A Joyful Mother of Children

Julie Allen will be leading the discussion for September on the 15th. We will meet at Jill Moyer's home. Below is how Julie came to choose this book.

Hey there, Ladies! For the past few months I have had a topic on my mind which has influenced my book choice for September. I have really been reevaluating our families goals & priorities and pondering how much each daily decision & action affects my children. A phrase I like to use is "Deliberate Mothering." Sooo I have looked at a lot of books on parenting that I thought would bring up some good discussion - "A Tiger Mother," "Teaching Your Children Values," "The Parenting Trap," "I Didn't Plan on Being a Witch," etc. But the book I keep coming back to is one I read years ago and loved: "A Joyful Mother of Children" by Linda Eyre. You may be familiar with Richard and Linda Eyre. They raised 9 children, have written a number of books on parenting, been on committees to strengthen the family, won numerous awards, appeared on Oprah, the Today Show, etc. This is one of her books that seems to strengthen mothers at ALL stages (even empty-nesters!) and anyone who nurtures children (aunts, friends, etc). It is funny and uplifting. I've found it easiest to read a chapter here and there when I have a minute, because I like to ponder her experiences and down to earth advice. One of her daughters, Shawni, has a blog that has been inspirational also. Feel free to check it out. http://www.71toes.com/ Shawni's fifth child has a genetic disorder that gave her 11 toes (and causes blindness :( ), hence the name 71 Toes. She recently won National Young Mother of the Year and is an inspiration to many. Friday Q&A is my favorite. Anyway...I thought we could each bring the piece of advice/the experience that affected us the most and share why and how. You can find it cheap on Amazon (I paid $4) - it's definitely one to add to the collection. You are also welcome to borrow mine - I just need it back a few days before book club. Julie