Browsing Category

Books

Books

2012 Booklist

Since I’d like to keep this on the blog, but not keep it as a page any longer, I’m changing it to a post and back-dating it.  Sorry if it shows up in your feed!

I’m keeping track of the books that I read in 2012 so that I can share some great reads — or warn you off of not so great reads!  I’ll give a short genre sentence and then my rating with ***** (1 being not good, 5 being great).

Dec 2011
While We’re Far Apart by Lynn Austin – Christian fiction set in WWII era Brooklyn – ****
The Christmas Dog by Melody Carlson – Christian Christmas fiction set in present day – ***
Love on the Line by Deeanne Gist – Christian fiction set in turn of the century Texas – ****
Bright Young Things by Anna Godberson – fiction set in 1920’s New York City – ***
Beautiful Days by Anna Godberson – sequel; fiction set in 1920’s New York City – ***
Hurricanes in Paradise by Denise Hildreth-Jones – present day fiction set in the Bahama’s – **
The Christmas Watch by Erynn Mangum – Christian fiction set in the present day – ***
Sketchy Behavior by Erynn Mangum – Christian fiction set in the present day – **
Surrender the Heart by MaryLu Tyndall – Christian fiction set in the early 1800’s America – **
BossyPants by Tina Fey – Biography (lots of language but hilarious if you can take it!) – ****

Jan 2012
Longing by Karen Kingsbury – Christian fiction set in present day; part of a series – ***
Swinging on a Star by Janice Thompson – Christian fiction set in present day Galveston, TX; part of a series – **
A Lasting Impression by Tamera Alexander – Christian fiction set in Nashville, TN (Belmont mansion) just after the Civil War – *****
The Wedding Kiss by Hannah Alexander – Christian fiction set in 1800’s Arkansas – **
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins – Fiction set after the destruction of North America when new country, Panem, is created; violent scenes; series – *****
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins – second in Hunger Games trilogy; violent scenes – *****
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins – third in Hunger Games trilogy; violent scenes – *****
The Centurion’s Wife by Davis Bunn and Janette Oke – Historical Christian fiction set around Jesus’ death in Jerusalem; part of the “Acts of Faith” series (book 1) – ***
The Hidden Flame by Davis Bunn and Janette Oke – Historical Christian fiction set after Jesus’ death in Jerusalem; part of the “Acts of Faith” series (book 2) – *****
The Damascus Way by Davis Bunn and Janette Oke – Historical Christian fiction set after Jesus’ death around Jerusalem; part of the “Acts of Faith” series (book 3) – *****
The Dirt by Lori Culwell – Teen, present day, mindless fiction set in California; some language and drug references; free on Amazon – **
Annie Begins by Michelle Toth – Fiction set in the mid-90’s in Boston revolving around a start up internet company; language and some risqué scenes, also a death; free on Amazon – **

Feb 2012
The Fixer Upper by Mary Kay Andrews – fiction set in present day Washington DC and rural Georgia; language and some risqué scenes – ***
Stuck in the Middle by Virginia Smith – Christian fiction romances set in present day Kentucky; first in the Sister-to-Sister series; free on Amazon – ***
Age Before Beauty by Virginia Smith – Christian fiction about a new Mom in present day Kentucky; second in the Sister-to-Sister series – ****
Third Time’s A Charm by Virginia Smith – Christian fiction romance set in present day Kentucky; third in the Sister-to-Sister series – ***
Love in a Small Town by Betty Jo Schuler – Fiction set in Indiana; free on Amazon – **
A Little Bit Wicked: Life, Love, and Faith in Stages by Kristin Chenoweth – Autobiography by Kristin Chenoweth – ****
The Narrow Path by Gail Sattler – Christian fiction set in a Mennonite community in Minnesota; free on Amazon – ***
Always the Wedding Planner, Never the Bride – Christian fiction set in Atlanta; sequel to Always the Baker, Never the Bride (but you could pick it up without having read the first); free on Amazon – ****

March 2012
Fancy Pants by Cathy Marie Hake – Christian fiction set in early 1900’s Texas on a ranch – ****
Bond Girl by Erin Duffy – Fiction set in mid-2000’s Wall Street; language and risqué references – **
Kissed in Paris by Juliette Sobanet – Fiction set in present-day Paris; language and risqué scenes; free on Amazon – ***
Sunrise on the Battery by Beth Webb Hart – Contemporary Christian fiction set in Charleston – ****

April 2012
How Sweet It Is by Alice Wisler – Contemporary Christian fiction set in North Carolina – ***
A Hearth in Candlewood by Delia Parr – Historical Christian fiction set in Candlewood, New York – ***
Girls in White Dresses by Jennifer Close – Fiction set in New York and other areas; language – *
The Maid of Fairbourne Hall by Julie Klassen – Historical Christian fiction set in England – *****
Nickels by Karen Baney – Contemporary Christian fiction about a software engineer(!!) set in Arizona – ****
Loving by Karen Kingsbury – Contemporary Christian fiction set in Indiana and Hollywood; part of a series – ****
The Dressmaker by Kate Alcott – Historical fiction set in and around the Titanic – ***
Save the Date by Jenny B Jones – Contemporary Christian fiction set in Charleston – *****
How to Eat a Cupcake by Meg Donohue – Fiction set in San Francisco; language – *****
I’ve Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella – Fiction set in England; language – ****
The Rock Star’s Daughter by Caitlyn Duffy – Teen fiction set in LA and across the country; language; free on Amazon – ***
The Last Page by Lacy Camey – Fiction set in the Hamptons; language; free on Amazon – ***
A Lady of High Regard by Tracie Peterson – Historical Christian fiction set in Philadelphia; free on Barnes and Noble and Amazon – ****

May 2012
The Lightkeeper’s Daughter by Colleen Coble – Historical Christian fiction in the early 1900’s in California – ****
More by Heidi Marshall – Contemporary Christian fiction; free on Amazon – *
The Rose of Winslow Street by Elizabeth Camden – Historical fiction set in Massachusetts in the late 1800’s; free on Amazon – ****
Always the Designer, Never the Bride by Sandra Bricker – Contemporary Christian fiction set in Atlanta; free on Amazon and Barnes and Noble – ****
The Clash of the Bridesmaids by Vanessa Sisson – Longer novella; Contemporary Christian fiction set in Texas; free on Amazon — but can no longer find a Kindle version and paperback has weird pricing – ***
Love Unlisted by Stephanie Haddad – Contemporary fiction set in Boston; language; free on Amazon – ***

June 2012
Identical Differences by Erynn Mangum – Contemporary fiction novella set in the Pacific Northwest – ****
Believe in Me: A Teen Mom’s Story by Judith Dickerman-Nelson – Autobiography of author’s life having a child at 17; I thought this was fiction when I read it so it doesn’t really read like a biography; free on Amazon – **
‘Scuse Me While I Kill This Guy by Leslie Langtry – Light-hearted, contemporary fiction about a family whose business is being assassins; language and risqué scenes; free on Amazon – ****
Glamorous Illusions by Lisa T. Bergren – Historical Christian fiction involving the Grand Tour of Europe; free on Amazon – ****
Yesterday’s Flight by Martyn Ellington – Contemporary science fiction about a plane that time travels back to the Dinosaur era; dinosaur scenes can be gruesome but can also be skimmed over; requires a good dose of suspension of reality; language; free on Amazon – ***
Bridesmaid Lotto by Rachel Astor – Contemporary fiction set in NYC about a girl who wins a lottery to be a bridesmaid for a socialite; language; free on Amazon and Barnes and Noble – ***
Vada Faith by Barbara Whittington – Contemporary fiction set in West Virginia about a woman deciding to be a surrogate mother; not very uplifting and kind of weird; free on Amazon – *

July 2012
The Pitcher’s Mom by Heather Choate Davis – Contemporary fiction set in California and Arizona about a Mom whose son loves baseball; language; free on Amazon – **
Happy Hour by Anne Mitchell – Contemporary fiction set in NYC and England about a girl impersonating a tv show host; a little dark; language; free on Amazon – **
Chocolate Beach by Julie Carobini – Contemporary Christian fiction set in California; free on Amazon – *****
The Fitting Room: Putting on the Character of Christ by Kelly Minter – Christian non-fiction about Colossians 3:12; free on Amazon on April 18, 2012 – *****
Truffles by the Sea by Julia Carobini – Contemporary Christian fiction set in California, sequel to Chocolate Beach (above); free on Amazon – *****
Around the World in 80 Dates by Christa Banister – Contemporary Christian fiction set around Minneapolis; a little slow; free on Amazon – **
Gamble on Engagement by Rachel Astor – Contemporary fiction set in England; sequel to Bridesmaid Lotto (above) – ***
The Wedding Wager by Rachel Astor – Contemporary fiction set in New York; third in Bridesmaid Lotto series (above) – ***
Three Girls and a Baby by Rachel Schurig – Contemporary fiction set in Detroit; language; free on Amazon – ***

August 2012
Replica by Lexi Revellian – Contemporary science fiction set in and around London; about a girl who is replicated during a science experiment; language and risqué scenes; free on Amazon – **
A Billion Reasons Why by Kristin Billerbeck – Contemporary Christian fiction set in New Orleans; fairly predictable and not my favorite- **
Shoe Addicts Anonymous by Beth Harbison – Contemporary fiction set in Washington, DC; language and risqué scenes – *
Short-Straw Bride by Karen Witemeyer – Historical Christian fiction – ****
Unplanned by J. Heather Leigh – Contemporary Christian fiction; free on Amazon – *
The Pursuit of Lucy Banning by Olivia Newport – Historical fiction set in Chicago; free on Amazon – ****

September 2012
Going for Broke by Nina Howard – Contemporary fiction set in NYC and Chicago about a woman whose husband embezzles funds and then vanishes leaving her to clean up his mess; language; free on Amazon – ***
Bah, Humbug! by Heather Horrocks – Contemporary Christian fiction novella set in Salt Lake City; free on Amazon (and still free on 9/10/12) – ***
The Wedding Cake Girl by Anne Pfeffer – Contemporary young adult/coming of age fiction set in Santa Rosita Island off the coast of California; free on Amazon – ***
Do or Di by Eileen Cook – Contemporary fiction set in Seattle; language; free on Amazon – ***
Match Me by Liz Appel – Contemporary fiction set in Michigan; language; free on Amazon – **

October 2012
Chop, Chop by LN Cronk – Christian fiction that follows a trio of kids throughout their lives until post-college; includes a dramatic scenario; free on Amazon – *
Allerednic by Chautona Havig – Historical Christian fiction set in England; free on Amazon – ****
The Duck Commander Family by Willie and Korie Robertson – Auto-biography of the Robertson family – stars of A&E’s show, Duck Dynasty, and owners of Duck Commander and Buck Commander; the family lives in Louisiana and are strong Christians – *****
The Personal Shopper by Carmen Reid – British fiction set in London; language and risqué scenes; free on Amazon – **
Hope for the Weary Mom by Brooke McGlothlin and Stacey Thacker – Christian non-fiction written by two Mom’s with young kids to Mom’s of young kids; phenomenal book — in depth review coming on blog soon; free on Amazon on 10/23/12 – *****

November 2012
Stirring Up Trouble by Juli Alexander – Fiction about a high school girl with magical powers; free on Amazon – ***
Reinventing Mona by Jennifer Coburn – Fiction set in present-day San Diego about a woman leaving her job and discovering who she is; language, risque scenes; free on Amazon – ***

December 2012
The Wishing Cake by Ellen Meister – Contemporary fiction short story set in NYC; magical undertones; free on Amazon – **
Laura’s Big Break by Janet Elizabeth Henderson – Contemporary fiction set in England/Scotland about the misadventures of childhood frenemies reconnecting later in life; language; risque scenes; free on Amazon – ***
The Frog Prince by Elle Lothlorien – Contemporary fiction set in Denver and Europe; language; risque scenes; free on Amazon – ****
The Scent of Rain by Kristin Billerbeck – Contemporary Christian fiction set in Dayton, OH – ****
31 Kisses
 by Chautona Havig – Contemporary Christian fiction; free on Amazon – ****
My Revised Christmas List
 by Erynn Mangum – Contemporary Christian fiction novella – ****
The Wedding Dress
 by Rachel Hauck – Mix of contemporary and historical Christian fiction set in Birmingham, AL; a little bit of mystery but not in a dangerous way – *****

Previously Read Books
True Devotion by Dee Henderson – Christian suspenseful fiction surrounding SEAL’s; free on Amazon on March 25 – *****
Fools Rush In by Janice Thompson – Christian fiction set in present-day Texas; first in the Weddings By Bella series (book #2 was read in January 2012); free on Amazon on March 25 – ****
The Apothecary’s Daughter by Julie Klassen – Christian historical fiction; free on Amazon on April 6 – ****
Cool Beans by Erynn Mangum – Contemporary Christian fiction; first in a series; free on Amazon on June 5 – *****
Secrets by Kristen Heitzmann – Contemporary Christian fiction; first in a series; free on Amazon on August 7 – *****
No Other Gods by Kelly Minter – Christian non-fiction that will radically change your life; free on Amazon on August 28 – *****
Always the Baker, Never the Bride by Sandra Bricker – reviews about others in series in previous months; Christian fiction; free on Amazon on October 9 – *****
April 2011 Book Recommendations
Cosmic Christmas by Max Lucado – Christian – *****
January 2010 Book Recs
May 2010 Book Recs
Parenting Books

*Some links are affiliate links.  Please see my review/link disclosures for more information.
*If I downloaded the book when it was free on Amazon I will note that.  The link to the book on Amazon’s site might not have the book for free anymore, but it might become free again at a later date.  Usually books are only free for a certain amount of time.

Books, Faith, Mommy Advice

Book Review – Hope For the Weary Mom

I don’t know about you, but this Mom job is a lot harder than I anticipated it would be.  I envisioned time snuggled up reading books.  And pushing joyful kids on swings.  Tucking little ones into bed before going to a restful, full night of sleep.  And making nutritious breakfasts, lunches, and dinners from scratch every day.

While I wouldn’t trade this job for the world, it’s infinitely more difficult than I had imagined.  Instead of long, restful nights of sleep you’re up at least once a week because someone’s scared or had an accident or just needed their Momma.  Some days it’s terrifying to realize that I’m in charge of keeping two little people safe and healthy and teach them everything they need to know.  And my grand plans of doing all these things for myself during nap times and after bedtimes and in all my — insert sarcastic laugh here — free time — turned out to be a negative amount of time to do things I want to do.
A few weeks ago on Twitter I saw a tweet about a book that was free that day (October 23, 2012) on Amazon.  It was called Hope for the Weary Mom
 and it sounded like just what I needed to be reading.  Written by two Mom bloggers, I figured that I was definitely weary and, since it was free, it was worth giving it a shot.  Even if it had cost so much more money, what I learned from this book would be worth every penny.
A few days later I started reading it while I waited in carpool line to pick up Charlotte.  Almost as soon as I started reading it, I started making notes and highlighting on my phone.  The premise that we are all weary Mom’s and the ones who look like they have it all together are as much in a mess as I am, made me feel so much better.  I don’t want to be that person where everyone else has to be miserable (or in this case, overwhelmed) in order to feel better, but knowing that there were other Mom’s out there who were desperate and living messy lives like I am was such a relief.
I AM NOT ALONE! 
No one else has it all together all the time!  
No matter what kind of impression they give off!
And I kind of laughed at myself because I would bet that I give off that impression too.  I am an organized, perfectionist who likes to have everything in a structured format and know what’s going to happen at all times.  And I possibly look from the outside that I have everything under control more than I would like (unless you saw me at pre-school drop off, then you would never feel like I had it all together!).  I never want anyone else to feel like I think that I have it more together than them, because I definitely don’t.  But I also can’t go around waving my problems like a banner for every stranger I’ve never met to look at and judge.  So I walk a fine line and probably err on the side of closing myself off to avoid rejection.
This book taught me that maybe by closing myself off and trying to protect my tender heart from ridicule and judgment and non-acceptance, that maybe other Mom’s feel like I have it all together and am looking down on them.  By acting like my life is going just fine and I’m on top of everything that’s going on, maybe I’m closing myself off to letting God work in my life to help me handle it better.
Brooke and Stacey said, “So boast, mom.  Boast in the fact that you’re not good enough, not strong enough, not smart enough.  NOT ENOUGH to be a good mom.  And watch what God does.  Boast.  Be honest about where you are, who you are, and who you’re not.  Wiggle out of that straight jacket as Jesus turns the key with HIS mighty right hand and let Him be strong for you.”
Am I trusting in myself too much? Am I trying to rely on my own merits to raise my children and win their hearts for Jesus that I’m forgetting that, while I will play an important part in their story, I am not the one who will draw them to Christ, only He will do that?  Am I getting discouraged and overwhelmed because I’m not relying on God to meet my needs and am, instead, feeling forgotten by Him because I feel so overwhelmed and alone?
I loved the way Brooke and Stacey put it when they said, “If God never answered another prayer for me, if He never met another need, would His gift of Jesus and my salvation be enough?”
Well, yes, yes it would.  And I would do well to remember that instead of dwelling on my perceived needs that I feel like God isn’t meeting.  
Brooke and Stacey say, “[Jesus] says [in John 6:26], “Why are you following me? Is it because of what I can do for you, how I can meet your needs, or provide what you want? Or do you really love me for who I AM?” …… I follow Jesus not because of what He can do for me, but because of what He’s already done for me on the cross.”
Oh Lord, forgive me.  Forgive my self-centeredness and discontent in just being your daughter.  Father, help me remember that you have done more for me than I could ever repay and infinitely more than I could ever deserve.  You love me so much and you want me to succeed at being a mom.  You see me on those days when I feel like no one is listening to me and that I’m failing to teach them what they need to know.
I could continue to quote passages that I loved from this book for days.  I highlighted a ridiculous amount of it and can’t wait to re-read it learn even more from it the second time.  This book rocked my world and, I pray, that it changes the way that I mother and the way that I relate to the other mother’s in my life.
We are in this together.  We are all doing the best we can.  None of us are perfect and God doesn’t expect us to be so we don’t need to expect us to be.  Mothering will be easier if we’re transparent with each other in our struggles and encourage one another instead of portraying that we’ve got it all together and don’t need any help.
Mothering (at least for me) is full of fear that you’re going to mess up your kids.  Fear that you’re the only one who doesn’t know what she’s doing.  Fear that something will happen to you, your spouse, or your kids.  Fear that God won’t love your child as much as you do.  
I loved the way that Brooke and Stacey started wrapping the book up.  This passage especially spoke to me: “But in the same way that He loves you, the same way He’ll move all of heaven to chase your heart and make it His, He also loves your children.  When they break your heart, they break His.  When they run away from you, they run away from Him.  When they reject your love, they reject His.  When they refuse to walk in obedience to you, they refuse to walk in obedience to Him.  He hurts with you.  But His plans for you, and your children, are good.”
Brooke and Stacey ask their readers to make “a covenant with the Lord that we will never give up on His ability to move in the hearts of our children, in spite of us (emphasis mine).”  I’m making that covenant today.  A covenant to trust God to fill me up and meet my children’s needs when I fail.  Because I will, daily.  A covenant to trust that God wants things even better for my children than I do, even though that thought is pretty unfathomable.  A covenant to let God move in our family to lead us where He wants us to go and direct our steps and our paths.
If you’re a weary Mom like me, I’d love to hear from you.  And I’d especially encourage you to go out and get a copy of Hope for the Weary Mom
.  It will change your life and help you increase your stamina and energy towards the most important job that we will ever have, being a mother.
*Note: I got the book for free on Amazon like anyone who downloaded it that day and wasn’t asked to write a review.  All thought and opinions are my own.
Books

Words-nerd

As most of you probably know, I love books.  I have always been able to devour a good book and being able to block out everything around me, including parents, got me in trouble a few times growing up.  One of the benefits of nursing is that I have two and a half hours every day where I simply sit in a chair.  And the way James’ schedule is working now only one of those thirty minute segments has me in charge of both of the kids by myself while feeding.  This means that I get a lot of reading done on my phone since if I look at James he starts smiling at me and gets distracted.

Enter my love for electronic readers!  I was adamantly against them when they came out and pitched a fit about how nice it was to have an actual book and how I liked to be able to re-read and see what I had in my library.  And then my iPhone came along and I downloaded the free Kindle app.  And then Charlotte came along and I had a lot of time feeding her.  And before I knew it I was hooked.

To be honest, I still prefer a physical book.  There’s just something about turning pages and bookmarks and the feel of a book in my hands that’s special.  Plus, when I’m reading an actual book Charlotte knows I’m reading a book and doesn’t think I’m checking twitter or Facebook.  But these days I’m doing most of my reading on my phone since it’s so much more convenient and, with free books out there to download and prices less for the download, cheaper.

And this long-winded introduction was just to introduce you to a new piece of my blog.  I’ve added a page in the header at the top of the blog that links to my Booklist.  It is listing of books that I’ve read since December 2011.  I’m updating it as I finish books and giving a quick setting description and a rating.  I also include a link to the book in case you want to see the cover so you can buy it or if you want to download it.  Most links are going to Barnes and Noble but just because they are the only brick and mortar bookstore near me and I don’t want them to go out of business.

You might not be interested but I just wanted to alert you in case you’re looking for a good read.  Maybe in the future I’ll categorize by something other than the month that I read them but for now that’s all I’ve got.  And in case you want my hands-down favorite book that I’ve read since I started this I’ll show it to you….

If you haven’t read it you should!  Be prepared for suspense and sci-fi and fighting and hovercraft and a survival for her life.  Katniss is awesome and I’m waiting on the edge of my seat for the movie to come out.  That will be one that I definitely make in the movie theater.  Maybe even opening night!

Books, Shopping

What Women Fear

Over three years ago I started reading Angie Smith’s blog, Bring the Rain.  Her honesty and her struggle through the pain of losing her daughter Audrey made her so real to me immediately and I have been following her ever sense.  Despite the sad subject nature of her first book, I Will Carry You, I enjoyed reading every word of it and I can honestly say that her story and her words have helped me draw closer to God over the years.

This morning I woke up and checked my reader and had a handful of posts about Angie’s new book, What Women Fear.  Fear is definitely something that I struggle with as a Mom and so I’ve been looking forward to reading Angie’s new book when it came out.  TODAY ONLY Barnes and Noble is running a pre-sale on Angie’s new book that releases next Thursday, September 1 and you can get her book for 50%!  I just ordered mine and wanted to share this discount information with you in case you are wanting to get the book also.  I’m sure that it will be just as wonderful as her first book and her blog.

Barnes and Noble has really supported Angie both for I Will Carry You as well as with What Women Fear and are doing an exciting one day online pre-sale today, Monday, August 22. If you pre-order a copy today at Barnesandnoble.com/WhatWomenFear you will get 50% off, so the book is only $7.49. In addition, if you order the book today at Barnes and Noble online, email your order confirmation to whatwomenfear@gmail.com to be entered to win one of two prize packs of 10 books from B&H Women as well as a $25 Barnes and Noble gift card.


*Note: This post is non-compensated in any way I just wanted to share a great deal about something that I believe in and am looking forward to reading with you.

Books, Mommy Advice

Reading Thursday – Parenting Books

In my quest to “get prepared” for this whole having two kids thing, I’ve turned to my long loved past time of reading up on a subject.  I’ve found some great parenting books recently that I’ve been enjoying and wanted to A) remember these titles later in case I need them again and B) pass my recommendations on in case you’re looking for some good parenting reads.

After enjoying Rachel’s Motherhood as a Mission Field blog post I thought that I might enjoy her book.  I was so correct in that assumption! This book was a really quick read (I read it one evening in about two hours) and had some great anecdotes on mothering and also some wonderful suggestions on how to be a better mother.  I’m looking forward to re-reading it once James arrives and really highlight and put into practice some of her ideas!

Some things that stuck out to me in the quick read that I did were (in my paraphrase of course):

– Removing the word “overwhelmed” from your vocabulary because this is just the new normal and being overwhelmed instead of just doing just makes (me at least) more overwhelmed!
– Making sure that your children understand that you have authority over your children because God has entrusted them to you and given you that authority, but that God has authority over you and your children.
– Fellowship with each other is the most important thing and if something or someone gets between that fellowship that they need to understand that nothing is worth breaking fellowship with each other even if that means removing whatever thing was breaking the fellowship.

In my panic thinking about going from one child to two I realized that I probably needed at least one book that focused on that transition.  I found this one on Amazon and after looking through the positive feedback I decided to get it.  I’m glad that I did because it validated that I’m not the only mother facing this transition that panics and it also gave me a lot of positive ways to prepare for the transition and make it as smooth as possible and also prepare for some of the negatives that could possibly accompany the transition.  While the book confirmed that we were already doing a lot of things to help C with the transition it suggested some ideas that I hadn’t thought of like showing C pictures of when she was born and in the hospital and maybe visiting the hospital before hand so that she can see what it’s like.  When we started talking about the hospital and showing Charlotte pictures from when she was born she ate up the idea and pictures and now asks at least once a day to “See pictures when ME (patting chest) born!” and is (hopefully) understanding some of the concept that Mommy will be in a hospital bed, etc.  This book isn’t a quick read like the first but I found it very beneficial and would definitely recommend it for those facing this same transition!
I’d like to say that we’re out of the potty training trenches but as I’m writing this (a few days before posting) we’re still working on it.  And while I don’t agree with everything John Rosemond says in this book I like his general premise on potty training.  And, so far, it’s been pretty successful for us in potty training Charlotte.  Not that we haven’t modified some, we have, but the general outline and guidelines work well for us!
I absolutely loved this book!  I bought it back when Charlotte was around 18 mo old and just got around to reading it and even though Charlotte isn’t demonstrating any terrible, horrible, absolutely no good traits right now I still found it so helpful to read and I feel like it’s made me a better parent even when Charlotte is behaving much less when she isn’t.  (Note: I haven’t read Parenting by the Book but have heard fantastic things about it.  It’s on my “To Read” list.  And, also, Rosemond is a very conservative parenting idealist which appeals to me but might not appeal to all.)
I took a lot of things from the book and thoroughly enjoyed it but one point that stuck out to me and helped me feel much better about parenting in general was this quote:
“You may not always make the very best decision you could possibly make, but you will surely make a better decision for your child than he would have made for himself.” (p. 11)
This is so true and has helped me quit second guessing my decisions and trusting Jason and myself with the decisions that we make.
****************************
If you have any great parenting books that you love I’d love to hear about them! I’m always on the lookout for help!
Books, Charlotte, Mommy Advice, Parenting

Reading Thursday – Toddler Must Reads

*We are on our way to the eye doctor today to get Charlotte’s eyes checked.  If you could pray for a good appointment, a good trip, and a good day today we would appreciate it!

As you know, we’re a very reading centric family and Charlotte is no exception.  The books that she is most taken with changes pretty regularly but some that she is currently in love with are….

Charlie and I had this book growing up and Mom found it recently and got it out for Charlotte and she loves it!  Anything about pets is good for her but she loves Harry!

This book would be good for kids much younger also because Charlotte can basically read this one to herself but she loves looking for the green sheep and even when we’re not reading it she sometimes goes around the house asking where the green sheep is!

Dimity has been a favorite of C’s for months now and she’s very good at finishing the sentences in it.  She has even mastered the word “eiderdown” thanks to this book!

The cover bills this book as for 4-8 year olds but I can’t emphasize enough how much Charlotte loves Charlie and Suzie and Daisy the Cow.  Ree has a new, young fan in Charlotte!
And one’s that she loves and that we have but I don’t have pictures of….
This has some of her favorite Biscuit books but she loves ALL Biscuit books!

While we never read these at bedtime, Charlotte loves reading the stories in this book over and over and over again!