Good reads & the low-down

i finally went onto amazon to order both these books that i have been interested in for some time now. i'm so excited to share what i'm learning along the way, especially because i've read very little books on mothering. it's weird, because suddenly your like, "Woah! i'm a mom of a 1 year old and I should probably figure some things out." You make it through your first year in a daze, and now the real decisions need to be made: routines, parenting, discipline, guidance, etc.

I wanted to share some great quotes I've accumulated thus far from Give Them Grace, the first one I am reading:

Most of us are painfully aware that we're not perfect parents. We're also deeply grieved that we don't have perfect kids But the remedy to our mutual imperfections isn't more law, even if it seems to produce tidy or polite children. Christian children (and their parents) don't need to learn to be "nice." They need death and resurrection and a Savior who has gone before them as a faithful high priest, who has a child himself, and who lived and died perfectly in their place. They need a Savior who extends the offer of complete forgiveness, total righteousness, and indissoluble adoption to all who will believe. This is the message we all need. We need the gospel of grace and the grace of the gospel. Children can't use the law any more than we can, because they will respond to it the same way we do. They'll ignore it or bend it or obey it outwardly for selfish purposes, but this one thing is certain: they won't obey it from the heart, because they' can't. That's why Jesus had to die.

At the deepest level of what we do as parents, we should hear the heartbeat of a loving, grace-giving Father who freely adopts rebels and transforms them into loving sons and daughters.


Although we long to be faithful parents, we also rest in teh truth that our faithfulness is not what will save our children. 

These are all from the introduction, and though I've already reached Chapter 4 or 5, I want to slow down and really focus on a chapter at a time. Next week I'll cover some highlights form Chapter 1 and so forth.

Has anyone else read this book (I know Britney and Allison have)? If so, what are your thoughts and highlights?

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other things:

>>> i'm excited to hop onto this next thursday (or next, next thursday) because I LOVE finding good deals.

>>> my beautiful friend sharaya has asked me to be in her wedding (WHAT AN HONOR. I AM GOING THROUGH WEDDING WITHDRAWALS) and I get to hang out with her and her fiancee tomorrow. i am so excited!
>>> i'm attending my grandmother's memorial service in late march in arizona. though it's not in the best of circumstances, i am excited to spend the week with my dad, his wife debbie, my sister, and my adorable nephew kyan. the Lord has continued to be so gracious and faithful to me in that i get to see my family every 2 months or so.

>>> i got my first diaper and family essentials bundle from the honest company this week. i'm excited to share with you about this company and their great products! we are so happy with it!

>>> amos is talking so much. i mean, it is so much fun. we read books every night and after i tell him what something is he can point it out the next night and generally repeat it unless it starts with certain consonants he's not comfortable with yet, even if he uses them in more basic words. (umbrella, monkey, etc.) AND he answers the random people at the store like this:

"Hello!" - to stranger

"Hi, little precious boy. You are so cute." - stranger

"Thank you." - amos

"Oh can you believe that! He answered me! And how are you doing today, little guy?" - stranger

"Fine." (doesn't exactly come out clear as day, but he's responding) - amos

"Well, have a great time shopping with your momma." - stranger

"Bye Bye!" - amos

It's RIDICULOUS.

>>> new words for the week that he now brings up on his own: hen + cluck cluck!, pig, shoes, fishies, door, snake, bee, & car(car).

>>> and he says, out of nowhere, LOVE YOU. (whaaaa?! motherhood is SO AWESOME!)

>>> he added some new foods this week that he really loved eating: swiss cheese, avocado, and black beans

oh - and i found amos like this the other day (don't worry, i was right there!):

 

oh that little boy!!!