Anita Renfroe cracks me up; I didn’t know she had so many videos; I knew about the Mom video, but not this!  Anyway, if you are an aging woman, you will enjoy this!:) (“Cause I like it, but I shoulda put some cream on it…”)  Laugh it up!

For more Friday Funnies, visit Kim at Homesteader’s Heart.

Heart of my Heart: 365 Reflections on the Magnitude and Meaning of Motherhood, by Kristin Armstrong, is a meaningful devotional book for moms of all ages.  This devotional is one that speaks straight to mothers, to their innermost heart processes.  Full of encouragement, advice, and personal reflection, this book is definitely a positive resource to have on my bookshelf.

Only when you become a mother can you truly understand all of the trials, the joys, the happy tears, the sad tears…..everything that a mother goes through in raising her children.  Especially if you are a Christian mother, trying to raise your children to be “different,” to be Godly, in a rather ungodly world….this book can speak to your heart.  The author shares her own dependence on God as her Partner, as she is a single mother.  For me, this fact just made this devotional even more real to me, even more authentic, as I realized that the author was very real with the reader from the get-go, as she shared her own dependence on God.

With each month come devotions for each day of that month.  There are Scriptures to start out each day, and then the devotional portion.  The author uses personal reflections from her own life, spiritual realizations in her life as a mother, and Biblical examples of true faith.  The devotionals really feel as if they’re speaking right to me, as they’re very down to earth and very thought-provoking, especially in terms of spiritual growth as a mother.  One theme that continually came off the page for me was the fact that God needs to be first, and He needs to be the One I put my faith in and rely on to get me through each day, each moment.

You can purchase Heart of my Heart from Hachette Book Group for $16.99 or from Amazon for $11.55.  I definitely recommend this book, as it will be a resource you can use all year long, or one you can keep on your shelf, to pull down when you need a word of encouragement or motivation.

Now for the giveaway. You can enter to win a copy of this book by doing one or more of the following. Just be sure to leave a separate comment for each way that you enter. I will draw the winner on Friday, April 23, using random.org.

1. Leave me a comment, letting me know why you would like to have this book.
2. Visit Hachette Book Group online, and let me know another book that appeals to you.
3. Follow Kristen Armstrong, the author, on Twitter.
4. Follow my blog, or subscribe to my posts.
5. Follow me on Twitter.
6. Tweet about this giveaway, being sure to link back to Real Heart Prints. In fact, you can tweet daily to earn extra entries.
7. Blog about this giveaway, being sure to link back to Real Heart Prints.
8. Digg or Stumble this post.
9. Vote for me on Top Mommy Blogs or on the Mom Blog Network (just click on buttons in sidebar to vote).
10. Place my blog button somewhere on your blog.

Good luck, and have a wonderful day!

(Disclosure: I was provided a copy of this book, free of charge, by Hachette Book Group, for the purposes of this review.)

Mommy Power is a book written by Dr. Sheila Schuller Coleman; she is the daughter of Robert Schuller, the pastor who founded the Crystal Cathedral.  This book is all about Discovering Your Mommy Strength.  It’s an encouraging, insightful book for moms, especially newer moms, who are trying to find their balance and their place as mommies.  It’s written for that mom who needs an encouraging hand, an encouraging word at this time in her life.

The beginning of the book starts out with the author’s own recollection of her first years as a mom, raising 4 boys who were all within seven years of each other.  I could feel her pain, her harriedness, as I read the beginning chapters.  I could remember when my firstborn was born and what it all felt like.  Throughout the book, she shares her personal stories of triumph, her stories of lessons learned, her stories of just being a mom, her stories of how God brought her to certain points in her life.  She talked about how we feel like we need to be supermoms in this day and age….but really we can’t do it all in our own strength.  She emphasizes over and over how we desperately need our Heavenly Father to make it through each and every day, especially in the job of raising children up to hopefully someday serve Him.

She shares different tips, such as taking one day a week to forget the laundry and housework and simply rest up for the next week that awaits.  She shares her own story of earning her doctorate and how she almost gave up in the very beginning….but it was her sons’ looking to her as their example, that drove her to keep going, eventually earning her doctorate.  She talks about how we as moms have to be the example to our children.  They are looking to us for guidance, and much of that guidance is through our example.

Mommy Power is a book that I would recommend, as it is a great book to be used as a devotional.  The chapters are short, and Scriptures are included in each chapter, along with Biblical examples, where applicable.  One thing that I love is that at the back of the book there is an Appendix with Scriptures for different life applications.  This is something you could turn to when you’re dealing with certain issues in your life.  You can purchase this book from Hachette Book Group for $14.99 or from Amazon for $11.69. You can read more about the author here.

Now for the giveaway.  You can enter to win a copy of this book by doing one or more of the following.  Just be sure to leave a separate comment for each way that you enter.  I will draw the winner on Wednesday, April 21, using random.org.

1. Leave me a comment, letting me know why you would like to have this book.
2. Visit Hachette Book Group online, and let me know another book that appeals to you.
3. Visit the Ask Sheila Blog to read more from the author.
4. Follow my blog, or subscribe to my posts.
5. Follow me on Twitter.
6. Tweet about this giveaway, being sure to link back to Real Heart Prints.  In fact, you can tweet daily to earn extra entries.
7. Blog about this giveaway, being sure to link back to Real Heart Prints.
8. Digg or Stumble this post.
9. Vote for me on Top Mommy Blogs or on the Mom Blog Network (just click on buttons in sidebar to vote).
10. Place my blog button somewhere on your blog.

Good luck, and have a wonderful day!

(Disclosure: I was provided a copy of this book, free of charge, by Hachette Book Group, for the purposes of this review.)

Shhhhh…..if you’re quiet, you can almost hear it.  You know….it’s the sound you hear when your kids are in bed, and the cares of the day have faded away…..it’s the sound that grips your heart and makes you stop dead in your tracks.  Shhhhh….can’t you hear it? It’s the sound that comes quickly upon realization of the fact….

It’s the sound of your kids growing.  They’re growing up before your very eyes.  You may not see it, you may not realize it, but every second, they are getting taller, and they aren’t going to stop.  Before you know it, they’ll be as tall or taller than you are.  The bad thing is….there’s nothing you can do to stop it.

I realized this tonight.  My kids are growing.  It seems like yesterday, I was holding Jaden in my arms, bringing him home from the hospital.  It seems like just yesterday that Jacob was a toddler, playing at the back door with his best friend, his dog, Smudge.  Now, they just keep growing, and there’s nothing I can do about it.  I have to some day let them go, and it may seem like a long time, but I know in my heart of hearts that it’s coming quicker than lightning.  Look at the past 8 years….gone!  My boys are growing, and yours are too.

I could ask why we have to let them go….why do they have to grow up, only to leave home at some point, venturing out on their own?  Why do I have to watch them grow up, growing more and more independent?  Why can’t my babies just be my babies forever?  But I won’t ask that question; oh, I feel the question burning inside; I’m not ready to let them go.  Thank the good Lord that the time is a ways away….but is it?

Love your kids today…watch them grow…be in the moment, and watch them grow; don’t realize that they’ve grown up when it’s already too late.  Enjoy this moment in time; relish your children.  You can never love your children too much….Shhhhh….can you hear it?

For more Motivate Me Monday, visit Sarah at The Fifth Street Palace.