It's here! The Mother's Gratitude Journal...

...an easy guide to capturing everyday joys & milestone moments

I’ve been a writer since the day I could hold a pencil and scrawl letters.

I’ve always considered myself a notice-er, a storyteller, a memory-maker.

So why is there so little written evidence of my experience of early motherhood?

I think a lot of it had to do with the pressure of the blank page. “Dear diary, today I…” Today I what? Changed fourteen diapers, nursed eight times, and cleaned curdled milk out of a rollaway sippy cup discovered under the sofa…again?

Broke up a to-the-death tug-of-war between one- and-three-year-old siblings..again?

Laughed so hard I almost cried at my four-year-old’s explanation of the facts of life but also cried so hard I had to laugh at my own sheer exhaustion…again?

So much to document…too much, really, but in the moment, none of it seemed important or singular enough to write down - if I’d even had the brain space to get started.

And yet, today I’d give a lot of money to be able to look back on my own hand-written snapshots of that time of life. I’d love to be able to flip through pages of memories rather than try to piece them together from years of lost-to-time social media posts and texts.

I just didn’t have the right tool to help me.

Which is why, when my dear friend Sarah Powers and I had a chance to create that tool, we jumped.

The Mother’s Gratitude Journal: An Easy Guide to Capturing Everyday Joys & Milestone Moments¹ is the guided journal I wish I’d had when I was that “arms full” young mom.

And it’s out today, wherever books are sold!

From the publisher’s description:

The Mother's Gratitude Journal is a guided journal moms can use to reflect on ordinary days and extraordinary moments using approachable, thought-provoking prompts. Capture the essence of the season you’re in, while infusing those long days with a bit of celebration for yourself--and gratitude for the opportunity to experience it all.

Created by Meagan Francis and Sarah Powers, co-hosts of The Mom Hour podcast, this journal will inspire moms to not only record memories but also reflect on what these intense days, weeks, months, and years of motherhood mean to us. Francis and Powers, experienced mothers with decades of parenting experience between them, provide encouragement throughout the journal, reminding moms that, “it’s all going to be okay.”

With space to record ordinary moments and capture the sweet details of everyday parenting, prompts that will help you document can’t-miss memories, and journal pages for longer reflections, this book will help moms in the thick of wiping sticking fingers and cutting off crusts extend themselves more grace while also finding more gratitude in the day-to-day.

Having trouble sticking to a journaling habit? The Mother’s Gratitude Journal will meet you where you are with easy ways to quickly jot down an entry – no “Dear Diary…” required!

Inside you'll find...

DAY-IN-THE-LIFE ENTRIES: A series of pages designed to be a snapshot of your life in this season of motherhood

"I WANT TO REMEMBER THIS" ENTRIES: For those sweet, funny, or head-scratching moments you don't want to become part of the blur

QUICK LISTS: Quick and easy themes allowing you to capture "7 Smells That Define Life Right Now" or "6 Vacations I'd Love to Take Someday"

BLANK PAGES: To freeform journal and scribble down your fleeting thoughts

KEEPSAKE POCKET: Perfect for saving small mementos from every season of motherhood

Today is launch day, and the next few days will be really important for the journal’s overall rank, which impacts future sales - so this is a great time to buy a copy for yourself, and stash a few away for Mother’s Day and baby shower gifts.

Visit themomhour.com/journal for purchasing links and to learn more - and thank you for your support!

1. While I’m committed to sharing Bookshop.org links whenever possible, right now this book is sold out/backordered on Bookshop! Hopefully that’s a good sign and means lots of people are shopping for the book there.