The 50 Fridays Marriage Challenge by Jeff and Lora Helton

My husband and I have had a lot of fun reading this book.  We have been married for almost 8 years and we still learned new things about each other by using this book as a springboard for our discussions.  My husband is rather quiet (I tell him he has a word quota that he allows himself each day), so it's been a good way for us to open up and really talk.  Add in the busyness of 2 small kids, we needed some intentional, relationship-building conversation going on. 

 

Since I was reading this book for review, I did these questions everyday for 2 weeks.  Some days, I would flip through and ask other questions along with the original one we had discussed.  It's actually made so that you talk about one question every Friday...hence the 50 Fridays question.

 

Each Friday starts with a Challenge question.  Some of the questions are harder to answer than others and require some thought.  I love how it tackles the good things, the bad things (like disagreements, things that each of you could change in certain areas), and the comfortable/uncomfortable things.

 

There's a short chapter (like 1 page if it was condensed) that you can read together or separately.  We read it together.  It was a nice way for us to end our work week together, since the week tends to be incredibly stressful and hit or miss sometimes because of work obligations, etc. 

 

I'm planning to revisit this book and I think I just might be getting this for anniversaries of close friends or even for wedding presents.  I mean, who doesn't want a great marriage that reflects Christ?!  I want my children to see Christ when they look at our marriage and that takes effort and conversation....even when we're exhausted.  Thanks for the very helpful marriage resource!

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I received this book free from Howard Publishers in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.

 

 

Fight Your Way to a Better Marriage by Dr. Greg Smalley

I really enjoy reading marriage books and learning new ideas to implement into my marriage.  My husband and I don't fight a lot, but this book was full of tips that I found very insightful and helpful.  I have heard people tell others that if they have a lot of conflict in their marriage, then there's trouble.  This book debunks that truth. In fact, conflict is not only important, but it's going to happen.  We can choose how we are going to resolve the problems though and what attitude we will take in resolving it.

If I had to pick a favorite chapter, it would be the chapter called "Lies Written on Your Heart."  Satan loves to tell us lies in our marriages and it was encouraging to read a few that I know Satan has wanted me to believe.  Another great chapter was the L.U.V.E. Talk chapter.  It was so good to hear how we sometimes invalidate our spouses even if we don't mean to.

This is a book for both healthy marriages and those that are struggling.  It would also be a great gift or premarital counseling book, in my opinion.

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I received this book free from Howard Publishers in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.

What a Difference a Mom Makes by Dr. Kevin Leman

Dr. Leman has managed to be well-represented on my bookshelves.  I have found all of his books extremely helpful and encouraging when it comes to parenting.  Having read many of his books, I was thrilled to read this book.  This one hit me at just the right time because I had been having some difficulty with my firstborn, just turned 4-year-old son.  I was needing not only encouragment but some guidance and assurance that what I thought was a power play, really was just that.

 

This book was very special to me since it is all about a mom's relationship with her son.  I loved how he reminded moms to let their boys be boys and not to force them to act like girls.  They can be loud and rough, but they can also learn to do many of the household things that need to be done, as well.  However, I need to remember to treat him like a boy who loves to be independent (within reason) and loves to please his mommy.  This book showed me the heart of the little boy within. I also liked how Dr. Leman wrote about how a mom chooses their future daughter-in-law by determining her type of relationship with her son.  That was eye-opening!  I want a good daughter-in-law who is thoughtful, loving, wise with words, and isn't controlling.  That means I need to work towards these things!  Glad to learn this now while he's 4!

 

I think all moms with sons need to read this book.  You will find it was time well-spent and you will see just how different that son of yours is from your daughter.  He apparently wrote a book on a daddy's relationship with his daugther, which I will be buying for my husband!

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I received this book free from Revell Publishers in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.  Available September 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

Mom Connection by Tracey Bianchi

Relationships.  Motherhood.  Connection with others.  All of these things go together.  However, in the midst of certain seasons in motherhood (namely those tender little years), what gets left out the most?  Relationships with others.  I have been known to say to myself, "I really need to call so-and-so, but I have so much to tell them so I have to wait until I have more time."  That's wonderful and all, but I don't know when I will ever think that I will have MORE time!  So far, that hasn't happened.  In fact, in those cases where my kids go to stay at grandma's, I swear I have LESS time because I'm making up for all that I don't get done with the kids home and then some more.  Who knew I owned scrapbooking supplies!

This book was both an encouragement to me, but also convicted me a little.  It made me realize just how much I neglect certain relationships.  I don't mean to.  In fact, I long to be the friend that's always there for everyone.  And that's my problem.  Tracey writes to pick a few friends to pour yourself into, but start slow and let the friendship grow.  She also helped me realize that I'm not alone in how I feel alone sometimes and at how awkward I am when it comes to approaching a potentially new friend.  I could relate to her in her example of moving and just wanting to talk to a friend because when I moved after marriage, I longed to have a local friend to confide in and talk to and do things with.  My husband agrees that was the worst year for us, simply because I had to rely on him much more when he would have rather I'd talk to a girl.  I think his ears wore out!  All of this was an encouragement--to know that I'm not alone and that making friends, even at this stage of the game, isn't easy for many people. 

After having just moved to our new house, this book came at the perfect time for me because I was focused on unpacking boxes.  This week, as I was reading this, I realized that I need to stop being so focused on that and make sure I'm connecting with my children.  So we'd walk to the duck pond, play outside, go run and bike and just make memories with those little kiddos who are growing so fast.  "This too will pass."

Moms everywhere will enjoy and relate to this book.  If you are looking for a perfect Mother's Day gift or are a mom and just needs a little bit of encouragement that how you feel is normal and you haven't fallen off the deep end, PLEASE get this book!  I don't recommend mommy books often because many are about "finding yourself" or "taking lots of breaks from kids", etc.  But this one reminds us of our purpose here, the seasons we're in depend on how much we take on, and even saying "no" to things that don't fit into the rhythm of our families. 

The book layout is nice.  It has "thumbs up, thumbs down" page that is filled with application to what you just read about.  Then there is a resources page with each chapter so you can read/learn more about what you just read, if you so desire.  I really liked this layout because it would be perfect for mom's groups, if you're looking for an encouragement discussion.

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I received this book free from Revell Publishers in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.