I am a sucker for memoirs. I am always quick to pick up a book with "memoir" in the subtitle. And while I'm not a big football fan, I was interested in reading this memoir by Brenda Warner (wife of NFL star quarterback Kurt Warner).
Multi-faceted is really the best way to describe Brenda Warner. She has had a wide range of life experiences which she tells in such a way that I could hardly put this book down. From her loving childhood to her Marine career, from her experiences with a special-needs child and divorce to being a mom of seven children including twins and the wife of a famous athlete, Brenda weaves her story in a light-hearted and honest way. The pages of snapshots in the middle were numerous and great to look at.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I found the author to be very relatable and interesting, and the book was well-written. I laughed out loud several times and I felt like she did a good job of not taking herself too seriously. While I didn't find my life changed in any way, I was entertained and touched by her forthright portrayal of her life and experiences.
Showing posts with label parenting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label parenting. Show all posts
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Friday, August 26, 2011
Love You More by Jennifer Grant
I am a sucker for memoirs. I have an adopted son. So I was quick to snap up the book Love You More: The Divine Surprise of Adopting My Daughter by Jennifer Grant.
Grant weaves facts and information about adoption, particularly international adoption, with the personal journey of adopting her daughter, Mia, from Guatemala. The book chronicles the couple's early history as they build their family and how they felt called to pursue adoption. Details about the adoption process are provided, in the context of their experiences. The story ends as Mia is settling into life as part of the family, woven in to the place the family has created for her.
I have to admit, that while this book was well written, it wasn't what I was expecting. The majority of the book was about the adoption process and facts about adoption in general. I am an adoptive mother, but I couldn't really identify with much. This probably has more to do with the unusual circumstances of our kinship adoption than the book, but I was still a bit let down to not feel a connection the way I expected. I also would have enjoyed hearing more about who Mia is and the process of fitting her into the family. Most of the book covered the process of actually adopting her, not how she adjusted, which was something I was interested in. I did enjoy and relate to Grant's stories of parenting and lessons learned as she raised babies and toddlers born close together.
While I found this a well-written and interesting book, it was not what I was expecting to read. I enjoyed it, though, and would definitely pass it on, along with some caveats.
Grant weaves facts and information about adoption, particularly international adoption, with the personal journey of adopting her daughter, Mia, from Guatemala. The book chronicles the couple's early history as they build their family and how they felt called to pursue adoption. Details about the adoption process are provided, in the context of their experiences. The story ends as Mia is settling into life as part of the family, woven in to the place the family has created for her.
I have to admit, that while this book was well written, it wasn't what I was expecting. The majority of the book was about the adoption process and facts about adoption in general. I am an adoptive mother, but I couldn't really identify with much. This probably has more to do with the unusual circumstances of our kinship adoption than the book, but I was still a bit let down to not feel a connection the way I expected. I also would have enjoyed hearing more about who Mia is and the process of fitting her into the family. Most of the book covered the process of actually adopting her, not how she adjusted, which was something I was interested in. I did enjoy and relate to Grant's stories of parenting and lessons learned as she raised babies and toddlers born close together.
While I found this a well-written and interesting book, it was not what I was expecting to read. I enjoyed it, though, and would definitely pass it on, along with some caveats.
Friday, April 22, 2011
Please Stop Laughing at Me by Jodee Blanco
This best-selling memoir was both heart-breaking and inspiring to read. In fact, I stayed up late several nights reading it, because I just couldn't put it down. Jodee Blanco chronicles her experiences of being bullied in an honest and transparent way. Starting in fifth grade and continuing through her final year of highschool, Jodee found herself the center of cruel jokes, physical tormenting and verbal abuse.
The book begins at her twenty-year high school reunion and then flashes back to elementary school and chronicles her school years, then ends at the reunion. The story is one of devastating cruelty; in fact, having never been bullied and never really witnessed true bullying, I found it to be nearly impossible to believe. However, more and more there are stories in the news that confirm that this type of behavior is not unique.
One thing that really hit me hard was that some of the behaviors that Jodee found most hurtful weren't the outright cruel ones, like dunking her favorite shoe in a toilet of urine, but the times that other kids watched and didn't stick up for her, or the hundreds of times she was not invited or included. Not only was she hurt by the bullies' behaviors, she was emotionally devastated by being an outcast.
Amazingly, she writes that she would not change her past because it has brought her to the place she is now; she is a sought-after speaker and expert on the topic of bullying and has intervened in crisis situations. She has helped so many kids, teens, parents, and teachers with her inspirational story and has achieved great success as an adult.
This book is one every parent and teacher should read. It is too important to ignore.
The book begins at her twenty-year high school reunion and then flashes back to elementary school and chronicles her school years, then ends at the reunion. The story is one of devastating cruelty; in fact, having never been bullied and never really witnessed true bullying, I found it to be nearly impossible to believe. However, more and more there are stories in the news that confirm that this type of behavior is not unique.
One thing that really hit me hard was that some of the behaviors that Jodee found most hurtful weren't the outright cruel ones, like dunking her favorite shoe in a toilet of urine, but the times that other kids watched and didn't stick up for her, or the hundreds of times she was not invited or included. Not only was she hurt by the bullies' behaviors, she was emotionally devastated by being an outcast.
Amazingly, she writes that she would not change her past because it has brought her to the place she is now; she is a sought-after speaker and expert on the topic of bullying and has intervened in crisis situations. She has helped so many kids, teens, parents, and teachers with her inspirational story and has achieved great success as an adult.
This book is one every parent and teacher should read. It is too important to ignore.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Regret Free Parenting by Catherine Hickem
"For years, motherhood as a role has carried wide expectations but little direction on how to do it well. Many moms enter this significant responsibility with few goals and purposes, simply trying to get through each day with as few crises as possible." This statement from Catherine Hickem's book, Regret Free Parenting: Raise Good Kids and Know You're Doing it Right, stood out to me in its truth and honesty.
This book is a great resource for a Godly parenting philosophy. Strong on principles and big ideas, it allows parents (primarily mothers) to examine how they view parenting, what their goals are and to find their true intentions instead of just getting through the day. Peppered with examples from her own life as a therapist/counselor and mother of two adult children, the book is both easy to read and easy to use as a study tool. Each chapter concludes with application questions and a parenting plan is included at the end of the book, with permission to make copies.
I found this book helpful. It aided me in stepping back to examine what I truly want for my children, and also for myself as a mother. The questions were insightful and if I underlined books, I would have underlined quite a few passages. At times, however, I found it difficult to relate the ideas/concepts to my children, ages 2 1/2 and 1; the concepts and/or examples appeared to be geared more towards older children/teens. There weren't practical suggestions but instead big ideas to take in and think about. The application of these ideas relies on the reader to figure out ways to implement them - which is one of Hickem's major points - that we need to trust our intuition and go to the Word and the Lord for answers to our specific problems.
This book is a great resource and one I will keep. I can definitely envision myself pulling it out at different times in the next decades to find the wisdom it contains.
This book is a great resource for a Godly parenting philosophy. Strong on principles and big ideas, it allows parents (primarily mothers) to examine how they view parenting, what their goals are and to find their true intentions instead of just getting through the day. Peppered with examples from her own life as a therapist/counselor and mother of two adult children, the book is both easy to read and easy to use as a study tool. Each chapter concludes with application questions and a parenting plan is included at the end of the book, with permission to make copies.
I found this book helpful. It aided me in stepping back to examine what I truly want for my children, and also for myself as a mother. The questions were insightful and if I underlined books, I would have underlined quite a few passages. At times, however, I found it difficult to relate the ideas/concepts to my children, ages 2 1/2 and 1; the concepts and/or examples appeared to be geared more towards older children/teens. There weren't practical suggestions but instead big ideas to take in and think about. The application of these ideas relies on the reader to figure out ways to implement them - which is one of Hickem's major points - that we need to trust our intuition and go to the Word and the Lord for answers to our specific problems.
This book is a great resource and one I will keep. I can definitely envision myself pulling it out at different times in the next decades to find the wisdom it contains.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Child of Mine
Chicken nuggets and french fries, sugar cereal, goldfish crackers, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, macaroni and cheese...what do all of these foods have in common? They're beloved by toddlers and preschoolers and a guilt source of many parents. How do you get your young child to eat anything else? Especially something (gasp) green?
I recently finished Child of Mine:Feeding with Love and Good Sense by Ellyn Satter. A friend had recommended this book, saying that this approach to feeding worked really well with her kids and she wished she had read it sooner. Those kind of recommendations almost always result in good knowledge gained.
The book is for parents, child care workers, grandparents, and anyone else who regularly feeds children. Satter's underlying principle is:
The parent is responsible for what, when, where.
The child is responsible for how much and whether.
The first part of the book goes over her main priniciple in depth and her philosophy on feeding. Basically, it is the job of the adult to provide a variety of nutritious foods, regular meals and snacks, a pleasant atmosphere with the family eating together and a relationship of love and trust. It's the child's job to eat. According to her theory, over several days to weeks, a child's body and need to grow will drive them to eat the foods that will provide the nutrients that they need. And if you follow this philosophy, eventually your child will eat well and eat the things you eat.
After the philosophical underpinnings are laid out, she goes chapter by chapter developmentally including chapters on: breastfeeding, formula feeding, first foods (6-12 months), toddlers (1-3 years) and preschoolers (3-5 years). I found this a useful format and most of her advice seemed right on with other feeding advice I've heard. But instead of making a parent feel panicky with the need to check off each part of the food pyramid, she offers real-world suggestions in an empathetic yet firm voice.
I found this book extremely helpful. I know I'm going to do things differently with my second child (who doesn't?). I wasn't very good about continuing to provide opportunities for my first child to eat things he didn't like at first. It seemed like a lot of work (and a waste of money) to make food that I ended up scraping into the garbage can. So his preferred food list is pretty small and typical of young kids. He does love fruit but won't touch vegetables. The good thing is he'll tolerate anything on his plate and even tries new things occasionally.
I decided, though, that I want to raise children who are less picky than I was. And I agree with Satter that unless the child is given opportunities to eat lots of different kinds of food then they'll probably not want to try new foods. I love her idea of the family table. I like that she doesn't advocate pushing kids to try new foods (mostly because it removes confrontation and tantrums from dinnertime). However, she advocates that you let kids eat as much of whatever food that they want (keeping in mind that as the adult you've given them the food). I feel like it's important to set some limits.
Her advice has steeled my resolve to be more structured about meals and snacks and not allowing grazing in between set feeding times. It's also encouraged me to be more well-rounded in what I prepare for myself (I don't really like a lot of vegetables either). It's also given me more backbone to say no to short-order cooking.
All in all, this book was helpful to me as a parent and such a good resource that I'm considering buying my own copy to keep on hand and lend out to friends.
I recently finished Child of Mine:Feeding with Love and Good Sense by Ellyn Satter. A friend had recommended this book, saying that this approach to feeding worked really well with her kids and she wished she had read it sooner. Those kind of recommendations almost always result in good knowledge gained.
The book is for parents, child care workers, grandparents, and anyone else who regularly feeds children. Satter's underlying principle is:
The parent is responsible for what, when, where.
The child is responsible for how much and whether.
The first part of the book goes over her main priniciple in depth and her philosophy on feeding. Basically, it is the job of the adult to provide a variety of nutritious foods, regular meals and snacks, a pleasant atmosphere with the family eating together and a relationship of love and trust. It's the child's job to eat. According to her theory, over several days to weeks, a child's body and need to grow will drive them to eat the foods that will provide the nutrients that they need. And if you follow this philosophy, eventually your child will eat well and eat the things you eat.
After the philosophical underpinnings are laid out, she goes chapter by chapter developmentally including chapters on: breastfeeding, formula feeding, first foods (6-12 months), toddlers (1-3 years) and preschoolers (3-5 years). I found this a useful format and most of her advice seemed right on with other feeding advice I've heard. But instead of making a parent feel panicky with the need to check off each part of the food pyramid, she offers real-world suggestions in an empathetic yet firm voice.
I found this book extremely helpful. I know I'm going to do things differently with my second child (who doesn't?). I wasn't very good about continuing to provide opportunities for my first child to eat things he didn't like at first. It seemed like a lot of work (and a waste of money) to make food that I ended up scraping into the garbage can. So his preferred food list is pretty small and typical of young kids. He does love fruit but won't touch vegetables. The good thing is he'll tolerate anything on his plate and even tries new things occasionally.
I decided, though, that I want to raise children who are less picky than I was. And I agree with Satter that unless the child is given opportunities to eat lots of different kinds of food then they'll probably not want to try new foods. I love her idea of the family table. I like that she doesn't advocate pushing kids to try new foods (mostly because it removes confrontation and tantrums from dinnertime). However, she advocates that you let kids eat as much of whatever food that they want (keeping in mind that as the adult you've given them the food). I feel like it's important to set some limits.
Her advice has steeled my resolve to be more structured about meals and snacks and not allowing grazing in between set feeding times. It's also encouraged me to be more well-rounded in what I prepare for myself (I don't really like a lot of vegetables either). It's also given me more backbone to say no to short-order cooking.
All in all, this book was helpful to me as a parent and such a good resource that I'm considering buying my own copy to keep on hand and lend out to friends.
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