Customer Reviews

A Mother's Rule of Life: How to Bring Order to Your Home and Peace to Your Soul

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A Mother's Rule of Life is such a wonderful resource for all Catholic moms. Holly Pierlot really brings to light the many challenges that mothers face, offering both personal examples from her life as well as practical advice. She points out that while following a schedule can make life more ordered, following a schedule in and of itself is not as sanctifying as following a schedule in order to become closer to God. Ms. Pierlot tells not only what works for her but also how to make your own rule of life that will bring you the peace and serenity of getting everything done and growing on your faith journey at the same time. A wonderful book for all Catholic moms, and especially for those who homeschool or have young children at home.

This book has made a radical positive difference in my life. It has shown me how to order my life so that I am doing all the things I'm supposed to be doing, and doing them well. Mrs. Pierlot's perspective on the meaning of our lives as wives, mothers, and children of God was astounding - and it seems so obvious now that she's pointed it out to me, but it never occured to me on my own. She teaches us how to prioritize and truly value all that we do. My home has been a much happier, holier, and cleaner place since I read this book!

I think every Catholic mother could benefit from reading this book. Every Catholic mother could benefit from instituting her own "rule" of life. I wish I could afford to hand these out to every mom who walks in the door at Church!

Our God is a god of order. He brought order out of the soupy chaos, as chronicled in Genesis, and in order to fully embrace Him, we must do the same. This review is later than it should be because of the [fallen] response to a book outlining schedules, priorities, and order in the home. In the year 2000, Holly "pounded her fist on the kitchen table" and demanded a change in her life - resulting in this well-thought out and comprehensive book. Your reviewer was slower on the uptake, thinking a little chaos was healthy thing, until she finally hit the wall as well. The beautiful surprise is that surrendering to order is a victory for freedom.

Once the book is actually cracked and begun, the reader discovers a soul-mate in Holly - a good-hearted woman with oats to sow, with sins to confess, and an aversion to constraints. Like most mothers of orderly households, there is the breadth of humanness, from self-absorption to heroic generosity and everything in between. Most importantly, like any radical alteration, she had to really want to change.

For my children, I've defined maturity as "doing the right thing for the right reason." As I age, I've seen more and more that people often do the right thing for the wrong reasons. For example, it is entirely possible to see to your children's hygiene, your house's spotlessness, and your family's punctuality for the sake of human respect. We all succumb to considering "what others think of us" to some degree, and yet there is an inverse response - to flout convention for the sake of "not going with the crowd," or (especially with women) to be mired in a perpetual "passive-aggressive mode" with our own dear mothers.

The beauty of maturity is to face God as a grateful child and to ask Him, "What would You have me do - out of love for You and those who depend on me." As Holly's life disintegrated, she finally took it to prayer and came up with a set of priorities: God, herself, her husband, her children, and then other important things, such as work. I must confess, putting herself second on that list won me over. (It has been a sneaking suspicion of mine for decades that I am supposed to come last, and that has led me to constantly carve out for myself snippets of time and comfort, which made me feel both safe and enormously guilty.) What did she mean?

Putting herself second was practical step in acknowledging that she could not give of herself to her family and her work - both inside the home and outside - unless she were taken care of. Taking care of herself was not indulgent (shopping, pedicures, vacations, and idle gab-fests with the girls) but necessary (prayer, rest, down-time, and generally recharging the batteries). In that context, knowing that she is not to be the local doormat, a woman can face the calendar and ask what she genuinely needs. With herself taken care of, the rest comes tumbling after - without panic, oppression, or fear.

The days are just as full, the chores are just as pressing, and the children are just as needy. But there is comfort in knowing that in God's good time there is time for all. Be not afraid to consider a schedule. Mine will never be as detailed as Holly's - but at least there is one now, complete with firm bedtime and reserved reading hours. God separated the light from the dark, and on laundry days I do the same. But on the other days it just sits in the basket - and that's okay. All in due time.

This book is filled with words of wisdom. You will want to read it more than once to absorb it all. This book has changed my life. In the first week of implementing my rule, I had more time than I ever imagined to spend with my children and in prayer. Without a doubt one of the best, life-changing books I've ever read. Worth EVERY penny.

This book had some practical ideas that aren't very new. Such as having a schedule and such. But I had a hard time, as I was reading the book, believing that her ideas on a schedule were realistic with nursing babies and homeschooling. Certain personality types will struggle with this book, others will probably love it. I didn't feel very encouraged or excited or motivated by reading this book. I suppose it just wasn't written for my personality. I learned alot more and felt more encouraged by other books such as MOTH (Managers of their home) and Emily Barnes books. Good luck!

This book is about much more than time management! Through an engaging and personal account, Holly Pierlot helps us learn how to bring order to our lives, set priorities and manage our households, and ultimately embark on the path of Christian perfection. If you follow her guidelines, you will be able to structure your days and order your life according to your own personal "Mother's Rule," which will be based on a thorough analysis of your family's unique needs, using the 5 P's (prayer, person, partner, parent, and provider). I found the chapters on prayer and parenting particularly insightful.

I loved this book. Holly Pierlot shares her own struggles as a home schooling mother of five and how God has blessed her efforts. This book has helped me put my life in order. Following your own Mother's Rule of Life through this book is a way to put God first everyday.

Holly Pierlot has done mothers a great service with this book. Once tempted to quit the domestic life, she has chosen not to take the easy way out. Instead, she has sought and taught ways to persevere in her calling as wife, mother and homeschooler. One of the things I learned from the book was that there is no reason to feel guilty when I need a break. After doing a thousand hectic things all week, I now go alone before the Blessed Sacrament to pray, collect my thoughts and once in awhile, to fall asleep! A Mother's Rule of Life will not appeal to the superwoman mentality but it will strike a chord with the rest of us who just want to persevere!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and even return to re read parts of it. I am not Catholic ( I am Protestant) have teen agers and work outside the home as well and I found it so encouraging and am so blessed to have found it. For any women trying to get advise and inspiration on getting a mess straightened out as a tool to opening themselves up to the special blessings the Lord has for you. Susanna

I know well that I am in great need of organization and direction, but I admit did not expect to find inspiration in this book, which was my homeschooling book club's choice for this month.

Was I wrong!! Holly Pierlot writes with frankness and honesty, without being sacharine or pollyanna-ish. She tells about her years-long journey from a disorganized, stressed, struggling Catholic woman to a woman who has fully committed to God and the Catholic church, embraced her homemaking/child-raising vocation, and developed a general "rule", or structure, for her daily life. The result of this is a peaceful home with purpose and direction and organization.

I love the fact she writes about the many years it took her to get where she is, I needn't expect myself to pick up this book and one month later be reborn into an orderly, peaceful person.

I've worked through her study questions, and am in the process of developing a rule. This is actually quite challenging for me at this point, but Holly says that it is best to make the rule and try to live it and modify it as needed, rather than spend ages making the rule and trying to get it just right before implementing it.

All in all, an excellent book for inspiration.