The Gift of an Ordinary Day: A Mother's Memoir

enjoyed this book as much as mitten strings for gods! I could ea

enjoyed this book as much as mitten strings for gods! I could easily relate to this book.

11 out of 11 people found this review helpful.

A Book That Touches the Heart And Allows You To See the Beautiful in the Ordinary

I don't remember the last time my heart was so touched by a book, if ever. Being a mother of boys really helped me identify with the author and her experiences. What a great reminder to slow down and appreciate the beauty in the simple days and remember that things will change eventually, so to live in the moment. The book also did a great job of helping us to see the beauty in our children and to not measure their successes based on what the world says they should be or do, but to love and appreciate them for who they are. I think this is such an important thing to remember to be able to support your children's unique gifts and talents. Just a great book that has certainly changed my view on life and makes me want to be a better mother to my boys in these precious fleeting years I have with them.

10 out of 12 people found this review helpful.

A must read for mothers of all ages

I too bought this book after walking by it and thinking the cover was lovely. I began reading it in the store and couldn't put it down after carrying it around to grab a few pages here and there. It is important for all mothers of any age, however it will mean the most for women right at the authors age (myself included) who have teenagers beginning to separate from you. Her statements about mothering little children and the day-in-day-out routines we too often pass off as mundane are juxtaposed with mothering teenagers when each day is a different kind of challenge. What was so insular and simple when our children were young often becomes a daily battle when our babies are all of a sudden young adults. It made me stop and think about the little moments that make up a day and to cherish the noise in the house, the mess on the counter, . . . things we are all too quick to want to neaten or quiet. These moments make up a loving family life and are fleeting. However they are often swept under the rug as annoyances; this book helps you to see beauty in simplicity. I want to buy a copy for all my friends and give them as gifts and I will refer back to it often for inspiration. This author strikes a cord with mothers facing new challenges and realizing the days of being needed every moment are drawing to an end. It's not all melancholy as the book is really a journey to find yourself after years of defining oneself by motherhood. It is an entertaining and joyful wake-up call to remember what we all too often don't realize until it is too late; appreciate THIS day, it is your life!

7 out of 7 people found this review helpful.

Loved it!

As the mother of two growing boys, I found this book both sad and enlightening. It really has made me think about our day to day life and how quickly things will change as they grow. I definitely identified with the author. Can't wait to read another of her books.

3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Unreadable

The description sounds so promising, but Kenison jumps around from past to present from motherhood to house renovations with no rhyme or reason that after 50 or so pages I had to toss it.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Speaks to the soul of every empty nester

This selection is the best book I have ever read ! Kenison puts into words what every mother-every parent-experiences as her children grow up and away.

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Good Intention~Bad Delivery

This is a memoir from a mother who is getting close to having an empty nest. Her son Henry is 17 and thinking about colleges. Jack is going into high school. To top off those already stressful situations, they are moving to a new town and building a new house. Together they go through many emotional ups and downs. But you know that through it all, love is very much present. There is some very good advice in this book, mainly that you should cherish every day. I felt that this book had a poor poor pitiful me aspect to it. When her son gets a low score on his SSAT, she is upset almost to the point of devastation. I have a daughter who has made honor roll all the way through school who is now in college, just a few months from getting her degree. She has made the deans list many times. If she were to get a low score, it would without a doubt be very upsetting to her and that would be what would bother me, not the score. Another thing that I didn't like was the wordage. The book would have affected me more if it was not so repetitive. And all the hoity toity-ness about did me in. I'm just a simple girl trying to read a book that is full of fancy talk and butterfly kisses. Don't get me wrong, I love books that are descriptive, but this was a little over the top for me. The one paragraph that almost made me cover my eyes and scream "no more" was:
I envisioned myself as a sort of house heroine, not a house wrecker. So coming to terms with the idea of knocking down the house had been hard enough. To me, it seemed almost akin to adopting a child, only to give up and send the child back-
(page 73, paragraph 2)
What????? How could anyone compare tearing down a house with the loss of a child? Under any circumstance?

I did finish this book, and I do agree that we need to recognize even the small stuff in our lives for the blessings they are, but the rest of it was not a good fit for my mind.

2 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

AWFUL

This was by far the worst book I have read in the last five years. I was so disappointed. The author is nauseating. As a working mother of three children, it was impossible for me to relate to this obviously "spoiled" mother. Put your money toward a good book - not this one.

1 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Good

The book was good, written very well but at times very slow and it felt like she was repeating herself over and over and over.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Truly inspiring, a must read for every mother

I bought this book on a whim, because the cover was so beautiful. In this case, I'm happy to say, you really can tell a book by its cover; I was not disappointed. Kenison writes beautifully about all the things every woman confronts --the challenges of growing older, realize that some dreams will never come true, and that our children won't need us 24/7 forever. The way that she struggles with change in her own life, and then learns to find joy and meaning in small, daily pleasures inspired me to pause to look at my life in a different way. Even though my children are still young, and my day-to-day life is totally different, I know that this book will be a guide through what's to come. A great book group book, and one that I plan to give to friends whose kids have left for college.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Pampered Lifestyle

Most people looking for a "more simple lifestyle" would have to do so on a far more constrained budget than the author. She moves into a new house and helps older son travel to various private colleges and apply at multiple places. It is hard to relate to some of these problems.

I enjoyed this

I really enjoyed the Youtube of the author reading an excerpt of her book. The book was good but not sure others that aren't in similar life stage would enjoy as much. I have 2 sons as well who are getting ready to fly the coop so I could relate.

I really enjoyed this book.

I have two teenage sons and our lives have recently changed dramatically so it was easy for me to relate.

Love this book!!!!

This book is so beautifully written. Katrina Kenison truly captures the joys and sorrows of motherhood. She inspires her readers to treasure the simple things in life, especially the time spent with our children. This book makes a great gift!!!

Good Resource for Mothers of Teens

Enjoyed the book, but I think it would be a better resource for a middle-aged mother, than for a senior citizen like myself. Well written with a lot of `food for thought' for mothers of teenagers and children soon to go off to college.

Highly Recommended

This book put into print so many of my own thoughts and feelings about my two sons growing up and leaving. It is a book about letting go - theirs and mine. Every page contains a gem so that taking my time reading it allowed me to absorb the many eloquent messages that are embedded in each line of this well written memoir. Katrina Kenison helped me to understand the journey that my oldest son was embarking upon and the very different road that I was undertaking. She explained exactly what I struggled with - letting go of my idea of what success is and allowing my son to define his own. Finding this balance is truly an art that few can master, however, Kenison has helped me to comprehend my children's need to become independent and for me to "step aside, to let go, and then trust."

Ode to motherhood

A sweet and beautifully written account of letting go and being there for your chiild's next step . A must read for any mother who wants to appreciate every moment as it al passes too quickly. I just dropped off my oldest at college so I know the bittersweet feelings bery well. This is a good book to read

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Good book to cuddle up with

Liked the story line, hit home since I have a teenager in the house.

Could not even finish it

After reading the reviews and being a mom myself, i thought this was a shoe in for me. Wrong. Rarely do I leave a book unfinished but had no problem doing so with this one.

wonderful memoir

I loved reading this thoughtful memoir that is written to evoke long-forgotten memories and feelings that you go though as a mom. Warm and sensitive, Katrina gets to the heart of the important things in life.