Motherhood Redeemed

Today, we’re wishing a happy 1st birthday to Grumpy Mom Takes a Holiday! In it’s first year on the shelves, it’s made quite an impact. Along with it’s companion devotional, Fresh Start for Moms, Grumpy Mom Takes a Holiday earned out of its advance in the first three months after release day!! Basically, way more copies were sold than expected in that short time.

That means that the message of rejecting the world’s stereotypical definition of motherhood in favor of what the Word has to say about it really struck a chord with y’all. Thousands decided to leave behind mindless drudgery and pursue passionate joy in motherhood. Today, we’re hearing from just a few of the real life moms who have been impacted by Grumpy Mom Takes a Holiday.

NAME: Jessica T.

SEASON: I am the mom of 5-year-old identical twin girls. I am a retired veterinarian who now runs a health and wellness coaching company from home. My girls are in kindergarten, but have been home with me due to school closures with the Coronavirus. 

STORY: Grumpy Mom Takes a Holiday has been the truth that I needed spoken into my life. It’s as if my best friend, who is also facing many of the same challenges of motherhood, wrote it and was bold enough to say the things that I need to hear (in a loving way of course!). There are so many negative ideas surrounding what motherhood is supposed to look like. Valerie brought back the joy in motherhood by revealing those lies for just that – lies!!

FAVORITE QUOTE: As I mom who runs a business from home, I often struggle with the frustration that comes with my plans not going the way I want so this quote is my reminder to let it go: “If my plan gets interrupted, then it wasn’t His plan for that moment after all.”

NAME: Rachael H.

SEASON: Stay-at-home mom to a handsome 6-month-old boy! (Was a teacher before.) 

STORY: Your practical steps at the end of each chapter helped me apply immediately what I learned. I struggled with terribly anxiety attacks post-baby. I learned to name the emotion, decide how I would respond, and not let those emotions rule the day. It changed my entire relationship with my in-laws and how I viewed healing from PPD. Thank you so much for showing me that motherhood can be victorious on the “boring” days and each stage serves such a strong purpose!

FAVORITE QUOTE: “My heart is no longer set to the temperature of my circumstances.”

NAME: Courtney Q.

SEASON: I am a SAHM of 3 boys and my husband has been deployed for the past 7 months.

STORY: Grumpy Mom Takes a Holiday got me through the long summer days when it was just me with 3 boys! Totally changed my mindset, especially with “solo parenting” while my husband has been gone. 

FAVORITE QUOTE: “Every season that feels like too much is part of the sanctifying process”. Also, “If I didn’t have motherhood to smooth out all of these rough edges, God would use something else to chip away at me.”

NAME: Jessica M.

SEASON: Working mama with 2 boys

STORY: Grumpy Mom Takes a Holiday has made a difference in my mothering by making it clear to me that I am not alone in this phase of life! It was refreshing to read Val’s honesty about motherhood and I found myself nodding in agreement with her pretty much the whole book. It was eye-opening to me that such a godly woman experiences the same emotions, feelings, and struggles of motherhood as I do. It was an empowering and inspiring book that lifted my spirit and brought hope to me as a worried mama.

FAVORITE QUOTE: “If we have any hope of experiencing true joy in motherhood and living differently from the world, we need to renew our thinking. For starters, it might help to know it’s actually possible to be a mom who isn’t always filled with worry for her kids”

Ready to embrace a more refreshing motherhood? Grab your copy of Grumpy Mom Takes a Holiday today!