Reading – January 2014

So, I mentioned in my New Year Goals that I wanted to read some enormous (for me!) amount of books. Happily, I’m starting off pretty well!

Here’s a list of books I’ve already finished this month:

I had already read Two Thousand Kisses a Day once several months ago, but needed to read it again. It’s an easy, quick read, but the advice in it goes deep enough that re-reading gives even more insight as I seek to instill so many of the principles. While some of her ideas don’t work exactly the same way in our family as they do in hers, the idea of respecting my children as the way I would want to be respected has really changed our family dynamic for the better. (And it’s currently only $3.99 for the Kindle edition on Amazon.)

The Millionaire Next Door was a fascinating read for me. We’ve always been big Dave Ramsay fans, but now that we’re (hopefully!) nearing the end of our medical bill/student loan payoff journey, we are anxious to move on to investments for the future. This book was a big eye opener for me – I love social statistics, and this book did not disappoint! It was full of information from what kind of cars millionaire’s buy to the kinds of schools they send their children to. The fascinating thing for me was how many of their wives were stay at home mothers. (Maybe this means we’re well on our way to being millionaires?)

Rawhide Down was a fascinating read for me – I love a great history story! It’s a minute by minute account of the day of President Reagan’s attempted assassination. The amount of detail in this book is incredible – from the Secret Service’s well-laid plans that were disrupted (and have now been changed because of this incident.), to the funny one-liners the President delivered before his open heart surgery. (Namely, as the anesthetist was putting the sleeping drugs in his IV, he said, “I sure hope you’re all Republicans!”) If true facts seem to make the best drama for you, then you’ll like this one as much as I did. (And there’s a great deal on the hardback copy on Amazon right now as well.)

A former elementary school teacher gave me some great insights into how to Simplify My Homeschool Day. (Thus it’s an appropriate title!) I was able to find some practical tips that really helped me with my homeschool adventure. Some things that are included:

• Practical tips that can save you hours of teaching, planning, and grading each week;
• Effective communication techniques that can eliminate frustration and dramatically impact your child’s learning;
• When you should enlist help;
• Creative learning strategies that can be applied on the go; and
• How to pursue your own passions.

I’m enjoying reading more this year! I can’t wait to finish the books i’m reading now.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase one of the books listed above, I’ll receive a small percentage from my affiliates. This helps cover the cost of my time and tech help. Thanks for supporting Kimzkitchen!