Aloha friends!
I was a little out of pocket in July because we were having an amazing family vacation in Hawaii. You guys. This was the view from our hotel room in Maui.
Sigh. We aren’t there anymore but I kinda wish we were. However, did you know Hawaii is really expensive? Apparently, we can’t just stay and hang out ALL SUMMER LONG like I wish. Ha ha. I’m kinda kidding, but not really. Those of you who know me well or have followed my blog awhile can only imagine how our monthly budget discussions went today. Let’s just say I’m glad we budgeted for the trip ahead of time because we’d otherwise be eating canned beans and rice for the next few months.
Okay, let’s get back to the important stuff. It’s the last day of July (and by the time this gets posted it’s the last hour of July), and …
I didn’t forget to tell you all about my favorite books in a Four Points Mom & Books Post.
In case you’re new, I read (okay, mostly listen via Audible) many books and I love to share my thoughts with you guys every month. If you’re curious and want to check out previous posts, you can start by clicking here to view last month’s Four Points Mom & Books post. Also, since these posts are some of my most popular ones, I decided to go ahead and create separate pages for all of my 2018 books and 2017 books. So, if you’re quickly trying to find ideas for books you can go to one page and click directly to the books on Amazon. Hopefully this helps you a bit when you’re in a bind.
Alright, let’s go ahead and get to my books this month. I have a couple good ones for you!
If You Only Knew by Kristan Higgins
I loved this book! You follow two sisters who are best friends, but who live very different lives. One is a recently-divorced wedding dress designer who is moving from New York city back to her hometown in northern New York to open her own bridal studio. The other is a happily-married (well formerly-happily-married) stay-at-home mom to three-year-old triplets.
I enjoyed both of these characters and the parallel storylines for each of them. I didn’t know how it was going to end and when I finished I immediately thought that I needed to look up other books by Higgins. I recommend this one!
Something in the Water by Catherine Steadman
I’m glad I didn’t read this book until I got back from Hawaii because one of my biggest fears in life is deep water and the creatures in that dark, deep, scary water. However, the main characters in this book find something quite intriguing in the water (after a run-in with sharks) and from there this thriller takes you down a winding path, with many red herrings and many questionable characters. I wouldn’t say I loved this book, but it kept me entertained and I didn’t know how it was going to end. It’s a very new book that’s getting alot of buzz, so check it out if you want to be in the know. 😉 Oh yeah, the author is an actress who was on Downton Abbey. I didn’t know that until after I read it and I think I would have been even more intrigued if I did. So, you’re welcome.
The Sound of Gravel by Ruth Wariner
If you like intense and gut-wrenching biographies, this book is for you. I know that’s a terrible lead-in, but I just recently finished it and I’m still stewing on everything. Set in the late seventies and early eighties, this book tells the story of the author’s childhood in a polygamous Mormon cult in rural Mexico. She vividly describes the poverty that was the norm for her family of over ten children. She explains how her stepfather would spend his night with her mother and then leave her and their many children for weeks at a time to fend for themselves. She describes the sexual abuse she endured and how the church looked the other way for years. She tells how her extended family outside of the cult tried to help them and how her mother refused the help.
This is one of those books that pretty much had my heart racing the entire time. Not out of exhilaration or excitement, but instead because I was so upset about the childhood (or lack thereof) that the author experienced.
So, this wasn’t exactly the light beach read I should have spent hours reading during our trip to Hawaii. But I did. LOL. I don’t want to imply that I didn’t like it because I actually really enjoyed the author’s storytelling. It’s just really hard to digest. Everything really happened. As a mom, I just wanted to rescue all of those kiddos. Sigh …
Stories I Only Tell My Friends by Rob Lowe
Okay, I might question whether you are attracted to men if you do not think Rob Lowe (today, ten years ago, twenty years ago, twenty years from now) is gorgeous. I mean, seriously. I remember watching Oxford Blues on VHS just gushing over how dreamy he was. Sigh. Somehow I stumbled across this book and I couldn’t believe my luck. I had no idea he had an autobiography! And it is so good! I love hearing the behind-the-scenes stuff and he has an incredible sense of humor. Plus, I love that he tells it like it is. I highly recommend this one if you’re a fan of Rob Lowe. If not, you probably won’t appreciate it much.
Island Girls by Nancy Thayer
This was a perfect beach read! Nancy Thayer is similar to Elin Hildebrand in that many of her books are set in Nantucket, involve more than one women who are related in some way, and follow their paths. This book is about three sisters who return to the island following their father’s death. There’s family drama. There’s a little romance. It’s fun. It’s quick. And it’s entertaining. It was great!
How To Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish
If you’re a parent, GET THIS BOOK. Seriously. Order it now if you haven’t read it. It will change your life. I’m not exaggerating either. I’m not typically a huge fan of self-help books, but every so often I’ll read one that a friend recommends when they hear me venting about some parenting woe. This one is hands-down my favorite one.
Without sharing too much, I’ll just say that we have very strong-willed children. 🙂 If they don’t want to do something, they’ll let you know. And sometimes I kinda lose my mind when they don’t do what I want them to do. Sound familiar?
This book has so many great nuggets of wisdom, but in general it is designed to help you better communicate with your children. From the first chapter, I was jotting down notes and having “A-Ha” moments. In the first chapter, you read about how important it is to help your children cope with their negative feelings (anger, frustration, etc.). It’s been months since I first read this chapter and I still regularly use the recommended responses. For example, when Parker comes running in crying about something that Foster did I immediately can flow through the book’s recommended steps in responding. Within minutes (or even seconds) she’s either running off to solve the problem herself or laughing about something unrelated. My husband and I have literally shared over 20 of these moments, acknowledging how well it works. And, yes, we pat ourselves on the back as if we’re the smart ones.
One other chapter I loved was about getting your children to want to cooperate or help out. This is probably the most-used chapter in my new repertoire of parenting habits. Am I alone in that I feel like all day long I’m either nagging at the kids to do something or to stop doing something? The authors beautifully explain why certain techniques (ahem, everything I’ve been doing) don’t work and they suggest other practices. The easiest one for me to implement had to do with using one word to remind your child of what you asked them to do. I used to try to get Foster to listen by saying something like “Foster, I told you three times already to brush your teeth! Brush your teeth. Stop doing that right now and go to the bathroom and brush your teeth … “ Instead, I now walk over to him and say “Teeth!” I’m not joking – 9 times out of 10 he jumps up and runs to the sink. His brain was bogged down in the details but by simply saying teeth he has drawn the conclusion himself that he needs to brush his teeth, and, oh yeah, Mom already reminded him 3 times to do it so he better get on it fast. AMAZING.
To be clear, I’m over-simplifying everything in this book and I wouldn’t be surprised if I even misstated something. However, I guarantee you can find something to help you deal with whatever little parenting woes you’re experiencing. I highly recommend it. And, feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions about it.
Alright everyone, I’d love to hear your feedback on these books especially if you’ve read How To Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk. And don’t forget to follow me on GoodReads to see what else I’m reading.
