Life's Alphabet Soup by Terri Ferran

Genre:  Non-fiction

Publication Date:  February 2010

Author's Website:  www.terriferran.com

First line:  "There are some questions in life that just can't be answered properly until you experience them for yourself."

I recently met Terri Ferran at the LDStorymakers writing conference.  She is a CPA, mother of six, grandmother of two, and lover of chocolate--not necessarily in that order.  Basically, she's just downright amazing.  I attended the class she taught at Storymakers and learned oodles about keeping track of my writing expenses, what I can deduct on my taxes, and much more. 

I was excited to get a copy of her new book Life's Alphabet Soup:  When Your Children Make You Eat Your Words.  It is a delightful look at the blessings and trials of motherhood.

About the book: 

A parent's life is never dull and often downright droll but in the middle of the tantrums, squabbles, and boo-boos, it's sometimes hard to see the hilarity. Life's Alphabet Soup is the perfect antidote for any tired, stressed-out parent. With six kids of her own, Terri Ferran knows what raising a family is really like: incredibly hard, completely thankless, and so worth it. There are plenty of books that'll tell you what you're doing wrong as a parent, but how about one that knows what it's really like to spend a sleepless night with a sick child? (Even though the sickness was mostly brought on by letting her eat too many cookies.) Full of stories all parents can relate to, this book is sure to keep you laughing from A to Zoomph.

My opinion:

I really enjoyed this book.  It's a quick but fun and inspiring read.  I really liked how each chapter dealt with a different topic.  It made it a great book to keep in my purse to read when I only had snatches of time.  It explores parenthood from A-Z with topics such as allowance, chores, garbage, meals, overreacting, pets, x-rays, and much more--one topic for each letter of the alphabet. 

Terri has a light-hearted perspective about motherhood and its many challenges and blessings.  She doesn't leave out the hard stuff, but she celebrates in the victories as well.  Reading her words motivated me to take a look at my own mothering style.  I've made a few changes, and they seem to be working.

This book would make a great Mother's Day gift.  To learn more about the author, visit her website or blog.  You can read a sample chapter of this fun book here.

Life's Alphabet Soup can be purchased at Amazon, as well as other local and regional bookstores.