7 books down...
Earlier this year when I shared my new years resolutions, I told you all that I'd resolved to read 2-3 books per month in 2010. I set my goal a little lower than I wanted to because I honestly would love to read one book per week! However, I didn't want to write down a resolution at which I thought I might fail. So 2-3 books per month has been the goal and so far, I'm exceeding that goal!!
In January I read Shopaholic Ties the Knot and The Help. So far this month, I've read FIVE books--a couple of them short and easy, but five books nonetheless! I started my sixth book on the recumbent bike at the gym this morning and I'm hoping to finish it, plus one more before February's end. I figure if I get ahead now, then later when we get busy and spend most of our days outside, I won't feel so bad only reading 1-2 books one month :)
I wanted to share four of the books I read so far this month which are simple and sweet, and I would definitely recommend them, especially if you are a mama!
Book #1:
I love the quotes from real-life moms in this book exposing their dirty secrets, and I love the simple wisdom this book shares. As I read it I thought, "I know all of this stuff" but as I finished the last few pages it hit me that yes, I might "know" it, but do I practice all of it? Or should I be told once again what I think I already know so that I might do a little better at all this book preaches?
There are many passages from this book that I love, but three I'd like to share with you all just in case you don't have time to read the entire book.
First, from page 125, "The idea of Mom as a two-dimensional figure is not something inflicted upon us by our husbands and our kids. We do it to ourselves. In fact, the only people who seem to realize that Mom is a person--a fragile, important person--are those folks who make the safety videos for airlines. We typically don't give these people the respect they deserve, but it's not too late to take a lesson from them. Mom needs to put on her oxygen mask first. Or to put it more broadly: Mom needs to take care of herself to take care of her family."
Wow, breathe that one in!
Next one, from page 164: "Personally, when we're feeling exasperated, we like to think in terms of "the last time"--as in, there will be a last time for everything. When will be the last time I give her a bottle, or the last time I put her to bed in her crib, or the last time I can actually cradle my son in my lap, or the last time he will let me hold his hand in public? It's amazing how quickly that puts things in perspective. One minute we're thinking we'll have to shoot ourselves if we have to dress her up in a princess costume again, and the next we could cry because soon enough we'll be shopping for prom dresses."
I'm trying to keep "the last time" in perspective when I get annoyed with something my girls want to do over and over and over! Such a powerful way to put it, at least for me :)
And finally, from page 172, where they are trying to get moms to take pressure off of oneself and off of one another: "Just imagine. What if we realigned our collective expectations and had...freedom to make our own choices without judgment? freedom from the pressure and anxiety of trying to be perfect moms? freedom to write our own definitions of what it means to be "a good mother"? freedom to redefine success for ourselves? freedom from senseless guilt? freedom from the divisive "Mommy Wars"? freedom from the false notion that if you were smart enough, you'd be able to balance it all?"
What if moms could be that way?
Book #2:
My favorite rule: #64 which says, "Break the rules once in awhile"-ha! I'm actually kidding. I LOVED this book which pushed to eat zero processed foods and lots of veggies. I'm trying more and more each week to do this!!
Book #3:
Ahh, so much to say about this one. If you are a mother, you MUST read this book. Please note though, it is a true story and a little girl does pass away. You know from the first page that the little girl is not going to make it, or at least from the jacket of the book, so at least it is not a surprise. This book was terribly difficult from an emotional standpoint to read (get ready to cry!), but has a hundred or more excellent points about living life to the fullest and being the best mother / wife / person that you can be. There are countless parts of this book that I could mention, but I'd rather you just read it for yourself. It's something you could read in about an hour, two at most! I will give you one passage that I think is powerful no matter who you are--man or woman, young or old, married or single, mother or not:
From page 57, "Truth is fierce and unrelenting. We cannot change it, but we can change the way we live with it. Making mistakes, not being loved, and dying are inescapable experiences of being human; so is our fear of them. By facing those fears, we have a chance to step beyond them. When we are willing to do the best we can with what we know, to be honest with ourselves and others about who we are and what really matters to us, only then are the lives we live and the love we receive truly our own."
The last part of the final sentence sure is powerful!
Book #4:
This is Albom's fourth book I believe and I love each and every one of them! Some quotes I took to heart from this include, "Faith is about doing. You are how you act, not just how you believe" from page 44 and "When you come to the end; that's where God begins" (page 79). There are many lessons of faith in the book and as always in Albom's writing, so much wisdom from those he is writing of. This is another book that you could read in an hour or two, and I highly recommend it!
So there you have it, four of the books I've read this month :) Like I mentioned in the beginning of this insanely long post, I started book #6 of this month (#8 of the year woohoo!) and next on my shelf are The Shack and Sarah Palin's Going Rogue. We'll see if I can get through at least the book I just started and one of these by the end of the month. I find so much joy in reading!!
What do you read? What would you recommend to me?
In January I read Shopaholic Ties the Knot and The Help. So far this month, I've read FIVE books--a couple of them short and easy, but five books nonetheless! I started my sixth book on the recumbent bike at the gym this morning and I'm hoping to finish it, plus one more before February's end. I figure if I get ahead now, then later when we get busy and spend most of our days outside, I won't feel so bad only reading 1-2 books one month :)
I wanted to share four of the books I read so far this month which are simple and sweet, and I would definitely recommend them, especially if you are a mama!
Book #1:
I love the quotes from real-life moms in this book exposing their dirty secrets, and I love the simple wisdom this book shares. As I read it I thought, "I know all of this stuff" but as I finished the last few pages it hit me that yes, I might "know" it, but do I practice all of it? Or should I be told once again what I think I already know so that I might do a little better at all this book preaches?There are many passages from this book that I love, but three I'd like to share with you all just in case you don't have time to read the entire book.
First, from page 125, "The idea of Mom as a two-dimensional figure is not something inflicted upon us by our husbands and our kids. We do it to ourselves. In fact, the only people who seem to realize that Mom is a person--a fragile, important person--are those folks who make the safety videos for airlines. We typically don't give these people the respect they deserve, but it's not too late to take a lesson from them. Mom needs to put on her oxygen mask first. Or to put it more broadly: Mom needs to take care of herself to take care of her family."
Wow, breathe that one in!
Next one, from page 164: "Personally, when we're feeling exasperated, we like to think in terms of "the last time"--as in, there will be a last time for everything. When will be the last time I give her a bottle, or the last time I put her to bed in her crib, or the last time I can actually cradle my son in my lap, or the last time he will let me hold his hand in public? It's amazing how quickly that puts things in perspective. One minute we're thinking we'll have to shoot ourselves if we have to dress her up in a princess costume again, and the next we could cry because soon enough we'll be shopping for prom dresses."
I'm trying to keep "the last time" in perspective when I get annoyed with something my girls want to do over and over and over! Such a powerful way to put it, at least for me :)
And finally, from page 172, where they are trying to get moms to take pressure off of oneself and off of one another: "Just imagine. What if we realigned our collective expectations and had...freedom to make our own choices without judgment? freedom from the pressure and anxiety of trying to be perfect moms? freedom to write our own definitions of what it means to be "a good mother"? freedom to redefine success for ourselves? freedom from senseless guilt? freedom from the divisive "Mommy Wars"? freedom from the false notion that if you were smart enough, you'd be able to balance it all?"
What if moms could be that way?
Book #2:
My favorite rule: #64 which says, "Break the rules once in awhile"-ha! I'm actually kidding. I LOVED this book which pushed to eat zero processed foods and lots of veggies. I'm trying more and more each week to do this!!Book #3:
Ahh, so much to say about this one. If you are a mother, you MUST read this book. Please note though, it is a true story and a little girl does pass away. You know from the first page that the little girl is not going to make it, or at least from the jacket of the book, so at least it is not a surprise. This book was terribly difficult from an emotional standpoint to read (get ready to cry!), but has a hundred or more excellent points about living life to the fullest and being the best mother / wife / person that you can be. There are countless parts of this book that I could mention, but I'd rather you just read it for yourself. It's something you could read in about an hour, two at most! I will give you one passage that I think is powerful no matter who you are--man or woman, young or old, married or single, mother or not:From page 57, "Truth is fierce and unrelenting. We cannot change it, but we can change the way we live with it. Making mistakes, not being loved, and dying are inescapable experiences of being human; so is our fear of them. By facing those fears, we have a chance to step beyond them. When we are willing to do the best we can with what we know, to be honest with ourselves and others about who we are and what really matters to us, only then are the lives we live and the love we receive truly our own."
The last part of the final sentence sure is powerful!
Book #4:
This is Albom's fourth book I believe and I love each and every one of them! Some quotes I took to heart from this include, "Faith is about doing. You are how you act, not just how you believe" from page 44 and "When you come to the end; that's where God begins" (page 79). There are many lessons of faith in the book and as always in Albom's writing, so much wisdom from those he is writing of. This is another book that you could read in an hour or two, and I highly recommend it!
So there you have it, four of the books I've read this month :) Like I mentioned in the beginning of this insanely long post, I started book #6 of this month (#8 of the year woohoo!) and next on my shelf are The Shack and Sarah Palin's Going Rogue. We'll see if I can get through at least the book I just started and one of these by the end of the month. I find so much joy in reading!!
What do you read? What would you recommend to me?
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