Fit to Burst: Abundance, Mayhem, and the Joys of Motherhood

A friend and I were talking one day.  I was telling her how I’ve been told by several married ladies without children that they are not really looking forward to motherhood because of how all their mommy friends speak negatively about their daily hardships.  This of course broke my heart because although I have some extremely difficult days, the joys of motherhood far outweigh the trials.  This was back when I wrote Be A Grace-Filled Communication Pioneer and the follow up post to that.  It was at this point that she told me, “I think there’s a book that just came out about that same topic.” And believe it or not, there was! Fit to Burst:  Abundance, Mayhem, and the Joys of Motherhood by Rachel Jankovic.  I read the excerpt online and ordered it immediately.

Now, sometimes (okay, many times) I do things a little backwards. I read this entire book and LOVED it, and then I realized this was the second book she had written.  So, as I write this review please show me grace because I have not read her first book, Loving the Little Years.  I plan on ordering it very soon and I’m confident I will enjoy it just as much as I did this one.

With humor and sincerity, Rachel Jankovic encourages mothers to let Scripture define our theology of motherhood instead of the way we were raised, what our cultures deems as appropriate, or even how we feel in the moment.  She provides analogies and illustrations in every chapter that just about any American mom can relate to.  The chapters are short and simple but packed full of phrases, quotes, examples, and helpful tidbits that I want to tattoo to my forehead so I don’t forget them.    She covers a variety of topics from mommy guilt, getting our strength to endure from God, how to handle hungry kids and a home that just won’t stay clean, keeping perspective about nutrition, how to best help your husband love his children well, living a humble and vulnerable life in front of others (even when it’s a mess), and even how to have a sense of humor in the midst of discipline.  I really just can’t wait to get my hands on her first book.

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Ready, Set, Read!

Barbara Curtis knows her stuff!  She was a classroom teacher, a school director, home schooled her 11 children (yes, I did say eleven), has a background in Montessori education, has been published in numerous magazines and now leads workshops and seminars on various educational topics.  

My daughter is two, going on three, and I just picked up this book because she is beginning to put her letter sounds together.  Unfortunatley, I did not realize that Chapter One (the first 40+ pages) were dedicated to steps you could take from pregnancy until the time your child turns two to ensure your child has a love for reading.

The next chapter, dedicated to children approximately 2-5 years old, is most applicable to my family right now.  Curtis clearly articulates her reasoning for using certain methods.  For example, she suggests that parents should only introduce lowercase letters to their children in the beginning because the vast majority of letters they see and will use are lowercase (as an example, just look at what you’ve been reading on this page alone).  She explains that once they know the lowercase letters and even begin putting words together they are naturally going to absorb the uppercase letters.

She offers excellent practical “games” to play with your child to develop new skills.  Almost all of her ideas require little expense, if any at all. And one of my favorite aspects, is that included throughout the book are grey boxes with specific examples and tips for teaching.  I especially like, the “Suggested Sequence for Teaching Letters” and the “Sample Nonphonetic Combinations.”

At the end of each chapter and in the appendix she provides other helpful resources including book recommendations for the different age groups, a cheat sheet on correct letter formation, how to identify red flags, and even how to assist your child if they are a left handed.

On the whole, this book helped me to think through how to be more intentional with teaching my children how to read.  Because she gives practical examples that you can implement over the course of 7-8 years, it seems unrealistic that anyone can remember all the tips and tricks when the time does come to implement them.  I would recommend reading this book when your child is very young, tabing the pages you think will be helpful in the future, and coming back to it as often as needed.

To purchase your own copy please click here.

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Don't Make Me Count To Three

Ginger Plowman, takes the typical “how to” parenting book and completely flips it on it’s head.  She has somehow found a way to weave together solid biblical truth and practical parenting advice that is general enough to be replicated in most any home.

Much of this book draws from Shepherding A Child's Heart by Ted Tripp. However, this book has more practical application than Tripp's book.  The primary focus of her book is to help us to recognize that when children disobey their parent's, they are disobeying God.  Before we can expect their behavior to change we must recognize the most important thing is repentance before the Lord.  That relationship needs to be restored first so that their heart can be changed!

Plowman recognizes that most parents are tempted to simply correct behavior in their children and not take the additional time and energy to invest in the hearts of their little ones.  “It’s easy for us to tell our children they have done wrong and chastise them for it, but it takes much more preparation, disciple, understanding, and self-control on our part to actually instruct them according to God’s Word.”  She walks through the steps necessary to effectively be able to “train up our children in the way they should go.”  In summary, these steps include identifying their sin, helping them to repent to God, applying discipline, and then walking them through the appropriate behavior that should have taken place so they know how to respond in the future.  Her philosophy behind this is rooted in Ephesians.  Plowman writes, "I am teaching them to 'put off' corrupt and deceitful desires and to 'put on' the righteousness and holiness of God." 

This book really revolutionized how I look at disciplining my own children.

Through numerous illustrations, personal examples, and scripture references she is able to communicate the importance of Godly parenting.  I also really appreciated the topics covered in the appendix:  How to Become a Christian, How to Lead Your Child to Christ, and How to Pray for Your Child.  I also loved the chart “Wise Words for Moms” that I now use as a cheat sheet to help me figure out what sin issue to address, what behaviors need to be put off and put on, and scripture passages that help communicate God’s expectations for us.

I do want to caution you, do not read this book if you are not looking for conviction within your own heart.  There were many days that I would read a paragraph and immediately be given the opportunity to put what I had learned into practice (I’m not exaggerating when I say IMMEDIATELY).  There were also many days where I would read and an hour later I had forgotten what I learned and reverted back to my lazy, inconsistent, bribing, threatening, and non-scriptural techniques of parenting.  The more I read the more I was convicted about how little scripture I have memorized that is useful for instructing my children. You need to know before you begin reading this book that you are a failure and it’s only by the grace of Christ that you can succeed as a parent at all.  If you plan to read this book you MUST be ready to apply the gospel to your own heart on a moment-to-moment basis.  There are so many areas that I know I fail at every day and this book reminded me of how I must humbly approach God’s throne for the strength and endurance to love my children rightly.

Click here if you are interested in purchasing your own copy.

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The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness

In his book, Tim Keller disects a portion of Paul’s letter to the church at Corinth. He begins by addressing two opposing views of human behavior:  Do we “misbehave” because we have too high a view of our self (pride) or because we have too low a view of our self (lack of self-esteem)?

He directly and unapologetically provides an excellent evaluation of the human ego.  He suggests that we compare ourselves with others, which always results in either prideful boasting or self-condemnation.  This leads to his ultimate question:  How do we reach the point where we are not controlled by what people think of us?  In short, his answer is, “The essence of gospel humility is not thinking more of myself or thinking less of myself, it is thinking of myself less. A truly gospel-humble person is not a self hating person or a self loving person.”  Keller then elaborates on the secret that Paul unveils in 1 Corinthians.

Although this book is short, it’s content certainly is not shallow. It may have only taken me 45 minutes to read, but it took me several weeks to really glean through.  The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness will challenge you to truly apply the gospel to your heart daily.

Click here if you are interested in purchasing your own copy.

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