I was missing in action here on the blog earlier this week as our daughters and I got to accompany my husband on a work-related trip to Asheville, NC.
We were blessed with beautiful weather! My husband and the girls went ziplining on Monday, then we visited the Biltmore House and Gardens on Tuesday.
I’m also excited that I was able to read a few more books this month! Here are the five that I read; only the first one was on my 2016 reading list.
- Parenting for the Launch: Raising Teens to Succeed in the Real World by Dennis Trittin and Arlyn Lawrence. This book is all about preparing your teens to leave home. My favorite chapter dealt with helpful skills we can develop to communicate effectively with our teenagers. The authors also explained changes to look for and embrace, offered advice on preparing them to make decisions and build relationships, and how we transition into guiding and influencing our children instead of telling them exactly what to do.
- Simply Tuesday by Emily P. Freeman. Emily reminds us to embrace the small, the ordinary, and the every day; see the beauty in simple moments; and set aside time to let our souls breathe.
- Hands Free Life by Rachel Macy Stafford. I’d read Rachel’s previous book, Hands Free Mama, but I have to say that I really prefer this book to the first one. I highlighted a number of passages (and already shared this quote). The nine habits she develops throughout the book are all key principles for developing a well-balanced life. I love the personal stories she uses to illustrate each of the habits, and I left the book with a new realization of the importance of relationships.
- Meet the New You by Elisa Pulliam. You can read my complete review of this book here.
- Murder at the Courthouse by A.H. Gabhart. Okay, this fiction book is not as dramatic as the title sounds. It’s a small town mystery that I enjoyed reading while we were on our trip earlier this week. I hope to read the second one in the series soon.
Have you read any good books lately?
John and I visited the Biltmore for one of our pre-children anniversaries and really enjoyed it. It's unbelievably big, isn't it?! It was February so that gardens weren't so pretty.
You didn't go zip lining? I wouldn't either. 😉
You don't read much fiction, do you? Or do you just not write about it on your blog?
My husband and I had visited the Biltmore before, too – we figured out it was 20 years ago!!! I enjoyed going through it again with the girls.
No ziplining for me! My husband sent me a video, and it looked like they were having fun, but I chose a nap in the hotel room and a bit of window shopping at a couple of shops close by. 🙂
I really don't read much fiction, which is interesting because I devoured it for so many years! I still enjoy a good fiction book; I think part of the issue is that I know I get sucked into the story and have a hard time putting it down when I need to be doing something else. Now it's almost like a treat to choose a book to read when we go on vacation. I should probably aim for at least one fiction book a month, just for the fun of it. 🙂
Tracey, would you recommend Parenting for the Launch?
Well, let me put it this way – I learned some principles from this book (as I do from almost every book I read) that were helpful. If you were able to get it from your library or another low-cost way, I think you would find it helpful, also. (I got it through Amazon fairly inexpensively.) I can see myself referring to certain chapters periodically, though I don't think I'd read the whole book again.
I realize that's a rather vague answer – sorry about that!! 🙂 It was good enough to keep on my bookshelf, but not so great that I pinned it as a "must read again" book.
Hope your day is going well!
Thanks!
Such a great Asheville excursion!