Be B.L.E.S.S.E.D.! That is what Sharon Jaynes teaches as she focuses on being a Proverbs 31 mother. Today's over-committed, harried housewives and mothers sorely need practical suggestions and loving encouragement. Don't go it alone. You need a friend who has been there. Sharon Jaynes is the friend you've been looking for. Her heart is warm and her wisdom is straightforward.

I don't know how she does it! is an oft-heard refrain about mothers today. Funnily enough, most moms agree they have no idea how they get it done, or whether they even want the job. Trisha Ashworth and Amy Nobile spoke to mothers of every stripe--working, stay-at-home, part-time--and found a surprisingly similar trend in their interviews. After enthusing about her lucky life for twenty minutes, a mother would then break down and admit that her child's first word was "Shrek." As one mom put it, "Am I happy? The word that describes me best is challenged." Fresh from the front lines of modern motherhood comes a book that uncovers the guilty secrets of moms today . . . in their own words. I Was a Really Good Mom Before I Had Kids diagnoses the craziness and offers real solutions, so that mothers can step out of the madness and learn to love motherhood as much as they love their kids.

Marina Slayton and her husband, Gregory, best-selling author of Be a Better Dad Today, reveal the secrets to finding true joy in the sacred role of motherhood. Using story, humor, empathy, common sense, and straight talk—grounded in reality and personal experience—Be the Best Mom You Can Be helps readers from the best and most influential mothers in history. The book centers on a mother’s desire for wisdom and her commitment to the wellbeing of her husband and children and provides six time-tested principles (the Six Secrets) for being a truly great mom. In the tradition of Stormie Omartian’s and Barbara Rainey’s books, the Slaytons offer value-based inspiration, a warm and personal tone, and insightful secrets to both educate and equip moms to be the best mothers they can be. This book will help any mom who wants to grow in her sacred role. Women who need encouragement or advice or who feel ill-equipped to be mothers will find the straight-forward evangelical perspective and practical advice life-changing.

Moms are under so. much. pressure. Pressure that weighs us down and threatens to wipe us out. Are you ready for relief? Mom Set Free will empower you to parent in the confidence of God's grace and to experience the freedom you were created for. We moms are told that we have to get it all right so our kids turn out right. We’re told that their entire futures are riding on our ability to perfectly orchestrate their lives. And we’re told that the strength of their faith hinges on ours. And we begin to believe that if we just try hard enough, we can actually “be enough.” These impossible standards leave us stuck in worry, anger, guilt, comparison, and shame. Jeannie Cunnion gets it. And in Mom Set Free she reveals how the Good News of the Gospel empowers us to live—and parent—in the freedom for which Christ has set us free. Jeannie invites us to journey alongside her as we learn to: -Lay down what God has not asked us to carry so we can thrive in what He has. -Embrace our significance in our children’s lives in light of God’s sovereignty. -Trust God with the children He has entrusted to us. -Receive God’s grace so we can reflect God’s heart to our kids. It’s time to breathe deeper, walk lighter, and reclaim the wonder and adventure of parenting.

'THE MOTHERHOOD COMPLEX does for mothers in particular what INVISIBLE WOMEN did for women as a whole: exposes the myriad ways in which the system is stacked against us, while celebrating the strengths and successes we achieve in spite of it all' Leah Hazard 'A welcome, refreshing and clear-eyed look at the twenty-first century expectations of motherhood' Gina Rippon Enriched with discoveries from biology, psychology and social science, THE MOTHERHOOD COMPLEX is a journey to the heart of what it means to become a mother. Melissa Hogenboom examines how the suite of changes we experience during pregnancy and motherhood influence our sense of self, both physically and from the wider world. From the way our brain changes during pregnancy and the psychological impact of our changing body, to the true cost of the motherhood workplace penalty and the intrusion of technology on family life, Hogenboom reveals how external events and society at large shape the way we see ourselves and impacts upon the choices we make. Interweaving her personal experience as a mother of two young children with the latest research, Hogenboom confronts the modern myth of maternal perfection and highlights the importance of understanding how and why we change for our physical and emotional health.

New York Times best seller Ever since Gabrielle Stanley Blair became a parent, she’s believed that a thoughtfully designed home is one of the greatest gifts we can give our families, and that the objects and decor we choose to surround ourselves with tell our family’s story. In this, her first book, Blair offers a room-by-room guide to keeping things sane, organized, creative, and stylish. She provides advice on getting the most out of even the smallest spaces; simple fixes that make it easy for little ones to help out around the house; ingenious storage solutions for the never-ending stream of kid stuff; rainy-day DIY projects; and much, much more.

“A sparkling debut.”—Emily Giffin, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author From a compelling new voice in women's fiction comes a mother-daughter story about three generations of women who struggle to define themselves as they pursue their dreams. Simran Mehta has always felt harshly judged by her mother, Nandini, especially when it comes to her little "writing hobby." But when a charismatic and highly respected journalist careens into Simran's life, she begins to question not only her future as a psychologist, but her engagement to her high school sweetheart. Nandini Mehta has strived to create an easy life for her children in America. From dealing with her husband's demanding family to the casual racism of her patients, everything Nandini has endured has been for her children's sake. It isn’t until an old colleague makes her a life-changing offer that Nandini realizes she's spent so much time focusing on being the Perfect Indian Woman, she’s let herself slip away. Mimi Kadakia failed her daughter, Nandini, in ways she'll never be able to fix­—or forget. But with her granddaughter, she has the chance to be supportive and offer help when it's needed. As life begins to pull Nandini and Simran apart, Mimi is determined to be the bridge that keeps them connected, even as she carries her own secret burden.