5 Star Reviews for this Award Winner!

“Awesomely blunt and humorous and never a dull moment. This is a great read.”

5 Stars!  “A MUST READ This book was Amazing!! It made me laugh, cry and even taught me some things even though I am a Mother of 2! Thanks for sharing you "Motherhood" with us!!

5 Stars!  “A Touching Look at the Joys and Pitfalls of Motherhood Penned by a REAL mom, this book will make you laugh and cry. If you're a mother too, you'll see yourself and your kids on every page. Eleanor writes like she lives -- with lots of humor and lots of love.”

5 Stars!  “If you are a mom you have got to read this book! I don't typically find time to read but I couldn't put this book down! This view on raising your family from inside the mind of a mom herself was fantastic! Very entertaining and comforting to know that maybe I'm not going crazy and other moms are experiencing the same ups and downs. If you are mom you have got to read this book!”

5 Stars!  “It sure is one heck of a ride!! This book hands down has to be one of the best books I have read on motherhood. I myself am a mother to a five year old and a step mother to an eight year old. I have been reading so many books on motherhood and how to be there for them as they grow but they're all statistics and don't have a lot of stories/ memories in them. This book has me excited for this crazy mommy go round ride that I'm on! The author was smart, witty, comical, and a Witch at 10 pm! I cannot wait until this fresh new author comes out with more books!

5 Stars!  “This is a must read for every woman who has raised children! This book will warm your heart, make you laugh as well as shed a few tears! Anyone who has had the experience of raising children can relate to the stories in this book! And for those of you who have not yet had the experience of being a mother, you will enjoy it as well. El adds humor to those situations where you aren't sure if you are appreciated, gives insight on how to play detective once the little darlings reach the teenage years, and shows you that if you continue to love your children through the good and bad times, it all pays off.”

5 Stars!  “This was a very funny, touching read. El has covered just about anything and everything that we come across as parents! Her writing style makes you feel as though you were right there through it all. Don't pass this one up!”

5 Stars!  “The book was a great beach read.  The author paints very vivid scenes.  It is witty, funny, charming, heartwarming, heart breaking and full of love.  The book is an enjoyable read for anyone -- even if you do not have children.  While the primary focus of the book is the role of mom the author's own childhood memories will strike a cord with many.  You will laugh, you will cry and you will definitely enjoy the journey.  I hope  to see more books from this new author.”

5 Stars!  “This book is both funny and touching. All Mothers will be able to relate to the author's trials & tribulations of Motherhood. Nice to know you're not alone on this crazy journey!”

5 Stars!  “Definitely Take This For A Spin! I chose 5 stars for this review, because as a fellow mom myself of 3 children, aged 10 and under, I find it a challenge to eat a meal without shoveling it in, let alone take time to myself to read a book, but this was such an enjoyable read for me, that I not only somehow found the time to enjoy the book but I re-read certain chapters simply because of the joy I got out of being able to relate to the author's experiences and outlook on life with children. Her descriptions of the ups and downs that come along with the merry-go-round of juggling life, marriage and parenthood not only bring humor, but a sense of a relief to know that you're not on this ride alone, and there are others out there who think and act just like you. I highly recommend this book to any mother out there, young or old, or anyone who will soon be given this ticket to ride the merry-go-round of motherhood!”

5 Stars!  “Can't wait for "The Granny-Go-Round"! I felt like I was reliving my feelings as my little darlings were growing up! I laughed, I cried, and laughed some more. Eleanor's stories could easily be turned into a sitcom! Totally relatable. A must read! I eagerly will be waiting for the sequel!”

5 Stars!  “Love it - can totally relate to so much in this book about our raising children.”

Excerpts from the Award Winning Book -- The MoMmY-Go-RoUnD!

The following are 3 excerpts from chapters of The Mommy-Go-Round:

  

Excerpt from Chapter 7: 8:00 p.m. "Mom, I have a test tomorrow."

Who knew that this would someday be a phrase that would strike terror in my heart? What's even more incredible is how making that statement somehow brings a sense of peace and tranquility to the child's heart... It’s like a transference of the responsibility for passing the test. Despite my many pleas over the years that we spread test preparation over at least two nights, my children seem to delight in an incredible sense of freedom (and forgetfulness) that first night and the prospect of jamming the studying of 25 pages of history, science, whatever into one teeny tiny evening...More interestingly is that somehow my children have gotten the crazy idea that if MOM memorizes the materials, they are guarantied an A+! No problem!! They must have this vision of me sitting in the desk beside them filling out the test and passing it over to them to put their name on. We’re a team, we’re family, she’s my Mom…Let me assure you, we’re close but NOT that close.

Did I torture my parents in this same way? I shudder to think. Of course, I can’t take full responsibility for this behavior. Having had the pleasure of reading my husband’s report cards when we first married (at which point his family must have believed it safe to bring them out of hiding…), my years of report cards reflecting the comment “too talkative” seem mild in comparison. As one teacher summed him up…if Steve required an effort to breathe, he would cease. Sounds to me like he enjoyed that same incredible sense of freedom which our kids now love, throughout the entire school year.

Now admittedly by having school age children, I have had the opportunity to re-learn all the things I blew off the first time around. And enjoy it too! Trust me, there is nothing more annoying to a child cramming for a test then to say things like… “Isn’t this interesting” or “I love history, don’t you?” All’s fair in love and tests. They come to me with open books and blank expressions on their faces. My feelings are that if they’re going to act like they never heard the test material before and put the burden on me to re-teach two weeks worth of lessons in one hour, then I reserve the right to be annoyingly cheerful and completely absorbed in the subject matter!

Excerpt from Chapter 13: The Pet Wars

I have continually been under parental pet siege by my youngest child, my animal lover, approximately since his birth! It doesn't matter how many fish, rabbits or whether another family member's cat is staying with us, it seemed it was never enough. This time, shortly after the passing of our one beloved rabbit and the move of an uncle with his cats from our home, Nathan assumed command of yet another attack, call it an act of war. Oh but he was good. He started with a whole new angle, not known or previously tried by any member of this family. A "Mother of the Year" contest with the winner the recipient of a trip to the SPA!! Lures and reward never before dangled in front of this mother --- and seemingly so innocent, no strings attached, not yet at least...

He and his sister were hard at work, willingly, singing the praises of my "motherhood." They carefully listed each of my "wondrous traits" in an effort to convey to these judges

-- just how perfect a Mom I was -- to win that just reward-- a relaxing day at the SPA!! I, ever naive, had nearly take the bait, when the trap was snapped --

"And after you win the contest Mommy (may as well make that Mommy Dearest), you'll be so well rested from your day at the SPA that maybe you'll be up to taking on the added responsibility for a new pet, a dog!!!"

My moment of basking in their love --- shattered at the mere implications

that my actually winning brought, regardless of how remote a possibility!! --A punishment far worse than any one mother could imagine -- a price so high for one measly day at a spa--- you've got it -- 10 to 15 years hard labor --- given full charge of yet another "child," a newly acquired family pet! Why not just take a knife to me and...

It suddenly became a bit harder to smile happily pretending to believe that we would all live happily after, right after I won the contest, that is. --- The kids, their Dad, a dog? And me. The important thing is that 15 years down the road, after countless vet visits, thousands of dollars invested in pet food and supplies, lost sleep to dog walks, etc., I can always remember that I looked nice the day I went to the Spa! Lucky me...Wouldn't it have been easier to just treat myself to a day at the spa and skip the hard labor. Needless to say I dodged the bullet that day, never won the day at the spa but that alone was not to enough--- and sooner or later, destiny would have the last laugh.

Excerpt from Chapter 18: Christmas in July

Being a parent has truly taught me the meaning of the expression, “Christmas in July.” It is the time of year that some children, especially mine, begin to write their Christmas lists…oh and one other thing…they begin to whine about how far off Christmas actually is!!

I’m fairly certain that when the summer gets a little boring, and a bit too hot, there’s summer reading out there that outlines the rules that children follow when making a COOL Christmas List. The first rule is to make the list I-N-C-R-E-D-I-B-L-Y LONG! In fact, my daughter likes to make it long enough so that she can be truly despondent that she will NEVER EVER TRULY GET WHAT SHE WANTS (this year that is…) In fact, to hear it from them, they never do get what they REALLY want. (Forget the fact that a mere six months ago, they received the majority of another rather endless list of overpriced items, most of which are now cluttering up my living room, bedrooms, and playroom areas.)

Anyway, it was a hot July evening when my daughter decided to “Cool off” by writing this year’s Christmas list. She completed the list then proceeded to begin the sales pitch by gently “walking me” through her winter wonderland wish list. Not being of the Christmas giving spirit myself that Christmas List Eve, I did my best rendition of Scrooge. This response caused the list to be abandoned on my kitchen island with her modifying title, new and in my opinion, improved, as “The Never Christmas List.”

Christmas Confessions…

Now I ask you, where would my child get this rather annoying, yet comical

habit from? There can be only one answer… The Parental Curse… Used only as a last resort, and I’m sure when my own parents reached their breaking point from what else but...MY CHRISTMAS LIST!!!!

Yes, I confess. I did it. Mine was no ordinary Christmas list…My brothers were witness to this. My list was in fact almost the entire Sears Wish book with basically everything under the sun circled as a “MUST HAVE!” In an “honest” effort to save my parents some money, I skipped a few boy items here and there. In retrospect, I should have crossed off the few things I didn’t want rather than waste all that time circling things!!

Anyway, can I help it if my begging, pleading and dare I admit it?? My WHINING was much more “effective” than my brothers trying to kill each other throughout the rest of the year? Looking back, I’m now sure that my whining was the clincher that drove my poor parents to the ultimate punishment I’m still paying for….the dreaded Parental Curse cast upon their beloved daughter during a brief moment of parental insanity!! By the time I was done with poor Mom and Dad, they were probably in a state of (sticker) shock and asking that age old Jimmy Stewart question spoken in “It’s a Wonderful Life,” “Why do we have to have all these kids anyway???”

And so it came to pass. I deserved and became a victim of Parental revenge. A
simple curse that could escalate my children’s innocent act of making a “simple, little Christmas list” into a Whine Fest complete with written documentation… This incredibly powerful Parental Curse designed to punish me for years on end. And me asking the same question my parents most likely asked years before... Whatever became of those “visions of sugarplums” dancing ONLY in the heads of sleeping children!! What is it that then compels the darlings to put the visions down on paper, in list format no less? I think the answer will come out when my children write their rebuttal to this book due out in paperback in the year 2025…

Five Star Professional Reviews & Many More!

 Five Star Professional Reviews & Many More!

Reviewed By Ray Simmons for Readers’ Favorite    Review Rating: 5 Stars! 

I honestly loved The Mommy-Go-Round by Eleanor D. Alspaugh. I have already been through the child raising years, and it confirmed for me that it’s not easy to raise kids, and that the most important things you can bring to the process are love, patience, and perspective. Eleanor D. Alspaugh does a great job of drawing on the lessons and experiences of her own childhood, and those of her time as a mother, to create a wonderful picture of the American family as it should be. This is not a “How to” book or an instruction manual on raising kids, but I think it would make a great gift for young mothers. I think there are a lot of things a young mother or father can learn from this book and it is very entertaining.

The Mommy-Go-Round is well written, well organized, and very humorous. It covers almost every situation a parent will encounter on the long journey called parenthood. I enjoyed the essays on Christmas and other special days the most. These are the times that stick out in my mind when I think about my own childhood or my time as a young parent. I wish The Mommy-Go-Round had been available when my son was born. I would have had a little bit of a heads up on some of the joys and trials that would come, and I could have been a little better and more understanding helper to his mother. I applaud Eleanor D. Alspaugh for writing The Mommy-Go-Round and, looking at all the beautiful pictures of her happy family taken through the years, I can understand why she had to.

Reviewed By Sarah Stuart for Readers’ Favorite    Review Rating: 5 Stars! 

The Mommy-Go-Round by Eleanor D. Alspaugh opens with her bumpy road to conception and goes on to record the traumatic birth of her first baby, she and her husband taking their daughter home, and Holly’s early years. The tragedy of miscarriage, and the doubts tests suggested for a second developing new life caused an unplanned gap in the couple’s family and Julianne was born when Holly was four years old. A son, Nathan, pre-natal tests jettisoned with the doubts, completed the threesome. The Mommy-Go-Round follows Mrs. Alspaugh’s joys and trials of being a mother until, unexpectedly, she finds herself preparing to be a grandmother. Throughout this beautifully illustrated book, she tells readers all the things nobody else will about the tumultuous journey of life when a woman, particularly if she is a Christian with high expectations of herself, embarks on motherhood.

Half-close your eyes and The Mommy-Go-Round reads as The Merry-Go-Round and I suspect that this is Eleanor D. Alspaugh’s intention. Full of facts, the reassurance that any reader who is a mother is not alone, and amazingly revealing honesty, this book can best be described as a carousel. If I needed a title for an Amazon reader’s review, it would be “Mommy’s Crazy Carousel, grab your copy NOW.” I laughed, I cried, and recognized familiar feelings of inadequacy. My favorite quote is in the title of chapter two, when Holly’s birth is imminent. “BTW, does this come with ANY instructions?” The Mommy-Go-Round is written in a style that lets you hear Mrs. Alspaugh’s voice as if you were a friend drinking coffee at her kitchen table, assuming there is even time for a Mommy TO sit!

Seriously Reading Review: 5 Stars!  97% Rating!                                                     
The Mommy-Go-Round is a book about relationships by Eleanor D. Alspaugh. A resident of Carlisle, Alspaugh is the mother of three children and has worked as an assistant vice president. She is a graduate of Shippensburg University, and has been writing since childhood. She is currently working on a book that narrates her father’s World War 2 experiences. However, she has only written one book to date which is ‘The Mommy-Go-Round’.  It is a humorous and heart-warming book that talks about motherhood.

The Mommy-Go-Round is a very ‘real’ story that will make you laugh and cry. Alspaugh has written this book in a way that makes it enjoyable to read. There are instances in the book when you will simply laugh out loud. There are also parts that will make you emotional and sad. This book is written for all the mothers out there and the story is something they can easily relate to. Mothers with tweens will find this book especially interesting, as it will take them on  one hell of a roller coaster ride. Humor, advice, and insights are the three things this book offers.

The Mommy-Go-Round is a fun to read book. It has a lesson for young mothers on how to ‘really’ become a mother and raise children. After reading this book, they will be better equipped to deal with their kids or tweens. Also, this book will allow all mothers to see their children differently. Many grandmothers would be wishing that they had read this book before raising their children—it is that good. The book narrates the joy and trials of motherhood. It has a humorous as well as a touching story. The book is definitely worth reading and is highly recommended for all the young mothers out there.

“For any mom who has looked around at any point and thought, "How did I get here?" this books is well worth the read!”

Welcome to The MoMmY-Go-RoUnD!! Enjoy the Ride!!

For Immediate Release:  May, 2017 -- Just in Time for Summer Fun Reading!

“A must read for anyone with children...you're not alone and it's all 'normal!'”

The 2016 Readers' Favorite International Book Award Contest featured thousands of contestants from over a dozen countries. “Readers’ Favorite is proud to announce that "The Mommy-Go-Round" by Eleanor D Alspaugh is a Bronze Medal Winner in the Non-Fiction - Parenting category in our 2016 International Book Award Contest.”

In May, 2016, The Mommy-Go-Round was also awarded 1^st Place in the Pacific Book Award for Best Parenting – Family category.  A Readers’ Favorite review stated, “I honestly loved The Mommy-Go-Round by Eleanor D. Alspaugh.”  Eleanor “does a great job of drawing on the lessons and experiences of her own childhood, and those of her time as a mother, to create a wonderful picture of the American family as it should be.” It is “well written, well organized, and very humorous.” Another Readers’ Favorite reviewer found it filled with “reassurance that any reader who is a mother is not alone.” It is written with “amazingly revealing honesty. Throughout this beautifully illustrated book, she tells readers all the things nobody else will about the tumultuous journey of life when a woman, particularly if she is a Christian with high expectations of herself, embarks on motherhood.” 

Now an award winning author, Eleanor D Alspaugh was raised in Hatboro, Pennsylvania and graduated from Shippensburg University.  She currently resides in Carlisle, Pennsylvania with her husband Stephen and family. Formerly an Assistant Vice President, she somehow found time to capture in writing some of the antics of raising her three kids and experiencing life as a working wife and mother. A completely honest, humorous and heartwarming account of motherhood, The Mommy-Go-Round has truly captured the roller coaster ride of Motherhood sharing the awesomely blunt, seldom spoken, yet touching observations (and some true confessions) from Eleanor’s childhood as well as her mom-life role as a working mother of 3.  Filled with heartwarming humor and love, she breaks the Motherhood Code of Silence regarding Motherhood, childhood and everything in between. She may even teach you a few things about that crazy role of a mother that no one warns you about!  The book is available locally at the Whistlestop Bookshop in Carlisle, PA and the Doylestown Bookshop, Doylestown, PA as well as various places online.

Eleanor is currently working on a book called The Heart of a Soldier which highlights World War II and her Father’s experiences as a soldier as written in his letters sent home to her Mother. Eleanor looks forward to spending more time writing a sequel to The Mommy-Go-Round once The Heart of a Soldier is completed. Eleanor attended the Readers’ Favorite Award Ceremony in Miami this past November.

Readers' Favorite has become the fastest growing book review and award contest site on the Internet. They have earned the respect of renowned publishers like Random House, Simon & Schuster, and Harper Collins, and have received the “Best Websites for Authors” and “Honoring Excellence” awards from the Association of Independent Authors. They are also fully accredited by the BBB (A+ rating), which is a rarity among Book Review and Book Award Contest companies. In addition to reviewing for some of the biggest names in the literary industry, as well as the first time independent author, they host a respected award contest which features entries from new authors to NYT best-sellers, as well as celebrities like Jim Carrey and Henry Winkler.

Learn more about Eleanor D Alspaugh, Author of The Mommy-Go-Round and

read excerpts and reviews at:

http://www.photosbyel.com

https://readersfavorite.com/book-review/the-mommy-go-round

http://www.independentauthornetwork.com/eleanor-alspaugh.html

Online Interview & Review:

http://seriousreading.com/?s=Eleanor+Alspaugh

In Sickness Health LoVe Hunger & $$$--- You Name it!! Mama is AlWaYs there for YOU---And Sometimes just hangin’ on herself But She IS There! Treat Mom to a 5 Star Read that she'll love & laugh along with! Think The MoMmY-Go-RoUnD 4 #MothersDay!! There's still plenty of time to pick up a copy and support your nearby Independent Bookshops--
The Whistlestop Bookshop and The Doylestown Bookshop!! Or a Bookshop near you! (Ordering is Easy!)  While you're there, look around! They may even have that extra gift or card your looking for!! That's just how they are! (Sooo Prepared!! Obviously their Moms did something RiGhT TOO!!)

                      Hope you & Your Mama check out this Award Winner!! Enjoy the Ride!