I loved the new wardrobe for my soon-to-appear little darling, but while I appreciated that she would be a little fashonista, a part of me wanted to holler, “But what am I going to DO with her?”.  I mean, it’s nice to sit around the house looking adorable, but at some point she would need some degree of entertainment, no?

I was hungry for children’s books, and the books that were given to me by friends and family became some of my most favorite gifts in history.  There are so many books for little ones out there with varying quality in both story and appearance.  Over the last couple of years, my daughter has received some wonderful books, both in story and illustration that she and I can both enjoy.  (Because, let’s face it, if you’re the one reading the story, shouldn’t you find it enjoyable as well?)

Since I’m always on the hunt for good books for little kids, I figured you might be too and will be periodically listing some of my favorites.

To kick-off this series I wanted to share one of the most stunning books in our collection:

Mary Engelbreit’s Mother Goose:  One Hundred Best-Loved Verses by Mary Engelbreit

It has been my belief that all children should know at least some of the classic nursery rhymes of old.  Little children love the melody and rhyming of the silly words. Even though many of the nursery rhymes seem like nonsense, children are able to pick up valuable reading, writing and listening skills as they hear similar sounds and patterns presented in nursery rhymes that wouldn’t normally be presented in regular speech.

This book is one of my favorites because not only does it have 100 nursery rhymes (did you know there were so many?  I didn’t!), it has the most beautiful illustrations from the talented Mary Engelbreit.  Seriously, look at these drawings!  Amazing.

Claire loves reading this book.  Ever since she could talk she would look up at me with big eyes and implore, “Mudder Goose?”.  The short, rhyming verses and beautiful illustrations of animals and children are perfect.

If you’re looking for a classic book that can be loved through the years, this would make an excellent gift for your children, nieces, nephews, grandkids, students…whomever!  Hopefully you enjoy it as much as we have.

**Not a paid advertisement- Madeline Engelbreit has never heard of me in her life.  I just really like this book!

I Lost My Love in Baghdad

By Michael Hastings

(Image from Amazon.com)

I smashed it into my bulging suitcase and eventually got around to reading it this last month.

The book is a true story about a young Newsweek reporter that went to Iraq to cover the war.  Shortly before leaving for Iraq he fell in love with a girl back home.  They carried on a long-distance relationship  under difficult circumstances, until she decided to go to Iraq herself as an aid worker.  Once there, tragedy struck and she was killed.  (Spoiler, I know, but the book jacket tells you that anyway, so it’s not exactly a surprise.  If you want to know how she was killed I’ll leave that for you to discover if you choose to read it.  Very sad.)

The book is…different.  The writing style is something I definitely am not used to in a novel.  The author is a news reporter, and the story was told as a news story, basically chronicling a series of facts and events.  I’m used to metaphors and more introspective focus from novels.  At first it really irritated me, but I got used to it after a bit and didn’t notice quite as much.  The only place where it really bothered again me was the final chapters when the author was detailing hearing about his girlfriend’s death and the aftermath.  I certainly got the feeling that he was distraught, but for such an intensely emotional experience, the writing failed to convey the emotions experienced, leaving the whole story feeling rather hollow.

I did learn an awful lot about the war in Iraq, and holy smokes what a mess. Truly, a nightmare.  When reflecting on the story I often felt quite guilty.  As Americans we are so sheltered!   We were (and still are) a country at war, and yet my life has not be changed one bit.  At one point I noticed the date in the chapter heading, “August 2006″, and reading about all the horrors experienced by the soldiers and civilians in Baghdad.  August 2006 was the month I got married.  There I was, blissfully planning my wedding, going on a honeymoon, enjoying the best things in life and completely ignorant of the fact that there was a war being waged- by my own country- on the other side of the world!  It blows me away.

Overall, would I recommend this book?  Meh.  It was ok.  The story itself was very interesting, and I learned a lot, but the writing just wasn’t captivating enough to keep me enthralled for a whole novel.  Sometimes I felt like I was slogging through chapters, waiting for the “good stuff” instead of being on the edge of my seat.  I did appreciate that the author was able to create a lasting tribute to his girlfriend, who was unjustly and tragically killed in an ugly and terrible war.  Hopefully her memory, and the memory of all those who have lost their lives from war, can live on.

Recently we took turns reading Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin.  People, read this book.  I let it sit on my nightstand for weeks, procrastinating cracking it open.  The thought that it was a true story kind of turned me off.  There was no way it could be as interesting as the other books I had read, right? Wrong.  Truth is often stranger than fiction, and this book was outstanding.

Just a little background- Greg Mortenson was a nurse by trade, but his passion was mountain climbing.  In the 90′s he attempted to scale K2 in Pakistan, the second highest summit on Earth.  His attempt failed, and he ended up getting lost in just about the most unforgiving wilderness on the planet.  He was saved by poor Pakistani villagers and discovered they had no school for their children.  Despite the fact that he had no money himself he promised he would build them a school.  That promise has turned into a lifelong quest to help bring education and hope to impoverished villages in the Middle East, which in turn has promoted peace for the entire world.

The crazy thing is that this guy was building schools in the area- for girls, no less- during the rise and power of the Taliban.  Educating girls was unheard of, and what he did to make it happen was extraordinary.

One of Brady’s professors last semester talked about this book, saying that it should be required reading for every student in America.  The book has actually become required reading in many universities and government organizations.  The book is well written and tells the story simply and clearly, without any agenda or strong bias.  However, it taught lessons of perseverance, tolerance, sacrifice, hope, love, the value of education, and so many other things.  I learned so much about the people of that region.  I will admit that there have been times when I have been frustrated hearing about the ongoing war in Afghanistan and have thought that we should just give up and let them destroy themselves.  This book reminded me that there are so many good people there.  Sadly, there is also a lot of evil and hatred born in that part of the world.  But there are even more good, kind, hard-working, peace-loving people who are victims of poverty and war.  I wish so much there was more I could do to help them.

There were parts of the book that just blew my mind and parts that broke my heart.  Mortenson was in Pakistan on 9/11, and the response of the people in the villages brought me to tears.

I can only hope to be as brave and selfless as Greg Mortenson and the poor villagers in Afghanistan and Pakistan who are trying to make the world a better place.  I think this book offers valuable lessons on war and peace and what it means to really be a hero.

Have you read this book yet?  If so, what did you think?

But we’re not here to discuss The Kite Runner today.  I want to talk about Hosseini’s second book, A Thousand Splendid Suns.

I do a lot of reading, and there are a lot of books that I don’t feel are worthy of typing out a full review.  But people, I finished this book two weeks ago, and I am still thinking about it.  That is the sign of a great book.  (By the way, I am not reviewing this book for any sort of compensation.  I just liked it so much that I thought y’all might like a good book to read too!)

The story covers the lives of two women in Afghanistan over the span of about 30 years.  It starts out a little slow, but eventually picks up the pace.  The author does a fantastic job of developing his characters and allowing you to feel a connection to them.  Hosseini does an even better job though of immersing you in the Afghan culture.  I must admit that I know very little about Afghanistan or other countries in the Middle East.  Ever since reading these books by Hossieni, my husband and I have been utterly fascinated with the culture in that part of the world.  Hosseini gives you a glimpse into the culture that I don’t think would be possible to obtain another way other than physically visiting the country.

If you are looking for a light-hearted book, this is not the one.  Many of the scenes are positively heartbreaking as Hosseini unfold a story about war and a society that does not value women.  I was often horrified to realize that while the story itself is fiction, these events really are taking place with real people on the other side of the world.  I actually feel the author is doing a great service to Afghanistan by writing such compelling books about it and bringing attention to the people there.  The country is not full of terrorists as the media would portray.  There are good people there who are victims of warlords and extremist ideas and a repressive society.

I gotta say, this book really made me appreciate my own life and especially my husband.  I often stopped to reflect on how very fortunate I am to live in a country where I can dress how I want, marry who I want to, go to school, hold a job, vote, and basically do whatever  the heck I want!  (aaannd…cue patriotic music in the background!)

Hosseini is a beautiful writer, often able to convey a complex idea or feeling in just a short phrase.  To me, the writing itself is just as important if not more important than the story line.  I think that is often the difference between an okay book and a great book, not to name any names…*cough* TWILIGHT *cough*…So far the author has only written two books, but I am anxiously awaiting for his next one to come out.  I would read anything he writes.

While the book was often sad and disturbing, I did really enjoy the ending…but I’m not going to say why!  You’ll have to find out for yourself.

The book is for a more mature audience.  There are a little bit of swearing, some sexuality, and some graphic images of war.  However, if you are looking for a book that will change your perspective and stay with you long after you finish it, I highly recommend A Thousand Splendid Suns.

To some, the words “saving” and “delayed gratification” and “used, er… pre-owned” are foreign.  The notion of spending and needing less is kind of an old-fashioned idea in today’s society.  Our country is all about bigger, better, newer, faster, flashier, and RIGHT NOW.  As I’ve been mulling over the ideas presented in this book and how to make it work for me, I’m realizing that the first step is to change my mentality.  Before any of this can work, I need to get in the right frame of mind.

Generally speaking, I think I could say that I do fairly well.  I don’t buy a lot of “stuff”: magazines, clothing, drinks, home decor, movies, etc.  However, I am all about anything that will make my life easier, such as pre-packaged and frozen convenience meals and snacks, or the occasional fast food run when we’re just too blasted tired to try to cook anything at home.  While I may be making my life easier in the short term by throwing a frozen pre-packaged burrito in the microwave, I need to look at the big picture and realize that I’m not making my life easier in the long run.  The more money I spend on convenience items, the more money I am going to have to make to pay for them, which means the more I am going to have to work.  The more I work, the less time I have to cook a real dinner, which means I will default to a convenience item.  It’s a vicious, vicious cycle, people.

So far the book has been focusing almost entirely on food expenses, since that is probably the biggest spending opportunity for most Americans.  I remember putting together a spreadsheet several months ago of our monthly expenses and discovering that we were spending more than $400 a month on groceries.  $400+ a month!  For two and a half people!  I about gagged on my frozen burrito when I saw that number.  Since then I’ve been trying to make more of an effort in my meal planning so we can cut down on the cost, but truth be told I haven’t exactly followed up and stayed on top of keeping track to see if its made a difference.

I’m hoping that if I start applying the ideas in Miserly Moms that I will be able to actually make some headway.  So, it begins!  Ms. Jonni has outlined Eleven Miserly Guidelines to get me on the way to financial freedom.  Guideline #1:  Don’t confuse frugality with depriving yourself.  And the bottom line to doing that?  Make sure your goals are worth more than anything else.  Is being debt-free your priority?  Quitting your job?  Maybe having a family?  Maybe it’s having more money to go see the world?  Whatever it is, it has to be better than anything else.  Better than getting your nails done regularly.  Better than take-out three times a week.  Better than a giant Diet Coke from the gas station every day.

For me, I want to be able to spend more time with my family.  That’s better than all the hair highlights in the world.  Yep, mind over matter.  I can do this.

What do you think?  What makes being frugal worth it to you?

However, I have never been a good with keeping a budget.  While I am always careful, I am not exact in my spending.  I could be more disciplined.

In fact, I need to be more disciplined.

The husband and I have goals.  A house that isn’t attached to someone else’s house, for example.  A garage (there aren’t many things I hate more than scraping ice off my windshield in the morning when it’s 2 degrees outside).  Not having both of us work full-time.  Taking our kids to the beach as they grow up.  A trip to Europe someday, hopefully.

Right now we live comfortably, if not lavishly.  But we have some debt weighing us down.  We both work- a little too hard it feels like at times.  I’d like to change that.  I’d like to get us to the point where our debt is gone and eventually I can stay home with my kiddos.

So, in order to accomplish this (as well as one of my new year’s resolutions!  I’m really sticking to them!), I’ve decided to start reading Miserly Moms: Living Well on Less in a Tough Economy for some tips on how to reach my goal.  So far I’m intrigued…and a little scared.  I see where the author is coming from, but can I really do it?  It’s not exactly easy, but it may be worth it.

Do you have a budget?  If so, how do you manage to stick to it?