I am grateful for motherhood.  So grateful that sometimes it makes my heart swell up to the size of a watermelon. I’m thankful for it despite the fact that my motherhood career took a nose-dive yesterday.  I had an experience with one of my “darling” children that smacked me in the face with the reality that this motherhood thing is no cakewalk.  After I had a good cry with that particular child, I was so glad I could come home and read part of this book to perk me back up a little: 2012-10-19 lake powell 63513[3] That book is a good thing, I tell you.  Each chapter is so inviting to me.2012-11-21 fall 64701Catherine is an amazing writer. And I love Sarah Turner’s chapter.2012-11-21 fall 64699 And hey, look who else is in there…2012-11-21 fall 64702(My sisters I love are in there too, and my mom’s forward made me tear up a bit…more details about the book back here.) Today I get the chance to give one away.  Right here.  Right now.  Just in time for the holidays. Plus, there are two other bloggers giving it away, one today and one tomorrow.  So if you enter all three give-aways you have all kinds of chances to be inspired (or consoled in my case) in the trenches of motherhood.  So enter a comment in the comment section below, then click here and here (tomorrow) to enter the other give-aways and triple your chances of winning (plus, they are pretty cool blogs to check out). Then go prep your turkey and put on your running shoes cause tomorrow is the big day: The second annual Turkey Trot! (hooray)  Come join us if you can! (More details here.) Oh, and Thanksgiving too :)  Can’t wait. I’ll announce the book winner on Friday morning.

400 Comments

  1. I have been reading all through your posts since I found your blog a few months ago, and with my first baby just reaching 4 months, have found SO much wisdom. Thank you for that. I'd love to win this book, thanks for the opportunity!!

  2. We had "that" day here yesterday too. I would love some encouragement! Thanks for being out there with the reality. I struggle on my own (private) blog with that–it's not all sunshine and roses, but we do like to focus on the positive, but I don't want our kids to look back and think, What house was SHE living in?
    Have a blessed Thanksgiving!

  3. Nine days ago we welcomed our third child into the world – just as life seemed to be getting easier with our 2 and 3 year old Irish twins. I have a feeling this book would provide some much needed wisdom in the coming months (and years)! Thanks for the opportunity!

  4. fhesed 292Thanks for the giveaway! I LOVE being a "Mom" and I would LOVE a book to keep me focused when discouragement comes. I love your blog and I learn so much here. Thanks for ALL that you share!
    Shelly

  5. Thanks for the book giveaway! I LOVE being a "mom" and would love a book to help me refocus when I am discouraged. Thanks for all of your insightful, real posts of motherhood and family life. I LOVE what I learn here.
    Shelly

  6. Thanks for this great book giveaway! I LOVE being a "mom" but sometimes I do get discouraged. I love all that I learn here, thanks for all that you share!

  7. Thanks for this great book giveaway! I LOVE being a "mom" but sometimes I do get discouraged. I love all that I learn here, thanks for all that you share!

  8. Thanks for this great book giveaway! I LOVE being a "mom" but sometimes I do get discouraged. I love all that I learn here, thanks for all that you share!

  9. Thanks for this great book giveaway! I LOVE being a "mom" but sometimes I do get discouraged. I love all that I learn here, thanks for all that you share!

  10. Thanks for this great book giveaway! I LOVE being a "mom" but sometimes I do get discouraged. I love all that I learn here, thanks for all that you share!

  11. Thanks for this great book giveaway! I LOVE being a "mom" but sometimes I do get discouraged. I love all that I learn here, thanks for all that you share!

  12. Thanks for this great book giveaway! I LOVE being a "mom" but sometimes I do get discouraged. I love all that I learn here, thanks for all that you share!

  13. I will become a mom in May when my little one arrives, and would love to win this book! I've heard so many good things about it. Thanks for the opportunity to enter! Happy Thanksgiving!

  14. This book looks like an incredible resource for any mother trying to do her best! I'm a newlywed and don't have children yet but would love to read it to prepare for motherhood and have it as a resource when I start having children! Thank you!

  15. Each time you mention the book on your blog I think "I really need to get this." So of course I would love to WIN it! Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!

  16. I love reading your blog. We just started the job chart in our family (kiddos are 5, 3, and 9 months). I get so much inspiration from your blog. Thank you!

  17. I totally know what you mean by both the swellings of joy and the smacks in the face. And I would love to read this book! Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

  18. I've been mothering for 25 years and it's like riding a roller coaster full of ups and downs. My youngest is 11 and I still need lots of inspiration for the ones at home and the ones on their own. Pick me. 🙂

  19. I've had some moments of tears in the laundry room lately…just tough stuff getting me down. Our kids are almost the exact ages as yours and I think the spread is really tough at this point–15 to 6 brings with it a huge range of "stuff." My husband and I sometimes fall into bed exhausted with the emotional drain of trying so hard to meet everyone's needs and be the best parents we can be. The book sounds good–I'll put it on my Christmas list.

  20. Hi,

    Things can change so fast with kids. One day you're getting along just fine and the next WHAM! You're crying trying to find out what just happened!
    I am not a mother yet. But I am a daughter and I can relate!

    Good luck and Happy Thanksgiving!

  21. I would love to win this book. Some days as a mother are better then others, having something to help on those off days would be so wonderful.

  22. Thanks so much for keeping this blog. Your love for motherhood inspires me to try harder and be a better mum.
    I'd love to win a copy of this book and be uplifted by all those mums out there!!!!

  23. Cheers to Moms everywhere! Pop my name in that drawing– 4 wonderful boys and 1 little lady in our home– this Mom needs all the inspiration she can get. =)

  24. Hi Shawni,
    I've been meaning to write a comment for so long now and with the added incentive of your sisters book, which I would love to read, today seemed like a good day! I am a home-educating Mammy of 6 in Ireland and your parents books have been our main point of reference since we came across 'Teaching Your Children Values' 10 years ago now, and many a time I've said to myself 'if they can raise 9 principled, contributing children surely we should be able to muddle through with only 6!'
    I love your blog, feeling in someway a connection as we strive to achieve the ideals and values set by your parents and you. Inspired by this I have started my own blog, http://www.homegrownireland.blogspot.com ( in which I have referenced your parents!)hoping in the process to be more mindful myself as well as share with others the ups and downs of our own journey.
    The thing I love most about your blog and the portrayal of your family life is 'togetherness'. Even when you're obviously having a 'not going to plan' day the feeling of togetherness and genuine love and respect between you all is palpable and something I hope to emulate in our own home.
    One book I would like to recommend to you is 'Hold On To Your Kids, why parents need to matter more than peers' by Neufeld and Mate, as I think it is a book every parent should read.
    By the way I also think you would make a great home educator because like me you feel your children are the best thing in the world and love spending time with them!

  25. Ahhh!!! I follow Power of Moms! Plus I have six kids within five years and I would just love this book.
    Every now and then you just need a reminder to pull it together.

  26. I would love to win this book, I need all the the help I can get. My mother gave me your book, A Mother's Book of Secrets, for Mother's day a couple years ago and I keep re-reading it over and over, it is fabulous so thank you!

  27. Loving your blog – glad I found it as we start out family – a one year old and another one on the way soon! I'm gunna need all the help I can get =) Thank you for your example and inspiration. Happy Thanksgiving!

  28. I found your blog a little while ago and I am so grateful for the time and effort you put into it. I have found the openess, honesty and resources so useful. You seem to keep it real and I think it helps the rest of us realize this is all normal and hectic, but amazing and wonderful at the same time. Thank you!

  29. I'm glad to know that I am not the only one who had one of those days yesterday! I'm hoping today will be a better day and have begged God to give me the wisdom to do the right thing for my "darling"! Maybe this is it!

  30. I would LOVE this book! I also need to say thanks for getting me into your parent's books. I hadn't heard of them before and they have inspired so much change in our house.

  31. They say being a mother doesn't come with an instruction manual, but this book seems like it could be one! Thanks for all the inspiration you give through your blog. Happy Thanksgiving!

  32. Parenting has been one of the hardest things in my life BUT also one of the MOST rewarding. Now my daughter is the mother of two beautiful girls and works so hard at being the best mother she can be. I would LOVE to give this book to her for Christmas. Thanks for the opportunity to win this book.

  33. Shawni-

    I love reading your blog. Even though most of your readers are women, I get inspired by your parenting ideas as a dad too! This book would be perfect for my wife. Thanks for all the effort you put into this blog and sharing your life.

    Cam

  34. Thank you so much for this giveaway! I have this book on my Amazon Wish List so if I don't win it I'm planning on buying!! Can't wait to read this wisdom from all the moms!
    Thank you! Happy Thanksgiving! Hope the holiday is wonderful for you and your family.

  35. What a fantastic give-away! I have read many of the books you have recommended and have found so much inspiration and wisdom through them. I would be thrilled to add this book to my collection. Thanks for the opportunity and Happy Thanksgiving to all!

  36. I'm sorry for the real life Mom moment you had. Some days they feel bigger than others.

    I found your blog through a YM activity, but stayed because of the light you radiate.

    I would love this book.

  37. Hi Shawni! Thank you so much for your blog, it is wonderful! We have a new 5-month old and motherhood is far more amazing than I could have imagined! We have your parents' book Teaching your children values and actually gifted it (and 3 steps to a strong family) to our new parent friends 🙂 Would love to read this book as well! Good luck at the Turkey Trot, we will be joining you virtually from Colorado!

  38. I would love this book! I could use all the encouragement and motivation I can get right now. Being a mom is pretty hard work. I am getting a good dose of reality lately. 🙂 Could definitely use something to motivate me through the not so easy times.

  39. Ooh, yes please! My fifteen month old is just beginning to test his boundaries, and the prospect of actually parenting is frightening me a little bit. I SO want to get into good habits while he's still young enough not to notice my screw-ups!

  40. I would love to have this book at my fnigertips! I have a two year old and a newborn and some days are HARD! I need all the advice I can get! Thank you for this giveaway and for your wonderful and inspiring blog!

  41. Your Blog is so inspiring and uplifting! Such a wonderful family!! I would Love this book…our family has implemented several ideas from your blog! Thanks for being so wonderful!!

  42. I would love this book! Motherhood is so much more difficult, but also more rewarding than I ever imagined. It's been fun reading your parents' tips in the Deseret News.

  43. I've been silently reading your blog for about 4 months now. I look forward to your posts everyday and am excited to implement some of your ideas into parenting my children (2 years old and 4 months). Today I am home with my 4 month old that has the stomach bug for the first time 🙁 it is so sad and I'm terrified that we will all catch it right in time for the holiday. This book would make my day! Regardless though, thanks for your dedication to motherhood and sharing your story through this blog!

  44. I just had {another} of my own bad parenting moments. I am in need of some positive motherhood thoughts. Thanks for the giveaway opportunity!

  45. Oh this would be truly wonderful! I'm in the middle of learning that the attitudes I expected from a "teenage" son, hit much, much earlier. Why didn't anyone tell me?! LOL! 🙂

  46. As one of the few male readers, I've appreciated seeing my wife, hunkered down in our small basement, reading your blog and feeling inspired. She's already a beautiful mother but your posts and inspiring words bring her great peace and a calm reassurance of what joy can come from the challenge of motherhood. She would love the book!

  47. I could seriously use this book right now, as my three year old has been giving me a run for my money lately! 😉 Thank you for this giveaway, and for all of the inspiring motherhood stories and tips on your blog!

    supermegs28 at yahoo dot com

  48. WOW!! So many comments already! I rarely comment on things like this, but thought I'd take a chance. I love reading your blog and always feel so inspired afterwards. Your name is regularly dropped at our park days and play groups. You're inspiring more moms than you know. 🙂 Recent posts of yours motivated me to buy "The Entitlement Trap" and "I Didn't plan to be a witch". And I've been wanting this book as well. Motherhood is an amazing thing! Thanks for all the advice and ideas that have helped me in my pursuit of being a better mom! Happy Thanksgiving!!

  49. Can I try to win the book even if I live in France?
    Even if it's not possible let me tell you MERCI (thank you!) because reading 71Toes is my little pleasure every day around 8pm when my daughter (almost 4) is in bed.
    So thank you for sharing, inspiring, being…
    best regard from Paris!
    (sorry for my english mistakes)

  50. I look forward to your blog every day! You are such an inspiration to me. I'm a fairly new mother with just one little toddler, but I know this book would be a lifesaver for me! Thank you for all you do!

  51. Happy Thanksgiving! Hope you and family are well. Still haven't started my blog. 🙂 Love checking-in on your family. Have a great weekend…

  52. I would love to win! I could use a little uplift after cleaning up a big poopy diaper mess this morning that leaked onto his clothes, the chair, the carpet.

  53. Oh man, would I ever LOVE this book! I am a new mother of 3 (2 girls & our newest 6 week old addition-a BOY)! & all of you bloggers are like my virtual mentor moms-who I am so grateful for. Good luck to me 😉

  54. I've never commented before, but I honestly read your blog every morning. It just gets me in the right perspective. Thank you so much for your inspiration, your thoughts, and your honesty. I have learned so much from you and shared so much to other from things I've read here. Would love to win that book. I can only imagine how incredible it is. Go Power of Moms!!!

  55. My kids are raised, cut I would love to give this to my daugher. She is a wonderful mom and always tries to be the best she can be. She would LOVE this book. Oh, and thanks for being so generous and have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family!!

  56. I would love to win this book. We adopted twins a couple of years ago, we are foster parents, and we have one bio kid. If I was more deliberate, I know that I would be more adept at providing each child an environment suited to their needs.

  57. OHHH, I would LOVE this book!! I discovered your blog a few weeks back (you may have noticed some random traffic all the way from little Tasmania, Australia!!). Your blog inspires me and your mothering ideas are just wonderful. This book would be such a great resource for our little family. Thanks for the chance to win this giveaway.

  58. I would love to have this book. I am a 20 something mother of five young children (7,6,4,2 1/2, and a 10 month old) and could use this wonderful book. Thank you Shawni for your wonderful insights and ideas on mothering. I really appreciate all the time that you put into your blog. I know that it has blessed my life and many others.

  59. I'm so very grateful for you, your family and your inspiring blog. Your words have given me much comfort and peace when I needed it. Thank you again for putting yourself out there for all of us to see and learn from! 🙂

  60. Love your blog- love your ideas- love your willingness to share your life with us 🙂 if I win your book it will travel amongst many friends and family- and may even earn a spot in book club next year. Happy thanksgiving!

  61. Hi Shawni! Happy Thanksgiving! I just discovered your blog recently and am slowly ploughing through all your old entries – i have never read a more inspiring blog! I would LOVE to win a copy of this book – with triplet boys I think it would be a perfect read before 2013! Rina x

  62. I have been reading your blog for a few weeks now, it's so inspiring in many ways, as I am mum of two at the beginning of the road (4 and 10 months). Greetings from SLovakia.

  63. Your day sounded very much like ours! I'm celebrating Thanksgiving in the mountains of NC with my sister, Nicki and family. She has 5 beautiful girls and I have one and a wonderful son. We are all so blessed – but with girls from 4 to 18 we had our share of moments yesterday! Then we gathered round for our version of Family Fear Factor and the laughter helped close a perfect day. This morning I woke to an amazing sunrise and I know that God has gifted us with incredible treasures – drama and all! Happy Thanksgiving! !

  64. 11 yr old twin girls. They're wonderful, challenging, inspiring, hard some days, beautiful, and I would love some insightful guidance on how to guide them on a path to young womenhood and adulthood.
    Thanks,
    Stacey

  65. I'm so happy I stumbled upon your blog a few months ago, Shawni. Your posts inspire me all the time to be better. Thank you! And you are as beautiful, humble and down-to-earth as I remember you in high school 🙂 – Amy Henriksen Foulger

  66. I would absolutely love to win this book! I have been eying it forever! Plus tomorrow is my birthday…so this would be a fantastic birthday gift for me 🙂 Happy Thanksgiving!!

  67. Thank you for your positive outlook on motherhood. This books sounds like just what I need when things get tough. Being a mom is hard work but it's soo worth it.

  68. Would so love to win this book. I just started listening to the power of mom podcasts and have been so inspired to make changes and to get better at this whole mothering thing.

    Love your blog. Hope you had a great Thanksgiving

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