5 books moms need to read to better their lives

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Audible. The opinions and text are all mine.

Lately, I’ve been walking each night while I listen to a great book on Audible. I want to tell you the book that I’m currently reading and the ones that I would advice other parents to read… the books on my to-read list.

Since Audible is free for 30 days, you can grab one of these books, put on your walking shoes and get moving. You’ll do your heart, your brain and your body good by getting out there and ‘reading’. You can also listen in the car, on your way to work or to the grocery store. However you find time to read (or listen), I love these books and wanted to share them with you.

1- The Best Yes. by Lysa TerKeurst
I am right in the middle of this book, but I really love it so far. It is a easy-listen. It’s filled with stories of her life and then little epiphanies that she has along the way. She talks about finding her role – the role that she was meant to play in life. She talks about how we need to say NO to those things that take up our time, cause us stress and take us away from the BEST YES – the role that we were meant for. In other words- we need to do what we know we want to do and stop saying yes to everyone & everything.

Sneak Peek:
Most of us spend a lot of our lives figuring out when to say yes and when to say no. How to manage our time, reduce stress, do our best for our families, find a little space for “me”. But we don’t find space for our souls until we learn to step past the yes and no of daily decisions and seek a third option: the best yes. The best yes is the choice that shapes all our other choices. It’s what allows us to play our necessary parts in God’s plan, to spend our energy and focus our passion on the assignments that really are ours.

How do we learn to say that best yes? It requires honesty. Imagination. Attention. Trust. Humility. Practice – lots of practice. And wisdom. The best yes is really all about wisdom – learning to make truly wise decisions. And that’s the heart of this book. “I want us to become powerfully effective decision makers,” writes Lysa Terkeurst. “Because then we will live powerfully effective lives. And spend our souls doing powerfully effective work to the glory of God.” With her signature mix of transparency, Scripture-laced insight, and “been there” humor, she suggests usable strategies for choosing wisely and encourages us all to shout and whisper our own best yes to life, day by decision-making day.

2- Mom & Me & Mom by Maya Angelou

I love hearing stories told by Maya Angelou – I feel like she really had a gift to inspire others, so this book caught my eye. I have it on my to-listen-to list.

Sneak Peek:
In this priceless autobiography, Maya Angelou finally delves into her complicated relationship with her mother, Vivian Baxter, who sent three-year-old Maya away from California to live in Arkansas with her grandmother and brother. When Maya and her mother reunited a decade later, they began to heal their broken relationship, all of which is detailed in the beautifully wrought book that’s written in a way only Maya can write, with equal parts courage and eloquence.

3- Food Freedom Forever: Letting Go of Bad Habits, Guilt, and Anxiety Around Food
Have you heard of the Whole30? If not, this book will help. If you have, this book will help. This book is about how to go from yo-yo dieting to just eating whole foods. It stops the bad cycle and lets you realize how simple it is to eat clean.

Millions of people have done the Whole30 program, changing their lives and the way that they feel. It can leave you feeling energiezed without those cravings for sugar. Plus, if you need to lose a few pounds- this will do it.

Sneak Peek:
Now, Food Freedom Forever offers real solutions for anyone stuck in the exhausting cycle of yo-yo dieting and the resulting stress, weight gain, uncontrollable cravings, and health complaints.

Resets like the Whole30 can jump-start the process, but as anyone who has dieted knows, holding on to that freedom and creating healthy habits that last is the hard part. In her detailed three-part plan, Melissa will help you discover food freedom no matter how out of control you feel, walk a self-directed path that keeps you in control for months on end, gracefully recover when you slip back into old habits, and create the kind of food freedom that stays with you for the rest of your life.

You’ll learn how to spot your specific triggers before they’re pulled and strategies for dealing with temptation, strengthening your new healthy habits, and boosting your willpower. By the end of this audiobook, you’ll have a detailed plan for creating the perfect diet for you, finding your own healthy balance, and maintaining the kind of control that brings you real food freedom every day.

4- Cleaning House: A Mom’s Twelve-Month Experiment to Rid Her Home of Youth Entitlement

“Cleaning the house while your kids are still growing is like shoveling the walk while it is still snowing” – this is how the book starts. She goes on to talk about how she used to think “What’s the point of putting it away if I know that I have to get it out again later?” While I have never been this way, I can see that it would be easy for my kids to think this way. Our oldest son has a room that no one sees, unless they make a special trip up to his room, so he often asks me why he has to make his bed if he is the only one that sees it. For me, it’s just a habit. Wake up -make bed. Simple. I want our kids to do the same.

I love having a clean house. I love when our kids help me clean. I love when our kids clean without being reminded (Hallelujah!). I wanted to find a book to share with you that was all about cleaning and having your kids join in, so I searched Audible and found this one. It has some great rateings and I loved the audio sample. I plan on getting this one after I finish a few of the ones listed above.

Sneak peek:
Do your kids think that clean, folded clothes magically appear in their drawers? Do they roll their eyes when you suggest they clean the bathroom? Do you think it’s your job to pave their road to success? As parents, so often we hover, race in to save, and do everything we can for our kids – unintentionally reinforcing their belief that the world revolves around them.

When Kay Wyma realized that an attitude of entitlement had crept into her home, this mother of five got some attitude of her own. Cleaning House is her account of a year-long campaign to introduce her kids to basic life skills. From making beds to grocery shopping to refinishing a deck chair, the Wyma family experienced for themselves the ways meaningful work can transform self-absorption into earned self-confidence and concern for others.

As Kay says, “Here’s to seeing what can happen when we tell our kids, ‘I believe in you, and I’m going to prove it by putting you to work.”

5- Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World, by Kristen Welch

I’ve read this book, written by my friend, Kristen Welch. She is a sweet mother of three. She gives her time volunteering and helping others. She is always looking for ways to give back and give more, so when she told me that she was writing this book, I couldn’t wait to read it.

I love this book because Kristen is so honest. She doesn’t act like she has it all together. She doesn’t tell you that she has found the be-all, end-all solution to entitlement, but she does tell you what she is doing to help her kids and to start them down the right path.

Sneak peek:
“But everyone else has it.” “If you loved me, you’d get it for me!” When you hear these comments from your kids, it can be tough not to cave. You love your children – don’t you want them to be happy and to fit in?

Kristen Welch knows firsthand that it’s not that easy. In fact she’s found out that when you say yes too often, it’s not only hard on your peace of mind and your wallet – it actually puts your kids at long-term risk.

In Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World, Kristen shares the ups and downs in her own family’s journey of discovering why it’s healthiest not to give one’s kids everything. Teaching them the difference between “want” and “need” is the first step in the right direction. With many practical tips and anecdotes, she shares how to help kids become hardworking, fulfilled, and successful adults.

Check out Audible’s free 30 day trial. Audible, an Amazon.com Inc. subsidiary, is the leading provider of premium digital spoken audio information and entertainment, offering customers a new way to enhance and enrich their lives every day. They offer a free trial for 30 days, too. I highly suggest it. It’s great to listen to while you walk, drive, clean the house or fold laundry.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Audible. The opinions and text are all mine.