Parenting with Love and Logic

Parenting with Love and Logic by Foster Cline and Jim Fay is a favorite of a friend. I am always impressed when I hear stories of her kids, so I was exited to read the book. I was very pleased to see a lot of how my family interacts with each other is the Love and Logic parenting style. There were a few things that didn't really jive with me, but that's every parenting book out there. A lot of it is really great material. 

A huge focus is helping the children learn to think for themselves, which is so important to me. I want my kids to be able to make mistakes in a safe environment and learn from them, as well as have that sense of accomplishment when they make a good decision. 

Another great focus is making sure our kids know we love them as they are. We love them as they are but we can't leave them as they are. Just as God loves us as we are, but He doesn't leave us as we are. We have the comfort of knowing how deeply we are loved and cared for, and because of that we can grow. 

The authors also discuss learning by doing and natural consequences, as well as the second half of the book being specific issues and examples for applying the love and logic technique. This is a fantastic book that I highly recommend. Grab a copy from your bookstore or the link below and let me know what you think!

Parenting With Love And Logic (Updated and Expanded Edition) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1576839540/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awd_x.S8wbPRY1R28

Don't Touch This Book

Don't Touch This Book by Bill Cotter features a cute little monster named Larry. Larry is in charge of the book. Don't Touch This Book reads like Don't Push The Button, it tells you not to do something then encourages you to do it anyway. That annoying fact aside, it's an imaginative book for the kids. The pages change colors when you touch them and make shapes when you move a certain way, then show some fun creatures when you make noises. 

Aiden (4) said it was ok, but he wished it was longer. 

Carter (2) was frustrated by it. We received the kindle version free for review from https://www.netgalley.com. To actually "touch the book" makes the pages move on the kindle app, so we decided moving our fingers in the air would be better. He would like it a lot more if it was an actual hard book copy. Our copy of Don't Push The Button is a hard cover, and he loves it. 

The illustrations in the book are also done by the author. His use of colors is appealing to both Aiden and Carter. They love that cute little Larry. 

I was really exited to have the chance to review this book because we like Don't Push The Button so much. Carter loves interactive books, and if we saw this in the bookstore he would be so exited to buy it! 

The title is released March 28! Grab a copy and let me know what you think. 

Don't Touch This Book! https://www.amazon.com/dp/1492632244/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awd_y933wbHQY9N5H

Little Boys Activity Bible For Toddlers

Little Boys Activity Bible for Toddlers by Larsen Carolyn was gifted to my sons. (This could be used for both sons and daughters if you have both, however there is a girls option that I've linked at the bottom as well.)

This book is fun and interactive. It starts with the story of creation where the children answer "God did!" to who made the (big yellow sun, twinkling stars, etc.) and the bad choices of Adam and Eve while reinforcing that God still loved them, goes through several bible stories including many that aren't in a lot of children's bible books, through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, and ends with 7 stories of Peter, Phillip, and Paul. I like that it doesn't end at the story of Jesus, but continues on to give us examples of how to live for Him. 

The age range on the book says 0-3, however Aiden is 4.5 and enjoys it. If he has additional questions, I can answer them. The stories are six pages each, with a bright picture taking up most of each page. Some pages have an angel pulling a toy dinosaur in the corner showing a reaction to the story, which is one of Carter's (2.5) favorite parts. 

The activities range from free (playing mother may I) to inexpensive (I think the most expensive activity is planting a flower in a pot). The boys really enjoyed making little Moses babies in baskets with modeling clay! These are great ways to help the kids remember what we read and to continue conversation about the story. 

This book is a fun addition to our collection. We've really enjoyed reading through it together and will very likely read it again. 

Little Boys Activity Bible for Toddlers by Larsen Carolyn et al. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0091USX6S/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_udp_awd_pmC1wb4608JSB

LIttle Girls Activity Bible for Toddlers by Larsen Carolyn et al. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00926Q3FO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_udp_awd_2dD1wb1FH0S17

My Sister's Grave

Robert Dugoni. 

Read in February. 

I loved My Sister's Grave. It starts strong, ends strong, and doesn't dull out in the middle. All around fantastic writing. 

The story is a homicide detective who's sister was kidnapped and murdered twenty years ago. She doesn't think the man convicted was the man who did it. Now her sisters body has been found and she finally has the chance to put it all together. To find out who really murdered her sister. Met with old friends and memories along the way, this story tugs at your heart and emotions in a powerful way. 

This is a short review, but I don't feel it's my place to give anything away. A lot of the thrill is in the mystery. 

I'll just say: the end-I did not see that coming!

You should definitely put this on your To Read list. 

My Sister's Grave (The Tracy Crosswhite Series) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1477825576/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_1Wm7ub0FFSS7Y

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1477825576/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_1Wm7ub0FFSS7Y

The No Cry Sleep Solution

Elizabeth Pantley. 

Read in February. 

When Aiden was a baby, I didn't read any sleep books. I did what came naturally to me, and it worked out great. We were happy and well rested. Having two kids is a lot more exhausting than one, and i found myself more tired and more prone to irritability and a quick temper or annoyance. I'm not proud of it. I'm working on it and I feel I'm doing much better with understanding my children and remembering they're just 3&1. They need my patience and guidance. At the recommendation of a friend, I purchased this book on my kindle app. It was exactly the reassurance I needed. All of the same things I did when Aiden was a baby. The same gentle and understanding attitude I had then, I have again for Carter. I'm disappointed in myself that I needed this reminder, but I'm glad this resource was here for me. Because I did need it, and I'm so thankful for it. It wasn't anything new for me, but it will be for some, and I just have to say it's worth reading. If you feel you need help or will need help, buy this and read it. You won't regret it. I promise!

Here's the authors website: http://www.pantley.com/elizabeth/books/0071381392.php

Elevating Childcare: A Guide To Respectful Parenting

Janet Lansbury. 

Read in January. 

This is a fantastic book. Every parent should read it. As I read it, I copied out quotes that affected me. Things I feel I should work on, and things I want to remember. I'll let them speak for themselves in a moment. I've read a lot of books on childcare and parenting, and there are a few more I plan to read simply because I already own them. If I didn't, I wouldn't feel the need to buy anymore. This short book is basically all you need. While I feel reading parenting books is a great way to always keep your mind on how you behave, it does get to the point where it's too much information. You don't want to be constantly second guessing your instinct with all the conflicting information out there. It will make you irritable and give you a headache. If I were asked to recommend books to new parents, it would be three. Baby By The Numbers, Keep Calm And Parent On, and Elevating Childcare. As a supplemental book for sleeping, if needed, I'd recommend The No Cry Sleep Solution, but I'll talk about that in another post. Now it's time for Elevating Childcare to shine. These are the quotes that made the biggest difference to me, though the whole book is powerful. 

"We want to get care-giving duties over with. Diapering, feeding, bathing and bedtime are important opportunities to slow down and connect."

"People will forget what you said; people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." - Maya Angelou

"We all need someone who understands." - Magda Gerber

"Don't encourage distraction. It is common practice to distract a baby with a toy on the changing table to "get the job done." But this trains babies to not pay attention. Diaper changes, baths, and feedings are not dull, unpleasant chores for babies. Babies are interested in all aspects of their lives. They want to be included in each step of a task that involves them and be invited to participate as much as they are able."

"There are no wrong desires or feelings, just wrong ways of acting on them"

"My dear mom had never laid a hand on me, never punished me, and never yelled. But she clearly could not handle my feelings. The result was that I felt innately bad and wrong for ever having them. 

So I've made a special effort to accept all my children's emotions, especially their anger...to let them know that it's always okay for them to be mad at me. I'm not going anywhere."

"Would you rather have close proximity to a busy loved one all day long, or a few minutes of that loved one's undivided attention?"

"Focused attention is the glue that holds relationships together."

Chapter 28. I Think I Know Why You're Yelling

This whole chapter is perfect. I realized I would basically be copying the entire chapter, and I didn't want to do that. I want you to buy this book and give the author the credit she deserves. 

I'm very thankful to my friend for recommending this, and I really hope you choose to purchase and read it for yourself. 

Here is the authors website: http://www.janetlansbury.com

The Julian Chapter.

R. J. Palacio

Read in December. 

A great addition to Wonder.

I enjoyed reading from Julian's perspective. He was afraid of Auggie, and reading his background helped me to understand him a little more. His mother always made excuses for him, so he didn't have to own up to his actions. I loved Grandmère's Story and Julian's reaction to it. We all make mistakes, in the end he acknowledged his and made it as right as he could.

(I don't feel the need for a lengthy review, as I've already reviewed Wonder and all the background is there. I don't think anyone would read The Julian Chapter without first reading Wonder.)

The Postmistress.

By Sarah Blake. Read in November. 

Set during the beginning of World War 2, The Postmistress tells the stories of three young women. 

Iris - looking for love and keeping order, this postmaster always does her job with pride. However, at the beginning of the story, we are told maybe she didn't do what she was supposed to do. Just one time. 

Emma - a shy woman who feels so insignificant, except to her husband. 

Frankie - a reporter in the midst of all the bombing, searching for something and finding too much. 

These three women are brought to life in a mix of fact and fiction. Sarah does a fantastic thing, making me feel so much in a single paragraph. Over and over. Life and death, how fast one changes to the other, and the impact it leaves on others. 

I love how real, how honest, this novel is. How sometimes I just cried and cried over the tragedy that's important to remember. I love how the battlefield wasn't the main focus, but the lives it affected. 

I recommend The Postmistress to everyone. 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0425238695/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_3FMBub00B1304

Upstream

Upstream. Melissa Lion. 

Read in August. 

Upstream is a short work of fiction about a girl with a secret, from Alaska. Her name is Marty. The story is about her learning to live with heartbreak. Her boyfriend, Steven, is no longer in the picture; and she breaks into his old house to sleep in his old room several times before the house is sold. Marty is not a relatable character for me because I've never experienced heartbreak with a secret, but she was very likeable. She truly cared about her family and her boss. Marty struggles with the decision to go to college and escape the pain, or stay and be close to her mom and sisters. Upstream is a well written book. It's engaging and thought-provoking. I felt like I could be friends with Marty, but it wasn't quit there. The other characters were also likeable. Her sister Dottie with her fun spirit, and her boss Katherine who is an understanding friend as well. I enjoyed reading Upstream. My favorite part is when Marty finally explains what happened to Steven. Everything makes sense, all the secrecy and sadness. A friend of mine hesitantly recommended this to me. She holds it close to her heart and was afraid I wouldn't like it. I do like it, but I don't think I can honestly recommend it. For me, it was too forgettable. 

Upstream https://www.amazon.com/dp/0375839542/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_qjzoub04DTWB5

That's My Son

I loved this book. It was written for single moms. I am not a single mom, you do not have to be a single mom to get a lot of helpful information on boys, although I think this would be a fantastic gift for a single mother. (Any single moms out there-you have my respect. It's not easy raising kids.) The author said it how it is. It's a relatively short book, full of wisdom. There were really only two things I didn't care for:

•the chapter on sex annoyed me a little. My husband and I have talked about men and sex, and some of it contradicted what my husband told me. While men definitely have different character strengths than women, there isn't a "one size fits all" man. However, there are also a lot of great points made in this chapter. Sex should be seen as something special and I appreciate how he presents it. 

•there is a sentence that says something along the lines of - if a girl doesn't have a father around she will find love in the backseat of a car. - I'm from a broken home. The only man I've had sex with is my husband of six years. We have two amazing little boys and are very secure in our relationship. While I can see where he's going with this, it has never made sense to me to put it that way. Girls with fathers around have sex before marriage also. 

It probably sounds like the whole book is about sex by the way I've written so far, but it's not. Sex is only one chapter. Chapter four to be exact. This book talks about respect and other character traits a man should have and how to help your son develop these traits. I'm very thankful for this book, it's helped me understand my boys more. I'm so proud of the men they're becoming. 

Allegiant

Spoilers! (This is a book discussion more than a book review.) Veronica changes her writing style in Allegiant. It's now told from the point of view of Tris and Tobias. If I hadn't read spoilers, I might have found this annoying, but it's necessary and I liked hearing from Tobias' point of view. He's even more attractive when you can see what he's thinking and feeling. 

They have to pretend they've broken up because his mom doesn't like his girl. Evelyn wants control. No factions. Control by force. There is a group calling themselves the Allegiant, who want to continue with the original purpose of the city. Factions and sending the divergent out. Tobias takes tris on a "date" and it's so sweet. Tris and Tobias save Caleb, the brother who betrayed her family. And they all escape. Outside the fence. They are found by a group of people, including two thought to be dead, and trust them because they have a picture of Tris' mom in their world. The leader gives Tris a tablet with her moms journal where we learn some interesting things about her. The fringe turns out to be an informative place for how the government lies to everyone. Genetic damage is the big issue in this book. Divergent are genetically pure. Tobias is not really divergent. Genetically damaged want to be treated equally. Totally understandable. I love how equality is a factor in this book. Too many people judge. I'm sick of it. 

The first attempt goes wrong. Tobias was not given all of the information, and as a result helps with an attack that puts Uriah in a coma he will not wake up from. Later they formulate a better plan that ultimately works. Tris miraculously survives the death serum, only to get shot and killed. It ends with heartache as well as healing. Tobias' mom chooses him over power. The government is given a memory serum so genetics are not a dividing factor anymore. And everyone grieves over the losses of loved ones. I cried. I felt slightly betrayed. I loved it and hated it. Veronica, you ruined my life. ;)

Insurgent

Spoilers! (This is a book discussion more than a book review.) I really liked insurgent. I love trilogies, I love seeing the characters grow. 

Tris is struggling with the fact that she killed Will, and who can blame her? She shot one of her best friends! I would struggle with that guilt for the rest of my life. I know a lot of people say she just needs to get over it, I disagree. That would make her less realistic. Life hurts sometimes. 

I want some bread from Amity. That's all I have to say about that. :)

I feel for Tobias. His parental situation is hard. I can understand. When your parent leaves you it hurts. You want to forgive them, you want to love them, you want to tell yourself it will all be ok. But they left you. And it's not easily forgiven. You don't want to be hurt again. It's hard to trust. I didn't trust her. 

I felt relieved when Tris told Christina and Tobias that she shot Will. It's so much easier to deal with emotions when close ones are there for you. 

Marlene! Uriah! :.....(

Jeanine. Oh boy oh boy. I hate her even more in this book and ... I can't hold back any longer... Caleb! What the heck, Caleb?! I trusted you!

Peter, thank you for saving Tris. I did not see that coming, ok kind of, but not really. I figured somehow she'd be saved but I didn't expect it to be by Peter.

The fight against herself was intriguing to me. We all fight ourselves on a daily basis. I love how that played into the book. Which part of ourself do we choose to win? 

Evelyn is the enemy at the end of insurgent. It makes me sad that Tobias can't count on his parents. 

I love that it ended with the video clip. I admit that as soon as I finished  insurgent, I picked up Allegiant. I really wanted to know more, to see what they found out and how they handled it all. And I'm glad I did. 

Lift by Kelly Corrigan

This book is a blessing. It's a quick read. It's emotional. I cried a lot, I was happy, sad, happy. This book is a letter from a mother to her children. I've also been recording memories for my little guys, and it's nice to see a "completed" one. I use "" because there is more to come, but this is where she chose to end the letter. 

I'm very grateful for having read this special book and I recommend it to every mother or child. So basically everyone. Happy reading. 

Fifty Shades Trilogy

I had my second child in September. A little boy named Carter Jacob. I still have the three books from bons book club of last year to get to, but at the time I was expecting to be returning to my day job, so I wanted to read the fifty shade trilogy before returning. It's not something I wanted to read at work. I ended up staying home, and I got a job working some evenings when my husband is here. I am, however, very glad I read them. I had gotten several recommendations for them, oddly enough, most of them were coworkers. But I was very hesitant because I heard they were trashy. Parts of them are a bit intense, but overall I enjoyed them. It has a good story line and I loved getting to know the characters. I really enjoyed the parts that went into Christian's childhood. And I loved when his mom found out about the pedo. I definitely recommend the trilogy if you can keep an open mind in the beginning. 

The Happiness Project

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. 

This is not a quick read. It's not a book to get lost in. It made me think. A lot. I loved that. It took me two months to finish, I couldn't read straight through. I had to stop and think on things. I had to apply it to my life. Which is exactly what you should do. This is a great book. Though it dragged at times and the blog comments were annoying, I'd definitely recommend it. (The blog inserts felt like she was trying to justify her book by showing who it helped and it made me want to call her and say, "woman! I already bought the book please stop trying to sell it to me!") The author is likable and honest. There is a lot of information, a lot to learn, a lot to apply. She says being heavy is easy, being light is hard. I have used similar phrases, being a jerk is easy being nice is hard...being grumpy is easy being in a good mood is hard. Because we tend to focus on the negative. In our lives, ourselves, and other people. But when you realize what you're doing you can choose to change it. You can choose to see the positive, to smile (even if it freaks people out bwahaha). You don't have to be a grump!

I would say to do this as a side book. For example in your "I want to get swept away by a book" times, read Nicholas sparks. But when you want to be mindful and improve yourself and your life, read the happiness project. It's worth it.