Book Recommendation for Wives and Mothers

Here is a book that I highly recommend to all of you wives and mothers out there. It is called Being the Mom: 10 Coping Strategies I Learned by Accident Because I Had Children on Purpose, written by Emily Watts. A few months ago I was at the DI and picked up a variety of parenting books. This one caught my eye and I decided to give it a try. I'm so glad I did!
It's a fun and quick read with lots of great advice. As I read it, I felt that she was a kindred spirit - I really connected with what she was saying. Here are some excerpts from my favorite chapter:

"Strategy 9: Be Grateful for the Things You Have to Do"

She talked about the stress and frustration that can come with planning, shopping for, cooking, and cleaning up after meals. I go through cycles where I just don't want to cook, get really frustrated, am tired of "the same old meals," etc. But she really helped me put things in perspective: "The fact that I have to cook each day suggests that we live in a time and place where food is abundant. If I have to plan the meals, all that means is that we have a wide spectrum of possibilities to choose from. I get to exercise judgment and creativity on a daily basis in an activity that helps build unity, comfort, and physical strength in my family."

She also talks about laundry, and how blessed we are to have an abundance of clothing, as well as access to machines that will do the washing for us. I know these are pretty straightforward and simple concepts, but it really helped to put things in perspective.

Let me finish my thoughts on this chapter with one last quote: "I realize that to some people this seems Pollyannaish to the point of gagging. ... But, hey, I just figure that if there's something I'm going to end up doing anyway, I might as well do my best to find some joy in it. The truth is that our greatest blessings and our greatest trials seem to often come in the same package, and if we wish away the trials, we forgo the blessings as well."

I know I've been taught this principle over and over in the scriptures and various Sunday School and Relief Society lessons (and, in case you're wondering, the author is LDS), but it just really hit home when she put it in terms of the day-to-day frustrations we deal with.

Some of my other favorite strategies are:

Strategy 3: Be Discerning: Sometimes a One-Mile Effort is Enough

Strategy 7: If It Can Be Vacuumed Up, Wiped Off, or Washed Out, Don't Worry about It

Strategy 10: Remember That the Years Fly By, Even though Some of the Days Are Mighty Long

A lot of the advice in this book are things I've heard before. But the way she says it and the experiences she shares just clicked with me. I encourage you to check it out. It sure gave me a boost!