While in the trenches of motherhood, being told "These are the best years" seems laughable. Sprinkled with biblical truth and humorous anecdotes, Margaret and Mary walk alongside you, holding your hand as you struggle to survive another day with a houseful of kids. You'll find yourself going from stress to smiles to outright chuckles as you learn precious tricks of the trade from these two seasoned mommies. We all desire to raise well-adjusted, happy, godly children. But how do we achieve that when our three-year-old drives the Jeep into a tree or our four-year-old cuts off all her hair? Or when our crawling baby eats a night crawler while exploring the yard? And what about the days when we not only lose our children but are certain we're losing our minds? Cheer up, Moms. Help is in your hands. Grandparents and childcare providers will also benefit from the plethora of ideas to conquer childhood's challenges and impart God's truth to the youngest generation. Each chapter ends with an applicable Bible verse, a suggestion you can implement today to ease the struggles, and a list of what the authors wish they'd known from the outset in raising their broods. Filled with nuggets of wisdom, encouraging words, and laugh-out-loud moments, Thrive and Survive, Zero to Five will equip you to be the best mommy you can be. Raising fourteen children between them, authors Margaret Nyman and Mary Peterson have learned what works and what doesn't. Both women have been speakers at mothers' groups, where they've kept current with what young moms are thinking these days. Mary was a nurse, Margaret a kindergarten teacher, and they raised their fourteen with likeminded goals. Because the two families lived near each other and spent lots of time together, their kids grew up almost like siblings. In recent years, Margaret has published two books of encouragement for widows, along with numerous magazine articles. She blogs at www.gettingthroughthis.com.