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I’ve been planning out what books I want to personally read for the last two years. It’s been such a helpful thing that I decided it was high time I start doing this for our read-alouds, too.

37 read alouds might seem like a lot to some, but reading is a very big part of our lives. I feel like raising my children to love learning and teaching them how to love good books is one of the greatest gifts I can give to them as a mom. Therefore, we do a lot of reading at our house. And we’ve sought to weave it into our everyday lives so that it just naturally happens.

As you’ll notice, we typically combine meals and reading aloud. My mom often read to us at lunch when I was growing up and I loved it, so we’re carrying on the tradition in our home, too. I’ve also been meeting one-on-one with each child each weekday and we usually spend at least 15 to 20 minutes of that time reading a book together.

By just doing these things, I’ve been amazed at how much reading we get through. It also helps that my kids are usually begging for me to read extra chapters since I try to choose books that will be especially engaging to them. 🙂

If you want to start reading aloud to your children but you have no idea where to begin, check out my post with tips on how to start reading aloud to your children. For more book ideas, check out this list of Books We Read Aloud in 2011 and our list of Books We Read Aloud in 2012.

Please note: Most of these books are ones we haven’t read before. Therefore, just because they are on my list does not mean I am endorsing them. 🙂

Devotionals (Breakfast Read Alouds)

Growing Together in Forgiveness: Read-Aloud Stories for Families Book Series

God’s Amazing Creatures & Me! Devotions for Boys and Girls Ages 6 to 10 (Devotions for Boys and Girls Ages 6-10)

God’s Promises

The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name

God’s Alphabet for Life: Devotions for Young Children

THE TRACT PRIMER: First Lessons in Sound Doctrine for Young Children

Lunch Read-Alouds

Vinegar Boy: Encounter Christ Through the Dramatic Story of Vinegar Boy

Rascal

The Trumpet of the Swan

In Search of the Lost Missionary

Loony Coon

Understood Betsy

Caddie Woodlawn

Justin Morgan Had a Horse

The Queen’s Smuggler: William Tyndale

Annie Henry and the Secret Mission: Adventures in the American Revolution – Book 1

Beyond the River

Viking Adventure

Dinner Table Read-Alouds

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh

The Secret Garden

The Borrowers

Carry On, Mr. Bowditch

To Read Aloud With Kathrynne (She’ll be 8 this month.)

The Amazon Stranger

Spiderweb for Two

More About Paddington

Paddington Abroad

Paddington at Large (Paddington Bear)

To Read Aloud With Kaitlynn (She’ll be 6 in June.)

Little House on the Prairie

Anne of Green Gables

They Led the Way

Hugh Pine

Carolina’s Courage

To Read Aloud With Silas (He’ll be 4 in May.)

Farming with Father

Eloise Wilkin Stories

The Courage of Sarah Noble

The Adventures of Laura & Jack (Laura #1)

Christmas Stories (Little House Chapter Book)

Do you have any books you’re planning to read together as a family this year?

If you have plans and hopes to get some areas of your life in order this coming year, I’ve compiled a list of my favorite 14 ebooks to help you organize your home and life, manage your time better, and be more organized in your grocery-shopping and menu-planning.

Note: Some of these are only available as Kindle ebooks. Others are available as Kindle ebooks, PDF downloads, or even printed books, too.

21 Days to a More Disciplined Life by yours truly 🙂

Do you have ideas, hopes, and dreams for what you want to accomplish in your life, but you feel like you’re being held back by a lack of personal discipline? Are you easily overwhelmed by your big ideas or projects, and you just don’t know where to start and how to make real progress? Do you find yourself making “all-or-nothing” plans for transforming your life, and then three days later you crash and burn under the weight of your plan?

What You Can Expect to Learn From This Book:

• How to prioritize and name your goals so that you can accomplish them faster than ever.
• How to expose the obstacles that will come up, and then make a plan to conquer them.
• How to break up a goal that feels insurmountable into bite-sized pieces.
• How to stop making excuses and get the job done now — and then enjoy the rest of your day!
• How to put accountability in place to help you stay on task and motivated.

Tell Your Time: How to Manage Your Schedule So You Can Live Free by Amy Lynn Andrews

This little ebook’s wisdom has done more for my efficiency than any other book or time management product I’ve ever read or listened to. It’s well worth your time — and it works, provided you actually do what the ebook tells you to do.

28 Days to Timeliness: Tips and Confessions From a Semi-Reformed Late Person by Davonne Parks

Do you feel like you’re always behind and late? I know the feeling. As I’ve often alluded to here, I’ve struggled with getting places on time all of my life. Some of you don’t have any issue with this — and I try not to envy you. Others of you can likely commiserate with me in the always-behind-and-barely-making-it-out-the-door issue.

By the grace of God, I’ve made some huge strides over the past year in getting places at least almost on time (we’ve even gotten some places early recently!). I’ve also been working diligently on getting things done early so I’m doing a better job at not waiting until the last minute for projects and deadlines.

I’m so encouraged at the progress I’m seeing and the fruits I’m reaping of various habits I’ve been working on putting in place. But I still have a long way to go! That’s why I so appreciated reading 28 Days to Timeliness.

28 Days to Timeliness was written by a Davonne Parks, a “semi-reformed late person” (as she calls herself) who wants to help others figure out how to streamline their routines so they can get out the door faster and stop being late. Each chapter is broken down into 28 short, easy-to-read segments that will take just a few minutes to go over each day. The beginning of each segment contains an inspirational quote, and included at the end of every chapter is a practical course of action that can be taken to really initiate the discipline of being on time.

Davonne and I might as well be two peas in a pod. She gets me. I laughed at her stories (I even shared her hilarious wearing PJs to church story with my husband — who thought it was so funny that he shared it at a recent family gathering!). I nodded my head in agreement with so many of her points. And I picked up new practical ideas for overcoming lateness.

What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast by Laura Vanderkam

Since getting up early has made such a difference in my life, I was especially excited to read Laura Vaderkam’s ebook, What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast. It’s a short read, but packed with lots of inspiration as to how to use your mornings well.

It’s not enough to get up early, though, you also need to make sure that you wisely prioritize your time and energy in the early morning hours so that it effectively benefits your day — and your life. In this ebook, Laura shares a peek into the lives of some very successful people — and how they are structuring their lives to make the most of the morning hours. What works for them might not work for you, but I promise you’ll be inspired to make the most of your mornings — whether or not you are an early riser.

One Bite at a Time: 52 Projects for Making Life Simpler by Tsh Oxenreider

I love, love, love Tsh and her Simple Mom blog. She’s a huge inspiration to me in so many areas.

This book, as expected, is fabulous. I read it over the course of the past week and a half–in little bits in the morning as I was doing my warm-up and cool down on the treadmill before my morning run. I enjoyed the book so much that I had trouble getting off the treadmill every day because I just wanted to keep reading.

As you probably well know by now, I love the concept of breaking things down into bite-sized manageable pieces. And Tsh’s ebook does just that. It gives you 52 bite-sized steps you can take to become more efficient, streamlined, and organized.

You know those things you always say you want to do someday? Like planting a garden, switching to natural cleaners, composting, setting up a system for paper clutter, organize your photo collection, learning to cook from scratch, setting up menu plans, planning regular date nights, or regularly turning off technology? Tsh gives you the tools, motivation, and encouragement you need to slowly make those positive changes you’ve hoped to make. And she makes it simple and doable.

Now I have to tell you: Tsh suggests that you pick one project per week for a year–thus the 52 projects. However, I’d suggest to maybe slow the pace down a bit and just pick one project every other week or once a month. That way, you can really take your time and let the changes really sink in before moving onto something else.

Eat That Frog: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time by Brian Tracy

This book is jam packed with practical ideas for prioritizing your time and life so that you make the most of your days. One of my biggest takeaways from the book was the challenge to start the day out by doing the things you like least first, you’ll get them out of the way so you can enjoy your day more and be more productive and fulfilled. Read more about some of the things I gleaned from this book here.

Organized Simplicity: The Clutter-Free Approach to Simple Living by Tsh Oxenreider

I was excited to read Organized Simplicity by my friend, Tsh, from SimpleMom.net. I’ve long followed and loved her blog. Truthfully, though, I figured the message of this book would probably be something I was well familiar with. And I figured the book would be filled with  ideas I was mostly already living out.

Well, I was wrong. In fact, it’s hard for me to describe in words how reading Organized Simplicity impacted me. The beauty of the book drew me in, but the message of the book convicted me more than I ever imagined it would.

As many of you well know, I love simplicity and I strive to only have a things we love and use in our home. But in the last few months, consumerism and busyness has inched its way into my heart and life — without me even realizing it.

Reading Organized Simplicity was a wake up call for me. It forced me to examine my life, stuff and to-do list in a whole new light. I realized that maybe I wasn’t as much of a minimalist as I thought I was — especially if you were to open some of my closets and cupboards! 

I usually go through our whole house from top to bottom twice a year and aggressively eliminate things which we no longer love and use. And while this book inspired me to do another total house overhaul, more than just eliminating stuff, it caused me to dig down deeper and examine my heart and what simple living really means for our own family.

Tsh’s thoughts in chapter seven on streamlining your life so you can savor the moments that matter especially hit home for me. Life can become so busy. Organized Simplicity really challenged me to be purposefully intentional and prioritize my life so I don’t miss out on those precious fleeting moments.

168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think by Laura Vanderkam

We all have exactly the same amount of time: 24 hours in each day, 168 hours in each week. We all get to choose how we’re going to use those hours — whether wisely or frivolously. Laura Vanderkam’s book, 168 Hours, is based upon the premise that, if we were to step back and look at our week as a whole, we have more time than we realize. And we are probably squandering more time than we think.

This book gives real-life, practical examples for becoming a better manager of your time. It profiles a number of different individuals in different situations and shows how they are using their time well or specific ways they could improve their time usage. This book is not about stuffing our lives more full with longer to-do lists and more responsibilities, but about focusing on a life well lived. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who wants to better steward their time or find more fulfillment in how they spend their 168 hours.

Abundant Simplicity: Discovering the Unhurried Rhythms of Grace by Jan Johnson

I loved this book. The cover and layout have an instantly calming effect and the author did a great job of challenging you to consider the rhythms of your life and whether they are in sync with the priorities you want to have.

She encourages you to not just strip your life of all the non-essentials and pare down to the basics, but instead to really examine why you’re doing what you’re doing, why you own what you own, and why you’re leading the lifestyle you are. This book is deep, rich, and soul-stirring.

Today Matters: 12 Daily Practices to Achieve Tomorrow’s Success by John Maxwell

If you want to make the most of your days, Today Matters will give you practical, step-by-step help and inspiration. The author makes a case for why today is your key to success and outlines 12 decisions and disciplines you should implement into your life and work toward mastering in order to achieve greater fulfillment and success in life.

Organize-in-5 Diary for 2013

Want to get organized in 2013 but feel cramped for time? Get Organized Wizard just released a fantastic resource to help you out.

The Organize-In-5 2013 Diary gives you a 5-minute organization task for each weekday in 2013 and then you’ll get a 5-minute relaxation task for Saturdays. This plan tackles your home, closets, computer, health, finances, work, time management, relationships, family, and more! Even if you have a very full schedule and little extra time, you can still get your home and life in order with the Organize-In-5 Diary.

Plan It, Don’t Panic — This ebook on menu-planing is a fantastic resource for anyone who really wants to menu-plan but is struggling with how to do it. Written by my friend, Stephanie, it provides the tools, step-by-step help, and practical inspiration you need to successfully plan and follow menus.

Even though I’ve been menu planning for years, this ebook breathed new life into my resolve to menu plan and gave me lots of helpful suggestions and fresh advice. I found some new tips and websites to try out that I’d not heard of before and also found it very helpful to step back and examine if my current method of menu-planning is working well for our family or not.

This ebook covers menu-planning on a budget, eating from the pantry, how to create rotating menu plans, how to incorporate freezer cooking into your menu-planning to make life simpler, and how to serve your family healthful meals without spending hours in the kitchen every day.

The wide range of topics it covers includes:

• Find the method of meal planning that will suit you and your family best
• Tweak and perfect your meal planning style with unique tips and strategies
• Make it easier to work around special/restrictive dietary needs
• Become a grocery-shopping ninja and never go to the store without a genius plan in place for maximizing your money
• Learn how leftovers can become your best friends in the kitchen
• As well as how to store your recipes, easily find your favorites, plan for hectic times, and even what to do when you mess up…

You want to know one of my favorite parts of the ebook? She included full four weeks of meal plans at the back of the ebook. Reading through fully-laid-out menu plans that others have put together always gives me new ideas and suggestions to try at our house. I also loved all of the helpful printable forms and worksheets at the back of the ebook.

Your Grocery Budget Toolbox by Anne Simpson

If you are hoping to cut your grocery bill this coming year, but you want to still eat healthfully, I highly recommend this comprehensive ebook. Anne shows you — in detail — how to eat well on a limited budget and how to do so without spending a great deal of time and effort to do so.

This ebook is well-written, in-depth, and worth every penny — especially if you are new to frugal living and feeling discouraged about the high prices of quality groceries.

What organizational books or ebooks would you recommend that aren’t on my list? Have you read any that are on my list? If so, I’d love to hear what you thought of them.

As most of you know, I love to read. I learn so much through books. Some books challenge my worldview and beliefs. Other books inspire me to be more intentional in how I live my life. Some books I read just because I enjoy a great story. And some books are a mix of all three things!

I was excited to have read over 130 books in 2012. My goal was to read 125 books, so I’m pretty stoked to have passed the goal by a little bit. Of course, it helps that I include ebooks and audiobooks on the list, too, though! 😉

(For those of you wondering about when I have time to read, you can check out these posts: Q&A: How Do You Find Time to Read?, Change Your Life and Challenge Your Mind By Making Time for Reading Good Books, and 7 More Ways to Find Time to Read.)

Since I’m always looking for great books to add to my to-read list, I thought I’d share my top favorite 20 books read in 2012 for those of you who are making a list of books you want to read in 2013 — or who are just always on the lookout for good book recommendations!

In the next few days, I’ll also be sharing my list of 24 books I plan to read in 2013, too. Stay tuned for that!

Leading on Empty: Refilling Your Tank and Renewing Your Passion by Wayne Cordeiro

I’m not even sure where I heard about this book, but I somehow stumbled upon the title and thought it looked intriguing so I requested it from the library. I’m so glad I did as I found it to be highly encouraging and insightful. Even though Wayne is a pastor and much of what he shared was from the experience of leading a congregation, I felt the principles would be applicable to most anyone in a leadership position.

Wayne shares candidly about his own experiences with burn out and exhaustion — how the downward spiral happened, when he finally realized that he’d hit bottom, and the measures he’s taken to recover and aim to prevent future burn out. One of the most helpful exercises I found in the book was to make a list of what energizes you and what drains you. In doing this, I realized that I was doing too much that was draining me and not enough that was energizing me. As a result, I’ve made some changes in my day-to-day life to provide a better balance and to make sure that I’m refilling my tank on a regular basis.

7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess by Jen Hatmaker

I kept hearing great things about this book. The title alone was enough to have me intrigued, but the rave reviews convinced me to buy a copy. And I’m so glad I did. Jen Hatmaker is an engaging, funny, and convicting author. This book chronicles her seven month seven-things experiment. Each month, she chose a different area to focus on and then pared down the excess in that area.

For instance, the first month, her focus was food. So she limited herself to just eating seven different things during that 30-day period. Yes, only seven foods. The second month she only wore seven items of clothing for the 30-day period. And so on.

Try to step back and just think for a minute what it would be like to only eat seven things or only wear seven clothing items for 30 days. For more of us, that seems almost impossible to even imagine. And yet, think how many millions of people around the world would consider it a luxury to have a choice of seven different foods each meal or seven different clothing items.

Jen didn’t set out on this experiment just to have great book subject matter; she did this seven month experiment because she wanted to challenge her own long-ingrained entitlement mentality. In this book, she writes candidly about her experiences–victories, failures, and hilarious stories along the way!–in order to challenge others to take a step back and really examine our own hearts when it comes to needs versus wants and what truly matters in life.

The book is thought-provoking, for sure, but it’s not guilt-invoking. And it’s well worth the read.

From Dust and Ashes: A Story of Liberation by Tricia Goyer

I met Tricia Goyer at a MomLife event in January of this year. I’d heard of her before, but I’d never read anything she’d written. We talked books a little and I confessed to her that I didn’t like fiction.

She suggested that I just try reading this book anyway. Because I respected her as a person and really enjoyed spending time with her at the event, I went ahead and read this book. To my great surprise, I really, really loved this book. In fact, I couldn’t put it down!

As is evidenced by my list of books read in 2012, I’ve sort of changed my longheld stance on fiction this year. 😉 And I have Tricia Goyer and this book to thank.

Tell Your Time: How to Manage Your Schedule So You Can Live Free by Amy Lynn Andrews

I re-read this ebook again a few months ago and was re-inspired all over again by it. If you’re struggling with your schedule and time management, I’d highly recommend this ebook. It’s a quick and thought-provoking read that packs a punch.

Anything: The Prayer That Unlocked My God and My Soul by Jennie Allen

It took me a few tries to really get into this book. In fact, I didn’t think that I was going to like it after reading the first two chapters. But I’m glad I persevered, because I ended up really being blessed and inspired by it.

This book is the story and Jennie and her family’s bold prayer that they would do anything, go anything, and give up anything that God called them to. In many ways, I could relate, because that’s been my prayer over the last two years and it’s meant going and doing many things I felt very inadequate to be going and doing (hello, public speaking and media!). However, there has been so much blessing in following God’s call in my life and in being willing to trust Him for one step at a time.

I appreciated Jennie’s authenticity in sharing about the struggles that resulted. Saying “yes” to God didn’t mean that life was smooth sailing. In fact, they experienced some of the roughest waters in their marriage, home, and family. But, as she shares in the book, it was worth it.

Pocketful of Pinecones: Nature Study With the Gentle Art of Learning by Karen Andreola

While not the most compelling fiction story ever, I found this quiet story very inspirational as a mother and homeschooler. Karen Andreola shares how to weave in nature study as part of your everyday life. She leaves you wanting to read classic literature to your children and feeling excited about living a lifestyle filled and brimming full with rich creativity and learning alongside your children.

Wrecked: When a Broken World Slams Into Your Comfortable Life by Jeff Goins

I discovered Jeff Goins earlier this year and have since read three of his books. He is inspirational, creative, and thought-provoking — and an excellent writer, to boot.

Wrecked resonated with me on a deep level. Probably because much of the story is similar to my own story from the last few years. God has shattered my once-fiercely-held package of legalistic beliefs and has been knitting the pieces back together into something that is much different than I ever imagined — but something much more beautiful and whole than I ever was before.

Love Does: Discover a Secretly Incredible Life in an Ordinary World by Bob Goff

I’m not even sure where I first saw Love Does mentioned. I think it may have been one that Amazon recommended I’d be interested in, based upon other books I’d purchased from them in the past. Wherever it was, the first time I saw the book, the title and description immediately drew me in. And so, in an uncharacteristic move, I bought the book.

I’m so glad I did. Bob Goff is a unique, one-of-a-kind man. You’ll pick up on that just by reading the introduction. He loves life, he loves people, and he’s not afraid of outlandishness or extravagance when it comes to showing love to others. His big heart is contagious.

I often plow through books at a very rapid pace. But I slowly worked my way through Love Does, often reading just a few pages or less at a time. I was touched, inspired, challenged, convicted, and blessed.

Loving others isn’t just words we say; it’s the life we live. It’s giving of ourselves, it’s bringing joy to others, it’s being available to others, it’s dropping everything to be involved in others’ lives. It’s caring, it’s giving, and it’s sometimes doing crazy stuff, all because we love someone else.

If you have a chance to read Love Does, I’d highly recommend it. You might not agree with all of the finer points of Bob’s theology and you might think he’s a bit over-the-top, but I can almost guarantee you can’t help but be challenged to examine how you love others.

Try Giving Yourself Away by David Dunn

My mom picked up this book at a thrift store a number of months ago and loaned it to me. I was so motivated to look for and take advantage of opportunities to bless others in simple, practical ways. Just taking a few minutes to drop an email or pick up the phone or say an encouraging word to someone can often mean a great deal–and you’ll likely find that you’re blessed in seeking to be a blessing!

Loving the Little Years: Motherhood in the Trenches by Rachel Jankovic

I really enjoyed this book. It’s not a book with lots of practical, hands-on advice, but it’s a book the deals with the heart issues we moms face.

I didn’t agree with the author on all points (I’m not really sure that I ever do, though!) and think we have to be careful when reading parenting books because what works for one family or one child isn’t necessarily what will or should work for another family or child. That said, I was convicted, and inspired by Loving the Little Years.

It made me really step back and re-examine my own heart and how I am responding to and discipling my children on a daily basis. Sometimes, it’s easier (in the moment) to just slap band-aids and quick fixes onto behavior and attitude issues, instead of really taking the time to deal with the heart issues and struggles our children are facing.

Loving the Little Years challenges moms to really delve down to the heart of the matter. As the author says, “The state of your heart is the state of your home.”

Unglued: Making Wise Choices in the Midst of Raw Emotions by Lysa Terkeurst

I’m pretty sure I’ve been living under a rock for years because Unglued is the first book by Lysa TerKeurst that I’ve read. And now I know why everyone loves her so much and what I’ve been missing out on for so long!

Lysa is real, she’s Southern (bless her heart!), and she calls it like she sees it. After you read her book, you just want to invite her over for a big glass of sweet tea and some girl talk. Because Lysa gets you. She doesn’t pretend to have her act together (I almost laughed aloud while reading about the missing toilet seat!) and her authenticity gives you hope and inspiration.

It just so happens that I read Unglued during a month where there were many extra burdens heaped on my shoulders — things I didn’t have control over and couldn’t just run away from, even though there were times when I really wanted to!

It’s easy to be all calm and smiles when life is going smoothly. But how do you respond when your boat is rocked and life is in upheaval? I got a whiff of just how much I need to work on patience as a result of some of that this month. It was humbling to have to go back and ask forgiveness from my husband and children time and again as I lost my temper or reacted out of frustration.

So Lysa’s words and encouragement couldn’t have come at a better time. I found it so beneficial to think through how I respond in different situations (Do I react? Or do I stuff? Or do I explode? Or somewhere in between?) and to seek the Lord to help me become more and more the woman who doesn’t come unglued in the midst of tumultuous times. I’m far from there, but it’s something that I’m working on — thanks to Lysa’s encouragement.

Energy Explosion: A 7-Day Guide to Jumpstart Your Energy by Arabah Joy

Are you feeling weary, exhausted, and burnt out? Could you use a shot of energy? Energy Explosion is a 7-day guide to help you jumpstart your energy. I purchased it a number of months ago, read it while walking on the treadmill, and loved it! (Do I get extra points for multi-tasking while exercising?! )

It’s a quick read, it has lots of great suggestions, and Arabah is very inspirational in how she walks you through steps to achieve more energy. I love how she addresses exhaustion from the spiritual, emotional, and physical standpoint, and gives you very practical things you can do immediately to boost your energy levels.

You’re Already Amazing: Embracing Who You Are, Becoming All God Created You to Be by Holly Gerth

A friend and I read through this together and I was so blessed by it. So much of the time, it’s easy to feel like we don’t measure up when we see other women who are so talented and gifted, fit, beautiful… you fill in the blank. But the truth is, God has uniquely gifted us and created each of us in His image.

This book gives Christian women a much-needed reminder of who we are in Christ and how we need to walk in the confidence we have been given in Christ — instead of feeling insecure and inadequate because it seems like we don’t measure up to someone else.

What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast by Laura Vanderkam

Since getting up early has made such a difference in my life, I was especially excited to read Laura Vaderkam’s ebook, What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast. It’s a short read, but packed with lots of inspiration as to how to use your mornings well.

It’s not enough to get up early, though, you also need to make sure that you wisely prioritize your time and energy in the early morning hours so that it effectively benefits your day — and your life. In this ebook, Laura shares a peek into the lives of some very successful people — and how they are structuring their lives to make the most of the morning hours. What works for them might not work for you, but I promise you’ll be inspired to make the most of your mornings — whether or not you are an early riser.

Choosing Gratitude: Your Journey to Joy by Nancy Leigh DeMoss

I read Choosing Gratitude when I was dealing with some really difficult and incessant allergy issues. It really helped me see how I was focusing on the things I was struggling with, instead of choosing to be thankful. And not only that, but I felt so convicted at how I was griping over something so petty.

Sure, allergies are no fun (as I’m positive many of you can attest to), but seasonal allergies pale in comparison to some of the life-threatening, debilitating, and/or overwhelmingly incomprehensible issues so many people are facing right now. And I have much to be grateful for — much that I’ve been taking for granted while I was having a pity-party for myself.

Because of Nancy’s encouragement through Choosing Gratitude, I started a Gratitude Journal and I’ve challenged myself to make a daily habit of waking up each morning and starting my day by filling out an entire notebook page with things I’m thankful for.

At first, it seemed rather daunting — especially since I’ve gotten out of the exercise of journaling the past few years. But you know what I found as the days went on? The notebook page started feeling smaller and smaller each morning!

There’s something about starting the day with counting your blessings that just helps change your whole attitude about the day. And the more I’m focusing on my blessings, the less my allergies and health issues seemed to matter. {By the way: I am so, so grateful to report that, after months of struggling, we’ve finally gotten to the bottom of the allergy issues and I’ve been almost pain and symptom free for the past two months! God is good!}

The Bootstrap VA: The Go-Getter’s Guide to Becoming a Virtual Assistant, Getting and Keeping Clients, and More! by Lisa Morosky

I cannot tell you how often I hear from people asking how they can start working online as a virtual assistant. On the flipside, I know there is a ripe market out there of online business owners who are desperate to hire good virtual assistants — I get emails from them all the time!

The problem is, most people who want to be virtual assistants, don’t know how to get started and find jobs. And most business owners who want to hire virtual assistants don’t know where to look to find good help. That’s why I am so excited about Lisa Morosky’s ebook, The Bootstrap VA. It has everything you ever needed to know about getting started working as a virtual assistant.

And when I say “everything”, I mean it. Lisa left no stone unturned in her ebook. She’s honest about the challenges, she shares many tricks and tips to getting good virtual assistant jobs and keeping them, and she also includes numerous extra links if you want to do additional research on any subject.

One of the things that I loved best was that Lisa interviewed a number of people who work as virtual assistants and those who have hired virtual assistants to share both sides and what others have found works best. There are all sorts of nuggets of wisdom in those interviews!

It’s not often that I get really, really excited about an ebook and it’s even less often that I give an ebook five stars. But I’d give Lisa’s ebook six stars out of five. It’s that thorough, well-written, and just plain excellent.

If you’re considering becoming a virtual assistant, if you’d like to hire a virtual assistant, or you or anyone you know has any interest at all in anything to do with becoming a virtual assistant, please do yourself a favor and get a copy of this ebook.

What The Most Successful People Do On the Weekends by Laura Vanderkam

This is another thought-provoking ebook by Laura Vanderkam challenging you to consider how you’re using your weekends. It’s not necessarily about packing your weekends full, but about being intentional to plan ahead and use them well — and not to just let them slip away with nothing to show for them.

This ebook profiles a number of busy executives and shares how they plan down time, family time, and refueling time for the weekends so that they can be productive during the week. Packed with good ideas and food for thought.

Abundant Simplicity: Discovering the Unhurried Rhythms of Grace by Jan Johnson

I loved this book. The cover and layout have an instantly calming effect and the author did a great job of challenging you to consider the rhythms of your life and whether they are in sync with the priorities you want to have.

She encourages you to not just strip your life of all the non-essentials and pare down to the basics, but instead to really examine why you’re doing what you’re doing, why you own what you own, and why you’re leading the lifestyle you are. This book is deep, rich, and soul-stirring.

The Life You’ve Always Wanted: Spiritual Disciplines for Ordinary People by John Ortberg

I can’t believe it took me so long to “discover” John Ortberg. He’s a fantastic writer — profound, engaging, and funny. In fact, I’m pretty sure that this book wins the award for the “most passages read aloud to Jesse”. It was too good to keep to myself so I had to keep sharing parts of it with Jesse! I’m looking forward to reading more John Ortberg books in 2013.

The Redemption Series by Karen Kingsbury with Gary Smalley

At the recommendation of many friends, I read the first book in this series… and well, that was the end of that. 🙂 While parts of the series are a bit of a stretch (but that’s part of the fun of fiction, right?), these books are well-written, compelling, heart-rending, and filled with powerful messages of the redemption that can be found in the midst of the brokenness of this world.

What were your favorite reads from 2012? Tell us about them in the comments!

My three precious children — one of my favorite photos from our Christmas photo card shoot.

Merry Christmas — a little belated! 🙂 I hope you and your family are having a blessed and refreshing week of celebrating.

I enjoyed a lot of unplugged time over the last week, but I’m anxious to get back to regular blogging here. It was great to be offline but I’ve missed you all!

Those of you who are observant might have also noticed that I took a “semi-sabbatical” from writing content posts in December. I just felt the need to step back, re-group, and refine where I wanted the blog to go in 2013. I’m excited to have a plan crafted for the blog and direction for 2013 — I’ve really missed writing substantive posts here and can’t wait to get back to it!

By the way, don’t panic, there won’t be any drastic changes taking place! However, I do hope to be much more intentional, organized, and consistent in my blogging in this coming year.

In addition, while I want to continue to bring you the best deals, coupons, and freebies — both online and offline, I’m going to put a big emphasis on writing posts and series, as well as sharing my weekly goals and meal plans, do-it-yourself ideas, money-saving tips, our family’s favorite recipes, freezer cooking sessions, preschool on a budget ideas, and more.

Over the next few days, I’ll be sharing my top 20 books from 2012, some recommended organizational reads for 2013, my goal list for 2013, what I learned about goal-setting in 2012, and my list of 24 books to read in 2013. Plus, of course, lots of great deals. 🙂

Thank you, as always, for reading here. I’m looking forward to what 2013 has in store!