I’m a voracious reader. At any given time lately I’m reading at least three different books. What I pick up depends on my mood, but I’m often rotating between middle grade/young adult fiction, historical fiction, as well as something nonfiction -- but I’ll pick up anything that friends recommend or that catches my eye as well. Sometimes a personal development book is also thrown into the … [Read more...]
How ‘The Read-Aloud Handbook’ Changed The Way We Read to Our Kids
I’ve always been a big reader. I grew up going to the library and bringing piles of books home with me. On vacations, I’d bring more books than there were days of the week; in the pre-Kindle and tablet days, I was worried I’d run out of things to read! So, when I had kids, I knew books would be a big part of their lives. Affiliate links included. From the moment they’ve been born, … [Read more...]
The Courage to be Vulnerable: Book Review of ‘Daring Greatly’ by Brene Brown
I’m going to get vulnerable here… and this is new for me. I feel like I’ve always been concerned with how other people perceived me. I always worried that I was too awkward and too weird. Or maybe too quiet. Or that I never knew what to say. In turn, I never felt “good enough.” It’s something I’ve been working on for awhile, basically ever since I’ve had kids, because I saw (and see on a daily … [Read more...]
Finding Beauty Everywhere: Book Review of ‘A Different Beautiful’
I first learned about Brenna shortly after she was born. News came from my sister-in-law, a best friend to Brenna’s mom, Courtney Westlake, that the little girl -- born just before Christmas -- was fighting for her life due to a rare skin condition. This sweet fighter named Brenna not only survived but eventually thrived. I first followed her story through Courtney’s blog and was always amazed … [Read more...]
The Importance of Positive Energy: Review of ‘The Energy Bus’ by Jon Gordon
I’ve been called an ‘optimist’ plenty of times in my life. It’s often a compliment but not always. People have rolled their eyes at me and wondered out loud how I could have possibly turned something negative into a positive. But here’s the thing: not everything rolls off my shoulders. Sometimes it takes me a while to shake something off and see the good in what’s happened. But, more and more, … [Read more...]
