In my kitchen, I have this set of measuring spoons. They are small and metal and on this ring so I can’t misplace the tiny measuring spoons. They measure the non-specific measures like “pinch” and “dash”. I got them as the garnish on one of my wedding shower gifts five years ago.
And I couldn’t stop thinking of them the entire time I read this book.
We take a pinch of our own upbringing.
We add a dash of our own personality.
We sprinkle in a lot of how God is growing and maturing us.
We put in a smidgen of grace for every moment of every single day.
And we come out with a delicious homemade masterpiece. We come out with Mothering from Scratch.
The two mothers who wrote this book share their own journey of becoming their own types of mothers using their own experiences, incorporating the personalities and interests of their unique children, while cultivating the interests and skills God gave them, and finding and building relationships with other godly mothers.
Last night I made pumpkin scones. I had a recipe that I used but it called for all-purpose flour and I used spelt flour instead. It called for powdered sugar so I decided to whip some up really quick in my blender. I didn’t have regular granulated sugar, I have organic cane sugar, so the crystals are bigger.
To make a long story short, my scones were slightly different than the picture that came on the recipe.
Between the help of a 3 year old sous-chef, my different flour and sugar, and my own quirks when I’m baking, my scones turned out delicious, but not like the picture.
And that’s the heart of Mothering from Scratch. All the pieces and parts that go into each of our unique mothering experiences will make our end product look a little differently than the image of perfection that we carry around. But it doesn’t make it any less beautiful, delicious, or wonderful.
As a mom of little people, I spend a lot of my time wondering how what I’m doing now, how I’m using my time now, our routines now – on my best days and my worst day – how all of this will come together and influence my kids forever. And when I think of it like that, it’s super heavy and overwhelming.
But if I can approach motherhood and our days as a moment-to-moment, day-to-day where I seek God’s grace and use the skills He’s given me, while encouraging the talents He’s put in my children, and …
I take a pinch of my own upbringing.
I add a dash of my own personality.
I sprinkle in a lot of how God is growing and maturing me.
I put in a smidgen of grace for every moment of every single day.
And I come out with a delicious homemade masterpiece.
Mothering From Scratch is an encouragement, As we all figure out and then refigure and then refigure again and again how we want to approch mothering, this book is a great resource.
**This book was given to me by Family Christian Bookstores for me to review. The opinions are my own.**
Michelle V. says
Sounds like a great book!
Elizabeth Sanders Towns says
I just got this book and haven’t had the chance to begin reading it yet. I mean I literally received it in the mail 3 days ago. I am so excited to read your review! I cannot wait to get started.