PERSONAL GROWTH & PARENTING BOOKS
The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown--A great book if you are a fellow perfectionist. I read this book during a really difficult time in my life and it was eye opening, thought provoking, and forever changed the way I thought about things. If you are a type A, struggle with doing it all perfectly or not doing it all because it's not perfect, this is a must read.
Mom Set Free by Jeannie Cunnion--Such an encouraging book for moms who are trying to do it all right and wonder if they are doing it all wrong. This is a book that I wish had been written earlier in my parenting journey!
Boundaries by Henry Cloud and John Townsend--I feel like this is a book everyone should read! If you struggle with saying no, setting boundaries, getting mad when people take advantage of you, or are tired of getting walked on, pick up this book! It is written from a Biblical perspective and has many words of wisdom on how to set boundaries to protect yourself, your mental health, and your relationships with others.
Parenting by Paul David Tripp--I have read so many parenting books over the past 10 years trying to figure out how to effectively parent a strong willed, argumentative, powerful child and stumbled upon this one only recently. This book reflects the way I want to parent--as a reflection of God's love for us--but so often have trouble putting into practice! I read the ebook first on Scribd and liked it so much I bought the hardback version to keep.
The Awakened Family by Shefali Tsabary--Don't read this unless you are ready to do some soul searching into your own thoughts, behaviors, and reactions. This book will ask you to examine your behaviors and your reactions in response to your child. Her other books are thought provoking as well, but this one impacted me the most.
The Minimalist Home by Joshua Becker--I have followed Joshua Becker's website Becoming Minimalist for several years and enjoy his nonjudgmental take on minimalism. This book isn't about getting rid of all your things or painting all your walls white and only owning two chairs. It's about removing the excess so you can enjoy what you have and live the life you want. The audiobook is available on Scribd.
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo--After moving multiple times in a short time span, I was so overwhelmed by all our "stuff". This book came along at the perfect time because I was ready to make changes. Although the KonMari method has taken a lot of criticism, been the subject of countless memes, and has certainly been misunderstood, the fundamentals and the thought process completely changed the way I looked at my current items and any potentially new items I was bringing into my home. The process of thanking items prior to letting them go sounds bizarre, but it really helped me release guilt surrounding items that I had spent money on but no longer used, liked, or needed. Her "spark joy" criteria has also dramatically reduced the amount of clothing and other items I bring into my home as the standard has been changed. No longer do pants that don't really fit but were on sale for $5 get brought home. If you haven't read it and are relying on memes on the Internet to understand the intent behind it, it's worth your time to read.
Introverted Mom by Jamie Martin--The title says it all! If you're an introverted mom, you need this book! It really hit home with me when she said, "if you never thought of yourself as an angry person until you became a mother, you might be an introverted mom." I can't tell you how many times I have said this! Learning more about my need for quiet and alone time to function properly made me feel less like a bad mom and also made me wish this book had been written about 10 years ago. The audiobook is available on Scribd.
Many of these books are available on Scribd, my favorite reading platform! It is basically like Netflix, but for books! They have ebooks and audiobooks and often have new releases on their release date! If you want to check it out for a free trial, you can use my link here! I normally think subscription services are a waste of money, but this is one that I use every single day and definitely get my money's worth out of every month!