The First Review...

After deciding a couple months back to stopping fooling myself into thinking that "I didn't have time to read a book", and to actually use the bits and pieces of time I found throughout the day to actually complete something, the first one I picked up was Dr. Dobson's (of Focus on the Family) Bringing Up Boys. I obviously chose this book because I, # 1, am not a boy, and therefore have no personal experience in this area, and #2, want to learn more about what makes my sweet baby Trey do the things he does. Because, well frankly, sometimes he can be crazy with a capital C!! (Although, Shaun says that he gets that from me, so who knows;) )

I really enjoyed reading the book, and though, when I first started it, I thought it would be a step-by-step model of how to discipline and make sure my child didn't turn out completely dysfunctional (disappointment there), it turned out to be very helpful in a more general sense. There were a lot of "I need to write this down!" moments that I obviously didn't (hence the generalized review), but my big take-away is that God simply made boys different, down to the chemistry of their body that makes them do things that we (or at least me) as mommies just don't understand. Also, he made every boy so very different! Parents of boys can certainly relate in many areas, but my job is to focus in on my Trey (and his baby brother) and work closely enough with him to unwrap all the gifts that God has given him. They are in such a raw form right now that it can be hard to see at times, but I know that this kid is destined for greatness and if we do all our parenting from our knees (bloody and bruised, perhaps) then we may just complete the task God has set before us with the victory being all His.

I finished a book!

I've never been a "reader" per se, but whenever I have actually completed a book I get such a sense of accomplishment. Every now and then I'd pick up a book, but usually never make it all the way through. With shelves full of fantastic reads that contain bookmark after bookmark, I'm reminded of my lack of "finitiative". (This word was coined by our dear Aletheia friend Brandon Kiracofe--I've loved it ever since he used it in our Wednesday night Bible study of Joshua back in the day:) Thanks, Brandon!) I have loads of initiative, more than I can handle at times, but what is the point of having initiative without finitiative?! I want more "finitiative" in my life.

I've often fed myself the lie of "I'm too busy" or "I don't have enough time" (for much more than reading a book, I must say.), but I'm taking a stance and saying "I'M COMPLETELY OVER THAT EXCUSE! I'M OVER HEARING IT FROM OTHER PEOPLE AND I'M TIRED OF USING IT!" We're all busy! And that's a whole nother can of worms that we'll not open today, but when it comes down to it, these excuses are just dodging the reality that we simply haven't prioritized whatever it is we're just "too busy" for. This may or may not be a bad thing depending on what's important to you, but I hear myself (and so many others) say, "I'd love to read that, but I just don't have time." "Wouldn't it be nice to just have free time to sit and relax for a minute? I'm just too busy."

While I'm sitting there saying this to myself, my precious husband is knocking books out left and right. How is he doing that?! He's a quick reader, but seriously, this is a man that doesn't sit around. I have to MAKE him relax most of the time! He has a theory that 15 minutes is all it takes to make a lot of changes in your life. (This man is a genius, seriously!) I love his names for it, "Power Blocking" "15 min. of Power" "Power Quarter Hours" hehe...I think he should right a book, but for now we're making changes here and there with his approach to "getting things done and making things happen." He doesn't sit down for an hour and read a book, nor does he complain that he doesn't have an hour to sit down and read a book, but he has 10 or 15 min. And so do I! How often throughout my day do I just spend 10-15 min. here and there doing absolutely nothing at all, or at least nothing productive? A LOT!!

So I decided that I wanted to start reading! There are so many fantastic books out there and I have so much in this life I can learn especially being a wife and mother, where I'm faced with my shortcomings daily.

To keep me accountable I'm going to be using the new "I finished a book!" segments of my blog to write a quick little review of what I've just read and my thoughts about it. I'd love if you all would comment as well if you've read it too!

The most current book I've been reading is a bio on John MacArthur, and I loved a quote that he had made that emphasizes the very things about books that I'd never have been able to come up with...

"Unlike television, books freeze thoughts on the printed page, forcing us to argue, and judge ideas using our active, engaged minds. Books are permanent, requiring a response from the mind. They help us raise our thoughts and think outside ourselves and our everyday lives. It's no accident God's chosen vehicle for his special revelation was a book!"

Beautiful!

And we think that it was Dave Ramsey that said this, but not 100%, though quite thought provoking in itself...

"From year to year, the only things that will change a person are the people that you've met and books that you've read."

To be continued...with the first review:)