Books to live by...

There are days when my biggest accomplishments consist of painstakingly teaching my oldest the in’s & out’s of division, trying to stay awake while my kindergartener slowly reads to me, putting up the last (finally!!!) of the Christmas decorations (with three little girls help), and cleaning out rabbit poop in the dark.  Life changing…  But today, the division problems won’t seem so hard, listening to my struggling reader will be a blessing, and the rabbit can handle a day off from poop patrol. 

As I still seek rest and a sense of peace in this new year, I’m finding the need to retreat, to back away from the busyness of life.  Obviously, as a mother, this seems impossible.  After taking several weeks off from my weekly retreat, I’m making that a priority again (with my wonderful husband’s help).  Taking a break from Facebook, even if it’s just for a week, also seems appropriate at this point in my year.  But one area that I hope to really change is replacing my television time with more reading.  As a home-school mom, I read throughout the day.  Our current read-a-loud is Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes.  My sweet husband took an instagram of me reading it the other night after supper.  Even though I look bored out of my mind reading it, it truly is a fabulous book! 

Last year, I had hoped to read a book a month.  As easy as that sounded, it didn’t happen.  I’m still reading Grace for the Good Girl that I mentioned in October.  Great book, but other things have become more of a important.  But the television is going downstairs to our playroom today, and I pray that reading will become more of a priority and rest will come through it. 

Here is my (hopeful!) book list for 2013.   

• Raising Your Kids to Love the Lord by Dave Stone
• Keep a Quiet Heart by Elisabeth Elliot
• Desperate:  Hope for the Mom Who Needs to Breathe by Sarah Mae & Sally Clarkson
• Unglued by Lysa TerKeurst
• The Hobbit by JR Tolkien
• Discipline:  The Glad Surrender by Elisabeth Elliot
• What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty
• The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
• Parenting with Love & Logic by Foster Cline & Jim Fay
• Simplicity Parenting by Kim John Payne
• The Power of Words & the Wonder of God by John Piper & Justin Taylor
• Sacred Influence:  How God Uses Wives to Shape the Souls of Their Husbands by Gary Thomas
• Graceful: (For Young Women) Letting Go of Your Try Hard Life by Emily Freeman
•  Mitten Strings for God: Reflections for Mothers in a Hurry by Katrina Kenison
• Let it Go by Karen Ehman
• Helper by Design by Elyse Fitzpatrick

I will most likely not read all of these, but I’d love to try.  Obviously, many of these revolve around parenting and motherhood because that is my life.  It is my season of life for which I am grateful.  I want to add a few more books on marriage which is an even greater priority for me than parenting.  I’d love to hear of other books that you were encouraged by last year or hope to read in the coming one.