Books to Ponder

I just wanted to share a few recommendations on books with you. For those who don't know, I am an incredibly slow reader, so I don't actually get through a lot of books, but I do thoroughly enjoy reading and try to read as much as I can. Matt frequently chuckles at me at night when I'm reading and actually moving my lips as I read. Oh well, at least I try!

Anyway, I just thought I'd share a couple of things I have read recently or am reading now that might be interesting to some of you...

1. I was a Really Good Mom Before I Had Kids: Reinventing Modern Motherhood. By Trisha Ashworth and Amy Nobile. This book was loaned to me recently by a mom friend and I read it in one weekend. It was really funny and definitely made me think about some of the stress that I inflict on myself and whether any of it really makes sense. It also helps to confirm that you're not the only one who inflicts this kind of stress on yourself, we moms ALL do it! A great read for sure.

2. New Parent Power by John Rosemond. This one was recommended on my friend Tricia's blog and I checked it out from our local library. I was at first doubtful about this guy's philosophy, but the more I read the more sense it makes to me. He reminds us that in previous generations, a marriage was the true center of the family and the kids came second. In today's culture that has flip-flopped and it's not a good thing for anyone involved. He gives some good tips on how to redirect our parenting energies and put more responsibilities onto our kids and help them to develop into more independent individuals, rather than the more dependent lifestyles that many young adults are pushed into today. I can't say that I've agreed with all of his arguments, but it has certainly made me think about a few things and has already helped me in dealing with some issues I've had lately with John. Something worth checking out.

3. Omnivore's Dilemma, A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan. And I'm getting ready to read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver, which will be along the same vein. These works support the local organic agriculture movement and go to great lengths to demonstrate some of the downfalls of our current factory farming, farm subsidized, cross-country transported agriculture system. As a direct result of my reading Omnivore's Dilemma we subscribed to our CSA last summer. I've made purposeful shifts in the groceries that I do buy at the store, produce and other products. It has forced me to re-evaluate the processed foods that I put into my own mouth and into the mouths of my children. We have no idea what long-term effects all the food processing will have on the population, and I want to make sure my children are at the low end of exposure for it. Anyway, it was a life changing book for me and I advise everyone to read it at some point. It's a heavy, long book, but is definitely worth reading.

Hope you enjoy!