Book Reviews

Hey Friends,
It has been a long time since I have done a book review. I have read many books since my last one, but I have just recently read two books that I really liked, so I thought that I would chat about them for a minute.

Mitten Strings For God-This book should be read by every mom of young children. I was chatting with some friends about how I sometimes commit to too much and overextend myself (like most women). I also sometimes struggle to decide how I want to fill my kid's time and the kinds of experiences I want to share with them. This book is such a sweet reminder to slow down and breathe in the beauty of childhood. The author talks about the many ways that she slowed down with her family and learned to say no to things that weren't best for her family. I so needed to read this book. It really helped recenter me and remind me of the great role I have as a mother. She talks about how taking tv out of the home (or minimizing) is a great gift that we can give to our children. We no longer have channels at our house, so I still have been checking out DVDs from the library. I have become so much more disciplined about how much/when my kids watch tv....and I don't mind if occasionally they watch a little more than usual, but I feel like my kids are way better off when they are engaged in imaginative play. Anyways.. that is just a tangent... that is just a small part of the book.
Seriously ladies... go to half.com and order this (I paid $4.00 for hardcover including shipping). Here is a list of titles of chapters to give you a feel for the book:
Dailiness, Morning, Peace, Quiet, Simplicity, TV, Play, Secret Places, Wants and Needs, Stories, One-on-One Time, Surrender, Breathing, Healing, Listening, Nature, Enchantment, Grace, Rhythm, Truth, Helping, Stretching, Nurturing, Sabbath, Spirit, Balance, Choices, and Wingbeats.
Read and let me know what you think!!!

I actually read the old version and not the revised version of this book, so I would be very interested to see the new additions. The authors of this book take and practice an integrative approach in how they treat patients. Most MD's have a very narrow point of view based off their training that usually includes very little background in homeopathic or herbal remedies. Most MDs are worried about treating the symptoms more than getting down to the root of problems. For example, a child who has chronic stomach pains, may possibly experiencing stress at home or school, so treating the symptoms is important, but getting down to the root of the cause of the stress is more important. An integrative Dr would be more likely to do preventative work and to start with the least invasive treatment first, but also be willing to use modern medicine as necessary. This book REALLY made me think and thinking is good, right :)? In my happy world, I wish that all Drs were more integrative. Obviously there are amazing MDs and probably some crappy integrative doctors, but it just seems like this philosophy is just has the patients well being in mind more. One other example of something from the book that I found very interesting is the overuse of antibiotics in our country. I think they said that in the Netherlands (or one of those Scandinavian countries), that ear infections in children are rarely treated with antibiotics, and that there are more natural remedies used with antibiotics used only in very severe situations. We all probably know that the more that antibiotics are used, the less they work, and the number of prescriptions written today is insane.
Anywho... I could just blab on forever, because now I want to go and do more research on natural remedies. Don't get me wrong, I am very appreciative of modern medicine when it is appropriate, but many times I think that less is more. Okay folks, that is all for now. The next book that I will be reviewing.... "The Wonder of Boys." I really need to start figuring this little wild man of mine out :).