Hope for the Weary Mom - By: Stacey Thacker and Brooke McGlothlin

"Lord, I’m dry. Empty. Hit the wall. I got nothing.

I just thought I’d let you know. But then again, You already do."

- Introduction of Hope for the Weary Mom

I recently purchased a digital copy of Hope for the Weary Mom By: Stacey Thacker and Brooke McGlothlin. I would just like to say that I did purchase this book and I am in no way being compensated for my review here. Now that I've got that out of the way, I have to say that I LOVE this book. Not only do I love this book, but this is probably one of the most helpful books (other than the Bible, of course) that I've read since becoming a mom. I feel almost silly for saying that I'm a weary Mom, especially since I am a Mom of one child, under one, but here it goes. I AM A WEARY MOM, AND A WEARY WIFE. Although those are two of my favorite titles, ever, I am not too proud to admit that I'm weary. Working full time, trying to manage a home, and helping to raise a child is exhausting. My heart was encouraged, and I truly felt loved on by reading this book.

Stacey and Brooke have such an honest approach to how it feels to be weary and they let you know it's OK to feel this way. Being a mom and/or wife, is a tough job, whether you're working or blessed enough to be a stay-at-home mom/wife. (I say blessed, because my heart yearns to be a SAHM. Please pray with me that the Lord will allow that to happen soon!) Often times, we women get down or discouraged about our roles in life, at least I do. The wonderful thing is that God doesn't expect us to be perfect, or Wonder Woman, for that matter. God has told us over and over again in His Word, that His strength and grace are more than enough to handle any situation. Below are a few of my favorite references:
"My grace is sufficient for thee: for MY strength is made perfect in weakness" 2 Cor. 12:9 
"My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart" Ps. 73:26
"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." Ps. 46:1

I was formerly introduced to the writings of Brooke McGlothlin through her book Praying for Boys (find my review here). That book was also a huge help to me, and will continue to be a help to me as my baby man grows up (and if we have another boy at some point down the road). This was, however, my first time reading anything by Stacey Thacker and I found her writings to be just as helpful and heartfelt as Brooke's. The book is about evenly split between the two of them, with each one writing their own chapters. Each chapter ends with some discussion questions (similar to Praying for Boys). These questions were sometimes hard to answer, but I made a point to actually print that page of the book (which was easy, since it was a digital copy in PDF form) and write out the answer to each question. I found that answering those questions on paper actually helped me apply what I was reading to my heart. This book also has a list of resources for moms, like Facebook pages and blogs to follow that are also pretty awesome. Just a note though, some of the links are old and don't open (sad day!)

I could go on and on about this book, but my point would still be the same, READ THIS BOOK. I also loved the manifesto (or vow) at the end of the book and I am copying it here for you all to keep my accountable.

The Weary Mom Manifesto

“I believe God’s plans for me are good. Therefore, I commit today that I will never

give up on my family, and I will never give up on God’s ability to move in their

hearts. With His help, I will take the next step of faith even when I feel I can’t,

because He is the God of miracles.”

$10 Great Dates - By: Larson and Arp

I recently received a complimentary copy of $10 Great Dates: Connecting Love, Marriage, and Fun on a Budget written by Peter & Heather Larson and David & Claudia Arp from Bethany House. This book is a great resource to have. It was slow to read, because I wasn't planning a date at the exact moment I was reading this book, but I know it will come in handy for the future. 

The book is separated out by categories of dates, such as: At-Home, Great Outdoors, Romantic dates, etc. Every category has several date ideas planned out for you to follow. They are broken down by an idea, how to plan for the date, talking points while on the date, and something to take away from each date. Although I hate the idea of having set "talking points" for each date, I can understand why they're there. We have a 9 month old baby, so sometimes most times our conversations revolve around him, or work (which we all know is mostly un-fun). Since our baby is often up in the middle of the night, it's also likely both of our brains will be fried from lack of sleep, so talking points can be helpful, but as I previously said, I hate them, because conversation should flow freely from a married couple in love.

I do think the title of this book can be a little confusing, because I don't think all of these dates would fit within the $10 limit set by the title. If you have children and have to pay for child care, forget it. You can't even pay a babysitter for $10 (and if you are, I might be checking them out VERY closely). We are blessed in the fact that we have family and church family around us that are willing to donate their time into watching our precious little man for us, so that we can go on dates. The authors have included a list of cheap child care options at the end of the book to help guide you in this area, so that's a big help.

I will be keeping this book on hand for help planning future dates, and I would recommend it, if you're looking for help planning "date night".