Mitten Strings for God: Reflections for Mothers in a Hurry

Rating:
Summary: Entertaining, inspiring, and filled with thoughtful ideas!
Review: Katrina has written such a beautiful book. I often pick it up to read chapters over again (and the recipes are delicious!). She includes stories from her own life of things that worked and the sometimes hilarious ones when things went bad (cat peeing on the floor and she lost it in front of the children). And who among us hasn't packed our children in the car to see some children's entertainer, only to realize later that we would have had more fun snuggling up and reading to eachother at home? Because she shares her humbling parenting mishaps, it's easier to consider her advice in the stories when she seems like such a perfect parent. She offers practical and thoughtful ideas for slowing down, connecting, and really being present with our children.

This is my favorite book to give to mothers with young or school-age children. Buy an extra one -- you'll want one to loan out so you can still keep your own. Enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: A MUST FOR MOMS
Review: Mitten Strings For God: Reflections For Mothers In A Hurry by Katrina Kenison is a series of meditative thoughts. Inspirational and life-affirming, it offers reminders of what is of lasting value, such as grace, love, tranquility.

Ms. Kenison writes, "I can only bring peace to my children when I possess it myself."

The mother of two energetic young sons and former editor of The Best American Short Stories anthology, Ms. Kenison well knows the pressures under which contemporary families exist, the whirlwind activities generated when one wants only the best for children, and the frenetic treadmill involved in being a working wife/mother.

Nonetheless, the author has suggestions for discovering oases of serenity as she intersperses personal experiences with philosophical wisdom. Her writing, which is as simple and true as that of Anne Morrow Lindbergh, bears rereading and contemplation. Ms. Kenison brings a sense of reawakened pleasure to the sometimes harried family evening meal, as well as a profound joy found in the ordinary.

"Only by slowing down do we make time for one another," she writes. "Only by stopping long enough to observe our surroundings can we bring shape and meaning to our lives."

How simple. How true.

- Gail Cooke

Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable and Inspiring
Review: This book puts into words all of the thoughts I have had over the years. We all know how to give our children the gift of a simple childhood. We just have so many competing pressures in the world that sometimes it is difficult to take a step back from all of the confusion. But this is something that many more mothers are trying to do. We are quietly taking back our families from the materialism, commercialism and competition that seem to be invading our lives. Reflections For Mothers in a Hurry can clarify these goals and remind us of the real reasons we have chosen motherhood. My grandmother has always told me to "enjoy the children". This book shows us the way to do just that. This book is very affirming and spiritually uplifting. Easy to read, the chapters are really independent reflections, each treating a different subject. There is no need to read it non-stop, though it is hard to put down. I bought two more copies, one for a new mom, and one for my friends. We are going to pass it around for inspiration and to share something we mothers all have in our hearts.