Book Review: Parenting with Love and Logic

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Parenting with Love and Logic is one of the books on my summer reading list.  I got the Kindle version of this book a while ago when it was available for a free download.  It has been on my device for quite a while.  {Thanks to my friend Ashley who told me about the free download}.

Here is what Amazon has to say about this book:

This parenting book shows you how to raise self-confident, motivated children who are ready for the real world. Learn how to parent effectively while teaching your children responsibility and growing their character.  Establish healthy control through easy-to-implement steps without anger, threats, nagging, or power struggles

I love these words in the description: self-confident, motivated, ready for the real world, parent effectively, teaching responsibility, growing character, and healthy control.  We have 3 children and no two are alike.  There are ways we guide our first born that never work with our second born and vise versa.  As far as the 3rd one.....he's too young to know.

We all want choices in life.  So it is only natural that my children want choices in life.  The boundaries are set and you get a choice if you are going to stay in the boundary or not.  If you stay in the boundary there is reward.  If you go outside of the boundary there are consequences.  This is true for ALL of us.

Here are a few words from the book that really hit home for me..... 

"We must equip our darling offspring to make the move from total dependence on us to independence, from being controlled by us to controlling themselves.  What will they do when we are no longer pouring wise words into their ears?  Will merely telling them to be responsible get the job done?  Why do young people sometimes seem so stupidly self-destructive?  The tragic truth is that many of these foolish choices are the first real decisions they have ever made."

"Nothing in parenting is sure.  However, we increase the odds of raising responsible kids when we take thoughtful risks.  We do that when we allow our children to fail.  In fact, unless we allow them to fail, sometimes grandiosely, we cannot allow our children to choose success."

"Kids get the most out of what they accomplish for themselves.  Children will get more out of making their own decision - even if it is wrong - than they will out of parents making that decision for them.  Sometimes that means standing by as our kids struggle to complete a task we could easily help them with or do for them".

"If we never let our kid's struggle to get something they want or work through a problem for themselves, then when things get difficult later in life, they won't suddenly turn tough and get going; instead, they will just quit".

Of course, with any book, there are parts you can take away and parts you can leave.  Parenting allows for some creative thinking and several ways to "get it right".  I do highly recommend this book for parents.  It has changed several of my approaches with my children.

Other parenting books I have read and love: 

Don't Make Me Count to Three by Ginger Plowman
Bringing Up Boys by Dr. James Dobson
Brining Up Girls by Dr. James Dobson 

One of my 7 goals and Organization

One of my summer reading list books was 7.  It challenged me in several ways.  You can read my review of 7 here.  

 ::My 7 Waste Goal:: Buy a larger trash can for our recycle items.

I purchased this trash can from IKEA

I used my Cricut to cut white vinyl letters for the Recycle Bin.

We have a small recycle bin in our garage provided by our county.

We always fill it up overflowing.

My sink was always full of recycle items.  At the end of the day

I would gather it all up and take it out to the garage.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This new bin
*sits at one end of our island.

*has a flip lid

*keeps me from stacking recycle stuff in the sink

*saves me trips to the garage

*I can put this bin right out on the curb and they will empty it because it says RECYCLE!

*has come in so handy 

*our 2 and 3 year old are learning to recycle

*it has made recycling even easier for our family

Linking this post to: athoughtfulplace.blog.com

Summer Reading List: 7

I don't know how I did this, but I finished not one 

but TWO books in the first 2 weeks of new baby's life!

Really, I know how I did it....

I read them on my Kindle for iPhone app.

Greatest invention EVER for moms who are up at night.

So like I told you in this post, I have a summer reading list. 

First Up: 7 An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess

by Jenn Hatmaker

I read this book because several of my friends have read it and recommended it.
I also read it because Bloom Book Club did a series of videos with the author, Jenn Hatmaker
And I love reading books through with Bloom Book Club.

I am not an endorser of prosperity gospel nor am I an endorser of poverty gospel.
I believe there is a balance between the two that honors Christ.
I think it is incredible the "fast" journey that God took Jenn Hatmaker and her "Council" of seven girlfriends through.

I appreciate greatly her honest raw heart through this work and her ability to not "pin" this as a must for every reader.  She truly allows room for God to speak to the individual reader in areas of excess.  I believe her thoughts and words to be deep and personally heart felt.

I believe there are areas where her words can pierce deep into the hearts of the American church family.
I also believe there are times that she draws huge lines in the sand and groups every American church into one category and those parts I don't necessarily agree with her but I can still appreciate her work.

I believe we all live in excess.  I believe I live in excess.
But I also believe that we each can channel our excess to something beyond ourselves.
And that process will look different for each individual.
I DO BELIEVE there are American church families who are giving to causes greater than themselves.

I love this experiment.  I think God can personally tailor it for your life.


What My Seven Looks Like:

Food:  Shop at Aldi for a month.  What I save in groceries each week will not go into savings or eating out envelope, but will go to Nothing But the Truth Food Pantry.  At the end of the month I will take my kids to the store and buy with what we saved for kids in our county (who without school in session) have nothing to eat for the day.


Clothes: Clean out my and my husband's closet and give to a local church's  Clothing Closet.  I usually just donate to Good Will but Jenn encourages you to give to a cause.  I know this local church has a great ministry and I am thrilled to take our excess in.


Possessions:  We recently moved and I have a lot of stuff in the basement that I have not gone through and organized.
Stuff that I know I could sell in a garage sale but feel compelled to give toConexion 1040 (an organization that was birthed in the hearts of some of our dear friends).
One thing I am most excited about is giving my daughter's baby bedding to a family
 who will deliver a baby girl end of July.Can't wait to write our the story behind her bedding and the JOY it gives me to pass it along.


Media: Don't be on Internet while my children are awake.
I'll admit this is going to be hard....but I need and want to be present with them for the moments I have been given.


Waste: Buy a larger trash can for our recycle items.
We are great at recycling but lately it is running over and we need a bigger bin.
Use more plastic containers and less ziplocks to store food.


Spending:  I just need to be better all around with my Dave Ramsey envelope system.
 I have to make it a point to go to the bank and divide up the cash.  I CAN DO IT!


Stress:  NO PHONES at the dinner table, kids bed times, kids dates, or family worship nights.
We have a lot going on right now with some real estate properties and it feels like the phone always rings at these crucial moments with our children.
They need to see my husband and I present in the few hours we get each night.....
present with THEM!


Hope you get a change to read 7 and follow along with Bloom Book Club.
I feel I got a better understanding of Jenn Hatmaker
and her book through listening to her via Bloom Book Club Videos.