Booking It 2011: Sacred Parenting

I've been a little slow in getting my reading done. But, I did finish a book in July. I read Sacred Parenting by Gary Thomas. I must say that I have yet to read a book by Gary Thomas that I didn't like, this one is no exception.

While Sacred Parenting is not a step-by-step how to guide on how to raise godly children, I found it challenging and convicting. Much of the book focuses on how parenting shapes us as parents through challenging us to put service before comfort, control our anger, and look beyond glamor to glory.

The book is easy to read and I found it convicting. I don't have children of my own, but have a step-daughter who is with us for very limited amounts of time. I am now trying to learn to control my anger/temper and try to put things in the place they rightfully deserve. I will definitely read this book again when I have my own children as shaping our souls is a lifelong process.

31 Days to Clean

I just saw this on Money Saving Mom and thought it just might be the motivation I need to get my house cleaned up. You should check out 31 Days to Clean and join the Group Challenge from 5/1 to 5/31 following the e-book.

Booking It 2011: Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day

This month I read Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day. I have to say that I really loved this book. My family seems to eat a lot of sandwiches and, therefore, we go through a lot of bread. I don't like buying the cheap $1.00 per loaf bread that I can get at the grocery store nor do I like paying $4.00 per loaf at times for the good bread. So I thought this might be a good alternative to keeping bread in my house but not breaking the bank. I tried 3 different recipes from the book: Soft American Sandwich Bread, Crusty Sandwich Bread, and Boule.

The Soft American Sandwich Bread was ok. I didn't get great results with it. The crumb was somewhat dense and it had some issues cooking all the way through (this may be that it the dough was pretty cold when it went in as my house is on the cold side). In comes the Crusty Sandwich Bread. I LOVE this bread. The flavor is great and the crumb is light and fluffy. My husband liked it better stating that he found it easier to cut small slices for sandwiches. The boule turned out well as far as texture and taste, but the loaf spread quite a bit. This could have been from resting for too long or that more flour needed to be dusted onto the loaf.

I enjoyed cooking from this book and hope to try more recipes from it after getting a copy for myself.

Booking It 2011 - Sacred Influence

This month I read Sacred Influence by Gary Thomas. I have read a couple of Gary's other books and must say that as convicting as this book was, I really enjoyed it. The book is a man's perspective on how a woman can best serve her husband. The most interesting point that he made was that a woman should give up some of the things that she wants in order to best serve her husband and her family. I find this point interesting because it is completely counter-cultural. The book also suggests that women ask their husbands how they can better serve them by asking "What would like me to do that I am not doing?" The question gives better insight into how what our specific husband wants us to do.

This book was very convicting in that this is not how I have approached my marriage over the last 4 years. It gave me a new way to approach my husband, how to approach my marriage, and how to serve God through all of this.

Booking It 2011: The Happiness Project

This month I read The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. I didn't know anything about this book prior to reading it this month, so I didn't have any expectations. I have to say I really enjoyed the book. It was easy to read and very easy to relate to. I can especially relate to the clutter issue as my home has not been a place that I want to be as of late because it is so cluttered. I will definitely be taking her advice on clutter and I may start my own happiness project in the next year. While I do believe that true happiness is found through faith in Jesus Christ, I think that the methods in Gretchen's book are the key to feeling more at peace with life. For example, my home has not been a source of refreshment because it is full of clutter. By clearing out the clutter, I will feel more settled and refreshed in my home, my husband will feel more at peace because it is not cluttered, and I will have more of a leg to stand on when I expect my daughter to clean up after herself around the house. I also like the idea of increasing my energy and vitality through exercise which is in line with my goal of running a half marathon this year.

In short, I enjoyed reading this book and highly recommend it to others. Now, on to Sacred Influence.

Household Management Notebook

I have become faced over the last several months at how unorganized my life is. I have my personal planner that helps me organize my schedule but trying to keep my husband's schedule and the schedule with his daughter in order has been difficult. That's why I was so excited by the challenge from Life As Mom to develop a household management notebook. After pouring through ideas on how people have done it and resources available to create my own, I have finally come up with my own household management notebook.

To highlight a few of the things that I am so excited about:

1) The to-do lists




I printed off the 52 Weeks of Organizing list from orgjunkie so that I can continue to get the rest of my house organized and less cluttered. I also printed off the daily docket from simplemom. This will be laminated so that I can save paper. I am also using the cleaning lists from moneysavingmom. This double-sided with the monthly/semi-annual list on the back and will be laminated so that I can re-use it. I also printed the preschooler chore chart from simplemom so that Quinn can do chores when she is with us. This will more than likely not be kept in the notebook, but on her bedroom door.

2) The calendar



I have to say that this is the part I am most excited about. I have told my husband for a couple of years that I am going to start a family calendar. If something is on the family calendar, it is set in stone. Now, I have finally done it!! There is a calendar for each month and there is an ink color for each type of event (black is family, green is Nathan & I, blue is Nathan, I am purple, & pink is Quinn). This will give order to our house and everything can be in one place and once it is on the calendar, it can't be changed.

3) Birthdays



With so many people in my family and some birthdays so close together, I can't always keep them straight. I printed the birthday organizer from yourway.net and included birthdays and anniversary for everyone in our family but cousins. That way, I can plan better and get cards or send a card to everyone for their birthdays.

4) Christmas (I tried to get a picture of this section posted, but it wouldn't upload right)

Christmas the last couple of years has been ridiculous. I wind up doing all the planning with very little time. I used the planning pages from organizedchristmas. I look forward to getting all my gift giving, parties, and baking planned so that I can relax and enjoy the reason for the season.

There are other dividers for phone numbers, emergency/medical information, and school.

Booking It in 2011 Reading list

I came across this on-line book club and have wanted to do more reading throughout the last couple of years. So, this seemed fun and I decided to try it. So, here is my reading list:

February 2011 - The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
March 2011- Sacred Influence by Gary Thomas
April 2011 - Artisan Bread in 5 minutes a day by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois (I'll also include Healthy Bread in 5 minutes a day since I own it).
May 2011 - Finding your purpose as a mom by Donna Otto
June 2011 - Captivating by John and Stasi Eldredge
July 2011 - Dancing with my Father by Sally Clarkson
August 2010 - The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
September 2010 - Organized Simplicity by Tsh Oxenreider
October 2010 -Not Your Mother's Casseroles by Faith Durand
November 2010 -The Reluctant Entertainer by Sandy Coughlin
December 2010 - Skin by Ted Dekker

I also hope to read Father Fiction by Donald Miller. I also have a box of books my brother's now ex-girlfriend loaned me, so I may also pull some things from that. I'm really excited about this and look forward to some accountability to get me reading again.