Seriously, so stoked

One of my absolute favorite authors has struck again! Nine years ago my mum gave me this book right before I had Payton. I'm technically challenged and can't make the picture bigger, but it's "Mitten Strings for God" by Katrina Kenison.

I drank it in, all of it. Kenison is this amazingly grounded, observant, and authentic parent that shares her insights and experiences in mothering and living. She embraces simplicity, play, quiet spaces, rest, and peace in her dailiness. It's what I aspire to do myself as I hopelessly work against my stressful, control freakish self. I read this book once a year, a chapter a day, to remind me of what's important, of what I strive to provide for my children. It grounds me, and I never tire of it.
She wrote "Mitten Strings for God" when her kids were six and nine, and I have been dreaming and hoping that she would pen another memoir on raising her boys as they got older and became teenagers, a sort of future guide for me to look to as those years are quickly approaching for us with our Payton. I just got on-line to see if she had a blog or some sort of feedback site that I could make my request for a "sequel". Lo and behold, I found this.

Yes, she read my mind. It's exactly what I've been hoping for! She chronicles the boys growing up, a move to another state for their family, and a big change in her own career and personal life as her boys began to leave home, and the face of her family began to look different. I love that this book is about her mothering experience, but also her own personal experience as well.
I have been looking for books by women who were stay at home moms and how they transitioned once all of their kids were in school all day. All the books I've found are about how to get back into the workforce. I realize that's a part of the transition for a lot of women, but that's just only a slice of it. It's so much more than just working. My life has been defined by caring and raising our three babies on a daily basis for nine freaking years. I drop them off at school in the morning now and pull away from the curb feeling stressed, empty, and wondering what the heck I'm supposed to do with myself. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big girl, self-motivated, and I actually love to be by myself. But this is different, it's a whole shift of my life, my focus, my heart, and I'm beginning to see it as a bit of a sticky process.
Anyhoo, I love Katrina, and I'm hoping to glean some wisdom and insight from her to tuck away and think about, and hopefully shed some light on my own experience. I'm off to Barnes and Noble right now to pick it up!!