The 7 O'Clock Bedtime

The 7 O'Clock Bedtime: Early to bed, early to rise, makes a child healthy, playful, and wise by Inda Schaenen is a good book.  While it was not exactly all that I was hoping it would be it did have several good points on helping your children go to bed earlier.  It was also packed with a lot of research on the benefits of an early bedtime for children.  In order to achieve the 7 o'clock bedtime, your family will have to alter their lifestyle completely to work around your child's bedtime.  I agree that most Americans are not getting enough sleep, especially children.  However, depending on the ages of your children getting them all to sleep by 7 o'clock is not always feasible.

I liked her concept of an earlier bedtime a lot.  One thing I thought was somewhat disturbing was she only bathes her kids once a week to help get them in bed earlier except if she thinks they are really dirty.  I know there are a lot of cultures who do not bath very often but once a week doesn't sound that great.  I think I would rather start the nighttime routine earlier or aim to have my child in bed by 7:30 so he's clean.  Or if giving your children a bath at night is too hard to work it, why not bathe them in the morning?

Also, I was hoping for a few more tips on getting a young child to sleep earlier.  I have a one year old and the earliest we have been able to get him to sleep is 7:30pm.  She used the Ferber method with her children while my family uses the attached parenting method.  Is there really no other way to get your child to sleep earlier than letting them cry it out?  Especially babies.  There are lots of ways to help your child go to sleep without leaving your young baby to cry themselves to sleep.

Overall I think this is a good read and I agree with her philosophy overall that our kids need more sleep.  I guess it's like anything, if you want to achieve something you have to sacrifice something else and not plan anything too late in the day or evening.  Not to mention there are some families that are unable to get their children to bed by 7pm because of the parents' work schedule.  If you look at the bottom line, children need more sleep, then I think however you achieve the maximum amount of sleep for your child is great.

Winner of Will the World End in 2012?

Congratulations to Michelle in the USA!  She is the winner of the book Will the World End in 2012?  Thanks everyone who participated.  Feel free to enter in the next contest.

Book Giveaway - Will the World End in 2012?

For the next 7 days, I will be conducting a Book Giveaway contest on a book I recently reviewed: Will the World End in 2012? by Raymond C. Hundley, Ph.D.  

If you would like to win this copy for your own, here are the simple rules:

1) Comment here that you want to be entered.

2) Leave a valid email address in your comment (I need a way to contact you! No email address, no entry.  Unless I already have your email address, just say so.) 

3) For an extra entry, follow my blog. If you already follow my blog, just mention that in your comment. 

4) For an additional extra entry, follow my expat blog here. If you already follow my expat blog, just mention that in your comment. 

5) Not limited to US residents. Anyone can enter.

6) If you blog about the giveaway on your blog, you get 5 extra entries! Include your blog address, so I can see it. Thanks! 

All entries must be submitted by May 25, midnight, cst. I will contact the winner by email. If I don't get a response within 3 days, another winner will be chosen. The winner will be announced on this site, when determined. All winners are picked by Random.org List Randomizer. Happy Reading!

Will the World End in 2012? by Raymond Hundley

Will the World End in 2012? by Raymond Hundley, Ph.D. is an insightful book.  Dr. Hundley debunks the top ten 2012 doomsday predictions ending with what really matters, a relationship with Christ.  He goes into just enough details to give you some knowledge on the topics and why they are believable to some and why they are not to others.  Not having much background knowledge of most of these topics it gave me a good insight without going into too many details.

Overall I liked the book.  After reading the first few chapters I started feeling paranoid that the world would soon be ending.  As a Christian, however, I know that we do not know when the world will end.  It could be December 21, 2012, or it may be tomorrow.  The fact is, even if the world does end in 2012 there is no guarantee that I or you will live that long.  Nonetheless, Dr. Hundley’s book made me reflect on my own life. One thing we all need to remember is that we will all die someday.

I like how Dr. Hundley ended the book with what really matters, our relationship with God.  He neglected to mention Mark 16:16, Acts 2:38, and many other verses that talk about baptism, but the main idea of needing a relationship with Christ was there.  In the end our relationship with Christ is what will matter as we stand before the Lord on Judgment Day.

If you are interested in why people think the world is ending in 2012, then I recommend you read this.  Thomas Nelson provided me with a complimentary copy of this book.

Rocking the Roles

We bought the book Rocking the Roles by Robert Lewis and William Hendricks at a Weekend to Remember marriage conference. It was one of the marriage books recommended. 

Unlike many marital role books, Lewis and Hendricks differentiate the difference between traditional marriage and Biblical marriage and examine how men and women are naturally different. Anyone who has been in a relationship with someone of the opposite sex knows men and women are different. Yet many in our modern society lean toward everything being equal and leave no room for males and females to be different. Rocking the Roles explores the Biblical core roles of husbands and wives. For example the husband’s core role is to be a Servant Leader and a wife’s core role is to be a Helper Lover. 

The authors break down how to fulfill marital roles the godly way not the traditional way that many are raised to believe. They explain how to be a Servant Leader and what it means to be a Helper Lover. The best thing about learning your role is that the “core” roles do not limit choices. Rather they help prioritize your time, energy, and commitments. If you are looking to strengthen your marriage, I recommend this book.

The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness

In Dave Ramsey's book, The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness, he helps readers learn how to get out of debt and reach full financial freedom.  A friend in college gave me this book because it changed his life.  After reading it I have loaned it out to several people and have even bought it for a gift.

Ramsey's financial advice really changed mine and my husband's view of money.  After college we had a lot of debt and decided to followed Ramsey's 7 simple baby steps, as he calls them, and have paid most of our debt off. We pay cash for everything except purchases online, which goes against Ramey's philosophy but we pay the balance in full before it's due.  We even sold one of our cars so we could pay off our debt faster.  Many of our friends and family thought we were crazy when we only had one car.  Small "sacrifices" now can change your financial future in ways you cannot even imagine.  Since following Ramsey's baby steps we have had more financial freedom than we ever thought possible.  When you live within your means you are able to give and enjoy life so much more than living pay check to pay check. 

Although I didn't agree with everything in the book, for instance we paid off our highest interest loans first and are paying more extra on our mortgage than my student loan because my student loan has such a small interest, I did find the book very helpful.  A few things that I found encouraging were all the testimonies in his book.  Money is a sensitive topic for many people that it was refreshing to read stories of how people went from being in a lot of debt to having more than they ever thought possible.   This is one of my favorite financial books.  Ramsey's steps to financial freedom are simple enough that anyone can do them.  This is a great book for anyone who wants to learn how to get on the road to financial freedom.

Dave Ramsey's Seven Baby Steps:
1. Save $1,000 to start your emergency fund;
2. Pay off all debt using the debt snowball (everything but your mortgage);
3. Save 3-6 months of expenses in savings;
4. Invest 15% of household income into Roth IRAs and pre-tax retirement;
5. Start saving for your children's college fund;
6. Pay off home early; and
7. Build wealth and give.

What Every Child Needs

What Every Child Needs by Elisa Morgan and Carol Kuykendall was given to me at one of my MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) meetings.  This book is mainly written to new mothers, although fathers could learn from it too.  

This book reads like a parenting manual.  It emphasizes the nine basic needs each child has for love and how to give and show these kinds of love to your child.  The nine basic needs mentioned in the book are: Security, Belonging, Guidance, Play, Affirmation, Discipline, Respect, Independence, and Hope.  As a new mom, I am constantly searching for direction.  This book helped break down motherhood and gave a lot of examples of how I can be a great mom just by being myself.  Not only does the book give examples of how to love your child it also gives ideas if you are having difficulty showing your child love. I now have more confidence and know-how on showing and giving my child the love he needs.  I highly recommend this book.

My Musings

Welcome!  I hope you find my blog useful as you are considering reading certain books. I will mainly be reviewing books published by Thomas Nelson but will accept other books to review as well. Please leave a comment if you have read the book or if you have any questions about it.  Happy reading!