Momumental - A Book Review and Giveaway

When I was asked to read and review a copy of the book Momumental:Adventures in the Messy Art of Raising a Family, I said yes, in part because the title was just so familiar. The “Messy Art of raising a family”:  yes, I can relate.

The book arrived, and I was reminded that I had read a book by this author before, and enjoyed it. (“Love you More” by Jennifer Grant is an adoption memoir that I would recommend if you are interested in adoption, but you can read more of my thoughts on that here.) Our previous history, gave me another reason to want to dive into Jennifer’s newest release.  And once I did, I discovered a pleasant, relevant tale of mommyhood.

In this memoir-style book, Jennifer looks back over her years of family experience, from her dreams of what family should look like as a little girl to the reality of what her family became as a mom and adult. She shares many of her family’s sweet, funny, and real-life moments as well as the lessons she learned along the way.

This book would be a great gift for a first-time mom, applicable for a mom in the midst of the preschool years, or grade school years or beyond. Motherhood can sometimes be a lonely job and any reminder that you are not alone should be grabbed at. This is one of those reminders. Jennifer is a talented writer and it was a pleasure to read her newest work, Momumental.

As an added bonus, I am excited to give away one copy of this book to one of you. To enter the giveaway, simply leave a comment sharing why you love being a mom, or why you love your mom. I will announce a winner on Friday.

***DISCLOSURE NOTICE: A free copy of this book was supplied to me for the purpose of review by publisher. No monetary exchange was given. All comments and wording in this review are purely my own. 

Waiting for an Answer

It's funny how one answer can change the course of a life.

Monday morning Kory and I found ourselves waiting in a small brightly colored room. We were waiting for a doctor to answer one question.

A couple months ago we found a small lump on my thyroid. My doctor told me not to lose sleep over it. 90% of the time these nodules, which are very common, are non-cancerous. A biopsy was taken and found inconclusive. The next step was surgery to remove the lump. 

The surgery was completed last week and the wait for pathology results coupled with recovery began. A positive result (the lump being benign) meant life would go on as normal. A negative result would mean more surgery (to remove the entire thyroid) and (my biggest fear) would jeopardize our adoption process. China does not allow people who have had cancer to adopt unless they have been cancer-free for a certain number of years.

So, even with the odds very much in my favor, I spent my recovery week wavering between trust and worry, doubt and trust and in general trying to put the whole thing out of my mind via prayer and the BBC drama Lark Rise to Candleford. (Side note: I made it through season 1 and most of season 2 and in the process fell in love with the characters, found myself thinking in a British accent and calling my parents “mar” and “par.”)

I know "adoption” doesn't seem to fit in a “thyroid cancer scare” post, but this waiting week for me has been more about learning to trust that He called us to adopt little boy than it has been about my health. In a strange way, it has been one more confirmation that this step we took to adopt is the right one.

I’m sure you’ve guessed: there was no cancer.

In hindsight, the fear seems out of place.

Hindsight will do that for a person.

Walking out of the doctor’s office we both breathed a HUGE sigh of relief and then…

We plunged back in to everyday life, thankful for the privilege to do so.

“the Lord’s plans stand firm forever;
his intentions can never be shaken.”

Psalm 33:11

To Plunge

It’s hot out.

Even in the shade.

I, however, am in a lucky position. A few hops and a jump and the heat would vanish in a spray of sparkling blue. Unlucky for me, the sparkling blue is deceiving. It looks refreshing, but one dip of the toe proves the water temperature to be a little on the freezing side.

Funny, the kids don’t seem to notice the stark temperature differences. They plunge in, willing to be uncomfortable for a minute in order to splash.

I try. I put my foot in followed by my leg. Do I dare let the water reach my waist?

Maybe next time.

A little splash is enough to drive the heat away for a few minutes at least. It allows me to experience a little relief from the heat without the uncomfortable cold.

I don’t like to be that kind of uncomfortable. I’d rather endure the hot than risk the cold. Even if the end result of the plunge turns uncomfortable cold into refreshing cool.

This reminds me of something I know to be true: 

Sometimes the greatest rewards in life require a risk that brings on the uncomfortable.  

Sometimes, by refusing the risk we restrict ourselves to a life of enduring.

And sometimes, we need to put aside our comfort, take the risk and plunge. 

Here we go again!!!

Am I the right guy? I don't know, but I'm the guy being asked, 

and the last thing I want to do is miss an opportunity 

or make God mad, so I just keep saying yes.  

-excerpt from Love Does by Bob Goff

I received an e-mail about a month ago from a friend who had the opportunity to visit Angel House, Suhn's former foster home in China. It contained the words "don't shoot me." 

It went something like this:

"The other pictures I am sending, Don't Shoot Me, at the request of Eva (the director of Angel House). She asked me about the parents who adopted Suhn... They were advocating for this little boy and they felt you two would be great for him. They asked if I would take his picture and send them to you."

It took a month of thinking and praying, but guess what??

We said YES!!

I am SO EXCITED to introduce you to OUR SON!

We are hoping to bring him home sometime next spring.

He is 3.5, has mild cerebral palsy (he is an independent walker), and according to his file, has a naughty streak. He is also (according to his file) smart, loving and kind.

We think he will be a perfect fit for our little (or not so little) clan.

For now, we are calling him "little boy," but we hope to have a more American sounding name for him soon. I didn't plan on adding to our family anytime soon, but I am so thankful God had other plans and can't wait to see where this next adventure takes us!

So, Here we Go Again! Let the paper pregnancy begin!!!

Love Does - Giveaway Winner!

Sorry for the delay, I know I said Friday, but our Internet has been MIA which meant no blog posts.

But, I am thankful to say, we are up and running again and I can tell you who won!

Simon pulled Beth Rymer's name out of the hat!

Congrats Beth! Let me know your mailing address and I will send out a copy of Love Does right away!

Have a wonderful weekend and Mother's Day everyone!!

Love Does - A Giveaway

Sometimes I get free books if I agree to post a review of the book on my blog.  Sometimes I post book reviews simply because I want to share a book I love.

Love Does by Bob Goff falls under both categories.

I LOVED this book!!!

Bob, I hope he won’t mind if I call him that, has lived a life full of stories (unbelievable, crazy, funny, whimsical stories) which he shares in the pages of this book. His writing is easy to read, entertaining and laugh out loud funny, but don’t let that fool you. It is also challenging and profound.  

Even better, Bob’s life seems to back up the advice he shares. I kind of want to be like Bob when I grow up, in my own “secretly incredible” kind of way. Mainly because Bob wants to be like Jesus which makes me like him even more.  

If you are on the fence about whether to buy this book, allow me to push you off. Buy it, Read it, Mull over it, Laugh at it and then Share it. You will be glad you did!

In an effort to back up my strong belief that YOU should read this book, I am giving away a copy. Leave me a comment and I will announce a winner on Friday!

"I used to be afraid of failing at something that really mattered to me, 

but now I’m more afraid of succeeding at things that don’t matter.” 

Bob Goff




Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255  

Spring: Love