March 24, 2017 by Amanda 13 Comments

4 Books That Will Enhance A Mother’s Life

I love to read.

I’m not reading as much in my post-kids life as I did before I had children. I mean, it’s hard to read when there are loud kids around who like to use me as a jungle gym.

A Mom’s life doesn’t leave a lot of space for quiet reading time. Shoot, I usually fall asleep before I finish the first page in a book.

But I do love a good book.

I typically go for novels with a great story that sucks me in and lets me escape for a while.

However, I do enjoy books that help me become a better me. I’m always looking to improve, especially after I had kids, and there are some great books out there that have impacted my life in huge ways.

These books make me feel lighter, more motivated, and I feel like I can actually rock this motherhood thing.

I don’t always get time to curl up on the couch with a good book, but I do have an Audible subscription and a set of headphones. These days I “read” while cooking dinner, running errands, and marking off all the things on my to do list.

I love improving myself while also getting stuff done!

Don’t have an Audible subscription? You can Try Audible and Get Two Free Audiobooks. How awesome is that?

Now, onto the books…

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Fringe Hours by Jessica N. Turner

You might be wondering how on earth I have time to read while staying at home with two kids. Well, it’s because I use my Fringe Hours.

I love how Jessica Turner has proven that Moms really can get some time to do things that they love.

This isn’t a book about how to do more with our time, but empowering us to do more for ourselves, because the more fulfilled we are, the better parents we can be.

The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene’ Brown

I fell in love with Brene’ Brown’s message when I watched her first TED Talk about Vulnerability. This woman is smart. I loved her book, Daring Greatly, so when I saw this one, I knew it was something I needed to read.

I believe with every fiber of my being, that there is no such this as perfection, especially when it comes to parenting.

This book helps us embrace our imperfections, let go of unrealistic expectations, and enjoy our authentic self.

It’s an AMAZING book!

Hands Free Life by Rachel Macy Stafford

This book landed in my hands at the perfect time in my life. I needed to read its words right then.

I have been struggling with life in general. I’ve been too plugged in, too busy to really enjoy the blessings in my life. This book helped me let go and just enjoy, while setting boundaries appropriate boundaries for myself and others.

“With a Hands Free Life perspective, you will have the power to look back and see you didn’t just manage life, you actually lived it – and lived it well” – Don’t we all want that?

Clutterfree with Kids by Joshua Becker

I am a fan of a minimalistic lifestyle, and this book helped me get there.

Yes, it’s a book about dealing with clutter, but there’s so much more to it. There are great stories, life lessons, and light-bulb moments within these pages.

It’s not just a book to help you deal with the stuff, it’s a book that can transform your house and life, and it teaches us to fill our souls instead of our homes.

So GOOD!

Ready to start improving your life? Order the hard copy of these books, download them to your phone or tablet, or add them to your audible store and get started!

I promise each one of these books will give you the tools you need to start living a happier more fulfilling life, today!

March 22, 2016 by Amanda 24 Comments

Books That Will Make Your Child Laugh Out-Loud!

Man, I love a good book, especially a good children’s book…

“Hey Piggie, what happened to your nose!”

“It’s a very long story.”

My 5-year-old erupts in a fit of giggles. With joyful tears welling up in his eyes, he says to me “That’s HILARIOUS!! Read it again, Mommy!”

As I turn to the beginning, I realize that this is my favorite part of the day. There’s nothing better than laughing with my kid.

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Experts say that there are three very important times of day to connect with your children, when they first wake up, when they get home from school, and at bedtime.

But man, bedtime can be hard. After barking orders all evening, “clean up your toys!”, “brush your teeth!”, “put on your pajamas!“, it’s difficult to end the day with peace and joy. So, I turn to books to help me reconnect and say goodnight with happy hearts, hugs, and kisses.

Because of my mission to end the day well with my kids, I’ve been turning to books that make both my son and me laugh-out-loud. After all, there’s no better medicine than laughter…

I Broke My Trunk by Mo Willems

I first heard about Mo Willems through his very popular Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive The Bus! series, and my family fell in love with with his humor. When I was looking for early readers for my son, I ran across his Elephant and Piggie series. Oh my gosh guys, these books are amazing! They are seriously funny for both kids and adults. The series is about two friends, Elephant and Piggie, and their hilariously funny conversations. These books are witty, a bit quirky and always end in hilarious, unexpected ways.

Stuck by Oliver Jeffers

Oliver Jeffers is another writer that I gravitate towards. His books are quirky and funny for both parents and kids. Stuck, is a story of a boy who’s kite gets stuck in a tree, so he throws up his shoe to get it down, but that gets stuck too. Oh but he’s not deterred, this boy is determined to get down his kite…no matter what. Things spiral a bit out of control in this book, and the boy’s antics will leave any kid rolling on the floor with laughter.

The Book with No Pictures by B.J. Novak

My son adores this book! Mainly, he just likes making me look like a fool… The premise of this book is that whoever reads the book, has to read every word….no matter how silly the word is. So parents are stuck yelling words like “Blork!” and sentances like “I’m a _____. Is there any better way to get kids to laugh, than by making the adults in their lives look silly? I think not!

A Perfectly Messed-Up Story by Patrick McDonnell

This book is whimsy, interactive, and a bit…messy. It’s a story about a boy named Louie, who just wants to tell you a story, but keeps getting interrupted by…you. How dare you drop peanut butter and jelly on him when he’s telling his story?! These little instructions send little Louie over the edge a bit, and he has to learn to persevere and be okay with a little bit of a mess. My son could hardly breathe through his laughter in parts of this book. It’s just that funny.

The Day The Crayons Quit by Oliver Jeffers

Who knew it was so hard to be a crayon? We’ll apparently it is extremely hard to live inside that little box with all those other colors. One day, the crayons had enough, and QUIT! Each one left a note with their grievances and it’s up to a little boy, named Duncan, to fix their problems and get them back so he can color. This book is silly, witty and super funny.

What else would you add to the list? I’m always looking for more!!

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March 14, 2016 by Amanda 10 Comments

6 Parenting Books That Will Change The Way You See Your Kids

Inside: Parenting books are hard to find, here are the six best parenting books, recommended by a Mental Health Therapist.

Two days ago, a miracle happened. My kids were with my husband, and I had an hour to kill before I had to be at a meeting.

I had an hour to do whatever the heck I wanted! This Mama had free-time!

I took full advantage and headed straight for our local bookstore, and ran to the fiction area. I needed a book that could whisk me away from my life of messy kids to a beach with sand, sun, and friends.

My fingers ran across each unbroken spine and I took out book after book, read its synopsis, smelled it’s booky smell and felt its soft pages.

It had been so long since I held a brand new book in my hand.

After a few minutes of perusing, I must have taken a wrong turn at “beach reads” and found myself neck deep in the parenting book section.

At once, I felt myself drowning.

Have you ever looked at the parenting books at a bookstore? Holy moly the options!

Overwhelm is an understatement.

I can’t imagine a parent walking into that section and not feeling stressed out. How is someone who’s looking for help able to weed through the hundreds of books and pick one that is accurate, based in real research, not guilt-ridden, and actually helpful?

It seems impossible.

I have read my fair share of parenting books, especially when my boys were young.

Thinking back on that time of my life, I was overpowered by motherhood and was desperately searching for a parenting book that would tell me exactly what I needed to do.

I never found it…

Instead, I found 6 books that I continue to turn to throughout my parenting journey.

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The 6 Best Parenting Books That Every Parent Should Read

The Whole-Brain Child

This is hands-down my all-time favorite parenting book. It’s science-based yet easy to read and implement the techniques inside.

The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child’s Developing Mind

Siblings Without Rivalry

Want your kids to have an awesome relationship? Read this book, NOW!

Siblings Without Rivalry: How to Help Your Children Live Together So You Can Live Too

5 Love Languages of Children

Building a strong connection with a child is the key to good behavior, high self-esteem, and good emotional development.

But sometimes, we’re not speaking our children’s love language and that can lead to frustrated children who don’t feel connected to their parents.

The 5 Love Languages of Children: The Secret to Loving Children Effectively

Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids

Tired of feeling like the bad guy all the time? Read this book.

Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids: How to Stop Yelling and Start Connecting

The Gift of Failure

Want to raise resilient children who succeed in life? The secret is to let them fail a bit…

The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed

Simplicity Parenting

Because we all need a less chaotic life…including our children

Simplicity Parenting: Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier, and More Secure Kids

There you go!

Now, there’s no need to stand there looking at all those books at the bookstore or scrolling through Amazon trying to decide which book you need.

You can’t go wrong with one of these.

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September 26, 2014 by Amanda 3 Comments

Parenting Book Review: Siblings Without Rivalry

This post does contain affiliate links.

I admit it, I adore parenting books. I guess it’s because my passion is helping parents feel confident in their parenting, so I try to stay up to date in all the new theories and research out there.

My philosophy on parenting books (and blogs and advice) is that we have to “ingest the meat and spit out the bones”. Which means, take in the good stuff that really resonates with us and forget about the pieces that don’t.

Most parenting books have a hefty amount of information that I don’t really agree with very much. But, there is one book that I can’t think of a single thing I didn’t agree with, Siblings Without Rivalry. I love it because it’s not ridden with guilt or shame, and each chapter is amazingly helpful. Plus,there are no big studies you have to read through, so it’s an easy read.

It’s a simple, helpful, quick read, that I recommend to everyone who has more than one child.

You can see that I have put tons of little flags in my copy. What you don’t see are all the highlighted sections and notes written inside too.

The authors of this book use their own personal experiences of raising children, as well as the hundreds of parenting workshops they have facilitated around the country, to explain exactly how to create loving relationships between siblings.

The reason I liked it so much, is that it shows parents how to teach their children how to communicate their feelings with each other and how to effectively cooperate together. Seriously, who doesn’t need those skills?

The best part for me was Afterword, because it discusses how to start off right with young siblings. My boys are only 1 and 4, and I read this when my youngest was still and infant. You see, I was already struggling with some sibling issues, and I wanted to do something about that early on. And this book helped me tremendously with that.

Since implementing some of the techniques in the book, my older son’s behavior towards his brother improved a lot. There are moments that we still struggle, but overall my children care for each other and we don’t have any major issues with sibling rivalry. Now, I know they are still quite young, but I think we are on the right path.

So, have you read this book yet? I’d love to know your thoughts about it.

More like this

Parenting Book Review: Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids
When Baby Wrecks the Preschooler’s Play
Helping My Child After the Birth of A New Baby

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February 9, 2014 by Amanda 2 Comments

Zero to Two:: The Book of Play

Zero to Two :: The Book of Play brings you 25 inspiring activities just for your babies and toddlers. Over 20 Bloggers have joined together to compile the ultimate Baby Play eBook out there.

Each activity in the book provides step by step instructions for introducing your child to practical, beautiful, and engaging activities. There is a great range of activities in the book. It includes sensory play, songs, water play, and brand new activities never seen before!

It’s truly and amazing resource for any parent or teacher who work with children two and under.

Why You’ll Love It!

Every Activity is Clearly Laid Out: Each activity has clear instructions and a list of supplies you’ll need, so you’ll easily be able to do these activities with your kids.
The Activities are Practical: My favorite part of the book is that I already own almost all the supplies I need for every activity!
It’s Beautiful: Seriously, this is an amazingly beautiful book. It’s bright, cheerful and full of beautiful photography.
It’s Written By a Team of Bloggers: This means that not only will you have a book of activities for your kids, you’ll find a ton of new blogs to follow!
There are Links to Other Activities: Each blogger included links to some of their favorite activities. So, you’ll not only get the activities in the book, but 50 more links to other activities!
The Book will Be Delivered As Soon as you Order It: Because it’s in a digital format, you can download it and read the book on any device that you wish. You can also print the book or individual activities, if you wish. The link to the book will be sent directly to your email. The delivery system gives you 5 attempts at download within 120 hours, so you can buy now and download later, if you prefer.