Review: Tightropes and teeter-totters by Lisa Pennington

Quick, you're at a playground playdate, tell me where you and your little ones are at in this hierarchy.  I am most likely going to be close by my daughter. I use to hover. I use to fuss over every swing, every slide, and every equipment in the playground to make sure it was deemed "safe" for my precious little heart to use. There are the "helicopter" moms, and the sitting-by-the -sidelines-watching-the-kiddos-mamas, and then the 'in-betweeners,' like myself who want to appear confident that their child can climb the jungle gym, but you can see the fall that is coming, so you just wait.

I don't know if I'll get to the point where I sit by the other mamas and just watch. But I'll get there. I'm slowly getting there. One thing for sure, is that every mom that I have met at the playground and I will somehow converse about one thing: balancing. 

Seriously, how does the mom over there by the swings look so put together? I'm in sweats, and I'm pretty sure my daughter didn't brush her teeth this morning! It's like everyone around me, at least recently, seems so well put together. How are they balancing life, when I can't even get two kids out of the house?

In Tightropes and Teeter-totters by Lisa Pennington, this is one of my favorite lines: "Finding balance is not a onetime action; it requires repeatedly stepping back and looking at how we react and respond to the things that throw us off." 

Isn't life in the everyday details? I get caught up in rushing my daughter so that we're on time to look like I'm "owning it," as a mom. Of course, you can't rush preschoolers. There is ALWAYS something more pressing than getting out the door on time. I have pleaded. I have threatened. I even begged in tears. NOTHING. 

But now I am armed with this new knowledge of finding grace amidst all these "failures." I love the assignments at the end of the chapters. They're reflective of how we should implement this new found tips, and tricks. 

This book was filled with little zingers that made me chuckle, and made me feel a whole lot better that I'm not the only mom who gets off balance and off kilter in many areas of my life. Pennington takes the BALANCE and breaks it down into an acronym that we can use to help us when we feel like we're about to fall.

​Truly grace and happiness can be found in my playground lessons. I just need to learn that sometimes, there are tightropes, and then there are teeter-totters. 

Moms, do you wonder if you will ever stop falling over every time the unexpected comes along, or you get your feelings hurt, or you mess up? Lisa Pennington’s new book, Tightropes and Teeter-Totters, is tailor-made for you. Lisa Pennington knows how to get up after losing her balance, even with a full house, a not-so-full bank account, and never enough energy. For every woman who wonders if her satisfaction in life will ever match her dreams, Pennington has real-life answers full of hope and humor.
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{MORE ABOUT TIGHTROPES AND TEETER-TOTTERS}Tightropes and Teeter-Totters: Finding Balance in the Ups and Downs of Life (David C. Cook, February 2017)
Do you wonder if you will ever find balance?
Lisa Pennington knows how to get up after losing her balance, even with a full house, a not-so-full bank account, and never enough energy. In her latest book, she offers readers:
—Strategies for finding balance in marriage, motherhood, and bad moods
—Playful yet biblically based tips for turning hard days around
—Inspiration for shaping obstacles into opportunities
—Ways to respond to irritations with gratitude
—Enthusiastic encouragement for living out God’s purpose.
For every woman who wonders if her satisfaction in life will ever match her dreams, Pennington has real-life answers full of hope and humor.
Learn more and purchase a copy.


{MORE ABOUT LISA PENNINGTON}Lisa Pennington is a homeschooling mom of nine who shares her life—one laundry load at a time—on her blog, The Pennington Point. She is a sought-after speaker at conferences and women’s groups and is the author of “Mama Needs a Do-Over.” Lisa and her family live near San Antonio.
Find out more about Lisa at http://thepenningtonpoint.com

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