The Motherhood

What’s on your spring reading list? As we are anxiously waiting for warmer days, there couldn’t be a better pastime than relaxing indoors with a good read!

This spring, The Motherhood is excited to partner with Tyndale House Publishers, the world’s largest privately held Christian publisher of books, Bibles, and digital media – many of which are New York Times bestsellers. We are working with bloggers to feature and review a few of their brand-new titles this season!

The first book we’re featuring is The Antelope in the Living Room by Melanie Shankle, reviewed by the amazing Staci of 7 on a Shoestring, who says of the book, “Whether married or not, The Antelope in the Living Room is an excellent read. The book puts a creative, fun spin on marriage as well as lays out Biblical truths in the union. Melanie Shankle will have you laughing out loud and looking at your own marriage with new perspective. After all, we can all use fresh eyes every now and then.”

Melanie draws from her own experiences on marriage – the good, the bad, the challenges and the blessings! Whether you’ve been married five years or 50, you will find yourself relating with laughter and tears to Melanie’s down-to-earth insights on marriage, as well as the humorous stories she shares. Melanie, who also blogs at Big Mama Blog, shares about The Antelope in the Living Room in the video below:

Melanie was kind enough to answer a few questions about the inspiration behind and writing of The Antelope in the Living Room for us. The Q&A appears in Staci’s blog post, and we’ve re-printed it here:

What was your number one inspiration for writing The Antelope in the Living Room?

A few years ago I came home from a trip and discovered that my husband Perry had decided to “surprise” me with a new antelope head he hung in our living room.  I cannot even describe how enormous it was or how it looked like it had been running down the street and crashed through the front of our house.  We ended up getting in an argument and barely speaking for the next three days.  

It just seemed to be one of those moments we all have in our marriages and my hope is that by writing about all these experiences, we can take a deep breath and know we’re normal.

How did you choose the title of the book?

I decided after our fight over the antelope that The Antelope in the Living Room would be a great title for a book about marriage.  Because we all have those things in our marriage that drive us crazy but sometimes we’re afraid to be real about them or to share them with others. 

Is there one important piece of marriage advice that has helped you the most in your marriage? 

The best advice I can give is to not compare your marriage to anyone else’s.  A marriage is as unique as the two people in it and what works for one couple may not work for you and your spouse.  You need to focus on what’s important in your marriage and not constantly compare it to something that may just look better on the outside.

If there was only one thing your readers could take away from reading this book, what would you want it to be?

My hope is that readers will read this book and exhale deeply knowing that the frustrations and joy they experience in their marriage is normal.  We can all start to believe the grass is greener and I want this book to be a reminder that there is no greater legacy you can leave than to have a marriage that lasts in spite of all the ups and downs.

You also write for the Big Mama Blog. How long have you been doing that, and what do you see as the main purpose of the blog? 

I’ve been writing the Big Mama Blog for almost eight years.  I originally started it as merely a way to document family memories, but the readership has grown and the blog has become a real community.  My goal is to give people a moment to laugh or appreciate the absurdities of life in a world that can sometimes be so heavy and serious.

GIVEAWAY!

We are thrilled to be able to give away five copies of The Antelope in the Living Room so you can read this delightful book yourself! All you need to do is Tweet why you would like to read this book, tagging #antelopeintheliving and mentioning @theMotherhood. We will select five winners and notify you via tweet!

#MACCUPS TWITTER PARTY SWEEPSTAKES

NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN, NOR WILL A PURCHASE IMPROVE ONE’S CHANCES OF WINNING

1. SPONSOR: The Motherhood, 25 Brilliant Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15215, is solely responsible for all aspects of this sweepstakes (“Sweepstakes”). Decisions of Sponsor are final and binding with respect to the Sweepstakes.

2. ENTRY: During the period commencing at 2:00 P.M. on December 16, 2014 and ending at 3:00 P.M., on December 16, 2014 (“Entry Period”), you may enter by: (1) signing into your Twitter account (“Account”) or, if you are not already a member, becoming a member of Twitter.com for free and signing into your account; (2) “following” @ theMotherhood25; (3) answer the following questions and use the hashtag #MacCups in your answer tweet: Q1:Which flavor of #MacCups do you most want to try? Q2: True or False: #MacCups are made with 100% real cheddar cheese. Q3: Moms rarely get time to themselves. What is your perfect mini mealtime moment? Q4: Fill in the blank: “New STOUFFER’S® #MacCups, Made for _______.; Q5: What is your favorite @Stouffers product?, along with exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: “#Entry” (collectively, “Entry”). You may also review these instructions in Sponsor’s Twitter message received by you from @theMotherhood25. If your Twitter account is set to “protected mode”, your updates/responses will not be visible to Sponsor and, therefore, will not be received by Sponsor, resulting in your failure to enter the Sweepstakes. Normal Internet access and usage charges imposed by your online service will apply. If you opt to receive Sponsor’s tweets via your wireless mobile device (which may only be available via participating wireless carriers), standard text messaging rates, airtime and carrier charges will apply for each text message sent or received from your handset according to the terms and conditions of your service agreement with your wireless carrier. You understand that by participation in this Sweepstakes via mobile phone or text message, if you are a potential winner, the Sponsor may contact you via mobile phone or text message, which will be subject to the charges pursuant to your carrier’s rate plan. It is your sole responsibility to notify the Sponsor in writing if you change your Account. For purposes of these Official Rules (“Rules”, posted at: http://vite.io/themotherhood), all times and days are Eastern Time and the Sponsor’s computer will be the time keeping device for the purposes of this Sweepstakes. All required entry information must be completed in full in order for Entry to eligible. Proof of delivery or receipt of entry will not be deemed by Sponsor as proof of entry.

3. LIMITATIONS: All Entries must be received by 3:00 P.M., December 16, 2014. Only one Entry per person/Account (regardless of whether one person has more than one Account or more than one person use the same Account) per question during the Entry Period. In event of a dispute regarding the identity of the person submitting an Entry, the Entry will be deemed to be submitted by the natural person who is the “authorized account holder” assigned to the Account by Twitter. Entries by any method other than set forth above in Section 3 or in excess of the limitations set forth in this Section 4 are void. Use of any automated system to enter as determined by Sponsor in its sole judgment is prohibited and will result in disqualification at Sponsor’s sole discretion. Open only to persons who, upon entering, are 18 years or older; legal residents of, and physically located within, the 50 states or D. C. (collectively, “Territory”); and not employees of Sponsor; its parent, subsidiary, affiliated or successor companies; Sweepstakes Administrator; the advertising, promotional or fulfillment agencies of any of them (individually and collectively, “Entities”) nor members of their households or immediate families (parents, children, siblings, spouses). Neither the Entities, nor any of their officers, directors, shareholders, employees, agents or representatives (individually and collectively, “Releasees”) are responsible for Entries from persons residing, or physically located, outside the Territory, or Entries that are altered, delayed, deleted, destroyed, forged, fraudulent, illegible, improperly accessed, inaccurate, incomplete, interrupted, irregular in any way, late, lost, misdirected, multiple, non-delivered, stolen, tampered with, unauthorized, unintelligible or otherwise not in compliance with these Rules; or for lost, interrupted or unavailable network, server or other connections; miscommunications; failed phone, computer hardware or software or telephone transmissions; technical failures; unauthorized human intervention; traffic congestion; garbled or jumbled transmissions; undeliverable emails resulting from any form of active or passive email filtering; insufficient space in entrant’s email account to receive email; or other errors of any kind, whether due to electronic, human, mechanical, printing, production or technical errors or other causes; even if caused by the negligence of any of the Releasees; and/or any interruptions in or postponement, cancellation, or modification of the prize or Sweepstakes . Each of such potential Entries will be disqualified and any attempt by a person to use multiple Accounts to register more than once may result in disqualification at Sponsor’s sole discretion. Void where prohibited or restricted by law and subject to all applicable federal, state, local and municipal laws and regulations.

4. PRIZES: Five (5) Prizes: Each winner will receive one (1) $50 Visa gift card. A total of five (5) prizes will be awarded. Prizes may not be sold or transferred for commercial use. All expenses not specifically mentioned herein are not included and are solely the winner’s responsibility, including but not limited to standard internet services charges. Approximate retail value (“ARV”) per Prize: $50. Total ARV: $250. Prize is not redeemable for cash or transferable. No substitution allowed except that Sponsor may, at Sponsor’s sole discretion, substitute a prize of equal or greater value. The prize cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotion or offer. The prizes will be awarded provided they are validly claimed within 24 hours of notification, after which potential alternate winners will be selected. In the event potential alternate winners do not respond within 24 hours of notification, unclaimed prizes will not be awarded. There is a limit of 1 (one) prize per person/Account. Any depictions of prizes are for illustrative purposes only. Prizes will be shipped within 4-6 weeks following the end of the Sweepstakes. Each gift card is subject to the terms and conditions set forth on the gift card. Each gift card is redeemable for merchandise only and will not be redeemed or exchanged for cash, except where required by law. Each gift card will not be replaced or replenished if it is lost, stolen, damaged, destroyed or used without your permission and will be voided if altered or defaced.

5. PROCEDURES: All Entries must be received during the Entry Period. On or about December 16, 2014, during or directly following the Entry Period, in a series of random drawings, the potential winners will be selected from all eligible Entries received. Odds of winning depend on the total number of eligible Entries received.

6. WINNERS: Potential winners will be notified on Twitter by Direct Message to the potential winner’s Account on or about December 16, 2014. Sponsor is not responsible for changes to the Twitter Direct Message function that may interfere with winner notification. To claim the prize, you will be required to provide your email address and your physical mailing address. At the sole discretion of the Sponsor, disqualification, forfeiture and the selection of an alternate potential winner may result from any of the following: [1] potential winner’s failure to respond to notification within twenty-four (24) hours after its transmission; [2] the failure of notification due to deactivation of the potential winner’s Account prior to receipt of notification; [3] potential winner’s failure to become a follower of @ theMotherhood25, resulting in the potential winner’s failure to receive a Direct Message from Sponsor; [4] potential winner’s Account “protected mode” is set so that the potential winner’s updates/responses may not be visible to Sponsor; [5] potential winner’s failure to include #MacCups and “#Entry” in the tweet; [6] potential winner’s failure to provide Sponsor with satisfactory proof of age, identity and residency; [7] potential winner’s failure to validly claim the prize by December 18, 2014 and [8] any other non-compliance with Rules. In the event of a prize forfeiture, the Sponsor may, in its sole discretion, award or not award the forfeited prize to an alternate potential winner. All taxes are solely the responsibility of the winner.

7. CONDITIONS: By entering this Sweepstakes and/or accepting any prize you may win, you (your parent/legal guardian in the event you are a resident of a jurisdiction that deems to be a minor) agree, represent and warrant that: [1] you will be bound by the Rules and the Sponsor’s decisions, which shall be final in all respects; [2] during the Entry Period you will disclose your relationship with Sponsor in any online posts you make which reference Sponsor or any of Sponsor’s products or services by including the Term or the statement “I entered a Stouffer’s Sweepstakes” in any such online posts; [3] if you are selected as a winner you will continue to disclose your relationship with Sponsor in all online posts you make that reference Sponsor or any of Sponsor’s products or services by including “#paid” or the statement “I received a $50 visa gift card from Stouffer’s in any such online posts; [4] the Entry becomes solely the Sponsor’s property and will not be acknowledged or returned; [5] you release and hold harmless the Releasees from any and all liability for claims, injuries, losses or damages of any kind, including without limitation, death and bodily injury, resulting, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from the awarding, delivery, acceptance, use, misuse, possession, loss or misdirection of the prize; participation in the Sweepstakes or any Sweepstakes-related activity or travel or from any interaction with, or downloading of, computer Sweepstakes information; [6] the Releasees do not make any representation, warranty or guarantee, express or implied, relating to the Sweepstakes or the prizes; [7] your entry constitutes the grant to Sponsor and assigns of an unconditional right to use your Entry Tweet(s), Twitter icon, and Twitter handle for any publicity, advertising and promotional purposes in all media worldwide in perpetuity without additional compensation, except where prohibited by law; [8] winner’s acceptance of a prize constitutes the grant to Sponsor and assigns of an unconditional right to use winner’s name, address (city and state only), Tweet(s), Twitter icon, Twitter handle, voice, likeness, photograph, biographical and prize information, statements about the promotion and/or live and taped performances of interviews for any publicity, advertising and promotional purposes in all media worldwide in perpetuity without additional compensation, except where prohibited by law; [9] in the event viruses, bugs, unauthorized human intervention, Acts of God, acts or regulations of any governmental or supra-national authority, war, national emergency, accident, fire, riot, strikes, lock-outs, industrial disputes, acts of terrorism or other matters beyond the Sponsor’s reasonable control, corrupt, prevent or impair the administration, security, fairness or proper play of the Sweepstakes, so that it cannot be conducted as originally planned, Sponsor has the right, in its sole discretion, to modify the Rules or to cancel, modify, terminate or suspend the Sweepstakes; and in such event, to select winners by such method as Sponsor in its sole discretion shall consider equitable; [10] the Releasees are not responsible for typographical or other errors in the offer or administration of this Sweepstakes, including but not limited to: errors in the advertising, Rules, notification, selection and announcement of the winners and distribution of the prizes; [11] the Releasees are not responsible for any inability of the winner to accept or use the prize (or any portion thereof) for any reason; [12] Sponsor has the right to modify prize award procedures at its sole discretion; [13] the Releasees are not responsible for changes to any Twitter function that may interfere with Sweepstakes or your ability to timely enter; and [14] Releasees are not responsible for any failure of delivery of winner notification. Sponsor reserves the right at its sole discretion to disqualify any individual it (or the judges) find(s) to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of the Sweepstakes, to be acting in violation of the Official Rules or any laws, or to be attempting to undermine the legitimate operation of the Sweepstakes by cheating, hacking, deception, misappropriation, infringement or any other unfair or disruptive playing practices/poor sportsmanship, or intending to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other entrants, person, entity, or Sponsor representatives. ANY ATTEMPT TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE THE WEB SITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE SWEEPSTAKES MAY BE IN VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS AND WILL RESULT IN DISQUALIFICATION FROM PARTICIPATION IN THE SWEEPSTAKES. SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, SPONSOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK REMEDIES AND DAMAGES (INCLUDING ATTORNEY FEES) TO THE FULLEST EXTENT OF THE LAW, INCLUDING CRIMINAL PROSECUTION. Any waiver of any obligation hereunder by Sponsor does not constitute a general waiver of any obligation to entrants.

8. RULES & WINNER’S LIST: For names of winners (after December 19, 2014, but before December 23, 2014) and/or Rules (before December 23, 104), send an email to Brooke Wylie, [email protected].