Oh, to be the PERFECT MOM..NOT

Attention ALL MOTHERS, MOMS, MOMMIES, MAMAS, MAS, you know who you are!! :)

Do you need some encouragement??  Well, I know I sure do!! 
I am very excited and humbled (Can one be described in those two ways in the same sentence? Hmmm. Well, it’s exactly how I feel at the moment.) Where was I?...Oh, I am very excited and humbled to be on the launch team to help promote Jill Savage’s new book called No More Perfect Moms.  As I am reading through the book (another exciting and humbling thing, to be able to read it before its release), I am confident that what is written on its pages will resonate with you on many levels. 
You WILL be encouraged to know that you are NOT alone on this journey called MOTHERHOOD. 
Take me, for example...Oh sure, I can do the happy-happy-joy-joy song and dance routine just as good as the next mom…making homemade ho-ho cakes, filming my kids’ in the kitchen as they create (a mess) fabulous concoctions, photographing them as they swing through the trees on a beautiful fall day without a care in the world, keeping it together using my even-keeled yet firm voice when my kids start brawling in public. And of course they (don’t) stop fighting instantly. And I am sure if you looked close enough you'd' see the beads of sweat on my forehead. Sigh. 
Do we really all have a fairy-tale existence? Sure…only if you live in the magical world of Disney! Right? ;-)  I am really good at looking like I have it all together on the outside but then once I am behind closed doors…YIKES!  I can easily transform into the scary villainess, and it does not always happen behind closed doors, either.   I have been THAT mom who is driving on the highway screaming my head off while my 5 year old daughter is crying because I am yelling at her to STOP touching her brother (for the 5 millionth time) and my son has his hands over his ears because I am screaming so loud. Then I scream that I know I am sinning and making God sad by
 losing my temper but "I don't even care right now!!!"  wow. Yep.  I am pretty sure I am ruining my kids. Sigh.

So there you have it.  I am NOT a perfect mom.  
But by God’s amazing, undeserved grace, I am continually being shaped and molded into the mama He has designed me to be.  I could not do this job, this blessing, this beautiful gift called motherhood, otherwise.  
When I just can't get it right, when I feel like a failure, He hears my voice. He hears my cry. 
He is with me.  
I am His.



So, if any of this resonates with you, you will want to read Jill's book. :)

Keep an eye out for more information as we get closer to the No More Perfect Moms release date. (only 34 days away!)  I will be blogging more about it in the coming weeks.  Woot! :)  This was just the thing to get my tired blog up and moving again.  It's ONLY been what???  2 1/2 years since I've written anything!!!  So I'm back on the blog wagon.

Here are some things you can do in the meantime:

• Get signed up for Jill’s free 31-Day email challenge that starts TODAY. What a fabulous way to start the New Year!! You will be SO encouraged! You can find more info and sign up on Jill’s website. http://www.jillsavage.org/?p=4657 

• WAIT to buy the book until February 4-9th, as there will be additional bonus offerings worth more than $100 that Hearts at Home and Moody Publishers will throw in if you wait until then to buy. Plus, it will help the book get a strong start. Sign up here to be reminded of the release date.http://www.hearts-at-home.org/index.php/nmpm-about/nmpm-about-3

• Check out the Hearts at Home website to learn more about the book, share your stories, and find some good mama resources. http://www.hearts-at-home.org/index.php/nmpm-home