'The Mother in Me' book release party and Nie fundraiser!

Many of you already know about the fundraising efforts and support in behalf of Stephanie and Christian Nielson, author of the NieNie Dialogues, and her family. (If you haven't heard, please read our post about how the online community is rallying around this family in their time of need.) I just heard about a book release party for The Mother in Me: Real World Reflections on Growing into Motherhood, a "collection of writings [that] celebrates the season of mothering young children, illustrating its unique challenges and delights, and revealing its deep significance," and I wanted to pass the info along.

The book is a compilation of works from talented women and talks about everything from health crises to sanity crises and "the fruits of such struggles: insights gained, hearts expanded, and faith increased." The release party is Saturday, October 18th from 2pm to 4pm at the Deseret Bookstore in Orem, Utah. All royalties from the sale of this book will go to the Stephanie and Christian Nielson Recovery Fund.

Even if you can't be there in person you can still participate by buying the book online from Deseret Book's website on Saturday, the 18th. (Please shop at Deseret Book as the fundraiser does not include purchases from Amazon.com.) You can read more about the release party on c jane enjoy it.

If you haven't yet had a chance to donate or purchase a product whose proceeds benefit the cause, this is a wonderful opportunity to do so. The Mother in Me sounds like the perfect Christmas gift for friends and family this season. Get your holiday shopping done early and support a worthy cause while doing so! --Emily

MAGHOUND: all your favorite magazines for one low price

I don't subscribe to very many magazines because I either can't keep up with the reading (Time once a week was killing me) or I get bored before my year or two subscription is up. Plus subscribing to more than one or two magazines at a time is tough on the budget, so what's a magazine junkie to do? Today's wonderful web wednesday brings you MAGHOUND, the new online membership service that lets you "choose, change, and manage all the magazines delivered to your home for one low monthly fee."

First you choose your level of membership, from three titles ($4.95 per month) to five ($7.95 per month) to seven ($9.95 per month) and up (an additional $1 per title). MAGHOUND has hundreds of magazines to choose from. To see if your favorite magazine is on MAGHOUND, click here. You can browse by top sellers, subject or search by keyword. Then you customize your package by how many titles per month you'd like. From there you can manage your account online--replace, cancel or add magazines anytime. Sounds too good to be true but the only catch I've found is that some magazines are tagged as "premium" and require an additional fee per month.

Though $60 a year sounds like a lot for a subscription, if you add up three of your current magazine subscriptions I bet they'll be close to this price or more. And I highly doubt Real Simple is going to let you change their magazine for People with just the click of the mouse.

Right now MAGHOUND is offering a 30-day free membership. They claim "no hidden commitments and no obligation to continue." You are able to cancel your membership "anytime, online, 24 hours a day, with no cancellation fees." I say it's definitely worth a try! And though they don't offer gift certificates (yet), MAGHOUND would be a great gift this holiday season. --Emily

Mike Michalowicz dispels five common entrepreneur myths

Today's mompreneur monday features a recent guest post by Mike Michalowicz, author of The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur, on The Big Idea Blog. In his post "Don’t Share Your Big Idea Because Investors Will Steal It (And Four Other Stupid Misconceptions)," Michalowicz puts to rest five common myths related to being an entrepreneur:

1. Don’t share your big idea (i.e. investors are not lying in wait to steal your idea; they have better things to do)
   
2. Go in 50/50 with your best friend (think about assigning equity based on performance; LeShan and I are happy with a 50/50 relationship but it doesn't work for everyone)
   
3. Writing a business plan improves your chances for success (save a few trees and stick to three important documents: a one-page prosperity plan, a one-page quarterly plan, and the daily metrics)
4. Count your profits at the end of the day (do just the opposite and set up a PFA or "profit first account"--I really like this idea!)
   
5. Balance work and family through self-employment (ha ha! any mompreneur knows balance is about as achievable as a daily nap, but integrating the family in the business can help!)
   

Michalowicz gives more details on each myth in his post and it's truly worth your time to read it in its entirety (it's not very long). And when you're done you might want to read more about his book The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur. After reading more about him and the rave reviews about his book, I'm thinking his book is going to be a must-have for my business library. --Emily

do you aspire to a 4-hour work week?

I have never thought of a 4-hour work week as a goal of mine but after reading the first chapter of Timothy Ferriss The 4-Hour Work Week I'm thinking of setting a belated New Year's Resolution. As a business owner is a 4-hour work week even possible? From what I've read, it is. The first chapter of his book has me so intrigued the book is awaiting purchase in my Amazon.com shopping cart. Apparently my husband's heard about this book as well and is just as anxious to read what insight Ferriss shares beyond the first few pages.

You could read an endless, and I mean endless, list of money management and business management books but as a mom and business owner do you really have the time? The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch gives you the first chapter of The 4-Hour Work Week so you can have a taste of what Ferriss has to offer before investing any more time reading it. (Most of us don't yet have a 4-hour work week so time is precious!)

Many of us own our business because we love what we're doing but that doesn't mean we don't want to spend more time with our family, and having a little extra money doesn't hurt either. If you've read a great money or business management book please share it with us. Amazon.com reviews are helpful but hearing what other moms and women business owners like is even better! --Emily