Houston Moms Blog is starting a monthly Book Club!
Mark your calendars for Thursday, September 20 at 8:30 pm for our first meeting {held conveniently on Facebook Live}. This month, we will be reading and discussing Love and Luck, by Jenna Evans Welch.
We are sending our kids back to school this month and setting new routines and maybe a few new goals. If you haven’t considered setting “New School Year” goals– or if you do them every year–here is a suggestion for you based on conversations I have with moms all. the. time.
READ MORE BOOKS!
I know, I know. We are insanely busy. My list of things to do is endless. I get it. But I have a few reasons why you can justify blocking out a little bit of time each and every day for reading. If you don’t need a reason why, feel free to skip past my list. But be warned:: you’ll be missing out.
1. Research has proven that kids are more successful in school and in life when they are raised in homes with books. When our kids see us reading, they will be more willing to do so themselves. More and more classrooms are initiating “D.E.A.R. time” every day {Drop Everything and Read} and requiring the teachers to model the behavior and read silently in front of their classes, too. In his book, The Read-Aloud Handbook, Jim Trelease describes our leisure reading to “literacy torches passed fro parent to child.”
2. “My mind has turned to mush.” I don’t know how universal this feeling is among moms or I just bring out the best in people. But I have heard this statement and said this statement since becoming a mother so many times that I am assuming you’ve probably been there, too. Maybe it’s sleep-deprivation or too many episodes of mind-numbing children’s TV programming or a lack of adult conversation. We all could use a simple, fun-filled form of mental stimulation.
3. You will have something new to talk about to anyone who isn’t a mom. Sometimes our kids are all we can talk about because they ARE our lives. They have somehow taken over! If you ever wish you had something more to talk about than your child’s potty training antics or how philosophical Daniel Tiger can be, you can find endless topics for discussion when you read a new book!
4. Like reading, traveling often slips WAY down on our list of priorities {or possibilities…oh, hello budget…}. The budget-friendly, mom-friendly solution :: read a book! You can instantly be transported to foreign lands, different time periods, and momentarily escape while simultaneously setting a positive example for your children {see #1}.
5. If your excuse is “I’m too stressed out to do ONE MORE THING,” trust me:: I’ve been there. Maybe this isn’t the right time for you and we’ll be here waiting for when it is that time. But numerous studies have proven that reading is actually the most effective way to overcome stress. Maybe reading that book will be the thing that makes the rest of your life seem a little more doable.
I want to read more books! Now what?
We have great news! Houston Moms Blog is starting a book club! My favorite part is that you will not have to do a whole lot of schedule-adjusting to be able tuo attend the monthly meetings:: they’ll be on Facebook Live. This way, no matter where you are in Houston, you can join in without fighting traffic, babysitters, traffic, rising gas prices, your hair, and traffic.
Invite a few friends over to your house to watch together after the kids are asleep or lock yourself in the bathroom and watch it for a few minutes here and there {we’ve been there}. If you hate the book we are reading that month or you have one of “those” months, there will be no judgment from us! Read and participate if you can {and want to}. We’d love to hear your thoughts and perspective. But if you can’t–or you just don’t want to–that’s OK, too. We’ll welcome you back when you’re ready!
I’m in! What’s next?
Our first book will be Love & Luck by Jenna Evans Welch. I’ve actually had the privilege of meeting this amazing author. She is a young mom to two beautiful kiddos and she completely understands the struggle of being a mom. This book is technically a YA book {short for Young Adult}, but it is such a fun read and has lots of relevant topics for us to discuss {plus the fact that most of it takes place in Europe–get ready to travel!} as women and mothers.
We will have our first Facebook Live Book Club Meeting on Thursday, September 20, 2018 at 8:30 pm. Be sure to join the Houston Moms Blog Book Club Group on Facebook TODAY if you haven’t already, so you can be sure to get updates and reminders as the date approaches.
We are so excited and we hope you are, too!