Books on My Nightstand

Easy to Love; Difficult to Discipline; The 7 Basic Skills of Turning Conflict into Cooperation - Becky Bailey, PhD.  This book was recommended by several parenting mags, so I got it off of Amazon (oh how I love Amazon and it's Super Saver Shipping!).  I like the author's premise: in order to effectively discipline our children, we need to have effectively disciplined ourselves.  Here are the seven basic skills, which the book delineates in-depth: 

1.  The Power of Perception: No one can make you angry without your permission. 

2. The Power of Attention: What you focus on, you get more of.

3. The Power of Free Will: The only person you can make change is yourself.

4. The Power of Unity: Focus on connecting instead of trying to be special.

5. The Power of Love: See the best in one another.

6. The Power of Acceptance: This moment is as it is.

7. The Power of Intention: Conflict is an opportunity to teach.  

Emma - Jane Austen.  Too bad she died so young and left only six novels.  I've read all but Mansfield Park (need to finish Emma) and Love & Romance (although it was finished by others).  It's hard to believe that these novels were the equivalent of Confessions of an Shopaholic in their day...it's also hard to believe that real people spoke with such nuance.  Sigh...that halcyon Edwardian age...gone forever...omg!

More Than Serving Tea; Asian American Women on Expectations, Relationships, Leadership and Faith - Toyama and Gee, editors.  The insights and personal experiences of five Christian educated Asian American women...who are good writers!

Sign with Your Baby - Joseph Garcia, PhD.  It came in a package with a DVD and Reference Guide about how to teach your baby American Sign Language...to decrease frustration...as a second language...to increase bonding.  We started signing to V very early on.  It was fun way to engage in active play and encourage bonding...and best of all, it was mutually stimulating.  What sold me was how effective signing was after V received her 9-mo. vaccines.  She started getting hysterical about the needles and could not quiet herself.  After the three quick shots, I flashed her the "all done" sign, and the look of relief that washed over her face was priceless.  She smiled immediately and remained calm for the rest of the visit.  She can now initiate the sign for milk with she wants it.  It seems like she has a preference for vocalizing her needs...so we'll just keep signing and talking at the same time...and see what happens!  From the DVD, it also looked like incorporating ASL signs into story time enhances enjoyment for both parent and child as well...I just haven't figured out how to hold V, read and sign at the same time yet.  

Please Understand Me II; Temperament, Character, Intelligence -- David Keirsey.  The textbook on the classic Keirsey Temperament Sorter based on the Meyer-Briggs personality test.  Those who know me know that I am always referring to this book.  I had it out because there was a pretty good M-B personality quiz on Facebook a while ago, and I was reading up on some friends' temperaments.  That's what I'm all about: ENFJ (the Idealist-Teacher).

The Power of a Praying Wife - Stormie Omartian.  I like how specific she is with her prayers (there are 30 areas of her husband's life that she prays over), and it encourages me to be as caring and comprehensive when I'm praying for my family.  I'm not even close (I think I have prayer ADHD)...  I don't always love all of her theology (maybe it's not her theology and just her writing)...but she sure has faith!!!

The Power of a Praying Parent - Stormie Omartian.  See above.

Then, there's my stack of periodicals.  These are my equivalents to USWeekly:

Westways from the AutoClub <-- one of my FAVORITE periodicals!

RealSimple

Redbook

Parenting

Parents

American Baby

Baby Talk

(I somehow got free subscriptions to all of the parents mags, but if I had to pay, I like Parents best for its content)
Harper's Bazaar (how did I get this magazine AGAIN?! I could actually wear maybe one outfit a month in there...and who spends that much for clothes?! what in the world?!)

Yale alumni mag...sometimes.  

LA Times (we get most of our news online...but there's some great journalism in the weekend editions!)
Sometimes I'm feeling hip, so I peruse the Dwell or the Architectural Record at the bookstore.  Or sometimes intellectual, so I pick up the American Scholar. 

Hubby's set of periodicals: Car&Driver, Road&Track, Time, Yale mag, articles from Parade that his wife clipped for him (haha), a small collection of graphic novels, LA Times.  I like when we read to each other - like when we went through a phase of reading parts of the Lord of the Rings to each other, or when we read interesting articles to each other, or when we make up bedtime stories for one another.  It's like having a lifelong sleepover :)