Motherhood Realized

I write and edit for an organization called Power of Moms, and they are releasing a book this month called Motherhood Realized.  It's a compilation of some of their most read and most shared posts from their website.

I know I may be biased, but I think the book is pretty awesome.  I helped with some of the initial editing of the manuscript, and I was amazed by the quality of the essays, which are all written by everyday moms about their everyday experiences.  Though these are not professional writers or childhood psychologists, the insights that they share are profound, touching, and encouraging.  I think the title "Motherhood Realized" is fitting because this book represents the realizations that dozens of mothers have had over years of calming tantrums, witnessing milestones, struggling through family heartbreaks, celebrating family joys, and living each day as mothers. These topics have been addressed in countless books and articles over the years, but what struck me as I read over the manuscript of this book is that the insights shared seemed really "fresh" and unique to me--not just the same old motherhood cliches.

This is a book a busy mom could easily read because each essay only takes a couple of minutes to peruse.  You could keep it on your nightstand and read an essay each night or each week to help inspire you after a long, chaotic day.  After each essay, there is a "question" and a "challenge" to get you thinking about your own mothering experience.

This is not a "how to" book with ideas about getting your baby on a schedule or feeding your kids organic foods or anything like that--it's about the realizations that come along the way as we mother, about finding more joy, about enduring the hard times with grace, about loving our children better and more deliberately.  There is nothing in this book that will give you "mom guilt."  Nothing.  It will leave you feeling uplifted, I promise.

Two of the essays I have written for the website are published in the book: one about my mother's battle with breast cancer, and one about my difficult first year of motherhood.  I will also be reading the essay about my mom at a "book launch" event that Power of Moms is hosting in Salt Lake City on the evening of Thursday, April 3rd.  If you live in that area, you should come!  The founders of POMs will be speaking, and many of the authors published in the book will be reading their work.  Details here.

I strongly recommend buying this book!  I don't think you will regret it--in fact, if you do, I will buy your copy back from you and give it to one of my friends/sisters as a gift.  (Yes, I just offered a money-back guarantee...I feel like a real saleswoman!)  Power of Moms is hoping that the book can make the New York Times' Best Sellers list, so more moms worldwide will hear about it and will be uplifted by the message that nothing in life is as important as family, and motherhood, though difficult, is beautiful and worthwhile.

So if you are interested in buying the book, don't delay--do it right now, or this week, because the pre-sale numbers are what determine whether it gets on the "best sellers" list.  I get a free copy of the book because I am published in it, but I am going to head over to Amazon today and order a few more to give as gifts. (I think it would be a great Mothers' Day or baby shower gift.) Amazon will restock the books by April 8th (the official release date) but don't hesitate to order now.

I know this might feel a little gimmicky, but I promise you, this is an amazing organization that has blessed my life, and this is an amazing book that I really think will bless your life as well.  (And remember, if it doesn't, there's always my awesome money-back guarantee.)

And just because this post isn't long enough and salewoman-ish enough already, here is a link to one of my favorite essays published in the book (it's really hard to choose, but this one stands out to me for some reason): http://powerofmoms.com/2012/12/the-power-of-pause/. Maybe I will post some more of these links this week to convince you that you really need to order this book.

Okay, done now!  Have a great week!