Customer Reviews

My Cup Of Tea: Musings Of A Catholic Mom

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4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
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I have long admired the wonderful writing of Danielle Bean, so it is a treat to own a collection of Danielle's inspirational essays. Her warm tone and the attention to the small blessings in the life of every mother remind me to thank God for my own role as mother.

Danielle writes about the everyday occurrences in the life of a Catholic Mom with a voice that will sound familiar to you - it's your voice, my voice, the voice of my mom...the voice of all of us who are working diligently to love and raise our children to be wonderful individuals who know and love their faith. Somehow she manages to find words for the many situations that occur along life's path - the crazy ones, the sweet ones, the ones that make us cry and the ones that make us laugh out loud.

Treat yourself or a special woman in your life - you will find yourself enriched by the experience and counting your own blessings along the way.

Danielle Bean truly captures the highs and lows of motherhood in this rare collection of honest and inspiring essays. I smilingly related to Bean as she explained how motherhood transformed her from mouse-like to bear-like in "Bear Instincts." I cheered when she described Laundry, Supermarket, and Dinner as Olympic events in "Mom Olympics." I found myself holding back tears as she described the loveliness of her home as it appeared to her one winter night from the outside, from a distance, in "A Joyful Noise." From the first essay to the last, Bean's perspective is as wise as it is endearing. Any mother who treasures her faith and family will find much in _My Cup of Tea_ to take heart in.

As a long time fan of Danielle Bean's writings from Faith and Family Magazine and National Catholic Register I eagerly awaited this book. I was not disappointed.

Mrs. Bean describes life, its ups and downs, as a faith-filled mother of six children through this inspiring collection of essays. I laughed at her toddler's antics, ached at her children's pain and empathized when she lamented the condition of her house. The essays are short and can be read quickly, perfect for the busy mother.

This book is a must read for all Catholic mothers. I have been recommending it to all my friends.

This book is a tremendous boost for all mothers, but especially for those who have been in the motherhood business for some time. When the day-to-day burdens of caring for children seem endless, thankless, and something less than glamorous, this book is a gentle reminder of the glorious vocation and the sweet reward that is motherhood.

It is written in snippets, designed for busy people to read in small sittings here and there, but, I have to confess...I read mine in one afternoon.

That's how this book came to me. I came across Danielle's Blog, became a fan of her work and was interested in reading her book but hadn't gotten around to ordering it. Then that following Sunday the Pauline Sisters were at church selling their books and they had 'My Cup of Tea'. I absolutely had to buy it at that point. When I started reading it, I got tears in my eyes because she understood exactly what I, a stay at home mom with small children was going through. I loved her story about not finishing her cup of tea and that's exactly what happens here day after day...but it is all so worth it. I had to E-Mail her right away after reading that and let her know that I had bought her book and knew exactly where she was coming from.

Like she says herself in the introduction..."In trying moments, we want reassurance that our feelings are normal, shared by many women, and that we will survive them." Amen to that.

I later joined an online Catholic mom's group and ran into Danielle again there...that really nailed the 'God-incidence' aspect of it for me. I was meant to read this book and be encouraged in my role as a Catholic mom and I know that you will be too.

Danielle is an experienced writer, and she puts her talents to good use here, by sharing her day-to-day life with small children. Her words were inspirational to me (especially since she has more children than I do, and seems to have a lot of patience!) and I could relate to many of the situations. One story, particularly, about her son not wanting kisses and hugs, and then later on saying he wanted to marry her, was very touching.
The chapters are short, helpful, inspirational and humorous. A good gift for a Catholic mom for Mother's Day.

Mrs. Bean is a fine writer: she is observant and able to see - and get the reader to see - experiences as part of salvation history. The book is light reading - no dense dissection of moral principles here - but inspirational. So the book was worth my time. I even heard her speak once and she is competent in that skill too.

As I used google to learn more about her, imagine how amazed I was to find out that the two biggest prestige reviews of her book were written by close family members (neither of whom disclose their connection to the author).

The review in Homeletics & Pastoral Review is written by her father (her maiden name is Augros - google it and see):

[...]

The review in First Things - the flagship of Catholic journalism - is written by Josef Froula who is married to Danielle's sister, Helene. Since FT is a subscription only archive, I can't provide a link but it is true.

Needless to say, Danielle prominently features both reviews on her website but identifies only the magazines not the close family involved. I question the ethics practiced here and it makes the book hard to take seriously. Would she have been published twice more without the success of this book? Would it have the profile it does without 'big name' reviews like the shady once I note here? Hmmm...

As a book for moms, this is a quick and easy read. I think I read it in less than 24 hours even with 3 small kids. Chapters are nice and short but Danielle has a way of conveying her wisdom with real life stories that are interesting and that just take you in.

Great 're-charge' reading for busy new moms who just want to sit down for a few minutes, of peace and quiet, and actually finish a cup of tea while reflecting on the blessing of children in their lives... with the realistic understanding and empathetic tone of a friend who has "been there before" ...Danielle Bean does a wonderful job with her books. I highly rec this one and also her "Mom to Mom, Day to Day: Advice & Support for Catholic Living". Along the same lines, I also rec Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle's "The Heart of Motherhood: Finding Holiness in the Catholic Home". All fantastic books and well appreciated!