Do It For You - Reading

In the blog revamp a few months back one of my goals was to make great strides in having discussions about things we do just for ourselves. While it may not seem so, my girls are not the end all and be all of my world. They are little and developmentally self absorbed, as they should be. But, I want them to know over time that mommy is capable of many, many things beyond the most obvious job of parent. I am creative, hard working, and multi-dimensional. If they aren't shown these things about me how will they aspire to be those same things and more?

SO, here's the first of hopefully many posts about what I do for myself...which, in turn, I do for them.

Reading

After Evie was born one of my great passions, reading, fell to the side more than I ever knew it could. Then, one day someone introduced me to Audible and everything changed. Signing up is one of the best choices I have made for myself in a long time. Being that I am in the car and working solo at my super glamorous second job, I have the time to listen to anything I want for hours. That's about all I can do while simultaneously doing my second job. Here's my reading rundown as of today:

Recently Finished

Carry On Warrior - I did not do this one on Audible. This one is close to my heart and I needed her book baby in my hands while I read it. I'm sure I sound like a broken record, but Momastery has been a virtual support group for me in many ways. I admire Glennon and look up to her as a writer and a lovely person.

In The Middle Of

The Happiness Project - I cannot witness enough about this book and this author. You may feel like the happiest person ever, but I'm pretty sure there will still be multiple parts of this book that speak to you. Gretchen Rubin has inspired me to not only start my own happiness project ASAP, but to also read her other books that are totally unrelated like this one and this one.

Cleaning House: A Mom's Twelve Month Experiment to Rid Her Home of Youth Entitlement - This is one that I need to start over. I began reading it forever ago, and it actually crosses my mind every day. The Wussification of America has scared me ever since I began day one of being a teacher. Now that I'm a parent I want to be proactive about teaching my girls that every good thing in life requires hard work and dedication. Kay Wills Wyma gives a practical and detailed approach to losing the entitlement that's washing over the families of this country.

In My queue on Audible

Most of these were suggested by Gretchen Rubin. Just Kids is the one I'm most excited about. It's not about raising kids like the others or like it's title suggests. It sounds faintly similar to one of my all time favorite books, Wonderful Tonight: George Harrison, Eric Clapton, and Me by Pattie Boyd.

Kid/Home/Family related:
Happier at Home - Gretchen Rubin
How To Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk - Faber and Mazlish
Siblings Without Rivarly - Faber and Mazlish
Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead - Brene Brown

Caught my eye:
Just Kids - Patti Smith
Let's Explore Diabetes With Owls - David Sedaris

Honestly, I could go on and on in the reading department. Using Audible makes me feel like a kid in a candy store. If I actually get to all of these I will post updates on my thoughts. I realize it's a lot of self-helpy looking reads. I'm good with that. Part of being lovely is changing, educating, and bettering yourself. Plus, I simply feel like a sponge for this stuff lately.

What are you reading? I obviously need some really amazing fiction choices thrown my way. Do share!