WWRW: #housewifespicereads and Self-Help Books

Another possible title for this post is Lazy Blogger Links Up with Her Own Link-Up.

I'm a big Laura Vanderkam fan.  Like Malcolm Gladwell, her non-fiction prose is readable by my fiction-loving mind. Her book All the Money in the World: What the Happiest People Know About Wealth is a keeper. I bought it. I rarely buy books. 

Okay. That's not quite true. I only buy the best books.

All the Money in the World: What the Happiest People Know About Wealth explains how the happiest people are not the wealthiest. Far from it. The happiest people are the people who live within their means. Shoot. Now you don't need to read the book. But you should! I found it very inspiring!

What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast: And Two Other Short Guides to Achieving More at Work and at Home also by Laura Vanderkam has some interesting insights.

For example, did you know that willpower is a muscle in your brain?

Did you know that it's easier to exercise a muscle, any muscle, including willpower, earlier in the day?

It's more difficult to exercise willpower later in the day because we get tired. That's why people blow their diets or blow off exercising or procrastinate more later in the day.

But wait!

If something is a habit, you don't use your willpower muscle to do it.

Vanderkam uses the example of brushing one's teeth.

Hopefully, teens and adults have made a habit of brushing teeth before bed. We don't have to talk ourselves into it. It takes zero willpower.

At some point, an action repeated regularly becomes a habit.

I'm not exactly certain when that transformation occurs because my three year old still must be cajoled into brushing her teeth. And wiping for that matter. And washing her hands after wiping.

TMI? My apologies.

I'm not quite through with What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast: And Two Other Short Guides to Achieving More at Work and at Home buxt I'm insprired to make better use of my early morning hours. Perhaps even to *gasp* blog more!

#housewifespicepicturebooks

Because my blogging time is severely restricted what with running the insane asylum in tandem with running St. Jude's School for Kids Who Wanna Read Good, I've started using Instagram more.

Taking my cue from some other book-loving bloggers, I've started taking pictures of books and using the #housewifespicepicturebooks hashtag for kiddie lit and #housewifespicereads for everything else.

Don't run and search those hashtags this minute because you will find less than four posts. My hope is that my collection will grow over time. Someday you may find yourself in the library and wonder "What did Jessica recommend for toddlers?" Then you can search the #housewifespicepicturebooks hashtag and see lots of good book ideas.

I 'grammed a picture of Trim Healthy Mama by Serene Allison and Pearl Barrett.  This book is nearly 600 pages. Jam packed with nutritional information, scientific and medical studies, and recipes, the former Christian music artist sisters promote a healthy way of living that boils down to one recommendation.

Eat healthy fats (in moderation). Eat good carbs (in moderation). But don't eat them together.

They have lots of other recommendations too such as cutting out sugar and refined wheat, waiting three hours between your fatty meals and your carby meals.

I know giving up sugar aids weight loss. I joined Whole Parenting Family's Nell for a No Sugar for 30 Days Facebook group. Not only did I start waking up on my own, but I lost four pounds without even trying.

Trim Healthy Mama has a whole chapter devoted to hormones and why birth control pills are bad for you.

I've been reading and re-reading the same chapters over and over again, because I'm having difficulty remembering what all of the acronyms stand for. However, I'm test-driving their plan and trying some recipes.

Serene and Pearl have large families, are Christians, and homeschool. I appreciate getting advice from someone who understands my lifestyle as they do. Their distinct personalities come through when you read how Serene soaks all of her nuts and grains before eating, whereas Pearl advocates the use of "Franken" foods like fat free Redi-Whip.

I'm linking this post up with the April WWRW Link Up.  It's still alive, it's still open for now. Come May 6th, I'll have a brand new sparkly link-up all ready for you.  Until then check out all the wonderful reviews of what other bloggers are reading.