At present I have a plethora of mom/home/schooling ebooks I'm reading, bit by bit. I think I got the better part of the pile out of an Ultimate Bundle of books the other year; and in true Procrastinator Fashion, they have been lounging in a quiet dusty corner of my hard drive, awaiting the light of my Adobe Reader.
One of my (unlisted) Goals for the year was to clean out said hard drive, particularly after its brief demise in January, glean what I could, ditch what was redundant, and save/print what worked and was Really Very Useful--like Thomas the Tank Engine! Whoo-whoo! (Sorry, my little buddy from across the street was here last week, and my brain is still in shock from having Small People in the house again.)
I'm still reeling from the sheer enormity of the task I have set myself (along with finishing up the backlog of scrapbooks from the last ten-plus years), but I have learned a lot. Here is my current stack, and a short review of each.
Book List 2015:
1. Live for Him by Leigh Ann Dutton of IntentionalbyGrace.com
This is my new favorite goal-setting workbook. She also has a new Intentional Planning book to help set up your goals and plans in a workable way for the year. I've gotten so much more accomplished this year due to these two books.
2. Goal Setting Workbook by Ruth Soukup of www.LivingWellSpendingLess.com
The graphics in this workbook are charming, and I had filled it out before I read through Live for Him. I loved them both so much I will probably still use them both together even though there's a bit of overlap.
3. Hula Hoop Girl by September McCarthy hulahoopgirl.net
I was glancing through this ebook while watching a movie and realized I was paying more attention to the book than the movie, which is usually a good sign that I should just read the book. I am adding it to my quiet time in the mornings.
4. One Second After the Lights Go Out by Lisa Bedford www.thesurvivalmom.com
This is a emergency prep report in advance of her upcoming book on surviving an EMP. I can't wait to read the book, because the report was so full of good information.
5. The Homemaker's Guide to Creating the Perfect Schedule by Amy Roberts www.raisingarrows.net
This is a lovely little guide to setting up a household/homeschooling schedule. I didn't realize how dated my schedule had become now that the Manlings are older. We were working with a daily routine that suited a bunch of elementary/middle school boys, not teenagers who need more sleep and would rather play video games than read books.
6. One Bite at a Time by Tsh Oxenreider www.simplemom.net
I resisted this book for a while, I think because there's 52 WEEKS of projects. Overwhelm! But as I started through it, there were some projects I was already in the middle of or had already put in place or really didn't need to set up. This book has still been very helpful in pointing out different ideas or ways of doing some of the things that might or might not be working for me.
7. Good Wife's Guide by Darlene Schacht www.timewarpwife.com
This is on my July book list.
8. Called Home & Simply Homeschool by Karen DeBeus www.SimplyLivingForHim.com
We are two Manlings graduated, eleven years in, and two Manlings and five years to go. I have my days when I am so tired and exhausted of anything school-related that I think I might go bonkers. These two books are like a fresh breath of air and a shot-of-Godly-grace in the haze of the hardest days.
9. True Christian Motherhood by June Fuentes www.truechristianmotherhood.com
This is on my June book list.
10. Kingdom Distractions by Jenny Ervin www.amothersheritage.com
I read through this short and sweet little ebook in about 15 minutes. Then I printed it out, put it in my prayer notebook, and whenever I start to lose sight of The Goal, I take another 15 minutes to read through it. The book is about just what it says: distractions. You know the ones: the Internet and too many outside activities, time-wasting distractions that sneak up our time and steal it away like a thief. If you have a tendency to lose yourself in externals during the day, read this little gem whenever you need to!
Other books on my To Do List:
1. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen), again. I prefer Sense and Sensibility, so maybe I'll read that later this week.
2. The Four Loves (CS Lewis)--I wish I could say this one has me captivated, but it gets a bit long-winded. Not for the faint of heart, I'll say that.
3. North and South (Elizabeth Gaskell)--The BBC miniseries of this book is one of my all-time favorite movies; but my friend has read the book and says it was sorta dry. But I plan to read it anyway, between canning this summer.
4. Stepping Heavenward by Elizabeth Prentiss (with a Bible study to use with it)
5. Under God by Toby Mac--This is part of our Bible study during the week.
I'm always open for reading recommendations, so if you've got something good or funny or good and funny, drop me a comment and let me know.
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