5 Books I’ve Resolved to Read in 2012

 

I’m not big on making New Year’s resolutions, per se. However, I love the whole out-with-the-old-and-in-with-the-new attitude. Of course there is the requisite dieting, but only because I don’t fit into a single pair of jeans. Instead of boring you with my oatmeal and egg white regimen, I thought I’d channel my self-improvement enthusiasm into a reading list.

Here are five books I’ll read in 2012:

40 Days to Personal Revolution by Baron Baptiste 

I read this one last January and tried to follow the 40-day “transformation” program that included daily yoga and meditation. Daily – that was the kicker.

Read the rest of this post on Modern Mom.

 

Random Bubbly:

• Parenting Trends, and My Too-Tight Sweater
• Girls Trip New York City Style
• Reflections of 2011, aka Holy Crap, I Did All That?

 

Image: macinate, Flickr

 

 

 

App Turns iPhone Into Portable Picture Book Reader

There’s a cool new app for your iPhone. And it’s FREE! I’m all about free.

The International Children’s Digital Library (ICDL) provides the world’s largest collection of children’s literature freely on the Internet. ICDL for the iPhone application allows users to read a selection of books from the ICDL’s master collection. And supposedly the technology makes it possible to read story text clearly, even in highly illustrated children’s picture books on the small mobile screen.

Plus you can download books directly to the device, giving children and parents access to content offline and in airplane mode. Great for the doctor’s office. Because really – who wants to touch all those germy ACTUAL books?

What I’m Reading Now

• If you’ve never checked out Patti Digh’s 37 Days, you ought to. Her blog is all about living with intention – living each day as if you only had 37 of them left. Peek at the blog, then buy her new book, Life is a Verb. It makes a great (inexpensive) gift!
• Sugar reminds us to remind ourselves, particularly to be strong and optimistic. Which reminds me, I’ve been meaning to make one of these. What’s your inspiration?
• Lindsay gives a really cute idea for collecting children’s handprints through the years. I always envy this kind of forethouht to create a tradition and keepsake.
• Jessica Bern makes you feel better about your own inadequacies when it comes to helping out with homework.
• Marye Audet’s Baking Delights blog is not all about baking. She’s got great recipes and make ahead ideas for big families and holidays. (Would you believe I have mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, and green bean casserole already frozen for Thanksgiving? I’m psycho that way!)

Story Books From the 1970s: Chicken Soup with Rice

I’m collecting all these classics, along with my memories of them. You can get Chicken Soup with Rice on Amazon. You can even download an MP3 file for $.99!

Story Books From the 1970s: Tikki Tikki Tembo

Do you ever find yourself reverting to your childhood as the holiday’s approach? Instead of channeling all that energy into tired family squabbles, such as who poisoned the dog back in ’83, why not put a happy spin on your mental time travel with a bit of classic 1970s children’s literature.

Introducing After the Bubbly in Review

I wanted to let you know I’ve set up a new blog for all my book reviews (or whatever else I can get my hands on!). I’ve put a few of the past reviews up there and I have a brand new review up today for Elin Hilderbrand’s A Summer Affair. Please stop by and check out the new blog. (I have a new picture over there too! Let me know what you think!)

Thanks for reading!
Lela

Go directly to After the Bubbly in Review

Do You Want to Look Old?

Nobody wants to look old. Especially you, over there, little miss almost forty. You especially don’t want to look old. I know you.

Good news: Wildly successful website maven Terri and I are going to help YOU not look old! How you ask? Without giving away too many of the details (mostly because we haven’t worked them out yet), we’re launching an on and offline book club that you are going to LOVE!

Think Oprah for practical people. We’re going to help you improve your life in the parts that count right here, right now. Join us and you’ll save time, save money, and perhaps most important: look younger!

We’re starting with Charla Krupp’s brilliant How Not To Look Old.

We need your help!

I am looking for women to introduce our unique book club concept to their local communities. If you’re interested in being part of the pilot project, let me know: lela AT leladavidson DOT com.

Get It Out of Your Head

How many times have you heard the advice to empty your bladder frequently? It’s not a holding tank. Sound familiar? It cannot do it’s job when it’s too full and plus, it’s darn uncomfortable.

Turns out, the same goes for your brain. As our lives get more and more complicated simply by the society we live in, our brains are being taxed unnecessarily by the sheer amount of information we need to store. Just think about the numbers alone that are rattling away in your head. Phone numbers, addresses, social security, alarm codes, passwords, logins, etc. Add to that your appointments and commitments, daily tasks, birthdays, car maintenance, optimal heart rate, that book you really want to read, the idea for that new business and BANG! You’re going to explode. Mark my words.

One of the underlying principles of GTD is to get things out of your head and into a system where you can actually make some progress. Not only that, when we clear our minds of all the clattering details, the brain gets to work on it’s real job: creating and imagining.

Don’t waste your brain remembering things. Write them down. Buy the book, buy it now!

Book Review: The Sky Isn’t Visible From Here

Lela is going to be in a BOOK!

And she’s going to start talking about herself in the third person!

Lela Davidson is a freelance writer and columnist. She writes regularly for several websites and magazines and her humor column, After the Bubbly, was honored in 2006 by the Oklahoma Writers Federation. Lela’s memoir pieces have appeared in Visions literary journal and the Story Circle Journal. She balances deadlines with two kids, a traveling husband, volunteer work, friends, wine, and chasing after the world’s fastest dog. You can keep up with Lela at www.afterthebubbly.blogspot.com.

That is the bio for the book, Women Writing on Family: Writing, Publishing, and Teaching Tips by U.S. Women Writers, that is going to include two essays/articles I wrote about writing! Yay! Yay! Yay for me! It will be over a year before the anthology is available, but you can bet I’ll let you know where to get a copy when the time comes.

Thanks, loyal ATB readers, for giving me the confidence to keeping tapping the keys!

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