Guest Blog – Jennifer Grant – Author of MOMumental

March 26, 2012

The Funny, Broken, Love of Parenting

I click open a Facebook message. A friend has sent me a word search and tells me to let my eyes fall onto the image and take note of the first three words that I see. These are the words that best describe me, she promises.

I shrug, take a sip of coffee, and glance at it. “Funny,” “broken,” and “love” are my words.

When I close the message, I’m tempted for a moment to try again. What other words are hidden in that tangle of letters? Maybe on my second try, my eyes will land on a combination such as “smart,” “attractive,” and “successful.” (That would be nice.)

I don’t give it another try, though. The words I read the first time are just right considering how I’ve been spending my days for the past several months, thinking and writing about the family in which I am the wife and the mother and about my family of origin, where my story began.

Funny, broken, love - sounds like family.

MOMumental: Adventures in the Messy Art of Raising a Family is about my own missteps and small victories as a mother. Over the years, after beginning my parenting journey – as so many of us do – staggering under the weight of the expectations I had for myself, I’ve loosened up. I’ve come to learn that none of us is perfect. We all fail, misunderstand our kids sometimes, and mess up in countless ways. In MOMumental, I share stories of some of my “epic fails” as a mom.

The dire messages that flash on the computer or television screen that warn what a mother absolutely must or must not do no longer hold me tightly in their grasp. I now look at myself – and at other mothers – with less judgment, knowing that we all work it out, there is no manual for motherhood, and that the most important thing in raising kids is to be authentically connected with them.

(And a person can do that whether she serves microwaved macaroni and cheese to her kids for lunch every day or gives them homemade bread and a sampling of organic greens from her vegetable garden. Whether or not she homeschools them, uses “the family bed,” or exposes them to Mozart by the time they are six days old.)

I hope in sharing my own personal – and often quite cringe-worthy – story in MOMumental, other parents will show themselves, and other parents, more grace as we raise our children.

To me, those three words – funny, broken, and love – are great ones to reflect on when I think about the gift of family. To be able to enjoy our kids, repair our relationships with them when needed, and most of to love our children like crazy covers a multitude of parental crimes and misdemeanors.

Wishing you all the best in your own messy family-making adventures!

Cheerios Giveaway!

GIVEAWAY CLOSED! Congratulations to commenter #4 and commenter #2 !
I love cereal! As  a missionary kid in Ukraine, dry cereal was a rare commodity and was only used for special times. Cheerios are one of my many favorites.
As budget conscious shoppers, my husband and I have a Sam’s Club membership, and go there once every couple of months to stock up on certain items. Cereal is one of the many products for which club members can get competitive prices.
General Mills just recently released new and improved packaging for Cheerios at club stores. Check it out!




 

Here is some information they shared with me.

What’s so exciting?

• New 2 box Cheerios contains two individual boxes, making them easier to store and easier to pour!

Not to mention…

• By reducing the amount of air in each individual bag, these enhanced containers fit 10% more cereal than before and use less packaging
• While each box contains more cereal, packaging material has been reduced by over 200,000 lbs, saving 1,000 trees and taking 130 Cheerios trucks of the road, decreasing CO2 emissions

I am excited to be offering two of my USA readers a chance to win their own prize pack of Cheerios. You will receive two double-boxes of Cheerios. (That’s a total of 4 boxes. . . FREE!)
To enter, simply comment below telling me how long it would take you and your family to use up 4 boxes of Cheerios! (Please include your email address so that I can contact you if you win!)
Winner will be announced Friday, May 25th.

**** I received these Cheerios from General Mills through MyBlogSpark in exchange for sharing about them with you! There was no monetary compensation.

Momumental – Book Review and Giveaway

GIVEAWAY CLOSED! Congratulations to commentor #1

Although I am not yet a mom, I consider myself a “Mom-in-Training” so when I was asked to review MOMumental by Jennifer Grant, I leapt at the opportunity. Before I even opened the book, the cover drew my attention. What mom hasn’t had one of those days? Amid the hubbub of yet another busy morning as you are trying to get your family to eat at least some semblance of a nourishing breakfast, the phone rings, the dog barks, and plop! The cereal is all over the table, the kids, the floor, and you! Being a mom is a messy job!

In her book, MOMumental, published by Worthy Publishing, Jennifer Grant addresses the complications of being a mom. She talks about her dreams of being a great mom, and the reality of raising a child. She writes in a vivid style that will keep the most worn-out mommy awake as she talks about the way society tends to label moms and the importance of defining yourself by God’s plan for parenthood.

This book was certainly helpful to me as I prepare my heart to parent. I enjoyed reading it, and would recommend it to moms at any stage in life! You can find MOMumental online at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or wherever books are sold.

About the Author
Jennifer Grant is mother to four children and author of Love You More: The Divine
Surprise of Adopting My Daughter (2011). For more than a decade she wrote for papers in
the Sun-Times newsgroup. Currently she freelances for the Chicago Tribune and is a
regular contributor to hermeneutics, Christianity Today magazine's blog for women. Grant
is a Wheaton College graduate who received her master's in English and Creative Writing
from Southern Methodist University. She lives outside of Chicago, IL.
I am excited that in addition to reviewing this book, I have a copy to give away to one of my USA readers as well! To enter, simply comment below telling me one of your favorite moments of being a mommy, or why you would like this book if you are not a mommy. (Please be sure to include your email so that I can reach you if you win!)
Winner will be announced Thursday, May 24th.
 
Be sure to stop back by my blog tomorrow for a guest post by Jennifer Grant, so that you can experience her unique writing style for yourself.
 
 
**** I received this book from Handlebar Marketing in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Messenger – Book Review

image credit

When Bethany House recently contacted me about reviewing books for them I was thrilled. The first book that I received to review was The Messenger by Siri Mitchell.

The Messenger is a historical fiction book. It is set in Philadelphia during the War for Independence. It recounts the story of a Quaker girl who is forced to choose between the continuing in the pacifist beliefs of her upbringing, or following the paths along which she feels God is guiding her. In order to obtain a pass to visit her brother in jail, Hannah agrees to relay messages from the Colonials.

This story is a fascinating drama that explores the situations in jails during the War for Independence, the beliefs and lifestyles of the Quakers of that period, and the difference between religion and a relationship with God. The Messenger is well-written and thought-provoking.

You can find The Messenger at Amazon, CBD, or at your local bookstore.

 

**** I received this book from Bethany House in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. There was no monetary compensation for this post.

Children Learn What They Live

As I was doing some spring cleaning in the office last week, I came across a little card that I found at a Christian bookstore during my college years. I read through it and remembered again the importance of its words. You may have seen it before, but every time I read it, it has an impact on me.

Here is what it says:

If a child lives with criticism,

He learns to condemn.

If a child lives with hostility,

He learns to fight.

If a child lives with ridicule,

He learns to be shy.

If a child lives with shame,

He learns to feel guilty.

If a child lives with tolerance,

He learns to be patient.

If a child lives with encouragement,

He learns confidence.

If a child lives with praise,

He learns to appreciate.

If a child lives with fairness,

He learns justice.

If a child lives with security,

He learns to have faith.

If a child lives with approval,

He learns to like himself.

If a child lives with acceptance and friendship,

He learns to find love in the world.

© Russ Berrie and Company, Inc.

 

This makes me think about what kind of teacher I am and what kind of parent I want to be. What about you? Do you have thoughts or opinions about these words?