A Little More Positive . . .

As I've read over my last entry, I feel a little like a negative critic. So, lest any of you think that is actually true, let me share THREE books that I feel are well worth the read, and that I have actually taken a wealth of advice from to improve three areas of my life: my personal improvement, my relationship with my husband, and my parenting.

This book is written for teens, and there is just a regular 7 Habits book you can buy for adults, but I prefer this version. It is shorter and easier to read and you get the idea just the same. My whole outlook changed a couple years ago as I took a workshop from my sister-in-law on the Habits, then set specific goals. The most profound changes came as I decided to be more Proactive and Put First Things First, two of the habits taught in the book.

This is an amazing book that has helped me understand myself and my husband so much better. In understanding the different ways we feel love, we have been better able to show love to each other in a way that the other will understand--speaking THEIR love language. I think this is a MUST-READ for any married couple. It has also helped me with my relationships with other people I love as well.

Finally, my absolute favorite parenting book I've read. Most parenting books are written for parents of average children. However, Connor (and even Mylie in some ways) aren't exactly average. They have been MORE intense, MORE persistent, and just MORE in general than a lot of other kids I've been around. This book is written about them, and how I can embrace their personalities and try to just channel their personality traits, not crush them. I don't know if that makes any sense, but if you're looking for answers for your one child that is just a little MORE challenging than the others, this book may be for you, too.

P.S. Totally changing direction here, I've had a little fun the past couple days digital scrapbooking. I LOVE this new, mess-free way I've found to display my photos in fun ways. I will NEVER go back to the old paper, scissors, and glue scrapbooking method that I hated anyway, but did out of some sort of sense of duty. Here are a few of my favorite pages I did yesterday. (If you keep up on my blog, you've already seen most of these pics, but oh well.)