the throes of momnesia, barely able to remember where we’re supposed to be in two minutes (let alone two days) — to plan time for, much less seriously think about, our relationships. We’re sleep deprived and pulled in a million directions. We’re holding a child or being touched every waking hour. Our daily allotment of words — supposedly so many more than men have — are all used up on phrases like: “Don’t touch that!” “Good job!” “Maybe later,” “No,” “I said no,” “Way to go!” “Over here,” “All right,” “Do you need to go potty?” “But you just went potty,” “Say please,” and “I’m counting to three!”

Some days it’s a struggle just to shower and make a meal beyond pouring a bowl of cornflakes we happen to have in the cupboard. I know you agree. Your sisters in the trenches confirmed it when they spoke out in a survey we conducted as a part of the research for this book. “I’d love to have more time for my relationships,” said my friend Sarah, “but more than that, I’d love to have another hour of sleep right now. My relationship with my child takes every ounce of energy I can find.”

So what’s a girl to do when she’d love to grab a cup of java with her pals but she’s taking her caffeine in shots so she can run the kids around from morning until night? What’s a girl to do when she wants to explore her relationship with God, but her prayer life begins — and ends — with “Dear God …” and then she’s asleep on the pillow? What’s a girl to do when she wants to appreciate her mother-in-law and reassure her of the importance of Grammy in her children’s lives, but the woman is driving her batty? Hold on, girls, help is coming! I’ve felt the heart-wrenching pull of competing desires and the weight of expectations and learned to deal with both (fairly well — I think it’s a lifelong process of continuing ed!)

Lisa T. Bergren is the bestselling author of more than thirty books, including God Gave Us You. She is a freelance editor, cofounder of www.FamilyTripster.com, and a blogger on www.BusyMomsDevo.com. She lives in Colorado with her husband, Tim, and their three children.