Books...

I still have to write Part 2 of my "Seasons" post, but I MUST share an awesome book review with you first!!

There are many, many things I wish I had had or done when the boys were in their toddler stages...one being MOPS...wish I had gone sooner and not been so concerned that going to MOPS would make them miss their AM nap...oh well, can't go back, but will totally encourage any of you w/ babies, toddlers, preschoolers to check out www.mops.org and find one that meets near you. The friends I have met thru MOPS have been such an encouragement to me!
I also wish I had read the following book back when the boys were toddlers, but oh well, can't go back...but can share the blessing it's been to me now...and it's still VERY applicable to the preschool stages and beyond, but it's so wonderfully encouraging that I wish I had read it sooner...esp. when I had 2 in diapers, neither child walking, etc, etc.



Loving the Little Years: Motherhood in the Trenchesby Rachel Jankovic

Read the first customer review listed on the Amazon.com link above...couldn't have said it better myself!!

The things I'll attempt to say about this book...
The chapters are so short, allowing you to easily read one chapter during the one time you might get to be alone (in the bathroom?) :-) And the shortness of chapters is perfect for the "mommy-brain" that is often forgetful. There are only a few things to focus on, so it's easy to remember and think on as you go thru out your day.
The author is very, very REAL and admits to the daily struggles that we all face.

Here's a little excerpt: Don't think that the endless trips off to the bathroom for correction with a toddler or two are just a waste of time and energy--it is a gift that you are giving to your children. They will need these life skills! You are repeating these things for them just like a teacher circling missed math problems with a red pen. They will get it eventually, they just need lots and lots of repetition.

And her idea of the "twenty-minute rule" is AWESOME:
If things started seeming really out of control, I would look at the clock and note the time. Then I would tell myself that in twenty minutes this would be over. If I just kept my head down and did the work, twenty minutes was all I needed. And actually, it was true. Twenty minutes is enough time (if you are moving quickly and not moping) to change three diapers and one complete outfit, spank one disobeyer, tuck two people into naps, and sit down to nurse the other two. The storm would have passed in twenty minutes if I was cheerfully getting things done. But that moment when you first discovered the blowout, and then the two-year-old hit the one-year-old (who is now having a naptime meltdown with a dirty diaper), and both of the babies were mad because we were in the car when they decided it was lunchtime, and now, thirty minutes later, you still haven't nursed them, but first you've got to change the whole outfit and maybe can't find the clothes...well, that moment. What was it? A moment It passes. But when it passes, you will be very glad if all you did was work right through it. No self-pity, no tears, no getting worked into a dither. Look at the clock, look at the work you need to do, and bear down. That super intensity will almost always be over in twenty minutes.

I would love to include more excerpts from the book, but you just need to read it for yourself!! It's less than $10 on amazon.com! A great gift for a new mom too! And if you are local and want to borrow my copy, please ask!

FROM THE AUTHOR:I didn't write this book because mothering little ones is easy for me. I wrote it because it isn't. I know that this is a hard job, because I am right here in the middle of it. I know you need encouragement because I do too.

This is not a tender reminiscence from someone who had children so long ago that she only remembers the sweet parts. At the time of writing this, I have three children in diapers, and I can recognize the sound of hundreds of toothpicks being dumped out in the hall.

This is a small collection of thoughts on mothering young children for when you are motivated, for when you are discouraged, for the times when discipline seems fruitless, and for when you are just plain old tired.

The opportunities for growth abound here but you have to be willing. You have to open your heart to the tumble. As you deal with your children, deal with yourself always and first. This is what it looks like, and feels like, to walk as a mother with God.

"Loving the Little Years is a delightful book. That may seem a strange comment on a book that deals with life with such candor. It's all here: the fights in the back of the car, the dirty diapers, sinks full of dishes, runny noses, exhaustion--all the stuff of having five young children. It is a fresh and honest book, because it faces the problem of sin (both in kids and in parents). It is filled with profound insights into living wisely as a Christian parent. It has all the things I look for in a parenting book the focus is nurture, not just control; the motivation and empowerment is grace and not efforts. This book will help any mom (or dad for that matter) with loving the little years." --Tedd Tripp, pastor and author of Shepherding a Child's Heart