Tag: mom spirituality

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Review of “Courageous Women”

On By binzeoIn UncategorizedLeave a comment
Cover of Courageous Women

Looking for a way to delve deeper into the Bible? Stacy Mitch’s Courageous Women is a wonderful Bible study for personal or group use. While focusing on the great women in the Bible, the author does not miss the greater vision of Salvation History. Courageous Women is an insightful exposition both of Biblical Heroines and the golden thread of God’s plan to bring salvation to mankind through the chosen people.

Perfect for Individual or Group Bible Study

Doing this on your own? If you’re a busy mom with only a few minutes a day for a Bible Study, this book will be a great fit! Each chapter is divided up into short sections so you can read a relevant Bible passage, commentary, and discussion questions in those few brief minutes you have for spiritual reading.

Have a Church group or book club that wants to do a Bible study? Do a chapter a meeting and enjoy the ease of having discussion questions prepared for you. There’s even a handy “leader guide” in the back of the book with suggestions for discussing each question.

For Adults or Guided Older Teens

Courageous Women is clearly intended for adult readers, though I think mature older teen girls could also enjoy this study. Parental caution advised with younger/innocent teens due to open discussion of some of the more scandalous events of the Old Testament, such as what “uncovering nakedness” means, prostitution, incest, sodomy, etc. Nothing graphic.

Be Inspired

As you read Courageous Women, you’ll be sure to find a Biblical heroine you identify with. Whether it’s Sarah, Mary, or a more unusual woman like Bathsheeba or Leah, you’ll find a woman with whom you can relate. Although these women lived many centuries ago, Stacy Mitch shows her readers that they were women like us with many of the same struggles, conflicting loyalties, temptations, and triumphs.

Click here to buy Courageous Women through my Affiliate Link: Courageous Women: A Study on the Heroines of Biblical History

This post contains Amazon affiliate links, which means I earn a small fee for qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.

I received a copy of Courageous Women from Emmaus Road Publishing in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Looking for more great books for Catholic moms? Check out my lists for adults!

Review of “A Lenten Journey with Mother Mary”

On By binzeoIn Uncategorized2 Comments
Book cover of "A Lenten Journey with Mother Mary"

Looking for a daily Lenten Meditation? A way to grow closer to Mary and Jesus this Lent? Check out Lenten Journey with Mother Mary by Fr. Edward Looney, a brand new book from Sophia Institute Press. Whether you’re new to Marian devotion or already pray the rosary every day, this book will help enrich your relationship with Mary and Jesus.

This post may contain Amazon Affiliate links. This simply means that if a purchase is made I will receive a small percentage of the sale, at no additional cost to you, of course.

A Meditation a Day

Lenten Journey with Mother Mary has a meditation for every single day of Lent beginning on Ash Wednesday! As an additional bonus, Fr. Looney continues the devotions through the Easter Octave to Divine Mercy Sunday! Each day’s devotion begins on a very personal note with a direct quote from Our Lady, such as: “Let nothing else worry you, disturb you.” These quotes are drawn from a variety of approved Marian apparitions and set the theme for the day. The devotion then continues with a 2-3 page meditation, a sentence-long prayer, and a suggestion for a Lenten action.

Theme of the Week

Each week has a broad theme under which the individual days fall. Themes include intentional prayer, praying for others, healing, and examination of conscience. I particularly enjoyed the meditations during the Easter Octave, which focus on faith and trust in Divine Providence.

A Lenten Journey

The title about journeying is very appropriate for this book, which certainly leads you on a journey to deepen your relationship with Mary. By increasing your Marian knowledge and deepening your prayer life, this book leads you closer to Jesus through Mary. The heart-warming takeaway message in this Lenten devotional is: Mary prays for you. Mary loves you.

Want to learn more? See a full preview of Lenten Journey with Mother Mary on the publisher page.

Have children? Check out my list of favorite picture books to prepare for Lent and Easter!

I received a free copy of “Lenten Journey with Mother Mary” from Sophia Institute Press in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

"Lenten Journey with Mother Mary" cover

9 Reasons to Prioritize Reading even as a Busy Mom

On By binzeoIn About Books1 Comment

This post contains affiliate links. See footer for full disclosure.

AT THE END OF A LONG DAY…

The kids have been up since o-dark-thirty. You’ve cooked and cleaned and worked and changed a dozen diapers and played referee to a hundred fights and gone over the silent e rule for the thousandth time and cooked again and cleaned again and read that story the kids want to hear for the zillionth time and finally, they’re asleep. You’re too tired to clean any more, and really what sounds best is dropping on the couch and binge watching a TV show until you can’t keep your eyes open anymore.

I know, I’m there too most nights. And I’ll confess there was a period where I did exactly that nearly every night: watched TV because it seemed like my brain was too foggy for anything else. But eventually, I broke the cycle and got back to my first love: reading books. Not because it’s easier, because it’s not. And not only because it’s better for me, though it is. I read because it makes me a better mom, wife, and person.

There are at least 9 great reasons to spend some time reading at the end of the day, even as a brain-fogged, busy mom.

1. Read to stimulate your mind. I know the brain fog that can descend from hour after hour of talking with little kids and doing the mundane housework and reading Goodnight Moon over and over. Reading a good book helps your focus and memory improve. Defy entropy and improve your intellect! Find a subject you are interested in and read a book on it. Does World War II fascinate you? Try reading Victor Frankl’s moving story of incarceration in a death camp in Man’s Search for Meaning. Interested in learning more about finances and psychology? Try Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness.

2. Read to grow spiritually. Here’s an obvious one, but spiritual reading is a easy and accessible source of spiritual growth. What better way to form a more personal relationship with Christ than by studying His life and learning from His friends? Maybe you like to sit down with your Bible and a journal. Or perhaps you prefer to read a spiritual classic like St. Francis de Sales’ An Introduction to the Devout Life or St. Teresa of Avila’s The Interior Castle.

3. Read to give a better perspective on your life. We all get mired down in the difficulties of our particular here and now. Like little kids, we feel miserable because we’ve got a cold, or our favorite mug shattered, or the air conditioning broke, in July, in Florida, at 36 weeks pregnant. Reading other people’s stories can help us both gain perspective on our minor everyday woes and learn to embrace true suffering when it comes with grace. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn was a major wake-up call to me recently to be grateful for how blessed my life really is. A Severe Mercy had a similar effect, but also is an inspiring account of suffering leading to growth and hope.

4. Read to set an example for your kids. We all know the old “do what I say, not what I do” advice doesn’t work with kids. Telling your kids they should be reading instead of glued to electronics doesn’t carry much weight unless you’re following your own wisdom. I intentionally read in front of my kids sometimes so they see that I enjoy it. In fact, at breakfast time in our house I encourage everyone to read at the table!


5. Read to improve your vocabulary. Of course, I don’t think we all need to speak in words with a minimum of 12 letters at all times. But since what you read impacts your writing and speech, you will find reading well-written books helps your vocabulary and diction. Our family favorite for this purpose is P. G. Wodehouse. His mastery of the English language is truly unparalleled. His books are the perfect blend of easy to read, yet studded with wonderful words like ephemeral, insoluble, dearth, peremptory, and poltroonery. Really, though, any literary classic cannot but help improve your diction. Try some Charles Dickens, Robert Louis Stevenson, L. M. Montgomery, or George Orwell.

6. Read to lower stress and improve sleep quality. Did you know that less than ten minutes of reading drastically lowers your stress levels? Studies show that your stress levels drop by 68% by the time you’ve read a book for ten minutes! If you struggle with falling asleep or insomnia, try curling up with a good book for a half hour before turning off the lights.


7. Read to avoid repeating history. Remember that famous quote attributed to Santayana: “those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it.” There’s certainly truth there, which is why I like to work a little history into my reading stack. If you are a scholarly type who likes a true history book, you may enjoy a tome like The Founding of Christendom. If, like me, you prefer to learn your history indirectly, try historical fiction, like Treason: A Catholic Novel of Elizabethan England or The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.

8. Read to escape to a better place. We all have difficult seasons. Maybe we struggle with depression, loss of a loved one, or financial trouble. A good book can be a refuge for a time from the stress of the moment. Our minds can be soothed and our hearts lifted for a time, at least by an engaging adventure, romance, or comedy. You can find some of my favorite “light” reads like Gerald Durrell’s Corfu Trilogy on this list.

9. Read so you can answer your kids’ questions. My kids are like sponge-shaped question marks. They ask questions like “Why can’t the devil be forgiven?” and “How do we know there isn’t life on the moon?” and “Why is that flower yellow?” Now, I know there’s no way I will ever be able to answer all their questions offhand, but I hope that if I continue to learn, I’ll be able to answer some of them anyway. Particularly that one about the devil.

Good Books on Spirituality, Womanhood, and Motherhood for Catholic Moms

On By binzeoIn Book List2 Comments

All of us moms need some fresh inspiration occasionally, and what better place to find it than in good books? I am passionate about making time to fill my own mind with nourishing food for thought. Here are some of my favorite books on Catholic motherhood, parenting, spirituality, and family life.

This post contains Amazon affiliate links which means that if you buy through my affiliate link I receive a small fee at no additional cost to you.

The Foundation for a Catholic Mom’s Spiritual Library

I believe that the key to a happy family is a serene mother. The foundation for this peaceful spirit can be found in a deep trust in God’s will, as St. Alphonsus de Liguori explains in his classic work Uniformity with God’s Will. This little gem is only $5, and can be read in less than an hour. St. Alphonsus explains the key to happiness and serenity is resignation to God’s will as seen in your lot in life.

Father Jacques Philippe’s Searching for and Maintaining Peace: A Small Treatise on Peace of Heart outlines a similar vision to St. Alphonsus: that finding peace is tied to confidence in and surrender to God. I love how Father Philippe not only explains the path to interior peace in theory, but then spends the majority of the book explaining how to maintain that peace in real-life circumstances. Again, this is a cheap ($7 at time of writing) but life changing book.

My other favorite Father Philippe book, Interior Freedom delves deeply into a topic close to the heart of most mothers: how to feel free when your world is a busy family. Where is our interior freedom when life circumstances seem against us? Father Philippe’s answer is grounded in a right understanding of freedom, what we were created for, and how the theological virtues enable us to live out our vocation.


Trustful Surrender to Divine Providence: The Secret of Peace and Happiness by Father Jean Baptiste Saint-Jure and Saint Claude de la Colombiere is a third spiritual classic explaining that peace lies in surrender to God’s will. Written over 300 years ago, this is a denser read than the two previous titles.

Caryll Houselander, mystic and Catholic convert, understood a woman’s heart like few authors I’ve encountered. In The Reed of God, she offers a reflection not just on Mary but on Catholic womanhood and motherhood. This is a move-to-tears type of reflection on a woman’s place in God’s order. Beautiful and life-changing.

Growing in Faith: Building a Library which Inspires and Teaches Mom and Family

As kids get older, they ask questions about everything, including our Catholic faith. So whether your children are toddlers or young adults, you benefit not just yourself but your family by slowly educating yourself on a variety of philosophical theological subjects. These books aren’t heavy academic reading that will put a tired mom to sleep, I promise! These are personal favorites that give you something to chew on throughout the day and slowly increase your knowledge of the treasures of the faith.

I appreciate Peter Kreeft’s method of “translating”complex theology into layman’s terms. His book on the Bible is a good example of a great book for your non-fiction shelf. In You Can Understand The Bible, he dives into the genre and core message of each book. I also really like his Handbook of Catholic Apologetics, which is great to have on hand for reference or to read to be prepared to give a defense of what we believe. For a lighter philosophy dabble, I really enjoyed his Philosophy of Tolkien.

Life is Worth Living is a series of talks by Fulton J. Sheen on topics from motherhood to fear, apologetics to the Irish. The chapters are concise and thought-provoking, like listening to a practical homily by an awesome priest.

Full transparency, I am a huge C. S. Lewis fan. Since Lewis’ specialty was “transposing” complex philosophy and apologetics into something a twentieth century men could grasp, his books are perfect for modernity. I highly recommend having his complete non-fiction works as part of your library.

Our Brothers and Sisters in Heaven

One of my favorite priests said in a homily that we should all have a book about a saint or by a saint on our nightstand. The saints are our older brothers and sisters in heaven and we can learn so much from reading their stories and words.

Everyone knows Sigrid Undset because of Kristen Lavrandsdatter, but not everyone realizes she also wrote Catholic classics like Stages on the Road. In this easily digested series of chapters, Undset explores the lives of several lesser known saints from Angela Merici to Robert Southwell.

Ever read the Litany of Humility? It’s a great prayer. Pride, we all struggle, don’t we? In Patrick O’Hearn’s new book Humility of the Saints, he connects the lives of 55 saints with this powerful prayer. Learn from the masters how to combat our fatal flaw.

My Sisters the Saints is a memoir of how Colleen’s life was changed over and over again by her encounters with long-dead women. Creepy? Well, not if they’re saints! A tear-jerker of a reversion story, fertility journey, and growing up spirititually story.

If you or someone you know has experienced the heartbreak of losing a child, this beautiful book has reflections, practical tips, and prayers to help. Nursery of Heaven draws on wisdom form saints such as Gianna Molla for guidance for grieving parents.

Retreats and Daily Reflections


Daily Bible reading has been recommended by several popes and countless saints as a fast track to deepening your spirituality, and Take Up and Read is doing amazing work in creating daily Bible Study guides by Catholic women, for Catholic women. I loved Consider the Lilies, and Rooted in Hope is on my wish list! I have also enjoyed the Blessed Is She guides.

St. Therese of Lisieux’s little way is infinitely practical for and applicable to motherhood, so I highly recommend I Believe in Love: A Personal Retreat Based on the Teaching of St. Thérèse of Lisieux.

For the utterly overwhelmed mom, Danielle Bean and Elizabeth Foss have created the perfect daily verse, reflection, and action prompt all on one page: Small Steps for Catholic Moms: Your Daily Call to Think, Pray, and Act

Catholic Womanhood

Rooted in Love: Our Calling as Catholic Women is a wonderful introduction to seeing your very womanhood as a vocation to embrace. Donna Cooper O’Boyle quotes extensively from encyclicals, John Paul II, and a plethora of saints in this extremely readable exploration of our calling as Catholic women.


Momnipotent: The Not-So-Perfect Woman’s Guide to Catholic Motherhood is a funny, affirming, inspiring book that will leave you empowered to dive back into the beautiful mess that is raising a Catholic family. A quick read with thought-provoking questions in each chapter.


Dr. Alice von Hildebrand’s books on womanhood are insightful and inspiring. I enjoyed The Privilege of Being a Woman, which is a response to feminist ideology about man and woman’s equality. Man & Woman: A Divine Invention is an even more fascinating sequel in which von Hildebrand reflects on how man and woman are each part of God’s infinitely wise plan.

Edith Stein, convert and Carmelite, had a brilliant mind. Her reflections on womanhood are insightful and fit well with Theology of the Body.

Catholic Motherhood and Parenting

In Parenting with Grace, Catholic psychologist and father Dr. Greg Popcak joins with his wife Lisa in writing one awesome guide to raising Catholic children. Dr. Popcak takes John Paul II’s Theology of the Body and applies it to raising children in a unique and perspective-changing way, that is backed up by extensive scientific research.


I also love Dr. Popcak’s Beyond the Birds and the Bees: Raising Sexually Whole and Holy Kids as a practical, how-to guide for teaching kids about sexuality from a Theology of the Body perspective. More of my favorite books on this subject on this list: Great Books about Sexual Education and Theology of the Body for Catholic Parents

The Temperament God Gave Your Kids: Motivate, Discipline, and Love Your Children by Art and Laraine Bennett brings the classical concept of four temperaments into the modern day and age. Complete with quizzes and plenty of examples of each temperament, this book will help you understand how best to parent your children’s different personality types. I also highly recommend the Bennett’s book on temperaments for adults: The Temperament God Gave You: The Classic Key to Knowing Yourself, Getting Along with Others, and Growing Closer to the Lord.

A Mother’s Rule of Life: How to Bring Order to Your Home and Peace to Your Soul is an interesting work that applies classical monastic wisdom to the home. If you are seeking a way to better order your life, this would be a good book for you.

Teaching from Rest: A Homeschooler’s Guide to Unshakable Peace is the sort of book you read and immediately pass on to a friend because it’s so good you can’t wait to share it! Sarah Mackenzie has broken down homeschooling into manageable steps and strategies, all based on the foundation of trusting God and aiming to create a well-rounded child who loves God. If you are a homeschooler, or considering being one, or know one, read this book!

Books for Understanding the Modern World

The twenty-first century is a whole new level of crazy. Artificial Intelligence… How does that even work? The Internet… what is it? Technocracy… can we fight it? Should we fight it? Here are some of the books I’ve been reading recently that are helping clarify my thoughts about it all.

Against the Machine is a must-read new book about technocracy, AI, and what we should do about it. While I don’t agree with everything Kingsnorth says, there’s a ton of goodness and food for thought here. This book helped me understand how dramatically the world has changed in the last couple centuries, and even the last decade.

After reading Kingsnorth’s Against the Machine, I went looking for resources on Distributism, also known as Localism. Localism is a great collection of essays on a variety of topics all encompassed in the idea of Localism. Chesterton would approve. This is a practical manual with ideas of how the average person can start living with a more Local/Distributist mindset.

Another rabbit hole I’ve been falling down as I try to understand the modern world is what was different about the Medieval era. What was different about people’s minds? How did they build Gothic Cathedrals? Why was it like in Christendom? Jason Baxter’s new book The Medieval Mind of C. S. Lewis is a short introduction to aspects of Medieval thought in areas like cosmology, harmony, music, chivalry, and literature. This book isn’t practical like Localism, but understanding what we’ve lost in modernity is important to me too.