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I've been reading this book with the Mom's group at my church. We began another book, but abandoned it after about 3 chapters. None of us were really connecting with the other book. It felt very abstract and irrelevant to our lives.

That was not the case with Ms. Hendey's book. The author is the creator of the website CatholicMom.com and blogs regularly about the Catholic faith. She has two teenage sons. Her voice is that of a modern woman who is doing her best to combine faith, family and daily I've been reading this book with the Mom's group at my church. We began another book, but abandoned it after about 3 chapters.

None of us were really connecting with the other book. It felt very abstract and irrelevant to our lives. That was not the case with Ms.

Hendey's book. The author is the creator of the website CatholicMom.com and blogs regularly about the Catholic faith.

She has two teenage sons. Her voice is that of a modern woman who is doing her best to combine faith, family and daily life. Hendey divides her book into four sections: Heart (developing nurturing relationships), Mind (being a life-long learner, career/work issues, time management), Body (nutrition, fitness, sleep, stress reduction), Soul (ways to use the Church as a resource for ourselves and our families).

Each of these sections was broken in chapters, so it was easy to read a chapter or two and then discuss it at our bi-weekly meetings. The book held my interest, but it really shone as a conversation starter at our book club meetings. Some topics provided very lively discussions (like the time management chapter and the chapter devoted to finding time for fitness), others didn't resonate with us personally (like the chapter on adoption and special needs children) but were still well written. I often joke that I'm the 'worst Catholic in the room' at these meetings, but the book gave me plenty of things to think about and implement in my life. Despite my disagreement with the Church on some doctrine, I felt like Ms. Handey's book is a helpful, friendly guide that any Catholic (even a 'Cafeteria one') can appreciate. Yo guys, did you know if you are a Catholic mom you can start an online community and give moms common sense advice and they will be very appreciative and eventually it will spiral out into a whole cottage industry until,1.

It's basically the new evangelization and 2. Program Tv Minimax Ierin. You don't really know what part of it is exactly 'Catholic' anymore. While this book in itself wasn't terrible (although it was pretty old, written on the really early end of the internet as community wave) it kind of made me Yo guys, did you know if you are a Catholic mom you can start an online community and give moms common sense advice and they will be very appreciative and eventually it will spiral out into a whole cottage industry until,1. It's basically the new evangelization and 2. You don't really know what part of it is exactly 'Catholic' anymore.

While this book in itself wasn't terrible (although it was pretty old, written on the really early end of the internet as community wave) it kind of made me reflect on the nature of the beast. I think for a lot of stay at home people (moms? IDK maybe dads too? Doing the day to day all the time kind of makes you crave someone repeating the common sense to you over and over because it's hard to see beyond the end of the laundry basket sometimes) Baby steps. It's not an intellectual mindblower, but its kind of a good primer on what to expect when you're expecting to be a Churchy Mom running in churchy circles with your small ones.

But maybbbbbe I should like.read literature? SPIRITUAL CLASSICS?!

This is a lonely time to be a mother. Neighborhoods are empty during the day, playgrounds are occupied with babysitters, and the parking lot after church looks more like a traffic jam than an opportunity for fellowship. Where is a Catholic mom to get solid advice on things like; prayer, fitness, finances, time management, doctor visits, and creating a culture of faith in our homes? We Catholic Moms are confronted with a culture which considers us at best, quaint, and we long for acceptance and a This is a lonely time to be a mother. Neighborhoods are empty during the day, playgrounds are occupied with babysitters, and the parking lot after church looks more like a traffic jam than an opportunity for fellowship.

Where is a Catholic mom to get solid advice on things like; prayer, fitness, finances, time management, doctor visits, and creating a culture of faith in our homes? We Catholic Moms are confronted with a culture which considers us at best, quaint, and we long for acceptance and a sisterly arm about our shoulders. Lisa Hendey, the woman behind the popular internet gathering spot, Catholic Mom, has given us just that in her book 'The Handbook for Catholic Moms'.. For more than ten years, [.] has provided Catholic women with a place for friendship and counsel, wit and wisdom. Now she has organized the insights of her talented cadre of seasoned Catholic writers into several important themes to form a book to reach the mom in the trenches of laundry, dishes, teens and potty training with the message that they are not alone. They are part of a blessed sisterhood.

Lisa does not see herself as a Mom-guru, giving advice from on high; she's far too humble for that. Her attitude throughout the book is 'I found some great ideas on this subject from a friend, come and see', or 'here's how I struggled with this problem'. I enjoyed reading about her experiences as a young mother moving to a new parish with a husband working long hours, and the story of her stirring victory over breast cancer. The Handbook has sound, balanced advice on matters practical as well as spiritual, and the topics are so diverse, that any mom is bound to find a personally relevant section.

The two which stood out to me were the nutrition and fitness sections; these are two areas where my husband and doctor have been trying to motivate me. Lisa's upbeat, affirming words have helped me take another look at how I care for my body.

She has helped convince me that my health is worth taking time out of my schedule, and that taking care of me is an act of love for my family. Encouragement is her particular gift and she uses it well throughout this book.. Lisa is a natural cheerleader, and when it comes to sharing her faith, her enthusiasm is contagious, yet she doesn't get too theoretical.

Facebreak Facebook Brute Force Programming here. For example, in her section on prayer, she acknowledges the difficulty most mothers have maintaining an active prayer life and proposes practical solutions; 'The demands of our motherly vocation, couple with an ever-increasing societal 'noise' level and the busyness of the schedules we keep, leave our spiritual reserves running on empty. In this chapter, we look at different types of prayer and how busy moms have succeeded in prioritizing prayer in their lives.' Hands-on strategies, heartfelt sharing of triumphs and tragedies, and authentically Catholic advice based on Scripture, the saints, and the Catechism are what make 'The Handbook for Catholic Moms' an essential resource, you will consult frequently. As Lisa says, in her section on creativity, 'When we take time to tap into our creative abilities, we acknowledge the God who placed them within us, and who crafted us, just so, knowing every aspect of us and loving every hair on our heads'.' The Handbook for Catholic Moms' reflects both the creativity of its author and the love of the God who made us. Rating this is hard.

If the book cut out the 60% that is just total worthless filler, it would be a 4. Judging it on all the waste of space stuff, a 1. With the title, a Handbook for Catholic Moms, I expected the emphasis to be on the Catholic element.

Instead there's a lot of just general mom stuff (particularly the second two sections). The heart and soul sections are good, the mind and body sections just silly. I don't need to know how to organize my time or a reminder to go to the doctor or Rating this is hard. If the book cut out the 60% that is just total worthless filler, it would be a 4. Judging it on all the waste of space stuff, a 1.

With the title, a Handbook for Catholic Moms, I expected the emphasis to be on the Catholic element. Instead there's a lot of just general mom stuff (particularly the second two sections). The heart and soul sections are good, the mind and body sections just silly.

I don't need to know how to organize my time or a reminder to go to the doctor or a section on eating right and exercising--this is basic 'human operations manual 101' stuff. I would much rather read a skinny book full of great content than a fatter book with a lot of filler. This was the latter. When she actually gets down to the business of how to better include Catholicism in our daily lives, though, this is great with lots of inspiration and some very real take-away things to implement. I ended up not finishing this book and returning it to Audible. Here's the thing: I don't do well with preachy books on parenting, faith, or life. I was hoping for something relatable with cute stories, good tips, and some laughs.

Instead I got a lecture about what exactly my life should look like if I am being a good Catholic. It didn't work for me. Bummer, because I really enjoy Hendey's blog. This just wasn't a good fit. Less lecturing and sickeningly sweet advice and more stories about runnin I ended up not finishing this book and returning it to Audible.

Here's the thing: I don't do well with preachy books on parenting, faith, or life. I was hoping for something relatable with cute stories, good tips, and some laughs. Instead I got a lecture about what exactly my life should look like if I am being a good Catholic. It didn't work for me. Bummer, because I really enjoy Hendey's blog. This just wasn't a good fit. Less lecturing and sickeningly sweet advice and more stories about running Catholic homes.

Hendey is the Founder and Editor of, a web site focusing on the Catholic faith, Catholic parenting and family life, and Catholic cultural topics. The author of The Handbook for Catholic Moms and A Book of Saints for Catholic Moms, Lisa lives in Fresno, California with her husband Greg and teenage sons Eric and Adam. She loves reading, writing and time with friends and famil Lisa M. Hendey is the Founder and Editor of, a web site focusing on the Catholic faith, Catholic parenting and family life, and Catholic cultural topics. The author of The Handbook for Catholic Moms and A Book of Saints for Catholic Moms, Lisa lives in Fresno, California with her husband Greg and teenage sons Eric and Adam. She loves reading, writing and time with friends and family.