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	<title>hope Archives - The Mom Maven</title>
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	<description>Tales, Tastes &#38; Travels</description>
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	<title>hope Archives - The Mom Maven</title>
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		<title>Halfway to Each Other- Book Review</title>
		<link>https://themommaven.com/halfway-to-each-other-review/</link>
					<comments>https://themommaven.com/halfway-to-each-other-review/#comments</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[cindy]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 22 Sep 2009 16:56:06 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Reviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[book review]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Halfway to each other]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Halfway to Each Other: How a Year in Italy Brought Our Family Home]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[hope]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marriage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marriage books]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marriage stories]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://themommaven.com/?p=1521</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Halfway to Each Other: How a Year in Italy Brought Our Family Home is the true story of a California couple on the brink of divorce who unexpectedly find love again on the Italian Riviera.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://themommaven.com/halfway-to-each-other-review/">Halfway to Each Other- Book Review</a> appeared first on <a href="https://themommaven.com">The Mom Maven</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" class="alignleft" src="http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ft24pTaRGg7r5M:http://workinggirlreviews.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/halfway-to-each-other.jpg" alt="" width="77" height="114" /><em>Halfway to Each Other: How a Year in Italy Brought Our Family Home </em>is the true story of a California couple on the brink of divorce who unexpectedly find love again on the Italian Riviera.</p>
<p>Tired of each other and completely disillusioned with married life, Susan and Tim Pohlman are wrapping up a business trip in Italy.  They have just one day left to spend together with no agenda before they go home to California, to start divorce proceedings and finally move onto separate lives.</p>
<p>But during their last day as they walked along the Italian Riviera, Tim fantasized aloud that, perhaps, they could live there.  Susan initially dismissed the notion as nonsense, but found herself inexplicably overwhelmed with a desire to give the marriage another try. Defying all logic, the couple found a school for their children and signed a lease for an apartment.  Their therapist called it &#8220;an elaborate scheme of avoidance at best.&#8221;</p>
<p>But maybe, Susan thought, a life in such a charmed setting could help them find their way back to each other.</p>
<p><em>Halfway to Each Other</em> is the remarkable true story of a family who traded their breakneck Los Angeles pace for a slower, relaxed life, and in the process, found abundant room for adventure and love. This is a book to be savored and enjoyed, perfect for that rainy weekend or evenings in front of the fireplace.</p>
<p>Open and honest, Pohlman shares the struggles she faces as she and her husband work to reconnect and save their marriage. It is difficult to leave life as you know it behind and simplify everything so that you can spend time with the people you love.  Susan and Tim&#8217;s story is one of hope and hard work.</p>
<p>Susan&#8217;s descriptive writing brings the reader to the Italian Riviera, where you want to just slow down and enjoy life. This true story is easy to relate to because all relationships have their stresses and strains. I recommend you pick up a copy of <em>Halfway to Each Other</em>, step away from your busy life, and enjoy tis great book.</p>
<p><a class="a2a_button_facebook" href="https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/facebook?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Fthemommaven.com%2Fhalfway-to-each-other-review%2F&amp;linkname=Halfway%20to%20Each%20Other-%20Book%20Review" title="Facebook" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"></a><a class="a2a_button_twitter" href="https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/twitter?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Fthemommaven.com%2Fhalfway-to-each-other-review%2F&amp;linkname=Halfway%20to%20Each%20Other-%20Book%20Review" title="Twitter" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"></a><a class="a2a_button_pinterest" href="https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/pinterest?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Fthemommaven.com%2Fhalfway-to-each-other-review%2F&amp;linkname=Halfway%20to%20Each%20Other-%20Book%20Review" title="Pinterest" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"></a><a class="a2a_dd addtoany_share_save addtoany_share" href="https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=https%3A%2F%2Fthemommaven.com%2Fhalfway-to-each-other-review%2F&#038;title=Halfway%20to%20Each%20Other-%20Book%20Review" data-a2a-url="https://themommaven.com/halfway-to-each-other-review/" data-a2a-title="Halfway to Each Other- Book Review"></a></p><p>The post <a href="https://themommaven.com/halfway-to-each-other-review/">Halfway to Each Other- Book Review</a> appeared first on <a href="https://themommaven.com">The Mom Maven</a>.</p>
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		<item>
		<title>The Unexpected Gift</title>
		<link>https://themommaven.com/the-unexpected-gift/</link>
					<comments>https://themommaven.com/the-unexpected-gift/#comments</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[cindy]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 25 Aug 2009 15:43:14 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Giveaways]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[book review]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[divorce]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[help]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[hope]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Meaghan Gonzales Wagar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Michelle Bulmer Atha]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Unexpected gift]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://themommaven.com/?p=1304</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Together Meaghan and Michelle, inspired by their own hurts and healing process, collaborated to write a fiction book "The Unexpected Gift".</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://themommaven.com/the-unexpected-gift/">The Unexpected Gift</a> appeared first on <a href="https://themommaven.com">The Mom Maven</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>When friends Meaghan Gonzales Wagar and Michelle Bulmer Atha experienced the pain of broken marriages at the same time they knew they could let despair and self-pity take over or they could take control of their lives and help others in the process. These Georgia school teachers chose to serve others. &#8220;The best opportunity for self-healing is diving in head first with any volunteer program you can find,&#8221; says Michelle. &#8220;Whether it is being a mentor to a new mother, sending flowers to someone who may just need some cheering up, driving a neighbor to a doctor&#8217;s appointment, or taking a hot meal to a widow alone on a week night, every little thing helps make a difference.&#8221;</p>
<p>Together Meaghan and Michelle, inspired by their own hurts and healing process, collaborated to write a fiction book &#8220;The Unexpected Gift<em>&#8220;. </em>&#8220;The Unexpected Gift&#8221; follows a single mother still seething from her divorce. When she delivers a box of outgrown baby clothes to a down-on-her-luck pregnant 18-year-old, an unlikely friendship is forged. The only thing these women seem to have in common is loneliness, but the two learn that the gift of friendship is the key ingredient for a richer, more fulfilling life. &#8220;It was therapeutic to write a story with a happy ending,&#8221; says Meaghan, who hopes women will relate to the story and be touched. &#8220;At just 150 pages, &#8216;The Unexpected Gift&#8217; will be a welcome quick read for anyone feeling lonely.&#8221;<br />
<img decoding="async" class="alignleft" src="http://i508.photobucket.com/albums/s324/PrincessTinkLuvsJesus/Blog%20Stuff/unexpected.jpg" alt="" width="110" height="110" /></p>
<p>I read&#8221;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0981546277?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=mommav-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=0981546277">The Unexpected Gift</a><img decoding="async" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=mommav-20&amp;l=as2&amp;o=1&amp;a=0981546277" border="0" alt="" width="1" height="1" />&#8221; this weekend. It is a great rainy weekend book. The story is well thought out and keeps you engaged through out the book. The characters have depth and evolve throughout the story. The end of the story seems to be tied up too quickly, they could have fleshed the ending out more and given us a better ending instead of a quick, neat epilogue. All-in-all it was a good read.</p>
<p>You can win a copy of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0981546277?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=mommav-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=0981546277">The Unexpected Gift</a><img decoding="async" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=mommav-20&amp;l=as2&amp;o=1&amp;a=0981546277" border="0" alt="" width="1" height="1" /> thanks to Phenix &amp; Phenix Literary Publicists.<br />
<strong>Mandatory 1st Entry</strong><br />
Leave me a comment telling me about an event in your life that seemed bad or sad at first but turned out to be an Unexpected Gift.<br />
<strong>Bonus Entries</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Tweet this &#8221; I just entered to win &#8220;The Unexpected Gift&#8221; from @MomMaven you can too! http://bit.ly/rOquP&#8221; you can do this 3x a day. Leave the link to the tweet URL in the comment.</li>
<li>Mixx, Digg, Stumble, and/or Prop this giveaway and leave me a link.</li>
<li>Subscribe to my blog&#8217;s RSS feed and/or Follow me on Google Friend Connect. One entry for each of these, please leave a separate comment for each.</li>
</ul>
<p>This giveaway is open to US residents only and will end at 10:15pm EDT on 8/31/09.</p>
<p><a class="a2a_button_facebook" href="https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/facebook?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Fthemommaven.com%2Fthe-unexpected-gift%2F&amp;linkname=The%20Unexpected%20Gift" title="Facebook" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"></a><a class="a2a_button_twitter" href="https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/twitter?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Fthemommaven.com%2Fthe-unexpected-gift%2F&amp;linkname=The%20Unexpected%20Gift" title="Twitter" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"></a><a class="a2a_button_pinterest" href="https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/pinterest?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Fthemommaven.com%2Fthe-unexpected-gift%2F&amp;linkname=The%20Unexpected%20Gift" title="Pinterest" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"></a><a class="a2a_dd addtoany_share_save addtoany_share" href="https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=https%3A%2F%2Fthemommaven.com%2Fthe-unexpected-gift%2F&#038;title=The%20Unexpected%20Gift" data-a2a-url="https://themommaven.com/the-unexpected-gift/" data-a2a-title="The Unexpected Gift"></a></p><p>The post <a href="https://themommaven.com/the-unexpected-gift/">The Unexpected Gift</a> appeared first on <a href="https://themommaven.com">The Mom Maven</a>.</p>
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