I Hate It When Exercise is the Answer By Emily Watts

As usual, Emily Watts is entertaining as she talks about mother/womanhood issues. This book is designed as a chapter/thought for the day.

Titles include FatBoys: an Exercise in Understanding Men, Motherguilt an Exercise in Letting Go, Late Again an Exercise in Suspending Judgement.

Altogether there are 31 Chapters or "Exercises". Each chapter is just a few pages that can be read in 5-10 minutes.

I like to mark up my books, and this one is no exception. However, if I still lived in Salt Lake County, I would just check it out from the library. Instead I will just pass it along to my friends and read it again down the road.

Organize As You Go by Marie Ricks

It's true. My favorite pass time is reading Organizational, Parenting, Self Help and newly, Political/Government books. I just can't get enough of them.

I picked up this book on one of my "Seagull Runs". It just popped out to me. Ironically, I have two other organization books by Marie Ricks I haven't read yet!

This is a great book. I have read soooo many and this one is awesome.
First of all, the chapters are really short. So you can read one a day to help motivate you. Marie is fun and light hearted, but encouraging none-the-less.
Secondly, she actually gives advice that I have never head heard before. This is why it popped out to me. With chapters titled"Regroup When They Get Grumpy","Bad News to Good Progress","Deal with Double Discouragements","Maintain Functional Chaos","The Oops Syndrome". How could it not be good??!
There is a little "FLYlady" in here, but I am sure it is her own. Instead of 15 minutes, its "90 Minute miracles".
Take a look!

Redefining Joy In The Last Days By Chris Stewart

I was drawn to this book because 1) Chris Stewart's Great and Terrible Series is awesome 2) great title and 3) Its little and cute and a quick read.

I was feeling pretty depressed after eating nothing but vegetables (to get my liver cleansed you know...) and then gaining 2 lbs.
It's so awesome when the Lord answers your prayers.
Its so awesome when the Lord answers your prayers really fast.
Sure enough, the first chapter is what I needed to hear.
Satan knows how to rob me of my joy and by golly he has done a great job in some aspects. Lucifer will steal our happiness if we let him. It's not a new concept, but it was what I personally needed to hear that evening.
Other chapters discuss man v. morality,re evaluating our expectations, true gifts and demanding perfect water. I really liked the gifts and perfect water chapters as well.
Being only 60 pages and about 4x6 inches, it's a small quick read. Although I may not purchase it, if I did I would re-read it periodically. I am going to suggest it for my book club when we need a small, easy read.

The Real You by Kevin Leman

This is a nice compilation of several books. The New Birth Order Book, What Your Childhood Memories Say about You, Love Language and Personality Style.

I have read the Birth Order Book and Gary Chapman's Love Language books previously. Which I love both theories. I am constantly quoting stuff from each. My opinion is every parent should read at least one if not both of these books.

However, after being married for 15 years and not being able to identify my husband's love language threw me in a tail spin and reeked havoc on our marriage for an entire year. It was like an identity crisis. Anyway because of that episode I have mellowed immensely over the Love Languages. He finally had to tell me, but like I mentioned it was an entire year later.

The personality styles were quite confusing and I brushed through that section quickly.

The most intriguing chapter for me was about childhood memories. Dr. Leman asks you to recount three memories when you were under eight years of age. Depending on how you answered those he can tell if you are first, last or middle born also. But what was fascinating was that those memories are how you see yourself today, even though you are grown up, you feel the world sees you as that memory or feelings you had at that time.

Dr. Leman is a last born, a performer and I find it is so entertaining to read his books. If you would like the bare bones of these theories. This is the ticket.

I personally was so enthralled with the Childhood Memories that I bought the book on ebay.

If Life is a Game, These are the Rules- Cherie Carter-Scott

I read this book several years ago, like when I was single or just recently married. I really liked it and wanted to buy my own copy. Those were the days when money and space were tight. Instead I bought my sister a copy (I should see if she stills has it, bet she hasn't even read it!) I did take excellent notes and they were stored in my Franklin planner. Here are the notes:

Rule One
You Will Receive a Body
Learn to accept your body, not have it as an enemy. It's the only one you will ever have on this earth.
Self esteem- No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.
1. Identify what stands in your way- acknowledging your belief that limits you.
2. Search your soul for the core connection-who you really are
3. Take action- positive change or value yourself for who you really are.

Don't measure yourself by external appearance, realize that some beliefs hold you back from feeling good about yourself.
Respect. listen to your body and it will tell you what it needs.
Pleasure. Makes you lighthearted and does wonders for your soul.

Rule Two
You will be presented with lessons. You will only receive lessons you are capable of learning from. Every event that occurs in one's life teaches you something about yourself.
Be receptive and open. What lesson am I resisting?
Choice. Decisions are made in your mind, while choices are made in your gut.
Fairness. What unfairness holds you back?

Rule Three
There are no mistakes, only lessons.

Rule Four
Lessons are repeated until learned.
To face these challenges means you need to accept the fact that something within you keeps drawing the same kind of person/situation/issue, painful though it may be.

• Aware of the issue
• Acknowledge that you need to release the pattern
• Choose to release the pattern
• Strategize a realistic plan
• Commitment to take action
• Celebrate to reward yourself

What patterns are you repeating? You may be surprised at how evident they are all along.

Want leads to CHOICE, which leads to COMMITMENT, should lead to DECISION, which leads to SACRIFICE

Rule Five
Learning does not end.

Rule Six
"There" is no better than "Here"
The fact is being rich or skinny in no way guarantees a secure life free of worries. It may actually make you less secure. A sense of security comes from within, not from attachment to any person, thing or idea.
Send your desires up and away like a balloon.

Rule Seven
Others are only mirrors of you
You cannot love or hate something about another person unless it reflects something you love or hate about yourself.

Your reactions to others say more about you than they do about others.

We usually draw to those who are most like us and tend to dislike those who display those aspects of ourselves that we dislike.

Assume that each encounter reflects back to you an opportunity to explore your relationship to yourself and learn by it.

Imagine every time you are angered, hurt, or upset by another. You are actually being given the opportunity to heal past incidents of anger, hurt, or upsets (unconscious judgements you have secretly harbored against yourself)

Shift perception in learning tolerance: "So what if this person is..." and there by taking your power back. Instead of allowing the other person to get to me... I would have given all of my power to them. I would have allowed her/his actions to dictate my feelings. By recognizing that my judgement of her/him had everything to do with me. I neutralized the effect on me and took my power back.
When feeling intolerant of some one ask myself "What is the feeling underneath this judgement that I don't want to feel?"

This book was actually small and only about 100 pages if I remember right. Just reading my notes makes me want to get it from the library to read it gain!