5 Books that Make Me a Better Mom

This parenting gig can be overwhelming at times.  Frankly, there are just too many rules these days and too many articles about what it means to be a perfect parent.  Last summer following a surgery I gave up this notion of perfection.  Every day I attempt to stop being my worst critique and allow each day to simply be what it is.  No judging.  No images of perfection.  Just living each day.  Lately I have stepped away from social media more (ironic for a blogger to say) and instead pour a cup of tea and pick up a favorite book.  Here are 5 Books that Make Me a Better Mom.

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CHECK OUT THE 5 BOOKS THAT MAKE ME A BETTER MOM!

HANDS FREE LIFE

A few months after giving up perfection I was scrolling through Instagram and saw a fellow blogger was reading this book. I have always been a fan of Rachel Macy Strafford and immediately hopped over to Amazon to order a copy. I knew within the first 2 pages of Hands Free Life that my own outlook on life was changing. I was slowing down. I was reevaluating what is important, what can wait and what was never truly necessary.

THE LIFE-CHANGING MAGIC OF TIDYING UP

I am horrible about keeping a clean home and yet one of the things that drives me nuts is a house full of clutter. Last year The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up was popping up all over social media and I was intrigued. Frankly, I’m also a sucker for a breathtaking cover image. I bought a copy of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up and decided to start following exactly what Marie Kondo said to do. It was my daily homework. And I know it sounds cliché, but the techniques described in this book really are life-changing. I am a calmer mom in a cleaner home and my kids are calmer too.

RAISING YOUR SPIRITED CHILD

I first read Raising Your Spirited Child when I was a Pre-K and Kindergarten teacher and I am so grateful I did. Whether you are a parent, educator or a person who has a relationship with children you know that child. The one who has sadly been labeled difficult. This book will help you change your perspective from difficult to spirited. The child who is more of everything. More giving, more sensitive, more exhausting and more loving. This is the book I find myself pulling off the shelf on a challenging parenting day. This is the book that helps me clear my head to see past the challenges and embrace the amazing children I have in my life.

HANDS FREE MAMA

After reading Hands Free Life I was disappointed as I felt my hands free journey was just beginning and I wanted to soak it up more each day. I picked up a copy of Hands Free Mama and found myself looking at my children differently. When was the last time I truly looked at my child’s eye color? I turned to my daughter and held her face in my hands and described every detail of her eyes. I’ll never forget the spark of joy that lit up in those light blue eyes with the steel blue rim and speckles of gold. Let me look at yours Mama, she said as her smalls hands cupped my face. Life changing moments are all around us and I soaked up that moment.

A SICK DAY FOR AMOS MCGEE

So you might be finding my last choice in the 5 Books that Make Me a Better Mom peculiar. Children’s books are as important to my development as they are for my children’s development. My cousin Lauren recommended A Sick Day for Amos McGee to me a few years ago and upon my first reading I was hooked. I love it so much it is part of a few of my book series. The gentle, loving soul of Amos McGee is my reminder to calm down, to enjoy the simplicity of a cup of tea with 2 sugars, to value loving relationships above anything else. If I am a model for one aspect of my children’s lives I hope it is to be a loving, giving spirit.

I’d love to hear from you!  What books makes you a better person?

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