Saturday, October 29, 2016

40 Days to a Joyful Motherhood by Sarah Humphrey- Devotional Coloring Book


My Thoughts:
40 Days to a Joyful Motherhood is a lovely combination of a devotional and coloring book. Each of the 40 days includes a bible verse, short devotion, a prayer as well as a coloring page. I brought mine on a plane trip to Maine along with a pack of crayons! It's light enough to pack in your purse for times you're waiting in the doctors office, for your kids to get out of class, etc. I really enjoyed Sarah Humphrey's encouraging words to moms. They are real and refreshing and get right to the point- can be read in about 10 minutes. Mothers don't have a lot of free time! Topics covered include self-acceptance, self-care, reconciling with grief, hope, and expectations, generosity, presence and forgiveness. I also loved the fact that I could break out the crayons! The time I spent enjoying this book was all mine.😀 The words and bible verse blessed my heart and the coloring page was a sweet stress reliever. It would make a great gift for the mom who has everything!

{MORE ABOUT 40 DAYS TO A JOYFUL MOTHERHOOD}

40 Days to a Joyful Motherhood: Devotions and Coloring Book to Nourish Mom (Abingdon Press, August 2016)
Nourishment for a mother’s soul through 40 days of devotion and . . . doodling! 
Wouldn’t it be marvelous if mothering came with a concrete set of instructions—an easy recipe we could follow? Instead, motherhood challenges women to find their faith, their true selves, and their family through daily doses of trial and error. It is a brilliant and healing time of life that is full of joy, pain, and beauty with a small side of crisis (and humor). What mothers do not know, they learn. And through this lifelong process of learning, they nurture and care for the most precious gifts on earth: children. In a modern society where moms often have a full and busy plate, these 10 minute daily devotions focus on six key topics of motherhood:
—Self-acceptance
—Self-care
—Reconciling with grief, hope and expectations
—Generosity
—Presence
—Forgiveness
In addition to the devotions, these beautiful pages are adorned with handmade illustrations to help you refresh from long days or even occasional sleepless nights. So, grab your colors and a little quiet time for yourself while doodling at the kitchen table. You will be grateful you did!
Sarah Humphrey

{MORE ABOUT SARAH HUMPHREY}

Often considered a dreamer and silly heart, Sarah Humphrey uses inspiration from her most beloved career, motherhood, to fuel her passion for writing, creative movement and teaching. She has and is authoring several books and children’s books. Sarah currently resides in Nashville, Tennessee with her husband and three beautiful, bouncy kids.
Find out more about Sarah at http://sarahhumphrey.com.

*I received this wonderful book from Litfuse.

Sunday, October 23, 2016

Unstuffed by Ruth Soukup- The Perfect Read for Lightening your Home, Mind & Soul!


My Thoughts:

Unstuffed, written by Ruth Soukup, made an appearance into my life at just the right time. We're in the middle of moving and, not only that, there are many transitions occurring in my family- only one of which involves material items. I warmed to the author immediately as she speaks to her readers like a good friend- encouraging and very real. She provides helpful advice on how to declutter your home but that's just the beginning! (Her weekend intense purging schedule is awesome!) "Unstuffing" entails getting rid of excess that causes stress- too many "things", too busy of a schedule, toxic people, etc. and not enough quality friends, family, and alone time. Ruth Soukup bares her soul and shares her life's trials with us. She's been through very difficult times involving depression and several attempts at suicide and the bottom line is that we all need Christ and to rid ourselves of things that separate us from Him. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to others. It absolutely put me on the right track to unstuff my life.

Book Description

STUFF. It's everywhere. Lurking in corners and closets, spilling onto counters and coffee tables, creating havoc everywhere we look. And it's not just the physical clutter that weighs us down. Oh no, it is the stress of overbooked schedules, and the weight of life that sometimes feels oppressive and totally out of whack.
New York Times bestselling author Ruth Soukup feels your pain--she has been there too. Through personal stories, Biblical truth, and practical action plans, she will inspire and empower each of us to finally declutter not just our home, but our mind and soul as well. Unstuffed is real, honest, and gets right down to the question we are all facing--how can we take back our lives from the stuff that is weighing us down?
In this book, together we will:
• Create a comprehensive vision for our homes, and make instant changes to improve its overall function.
• Discover that more closet space is not the solution, and instead learn how to set strict limits for the stuff we bring in
• Overcome the frustration of dealing with our kids' influx of stuff and implement practical solutions for keeping the chaos at bay.
• Recognize the pitfalls of an overstuffed schedule BEFORE it gets out of hand, and instead learn to combat the culture of busy that keeps us running from one thing to the next.
• Finally conquer that mountain of paperwork that threatens to tumble down around us at any moment.
• Let go of the guilt that gets attached to gifts and instead learn to separate our loved ones from their stuff.
• Begin to cultivate our real friendships while eliminating the toxic relationships that weigh us down.
*I was given an electronic copy of this book from Booklook Bloggers and happily provided an honest review.*