How does a Catholic mother instill the Faith in her children? How does she deal with issues of education and discipline, how does she maintain her own faith-and hold her family together-in the face of life's routine or unexpected challenges? To answer these questions, editor Maura Koulik has gathered the stories of twelve Catholic mothers in this faith affirming collection, The Art of Catholic Mothering. With grace, honesty and humor, these mothers tell of their struggles, both the everyday and the extraordinary. They write about gathering their children for the family rosary, persevering when money and support are scarce, finding solid Catholic education and guidance for their families, surviving personal tragedies and, most of all, about living a truly Catholic life in post-Vatican II times. The experiences of these women will move, awe and inspire readers. Not just for mothers, this book is important reading for any woman who hopes someday to raise children in the Faith, and for any husband who is determined to place the Church at the center of their lives. Within these stories the reader will find support and comfort, as only those who have already lived the vocation of Catholic motherhood can give.

How do you walk with your children during times of struggle and crisis? Do you feel as if nothing you do will be enough? In Mary's Way, a heartfelt book for moms who struggle to guide children through the various stages of their lives, Catholic speaker and teacher Judy Landrieu Klein shows how her own crisis of faith helped her release her children to the care of the Blessed Mother. In doing so, Klein shows you how to find the love, joy, and peace of Our Lord as you surrender your will to him. Judy Landrieu Klein struggled with her faith as she lived through her son’s near-fatal addiction to drugs and her daughter’s painful anxiety. She discovered she couldn’t handle the relentless pressure of life not measuring up to her expectations and it was eating away at her family. Klein considered Mary’s reaction to the events in the life of Jesus. She meditated on Mary’s fiat and her prayer of total surrender to God’s will and saw how this act of obedience carried on throughout Mary’s life as she witnessed the life of her son. As Klein focused on her devotion to the Blessed Mother, her life and faith were transformed. In Mary’s Way, Klein reflects on the Annunciation and describes her own to struggle to embrace the will of God by surrendering control of her family planning. She meditates on Mary’s powerlessness during the Crucifixion, finding a place of calming surrender during her own son’s escalating battle with addiction. Klein shows how you can become a more powerful intercessor for yourself and your children. When you finish reading this book, you’ll find yourself turning to Mary and surrendering yourself and your children more fully to God.

Good for you and your baby . . . now and forever Sheila Kippley shows that not only is breastfeeding the best care you can give your baby, it's also good for you as a Catholic woman. Learn how nursing will deepen your love and develop your habits of meditation and prayer.

With the help of your own rule, you can get control of your household, grow closer to God, come to love your husband more, and raise up good Christian children.

The author links personal stories, scripture, prayer, and soul-strengthening exercises for the vocation of Catholic motherhood through the introduction of fifty-two holy companions.

Reconciling Art and Mothering contributes a chorus of new voices to the burgeoning body of scholarship on art and the maternal and, for the first time, focuses exclusively on maternal representations and experiences within visual art throughout the world. This innovative essay collection joins the voices of practicing artists with those of art historians, acknowledging the fluidity of those categories. The twenty-five essays of Reconciling Art and Mothering are grouped into two sections, the first written by art historians and the second by artists. Art historians reflect on the work of artists addressing motherhood-including Marguerite G?rd, Chana Orloff, and Ren?Cox-from the early nineteenth century to the present day. Contributions by contemporary artist-mothers, such as Gail Rebhan, Denise Ferris, and Myrel Chernick, point to the influence of past generations of artist-mothers, to the inspiration found in the work of maternally minded literary and cultural theorists, and to attempts to broaden definitions of maternity. Working against a hegemonic construction of motherhood, the contributors discuss complex and diverse feminist mothering experiences, from maternal ambivalence to queer mothering to quests for self-fulfillment. The essays address mothering experiences around the globe, with contributors hailing from North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia.