Doing it all Stop over-functioning and become the mom and person you're meant to be

In this pragmatic parenting manual, pediatrician Casares (The Working Mom Blueprint) expounds on how mothers can feel less overwhelmed and more fulfilled. Her "centered life blueprint" urges readers to imagine their ideal life by considering the values and activities they find most important, and then troubleshooting how to maximize time spent on those activities. To minimize the time and effort put into such "non-negotiable" responsibilities as laundry and responding to emails, Casares recommends embracing "selective mediocrity," or putting in only the amount of effort needed to complete a task (for instance, making quick, easy meals when time is tight). Her six core tenets of being a good parent encourage "modeling self-regulation," articulating explicit expectations about appropriate conduct, and fostering kids' internal motivation by praising them "for how much effort they put into a task." Casares's advice is sound and her fondness for enumerated lists gives this a practical bent, though the programs sometimes come across as overly rigid or complicated (the second of five steps in her plan for equitably distributing household labor contains its own five-step plan about how to have those conversations with partners and children). Still, stressed out mothers will want to check this out. (Feb.)