My Top Ten (plus two) Life Altering and Growth Inspiring Books

Welcome to the March Carnival of Natural Parenting: Natural Parenting Top 10 Lists

This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama. This month our participants have shared Top 10 lists on a wide variety of aspects of attachment parenting and natural living. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.

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Enter until noon EST today for yesterday's book giveaway! Plus, a new giveaway today!!

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Like so many, I've had a love affair with books since I could read.  They have always been my go-to for relaxation, fun, and a little escape.  Well, it seems my modus operandi has been changing from light and fun reads to thought-changing, eye-opening, and sometimes emotionally exhausting reads.  I still sprinkle in the fun (Twilight series), but less and less it seems.  I feel like a bug continually molting, but instead of new skin, I’m getting a gray hair with every new “enlightened” thought.  If only I were THAT enlightened...

Have you experienced this at all? Do you think this is a natural progression that comes with age?   Maybe the more comfortable we are in our own skins, the more we are able to consciously evolve into better versions of ourselves.  I remember a time when my insecurity put me in perpetual self-protection mode.  I was so afraid to be exactly who I was, change was not possible.  Confidence, security, authenticity, however you want to define it, gives us the room to accept that we can be better, and that we want to be better.  And I guess that is how I came to my top ten list of favorite life-altering and growth-inspiring books, books that I know have helped me become better.  So here they are, in no special order....

 1.  The Parent's Tao Te Ching by William Martin:  For me, books on the ancient writings of Taoism are not about religion, but a philosophy on balance.  When I read these books, I realized that life and physics are intertwined: What goes up must come down, there is always a flip side, a silver lining, and another perspective.  This book takes the philosophies and relates them to mindful parenting, creating simple lessons rolled into poetry, like music for the mind.  Here is a section from The Parent's Tao Te Ching:

41.
Finding Balance
There are so many paradoxes in parenting
that it is difficult to find balance.
Some don’t even try.
They just plunge ahead
ignoring the subtle whispers of wisdom.
Others try half-heartedly,
but resort to old methods
when they get confused.
But some hear wisdom’s quiet voice
And make it their own.
…
Parenting paradoxes abound.
Don’t let appearances deceive you.
Things may not be at all as they seem.
What’s going on with your children right now?
Are you sure?
Or are you just making assumptions?
Buried in the most difficult of times
are polished gems.
Lurking beneath serene surfaces
lie turbulent waters.
Stay balanced.

2.  The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran: With this book, I found beautiful words of wisdom.  His thoughts on children and on marriage are deep, insightful, and are among my favorite.  Please take a few seconds to read them, you will see what I mean :).

3.  The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz: I read this book several years ago, and it was the first book that helped me understand that authenticity and integrity will always be ways in which I inspire to live.  Based on Toltec wisdom, you can find what the four agreements are here.

4.  A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle: What I learned from this book was how to separate myself from my own damaging thoughts.  I use to listen to those messages, wanting desperately to try to change them.  Thanks to this book, I have learned that the biggest lies about ourselves stem from our own ego, compulsively seeking attention.  Thankfully, in no way do we ever need to react to those thoughts.  I can also say, that it is easier for me to be more compassionate now, as I see many people's greatest battles are with their own egos and the messages they send to themselves.   I didn't agree with everything in this book, but the parts that I did receive were life changing.  You can read a review here.

5.  The Unschooling Handbook by Mary Griffith: This was my first introduction into unschooling, and our lives have changed ever since.  This is unschooling at it’s simplest.  What I knew of unschooling prior to reading this book, scared the heck out of me.  Me?  Unschool?  Without a structured method telling me step-by-step how to teach my kids?  Impossible!!  Wrong.  This book helps you know that it is possible.  I will be eternally grateful to my friend Naomi for introducing this book to me :).

6.  Homeschooling Our Children Unschooling Ourselves by Alison McKee is a personal account of a family’s journey unschooling their son and daughter.  Both highly educated with advanced degrees, Alison and her husband decide to take the road less traveled (especially in 1983) and have their children learn naturally, without curriculum.  This book is inspiring and very honest, sharing both their wonderful and difficult experiences.

7.  How To Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish:  My first crash course into changing how I relate to my children and the very first practices I received in mending my ways as an authoritarian parent.  This book has effective, simple, and easy to understand points and exercises, making it very resourceful and valuable to have.

8.  Raising Our Children, Raising Ourselves by Naomi Aldort:  I wish I had read this book as my first book towards parenting peacefully, but thankfully many of the practices she recommends in this book evolve naturally when making the choice to parent with respect and trust.  I highly recommend Naomi's books, CD's and website.

9.  The Last Child in The Woods by Richard Louv:  I have always known the importance of nature in our lives, and especially the growing lives of children.  I believe we are inseparable from nature, yet our disconnection from it, throughout society, remains evident and disheartening.   Louv cites research and personal examples, and implores us to help children understand nature’s value intrinsically and extrinsically.

10.  Radical Homemakers by Shannon Hayes:  This book flipped a switch in me, creating the desire to change from consumer to producer.  She opened my eyes to the historical roles of homemaking in our society, and how these roles have evolved through the years.  She talks of the feeling of unfulfillment, a void, in many mainstream homemakers today, a void I felt not too long ago and one that sometimes returns.  She has inspired me to really look at my role as a homemaker and to find fulfillment based on creating and producing what I need and want from my home environment (as opposed to depending on external resources for  “stuff” that we are led to believe we need to have).

And two more to grow on because ten is just too limiting:

11.  Playful Parenting by Lawrence Cohen:  Dr. Cohen, through his comical stories and experiences, both personal and professional, helps his readers decode kids' behaviors, encouraging a gentle, fun, and playful approach.  This book emphasizes our children's need to have us play with them, in their world, with their rules.  I have always had a problem with this as I get easily wrapped up in my own world. He reminds us that one day, they won't ask us to play anymore, so live, appreciate, and understand the impact of these moments while we can.

12.  Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver:  I am still working on this book, but it is climbing the list as one of the most life-changing.  My eyes continue to be opened to the current state of our relationship with food and food production, and the massive blow our food industry has punched into our culture, our health, our farmers, our animals, and our planet.  This book has encouraged me to reignite my love for food, growing it, eating it, and creating with it.  My own personal struggle with food has been a hindrance in wanting to strengthen this relationship.  With Barbara’s book, I think I may be ready.

Okay, that was really hard.  Encapsulating a lifetime of reads into ten? Okay, twelve. Still challenging.  Thanks for sticking with me, now for the:

GIVEAWAY!!

Do you see one on this list you want to read?  If so, please leave me a comment below with which book (out of all twelve) intrigued you the most.  I will randomly pick a winner and announce on Thursday who receives a brand new copy!!  Comments will close Wednesday evening, 7pm EST!!  Thanks and see you tomorrow with another book review in Yarn Along :)!!

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Visit Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!

Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:

(This list will be live and updated by afternoon March 8 with all the carnival links.)

• Attachment Parenting in the NICU — Erica at ChildOrganics shares some strategies to help you parent naturally in some unnatural circumstances.
• 10 Reasons to Choose Baby Led Weaning — Luschka from Diary of a First Child shares ten reasons to choose Baby Led Weaning when it comes to solids.
• Choosing to Breastfeed — From selfishness to self-giving, CatholicMommy at Working to be Worthy lists reasons why breast is best for her and her family.
• Ten Things I Wish I Knew About Before Little Man — In this reflective post, The ArstyMama discusses ten things she wishes she knew more about before the birth of her son, Little Man.
• 10 Things That Helped Me Become a Natural Mama — The Accidental Natural Mama counts down ten things that helped her find her moderately crunchy inner mama self.
• Top 10 Reasons to Breastfeed Your Toddler — Extended breast-feeder Kate Wicker of Momopoly makes her own top 10 list for why she loves nursing her 2-year-old.
• Top 10 Tips on Authentic Grandparenting — Mamapoekie of Authentic Parenting offers a list of tips to make the grandparent-parent-child relationship flow smoothly.
• Top Ten "Dad" Things — Liam at In The Now talks about his favourite ways to spend time with his children.
• Top 10 Natural Strategies for Conception (aka How to Get Pregnant!) — Despite facing plenty of health issues, Jessica Claire at Crunchy-Chewy Mama found her way to two first-try pregnancies thanks to these natural strategies.
• Top Ten Reasons Why Home Birth Rocks — Lucy at Dreaming Aloud shares her passion for birthing at home - the natural place for natural birth.
• Top 10 reasons why cloth nappies are fun — Tat at Cloth Nappies Are Fun shows how using cloth nappies can brighten up your day.
• Top Ten Ways to Be Present With Family — Amy at Innate Wholeness shares how to make the most of parenting and family life through being present.
• Top 10 Things In My Arsenal of Kitchen Witchy Mama Tricks. — Joni Rae at Tales of A Kitchen Witch shares with us the simple things she would never want to be missing from her cupboards.
• Top 10 ways I'm not very good at natural parenting (and why I keep trying anyway) — Jenny at Babyfingers shares the ways she is imperfect as a natural parent, and why she embraces natural parenting anyway.
• Top 10 Ways to Know You Are a Natural Parent — So what makes us "natural parents," anyway? A lighthearted look at the Top 10 Ways to Know You Are a Natural Parent by the editors and readers of Natural Parents Network.
• The Top 10 Things Every Natural Household (with children) Should Have — Amanda at Let's Take the Metro shares a list of the most common natural products and remedies she uses for health and cleaning.
• Top 10 books for raising loving, spiritual children — In her 'food for the soul' post, Mrs Green from Little Green Blog shares her favourite spiritual books. No matter what religion you practise, there's something for everyone!
• Top 10 Things No One Told Me About Natural Parenting — Adrienne at Mommying My Way explains that the best things about natural parenting are things she never expected.
• Top 10 Flower Essences for Families — Kim of Nature Baby Bloggings lists her pick of the top ten flower essence which can help ease families through the ups and downs of life.
• My Top Ten Parenting Tools — Amyables at Toddler In Tow names the top ten tools that have been helpful to her while learning to parent respectfully and successfully.
• Ten Ways Families Can Enjoy Nature (for free!) — Spring is nearly in the air, and Jenn at Monkey Butt Junction is dreaming of the fun and frugal ways that her family is going to get out and enjoy nature this summer.
• 10 Reasons We Unschool — Patti at Jazzy Mama explains why unschooling is the right choice for her family.
• Must Read: Natural Parenting Top Ten — Amy at Anktangle wants you to do a little reading! She shares her top ten favorite books to help parents prepare for pregnancy, birth, and parenting.
• Top 10 Breastfeeding Misconceptions — Sheila at A Gift Universe examines ten reasons women give for why they didn't breastfeed as long as they wanted, and shows how these obstacles can be overcome.
• Ten Reasons to Plan a Home Birth — Since a home birth can be an incredibly empowering experience, Leslie at Lights and Letters outlines ten reasons why you should plan to have your baby at home.
• Top Ten Books for Birth, Breastfeeding and Parenting — Megan at Just Me(gan) writes about the ten books that have helped her the most in her natural parenting journey.
• A Top Ten Letter To Me... — Kat at Loving {Almost} Every Moment writes herself a letter of reflections and bits of wisdom she would have liked to know as a new mama.
• Top Ten Mama Necessities Money Can't Buy — Buying baby gear is fun, but Emily at Crunchy(ish) Mama knows real parenting must-haves can't be bought in stores (or even on Amazon).
• Top 10 Books for a Natural Mum — Isil at Smiling like Sunshine talks about her Top 10 Books for a Natural Mum.
• Ten Great Spring Activities To Do With Preschoolers — Kellie at Our Mindful Life and her family have come up with a great list of activities to do together this spring.
• 10 Ways to Reuse Yogurt Containers — Acacia at Fingerpaint & Superheroes keeps the stacks of yogurt containers out of her recycling bin by reusing them in both practical and creative ways.
• Top Ten Ways To Have a Harmonious Home — Jennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama shares her natural parenting-inspired methods for maintaining a harmonious daily life with her toddler.
• 10 Natural Baby Items I Love — Charise at I Thought I Knew Mama shares product ideas to support your natural parenting.
• The Pandas' Top Five Crunch-osophies — Top five crunchy philosophies, as employed at the Panda Residence by Ana at Pandamoly.
• Top 10 Reasons to Leave Your Son Intact — Mandy at Living Peacefully with Children has shared 10 reasons why you should leave your newborn son intact.
• Ten things everyone should know about unassisted homebirth — Olivia at Write About Birth shares practical tips for women considering an unassisted homebirth and debunks some common myths
• 10 Most Popular Ways To Treat Cloth Diaper Stains — Chante at My Natural Motherhood Journey gives ten easy tips to make your diapers like new.
• 10 Lessons in 1 Year — Abbie at Farmer's Daughter shares 10 parenting lessons that she has learned throughout her first year of motherhood.
• Top 10 Ways to Get Breastfeeding Off To a Good Start — Sheryl at Little Snowflakes shares 10 effective ways to ensure breastfeeding gets off to a good start.
• Top 10 Ways to Avoid a Time-Out — If you are uncomfortable using time-outs in an attempt to control your child's behavior, try one of these gentler alternatives. Dionna at Code Name: Mama shares her Top 10 Ways to Avoid a Time-Out.
• My Top 10 Parenting Scriptures — Dulce de leche is learning to integrate faith and parenting. Whether it is breastfeeding, babywearing, comforting her children, or gentle discipline, she finds that the Bible has beautiful passages to encourage her on her journey.
• Natural Cleaning Ideas - Top 10 — Laura at Laura's Blog lists the ways she keeps her house clean and clear of chemicals.
• My Top Ten (plus two) Life Altering and Growth Inspiring Books — A top ten list of books from MJ at Wander Wonder Discover that changed her life as an individual, a parent, and an earth dweller.
• Top 10 Ways to Use Natural Parenting for Children with Special Needs — Danielle at Mommy Makes Cents feeds the needs of her family and special needs child through the use of Natural Parenting.
• Ten Fundamentals — Seonaid at The Practical Dilettante gets philosophical with a list of the fundamentals that drive her natural parenting.
• 10 reasons why I chose breast over bottles — Becky at Old New Legacy writes a quick list of why she chose breast over bottles.
• Top Ten Natural Tools for the Work of Play — Lori at Beneath the Rowan Tree offers insight into 10 natural toys that will span the early years (and save you money).
• 10 differences between pregnancy and parenting in Japan and the US — Megan at Ichigo Means Strawberry gives her impressions about differences in pregnancy and parenting in Japan and the US.
• Natural Parenting Benny & Bex Style — Pecky at Benny and Bex explains why Natural Parenting principles work best for her boys.
• Top 10 Reasons to Co-Sleep — 10 practical, emotional, and completely selfish reasons to co-sleep and share a family bed from Lily, aka Witch Mom.
• My Top Ten New Mommy Moments — Melissa at The New Mommy Files recounts the ten most memorable moments of her daughter's first year.
• Top Ten Things Every Breastfeeding Mother Needs to Know — Kristen at Adventures in Mommyhood believes knowledge is power and wants all moms to be well informed.
• Top 10 Nursing Positions / Situations — Momma Jorje uses her 5½ years of nursing experience to share her Top 10 Nursing Positions/Situations. She includes some adorable photos of her youngest daughter at the breast.
• Ten Top Ways to Connect Kids with Nature — Terri from Child at the Nature Isle offers 10 ways to immerse ourselves in the natural world and develop a love affair with the Earth.
• Top 10 Slacker Ways to Natural Parent — Guavalicious is happy to show you how to parent naturally the slacker way.
• Simply what it looks like — Andrea!!! from Ella-Bean & Co. offers a glimpse into natural parenting through the eyes of mama and babe.
• Top Ten Reasons Why Natural Parenting Dads Are So Attractive — Nada at miniMOMist sure digs her husband, but it's not just his good looks -- it's his parenting!
• 10 Family Systems and Routines That Work for Us — See what routines, organizational systems, and parenting approaches work for Kristin at Intrepid Murmurings to help avoid conflict and maintain sanity in a family with three young children.
• Top 10 reasons to choose midwifery care — Lauren at Hobo Mama lists the features that drew her to midwives' care for pregnancy and birth.
• 10 Ways to Cloth Diaper on a Budget — Michelle at The Parent Vortex shares her best thrifty cloth diapering tips.
• Ten Reasons it Felt Sew Good To Make My Own Play Food — Brittany at Mama's Felt Cafe lists her 10 (OK, 11) favorite reasons to grab a needle and start sewing your own felt play toys.
• Top10 Ways to Spark Interest, Learn, and Have Fun With Everyday Tasks! — Bethy at Bounce Me to the Moon gives you her top 10 ways of incorporating fun and lessons into everyday tasks and chores.
• Postpartum Gift Ideas — Alicia at I Found My Feet suggests a top 10 list of gifts for mother's after giving birth.
• My Top Ten Shows Worthy Of Screen Time — Tree at Mom Grooves shares her top ten list of shows that she believes are positive, educational, kind, joyful, and a nice way to share some downtime with your children.
• The Top 10 Ways to Succeed as an Working Attachment Parent — That Mama Gretchen shares tried and true ways to succeed with attachment parenting even when working away from home during the day.
• Top Ten Books for Natural Parenting — Pregnancy, herbs, cooking, and healthcare the ten books Asha at Meta Mom the most.
• Preparing for a Hospital VBAC: My Top 10 — Thomasin at Propson Palingenesis shares 10 ways she's preparing for her upcoming hospital VBAC.
• Top Ten New Mom Survival Tools — Wolfmother shares her most beloved motherhood survival tools at Fabulous Mama Chronicles.
• Top 10 Montessori Principles for Natural Learning — Deb Chitwood at Living Montessori Now gives her top 10 list of Montessori principles parents can use to encourage their children s natural learning.
• Going Granola — Tashmica from The Mother Flippin' Blog describes the 10 ways that natural parenting sneaked up on her. She never expected to go all granola on the world.
• Step Away From the Amazon List — Stefanie at Very, Very Fine wishes she hadn't bought so much useless stuff.