Have you ever had to stand by your child's side as he or she recovered from a devastating accident or illness? The closest I've come is holding my normally active toddler boy who is rendered still by a high fever, or comforting my healthy tween daughter as she is wracked by a violent stomach bug. This is nothing compared to what parents of special needs children, children with chronic illness, or those involved in serious accidents are dealing with in hospitals in every city every day. In The Water Giver, Joan Ryan shares her experience of nursing her teenage son back to health after he suffers a traumatic brain injury. It's something that no parent wants to face, and about which many parents choose to remain blissfully ignorant instead of facing their worst fears. However, I find that reading stories ...
Category Archives: Parenting
Gospel-Powered Parenting
Most of the parenting books I read, I read when I was pregnant with my first child and was lacking in the ability to practice practical application of, well, anything! Of course, when pregnant, you read everything on parenting you can get your hands on (because you have the time to do so) and then you feel something of an expert. I've discovered lately, now that my little guy is three years old, that I could use a refresher course! (And if you had any doubts, YES, I am poking fun at myself!) One of the books I picked up to read recently is Gospel-Powered Parenting: How the Gospel Shapes and Transforms Parenting. The focal point and ...
The Happiness Project
Are you happy? Would you like to be happier? I've always been a fairly optimistic, roll-with-the-punches, glass half-full kind of person. I'm happy. But even before reading Gretchen Rubin's yearlong exploration of happiness The Happiness Project, I knew that there were choices I made and habits that I have that interfered with the goal of happiness -- not only my own, but also the people who share life with me. This book impacted me in a big way. I not only enjoyed reading it, but I feel like I've learned and grown as a result of it. That's why I'm adding it to my 5 Star Reads. Please click over to 5 Minutes for Mom to read my full review (and enter to win one of two copies). Please read about how this book inspired my own Happiness ...
Raising a Modern Day Princess
Yes. What exactly am I doing reading Raising a Modern-Day Princess? If you know me, you know our home houses only the male variety of offspring. I am lacking a princess. I read this out of mere curiosity as to what authors Pam Farrel and Dorren Hanna had to say about raising girls in today's day and age. For me, it was utter fascination that initially drove me to the book (after all, I AM a girl and I'm curious to know what messages girls of today are being fed). For the most part, I just rely on those of you who do have girls to tell me what it's like raising those like ourselves. ...
Mother Daze
Attention moms: You know how good you can feel after having a spontaneous conversation with another mom while you watch your children play around at the park? I'm talking about the type of conversation in which you drop all the pretenses and speak candidly about the whirlwind that life is when you're a mom. Well, Christine Carr is providing one side of that conversation in her new book, Mother Daze: Tales from the Imperfect Playground. With concise chapters filled with personal stories and reflections, lots of laughs and a fair share of gentle reminders to focus on the truly important aspects of motherhood, readers can feel free to read bits and pieces here and there, which is actually quite appropriate considering the amount of reading time often available to its target audience. Personally, I most appreciated Carr's ...
Pure Foundations
As a Christian parent, I know how important it is to help my kids develop a healthy understanding of their bodies, to explain how special marriage is, and to let them know how babies are made. Even though I know how important these topics are, I admit that I don't like discussing them at all. I am sure I am not the only parent that feels this way. Because of my reticence, I truly appreciate well-written books that can aide me in conversations with my kids. Jim Burns's new Pure Foundations books help parents present difficult topics in a straightforward, kid-friendly way. The photographs of children and families are visually appealing, and the writing is direct, but age appropriate and warm at the same time. God Made Your Body is ...
Mothering Heights
When I am deciding what to read, I gravitate toward fiction. There is one group of nonfiction books, however, that is sure to capture my attention: godly parenting. Ultimately, the Bible is my go-to guide, but I appreciate other thoughtful resources as well. When I saw the idea for Mothering Heights: A Novel Approach for Christian Mothers, I was immediately fascinated. Mothering Heights is a book about motherhood: our preconceived notions, the importance of a mother's role, the challenges, and the rewards. What makes this book different is the author's approach. Each chapter is named for a classical novel and has quotes from the novel interspersed within the text. Stories like Pride and Prejudice, Treasure ...
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Jennifer Donovan
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