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Sparkly Green Earrings: Catching the Light at Every Turn
“There is really no better indicator you’re a mother than acquiring the ability to catch throw-up in a plastic bag, disinfect your hands, and immediately ask your friend to pass the beef jerky as you put on another Taylor Swift song and act as if nothing has happened.”
This is the type of insight Melanie Shankle offers in this quirky memoir of motherhood.
Written in the familiar, stream-of-consciousness style of her blog, Big Mama, Sparkly Green Earrings is a heartwarming and hilarious look at motherhood from someone who is still trying to figure it all out. Filled with personal stories—from the decision to become a mother to the heartbreak of miscarriage and ultimately, to the joy of raising a baby and living to tell about it—Sparkly Green Earrings will make you feel like you’re sitting across the table from your best friend. A must-read for anyone who’s ever had a child or even thought about it.
This is the type of insight Melanie Shankle offers in this quirky memoir of motherhood.
Written in the familiar, stream-of-consciousness style of her blog, Big Mama, Sparkly Green Earrings is a heartwarming and hilarious look at motherhood from someone who is still trying to figure it all out. Filled with personal stories—from the decision to become a mother to the heartbreak of miscarriage and ultimately, to the joy of raising a baby and living to tell about it—Sparkly Green Earrings will make you feel like you’re sitting across the table from your best friend. A must-read for anyone who’s ever had a child or even thought about it.
240 pages, Paperback
First published February 8, 2013
157 people are currently reading
4137 people want to read
About the author
Melanie Shankle
24 books1,044 followersMelanie Shankle is a 4 time New York Times bestselling author, speaker and co-host of The Big Boo podcast.
She is the author of multiple memoirs about friendship, motherhood, marriage and life, including Nobody’s Cuter Than You, Church of the Small Things and On the Bright Side.
Her newest book, Here Be Dragons, was in released in February of 2025 and debuted on the New York Times bestseller list.
Melanie is a 1993 graduate of Texas A&M. She lives in San Antonio, Texas with her husband, Perry. Her daughter Caroline is a 2025 graduate of Texas A&M and has written a 100 day devotional entitled The Lion and The Bear which was released in October 2025.
She is the author of multiple memoirs about friendship, motherhood, marriage and life, including Nobody’s Cuter Than You, Church of the Small Things and On the Bright Side.
Her newest book, Here Be Dragons, was in released in February of 2025 and debuted on the New York Times bestseller list.
Melanie is a 1993 graduate of Texas A&M. She lives in San Antonio, Texas with her husband, Perry. Her daughter Caroline is a 2025 graduate of Texas A&M and has written a 100 day devotional entitled The Lion and The Bear which was released in October 2025.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 666 reviews
March 3, 2013
My desire to read books about motherhood continues, it seems.
I saw this book mentioned on Pioneer Woman's blog, since Shankle is a guest blogger there. (She also has her own popular blog, Big Mama.) But I forgot this until I actually started reading the book. There's something about bloggers-turned-authors that never quite sits well with me. I have experienced this several times, and the root is basically that that the style of writing that works really well on a blog never works quite as well for me as a book.
There's nothing here that's particularly insightful -- the narrative sticks closely to the general often-heard refrain of "motherhood is hard, and here are some embarrassing and/or funny stories, but I love my kid so much and motherhood is also the best thing ever." I get this, but the repetition of this general message in SO MANY places still makes me uncomfortable, since I admit I'm still coming to terms with the fact that now that I have a baby, life will never be the same. (Do I love her to pieces? Yes. Do I still miss my old life? Yes. Do I think motherhood is the best thing ever? Honestly, the jury is still out on that one.)
Anyway, my personal neuroses aside :), I found this to be an enjoyable, easy and fast read.
I saw this book mentioned on Pioneer Woman's blog, since Shankle is a guest blogger there. (She also has her own popular blog, Big Mama.) But I forgot this until I actually started reading the book. There's something about bloggers-turned-authors that never quite sits well with me. I have experienced this several times, and the root is basically that that the style of writing that works really well on a blog never works quite as well for me as a book.
There's nothing here that's particularly insightful -- the narrative sticks closely to the general often-heard refrain of "motherhood is hard, and here are some embarrassing and/or funny stories, but I love my kid so much and motherhood is also the best thing ever." I get this, but the repetition of this general message in SO MANY places still makes me uncomfortable, since I admit I'm still coming to terms with the fact that now that I have a baby, life will never be the same. (Do I love her to pieces? Yes. Do I still miss my old life? Yes. Do I think motherhood is the best thing ever? Honestly, the jury is still out on that one.)
Anyway, my personal neuroses aside :), I found this to be an enjoyable, easy and fast read.
May 25, 2016
Not my style. I don't really want to read about babyhood anymore and I couldn't get over her snarkiness followed by Jesus praising. Not that there's anything wrong with Jesus loving, it justs seemed insincere when she's whining about her first world problems in one breath and praising in the next. I didn't finish.
February 12, 2013
I've been a long time blog reader of Big Mama's and was tickled when she said she was writing a book. I picked it up on Friday, and by Sunday afternoon I had finished it. I would've finished it sooner had real life responsibilities and commitments not gotten in the way (darn laundry, chauffering kids and such). I loved everything about this book and at times was a little freaked out because "OMGoodness I've had that exact same thought!" how did she get inside my head?!? :) This book made me laugh out loud, get misty eyed, kick myself for not having done a better job of documenting those early days of motherhood myself, and say "amen sista" multiple times. I love love LOVE this book and plan to give it to my sisters some mama friends for Mother's Day. I've also decided that this will now be my standard baby shower gift. Forget about the wipe warmer and the monogrammed burp rags, THIS is what a new mama really needs. Thanks Melanie for so beautifully putting into words what so many of us have thought or gone through on this crazy adventure of a lifetime called motherhood.
December 29, 2014
I have a confession - I succumbed. I succumbed to a freebie. I succumbed to a cute cover. And I succumbed to a catchy title - come on, it mentions sparkly earrings - one of my favorite things ever in this world (in the list with books, shoes, chocolate and puppies). But let me just tell you, this was full of honest, funny and poignant life moments and was wonderfully heartfelt. I wasn't expecting it to be all about motherhood - I guess that's what I get for not really paying attention to the blurb), but I was hooked in the first few pages.
Shankle has a very distinct voice, sometimes self-deprecating and sarcastic, yet honest about the hard stuff about child-reading and life in general. She doesn't try to gloss over her weaknesses, nor is she afraid to celebrate big and small victories, and I loved that about her. Though I'm not a mother (yet, I hope), I found that her points are applicable to life in other ways, not just motherhood.
I just noticed that she has another book coming out - this one about marriage, and you can sure that I'll be tracking down a copy of that!
Shankle has a very distinct voice, sometimes self-deprecating and sarcastic, yet honest about the hard stuff about child-reading and life in general. She doesn't try to gloss over her weaknesses, nor is she afraid to celebrate big and small victories, and I loved that about her. Though I'm not a mother (yet, I hope), I found that her points are applicable to life in other ways, not just motherhood.
I just noticed that she has another book coming out - this one about marriage, and you can sure that I'll be tracking down a copy of that!
May 27, 2013
So not for me.
I would have wanted to LOVE this book. The story seemed really lovely, funny and witty and the writing was really good.
But. I'm not religious person and putting one's every hope and dream in God's hand and doing so on almost every page was just not for me. It is quite alright for me for other people to believe to whatever/whoever they wish to, but I don't need to know about it. Also the psalms and bible quotes were a bit too much for me.
But if those things don't bother you, then this is going to be a great read!
I would have wanted to LOVE this book. The story seemed really lovely, funny and witty and the writing was really good.
But. I'm not religious person and putting one's every hope and dream in God's hand and doing so on almost every page was just not for me. It is quite alright for me for other people to believe to whatever/whoever they wish to, but I don't need to know about it. Also the psalms and bible quotes were a bit too much for me.
But if those things don't bother you, then this is going to be a great read!
January 22, 2025
“Every mother knows the reason Robert Frost took the road less traveled is because he wasn’t traveling with children who needed to go to the bathroom every thirty minutes.”
I was originally planning to read this for my ‘funny memoir’ reading challenge prompt— which it would 100 percent qualify for— but I decided to use it for ‘might make you cry’ because in between all the laughs, Melanie Shankle reminds me how precious it is to be a mom and that the years are indeed short and I can already feel them slipping by as my oldest is 8— the same age as Melanie’s Caroline (in this book) who, like my daughter, got her ears pierced on her 8th birthday.
This was such a fun, entertaining, and relatable book! I read it in only two days because I didn’t want to put it down. I was sad when it was over.
She has a great sense of humor and style of writing. I like the stream of consciousness and parenthetical asides way of telling stories— similar to Jenny Lawson’s book Broken (in the best possible way). I felt inspired reading this book because I’d love to write a funny memoir and Lawson and Shankle’s style is what I would want to do.
“Over the years, people began to tell me I should write a book. And I really wanted to. Except for the whole part that actually required me to sit down and write. But then I decided, how could eleven people and my dad be wrong?”
It was fun to be inspired, and I think I might be able to get the required eleven people. Time will tell.
I may not have the same perspective on alcohol as Melanie, or understand all the 80s-kid references, and for sure would never be mistaken for a fashionista, but I am also a shirt hoarder with many-a-shirts from high school still in my closet; I’ve definitely been told that my aviator sunglasses did not work with my face shape (I’m still sad about it); and I do feel many of her feelings in the marrow of my bones.
Like: dogs are not babies; baby wipe warmers are a trap; and I’ve contemplated how bad of a mother I would be if I let my baby sleep in her poop.
Melanie had first started a blog called Big Mama when her daughter, Caroline, was three years old. That was the catalyst that led to this book. She has since written a few more books (a friendship one and a marriage one among others), and her latest one is about parenting in the teenage years. She does a podcast with Sophie Hudson called Big Boo Cast. (Their blogs are Big Mama and Boo Mama). I listened to part of an episode out of curiosity and they both are very much from the South. It threw me off because I definitely didn’t read this book to myself in a southern accent but I feel like that does change the vibe of it if I had.
Here is Melanie’s perspective on motherhood:
“It will break your heart and make you laugh harder than you ever imagined. You find yourself alternating between feeling like your friends talked you into some sort of pyramid scheme so you could share in their misery and thinking this is the most fulfilling thing you’ve ever done in your life.”
She shares her heartache when she miscarried and she shares her struggles of being a working mom and wanting to stay home and how they ultimately came to that decision.
“From my perspective, I’m just thankful that if I’m going to spend my days with someone who ignores half of what I say and acts like she knows better than I do, it’s my daughter.”
I share her sentiments on epidurals. Whenever I felt pressured to do it naturally, I kept telling myself- You don’t have to be a hero!
“There are women who want to experience childbirth, but those are probably the same women who run marathons… my birth plan was a single sheet of paper with ‘EPIDURAL!!!!!’ scrawled in large letters with a Sharpie pen.”
I have googled enough symptoms to affirm her claim that “Google loves nothing more than a cancer diagnosis.”
I, too, have caught my daughter’s throw up. In my bare hands. Granted, I indirectly (or directly) caused the incident by forcing her to swallow the chicken nugget she’d been chewing for the last three hours. And sitting on the floor while pregnant does not offer a lot of escape options.
I truly understand what it’s like to have two weeks that “were filled with more meltdowns and drama than an episode of The Bachelor.”
Caroline told people at church, “I get so bored. I ask my mom to play with me, but all she does is sit on the couch. She’s real lazy.” I’ve also had to deal with that insecurity when my daughter asked me why I’m a “sitting down mom.”
And I would not put it past me to spend time on a soapbox that I would live to regret (because someone’s gotta do it): “I made a point about the whole thing just seeming like a ridiculous waste of time and money since I like to climb on the occasional soapbox concerning topics I think won’t ever apply to me.”
One thing I love about this book is that it’s not just funny stories and it’s not over-spiritualizing everything so that it’s a ‘Christian’ book. It’s an honest and sarcastic look at the ups and downs of motherhood while at times recognizing that God designed our lives to require caring for others because it grows us and teaches us things about him and about ourselves.
Melanie draws some good connections that are important reminders when we’re bogged down in the mess and the schedules and the meltdowns, that just as we are sacrificing for these little humans, Christ sacrificed for us. And this pure, impossible love we are filled with when we look at our babies is nothing compared to the Father’s love for us. He enables us to be the mothers we are and just as we prepare our children for the world and can picture who they will grow to be, so does God when we are in the exhausting trenches of motherhood. He is refining us and redeeming us.
“He sees us— really sees us— not just for who we are at any given moment, but for what we could be one day.”
“I realized this whole process was such a striking picture of how Christ works in us. He takes our disappointments, rejections, and hard times, and he makes something beautiful. He creates life and shows us what beauty looks like in places where we look and see nothing.”
“It’s those moments when I realize I have to extend grace to Caroline as she figures these things out by trial and error in the same way God lavishes me with mercy, even as I make the same mistakes over and over again.”
“I believe motherhood gives us the first true glimpse of how God loves us. The kind of love that’s irrevocable, unrelenting, unconditional. I think it’s the closest humans get to living out 1 Corinthians 13. Motherhood is a Holy Communion with Goldfish crackers and juice boxes.”
So I loved the stories and the humor, but I also loved how she brought me back to the wonder of being a mom. Her prayer for Caroline is what I desire for my kids. I’ll have to think of some sort of boy thing that’s bright and shiny instead of sparkly earrings, but yes, that they would reflect the light of Christ.
“Daniel 12:3 says that those who are wise will ‘shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.’”
Recommendation
I definitely recommend this book. It’s really funny and relatable— at least for moms or those who desire to be.
It’s an uplifting read that makes you both laugh make you cry those ‘they’re growing up too fast’ kind of tears.
And it will remind you of the gravity and meaning of your role as a mom in the daily battles of lunches and clothes, bodily fluids, and wondering when birthday parties stop being the most important thing they ever do.
I’ll probably read another one of her books. I’m not sure my heart can handle the teenage years one yet, but maybe the marriage one would be okay for my life stage at the moment.
Book Review Blog | Facebook | Pinterest | StoryGraph
I was originally planning to read this for my ‘funny memoir’ reading challenge prompt— which it would 100 percent qualify for— but I decided to use it for ‘might make you cry’ because in between all the laughs, Melanie Shankle reminds me how precious it is to be a mom and that the years are indeed short and I can already feel them slipping by as my oldest is 8— the same age as Melanie’s Caroline (in this book) who, like my daughter, got her ears pierced on her 8th birthday.
This was such a fun, entertaining, and relatable book! I read it in only two days because I didn’t want to put it down. I was sad when it was over.
She has a great sense of humor and style of writing. I like the stream of consciousness and parenthetical asides way of telling stories— similar to Jenny Lawson’s book Broken (in the best possible way). I felt inspired reading this book because I’d love to write a funny memoir and Lawson and Shankle’s style is what I would want to do.
“Over the years, people began to tell me I should write a book. And I really wanted to. Except for the whole part that actually required me to sit down and write. But then I decided, how could eleven people and my dad be wrong?”
It was fun to be inspired, and I think I might be able to get the required eleven people. Time will tell.
I may not have the same perspective on alcohol as Melanie, or understand all the 80s-kid references, and for sure would never be mistaken for a fashionista, but I am also a shirt hoarder with many-a-shirts from high school still in my closet; I’ve definitely been told that my aviator sunglasses did not work with my face shape (I’m still sad about it); and I do feel many of her feelings in the marrow of my bones.
Like: dogs are not babies; baby wipe warmers are a trap; and I’ve contemplated how bad of a mother I would be if I let my baby sleep in her poop.
Melanie had first started a blog called Big Mama when her daughter, Caroline, was three years old. That was the catalyst that led to this book. She has since written a few more books (a friendship one and a marriage one among others), and her latest one is about parenting in the teenage years. She does a podcast with Sophie Hudson called Big Boo Cast. (Their blogs are Big Mama and Boo Mama). I listened to part of an episode out of curiosity and they both are very much from the South. It threw me off because I definitely didn’t read this book to myself in a southern accent but I feel like that does change the vibe of it if I had.
Here is Melanie’s perspective on motherhood:
“It will break your heart and make you laugh harder than you ever imagined. You find yourself alternating between feeling like your friends talked you into some sort of pyramid scheme so you could share in their misery and thinking this is the most fulfilling thing you’ve ever done in your life.”
She shares her heartache when she miscarried and she shares her struggles of being a working mom and wanting to stay home and how they ultimately came to that decision.
“From my perspective, I’m just thankful that if I’m going to spend my days with someone who ignores half of what I say and acts like she knows better than I do, it’s my daughter.”
I share her sentiments on epidurals. Whenever I felt pressured to do it naturally, I kept telling myself- You don’t have to be a hero!
“There are women who want to experience childbirth, but those are probably the same women who run marathons… my birth plan was a single sheet of paper with ‘EPIDURAL!!!!!’ scrawled in large letters with a Sharpie pen.”
I have googled enough symptoms to affirm her claim that “Google loves nothing more than a cancer diagnosis.”
I, too, have caught my daughter’s throw up. In my bare hands. Granted, I indirectly (or directly) caused the incident by forcing her to swallow the chicken nugget she’d been chewing for the last three hours. And sitting on the floor while pregnant does not offer a lot of escape options.
I truly understand what it’s like to have two weeks that “were filled with more meltdowns and drama than an episode of The Bachelor.”
Caroline told people at church, “I get so bored. I ask my mom to play with me, but all she does is sit on the couch. She’s real lazy.” I’ve also had to deal with that insecurity when my daughter asked me why I’m a “sitting down mom.”
And I would not put it past me to spend time on a soapbox that I would live to regret (because someone’s gotta do it): “I made a point about the whole thing just seeming like a ridiculous waste of time and money since I like to climb on the occasional soapbox concerning topics I think won’t ever apply to me.”
One thing I love about this book is that it’s not just funny stories and it’s not over-spiritualizing everything so that it’s a ‘Christian’ book. It’s an honest and sarcastic look at the ups and downs of motherhood while at times recognizing that God designed our lives to require caring for others because it grows us and teaches us things about him and about ourselves.
Melanie draws some good connections that are important reminders when we’re bogged down in the mess and the schedules and the meltdowns, that just as we are sacrificing for these little humans, Christ sacrificed for us. And this pure, impossible love we are filled with when we look at our babies is nothing compared to the Father’s love for us. He enables us to be the mothers we are and just as we prepare our children for the world and can picture who they will grow to be, so does God when we are in the exhausting trenches of motherhood. He is refining us and redeeming us.
“He sees us— really sees us— not just for who we are at any given moment, but for what we could be one day.”
“I realized this whole process was such a striking picture of how Christ works in us. He takes our disappointments, rejections, and hard times, and he makes something beautiful. He creates life and shows us what beauty looks like in places where we look and see nothing.”
“It’s those moments when I realize I have to extend grace to Caroline as she figures these things out by trial and error in the same way God lavishes me with mercy, even as I make the same mistakes over and over again.”
“I believe motherhood gives us the first true glimpse of how God loves us. The kind of love that’s irrevocable, unrelenting, unconditional. I think it’s the closest humans get to living out 1 Corinthians 13. Motherhood is a Holy Communion with Goldfish crackers and juice boxes.”
So I loved the stories and the humor, but I also loved how she brought me back to the wonder of being a mom. Her prayer for Caroline is what I desire for my kids. I’ll have to think of some sort of boy thing that’s bright and shiny instead of sparkly earrings, but yes, that they would reflect the light of Christ.
“Daniel 12:3 says that those who are wise will ‘shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.’”
Recommendation
I definitely recommend this book. It’s really funny and relatable— at least for moms or those who desire to be.
It’s an uplifting read that makes you both laugh make you cry those ‘they’re growing up too fast’ kind of tears.
And it will remind you of the gravity and meaning of your role as a mom in the daily battles of lunches and clothes, bodily fluids, and wondering when birthday parties stop being the most important thing they ever do.
I’ll probably read another one of her books. I’m not sure my heart can handle the teenage years one yet, but maybe the marriage one would be okay for my life stage at the moment.
Book Review Blog | Facebook | Pinterest | StoryGraph
February 11, 2013
I absolutely could not put this book down except when absolutely necessary. Delightful and God inspired. Sparkly Green Earrings tugs at your heart strings one moment and sends you to laughing out loud the next... Great read!
August 11, 2024
A halariously true book on parenthood. I laughed all the way through but found everything so crazily relatable...even though I am not a mother (but hey, I have lots of younger siblings which is similar, right? 😂)
October 21, 2018
Lots of relatable mom humor. It's an easy, quick, and fun read. I like that it's not preachy or full of self-help tips. It just is what it is - a cute book about parenthood.
November 24, 2024
The writing style was very easy to read, and made it a quick read (pregnancy hormones also probably helped there). The flow of everything was a little choppy, but since this is a blogger I guess that makes sense. It’s a sweet motherhood boom though!
February 4, 2023
I could NOT put this book down. I cried all the tears- happy, sentimental, and the side hurting laugh out loud kind. Moms in any stage of parenting, this one is a MUST.
December 27, 2023
Light and funny. I laughed out loud multiple times.
February 18, 2017
Delightful.
June 24, 2013
I really liked her book. It was a light, quick read. There were several good quotes that I wrote down afterwards. She has a good way of explaining how I sometimes feel about motherhood. Here's my two favorite quotes: "Real motherhood is different. It's better and it's messier and it's more complicated. It will break your heart and make you laugh harder than you ever imagined. You find yourself alternating between feeling like your friends talked you into some sort of pyramid scheme so you can share in their misery and thinking this is the most fulfilling thing you've ever done in your life."
"Because raising a child is a fleeting moment in time that sometimes gets swallowed up in the daily routine of car pools and soccer practice and 'Can I get away with serving tacos for dinner again tonight?' And yet, it's the daily balance of treasuring the moments as we wish some of them away. It's treading water in a sea of imperfections. It's a delicate dance of guilt and joy."
"Because raising a child is a fleeting moment in time that sometimes gets swallowed up in the daily routine of car pools and soccer practice and 'Can I get away with serving tacos for dinner again tonight?' And yet, it's the daily balance of treasuring the moments as we wish some of them away. It's treading water in a sea of imperfections. It's a delicate dance of guilt and joy."
June 19, 2021
I am truly surprised that I have seen Christian women recommend this book. I admit it is funny in a few parts, and I laughed out loud a couple of times while reading toward the beginning of the book. On the other hand, however, the author spends most of her pages complaining, being snarky/sarcastic, and making distasteful jokes (the repeated jokes about drunkenness/alcoholism/drugs and extremely racially insensitive comments made it uncomfortable to continue reading — in my opinion). Mixed right in with all of this negative talk that makes motherhood sound terrible were comments about parenting reflecting the love of God and even Bible verses… this seemed so silly to me. On top of this, I felt like the writing style was not at all cohesive. It did not flow, and it felt like a bunch of random bits forced together.
June 7, 2013
I wanted very much to like this book, because again, several of my blogging friends that I trust recommended it. But I could not.
I have boiled this down: she knew her audience and wrote to them, at the exclusion of everyone else. Mothers with young children (and mothers in general) will probably like this book. As a single woman, I was torn between thinking that motherhood sounds terrible, and feeling guilty because I am not a mother, and cannot experience the love of God in a real way. There were funny moments. But it was a hard book to read.
I have boiled this down: she knew her audience and wrote to them, at the exclusion of everyone else. Mothers with young children (and mothers in general) will probably like this book. As a single woman, I was torn between thinking that motherhood sounds terrible, and feeling guilty because I am not a mother, and cannot experience the love of God in a real way. There were funny moments. But it was a hard book to read.
April 9, 2025
Back during the long early days of C19, I had a lot of time to take long, long walks, and I discovered, long after everyone else on planet Earth, the delight of podcasts. (Yes, I was late to join social media and get a smartphone too. It's how I roll.) Just as I listen to music and choose my books, I have my fingers in all sorts of podcast genres.
All that to say, I happened upon The Big Boo Cast and it made me laugh (even when they talk regularly about college sports about which I do not care one bit but as a pro sports fan can relate to their highs and lows). When I discovered that Melanie and Sophie both have several books each as well, I made a mental note that I wanted to check them out.
Lo, here we are some five years later and I've finally gotten around to that mental note. (I'm slow on the uptake, if you'll recall.)
I often enter these forays into "books by bloggers" with some skepticism, because if we're honest with ourselves, book writing and blog writing are entirely different animals. In many (if not all) cases, I feel like the books by bloggers read a bit stilted, lacking a cohesiveness between chapters that is fine for blog posts that are designed the stand alone, but feels awkward to read in book form, unless they are presented more like essays than chapters of a book.
I found myself pleasantly surprised. While it felt evident to me that this was Melanie's first venture into book-land, she picked a clear theme, there was a decent flow from one chapter to the next, and it was engaging -- which was set up to be a stretch for me, given that she was talking about motherhood and that's something with which I have no experience. I didn't have any experience with her actual blogging either, but her voice through her writing felt familiar and genuine to what I've come to know of her through the podcast. It made the book feel conversational. And Melanie makes me laugh, with her slightly sarcastic, self-deprecating sense of humor. All this combined to make this a quick, easy, enjoyable read. I also appreciated her candid takes on motherhood and how she expressed her faith throughout, because as any Christian knows, this life is fraught with experiences that we bemoan and chafe against but are then reminded by our time in the Word just what a blessing we're taking for granted amid the drudgery and challenge.
Listen, am I going to call Sparkly Green Earrings the greatest piece of literature I've picked up this decade? Probably not. But it was feel-good soul food and I'll for sure be moving my way through her lineup of other books (and checking out one by Sophie soon too!).
All that to say, I happened upon The Big Boo Cast and it made me laugh (even when they talk regularly about college sports about which I do not care one bit but as a pro sports fan can relate to their highs and lows). When I discovered that Melanie and Sophie both have several books each as well, I made a mental note that I wanted to check them out.
Lo, here we are some five years later and I've finally gotten around to that mental note. (I'm slow on the uptake, if you'll recall.)
I often enter these forays into "books by bloggers" with some skepticism, because if we're honest with ourselves, book writing and blog writing are entirely different animals. In many (if not all) cases, I feel like the books by bloggers read a bit stilted, lacking a cohesiveness between chapters that is fine for blog posts that are designed the stand alone, but feels awkward to read in book form, unless they are presented more like essays than chapters of a book.
I found myself pleasantly surprised. While it felt evident to me that this was Melanie's first venture into book-land, she picked a clear theme, there was a decent flow from one chapter to the next, and it was engaging -- which was set up to be a stretch for me, given that she was talking about motherhood and that's something with which I have no experience. I didn't have any experience with her actual blogging either, but her voice through her writing felt familiar and genuine to what I've come to know of her through the podcast. It made the book feel conversational. And Melanie makes me laugh, with her slightly sarcastic, self-deprecating sense of humor. All this combined to make this a quick, easy, enjoyable read. I also appreciated her candid takes on motherhood and how she expressed her faith throughout, because as any Christian knows, this life is fraught with experiences that we bemoan and chafe against but are then reminded by our time in the Word just what a blessing we're taking for granted amid the drudgery and challenge.
Listen, am I going to call Sparkly Green Earrings the greatest piece of literature I've picked up this decade? Probably not. But it was feel-good soul food and I'll for sure be moving my way through her lineup of other books (and checking out one by Sophie soon too!).
February 21, 2025
There are 2 kinds of mentors. There’s the kind that pushes you to be your best, do hard things and choose the path less traveled. And then there’s the other kind that makes you let down your guard, gives you extra grace and tells you to not be so hard on yourself. We need both types in different seasons.
In the mothering-book world, Melanie Shankle’s “Sparkly Green Earrings” is the second type, with a huge dose of laugh-out-loud humor mixed in. Shankle is not trying to pressure us to eat organic, breastfeed only, and homeschool our children, as the only godly path forward.
She’s the kind of older sister who sets the bar a little lower, and finds a common ground between all of us, even those of us who aren’t perfect moms. For many also, Shankle will resonate deeply, as she shares her own heart-wrenching journey to even conceive a child.
I originally got this book to give to a friend expecting her first child who is already at the lowest common denominator in terms of her life as a believer. After reading “Sparkly Green Earrings,” for myself, I feel like maybe it’s not quite the right tone for my friend. I’m leaning more towards “Out of the Spin Cycle: Devotions to Lighten Your Motherload” by Jen Hatmaker. At the same time as being side-splittingly funny, “Spin Cycle” manages to bring more of the first type of mentor, pushing you to do hard things, which is what I think my friend needs right now.
~Jen
In the mothering-book world, Melanie Shankle’s “Sparkly Green Earrings” is the second type, with a huge dose of laugh-out-loud humor mixed in. Shankle is not trying to pressure us to eat organic, breastfeed only, and homeschool our children, as the only godly path forward.
She’s the kind of older sister who sets the bar a little lower, and finds a common ground between all of us, even those of us who aren’t perfect moms. For many also, Shankle will resonate deeply, as she shares her own heart-wrenching journey to even conceive a child.
I originally got this book to give to a friend expecting her first child who is already at the lowest common denominator in terms of her life as a believer. After reading “Sparkly Green Earrings,” for myself, I feel like maybe it’s not quite the right tone for my friend. I’m leaning more towards “Out of the Spin Cycle: Devotions to Lighten Your Motherload” by Jen Hatmaker. At the same time as being side-splittingly funny, “Spin Cycle” manages to bring more of the first type of mentor, pushing you to do hard things, which is what I think my friend needs right now.
~Jen
February 6, 2019
Sparkly Green Earrings was a laugh-out-loud, coffee with your best friend kind of memoir. Shankle's admissions are those most mom's face in their daily life but wouldn't dare admit out loud. Shankle manages to recount these precious little moments (whether they be the first steps, first time your child says "I love you mommy" or when they make a mess of your make-up, expensive make-up, all over the bathroom floor) and not only take you to that moment with her but also follow it up with how a mother's love sounds a lot like a Heavenly Father's. I loved how she did that so seamlessly without sounding too preachy. This was a very uplifting book and I'm glad I came across it through the Pioneer Woman.
January 17, 2020
I’ve gotten stingy with my stars: I enjoyed the book enough but it wasn’t earth shatteringly awesome. It was entertaining, and funny in places, I laughed out loud - I definitely don’t regret reading it, but I turned to my husband while reading and said “This book solidifies my theory that they will give any popular blogger a book deal these days.” There were places where religion came up randomly and felt forced just to remind us all she’s a Christian.
February 12, 2022
GREAT BOOK!!! Loved it so much, also it's a quick read. Motherhood is a gift from God above and at times we forget that it's a beautiful gift♥️ as Melanie wrote" It's the daily balance of treasuring the moments even as we wish some of them away". I'm the momma of an 8 year old only child and this book hit home & my ♥️ in many ways. I don't want to wish the days to go faster but to go slower, to relish each day with my sweet and beautiful Beatrice💕
March 21, 2025
Wow! Just wow! EXACTLY what I needed after a hard start to my year. I literally laughed out loud. It made me worry a bit that I don’t remember all those small moments with my “baby” (now going in to her senior year of high school). But reminded me that I am doing all that I can and have to let the good Lord take the wheel more and more now. Melanie just kept it REAL. She wrote what we all think as we then go “Forgive me Lord.”
April 27, 2017
Laugh-out-loud funny & touching. Listened to this as an audiobook (I've been experimenting with Hoopla) and Melanie Shankle gets extra credit for making this an immensely easy listening experience for someone who usually struggles through audiobooks.
November 26, 2018
"I want her to catch the light of Jesus Christ and never let go."
This book was very relatable for me, which is probably why I loved it so much. A few parts made me pretty emotional.
This book was very relatable for me, which is probably why I loved it so much. A few parts made me pretty emotional.
August 11, 2022
Every mom needs to read this book if only for the laughs! Loved it!
January 8, 2026
4.5! This girl was mad cheesy but it was a fun lighthearted book on her experience with motherhood 🥰 thanks mom
July 3, 2018
Cute read about motherhood. I'm a Melanie Shankle fan :)
June 29, 2017
Loved this - quick pace. I usually don't like mommy blog type books but this one had just enough humor mixed with Christian Faith while being a mom. Very relatable. I would read any of her other books!
July 3, 2013
I picked up Sparkly Green Earrings because it was recommended by Kayla Aimee, a blogger I follow. I'm so glad I did! I laughed, shook my head, and couldn't put my Kindle down for two days.
Well, okay. I could have finished in one day if the kids and husband didn't require such things as food, clean clothes, and attention.
It's not until the end of the book that the title makes sense. Of course if you're like me it takes you at least five minutes AFTER you finish to realize "OOOOOOOOOH! SO THAT'S WHY IT'S TITLED SO!"
SGE is an intimate look at one woman's insight into pregnancy, marriage, house renovations, labor and delivery, and raising a precocious young woman with a peek into what God has in store for Melanie, Perry, and Caroline.
As I was reading I kept mentally adding and subtracting stars. Ms. Shankle gets one star for being a child of the 80's, but loses half a star for calling The Beastie Boys "bad rap". She gained two whole stars for all of the pink Caroline wore, and another star for being a night owl. There was another star configuration, but I'll be darned if I remember what it was. So in all I rate this a 4.5 because I laughed so much throughout the whole book.
As soon as I finished the book I raced to my laptop without tripping over the cats so that I could log in and immediately subscribe to her blog. Though I barely made it out of my bed {because I was READING}, Sparkly Green Earrings is exactly what my doctor would recommend; a great book full of mommy wisdom, mommy mistakes, and most of all...a whole lot of mommy love.
I look forward to reading her Big Mama blog and her next book!
Well, okay. I could have finished in one day if the kids and husband didn't require such things as food, clean clothes, and attention.
It's not until the end of the book that the title makes sense. Of course if you're like me it takes you at least five minutes AFTER you finish to realize "OOOOOOOOOH! SO THAT'S WHY IT'S TITLED SO!"
SGE is an intimate look at one woman's insight into pregnancy, marriage, house renovations, labor and delivery, and raising a precocious young woman with a peek into what God has in store for Melanie, Perry, and Caroline.
As I was reading I kept mentally adding and subtracting stars. Ms. Shankle gets one star for being a child of the 80's, but loses half a star for calling The Beastie Boys "bad rap". She gained two whole stars for all of the pink Caroline wore, and another star for being a night owl. There was another star configuration, but I'll be darned if I remember what it was. So in all I rate this a 4.5 because I laughed so much throughout the whole book.
As soon as I finished the book I raced to my laptop without tripping over the cats so that I could log in and immediately subscribe to her blog. Though I barely made it out of my bed {because I was READING}, Sparkly Green Earrings is exactly what my doctor would recommend; a great book full of mommy wisdom, mommy mistakes, and most of all...a whole lot of mommy love.
I look forward to reading her Big Mama blog and her next book!
May 16, 2013
A light funny quick read about motherhood in its early stages, amd just a little bit before conceiving.
I never heard about big mama blog, but i picked this book after i stumbled upon it free on kindle. The cover along with the title were catchy and drawn me in instantly. I also saw it had high ratings.
I liked her sense of humour and wittiness throughout the book and her simple light writing style.
I was laughing out loud many times and i could relate to a lot of the things told.
I liked her faith in God and Jesus and counting on them in the first place and every step of the way. Not to forget her quoting of khalil gebran offering insights about our children in life. Priceless!!!
I was entertained the whole time, reading with enthusiasm and nodding my head at situations i could totally relate to. Although i disagree about the perspective in regards to caroline, her daughter, going way too far with her mood to dress up on her own with all the dawdling. It was a bit far fetched in my opinion, but then again that is a personal preference and each parent has his own way in implementing discipline, so it's just my two cents.
If you are expecting, or you are a new parent, or simply would like to relive some of those first moments and years of motherhood with all its craziness and twists and turns, give it a go. You'll enjoy it!!!
I never heard about big mama blog, but i picked this book after i stumbled upon it free on kindle. The cover along with the title were catchy and drawn me in instantly. I also saw it had high ratings.
I liked her sense of humour and wittiness throughout the book and her simple light writing style.
I was laughing out loud many times and i could relate to a lot of the things told.
I liked her faith in God and Jesus and counting on them in the first place and every step of the way. Not to forget her quoting of khalil gebran offering insights about our children in life. Priceless!!!
I was entertained the whole time, reading with enthusiasm and nodding my head at situations i could totally relate to. Although i disagree about the perspective in regards to caroline, her daughter, going way too far with her mood to dress up on her own with all the dawdling. It was a bit far fetched in my opinion, but then again that is a personal preference and each parent has his own way in implementing discipline, so it's just my two cents.
If you are expecting, or you are a new parent, or simply would like to relive some of those first moments and years of motherhood with all its craziness and twists and turns, give it a go. You'll enjoy it!!!
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