Hope for The Overwhelmed Mom

 

I practically dropped to the ground along with the heavy Costco bag I was carrying, filled to the brim with paper towels, Clorox wipes, and school supplies, as my son’s teacher introduced herself. She recognized me right away.

I tried to catch my breath and wipe the sweat from my forehead while maintaining eye-contact, but I couldn’t help but notice the increased swelling of my 4-year-old’s fat lip and the melting ziplock icepack that was spilling water on the school carpet. 

My mind was already scattered, wondering how I was going to make it to 3 back-to-school presentations for 3 separate children, all held at the same time. And to top it off, I was late because my youngest got hurt right before we left.

“You were my son’s first-grade teacher, Mrs. Murray, right?”

Thankfully, I remembered her son’s name. He was a kind, straight A, well-behaved, perfectly mannered child.

I wasn’t surprised to hear he was now a 4.0 GPA college student. 

As I was trying to talk with composure, my youngest was pulling my shirt down, hanging on my arm, demanding a cookie.

The other two were running around the classroom.

 

 Have you ever felt overwhelmed by motherhood? Keri Snyder offers hope for the overwhelmed mom in her book, Why Just Survive When You Can Thrive?

 

I wondered what my son’s teacher thought of me now?

I managed a classroom full of students well. I taught preschool for 7 years and then first grade for 4. I thought being a parent would be so easy. 

But frankly, I was in survival mode. With 4 kids ages 12, 8, 6 and 4 I felt like I was constantly frazzled, overwhelmed and exhausted.

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by motherhood? Click To Tweet

I want to share with you a wonderful book called Why Just Survive When You Can Thrive, by my friend Keri Snyder at Living In This Season.

We all have days when we will struggle, but we don’t have to live in a constant state of just trying to get by.

Keri is a mom of 3 and writes with such understanding and compassion. She’s been in survival mode and discovered the tools to help her thrive as a mom. 

WhyJustSurviveWhenYouCanThrive

The book has 8 chapters titled:

1. The Practice of Self-Care

2. Letting Go of Perfection

3. Freedom From Comparison

4. Confidence as a Mom

5. Embrace Your Season

6. You Are Not Alone

7. Letting Go of Anger

8. Choosing Joy

There are two sections at the end of each chapter. Your Challenge helps you reflect on what you’ve read and Going Deeper asks questions with scripture references to look up.

One of my favorite parts of the book was the chapter about finding confidence as a mom. She encourages moms to embrace their own gifts in parenting.

She says,

“There was a period of time where I thought that in order to be a good mom, I needed to attend all the play dates, keep everything educational, and provide heathy, organic meals at all times. I was trying to be supermom, and I felt like I was failing miserably. Instead of enjoying my children, I was unbelievably stressed out. I was trying to force myself into a mold that I was never created to fit.”

 Keri encourages moms to embrace their own uniqueness and parent in ways that bring them joy.

“We are all going to thrive in different rhythms and routines. The point is that we figure out what works for us and then do it.”

I also loved the chapter about letting go of anger.

She says,

“We all know that feeling. The feeling when you are teetering on the edge of staying calm to going into complete crazy mom mode.”

Keri gives excellent tips to help you discover your triggers and calm yourself down.

I think this is an excellent resource for moms who want to learn how to embrace the season they’re in.

Why Just Survive When You Can Thrive

 

You can purchase the book HERE for only $4.99!

Great Resources for Moms!

Scripture Cards- If you buy the PDF or Printed you will get the link to print the scripture cards. These go along with the book (they are the verses from the end of each chapter.) There are 8 total. If you order the printed, you just need to email Keri at (kerisnyder@gmail.com) with your order number and she’ll email you the link.

Visit Keri’s blog at https://www.kerilynnsnyder.com

 

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