Hands Free Mama- Book Review

In 2010, Rachel Macy Stafford realized she was spending more time with her phone and laptop than her young children and decided something had to change.  Becoming a hands free mama was her solution. Rachel doesn't rail against the "evil" of technology or advocate saying no to any responsibility outside of the home, as I partially feared.  Instead, she discusses how becoming hands free allows us to focus on life's moments as they happen.

Hands free doesn't mean going without a phone or laptop- it is limiting the time and energy we spend on things other than the people in our lives.  Each chapter covers a singular aspect of hands free living such as deliberateness or presentness.  An example is how Rachel realized all the time she spent volunteering,  She began to select more carefully what events or causes she wanted to devote time to, and what opportunities she began turning down.  Each chapter includes hands free weekly intentions and a hands free weekly reflection, short essays relevant to the chapter topic.  Most, if not all, the ideas in this book could be applicable to non-mamas as well.  Anyone who would like a little encouragement to re-prioritize their time and habits could benefit from this book, though most examples given in this book as specific to Rachel spending more quality time with her husband and kids.

Hands Free Mama will be released on January 7, 2014.  It is Rachel Macy Stafford's first book, though she has written numerous articles and runs the blog Hands Free Mama with over one million visitors per month.

This book was provided to me for free by Booksneeze in exchange for my honest review.  All opinions expressed are my own.