Travel Tips for Date Trips

As I've mentioned, Jason and I started planning this trip to Paris over two years ago when it was coming up on our five year anniversary.  Then we got pregnant with James and realized that trying to take a trip 8 months pregnant might not work out so great.  And then the next year, I was still nursing so getting away for an extended trip would involve lots of stress before the trip and the hassle of pumping while gone.  So we decided to delay the trip until we could go stress-free -- and that landed us on this year!

We hadn't been on a trip that was solely just the two of us in a long time.  So when I was thinking about what I needed to pack to keep myself entertained I had to search my mind to remember what trips like these were like.  I missed my mark a little and wanted to share my advice with you in case you're getting away with your sweetie soon sans kids and have forgotten what it's like.  (PS If you haven't gotten away just the two of you in a while you definitely should!  It's so important for a marriage and SO NICE to remember how much you truly love and enjoy spending time with your spouse!)

To start my entertainment packing, I first made up a playlist on my phone full of songs that I love but never get to listen to since I'm never in the car by myself.  I was excited to get to listen to some of "my" music and, as it turns out, I never even turned it on while we were gone!  I enjoyed catching up with Jason so much that I never even considered just zoning out to music.  So, if you're pushed for time, this is a step I would skip.  If you end up having time to listen to music you can listen to the playlists you already have loaded.  And our Samsung Galaxy pads that we got on the flight had a few albums pre-loaded on it so we could have listened to those if we wanted.

My next point of interest was to get some new books for the trip.  If you've read the blog for long you probably know that I am a book-a-holic.  Books have always been a weakness for me and now that I can get electronic copies they're easier than ever to have at my fingertips.  I get a lot of the books that I read off of Amazon's Top 100 Free books but you have to be prepared to not really look at book covers and just skim titles because a lot of those books are way too provocative for me.

I decided to download three new books by an author that I have read previously (Janice Thompson).  I got two titles to complete a series that I had started months (years?) ago when I downloaded the first book in the series from the free books (don't they always put the first one for free and then hook you -- these publishers know what they're doing!) and the third was the first in a new series from the same author.

The "Backstage Pass" series was wonderful.  It was set in present-day Hollywood so lots of glitz, glamour, and action, but with a Christian storyline.  In my opinion, you can't get much better than that!  And I also love that you follow the same set of characters in the series, just focusing on a different one with each book.

I loved the first book in the "Weddings By Design" series.  It ties in to both the Weddings by Bella series and the Backstage Pass series but centers on new characters.  I love getting to catch up with beloved characters who play a supporting role in new books.    (Karen Kingsbury also does this very well but I've had to quit reading her books because they are too sad.)

The one thing that I had forgotten about airplane flying and eReading is that you can't eRead during takeoff and landing.  I didn't pack any magazines or "real" books and so that left me stuck with nothing really to do during those times.  So in the airport on the way back, I picked up a book in a shop that I could read on takeoff and landings.  

This book was still contemporary but wasn't Christian themed but I still enjoyed it.  It was a fairly quick read and there were only a few parts that I had to skip over.  It gave me something to do while reading on my phone was banned and I found that even when I could start reading my eBooks I wanted to finish the book first!  Next trip I'll definitely remember to bring at least a few magazines or an actual book to keep me occupied during those times.

And an international trip wouldn't be complete without watching some movies.  As I mentioned in my post about traveling, we were provided with a Samsung Galaxy pad and Bose headphones on our flight.  (As a disclaimer, we did fly Business Class with American Airlines and it was worth every penn of upgrade that we paid for it.  Since we got our plane tickets and hotel and breakfast for a song at a live auction, we paid the upgrade price to celebrate our anniversary and did not regret it!)  We were able to watch a number of movies that we had wanted to see (Twilight, Breaking Dawn, part 2, Argo, Les Miserables) while flying over the ocean.  We even watched Argo simultaneously on both of our devices so that it was almost like we were watching it together and we could laugh at the same parts at the same time!

If we fly for that long again and aren't going to have something like that provided I would definitely stock my iPad with a few movies that I haven't seen yet and want to watch or some that I want to watch again.  I feel like it would be a good investment to help you disengage while in the air for that long.

The one thing that I would suggest the most before leaving on a date trip would be to make sure and discuss your expectations with your spouse before you leave.  It would have been sad if I had wanted to talk with Jason for the whole plane ride and he wanted to read a book and vice versa.  We were able to spend plenty of time reconnecting but still get some decompress time by ourselves by occupying ourselves with things that we were interested in.  Especially if you're traveling internationally and aren't going to add an international data plan onto your phone (we didn't), remember that all the time that you're out you won't be able to check email or Twitter or anything else, so you'll be spending 100% quality time during the days.  It was nice to be able to go "off the grid" during the days and spend that time soaking up time for just the two of us!

This post falls under my Link/Review Disclosures

Show Us Your Life - Favorite Kids Books

I've blogged about my favorite children's books in the past but wanted to jump on with Kelly's Show Us Your Life today to post my updated favorites.  As the kids get older my "favorites" for them change and I want to share what we're loving right now.  For those new readers from Kelly's (thanks for coming!) I've got an almost 4 year old little girl and a one and a half year old little boy.

Charlotte loves all Fancy Nancy books but this one might be her favorite.  I like how the books address applicable topics (ballet recitals, not listening, lying at school, doing things with your family instead of your friends, etc) but in a way that she can relate to them.  I think that the books are setting a good tone as she grows and becomes more aware of the world.  And she loves how "fancy" Fancy Nancy is!  As an added bonus, the books use lots of big, new words which has really expanded her vocabulary!

Charlotte loved "Where's My Sweetie Pie?" when she was little and now James loves it and Charlotte loves reading it again.  It's a fun lift the flap book that ends with a mirror so that they can see themselves.  When we get to the end James (sometimes) points at himself in the mirror and yells "Me!" The only downside is that some of the flaps have small connecting places which my children have easily torn.

This book was one that Mom pulled out from when Charlie and I were little.  Charlotte has picked it up and loves reading it now.  For a few days it was even her favorite!  I love the message that the Mommy owl always comes back.

I'm not a big fan of the other Llama Llama books (I don't love their messages and the attitudes and actions of Baby Llama) but I'm a huge fan of this board book.  It's short and sweet and is more of a "boy" book than some of the other board books that we have from when Charlotte was little.  James likes reading it and will actually sit in my lap through the whole thing since it's short.  And the short words (zip, zoom, swoosh....) are words that he can try to say as we're reading.

I think I'll always love this book because it's the book that includes the first word that Charlotte can "read".  She learned how to spell "zoo" and points it out every time it appears in the book.  Recognizing this word and being able to pick it out on the pages has led to more of an interest on her part in learning words and asking questions about reading.  All of these little pocket sized books (Big Dog...Little Dog, Are you my Mother?, etc) are great because they're easy to throw in a bag to take out and about and they are chock full of small words that pre-schoolers can start to recognize.

This book (and a similar one with jungle animals) are favorites of James' right now.  He loves opening up the pop up pages over and over again.  He forgets about them if they're not out in the open, but as soon as he sees one he grabs it immediately and brings it to you to go through with him!

They're absolute favorite books right now though are their Blurb picture books!

Travel Reads - January 2013

Since we were on our own in Miami for a long weekend I managed to get quite a lot of reading done.  Since the books I read were all really good, I thought I'd share them with you!

The Bridesmaid by Beverly Lewis

Amish Christian Fiction

3 out of 5 stars

I've steered clear of Amish country reads lately because I got burnt out on them, but this present-day set novel seemed like a good one to get me back in the setting.  Joanna is 27 years old and basically considered a spinster by her Amish community since she's never wed.  Her sister, Cora, trows a fit when Joanna agrees to be a friends bridesmaid for the third time, thinking that this will seal Joanna's single status forever.  As this story progresses we get to see some of Joanna's longings (to write fiction and have a family) as well as some benefits and negatives of living an Amish life.  

Beverly Lewis is a great writer and everything that I've read of her has been compelling.  I was sometimes frustrated with the overbearing control of the church leader's in the book, but I assume that this is pretty true to life in the Amish culture.  I always enjoy reading about how the Amish live in present day situations.  It's easy to forget that there are large populations of people who still cling to this way of life.

Overall, this was a very good book if you're looking for a contemporary book set in Amish country.  The romance in the book is fulfilling and you will find yourself pulling for Joanna and rooting against some who seem to be working against her.

Sweet Waters by Julie Carobini

Contemporary Christian Fiction

4 out of 5 stars

I enjoyed a few of Julie Carobini's books in 2012 (Chocolate Beach and Truffles by the Sea) and was interested to give this one a try.  Set mostly in Otter Bay, California, this is a coming of age story of sorts with the main character of Tara Sweet as a twenty-something who has just been dumped by her fiancé and persuades her sisters to move halfway across the country to their birthplace.

I found this book hilarious and a riveting read.  Along the way, Tara learns some surprising things about her parents and why they left Otter Bay so many years ago.  And her reactions to those pieces of news and the new people in her life made me think about how I would react if put in the same position. A portion of the book is a love story which is full of two people with large flaws to overcome, but isn't that true of most relationships?

Read Sweet Waters if you're looking for a book about fragile family dynamics, a family's history, and an introduction to a new town in Otter Bay.  Julie has also written two other books set in Otter Bay (that I have not read), A Shore Thing and Fade to Blue.  I don't believe that these books are a series, so much as books set in the same location about different people.  Julie's writing is real and honest and is very good and I would recommend this book if you're looking for a little bit of a heavier romance read.

The Lady of Bolton Hill by Elizabeth Camden

Historical Christian Fiction

5 out of 5 stars

I read Elizabeth's The Rose of Winslow Street last year and loved her style and writing.  So I added this book to my wish list a while ago and finally got around to downloading it for this trip.  I have to tell you that it did not disappoint!

Clara Endicott is a novelty in her time period, a female journalist.  And her pursuit of the truth to help others lands her in jail in London facing an extremely harsh sentence due to her American citizenship.  When her lawyer manages to extract her from the chargers and get her out of the country, we wonder if the craziness of her life is ending, when in reality it's just beginning.

The Lady of Bolton Hill is a romantic, suspense novel set in historical Baltimore.  With interesting current event information on things from the railroad monopoly to low worker wages, you are drawn into the time period as well as the characters.  And you spend the novel trying to stay one step ahead and figure out the mystery of who is trying to do what as if it depends on you to solve the situation.  Definitely read this if you're interested in historical fiction that is suspenseful.

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Science Fiction

5 out of 5 stars

Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Science Fiction

5 out of 5 stars

I first heard about the Divergent trilogy on Kim's blog 3 Peanuts.   I immediately added them to my wish list but wasn't able to psych myself up for another series similar to The Hunger Games until this trip.  I downloaded Divergent and started it last out of all of the books I downloaded because I still wasn't sure I wanted to get into something heavy.  But I was immediately drawn in to the story and purchased Insurgent as soon as I finished Divergent.  The only downside to reading these now is that the third book won't be released until this coming fall and I'm anxious to know how it all turns out now!

These books are similar in feel to THG but aren't nearly as brutal or as cold as THG can feel.  The main character is a sixteen year old named Beatrice/Tris, but the setting is more of a civilization that is trying to make the best civilization possible as opposed to ruthlessly asking teenagers to hunt each other.  Political control, war, famine, human nature, and more are all points that are brought up in these suspenseful novels, but the gore never went far enough where I was skimming sections like I did in THG.

If you are one who loves suspense but doesn't like reading present day suspense because it hits too close to home (ME!) then these are great for you.  It's easy to relate to the characters.  It's easy to pick characters to side with and then be blindsided by someones actions later in the book.  And it's very easy to get lost in the story.  These are both great books and I can't wait for the third!

I'm updating this post to link to to Jones' Design Company's What I'm reading link party! Check it out!

*This post contains affiliate links and falls under my link/review disclosures.  That being said, no one asked me to write this and I purchased all of these books myself.

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.

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.

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....

The Hunger Games

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!

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.

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.

Loving the Little Years: Motherhood in the Trenches

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.

From One Child to Two

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!

Toilet Training Without Tantrums: from parent or child

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!

Making the "Terrible" Twos Terrific

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.

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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!

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....

Harry the Dirty Dog Board Book

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!

Where Is the Green Sheep?

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 Duck

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!

Charlie the Ranch Dog

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....

Biscuit Storybook Collection

This has some of her favorite Biscuit books but she loves ALL Biscuit books!

Little Golden Book Collection: Sleepytime Tales (Little Golden Book Treasury)

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