Today  we have a guest post by Natalie of Visionary Womanhood:

In the Olden Days

My great-grandmother died at the age of 104 the year my second child was born. She immigrated to the United States from Norway and raised a bunch of kids on a dairy farm in northern Minnesota. I have many fond memories of sitting with her and my grandma in her farm kitchen dipping cookies and sugar cubes in her coffee – always served in a fancy tea cup.

People stopped by all. day. long. That’s how it was in the olden days. You worked hard, and you stopped working each day to connect – not by telephone or by Internet – but in person. Stories were told. Time stood still. It didn’t matter if your hair was mussed or your clothes looked a little sweaty or the flies were buzzing in your ears.

I imagine that long, long ago, when this kind of connecting was more integral to communities, the younger women and girls would learn what they needed to know about good cooking, baking, sewing, farming, birthing, and so on from the older women. They supported one another when their bodies went through the wear and tear of the seasons of life.

We are missing that today, it’s true. But I wonder if God hasn’t provided for that need in new ways now?

Questions of Fertility

Thirty years ago, most Christian women were not even considering having more than 2-3 kids. I grew up not knowing a single family from church who had more than 4 kids. And that was considered a HUGE family. Almost irresponsible. But things have changed. Now many Christian women are questioning this line of thinking, realizing that to have a small family may just be a cultural thing. And while having a large family will not be something God does in every woman’s life, some are able to break away from social expectations and chart a new course.

Because it is a newer cultural trend among Christians (your worldview has a direct effect on your view of fertility), some women who desire to have children are finding themselves somewhat alone in their communities. And some are raising their daughters and wondering how to pass this vision for raising children on to them.

What if you and your daughters could sit in a room with ten older women in their late 40s-50′s – some of whom are grandmas – and find out how and why they did what they did with their families? What if you could discover together the faithfulness of God in the lives of ten very average women, just like yourselves?

Three Decades of Fertility

These ladies are not super-moms. You’ll get to read about their struggles, doubts, financial problems, marriage issues, losses, and physical ailments during and after pregnancy. But you’ll also discover, right along with them, that God is bigger than you think—and His faithfulness to His children is always a given. No matter what happens.

This unique book has three features:

1. There are ten chapters, each written by a different older woman (see contributors here), that tell that woman’s story of fertility over the course of three decades.

2. At the end of each chapter the writer gives her own answers to 11 common questions younger women have that were collected in the fall of 2012. Questions like: How do you deal with the fear of increased miscarriage, infant loss, or birth defects? How can one handle that kind of pain, especially over and over again? Or -How do you balance life with older kids and babies? Do you feel this is unfair to the older children? How do they feel about having more brothers and sisters? Is it being greedy to want more babies at the risk of not being able to meet the needs of the rest of the family? Or – How do I deal with extended family members, friends, and even the medical community who disapprove of our continuing to want more babies as we get older? And many more!

3. There are two BONUS chapters on healthy eating and exercise during the fertile years.

This book is a rich, meaty, hefty book. The paperback is 344 pages! You can get the paperback ($12.27 at the time of this writing), Kindle ($8.99), Nook ($8.99) or PDF ($6.99) versions. But TODAY ONLY you can get the PDF download for only $4.99 by using coupon code: RaisingHomemakers at check out. (And if you win the giveaway below, I’ll just refund your money! So grab it while it’s on sale!)

Would you like to hear what readers are saying? Here’s what a single woman wrote after she read Three Decades of Fertility:

Wow! What an amazing book this was for me to read. Each page was filled with real, honest, genuine women and their stories of how they embraced life to the fullest. It is so good that I read it within 48 hours. (It was hard for me to put it down!)
What’s really great about Three Decades of Fertility though is that it’s not just for married women with children; this book is for the young, never married women as well. I’m not married and I’m not a mother but this book spoke volumes to my heart. You may wonder why a single women without any children of her own would read a book about motherhood. Shouldn’t I invest more of my time in Christian singles books? That would make the most sense but I have to say that TDOF is something that single women NEED to read. In fact young, never married women could probably benefit the most from TDOF purely because the women who penned these stories have walked hand in hand with their Creator during some of the most precious years of life… Childbearing.

...this book ministered to my heart more than most Christian singles books I’ve read. Three Decades of Fertility gave me a glimpse into what I’m hoping and praying for someday. More than that though it renewed this vision within me and gave me contentment to seek God even if He decides to bless me with just one child someday. It’s not about the number; it’s about surrender, vision and love. One child or twenty-one, each is a real blessing from the Lord! TDOF is an amazing book for women of all ages and stages!

And here’s a review from another mother:

This book is one of a kind – truly the only one like it available on the market. It is worth every cent of the purchase price. How I wish it has been available as my husband and I were beginning to grow our family.

Why? Its message is so real! It’s one of joy, pain, fear, hope, struggles, delights, regrets and so much more as these 10 women share their detailed and interesting stories of growing their families. The contributors are honest and vulnerable, sharing just as they were a close friend sitting down with you over a cup of coffee. You get to hear their journeys of trusting God to lead them through their 20′s, 30′s, 40′s and beyond to face so many unknowns as they embraced children as a gift from Him. None of their stories are easy, but all of them show their hope in God.

Other great things about the book: It’s easy to pick up and put down between chapters, an essential thing for most busy women. Each contributor answers the same Q&As at the end of their section, helping the reader see just how diverse these woman can be and still have a common vision. There’s Scripture appropriately referenced throughout the book, giving Biblical support to many statements and solid hope behind the beliefs. Each contributor adds their unique information, many of them referencing helpful books and links. The Recommended Resources at the back of the book includes even more books and links where readers can learn more about many of the topics touched upon by the contributors.

An unexpected treasure in this book are the last 2 chapters. They address ways to naturally prepare a woman’s body to be in the best position to bear children. The advice is practical and feasible to execute for most women. In fact, the last chapter is good nutritional advice for almost all women, whether bearing children or not.

And one more:

What this book is:
1. An encouraging, real look at the lives of ten women who have been in the trenches. It will encourage your soul as the “older women” pour themselves out to “younger” women and wrap us in a huge hug of the truth of their victories and struggles on this journey of motherhood.
2. A practical book of tips, both spiritual, physical, and day to day to address all kinds of issues mothers have in the raising of their children. Sometimes meaning to, and sometimes just woven in the fabric of the story, the authors shared what did and didn’t work for them in areas of health, marriage, and motherhood.
3. An engaging book that I could not put down. The transparency with which these women shared their lives was engaging and left me wanting to read more.

What this book is not:
1. A condemning book.
2. A judgmental book.
3. A book that excludes mothers with small families.

Give yourself a fresh dose of encouragement and vision today, and pick this one up. You won’t regret it!

You can read more reviews on Amazon.

Would you like to help spread the word about this special book and win a free PDF download in the process? Enter our giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway