When I attended the She Speaks conference nearly a year ago I set some goals for myself…goals that I derived directly from the brilliant and gracious already established writer speakers.  One of them was to become a prolific reader.  This has proven to be a little tricky with a toddler in my home, but I’m learning to chose reading over TV watching…it’s amazing how much more I learn and absorb in 30 minutes of reading versus 30 minutes of TV.  So am I prolific?  Notsomuch.  But I am reading MORE, which means I’m at least moving TOWARD the goal.

I’ve always loved to read – anything that allows me to escape into a reality entirely different [and preferably more perfect…because I have perfection issues…we know this] than mine.  In other words, novels are my books of choice.  I read for knowledge, too, of course, but only the sort of knowledge that seems directly applicable to my life right that second.  It occurred to me after that conference that if I want to be a well rounded writer, I really do have to broaden my horizons in the reading department.

So when my mom handed me Same Kind of Different as Me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore to take as “light reading” on our Caribbean Love Rekindling Cruise, I threw it in my bag and thought, “We’ll see about that.”

I knew that it was going to be challenging.  I knew that it would force me to open my eyes and my heart and possibly some new hurt for a people I barely even knew existed.  Not warm and fuzzy or delightfully entertaining…or so I thought.

It WAS challenging.  And it DID force me to open my eyes and my heart.  And it opened up a whole can of HURT for those who have nothing…and yet maybe have so much more than I can fully grasp at this moment.  But it was ALSO warm and fuzzy and delightfully entertaining.  I laughed and I cried and I will never be the same again.

Denver won my heart and if I ever met him in person I would have to fight the urge to give him a giant hug.  I grew to love him that much through his simple wisdom and understated humor!  It turned out to be painfully delightful…you really should give it a go 🙂

I also just finished Kevin Leman’s How to Make Your Child Mind Without Losing Yours.

It was so very helpful!  In a world where parenting strategies are plentiful and primarily ineffective, this was a refreshingly logical, Biblical approach to parenting.  Here’s the deal…it’s easy to affection the mess out of your kid.  It’s rock stinkin’ hard to help them learn how to be functioning, God-honoring members of the human race.  But Kevin Leman gives practical, use it right now, hands on tips for molding your child!  Light on the theories, heavy on the real life.  Just the way I like it.  In my opinion, it’s a perfect follow up to the Baby Wise method.  It’s all about your children being grafted into your existing family life…not about your family life being reshaped to fit their little stinker potted molds 🙂

And my two day summer read…oh it was so enjoyable.  Warm and fuzzy through and through!  Honest, lightly deep…quite the readable chick flick.  If you just want an escape, this is your book!