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Peace Pirates: Conquering the Beliefs and Behaviors that Steal Your Treasure in Motherhood
PEACE PIRATES encourages and equips moms to stay ahead of what steals their peace and joy, so they can fully experience the blessings of motherhood, that parenting isn't just a title; it is a treasure.
Why do moms find themselves settling for a depleted and frustrated existence when motherhood is truly one of the greatest gifts from God? Being a mom is one of the most important-yet-difficult roles a woman will ever fill. Deep in their hearts, many women believe they are failing their families, are emotionally anemic, and are utterly helpless to maintain their peace while raising kids. As a result, hearts and homes are constantly defeated by the "peace pirates" that are allowed to take away the security God paid for His children to have.
As a wife, mother of four boys, and blogger to hundreds of thousands of mothers, Ashley Willis experienced the stress of trying to be the best mom God wants her to be, while constantly fearing that she's missing out on the real treasure.
With God's help, mothers can find the treasure in the midst of the struggle and remain faithful through all seasons of motherhood--especially the difficult ones--and claim their peace. PEACE PIRATES will teach readers how to stay "treasured up" by first helping them identify the four stressors, or, peace pirates, that challenge their zest and contentment. With powerful personal and biblical insights, PEACE PIRATES will encourage and equip moms to stay ahead of what steals their joy so they can fully experience the blessings of motherhood.
Why do moms find themselves settling for a depleted and frustrated existence when motherhood is truly one of the greatest gifts from God? Being a mom is one of the most important-yet-difficult roles a woman will ever fill. Deep in their hearts, many women believe they are failing their families, are emotionally anemic, and are utterly helpless to maintain their peace while raising kids. As a result, hearts and homes are constantly defeated by the "peace pirates" that are allowed to take away the security God paid for His children to have.
As a wife, mother of four boys, and blogger to hundreds of thousands of mothers, Ashley Willis experienced the stress of trying to be the best mom God wants her to be, while constantly fearing that she's missing out on the real treasure.
With God's help, mothers can find the treasure in the midst of the struggle and remain faithful through all seasons of motherhood--especially the difficult ones--and claim their peace. PEACE PIRATES will teach readers how to stay "treasured up" by first helping them identify the four stressors, or, peace pirates, that challenge their zest and contentment. With powerful personal and biblical insights, PEACE PIRATES will encourage and equip moms to stay ahead of what steals their joy so they can fully experience the blessings of motherhood.
- GenresParentingNonfiction
224 pages, Hardcover
Published April 7, 2020
11 people are currently reading
920 people want to read
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June 9, 2020I recently was given the opportunity to read Peace Pirates by Ashley Willis. This book was a wonderful book for my mommy heart. Ashley speaks with a voice of experience as a mom of four boys and working wife. She accurately addresses the beliefs and misconceptions we, as women, struggle with in pursuit of raising kids to love and serve God and others. Ashley uses lighthearted humor and real life examples of our struggles with living up to expectations that others place on us, or we place on ourselves. Peace Pirates is a great read for any mom looking to understand their own beliefs and struggles that cause a lack of peace. Through personal application and Biblical support, this book will encourage and provide hope and strength for the road of motherhood.
June 3, 2020
I LOVE THIS BOOK! Ashley’s honesty and humor are so refreshing. She opens her heart and home to the reader in a way that depicts both the beauty and brokenness of motherhood. Ashley artfully weaves scripture throughout the book in a way that ignites hope and revitalizes the soul at every turn. She speaks truth in love and provides practical tools to help you thrive even in the throes of chaos.
Peace Pirates was such an easy read. I flew through it in just a few days! Ashley breaks down the four most common “Peace Pirates” that attempt to rob us of our peace in motherhood: mommy martyrdom, comparison chaos, clenching control, and excessive expectations. She provides practical tools to navigate the choppy waters of motherhood, and even has a simple quiz to help you identify the area you struggle most with.
Peace Pirates is a must-read for every mama that I highly recommend! It has definitely caused me to slow down and focus more on treasuring up all of the precious little moments with my own kiddos. Be sure to grab your copy today!
*I received a copy of this book to give away in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Read entire review on my blog: https://katiejtrent.com/?p=1021
Peace Pirates was such an easy read. I flew through it in just a few days! Ashley breaks down the four most common “Peace Pirates” that attempt to rob us of our peace in motherhood: mommy martyrdom, comparison chaos, clenching control, and excessive expectations. She provides practical tools to navigate the choppy waters of motherhood, and even has a simple quiz to help you identify the area you struggle most with.
Peace Pirates is a must-read for every mama that I highly recommend! It has definitely caused me to slow down and focus more on treasuring up all of the precious little moments with my own kiddos. Be sure to grab your copy today!
*I received a copy of this book to give away in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Read entire review on my blog: https://katiejtrent.com/?p=1021
June 9, 2020
I was able to get some refreshers from Peace Pirates and I knew going into reading it that it would feel more geared to mothers that have young children.
If that is the season that you are in, or no a mother that’s there and needs to know how to navigate toward peace in the middle of chaos, then I strongly feel that this book will be beneficial to you.
If that is the season that you are in, or no a mother that’s there and needs to know how to navigate toward peace in the middle of chaos, then I strongly feel that this book will be beneficial to you.
October 27, 2024
Nice reminders for moms (especially of really little ones) to embrace the adventure of kids and to root out the things that keep you from peace in the midst of the fullness of mothering. Things that steal peace: overdoing it to the detriment of your own care, comparison, clinging to control, unrealistic expectations.
*Thanks to the publisher for the copy and goodreads for hosting the giveaway.
*Thanks to the publisher for the copy and goodreads for hosting the giveaway.
May 11, 2020
In Peace Pirates, Ashley Willis explored the confessions from a mother on raising children, four peace pirates that steal our joy, and the treasure we can discover in Biblical mothers. She begins every chapter by revealing key principles and a personal story from a mother. She ends each chapter with a prayer for mothers. Ashley has a total of four boys and explains throughout the book the joys and struggles she has gone through in parenting. She goes into detail about how she feels like a pirate and some days she feels like she is being toss around in the sea. She explains that the weapons are harsh words, eye rolls, frustration, and acting out events. She admits that sometimes she feels guilty in not being the perfect mother and she is transparent about comparing herself to other mothers. In the second part of the book, she tackled four peace pirates that steal our time and our joy. One of these included, comparison and she looks at different types of mothers that influenced her positively to try and become a better mother. Some of these included, “the planner, free-spirit, all-natural, creative, handy, fit, and much more. She does this to show mothers that all mothers have something unique to bring to parenting their kids and we all have a collection of strengths. We don’t have to waste time comparing ourselves to others.
One of my favorite stories, she opened up about was a story about her third son, Chandler and how he is a screamer and is a loud person. One day, the teacher was very vocal about how frustrated she was with him and how he wasn’t doing well in school. He was acting out making noises in class. Eventually, she decided to observe him and that same day he got in trouble for being too rough, not painting in the lines, and how he got angry about not being called on to answer questions. She talked to her son later and he shared how he never got any good stars and how he felt his teacher never saw him doing good things. Ashley finally found some help when she took him to an occupational therapist and he was taught how to behave in different setting and this immensely helped him. The teacher still didn’t give him any stars and he was still feeling discouraged. Ashley revealed how she struggled with having peace in this and she felt like a failure for not helping to change the teachers perceptive of him. She explained how she felt the teacher couldn’t see past his past and how she struggled with how to take his personality. She shared how she had to surrender her hurts and give it to God and release things she couldn’t control.
I would recommend this awesome book to any mother that is feeling overwhelmed, struggling with comparison, losing their peace, and feeling they aren’t being a good enough mother. I especially like how open Ashley was in the book and how she shared personal stories that mothers could relate to. Parenting isn’t easy and there are always opportunities for us to lose our peace when our kids are acting out. I truly believe this book contains the tools to help mothers to learn how to become better moms and it will help navigate the rough raging waters of parenting. I also appreciated how she looked at Mary’s life of motherhood and the treasures we can learn from her life. I immensely believe this book would be an incredible blessing to mother’s on Mother’s Day.
"I received this book free from the publisher, Faithwords for my honest review.”
One of my favorite stories, she opened up about was a story about her third son, Chandler and how he is a screamer and is a loud person. One day, the teacher was very vocal about how frustrated she was with him and how he wasn’t doing well in school. He was acting out making noises in class. Eventually, she decided to observe him and that same day he got in trouble for being too rough, not painting in the lines, and how he got angry about not being called on to answer questions. She talked to her son later and he shared how he never got any good stars and how he felt his teacher never saw him doing good things. Ashley finally found some help when she took him to an occupational therapist and he was taught how to behave in different setting and this immensely helped him. The teacher still didn’t give him any stars and he was still feeling discouraged. Ashley revealed how she struggled with having peace in this and she felt like a failure for not helping to change the teachers perceptive of him. She explained how she felt the teacher couldn’t see past his past and how she struggled with how to take his personality. She shared how she had to surrender her hurts and give it to God and release things she couldn’t control.
I would recommend this awesome book to any mother that is feeling overwhelmed, struggling with comparison, losing their peace, and feeling they aren’t being a good enough mother. I especially like how open Ashley was in the book and how she shared personal stories that mothers could relate to. Parenting isn’t easy and there are always opportunities for us to lose our peace when our kids are acting out. I truly believe this book contains the tools to help mothers to learn how to become better moms and it will help navigate the rough raging waters of parenting. I also appreciated how she looked at Mary’s life of motherhood and the treasures we can learn from her life. I immensely believe this book would be an incredible blessing to mother’s on Mother’s Day.
"I received this book free from the publisher, Faithwords for my honest review.”
April 14, 2020
"Sweet Mama, God didn't call us to live in defeat. Being a mom is hard, especially when you are navigating the rip-roaring seas of raising kds. This journey is difficult, but it is equally breathtaking in its finer moments. However, it's rarely smooth sailing."
Being a mom is the most special and rewarding experience in my life. At times, it can also be the most difficult and draining experience. That is why I appreciated reading the book Peace Pirates. Ashley Willis shared the things that can steal your peace and joy during this journey of motherhood and how to combat them: mommy martyrdom, comparison, control, and excessive expectations.
I found this book to be comforting and encouraging. I enjoyed reading Willis' personal stories about her life as a mom of four young boys, and even though I only have one daughter, I was able to easily relate to many of her stories and emotions. It made me realize that I am not the only one who ever feels this way or has these stressful experiences, while still loving being a mother and enjoying many amazing times. I could identify all of the "peace pirates" in my own life, and it really made me think twice about how I could push those peace pirates out in favor of more positive thinking.
Some of my favorite quotes from this book included:
"The enemy wants to throw us off our game. He'd love nothing more than to make us feel like we are ill equipped for the task of motherhood...But we don't have to live in fear or throw up a white flag of surrender. We just have to stay alert and make sure that God is at the helm of our mothership. He is our captain who will lovingly guide us to where we need to go."
"Motherhood is a big part of who we are, but it is not the whole of who we are. First and foremost, we are daughters of the Living God - loved, cherished, forgiven."
"Paul tells us in 2 Timothy 1:7 that God doesn't give us a spirit of fear, and yet many, if not most, of us worry about our children and our effectiveness as a mother. It keeps us up at night, and it's paralyzing. We tell ourselves that worrying about our children is okay because it's a way of loving them and showing concern, but Jesus tells us otherwise." 1 John 4:18 says, 'There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.' "
"Just as the horse choose to surrender its bridle and the person leading it, we must choose to surrender our hearts to the Lord's bridle and trust Him to lead us where we need to go."
"What we can do is pause and treasure it up - the happy moments and the sad ones. We need to acknowledge what has passed so we can truly embrace what's ahead."
I would highly recommend this book for any mother with children still living at home. It is an encouraging and insightful read. I received a copy of this book from the FaithWords Blogger Program.
Being a mom is the most special and rewarding experience in my life. At times, it can also be the most difficult and draining experience. That is why I appreciated reading the book Peace Pirates. Ashley Willis shared the things that can steal your peace and joy during this journey of motherhood and how to combat them: mommy martyrdom, comparison, control, and excessive expectations.
I found this book to be comforting and encouraging. I enjoyed reading Willis' personal stories about her life as a mom of four young boys, and even though I only have one daughter, I was able to easily relate to many of her stories and emotions. It made me realize that I am not the only one who ever feels this way or has these stressful experiences, while still loving being a mother and enjoying many amazing times. I could identify all of the "peace pirates" in my own life, and it really made me think twice about how I could push those peace pirates out in favor of more positive thinking.
Some of my favorite quotes from this book included:
"The enemy wants to throw us off our game. He'd love nothing more than to make us feel like we are ill equipped for the task of motherhood...But we don't have to live in fear or throw up a white flag of surrender. We just have to stay alert and make sure that God is at the helm of our mothership. He is our captain who will lovingly guide us to where we need to go."
"Motherhood is a big part of who we are, but it is not the whole of who we are. First and foremost, we are daughters of the Living God - loved, cherished, forgiven."
"Paul tells us in 2 Timothy 1:7 that God doesn't give us a spirit of fear, and yet many, if not most, of us worry about our children and our effectiveness as a mother. It keeps us up at night, and it's paralyzing. We tell ourselves that worrying about our children is okay because it's a way of loving them and showing concern, but Jesus tells us otherwise." 1 John 4:18 says, 'There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.' "
"Just as the horse choose to surrender its bridle and the person leading it, we must choose to surrender our hearts to the Lord's bridle and trust Him to lead us where we need to go."
"What we can do is pause and treasure it up - the happy moments and the sad ones. We need to acknowledge what has passed so we can truly embrace what's ahead."
I would highly recommend this book for any mother with children still living at home. It is an encouraging and insightful read. I received a copy of this book from the FaithWords Blogger Program.
April 9, 2020
Willis' book is a revelation to this senior citizen raised in an era when spanking was still considered an appropriate way to develop character in children. The stories she shares of her sons actions are amazing. Temper tantrums, misbehaving, arguing, and more. As a past bookstore owner, I cringed at her story of her son's behavior in a Dollar Tree store. Willis herself was disappointed, flabbergasted, and enraged by the “out of control” behavior. (518/2421)
This book is definitely one for young mothers, especially those with rambunctious sons. Willis writes about her own four year battle with anxiety and depression, finally healing with the help of a Christian counselor. After a teacher complained, she took one of her sons to see an occupational therapist specializing in behavior to get professional help in improving his behavior.(1445/2421) Her son learned how to behave in an appropriate way in school situations. (1453/2421) Nobody even heard of those kinds of ways to change behavior when I was young. Parents themselves took on the difficult task of character development and raising responsible adults.
Along with sharing many of her own parenting experiences are lessons from those experiences and from the Bible. Willis helps readers deal with peace stealing issues like the comparison trap, having a martyr syndrome, desiring control, expectations, and more. My favorite aspect of the book was her idea of helping a distraught mother, being a burden lifter rather than a burden builder. I'll keep that in mind the next time I am out shopping.
Reading this book has given me a new sense of compassion for young mothers, especially those of unruly boys. I have a new appreciation of the difficulty of raising active boys when corporeal discipline is no longer considered appropriate. No wonder young moms feel like they are going crazy. Reading this book will help young mothers realize they are not alone in their struggles and will give them some good encouragement for their hectic days.
Food for thought: “Our children are one of the greatest gifts God has given us, but God never intended for us to raise them at the expense of our own peace and relationship with Him.” (980/2421)
I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.
This book is definitely one for young mothers, especially those with rambunctious sons. Willis writes about her own four year battle with anxiety and depression, finally healing with the help of a Christian counselor. After a teacher complained, she took one of her sons to see an occupational therapist specializing in behavior to get professional help in improving his behavior.(1445/2421) Her son learned how to behave in an appropriate way in school situations. (1453/2421) Nobody even heard of those kinds of ways to change behavior when I was young. Parents themselves took on the difficult task of character development and raising responsible adults.
Along with sharing many of her own parenting experiences are lessons from those experiences and from the Bible. Willis helps readers deal with peace stealing issues like the comparison trap, having a martyr syndrome, desiring control, expectations, and more. My favorite aspect of the book was her idea of helping a distraught mother, being a burden lifter rather than a burden builder. I'll keep that in mind the next time I am out shopping.
Reading this book has given me a new sense of compassion for young mothers, especially those of unruly boys. I have a new appreciation of the difficulty of raising active boys when corporeal discipline is no longer considered appropriate. No wonder young moms feel like they are going crazy. Reading this book will help young mothers realize they are not alone in their struggles and will give them some good encouragement for their hectic days.
Food for thought: “Our children are one of the greatest gifts God has given us, but God never intended for us to raise them at the expense of our own peace and relationship with Him.” (980/2421)
I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.
July 21, 2020
In Peace Pirates, Ashley Willis introduces mothers to the four Peace Pirates while sharing truth and encouragement to face each day. She uses scripture alongside relatable stories of her own life as a busy mother in a way that shows us that we are not alone, and we don't have to live a miserable defeated life. Instead, we can live full enjoyable lives in the knowledge that Christ is walking beside us in our journeys, giving us the strength to make it through each day, each moment.
I really appreciated the sweet prayers at the end of each chapter, as well as the way Ashley kept it real without sugar coating the hard truths.
Every Christian mother needs to have this book in their library! It is one I will definitely be reading over and over again, as well as sharing with my friends.
*I received a complimentary copy of Peace Pirates through the publisher and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. My positive review is not required.
I really appreciated the sweet prayers at the end of each chapter, as well as the way Ashley kept it real without sugar coating the hard truths.
Every Christian mother needs to have this book in their library! It is one I will definitely be reading over and over again, as well as sharing with my friends.
*I received a complimentary copy of Peace Pirates through the publisher and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. My positive review is not required.
June 2, 2020
If you’ve been home with small children more than usual the past few months, maybe you’re ready for a refreshingly honest book about motherhood. Because what mom doesn’t love being a mom nearly more than life itself, and yet have moments when she’s ready to lock herself in the bathroom for five minutes of peace and quiet? Let’s face it, parenting is tough.
If you’re ready for a book that winsomely combines timely Biblical wisdom with hilariously-relatable stories from someone that’s been there, I’ve got great news: Peace Pirates is for you. And just in time for your next poolside read—that is, if you have a minute after applying the kids’ sunscreen, putting on their floaties, feeding them snacks, and supervising at the baby pool…on second thought, maybe you’ll have to settle for reading it at naptime.
Enjoy!
If you’re ready for a book that winsomely combines timely Biblical wisdom with hilariously-relatable stories from someone that’s been there, I’ve got great news: Peace Pirates is for you. And just in time for your next poolside read—that is, if you have a minute after applying the kids’ sunscreen, putting on their floaties, feeding them snacks, and supervising at the baby pool…on second thought, maybe you’ll have to settle for reading it at naptime.
Enjoy!
May 17, 2020
In Peace Pirates by Ashley Willis, she explores four pirates that steal our joy as a woman in motherhood. As someone who desperately wants to be a mother, this book is a treasure. Ashley writes each chapter with an authenticity and vulnerability as she shares from her own personal experiences. She also has a prayer included at the end of every chapter and it just gives you peace. I love how she is so real about being a mom of four boys and the challenges she faces. She is transparent about her own mis-steps in being a mother and how no one is perfect.
This book is a source of encouragement and easy to read. Any mother will love this book and find it powerful as you explore your own "peace pirates" in your journey through motherhood. I highly recommend picking up a copy today.
This book is a source of encouragement and easy to read. Any mother will love this book and find it powerful as you explore your own "peace pirates" in your journey through motherhood. I highly recommend picking up a copy today.
May 24, 2020
This mom gets it. Life is tough and when you want to raise your children right, it is hard work. Currently we are under quarantine in a pandemic. I’m homeschooling on top of everything else. I have no time for me. The author Likely wrote this a long time ago, but it is current and timeless. Ashley Willis writes about her own experiences when her peace got lost and recovery sometimes was difficult to achieve. Each chapter ends with a prayer I appreciate so much. This book is written by a Christian and it does talk about church, but it doesn’t matter what you believe the message is: LOVE. And I can’t count how often I’ve nodded my head in agreement. If you feel tired, worn out and are ready to throw in the towel, this book will fill your heart with gladness.
April 7, 2020
This is such a great book about finding peace in your home! Whether you are single, married, don't have children or have children, you can find something in this book to apply to your life. Ashley is a great story teller and speaker, which translates really well into this book! She also uses examples out of the Bible to demonstrate how to defeat the peace pirates. Get this book today for yourselves and also for the moms in your life who are dealing with a new normal with their children at home all of the time! This is definitely the book about peace that we need today!
April 8, 2020
After reading the very first sentence, I began to feel like a weight was being lifted off of my shoulders. Ashley’s words gave me comfort, hope and reassurance that I wasn’t alone in my struggles as a wife and mom.
The more I continued reading, I realized that I had let the monotony of motherhood “plunder my heart and home”. Through her honest transparency and conversational style, Ashley provided practical tools that helped me reclaim my peace. I loved this book & highly recommend it!!!
The more I continued reading, I realized that I had let the monotony of motherhood “plunder my heart and home”. Through her honest transparency and conversational style, Ashley provided practical tools that helped me reclaim my peace. I loved this book & highly recommend it!!!
June 8, 2020
Being a mom is one of the most important, yet difficult roles we will ever fill. But yet, if we are being honest, many of us don’t feel like we are measuring up. Deep in our hearts, we believe the lie that we are helpless to maintain the peace in our homes.
Ashley Willis, in her sweet, transparent and loveable voice helps to break through the lies in four major areas that will help you to get back your peace in the midst of the chaos.
Very well written. ❤
Ashley Willis, in her sweet, transparent and loveable voice helps to break through the lies in four major areas that will help you to get back your peace in the midst of the chaos.
Very well written. ❤
November 18, 2024
The author of Peace Pirates, Ashley Willis, shares so many encouraging truths about motherhood in this book. I love her descriptions of life with her four little boys. Could I identify with all of her anecdotes? No, but I appreciate her sharing, as I have also felt driven nearly bonkers at times, raising my two girls. We’re all different, but the principles Ashley offers here ring true and will help me treasure motherhood better.
December 4, 2022
3.5 stars
June 14, 2023
A little slow and hard to get into at first, but we’ll worth reading!
January 14, 2024
Great read for all Moms during the tough season of Motherhood!!! 🩷
January 16, 2024
Amazing book!!! I love that I can relate to almost everything in this book. Gives a lot of comfort knowing you are not alone in the mom guilt and all the things. I love how it’s Christian based!
May 22, 2025
This book is amazing, uplifting, inspiring, and life changing. A must read for every mother or mother to be.
April 14, 2023
Peace Pirates definitely had some great insights and gentle reminders. I didn't care as much for the more casual blogger-esque writing style or tone; got called "sweet mama" a few too many times each chapter for my taste.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews