"Loving the Little Years" Book Review

Sometimes I come across a book that is so good that before I have even finished reading it the first time, I am planning on reading it a second.

Loving the Little Years: Motherhood in the Trenches by Rachel Jankovic was one of those books.

There are so many reasons this book is perfect for the mother of little ones:

• The chapters are short and sweet.  Sit down, nurse your baby, read a chapter, and then get back in the trenches.  No "do I pretend to nurse a little longer even though the baby is milk drunk so I can finish this chapter?" worries with this one.
• The subject matter is real.  This is not one of those books that makes you feel like a bad mother who will never add up.  It is also not one of those books that makes you feel like you need to make a to-do list of all of the things you need to change.  Jankovic is a real mother with real children and real life messes.  The awesome thing, though, is that she has a really great outlook on mothering in the midst of those messes.  She will not tell you how to organize your laundry.  She will help you put the laundry as a priority after nurturing the hearts of your children.  I love that!
• The cover of this book has spaghetti stains on it, so it fits right in with the rest of my house.
• Jankovic had me teary-eyed, had me laugh out loud (which always makes my children look at me like they are planning what mental institution they are going to send me to), and had me set her book down and think, "Wow ... that is good stuff.  I need to chew on that awhile."  The next time I read it (which will be soon) I am going to have my notebook and highlighter handy, for sure.

There is only reason this book is not perfect:

• It is way too short!!!  I finished this book in less than one afternoon.  I wanted it to keep going on and on ... and it didn't.  *pout*

One immediate change that I implemented after reading this book was that I told my husband and children that I will no longer be allowed to say, "I'm stressed out", "I'm getting stressed", "I had a stressful day" or any variation on that theme.  Even when I feel that, I will no longer allow myself to think that thought through.  Read the book ... it will make sense.

If you are a mother and you have little children (Jankovic has five children five and under!), this book is a quick read that you absolutely will not regret spending an afternoon on!