Our First Non-Seuss Seuss Books

Today I ran to the library to pick up Baby's newest Dr Seuss books they had on hold for us. Usually we go every Tuesday morning and hang out with friends for about an hour. But the non-sleeping Baby decided to take a good nap this morning. And I wasn't about to argue!

For her afternoon nap (might I add nonexistent afternoon nap) we read two of them: Gerald McBoing Boing and All Aboard The Circus McGurkus.

Although both these books are Dr. Seuss books they aren't technically written by him. They were both based on and inspired by one of his books. Or in the case of Gerald McBoing Boing, a movie Dr. Seuss came up with.

So neither of these books are considered to be one of Dr. Seuss's main, original books. But they're still cute and worth a read.

Baby Sleep Solutions: A Review in a Way

Lately Baby M has decided naps and sleep are only for babies. A few months ago we did a slight sleep coaching week where we helped her try to fall asleep on her own (i.e. not being rocked).



We tried attachment parenting and Dr. Sears Nighttime Parenting the first time. Baby M had some struggles early on in her short little life health wise. Because of this she responded better to attachment parenting. She began sleeping almost 12 hours. It was wonderful!!!!

Until now....







So we tried the No Cry Sleep Solution and Elizabeth Pantley's conceptions. We are not allowed to let her cry for lengthy times because of her health issues and this was recommended to us because, well, because of the title! But.... Every time I laid her down I got "Oh Mama, you really think I'm ready for bed!" She did not respond to this at all! Not even a little bit. I did the pick up and put down thing a hundred times a night. She'd wake up about a half hour later ready to play.

So now what!!??



So here we are. Trying something new... We are right here about now: The Sleeplady Shuffle. So far so good. She's been falling asleep on her own. She cut that time down from an 1 hour to about 15 mins in just two days. YAY!!!



I haven't bought the Sleeplady's Book. I bought the other two. They did have some awesome advice and information for sleeping. Baby sleep habits and cycles are much different from adults. And she really isn't just being stubborn. She doesn't know how. And I, as her Mama, have to teach her. This is why the SleepLady calls it sleep coaching not training. We're gently helping her learn.








A few things to consider before starting any kind of sleeping coaching or training.
To full out coach make sure they are about 6 months old. Little teaching sessions can occur before 6 months but nothing major until then.
Take care of pain first. This will keep babies awake. Baby M never slept more than a 1/2 hour until she was diagnosed and got her MSPI managed. Teething is HUGE. Watch for that.
If they aren't ready, don't push it. In a few short years she won't want you to rock her at 1am. She won't want you to hug her for that matter!! Soak it up. Enjoy it.

Check around. Different methods work for different babies.

And pray! : )

Book Review: Everything Romance

With Valentine's Day just around the corner I was very excited to receive this book. And it didn't fail! It was probably the cutest book I have read (besides children's books). It is jam packed with little facts about love, history of traditions and ideas on how to revamp your relationship with your spouse.

 This little book, Everything Romance by David Bordon and Tom Winters is a fun, quick read. Inside they have chosen numerous quotes about love to get your mind thinking. One of my favorites is found on page 91: "Love isn't like a reservoir. You'll never drain it dry. It's much more like a natural spring. The longer and farther it flows, the stronger and deeper and clearer it becomes" by Eddie Cantor. How thought provoking and true!!

The authors also include little known facts, 'did you know', and love busters and boosters. Did you know that Thomas Edison and his wife Mina used Morse-code at parties and he even proposed to her using Morse-code? Recipes and stories are littered throughout. Some stories are Bible stories retold in language that reads like a story. Others are about historical figures or every day people.One story I loved. It was the story of Annie Oakley and Frank Bulter (pg 104). Did you know Butler let Annie Oakley shoot a cigarette out of his mouth!? Talk about trust! Other fun facts include conversation starts for couples on page 127 and the top 100 love songs of all time. I would tell you what the top song is but I'd rather have you read the book.

 As I said before this is a small book. One you can stick in your purse or backpack and read at the bus stop, lunch break or while rocking your sleepless, teething child to sleep (guilty!). It will have you smiling, and crying. You'll recognize yourself in some of the stories. Or you'll pick up an idea for dessert tonight for your husband. You'll be convicted and encouraged. Amazed and stunned. It's just a great little book!

More Info
Read Chapter One
About the Author

Disclaimer: I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multomah Publishing for this review. The opinions expressed are my own.

List of Dr Seuss Books

I had mentioned earlier that I wanted to read all of Dr. Seuss's books. We've been doing pretty well. We've gotten some from the library and Baby got a few for Valentine's Day. And some day I would like Baby to have all his books. 


I searched for a complete list of Dr. Seuss's books and had a hard time finding one. I found a few that were missing pieces so I put them together into this long list!! Dr. Seuss himself wrote and illustrated most of his books but there are a few that someone else either illustrated of co-wrote with him. There are also some that were published after his death in 1991 that were written from various sketches and notes that he had left behind.


Here's the list! I'll be keeping track of the books we read in a different section of the blog (up above).  




And to Think That I saw it on Mulberry Street, 1937
Bartholomew and the Oobleck, 1949
Because a Little Bug Went Ka-choo, 1975 Illustrated by Michael Frith
Come Over to My House, 1966 Illustrated by Richard Erdoes
Daisy-Head Mayzie, 1994
Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are?, 1973
Dr. Seuss's ABC, 1963
Dr. Suess's Sleep Book, 1962
Fox in Socks, 1965
Great Day for Up, 1974
Green Eggs and Ham, 1960
Happy Birthday to You!, 1959
Hop on Pop, 1963
Horton Hatches the Egg, 1940
Horton Hears a Who!, 1954
How the Grinch Stole Christmas, 1957
Humperdink...? Not Him!, 1976 Illustrated by Charles E. Martin
Hunches in Bunches, 1982
I Am Not Going to Get Up Today!, 1987 Illustrated by James Stevenson
I Can Draw It Myself, 1970
I Can Lick 30 Tigers Today! And Other Stories, 1969
I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!, 1978
I Can Write, 1993 Illustrated by Roy McKie
I Had Trouble in Getting to Solla Sollw, 1965
I Wish that I had Duck Feet, 1965 Illustrated by B. Tobey
If I Ran the Circus, 1956
If I Ran the Zoo, 1950
In A People House, 1972 Illustrated by Roy McKie
Marvin K. Mooney Will You Please Go Now!, 1972
Maybe You should fly a Jet, Maybe You Should be a Vet, 1980 Illustrated by Michael McElligot's Pool, 1947
Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You?, 1970
My Book About Me, 1969, written with Roy McKie
My Many Colored Days, 1996 (Posthumous). Paintings By Steve Johnson and Lou Fr Oh Say Can You Say?, 1979
Oh, the Places You'll Go!, 1990
Oh, the Thinks You Can Think!, 1975
On Beyond Zebra, 1955

One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, 1960
Please Try to Remember the First of Octember, 1977 Illustrated by Art Cummings Scrambled Eggs Super!, 1953
Ten Apples Up On Top, 1961
The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins, 1938
The Butter Battle Book, 1984
The Cat in the Hat, 1957
The Cat in the Hat Beginner Book Dictionary, 1964 written with P.D. Eastman
The Cat in the Hat Comes Back! , 1958
The Cat in the Hat Song Book, 1967
The Cat's Quizzer, 1976
The Eye Book, 1968 Illustrated by Joe Mathieu & Roy McKie
The Foot Book
The Foot Book, 1968
The King's Stilts, 1939
The Lorax, 1971
The Pop-Up Mice of Mr. Brice 1989 Illustrated by Roy McKie
The Shape of Me and Other Stuff, 1973
The Sneetches and Other Stories, 1961
The Tooth Book
The Tooth Book, 1989 Illustrated by Joe Mathieu & Roy McKie
There's a Wocket in My Pocket!, 1974
Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose, 1948
Wacky Wednesday, 1974 Illustrated by George Booth
Would You Rather be a Bullfrog?, 1975 Illustrated by Roy McKie Hooper
Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories, 1958
You're Only Old Once!, 1986 

Book Review: "Proverbs Reconstructed"

I started this book because I love the book of Proverbs. It holds so much wisdom and knowledge that I only can wish I'd fully understand. Bits and pieces, a few at a time.

Proverbs Reconstructed by Gus Dallas was written to simplify the Proverbs into one easy book that even a person who never opened the Bible could learn. In a way that's true. Dallas goes through the book of Proverbs and gleans every bit of wisdom he can find about a number of subjects. He takes the verses and separates them into the subjects. The book is lists of verses for just about any subject you can think of. Anything from abomination to feet, yes feet, and folly to, my favorite part, being a Godly wife.


While this book is a handy resource for someone looking for a quick Scripture reference, it's not anymore helpful than just reading the Word yourself. I was expecting more discussion, more practical explanations, ways to apply the verses to my life. As I said before, I enjoy the book of Proverbs. Breaking it up for no other reason than to list verses per subject was a bit disappointing to me. It took away the beauty of the prose and rhythm of the Proverbs. But if you're looking for references to the Proverbs this is your book! I plan on keeping it for that reason. It will be helpful as I raise my family in the Truth and as I return to Biblical counseling in the near future.

You can get his book here.

Disclaimer: I received this book for free through Booksneeze.com for this review. The opinions expressed are my own.

Valentines Day

Look what Baby got for Valentines Day from her Daddy!! Can't wait to read them!!

A Dr Seuss Kind of Thing

I realized the other day that I have never read all of Dr Seuss's books.

Every time we go to the pediatricians office we get the Dr Seuss room. It has a border of all his books. I like that room. Probably better than the baby. She'll appreciate it one day. : )

I have set a goal for us and have started already. There are 44 of his books. We have a few of them already and have read them a lot. Green Eggs and Ham is a favorite. I want to read all of them.

I wrote down the ones we haven't read yet. I'm not sure how many there are on our list to be honest. But I already have a few on hold at the library. Some are hard to track down!

I'll keep you posted on our progress.

Here are a few we got last week at the library.

The Shack

Have you ever read a book that made you go "huh"? I just finished one. It's calledThe Shack by William Young. If you haven't read it, I suggest you don't read any farther. 

Have you ever tried to personify God? Jesus? Or the Holy Spirit? Young did. God is an African American woman. Jesus is, well, a carpenter. And the Holy Spirit is an Asian woman who is somewhat see-through. I told you, it made me go "huh". For some people this is a turn off. They disown the book and say it's blasphemy. In a way, I guess it is. It makes the Trinity human yet it shows their incredible power and love. It's probably not how we pictured God, and the main character admits that. But our human minds are so limited and none of us have ever seen God face to face. So how do we know what God looks like? We make Him how we feel comfortable, how we best can relate. Each culture and each person has a different image of God. Honestly, when I read that God was a woman and has skin that is a different color than me, I laughed. How can God possibly look like that!? He's a Man. Or is He? What is God? Jesus was the human person of God. Is God a human? Does God look like us? Whoa. Back up. Someone tried to personify God? Yeah. He did. And it made me think about what I wanted God to be instead of what and whom God really is. I try to make God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit instead of letting Them be Them. 

Even though The Trinity was made human and it appears that could be a problem, I feel that this allows us to feel comfortable with God. In the book, Young tries to relay the message that God wants a relationship with us. A Father/daughter, father/son relationship. One where this is open communication. A relationship where we can run to Him with our hurt, rejoice with Him, and always be in communion with Him. I have always prayed before I went to bed, prayed before meals, prayed when I'm hurt, prayed when I have something to praise Him for, prayed when I wanted something. I knew He was always with me, within me. But I had never full understood what it meant to fully live with God. Not when I wanted Him but when He wanted me, ALL THE TIME. The book reminded me that instead of having God on top of my priorities (i.e. God, family, friends...etc), God should be within my priorities. I cannot give God more of what I have. I can only give Him all of what I have and let Him be in it all. I cannot set aside most of my day for God, and He knows that it would be impossible for us. God should be in my ENTIRE day, with every move I make, every step I take. 

Lastly, this book is about loss and hurt. The main character lost his daughter in a brutal murder. I cannot put into words how much this book emphasizes that God does not cause hurt, He allows and uses it for His glory. Our human minds cannot comprehend why a loving God would do something like this. Why would He allow bad things to happen to His people? I cannot answer that question nor could this book. But the book brings forth Light that can touch your soul and ease understanding that is unexplainable in words. God is good. All the time.

Love and Respect

I finished reading Love and Respect by Emerson Eggerichs. He forms his thesis around Ephesians 5:33: "However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband." Although you can really learn everything you need to know in the first few chapters it is worth reading the rest of the book. He gives more examples as to what he is trying to convey and ways to show love and respect to your spouse. 

Eggerichs states that love is not enough for a marriage. Yes, most everyone loves their spouse but who is to say that love it the thing that is going to hold it together? Movies and pop-culture tend to emphasize love is all you need, including the Beatles. Eggerichs claims a woman needs to respect her husband and a man needs to love his wife by submitting wholeheartedly to this Biblical design for marriage (Ephesians 5:33). According to God's word, love love love really isn't all you need. And God in a marriage is of the utmost importance. 

"The Crazy Cycle" is what Eggerichs calls the unraveling lifestyle of the 50% of marriages that end, and the other 50% that do hold on but don't completely fall off the band wagon; there is turmoil in every marriage, no one is perfect. This is when love and respect break down: the husband doesn't feel respected and he doesn't want to love and the wife doesn't feel loved therefore she won't respect. See? It's an endless cycle and without it being stopped in someway the marriage becomes hopeless. God doesn't command wives to love; women are made to love. God doesn't command husbands to respect; they are made to respect: "respect does something to the soul of a man. God made him this way." Respect is how a woman can love her husband. She can respect him in ways that are meaningful to him and he will then feel her love igniting his love for her. Or so the theory goes.

So how does a wife respect her husband? How does the husband respect the wife? Well,, Eggerichs never really gives concrete examples. I think this is the case because each person is different. Each husband wants to be respected in a different way. Each wife feels loved differently. Communication is essential. Especially when the husband and wife find themselves bickering over something such as the sock on the floor. A sock? Really? I'll admit I've done it! And an explosive argument surfaces over a stupid sock. Or does it? Eggerichs suggests the the issue here really isn't the issue. The wife doesn't feel loved because she's told the husband a million times to put the sock in the hamper. The husband doesn't feel respected because he's not incompetent of putting dirty laundry in the hamper, he might have been lost in thought at the moment, maybe over his own wife. So is it really the sock that caused all this? 

I have some of my favorite quotes for the book:

"Something in a man longs for his wife to look up to him as he fulfills (his role). And when she does, it motivates him, not because he is arrogant, but because of how God has constructed him."

My all time favorite!
"The prince goes into battle for the princess, not vice versa. Consequently, the princess does not seek to be respected as the 'head.' Instead, she yearns to be honored, valued and prized as a precious equal."
I guess I'm just a romantic at heart.

The Help

Most of the books I'll be reviewing will be shipped to me specifically for that reason but this one is just too good not to review and tell you all about!!!

I couldn't put this book down. The Help by Kathryn Stockett is a must read. I know I'm a little behind the times and probably most of you have read this (hey, I have a 5 month old baby!) but I'll tell you anyway it's just that good.

It's set in Jackson, Mississippi (yes I sang the song while typing) during the 1960s. The book focuses on the experiences of two black maids and a white woman as they go through life on a regular basis.

Aibileen and Minnie are maids, or the help, to middle and upper class white families. Skeeter is the daughter of a cotton "plantation" owner and was raised by her mothers help.

The story knitted between these women starts as a casual nod or glance between races. It ends in a beautiful friendship full of love and secrets. They overcome. Overcome differences in skin color. Overcome the disgrace of being friends. Overcome the hurt of healing wounds from years past. Together. In a world that would kill them for doing just that. Literally kill them for talking to each other. But they take the chance so their children and their white children can live in a better world. They defied culture.

I could just keep going. On and on but I don't want to give away much if you haven't read it or seen the movie. Go do it!!!! Go get it!!!!