No More Perfect Mom's WEEK!!

 

IT'S HERE!!

It's FINALLY time for you to go out and buy your copy of No More Perfect Moms by Jill Savage! You can get it just about ANYWHERE, and there are SO many great bonuses if you buy THIS WEEK!! Check it out!

 

Everyone loves a good investment…especially one that comes with a big bonus! This is one of those investments that you don’t want to miss! Purchase Jill Savage’s new book No More Perfect Moms anytime between February 3-9 (online or at a store…and yes, electronic versions such as Kindle and Nook count too!) Send a copy of your receipt to NoMorePerfectMoms@moody.edu. Scan it, take a picture of it - just be sure to send it to the email! You'll be given access to well over $100 worth of resources that will help you on your mothering journey - absolutely free! What will you receive?  

6 Sixty Minute Audio Workshops (MP3 format) from Hearts at Home

• Desperate for Wisdom - Dr. Juli Slattery
• How to Fight for Your Marriage - Dr. Juli Slattery
• It is Well with Your Soul - Jennifer Rothschild
• Multiple Intelligences - Dr. Kathy Koch
• Ten Stress Strategies Every Mom Needs - Jill Savage
• The God Who Sees You- Tammy Maltby

4 Printables from Hearts at Home

• 10 Stress Strategies Every Mom Needs
• “Love Is”--I Corinthians 13 for Parents
• Mom Rules
• How to Fight Fair In Marriage

3 Free E-book’s (including PDF, Kindle, iPad, and Nook editions!) from Moody Publishers

• Live Free by Kendra Smiley
• Growing Grateful Kids by Susie Larsen
• Real Moms Real Jesus by Jill Savage

1 Contest Entry You will be entered in a drawing to win hotel accommodations and two Hearts at Home Mom Conference registrations for you and a friend at a conference of your choice! (If unable to attend a conference, a Hearts at Home Conference To-Go will be substituted for the winner and a friend.) This offer is available for this week only (Feb 3-9)! Grab a copy of No More Perfect Moms, scan your receipt, email it, and start enjoying your new book PLUS all of the extra bonuses you’ll receive! It’s “mom university” delivered right to your computer!

As I read through No More Perfect Moms by Jill Savage I was blown away by her ability to be so transparent about her life in order to minister to other moms like me. Today, women are caught up by feeling the need to be perfect mothers to perfect children, perfect wives to perfect husbands, and perfect housekeepers in their perfectly clean homes. We put so much stress on ourselves to measure up to other moms and families. The problem with that, Jill says, is that we “compare our messy insides to other women’s carefully cleaned-up outsides.”

Jill walks through every area of the life of a mother- kids, our bodies, marriage, friends, the planning of our days, and our homes. Her thoughts and stories are fun and light, and her ideas on change easy to follow.

I recommend this book to any woman ready to get rid of the “perfection infection” and really change her life. It’d be a great book for a book club, or mom’s group. Jill’s No More Perfect Moms is a great read for all!

If Snow White Can Do It, SO CAN WE!

So you know that charming smiling Snow White? She wanders into the home of the 7 dwarfs and decides she'll "tidy up the place" while she waits for them to return home. She enlists the help of the forest creatures, and together they "whistle while they work."

 

Snow does her best to clean up the nasty house of 7 grown men, and gently corrects the animals when they don't get their chore done quite right. She never loses her temper, and never even stops singing. Ah, to be like sweet Snow White-keeping housework light and gentle and sweet.
I have to say, I do love a tidy house. I have every room organized to keep things simple and have a place for everything. I have a cleaning schedule I try not to waver from which includes daily chores for the kids and a weekly cleaning day for me. It can EASILY get out of hand though! Especially since my little "deers" don't always take to my correction as nicely as the forest animals in this video.

 



Honestly, I can turn into the ugly hag in 10 seconds FLAT if things aren't done right.
It's that perfectionist in me. Striving for the Better Homes and Gardens home of the month is an unlikely goal to meet. Those houses are STAGED people! But here is the difference between Snow White and me. Her desire is to bless those little men. She wants to use the help she has and work together with them to prepare a nice tidy house and a warm meal to come home to. Her goal isn't a perfect house. Her goal isn't a perfect meal. Her goal is BLESSING those who live in the home. And you want to know what happens when those men get home?

 

As the dwarfs come down the road the animals watch from the window in anticipation of them returning. (Sound like a scene from your house? I know my kids LOVE to watch for Daddy to come home when they hear his car coming.) They want the men to see what they've worked so hard to prepare for them. Sure, in this illustration Snow White is now taking a nap, but hey, her job is DONE! Ha! ANYWAY, when the men come home they can't believe their eyes. The home looks warm and welcoming from even afar. Snow touches all of their senses-they see the light, feel the dust gone under their fingers, smell the dinner cooking. She's accomplished her goal. They end up all sitting around the dinner table eating a yummy meal while she tells them of her story. You know what happens after that? They begin to protect and provide for her. They even stand up to the old hag who tries to come back and kill Snow White herself.

So what's the point of all of this? To encourage you to lower your expectations not only on yourself, but on your home, your meals, and your family. Be OK with not having things just right. Teach your children to do chores with a happy attitude as doing them unto the Lord. Stock your pantry with easy to prepare meal options. Make an effort to keep a tidy, but lived in home that welcomes your man home each day "with a smile and a song." Invite others into your not so perfect home. Invest in your family and friends instead of always trying to reach that perfect life dream(that will never happen).

As I've been reading No More Perfect Moms I've been struck by the fact that in most areas my expectations are way too high. Now, there are some areas where the expectations may be too low, and that may be your case as well, but all “too often we talk ourselves right out of hospitality because we fear that our efforts won’t measure up. Measure up to what? That elusive “perfect picture” we have in our mind of what our house needs to look like, what kind of food we need to serve, or even how we want our kids to behave.” –Jill Savage, NO MORE PERFECT MOMS

What do you need to change? Is it that you need to try a little harder to be like Snow White and whistle while you work? Do you need to raise the expectations on your kids to help with the chores? Do you need to lower the expectations you have for yourself in being able to do it all? I'd like to encourage you to keep it simple, smile more, and demand less of yourself. Love your man and kids more deeply. Find out if there are things they need from you that you aren't giving them because you're too caught up in the "perfection infection" and not enough in trying to bless them with a "smile and a song!"

Reality is...REAL!

After reading the introduction and chapter 1 of Jill's new book "No More Perfect Moms" I'm already hooked. Loving what I've read so far! As I read I kept thinking that I could have written the exact same words and it was like she had opened my head and taken a look inside my brain. She wrote a thought similar to one I was actually just thinking yesterday, that "with each addition(new child) I renewed my desire to be the best mom I could be. I wanted to give each child the greatest opportunities. I dreamed about who that child would become. I hoped for that child's future. And then reality set in."

It's tough, reality. It brings us right back to the ground from being up in dreamland. Usually flat on our faces.  It starts to set in day 2 of the new life when the "I'm not so fresh and don't have to sleep 24 hours a day anymore" stage sets in. Then you can always count on the "day 7 doctor bills" to come in the mail. Not to mention the "2 week growth spurt", and "3 week tummy ache." That can usually be followed by the "1 month screaming fits for 3 hours straight through the night" phase, the "we can't pay all of our bills week." Don't forget the "my other kids aren't adjusting to the new baby" transition!
Ah, yes, reality. It's simply put, REAL. But so many of us(me TOTALLY included) try to act as if we are always doing just fine.  When in REALITY we haven't eaten anything healthy other than the half of the banana that the toddler left on the floor, we're wearing the same outfit from yesterday, our hair hasn't been washed in 3 days, we haven't brushed our teeth yet, and yes, that's spit-up on the carpet. The kids run wild in the playroom until of course the "witching hour"(as we say at our house) between snack and dinner when I just need to get the chicken on but there are 5 littles that need NOTHING but my undivided attention and to hang from the chandelier.
So many times I've looked out across the different moms I come in contact with and felt like I just don't measure up to them. They are more stylish, more peaceful and quiet spoken, they don't yell at their children, they bring only the best dishes to the ladies luncheon, and they always have well behaved children and an attentive husband. It's so hard not to compare my life to theirs and feel inadequate as a mom, wife, and woman. I keep asking myself WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?? As I read Jill's words tears came to my eyes. Take a look and boy oh boy can I not wait for you to get your hands on this book! She says, "Nothing is wrong with you or your family. You are normal. Your frustrations are normal. Your disappointments are normal. Your struggles are normal. In fact, that’s what this book is all about: the reassurance that you are normal." Talk about a sigh of relief. Read this and rest assured, THERE ARE NO PERFECT MOMS. I'm certainly not perfect and neither is the mom you are always trying to measure up with. Yes, some ladies do an excellent job with their roles, but know and understand that each one struggles in a different way and at different times. Also know that there is likely someone looking at you and thinking they must be broken. Let's stop looking at others and look to the Lord. What He thinks is truth, and He thinks you are just right.
Don't miss out on the most spectacular times in the life of your family by looking for perfection. You'll never get there and you'll just end up old and sad with no memories of a live well spent!
This is your life! Soak it up!
Love you, L

Perfect Shmerfect

I have been "unplugged" for the past several days(about 2 weeks actually) trying to really spend less time in the electronic world and more time with my family. Once I logged back on to Facebook I realized I was way behind on communications from the "outside world," but other than that the world had continued to spin in the same direction, everyone had themselves a Merry Little Christmas and a Happy New Year, and snow had fallen on almost everyone. It was a good break and I will most likely spend much less time engaged with Facebook than I have in the past.

 

While I was away I got great news! I am honored to have been chosen to be part of the "No More Perfect Moms" launch team. "No More Perfect Moms" is a book written by Jill Savage. If you've read my blog for long, you know that perfectionism is a flaw that I struggle with. I strain myself daily trying to keep up with the perfectly clean house, perfectly stylish and well home educated children, a perfect marriage to a perfect man, a perfectly manicured(sweet smelling) dog, and a perfectly trimmed and landscaped yard. The list could go on and on, but the key word is TRYING. That's right. There will NEVER be a perfect mother. God creates only GOOD things, but we live in an imperfect world, and can never pull ourselves over the "perfect" mark while we are here on earth. I am looking forward so much to reading and learning about "No More Perfect Moms."

You'll be hearing more about it as I begin(today) reading my cool electronic pre-release copy(a perk of being part of the team). I wanted to include some important information about it today though, because due to my unplugging I missed some really cool announcements!

1. Sign up for Jill Savage's "No More Perfect Moms" 31-Day Email Challenge. This is a great way to find out more about the book and be encouraged in the new year.. You don't have to have the book {which doesn't release until February anyway} to be part of this great daily email. Click here to sign up so you can start receiving the emails today. It's not too late!!

2. Don't buy the book yet, but get ready to do so Feb. 4-9. Along with the release of "No More Perfect Moms," Hearts at Home and Moody Publishers will offer additional bonus resources worth more than $100 if you order/buy the book anytime Feb. 4-9. Click here to learn more about this and sign up to be reminded of the release date. Also, share this with your man! This would be a GREAT Valentine's Day gift!! It's such a wonderful thing to share with your friends, so be ready to buy more than one copy! There will even be bulk discounting, so be thinking of all the girls who would be blessed by a book like this and make your self a shopping list!

3. Visit "No More Perfect Moms" website. This is where you can share stories, learn more about the book, and view motherhood resources. It's so encouraging to check this site often! You'll be blessed and so will your family(through you!).

4. Sign up for the No More Perfect Moms National Convention. If I weren't having a baby the first of March I would totally be there!! I mean, seriously, "DJ" is going to be there!! Ha! Not to mention music by Meredith Andrews.It's going to be held March 15-16 in Norman, IL. If at all possible grab a friend, sign up, and enjoy a fabulous weekend! 

Also, here is a snippet I pulled from the Hearts-at-Home website.

If you've ever forgotten to pick your child up from soccer practice or accidentally worn two different shoes to the grocery store, this book is for you. Being a mother is not for those who display symptoms of the "Perfection Infection." There is simply no such thing as a perfect mom. And there are no such things as perfect kids, perfect homes, perfect bodies, perfect marriages, or even perfect meals.
With refreshing honesty, author Jill Savage exposes some of her own parental shortcomings with the goal of helping mothers everywhere shelve their desires for perfection along with their insecurities of not measuring up to other moms.
No More Perfect Moms will help you...

• Change your unrealistic expectations to realistic expectations in order to better manage everyday challenges.
• Give grace and love to your husband and children even in difficult family life circumstances.
• Increase your confidence when you resist the urge to compare your insides to other women's outsides.
• Discover the beauty of grace when you stop judging yourself and stop judging others.
• Find freedom from disappointment when you embrace your real family, your real challenges, and your real, but imperfect, life.

So, now that you've read that intro I know you're wanting more!

GO, sign up today!!