Whew – the past few weeks have been a WHIRLWIND for me. Not only have I gone back to work on the book proposal from last summer, but I’ve been writing/working for Terrian, Angel Street, and Memphis Moms Blog since Christmas. And I’m adding Moms at Hope back too!

A few highlights for me over the past month have been getting to know a few other writers. Last month, you read my conversation with Wendy Blight,  and now I want to introduce you to Becky Kopitske.

You all – Becky is fabulous. We met via an email introduction then continued our conversation over at Facebook. (Internet friends are the best, aren’t they??) After bonding over our children’s lack of sophistication in their culinary palates (can I get an AMEN on Cheezits for breakfast, lunch and dinner?), I invited her over here to my virtual home so y’all could meet her too.

So Becky has a book, The SuperMom Myth: Conquering the Dirty Villains of Motherhood (Shiloh Run Press), out right now! As a writer, speaker, singer, dreamer, lunch packer, snowman builder and recovering perfectionist, Becky believes parenting is one of God’s greatest tools for building our faith, character, and strength—and it’s not always pretty. (AMEN, sister!) She lives with her husband and two daughters in northeast Wisconsin, where apparently a pink indoor trampoline fills half the once formal living room.

What Becky wrote below will give you a taste of her new book. And if you’re anything like me, you can Relate with a capital R to what she’s saying. 🙂

(Make sure to stick around to the end of her post, because I’m giving away her new book FOR FREE!!! You’ll get the fun details at the end!)

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The Trouble with To-Dos

When my older daughter was four, she loved to play a game called “checklist.” I would write a series of tasks on her favorite monkey-face-shaped notebook, and she would draw a check mark next to each completed assignment.

• Draw a flower.
• Spell your name.
• Hop five times.
• Sing the ABCs.

She got this idea from her mother, of course. I’m a checklist addict. I keep lists for everything—groceries, housekeeping, Christmas gifts, party plans. My own trusty notebook sits on our kitchen countertop, catching random assignments for each day.

• Wash the sheets.
• Sign permission slip.
• Thaw hamburger.
• Call Mom.

What does this say about me? I’m organized. I’m methodical. Or, more likely, I’m flaky enough to forget things if I don’t write them down. Lists help me spew thoughts onto paper instead of cramming them inside my daydreaming, overanalytical brain. For me, checklists are a form of mental freedom.

But they’re also a crutch.

I like to cross things off the list. So I spend a lot of time chasing immediate to-dos instead of long-term, important stuff.

• I did the laundry, but I let my child’s High Five magazines pile up, unread.
• I scoured Pinterest for the perfect birthday cake, but I haven’t yet updated our photo books with last year’s party pictures.
• I paid the bills, but I’ve been meaning for half a year now to create a chore chart designed to teach our children fiscal responsibility. They have yet to earn a single quarter—because I still haven’t made the chart.

Bills have a due date. Life lessons do not. So the urgent crowds out the important, day in and day out, until my menial tasks are accounted for but I’ve lost opportunities to train my children, to invest in my marriage, and to improve my own well-being.

What if my checklist looked like this?

• Take a romantic weekend getaway to a log cabin.
• Train for a 5K.
• Read classic novels to my children at bedtime.

These are projects I’ve been meaning to do for a long time. But they get shoved to the bottom of the list because they’re not immediately attainable. The pots have to get scrubbed, the preschool snack has to be divided into baggies, and somebody has to run to the store to buy more milk. So those are the tasks I tackle first. Until they’re the only tasks I tackle at all.

God has a checklist, too. Did you know that?

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens. . .a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 6–7).

• Search
• give up
• keep
• throw away
• tear
• mend
• be silent
• speak

Every pair of tasks seems at odds, but God gives them equal weight. Today, search. Tomorrow, give up. By all means, keep. But don’t neglect to throw away.

Do you see the beauty of the pattern? It’s not about choosing between this and that, urgent or important. There is time to do both. The Calendar Queen would convince us to tip our agenda too heavily to one side.

Don’t listen to her.

What can you postpone this week in order to focus some time on what matters for the long haul? There is a time for everything. Let’s give our calendars a chance to prove it.

• Do not vacuum.
• Hop on the treadmill.

• Log off Facebook
• Call an old friend.

• Skip the casserole prep.
• Order pizza and play board games with the kids.
• See what God does!

This post contains an excerpt from The SuperMom Myth: Conquering the Dirty Villains of Motherhood (Shiloh Run Press) by Becky Kopitzke. Used by permission.

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About Becky’s book!

Does your journey through motherhood look different from what you imagined?

Do you struggle to measure up to your own standards?

Do you sometimes wish you could be like that other mom who seems to have it all together?

You are not alone.

The Supermom Myth: Conquering the Dirty Villains of Motherhood, a new book by Christian mom blogger Becky Kopitzke, is designed to encourage imperfect moms to laugh at ourselves, forgive ourselves, and discover the beautiful moms God created within. Delivered with down-to-earth humor and carefully applied biblical insight, The SuperMom Myth explores eight personified “dirty villains” of motherhood, including The Grouch on the Couch (Anger), Worry Woman (Fear), The Calendar Queen (Busyness), and more. Throughout this delightful read for every mom, Kopitzke offers a gentle reminder to rest in the super power of our grace-filled God.

Visit TheSuperMomMyth.com for more information, including trailer videos, reviews, and details on where to buy copies for yourself and your mom friends.

About the author

Becky Kopitzke is the author of The SuperMom Myth: Conquering the Dirty Villains of Motherhood (Shiloh Run Press). As a writer, speaker, singer, dreamer, lunch packer, snowman builder and recovering perfectionist, Becky believes parenting is one of God’s greatest tools for building our faith, character, and strength—and it’s not always pretty. On her devotional blog, beckykopitzke.com, she offers weekly encouragement for fellow imperfect moms, pointing our weaknesses, blessings, and victories to God.

Connect with Becky on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.

Didn’t you say there was a FREE BOOK involved??

Why, yes… yes, I did. *wink* (If you are subscribed to my emails, you knew this was coming. Click here for to subscribe.)

Friends, just like Becky, this book is fabulous. So Becky has been kind enough to let me give away a copy to YOU for free! One lucky recipient will be chosen and announced on the blog March 1st!

So what do you need to do to enter the giveaway?

• Comment below something on your “To-Do” this week that you can postpone to focus on what matters for the long haul. (Mine is to postpone laundry (WOOHOO!) so I can sit down and play, color, or read with my kiddos. Lord – please let the Honey Badger sit still long enough to let us get through one book.)
• Re-share my posts on Facebook, Instagram and/or tweet the quote below for additional entries!

Thanks again, Becky, for visiting!