Customer Reviews

Lord, Please Meet Me in the Laundry Room: Heavenly Help for Earthly Moms

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When my 3rd son was born with Down Syndrome I was in utter shock. I tried to find other Moms to talk to and figure out how they put Down Syndrome in "perspective." Then I heard about Barbara Curtis - whom I had actually met when she ONLY had 5 children. I immediately bought this book and devoured it. She not only offered me a beautiful, godly perspective about raising a child with Down Syndrome - she helped me see what a privilege and joy it is to raise children - period! She inspired me to be the kind of Mom that I always dreamed about being before I actually became a Mom and lost my vision. Loved it!

I ordered Barbara Curtis' book, Lord, Please Meet Me in the Laundry Room: Heavenly Help for Earthly Moms, with the anticipation that it would offer a light-hearted, humorous, scriptural view of one Christian mother's daily grind. With a title like that, how could it be anything less, right? In fact, it is much, much more. As a busy mom of 3, I looked forward to gleaning some words of wisdom and wit from this mom of 12! TWELVE! As Curtis states in her Introduction, she does not promise answers to the questions of motherhood, but that her book is about "sorting through the things that get in the way of finding joy in motherhood ... about seizing each day, squeezing every bit of joy from every peanut-butter-and-jelly-smeared moment, finding God in the hum of a washing machine or an unexpected bargain."

Curtis begins her book by backing up and weaves the learning moments of her past throughout the text. She gives a synopsis of her personal history, and the reader comes to understand why it was so very important that the "Angry-but-Real Frightened Little Girl" find her "Chapel of the Wash and Dry." In these chapters Curtis writes of the insecurities of becoming a Christian in her adult years, describing her first Ladies Bible Study, where she arrived late and smelling of spit-up: "I kept my hands folded to hide my scruffy, half-bitten fingernails, but there was nothing I could do about the rose tattoo on my right hand ...", to the concept of having a quiet time when she was "too pooped to pop." - "It loomed over my life with the gravitas of a Goodyear blimp, a constant reminder of yet another something I needed to do." As well, Curtis writes of the trials of her childhood, a shotgun wedding "based on two miracles," the blessing of her 8th child, and the healing power and love of a Heavenly Father in the absence of a physical father.

In her journey Curtis found Jesus, but even before her salvation she writes of the discovery that is the backdrop of this book: "While I wasn't yet a new creation in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17), God must not have wanted to wait four more years for me to become a better mother ... that there were no limits or boundaries to my motherhood, that I could become any kind of mother I wanted to be."

Curtis' exposes much more than her heart, she reveals the limitations of her past and present weaknesses and acknowledges that when she "instinctively reached for the Giver of Life" she found His mercy and love in His still small voice. In her active embrace of surrendering to Christ she found that "life is lived in between, in the little things. And most of these things you can't change." Her joy as a woman, wife, and mother comes in that surrender.

As one of the "less-than-perfect" mothers that will read this book, I found myself openly laughing, while also deeply relating to Curtis and her application of Matthew 11:28-30 to motherhood. "Let's face it, as mothers we're reminded several times a day at least that we will never be perfect. But our stress level can stay under control as long as we're conscious of that easy yoke and our perfect Partner."

This is a delightful book. It's the perfect length for busy moms, and oh-so-full of wonderful words of refreshment. The author finds deep, spiritual joy in the GREAT ADVENTURE of motherhood. She loves her family; she loves her life. And after reading it, you'll understand why - and you'll want what she has for yourself.

Lord, Please Meet Me in the Laundry Room is Barbara Curtis' life story - her long, drawn-out answer to the question she probably hears several times a day: "So, how do you DO it?" Barbara is the mother of 12 kids - 9 of her own and 3 adopted. What's more, she and her husband purposefully adopted three children with Down's Syndrome since one of their sons has this "little extra" chromosome. Need I say more about her qualifications to write a book?

In the first chapter, Barbara describes how her laundry room became the one place in her home where she could have a "Quiet Time," where she could pour out her heart to God as well as listen to the "still small Voice" of the Lord. She says:

"And so my laundry room became my prayer closet. For years it's been the place I meet the Lord each morning before my children awake, and at intervals throughout the day as I transfer clothes from baskets to washer, from washer to dryer, from dryer to baskets again ... I never have trouble finding God in my laundry room. He is always ready to receive my praise, my thanks, my prayers for family and friends, my joys and heartaches too."

Barbara's journey to motherhood has taken plenty of twists and turns - she didn't have a good role model growing up, as she was transferred between divorced parents and even in foster care at one time. She moved to California and went through a period of embracing the ideals of radical feminism. Then she discovered Christianity for the very first time while listening to James Dobson's gentle voice on her car radio, then through attending a Focus on the Family marriage retreat. From that point on, her life changed forever, and she's never looked back.

If you have a child who is a "challenge" or has special needs, this book is definitely for you. Barbara calls this "a little extra." She describes what it was like to be surprised on her delivery day when she found out her newborn son had Down's. While the nurses and doctors feared her reaction, instead she described the "joy and exhilaration" she felt at being chosen by God to raise such a special child who would always need her care. She shares how this "little extra" in some of our children motivates us to depend on God more.

She writes, "What a privilege to be so dependent, so connected to Him. And no doubt about it, it's the connectedness to God that's key in realizing that being a mommy is a completely worthy - and unique - calling."

--Heather Ivester, Mind & Media

When I finished the introduction and first chapter of Lord, Meet Me in the Laundry Room, I cried. Now, I'm not a regular crier, and even my advanced maternal state has me making "to do" lists, not wallowing in my hormone laden idiosyncrasies. Still, Barbara Curtis' book resonated with me as no other mothering manuscript before.

The language wasn't flowery; her thoughts were not new. Perhaps it is because she is a mother of twelve, and I could tell that every feeling and thought I'd ever nursed, she had already nursed before. Perhaps it was that I enjoyed reading more from a woman I had grown to know only online. Perhaps it was when she said this:

"This book is about spending some time together sorting through the things that get in the way of finding joy in motherhood. It's about getting real about the past and mistakes we've made, the limitations of our lifestyle as mothers, the competitive spirit that robs us of intimacy with other mothers, and the lack of affirmation that sometimes makes us want to cry.

"This is a book about seizing each day, squeezing every bit of joy from every peanut-butter-and-jelly-smeared moment, finding God in the hum of a washing machine or an unexpected bargain." (page 9)

From the title, you might infer that the book is a "how-to" meet God in your everyday life as a mom. But it's much more than that. Barbara (it seems more right to call her "Barbara" than the more formal "Curtis" when writing) begins her book by connecting with the reader. She doesn't do this by saying, "Hey, I've got all these kids. Whatever story you've got, I can top." Instead, Barbara weaves a story of her own misjudgments and creative mishaps with the old story of God's faithfulness.

"Then from the backseat I heard Zachary clear his throat and in his deadpan four-year-old Eeyore voice ask, "Mom, when are you going to get a job?"

"This is my job," I said, maybe just a little edgy.

But homeward bound, as the kids fell asleep one by one and I was left alone with my thoughts, I began to see the beauty of Zach's question: somehow-even though it could be hard work and even though I had my testy moments-my kids didn't think of motherhood as a job.

And I decided that was a good thing-because it's not really a job at all, but a calling..." (page 98)

Today's mothers are tired, due to nurturing the distractions that compete for our attention and affections. Reading this book was like a cup of cocoa on a cold day: Barbara's warm candor and not-so-perfect stories were a treat to me, a mother in the trenches. Lord, Please Meet Me in the Laundry Room is a story of deliverance, Barbara's own, as well as the one waiting for us younger mothers who have the willingness to learn some wisdom from those who've gone before.

Barbara Curtis has enough kids (grown, and not yet grown) that she understands that for a mom to be able to read a book, she needs to be able to put it down at a moment's notice, and pick it right back up without being lost. She also understands how badly some of us need to know that we are not in this alone. This book is easy to read encouragement, and not one bit of judging or preaching!

The subtitle for this book is "Heavenly Help for Earthly Moms." Let me start by saying that if you are a harried mom looking for some respite from your tasks, pick up this book. Barbara Curtis writes for real women, and takes you on a spiritual journey, teaching you about God and His grace along the way.

Without sounding preachy or overly sentimental, Curtis uses touches of humor to lighten the load, and soon you realize that you can meet God in the garden, the minivan, and yes - even in the laundry room. "...God is bigger than any place I set aside to meet Him and as near as I invite Him to be."

I highly recommend Lord, Please Meet Me in the Laundry Room.

I think the subtitle says exactly what this book is about..."Heavenly Help for Earthly Moms". I have been so blessed and helped by this book. Barbara is so down-to-earth in her writing, and that is exactly the kind of help I was looking for. In this age when motherhood is looked down upon, Barbara reminds us what a high calling motherhood truly is. I so needed to hear that God doesn't care when or where I call out to Him, He just wants me to do it! And it can be while I'm folding laundry or putting dishes in the dishwasher or changing my toddler's diaper. Thank you, Barbara, for reminding me that God does have plans for me, that He is here to lift me and sustain me. Thank you for reminding me that this is an incredible adventure and that I can find the joy in it when I let go and let God. Thank you for this encouraging book. Thank you for sharing with us that we don't have to be perfect, because God accepts our imperfection. I highly recommend this book for any mom, it has been a big help to me.

I loved this book, and enjoyed every page of it. It was written in a very easy to read style, perfect for busy moms who sometimes have to read a page at a time. The common sense tips and intimate style made me feel almost like she and I were just having a conversation...woman to woman...mother to mother. Her words were full of wisdom, and I am just thankful that I came across this book. I recommend it to all mothers. Five stars!

How refreshing to find a book about mothering that actually casts fresh vision for moms without creating guilt! You'll find no lists of the 25 things you need to be doing to be a great mom. Oh no! This book isn't about doing, but about being- being the woman, the wife and the mommy God made you to be. Barbara has a warm, open and "come alongside you" style that magically mentors moms through the pages of this volume. She shows you how to live life with God in the nitty gritty of life by sharing her triumphs and tragedies and by pointing you to the One who created mommies in the first place. It is He who has the answers, not the author and she makes that abundantly clear. This is a book that will be loved, cherished and dog-earred to boot, ready to be picked up when you are in need of a pick-me-up. Buy one for yourself and one to loan to others whether they are moms or not! This book offers hope and encouragement for anyone trying to live out their life with Christ in a real and relevant way. Highly recommended!

I finally read Barbara's Lord, Please Meet Me in the Laundry Room, which she sent me as a thank you for some help I gave her with her blog. This is an excellent book. Honestly, I'd put off reading it because spiritual self-help books tend to make me feel a bit hopeless and overwhelmed, like everybody's got something I can't seem to grasp -- I love Beth Moore and Elisabeth Elliot, but they do make me feel that way -- but Lord, Please Meet Me in the Laundry Room was nothing like that. Instead of a list of must-dos or a formula for the perfect Christian life, Barbara encourages us to simply talk to God, anytime, anywhere, about anything. This book is also a great read just for the interesting insight into her life and family. I'm always curious about the lives of non-fiction writers whose books I enjoy, and Barbara is so open and transparent, both in her books and articles and on her blog, that she always feels like an old friend. Not just that, but an old friend with lots of experience and good advice. I absolutely recommend that you read any book of hers you can get your hands on.