"Motherhood Matters" by Connie E. Sokol Book Review

Read more about this book and enter the giveaway here.


Motherhood Matters: Joyful Reminders of the Divinity, Reality, and Rewards of Motherhood by Connie E. Sokol
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I find it so interesting that as of late, LDS books have struck a chord with me.  Nothing against Mormons, but I am not of the Mormon faith and will never be.  I have read Christian books for years, and many have been about women, wives, and mothers.  They often leave me with a sense of guilt and/or the feeling that I am not doing enough.  Connie Sokol is not like that at all.  She is a writer who  will validate you as a mom and remind you of why you accepted this divinely-appointed calling.  I even had spiritual insight gleaned from her book concerning Rebekah that I never would have seen without her pointing it out.  She is down-to-earth, and she will never put you on a guilt trip.  And don't worry if you're not married or if you don't have any kids.  She speaks to all women.  This woman has found true joy in motherhood, and whenever I read her books, I just feel so good!  This is an ideal Mother's Day gift, or just pick it up for yourself, ladies.  You'll be glad you did!

I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.  I was not financially compensated, and all opinions are 100 percent mine.


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"Motherhood Matters" by Connie E. Sokol Blog Tour (ends 5/15) WW

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Read my review here.

Motherhood Matters Motherhood is a divine calling---but it may not always feel that way. Now you can show the women in your life how much they matter to you, with this delightful and heartwarming volume of wit and wisdom about the divinity, reality, and rewards of motherhood. Fresher than flowers and sweeter than chocolate, it's a perfect gift for the women who give so much. In these hectic days where life's demands can quickly become a heavy burden, Motherhood Matters helps you find more memorable moments and take the stress out of the to-do lists. Written with clarity, concision, and wit, this short, yet indispensable handbook is better than flowers, more guilt-free than chocolate, and gives back to the woman who sacrifices so much of herself every single day.  

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Author Connie Sokol Connie Sokol is a mother of seven, a national and local presenter, and a regular speaker at Education Week. She is a monthly contributor on KSL TV “Studio 5,” and regular blogger for KSL "Motherhood Matters." She is a former TV and radio host for Bonneville Communications, and columnist for Deseret News and Utah Valley Magazine. Mrs. Sokol is the author of several books including the award-nominated romance Caribbean Crossroads, the 8-week Challenge program of Faithful, Fit & Fabulous, Life is Too Short for One Hair Color Series, as well as talk CDs and podcasts. Mrs. Sokol marinates in time spent with her family and eating decadent treats.

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Tour Giveaway $25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 5/15/13 a Rafflecopter giveaway

"Confessions of a Cereal Mom" by Rachel McClellan Book Review

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Confessions of a Cereal Mother: True Stories to Let Every Mother Know She's Not Alone in the Craziness by Rachel McClellan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This has to be one of the funniest, wildest motherhood books I have ever read!  It was an absolute delight to read, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who has been a mother, who is one currently, or thinks she may want to be a mother.  This is true, funny, and incredibly entertaining.  Rachel McClellan shares a myriad of stories in an amusing way that make the worst experiences of motherhood easier to face.  And you finally feel that you are no alone!  I only have one child, but I found myself saying that Rachel is a picture of how my daughter might be as a mother.  And that is scary!  That may sound funny, but it gave me great insight.  In addition to this, my daughter is definitely like her daughters except that my daughter is a little tomboy.  I can't imagine having four children and not completely losing your sanity!  But Rachel has done it without being a perfect mom.

I want to caution you.  This book is filled with bodily functions and fluids.  Don't read this right before dinner (like I did!).  You will appreciate the relationship that she and her husband have.  And you will be reminded of why you are a mother--yes, it's not all bad. And you will see God's hand in everything in spite of the bad things.  There is no profanity, and there is really only one mention of sex.  But after all, she is a married woman!  It's quite a humorous scene right at the beginning of the book.  In fact, the entire book will probably have you laughing out loud.  You will probably identify, remember, or scare you off!  I highly recommend this book!

I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.  I was not financially compensated, and all opinions are 100 percent mine.


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"Confessions of a Cereal Mother" by Rachel McClellan Blog Tour/Giveaway (Ends 3/17) U.S./WW

Confessions of a Cereal Mother

by Rachel McClellan

In this humorous memoir you’ll discover several mind-saving rules, which include:

- Don’t throw your pregnancy test away before the full three minutes is up.

- Unless there is a rush on the grocery store pending a zombie-virus outbreak, never take your kids shopping.

- If your toddler is going to chew on a Band-Aid, hope it’s one found inside the community swimming pools chlorinated pool and not one found in their locker room.

- Never throw up in a cookie sheet.

- Things can always get worse. You could discover your child playing with a used tampon applicator. It’s not a whistle, sweetie.

- And most importantly, the moment one of your children is seriously ill, forget about everything else. You have the greatest honor in the world – being a Mom.

What others are saying:

"A realistic and humorous take on motherhood. Are you in my house?" --Robin O'Bryant, author of Indie Best-seller, "Ketchup is a Vegetable and Other lies Moms Tell Themselves."

"Delightfully humorous with factual truths about motherhood and womanhood. You’ll immediately be hooked with her fun story-telling and hilarious hooks. A truly fantastic read that will not only lift your motherly spirit, but remind you what motherhood is truly all about… and it’s all worth it." --Karie Elordi, author of the popular blog "The Dating Divas"

Author Bio:

Once upon a time, in a wonderful and carefree world, Rachel McClellan fell asleep in a warm and spacious bed, her long hair in great locks around her, and not a single blemish upon her face. Outside her window, bluebirds sang and the cloudless blue sky was full of promise.

However, when she awoke she discovered gum in her now ratted hair, a tiny, chocolate fingerprint smeared across her forehead, and four very wiggly children crowding her bed. There were no bluebirds singing outside her window (or perhaps she couldn’t hear them anymore), only a tornado, pulsing with thunder and lightening. Her world was in chaos, a raging storm on all fronts.

But what a perfect storm it was…

Find Rachel

Facebook  |   Blog   |   Website   |   Twitter   |   Goodreads 

Purchase Confessions of a Cereal Mother

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Want to know about Rachel’s young adult books? Go HERE.

Read my 5-star review here.

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Stretch Marks--A By-Product of Pregnancy

When I became pregnant with my daughter, I was so excited.  I knew my body would change, but I had no idea how much certain parts of my body would change forever.  Parts of my body that never sagged before seem to give in to gravity like they never did before.  And no matter what I do, it seems that I cannot get rid of my belly--in spite of my weight loss.

One thing I did not really know about were stretch marks.  I remember when they first came--somewhere around the three month mark.  I remember buying all the fancy lotions that were supposed to reduce the stretch marks, but if I am honest, nothing really helped.  No matter what I tried, stretch mark removal and prevention seemed to be beyond my grasp!

I was glad to see that after my daughter was born, the stretch marks did get lighter, but if I am honest, I still don't like the way they look.  I know I should do something about it, but it seems that the products are so expensive.  I also prefer natural products, and it just seems hard to find quality items for this problem that practically all women share.

At least losing the baby weight did help, but I still have stretch marks even nine years later.  I don't spend a lot of time thinking about it, but it would be nice to find something that could reduce these stretch marks.  I am always open to ideas as long as they are not too expensive and actually work!

The nice thing about stretch marks is that at least they normally appear in areas that most of keep covered.  I am glad that I do not like to wear skimpy clothes or bikinis.  It could be a problem then.  Maybe stretch marks are "nature's" way of telling us mothers that we need to dress more modestly.  I had never thought of that before.  But then again, I was never really a provocative dresser anyway.

So how about you?  Are you bothered by stretch marks?  Do you have any remedies for them?  Or maybe you avoided them (or know how you will should you ever have children).  I would love to hear from you!