It’s not very often that I read a book where I find myself wanting to highlight or take notes. But Everyday MOMents by Jessica Poe is one of those books! It’s filled with tons of little gold nuggets and “AHA moments” that as a busy mom of 4 I’m like YES! This is me! And this is what I need to be doing. It was pretty crazy how some of her experiences and feelings are exactly the same that I have had. And then I realized, these are probably the same experiences and feelings that many moms have. Like how kids wind up instead of wind down before bed and the constant need for your kids to be everywhere you are. If you’re a mom who is having a hard time finding spiritual moments or purpose in the day to day chores and picking up after kids, but want to be seeking spirituality then you need to read this book!
The Busy Mom
So much of my day is cleaning up after my kids, feeding and changing and wiping noses, doing laundry and washing dishes, taking kids to preschool and on errands, etc. And then I put the kids to bed, put myself to bed, and then start the day again. Sound familiar? I know it’s important work and that I’m raising little kids to be (what I hope to be) outstanding adults, but it can be monotonous and tedious work. It’s hard to take any time to help my testimony grow and to be seeking spirituality and to be strengthened. It’s hard to see Christ’s hand in my life each day. Jessica Poe expresses this as well at the beginning of her book when she says,
“For some time, I’ve been reading the words of our prophets with a particular quest in mind. During the daily tornado of life with little ones, I often find myself stuck in survival mode. I seem to be treading water in the sea of whines, barely breathing beneath the messes of mass destruction and constantly redirecting the fiery darts of my little brood’s feuds. Throughout the boot camp and battles, my precious testimony of the sacred and extremely spiritual role of mother gets stuffed to the rear of my mind when it needs to be in the forefront. So I ask myself and the Lord, “How can I see the extraordinary spiritual side of my ordinary, everyday life?”
Jessica Poe helps us see that we need to be spiritually awake and alert throughout our day so that we can see Christ in our daily lives. And she has some great ideas to help us see how to do that throughout her book! She also has a study guide you can download for FREE from her blog!
<<DOWNLOAD STUDY GUIDE HERE>>
Seeking Spirituality
In Everyday MOMents, Jessica takes you through a day in her life with her 3 young children. She shares the events of the day as well as reflects on other life experiences that she’s had and then she shows you her thought process as she finds God’s hand in each part of the day. At the end of each chapter she has a “Your Turn” section and gives you ideas of how to start finding God’s influence in your own daily life. They’re great things to think about and do to help you really start this process rather than just reading about it. I love that she gets your brain and heart working too.
I also love her reference of scriptures and talks throughout the book. This is a book for any Christian woman, but she does reference scriptures from the Book of Mormon and LDS leaders. I love having these references to back up her thoughts and also give me something to go read myself. I wrote down a few of her references I want to read like “Come What May and Love It” by Elder Wirthlin and “If We Can Laugh at It, We Can Live with It” by Brad Wilcox.
Everyday MOMents
I loved reading this book. It’s such a comfort to know that you’re not the only person feeling like you’re “stuck in survival mode.” And that you’re not the only mom who struggles with the monotonous day to day routines feeling like you’ll never escape and never be able to grow. Jessica Poe gives you so many great ideas on how to find purpose in the details of the day and I know if you stop and look for it, you will see God’s hand in your life too. This is a must read for all moms! Moms of all ages and especially moms in the trenches with young children who want to be seeking spirituality daily, but aren’t sure where to start.