My Life as An Amish Wife: A Diary

by Lena Yoder

"After three hours of chores, breakfast, phone calls, and getting mail ready, it was 9:30 by the time I got to sewing. I sewed three blouses before noontime." As an Amish wife and mother of six, Lena Yoder has plenty of ways to fill her time. "I helped with the afternoon milking, baked two different kinds of cakes, made two pizzas, and got everybody ready to take supper to school for the teachers." But amid the endless tasks to complete and challenges to overcome, Lena's simple joy and deep faith are ever present in these brief, first-person accounts. "I am thoroughly enjoying these days at home...Our family is filled with love...I could never list everything I am thankful for." These unassuming glimpses of Amish life will touch your heart and inspire you to seek the simple things—a loving family, a good day's work, and a grateful heart.

Genres: Amish, Nonfiction, Biography

224 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2015

Reviews

[Kari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every once in a while I just need a cozy book that requires nothing of me but enjoyment and relaxation. This was the perfect book for that. I love all things Amish and this book was refreshing and insightful. I tend to idolize the Amish, thinking their lives would be so much better free from the hurry and rush and technology of the modern world... but this book helped put it into perspective. There is freezing temps, mud and more mud, animals and manure and never ending dishes and laundry (that the smell of manure can cling to as it dries on the line). Lena didn't paint it all sunshine and fresh baked pies, but she was also encouraging to listen to and she often reminded me that I will never find peace in my circumstances, regardless of where or how I live, but only in Christ. In this book I walked through years of her children growing up, her mother's death, scary livestock situations, and lots and lots of dishes and canning.

good quotes:
"I try to remember that patience includes the quality or habit of enduring without complaint... I fail miserably."

"If our hearts are right with the calling we as mothers have from the Lord, we can have great joy in these mundane, everyday tasks we have to do."

"Throughout this last year, I kept telling myself it's not always the situations we are in that control our lives, but what we chose to make of the situations. My attitude is 99% of everything!"

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent detailed diary of an Old Order Amish wife and mother from Indiana. I really enjoyed this seasonal account of Lena Yoder's highs and lows of her life. If anyone enjoys a non-fiction view of Amish life you might enjoy this. It's very different from most of the Amish fiction written today!

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book about a Amish family's everyday life.

[Dakota Smith]

I really liked it! Very insightful and informative. (I would love to meet her and her family.) It was almost like I was there with them living there life while I watched. They work hard but know how to have fun, they really enjoy each other and live each day to the fullest, even if all they do is wash dishes or sweep the floor...everything can bring glory to God! What a simple reminder to those of us who don’t live as simply and don’t know when to slow down. 💐

[Maryann Skaritka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Old Order Amish Wife and mother Lena Yoder shares her life on her Indiana farm over a 5 year period with readers.

This true story diary lets readers see the joys and struggles of every day life. Lena shares her faith and how she joyfully cares for her family. Each day she has many chores that come with raising six children. She cooks, cleans, sews, gardens, cans food, quilts and also helps with the animals on the farm.

Her husband takes a job at an r v factory to help make ends meet. Lena is very frugal with the resources she has and enjoys her simple life. She is also known for her painting talents.

The children also work hard and have many daily chores.

I felt for Lena when she said a special treat was sneaking a can of soda to enjoy with her husband after the kids went to bed and how they biked over an hour to see her mother in law in the hospital.

If you are interested in what real daily Amish life is, this book will satisfy your curiosity.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

The five star rating isn’t for excellent writing but rather for achieving the goal of giving the reader a glimpse into the daily life of an Amish wife and mother. The book is essentially a journal written very sporadically and without a lot of filler details on various events and people mentioned. There is also a lack of follow up on events that the family prepares for, church services in their home, for example. I appreciate the honest look at what an Amish woman does each day, season after season and year after year, to keep her family clothed, fed, and thriving.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd give this book 10 stars if I could. I really enjoyed reading this book, so much that I read it slowly so that it wouldn't end so fast. It's a diary of inside the live of an Old Order Amish Wife. I enjoyed how it was split up by seasons/years. I didn't want it to end. I highly recommend this book to others you will love it. I can't wait to get the other two books this author has written.

[RaeAnne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. There is something so nice about reading about someone's life in all their simplicities which still have complexities. I found myself taking a deep breath and so enjoying her pace of life and her perspective. I am not Amish, but I long for the connectiveness of a community like that. A breath of fresh air is what this book was for me!

[Julie Costanzo · Rating 4 out of 5]

An inside look at the day to day life of an Amish woman. I really enjoyed her joy in simple pleasures and found it quite contagious. We all could do with a little more of the simple pleasures in life.

[Violet James · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adored Lena Yoder's account of her daily life in her Amish lifestyle. I very much enjoyed being immersed into her world and learning about her daily life. I really wish she would write a few more books!

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this in Lancaster, PA and was hoping the book would give me a more personal view of being an Amish wife, but instead it was more like reading what happens in a day, and what some of her chores were while living on the farm.

[Bethany Schneider · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this glimpse into the mundane everyday life of an Amish wife and mother. Her work ethic was inspiring, and I related to a lot of her thoughts toward homemaking. Because it is a journal of basic everyday events, it was a little slow at times. But still very interesting.

[Justine · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was good to see that mothers are mothers, no matter where they live.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay. Slow reading for me. Diary/journal type book of an Amish woman's everyday life and activities.

[Sherri Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a cute book.

[April Pike · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this window into this Amish family’s daily life.

[Suz Bartos · Rating 4 out of 5]

A charming yet relatable look into Amish family life. I feel like I made a friend.

[Annamrie Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely brilliant

I loved the book so much and miss reading it already may have to read it again. Absolutely wonderful book.

[Jalynn Patterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

About the Book:
"After three hours of chores, breakfast, phone calls, and getting mail ready, it was 9:30 by the time I got to sewing. I sewed three blouses before noontime."

As an Amish wife and mother of six, Lena Yoder has plenty of ways to fill her time.

"I helped with the afternoon milking, baked two different kinds of cakes, made two pizzas, and got everybody ready to take supper to school for the teachers."

But amid the endless tasks to complete and challenges to overcome, Lena's simple joy and deep faith are ever present in these brief, first-person accounts.

"I am thoroughly enjoying these days at home...Our family is filled with love...I could never list everything I am thankful for."

These unassuming glimpses of Amish life will touch your heart and inspire you to seek the simple things--a loving family, a good day's work, and a grateful heart.

My Review:
I'm fascinated with the Amish life. Their lives are so simplistic and full of live, I really envy them. Dedicated to God is something I know they have ingrained into them at a very early age and I find that facet of of their life equally fascinating, as well. Lena Yoder wrote something that was real and perfect for something refreshing to read.

Lena gives us a fascinating look into her day to day and she also adds her thoughts as well. But the part I think I enjoyed the most were the fantastic recipes, absolutely mouth watering. This book opens the door to that simple life and invites you in. so grab a cup of tea and sit awhile watch the author's life unfold before your very eyes. I promise you will not be disappointed.

I was deeply moved and encouraged by the author's note in the beginning of the book. She wrote it so lovingly and sweet. She gave the reason for writing this book as a way of showing "how Christ's love and strength help us through our daily lives". Beautiful book that was so very interesting! I look forward to many, many more!

**Disclosure** This book was sent to me free of charge for my honest review from the author.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not a daily record, but does record the small and big events of her family over a several year period. It really gives you a view into the everyday life of the Amish people.

[h · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have spent my entire life in Indiana, and the Amish and Mennonite culture is pretty well integrated in to your life here. You see Amish, you shop in the same stores, you interact with them, and you even witness the occasional Beechy Amish driving a (black) car. (Check it out, I swear, there is a branch of Amish who can drive cars.)
My Husband had his car totaled in an accident where a horse and buggy went straight over top of it.
You encounter them regularly at your grocery store or even a gas station. They are a piece of our local community.

Indiana is known for having Amish sects of a more liberal variety, and while Lena Yoder may identify as a Old Order Amish, she's "Indiana Amish" to me.
Her day to day life isn't that different from most stay at home farm wives throughout the midwest. Running water, indoor plumbing, refrigerator, freezers (yes, plural) and voicemail. It does sound like the Yoder family dresses in an Old Order fashion, and that their schooling has remained traditional to Amish. (Grade 8 and stop.) But....

I was a little underwhelmed - I had been hoping that Lena Yoder was of the stricter Old Order sect since that is what I'm more intrigued with, but, I suppose if she was of that variety, she wouldn't be publishing a diary.

[Patty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lena Yoder is a member of an Old Order Amish community. She and her family make a living off the land. After reading My Life as An Amish Wife, it is obvious that Lena is very grateful for what God has provided in all aspects of her life. She says her goal is “to live for Christ daily and let our light shine for him.”

I looked forward to reading this book. I have enjoyed reading The Amish Cook newspaper column over the years so I hoped this book was like that. It is very similar in the way it chronicles the author's life. This book takes place over a span of seven years. Lena writes with quite a positive and sometimes humorous, view on life.

I think anyone interested in the Amish culture will enjoy this book. Lena wrote something that really stuck out to me. She said the only thing that we can take to heaven is our children. That is so true but I had never thought of it before. They can go to heaven with us, just like anyone else, if we share about the salvation of Jesus and they accept him as their Saviour. I would recommend checking out this quick, easy read. I received a free copy of this book from Harvest House Publishers in exchange for my honest review.

[Rose C. Payne · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did not finish. Could not get into it.