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| MOMumental Book Worthy Publishing |
"Jennifer Grant's girlhood dream of being the perfect mom withered quickly once she got a real taste of the messy, creative, sometimes hilarious, and often taxing process of raising a family. With MOMumental, she presents a warm, compassionate book filled with uncommon and amusing insights about being an intentional parent-and about realizing that family matters, no matter what yours is like".
When I was asked to review this book I jumped on the opportunity.
I mean seriously the subtitle phrase "Adventures in the Messy Art of Raising a Family"!
It screamed "THIS IS YOUR LIFE"!
I may only be in the beginning stages of motherhood (7-1/2 months in as a matter of fact), but I think more than anything I love reading other mother's stories. I love hearing how other mother's tackle issues and what their view points are. I might not always agree, but I like to have an arsenal of information should I ever need it!
Jennifer Grant's book MOMumental is the epitome of how we view motherhood vs. how motherhood actually is.
Being a Mom is not easy.
There is no user's manual.
And yes the grass always seems greener when your on the outside looking in.
Reading this book made me consider things I hadn't previously.
While Bud & I were going on our daily walks I was asking questions and probing him for how we would handle certain situations and decisions as our children grow.
We pondered "What is a good parent" and "How to be good parents".
I had never considered the concept of family meetings or the fact that they don't always have to be business as usual, they can be a time when traditions such occur.
Traditions as simple as the children making their pitstop to the kitchen, en route to the meeting, to pick up their sprite with maraschino cherries...Mom & Dad having a glass of wine...and a platter of cheese and crackers on the coffee table to set the mood of each meeting.
I hadn't thought about the fact that Mom's don't get summer vacation, okay I had....but stick with me, I didn't think about the aspect that during the summer it's okay not to overbook your kids.
Overbooking your kids means overbooking yourself and it means driving more and hustling and bustling everywhere.
I didn't think about the fact that allowing kids to get bored is a good thing.
It helps them to develop their creativity, to learn to entertain themselves.
Jennifer Grant's depiction of sitting on her couch breastfeeding her infant while watching her neighbor come and go, dressed as though she came straight from a J. Crew catalog, and followed by children who appeared to be so well behaved they couldn't be real ONLY to find out that behind closed doors that mother dealt with the same motherhood debacles that we all do, opened my eyes to realize that IT'S NOT ALWAYS WHAT IT SEEMS!
I would like to say that if you are a mom, new or seasoned.
If you know a mom.
If you want to be a mom.
If you have a mom.
If you often ponder "How to be a great Mom".
Pick up a copy of this book.
It's a light-hearted read that will make you think about how you want to raise your own family.
It'll help you learn not to put mom's on a pedestal.
After all we are only human!
Okay...did you stick around this long?
You didn't forget that I mentioned a giveaway did you?
I hope you had a Blessed Saturday
I received this book free from the publishers through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
Posts
I wanna read it!!!! I agree, it is easy to see a mother who has it all together and isn't wearing pajamas and assume it was effortless. :-) Thanks for the review!
ReplyDeleteOh, ok, so after reading the drop down dooflippy I see that I left the wrong kind of comment. :-) My favorite mommy memory is riding our pillows down the stairs to the William Tell Overture, my mom being the one who came up with the idea riding right there with us!
ReplyDeleteI have so many favorite mommy memories, I can't pick just one! Births (this might be the winner), holidays, birthdays, all the 'firsts'....being a mommy is pretty darn great:)
ReplyDeleteMy favorite memory would have to be the summer my mom lost her job. Über depressing right? Wrong! My brother and I had so much fun having picnics on the living room floor! Going to hurricane harbor at least 3 times a week :), and experience what mom was like outside of a 8-5 work day!
ReplyDeleteFavorite mom memory...I think I make new ones almost daily. I live within 10 minutes of my mother's house and I see her every few days, she calls every day after work, my boys talk to her on the phone, she's never missed a sporting event or school function. We eat dinner as a family every Sunday. I truly have an amazing family. There isn't a moment spent with my 2 sons and my parents and brother that isn't a memory worth saving...forever
ReplyDeleteWhat is a good parent? We moms often set impossible standards for ourselves, and feel that we can never be “a good mom.” Or at least a good enough mom. Momumental was so encouraging to me as a mom. Jennifer Grant offers solid advice, not just on parenting but on how to be intentional about building a family culture. She writes honestly about her own mistakes, her own perfectionism, and how her own family of origin impacted her. She also tells beautiful stories about her family that made me laugh and cry. I’m recommending this book who anyone who is raising children—which is a messy but beautiful art.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds awesome!
ReplyDeleteMy mom was so much fun while we were growing up! She was always cultivating our imaginations--not just leaving us to do it on our own, but getting down and playing with us. I'll never forget the day I was walking down the hall (as a high schooler) and heard two voices coming from my youngest sister's room. I didn't recognize one of the voices, so I peeked in to see who Laura was hanging out with. There was my mom, with Barbie in one hand, putting them in Laura's little Barbie van and playing right along!
Right now, I'm just having fun with my sweet 7.5 month old while we explore colors together and what happens if you drop a ball at the top of the stairs. She is fascinated by everything, and I hope that never stops!
♥ Bethany
www.happyhomemaker.me