Hiding From The Kids In My Prayer Closet


I was instantly attracted to Jessica Kastner's first book, Hiding From The Kids In My Prayer Closet: Finding Grace and Laughter When Motherhood Gets Real because of the hilarious title and cover. I love the mental image of hiding in the closet (or the bathroom - hey, the door locks and it keeps them out longer!) from the kids. I may or may not have done this once (or fifty) times before. I have four kids all approximately two years apart, and while I'm finally out of the infant/toddler/preschool trenches, I can assure you that it never really gets any easier, the problems just change. Hiding From The Kids is divided into seven sections: This Is What Happens When You Stay Home, This Is What Happens If You Attempt Escape, This Is What Happens When They Outgrow Their Pull-Ups, This Is What Happens When You've Given Up Perfection, This Is What They'll Expose You To, This Is Why We Have 'Em, and Enough Of This Foolishness ... Bring On The Takeaways!. The back cover says:

"Musings On Motherhood And Other Near Disasters

You know you're an "un-mom" when

you wait with your child at the bus stop for a half hour before you remember it's a school holiday;
-baby stores give you night terrors instead of happy thoughts;
-your friends have held cleaning interventions for your house'
-you look forward to getting a root canal, just because you'll have time away from the kids; and
-you would rather roll in glass shards than volunteer in the church nursery.

Soon after Jessica Kastner became a mother, she realized Lucille Ball inspired her more than the Proverbs 31 woman. She wondered if she was the only mom who found pretend play more boring than watching baby food harden and who dreaded seeing one more post about the perfect homemade dinner.

In Hiding from the Kids in My Prayer Closet, Jessica shares her experience as an un-mom - a mom who loves her kids more than she loves the daily experience of mothering. Learn how to laugh at the ridiculous, let go of perfection, and enjoy the mother you are in this hilarious, gritty, and wise look at the crazy journey of motherhood."

While I definitely would never classify myself as an un-mom per Jessica's definition (I always dreamed of being a wife, homemaker, and mom; I love to cook and bake; I like my house to be clean and neat at all times; I love babies; I love working in the church nursery; etc.), I could still relate to so much of Jessica's book. It was laugh-out-loud hilarious and she held nothing back. It's always nice to read a book that affirms your experiences and makes you feel like you're not alone or the only one going through the craziness that is motherhood. I could relate to one major aspect of Jessica's story, however: being a young mom. While I wasn't a single mom, I did have my first baby at the age of 18. I love her heart for encouraging teen/young moms to trust God's plan for their and their child's life and choose life over abortion. I highly recommend Hiding From The Kids In My Prayer Closet to all moms needing a quick pick-me-up and a reminder of their importance in raising godly kids.

I received a copy of this book from Litfuse in order to provide an honest and unbiased review. All opinions are my own.

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