Mothers, Pregnancy

In these honest pages, Allison Auth shares real-life stories on every facet of postpartum life, shedding light on the physical, spiritual, and emotional components of recovery.

Lisa M. Hendey, founder of the award-winning CatholicMom.com and bestselling author of The Handbook for Catholic Moms and The Grace of Yes shares her passion for the saints by introducing fifty-two holy companions as guides for the amazing vocation of Catholic motherhood.

Guided by the example of the saints, Hendey eloquently links personal stories, scripture, prayer, and soul-strengthening exercises into a spiritually rich and deeply practical resource for Catholic women. This edition includes a new preface and cover and is updated with information about saints canonized since the first edition.

Allow The Book of Saints for Catholic Moms to help you grow in your faith and enrich your heart, mind, body, and soul by spending each week of the year with Lisa M. Hendey and a different saint. This award-winning spiritual guidebook introduces you to popular saints such as Thérèse of Lisieux, Teresa of Calcutta, John Paul II, and Patrick, as well as lesser known but equally inspiring saints such as Gianna Beretta Molla and Damien of Molokai.

Each week Hendey offers:

a thematic prayer intention;

biographical and devotional information about the saint;

lessons she learned from each saint;

daily scripture meditations;

prayers;

activities for moms and children; and

practical, spiritually rich steps that help moms incorporate the wisdom and exemplary faith of each figure into their own lives.

Winner of the 2017 Catholic Press Association Book Award: Collections of Prayers (First Place).

Are you a Catholic mom who prays for the wisdom and patience to get through each day? Do you pray for your children, husband, family and friends, and sometimes even yourself? The Catholic Mom's Prayer Companion offers a new, daily resource to make the most of those few, precious minutes you have to pause and reflect.

For more than fifteen years, the award-winning CatholicMom.com website has been a trusted source for sound, practical, and spiritual guidance. In their new book, authors Lisa M. Hendey and Sarah A. Reinhard bring together more than eighty moms, dads, and trusted spiritual companions to provide fresh, uplifting meditations for every day of the year. You'll find encouragement when you're struggling, reassurance when you feel alone, and comfort when you're distracted by worry.

Created by moms for moms, these hope-filled meditations touch on the issues and concerns you face as you try to get through the day with a sense of God's presence in your life. Whether you are a new or seasoned mom working in or outside of your home, this inspiring collection of reflections for every day of the year will help you

stay in touch with the seasons of the Church year;

remember Mary's loving presence on her feast days;

keep company with both new and familiar saints;

see the spiritual meaning of secular holidays; and

make you smile with occasions such as Houseplant Appreciation Day and National Popcorn Day.

Each day begins with a brief quotation from scripture, saints, recent popes, or important spiritual writers. A personal reflection--written by contributors including Danielle Bean, Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle, Lisa Mladinich, Elizabeth Scalia, Carolyn Woo, Mark Hart, and Jeff Young--focuses on some dimension of your spiritual, emotional, intellectual, or physical life. Each day also includes a brief prayer and a question or thought to ponder throughout the day.

In just a few minutes of quiet you'll find the boost you need from a friendly voice. Each month also has a special theme such as love, family fun, and slowing down. Start these reflections any time throughout the year and feel your days become more grace-filled and inspired.

Catholic Wisdom for a Mother's Heart is a creative and practical guide for a wide range of domestic church situations. Catholic women can live out their familial vocation with seasoned, simple suggestions for answering Christ's universal call to holiness. Lovely poems conclude each chapter on a note of warmth that will lift hearts beyond the kitchen and up the path toward heaven.

This resource is for Catholic mothers (and grandmothers who often fill the motherly role) who are in the trenches raising their children through thick and thin amid the bombardment of the culture. They need and crave the guidance, encouragement, and affirmation that this welcoming book will offer.

In The Catholic Working Mom's Guide to Life, JoAnna Wahlund speaks to the plethora of Catholic women who are looking for other moms with whom to relate, moms who understand the unique challenges of juggling motherhood and work.

The Scripture, reflection, and prayer for each day are especially suited to every woman who longs to enjoy a freer, fuller, and more faith-filled life. Spending a few minutes with these uniquely feminine thoughts each day will help increase a woman's capacity to love and be loved as only a daughter of God can be.

Originating in the early twentieth century, the Divine Mercy devotion of St. Faustina Kowalska is one of the most celebrated of all Catholic devotions. In this, their first book, Catholic bloggers and speakers Michele Faehnle and Emily Jaminet break open the history, practices, and prayers associated with the devotion, guiding busy moms to receive God's message of Divine Mercy and pass it on to others through their words, deeds, and prayers.

In her famous Diary: Divine Mercy in My Soul, St. Faustina Kowalska recorded a series of visions of Jesus where he revealed the Chaplet of Divine Mercy and promised that anything can be obtained with the prayer if it is compatible with his will. St. John Paul II formally established the Divine Mercy devotion and canonized Faustina in 2000. The Marians of the Immaculate Conception are dedicated to spreading the Divine Mercy devotion the foreword for this book was written by Fr. Michael E. Gaitley, MIC, author of Divine Mercy Explained and 33 Days to Morning Glory.

In Divine Mercy for Moms, Michele Faehnle and Emily Jaminet of the Columbus Catholic Women's Conference--one of the largest annual Catholic women's conferences in the country--draw upon their own experiences to introduce you to St. Faustina and her five essential elements of the Divine Mercy message:

The image of the Merciful Jesus

The Feast of Divine Mercy

The Chaplet of Divine Mercy

The House of Mercy

Spreading the honor of Divine Mercy

With heartwarming stories and practical advice, this book reveals that mercy is not just a gift to be received in the confessional but a spiritual resource that strengthens those who extend themselves in word, deed, and prayer. Designed for personal or group study, Divine Mercy for Moms celebrates the infinite mercy of God and the role of Mary, the Mother of Mercy, in the lives of all believers.

Divine Mercy for Moms was the winner of a 2017 Catholic Press Association Book Award: Family Life (Third Place).

Winner of a second-place award in family life books from the Catholic Media Association.

What happens to a mother's heart when her children grow up and begin their own lives? How can she absorb the mixed emotions of anxiety and excitement, grief and hope?

In Giving Thanks and Letting Go, bestselling Catholic author Danielle Bean ponders her emptying nest and overflowing heart as she encourages you to join her in leaning on God and discovering the joy and promise of this sacred season of parenting.

Comforting, relatable, and practical, Giving Thanks and Letting Go shares Danielle Bean's personal experience of launching her children into their adult lives. From this crucial moment in her motherhood, she offers sage advice as she reflects on the precious years she spent raising children and learning to trust in God's providence.

In her most personal book to date, Bean, brand manager at CatholicMom.com, reveals the freedom she discovered as she tossed out old trophies and Nordic Ware; the release she feels when she lets herself sob with abandon; the pleasant satisfaction of extra space in her home and in her marriage; and the happy recognition of God's abiding presence through all the years of family life.

As you accompany Bean on her journey, you will learn to

let yourself grieve;

acknowledge that being a mom has never been easy;

turn to your husband;

give up control;

accept the suffering with grace;

trust in God to have the best plans;

spark joy, give thanks, and move on; and

nourish your soul, body, and mind.

Allow these familiar, comforting, and heart-tugging scenes from Bean's life and the lessons she's learned be your trusted companion for reflecting on your own parenting journey.

The Handbook for Catholic Moms, Lisa M. Hendey's eminently practical and award-winning resource, has helped new parents balance and integrate the deeply personal needs of their hearts, minds, bodies, and souls with the demands of family life and faith commitment.

Since the first edition was published in 2010, it's become an indispensable resource for two generations of Catholic moms, offering a unique perspective on all aspects of life and honest advice from fellow moms on topics ranging from marriage and finances to stress management and parish life.

The Handbook for Catholic Moms is not a typical parenting book: It doesn't offer tips for calming a fussy baby or dealing with adolescent angst. In caring for yourself--heart, mind, body, and soul--you can better love and care for your family, community, and Church, according to Lisa M. Hendey, founder of CatholicMom.com and bestselling author of The Book of Saints for Catholic Moms and The Grace of Yes.

Hendey provides her personal stories and observations on a number of topics, including:

stress reduction and sleep

nurturing your marriage

engaging in Mass as a family

modeling lifelong learning to your children

balancing your career with your vocation as a mother

Each chapter includes relevant scripture references, quotations from saints or noted Catholic figures, commentary and perspectives from other Catholic writers, and checklists of suggested steps moms can take in bringing better balance and integration to their lives.

In an age when women are bombarded with mothering advice, awardA(c)\winning Catholic journalist Marge Fenelon delves into eight instances of Mary AZs life that depict Mary as the ultimate model and companion for the modern mom.

Millions of women have felt the power of birth, and countless women long for it. But for too many, birth can seem like a purely clinical experience -- something to get through as quickly as possible in order to get on with the joys of being a mother.

In Made for This, author Mary Haseltine draws on Pope St. John Paul II's Theology of the Body to show that birth is an essential part of who God created women to be, body and soul.

With real-life stories from many moms and practical tips -- including preparing for birth, making informed choices, helping fathers embrace their role in the birth room, and encountering the work of labor -- this book is an indispensable guide for navigating the physical and spiritual dimensions of pregnancy and birth. Expectant mothers will find the tools they need to approach birth as a gift, and to invite God into the experience.

About the Author

Mary Haseltine is a theology graduate and a certified birth doula and childbirth educator. With a passion for building a culture of life through the teachings of the Theology of the Body, she works to bring an awareness and practice of the teachings of the Church into the realm of childbirth, mothering, and pregnancy loss. She lives in Western New York with her husband and five sons. You can find more of her writing at www.betterthaneden.com.

On January 1, 2000, Holly Pierlot pounded her fist on the kitchen table and yelled at her husband, "I can't take it anymore!"

Motherhood and homeschooling had overwhelmed her. The house was dirty, the laundry undone. Holly felt frustrated, discouraged, and alone. She couldn't find time to snuggle and have fun with her five children or to go out with her husband. Yes, she loved Philip and she did love God, but she had come to resent Philip's freedom and she almost never found time for prayer.

Today, everything's better.

Holly still homeschools, but the house is cleaner, she gets more done, and the kids are happier. There's less stress, less strife, and less housework. Holly's been healed of past wounds that troubled her soul and her marriage. Best of all, she spends at least an hour each day in prayer and time each evening with Philip.

Holly brought about these changes with what she calls her Mother's Rule of Life, a patte

This little manual is presented to help today's mothers in realizing and fulfilling the dignity of their state. It is hoped that these offerings will be instrumental in bringing mothers closer to the heart of Christ and will effectively join them in unity of prayer.

Pregnancy is a blessing, an incredible gift from God - and one of the most challenging experiences a woman will ever have. In the midst of childbearing, God invites us to offer him the concerns of our hearts, whatever they may be, and to draw close to him through prayer, reflection, and meditation.

Peace in Pregnancy: Devotions for the Expectant Mother is a place of rest to embrace the peace God offers. It serves both new and seasoned mothers, as the effort to embrace a state of peace renews itself with each change in life.

This important resource offers helpful tools for expectant mothers to find peace and comfort, including:

Reflections to accompany you on the path to peace

Profound lessons in peace from saintly mothers

Meditations on the mysteries of our faith, including the Rosary and the Stations of the Cross

Fine art illustrations to help you discover the therapeutic power of beauty

As a child finds rest in his or her mother, so God calls you to rest in him, to trust that he works all things for good for those who love him.

About the Author

Kathryn Anne Casey is a writer with a focus on faith, art, psychology, and the importance of local community. She blogs at KathrynAnneCasey.com and is a regular reporter and columnist for The Hughson Chronicle and Denair Dispatch. She studied gender complementarity and psychology at the University of St. Thomas and clinical psychology at Divine Mercy University. Kathryn lives in Hughson, California, with her husband and children.

Parents have never had a tougher job than now. Our culture bombards our daughters with unhealthy role models, misleads them about the consequences of early sexual activity, and even adds to the confusion of adolescences by encouraging them to question their "gender."

Meg Meeker has been a pediatrician for more than thirty years, is a mother and a grandmother, and has seen it all. She knows what makes for strong, happy, healthy young women--and what puts our daughters at risk. Combining that experience with her famous common sense, she explains the eleven steps that will help your daughter--whether she's a toddler or a troubled teen--to achieve her full human potential.

In this book, you will learn:

The four biggest questions every daughter has--and that you must answer

Why it's the quality, not the quantity, of your daughter's friends that matters

The essential, complementary roles that mothers and fathers play

The dangers of social media--and how to help your daughter navigate them

What every daughter needs to know about God

Why depression is often a "sexually transmitted disease"

How to launch your daughter into successful womanhood

If you have a daughter, and worry about her future, you need Dr. Meg's advice.