GOOD BOOKS

Okay, I know this is my third post of the day. I promise my kids have been fed and taken care of. They both take three hour naps! Yes, I am blessed!!

Before I went on vacation my friend Kelly Ann put two books in my mailbox one day while I wasn't at home. She said, "Take these two books on your trip. They are great books." Her two books? Boundaries With Kids by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend and Praying God's Word (Breaking Free from Spiritual strongholds) by Beth Moore. Now both of these books I really need. Kelly Ann and I talk a lot about our kids and a lot of about struggles. When the two of us are together, there is no small talk. It's straight to the guts! There is no since in talking about the weather! We have known each other since we were fourteen years old so we get down to business quickly. If anybody knows my junk, it's her! So, there is some safety there. We both share some of the same frustrations with our kids and in our spiritual walk and since I know she has read both of these books, I was excited to read them both! As much as I wanted to start reading these books on vacation, I didn't. And this is why. My Mom!

Okay, it's a good thing for me to be reading my Bible and a miraculous thing for me to be reading a book too. My attention span is short and I can't ever find the time to sit and read. But while the kids are sleeping or while I am taking a bath, I have started trying. My Mom loves to read and as much as I love to write I figure I need to be reading more. I am sure I could learn a few lessons in writing or grammar while I am at it. The night we take the kids to my mom's before leaving for vacation my Mom hands me two books. "You gotta read these! They are some of the most awesome books you will ever read and you learn so much about the word too in these books." So now I have two more books! The Scarlet Thread and Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. My Mom loves this author, I had never heard of her. "Mandi, you will love both of these books." So I pack all four books and head out for vacation!

Needless to say, I am a bad reader. I get sidetracked, I fall asleep, I daydream. While getting ready to lay out by the pool on deck, I searched for the books and found the two my Mom sent with me. The ones Kelly sent me I could not find. Later I found them in a pouch in one of my suitcases that I forgot I had. (They are good though. I am reading both of them a little at a time now. THANK YOU KELLY!) Anyway, I grabbed The Scarlet Thread and began to read. Like I said I am a bad reader especially when so much is going on around me. This week I picked it back up and I have been hooked ever since. All of this rambling to say, if you need a good book to read and you love fiction, Francine Rivers has a wide selection. I think you will enjoy her writing. And if you need a book to help with your parenting, Boundaries With Kids will definitely give you tools to help. Then there is Beth Moore's Praying God's Word. I think when you see the name Beth Moore, you know it's a good read.

So for any stay at home Mom like me that would like to read a book during nap time, these are good reads. Or any woman that needs a new book to read, here's a few to buy.

Be blessed ladies!