NO MORE PERFECT MOMS LEARN TO LOVE YOUR REAL LIFE by Jill Savage
I don't have enough good things to say about this book. When I found it on amazon.com well, obviously, you know the type of material I was looking for. I have a four and a half month old son and I wanted to make sure I was doing everything "right". Honestly, I was driving myself insane...in a quiet and controlled manner, of course. When I was pregnant, I tried to prepare myself for the day he would come rushing into our lives, a tiny little miracle of our very own to love and nurture.Would I be able to remember the words to all the lullabies (I have a terrible memory)? Would I know what was wrong when he cried? What sort of diapers would be the best AND the most affordable? Was I going to become Mason's mom and stop being Angel's wife?
How could I possibly carry all the responsibility that was coming my way in just a few short months?! As you can see, I had myself worked into a tizzy almost from day one. Add to that the fact that, because of a really horrible traumatic event in my life ten years ago and two years before I met Angel, I was terrified of change and extremely unsure of my abilities in any area of life. Raising a baby? The thought that I would raise a future serial killer weighed on my mind so heavily that it actually brought me to tears on several occasions. Notice that not one time I have I mentioned anything about praying or putting my baby boy's future in God's hands.
When I was 34 weeks pregnant, we had a slight scare with my blood pressure going high, pre-eclampsia, but it righted itself after a couple of days and everything was fine. That was enough for me to remember that I had nothing to worry about. Silly isn't it? A scare being what makes someone stop worrying? I saw that as God's little way of saying, "Hey, hello? I'm here, exactly where I have been the entire time, just waiting on you to lean into Me. I made this little man and I will do as I will with him. He is mine."
Mason Gabriel Almeida was born four weeks early and two weeks after my blood pressure scare, because I went seriously eclamptic. My blood pressure went up so high that I ballooned out over night and presented with a nice headache.
He was fine and I, obviously, was fine. BUT, he was labeled a preemie and everyone had advice on how to deal with him. To me, he was my tiny and sweet little boy, my blessing, my husband's blessing, God's blessing to us.
But I knew he was early and that being early carried a few risks and since I learn better when I read, off I went in search of written material. Some for health concerns of a premature baby and some for peace of mind for mom. When I read the description of NO MORE PERFECT MOMS, I knew I needed to get my hands on it and so I did. I am including the description for all you other moms out there who need a little help and reminder from a very amazing lady and a wise one as well.
Jill has such a wonderfully light style of writing that you can't help but feel happier just reading this book. There were many times in the reading of this amazing addition to my Life survival library that I just exhaled a big sigh of relief. The way I figured it, if Jill could put into words all the terrifying thoughts of imperfection I had swirling in my mind and heart and then use the Bible to reinforce that God WAS right there in the trenches with her, with all of us moms, then I couldn't be crazy! I could do this thing and I didn't have to do it the perfect way, I just had to do it God's way! It was okay to recognize my imperfections and make peace with them because if I were perfect, what did I need Jesus for? Boy, do I NEED Him! Every. Single. Day. Jill wrote in a way that was both light hearted enough to make me feel like I was talking with my best friend and with enough command and knowledge of scripture applied wisely in her own stories that I felt as if I were spending time with my mentor.
I laughed right out loud at some of the stories she told, which to be perfectly honest, probably weren't funny at the time but did make great stories afterward. Laughing out loud is a little troublesome when the only time you have to read is from midnight 'til two in the morning.
Then there were places where you could 'hear' her tone change in such a way that you had to sit up (at least mentally) and pay attention. Her chapter on No More Perfect Bodies really opened my eyes.I have always had a problem with seeing the real me. I couldn't measure up to anyone I stood beside. This was all in my head of course and Jill made it perfectly clear that I don't need to measure up to anyone. The only thing I need to worry about is how God sees my heart. He created me to be the way that I am in this time in my life and who am I to question the Creator of Heaven and earth?
If you are afraid that you might turn your child into a serial killer like I was (Seriously. It's okay to laugh about it now!) because you send them to school in not designer jeans or because you thought dad was picking them up from soccer practice but it was your day and you forgot...until you got the 'How could you forget me call', you won't. Cover them in prayer every day, lean on good friends, on family, on mentors from your church or neighborhood, but for the most part and ALWAYS on God. You aren't perfect because if you were, you would miss the most perfect and faithful friend you could ever have, Jesus. Read this book. I don't mean fly through the pages like you would a novel. Really read it, digest it, apply it and then tell your other mom friends about it. Do all that and see how following Jill's advice, backed by the Word of God, will help you to relax and go with God's flow. I hope to get my hands on several more of Jill's books to review soon. Until then, happy reading!
**As a side note, if you do purchase this book and you do so from this link, I will make a small amount from your purchase. This doesn't add to the price at all but it does help a Mom out.
How could I possibly carry all the responsibility that was coming my way in just a few short months?! As you can see, I had myself worked into a tizzy almost from day one. Add to that the fact that, because of a really horrible traumatic event in my life ten years ago and two years before I met Angel, I was terrified of change and extremely unsure of my abilities in any area of life. Raising a baby? The thought that I would raise a future serial killer weighed on my mind so heavily that it actually brought me to tears on several occasions. Notice that not one time I have I mentioned anything about praying or putting my baby boy's future in God's hands.
When I was 34 weeks pregnant, we had a slight scare with my blood pressure going high, pre-eclampsia, but it righted itself after a couple of days and everything was fine. That was enough for me to remember that I had nothing to worry about. Silly isn't it? A scare being what makes someone stop worrying? I saw that as God's little way of saying, "Hey, hello? I'm here, exactly where I have been the entire time, just waiting on you to lean into Me. I made this little man and I will do as I will with him. He is mine."
Mason Gabriel Almeida was born four weeks early and two weeks after my blood pressure scare, because I went seriously eclamptic. My blood pressure went up so high that I ballooned out over night and presented with a nice headache.
If you've ever forgotten to pick your kid 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 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 . Jill delivers some much-needed realism as she explains why we need to stop comparing our insides to other people's outsides. She challenges every mom to exchange her vision of being a "perfect mother" for God's beautiful grace in order to learn to love her real, but imperfect, life.
Jill has such a wonderfully light style of writing that you can't help but feel happier just reading this book. There were many times in the reading of this amazing addition to my Life survival library that I just exhaled a big sigh of relief. The way I figured it, if Jill could put into words all the terrifying thoughts of imperfection I had swirling in my mind and heart and then use the Bible to reinforce that God WAS right there in the trenches with her, with all of us moms, then I couldn't be crazy! I could do this thing and I didn't have to do it the perfect way, I just had to do it God's way! It was okay to recognize my imperfections and make peace with them because if I were perfect, what did I need Jesus for? Boy, do I NEED Him! Every. Single. Day. Jill wrote in a way that was both light hearted enough to make me feel like I was talking with my best friend and with enough command and knowledge of scripture applied wisely in her own stories that I felt as if I were spending time with my mentor.
I laughed right out loud at some of the stories she told, which to be perfectly honest, probably weren't funny at the time but did make great stories afterward. Laughing out loud is a little troublesome when the only time you have to read is from midnight 'til two in the morning.
Then there were places where you could 'hear' her tone change in such a way that you had to sit up (at least mentally) and pay attention. Her chapter on No More Perfect Bodies really opened my eyes.I have always had a problem with seeing the real me. I couldn't measure up to anyone I stood beside. This was all in my head of course and Jill made it perfectly clear that I don't need to measure up to anyone. The only thing I need to worry about is how God sees my heart. He created me to be the way that I am in this time in my life and who am I to question the Creator of Heaven and earth?
If you are afraid that you might turn your child into a serial killer like I was (Seriously. It's okay to laugh about it now!) because you send them to school in not designer jeans or because you thought dad was picking them up from soccer practice but it was your day and you forgot...until you got the 'How could you forget me call', you won't. Cover them in prayer every day, lean on good friends, on family, on mentors from your church or neighborhood, but for the most part and ALWAYS on God. You aren't perfect because if you were, you would miss the most perfect and faithful friend you could ever have, Jesus. Read this book. I don't mean fly through the pages like you would a novel. Really read it, digest it, apply it and then tell your other mom friends about it. Do all that and see how following Jill's advice, backed by the Word of God, will help you to relax and go with God's flow. I hope to get my hands on several more of Jill's books to review soon. Until then, happy reading!
**As a side note, if you do purchase this book and you do so from this link, I will make a small amount from your purchase. This doesn't add to the price at all but it does help a Mom out.
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