November 2011 Reading List

Reading too a back burner to making Christmas gifts and making crafts to sell at the December craft fair, so not too many books were read in November.

43. I Love You Rituals by Rebecca Bailey
I LOVED the first half of this book and the philosophy behind her "I love you rituals." Bailey is all about being in the moment with your child and loving him for him.

Children come to learn that to be "loved" (that is, to get attention), the must either misbehave or be special. These two positions require them to be less good than others or better than others. (pg. 28)

You must notice your child. We mistakenly believe that if we praise our children with judgments of how good, great, and wonderful they are, we will build their self-esteem. Judging our children's actions - "Aren't you the best . . ." is different than noticing. Noticing helps the children become aware of themselves. This awareness wires the brain for self-control. (pg. 32)

44. HypnoBirthing by Marie Mongan
A general overview of the HypnoBirthing method. I think it's incomplete without going to a HypnoBirthing class, as it would have been helpful to see breathing/relaxation techniques modeled. Alot of the exercises, nutrition and l&d information was very similar to the Bradley method.

I did like how they addressed sources of fear surrounding childbirth (our own birth story, other's birth stories, previous labors, support or lack thereof, our marriage relationship, finances, etc.) as I do think all of those things can affect your approach to childbirth.

45. The Alchemyst by Michael Scott
This was an interesting read for book club. It didn't captivate me like The Hunger Games or other teen lit I've read, but it was a good story.