The Language of Love & Respect by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs
Sarah

It's like we're speaking two different languages. Why can't he read my mind? Why won't she just say what she means? Dr. Emerson Eggerichs attempts to help bridge the communication gap in his book The Language of Love & Respect. Eggerich claims that the root cause of communication problems is that we speak different languages – what he would describe as pink and blue. Neither is wrong; they are just different. Eggerich’s basis for Love & Respect is Epeshians 5:33 which states that husbands are to show love to their wives and wives are to show respect for their husbands. He claims that couples can learn how to communicate by implementing his “practical, step-by-step approach.”

I received a free copy as part of Thomas Nelson’s Book Review Blogger program. Unfortunately I did not find the book to be all that helpful. In many ways it felt like a regurgitation of the book Love & Respect. Although the principles were true and in many ways helpful, I felt like the message could have been summed up effectively in less than 318 pages. I often felt like I was reading a very long infomercial for Love & Respect ministries – full of testimonials and acronyms. Although I did take away a few helpful tips, I frequently found myself checking to see how many pages were left. The information was good, but nothing new. If you’re a big fan of Love and Respect borrow this one from the library, but prepare yourself for a repeat of what you’ve already learned.

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The Tallest of Smalls by Max Lucado, illustrated by Maria Monescillo
Sarah

Poor Ollie desperately wants to be selected to wear a pair of stilts. In fact, all the Too Smalls of Stiltsville wait anxiously to be deemed worthy of stilts. He doubts he will ever be chosen, but to his surprise, one day his name is called. He proudly towers above the "common, the plain," but struggles to walk and keep his balance. He falls to the ground and his stilts are quickly snatched away. In midst of his sadness and failure, Jesus encourages Ollie to keep his feet on the ground, that he is not too short or too small but is just the way He made him to be. Ollie learns that it doesn't matter if he is the smallest of those around him; God's love makes him "the tallest of talls."

This children's book is excellent for all ages, but the moral is especially significant for school age kids who are seeking the approval of their friends. In a kid-friendly manner, Lucado emphasizes that worth is not found in towering above others, but rather in the realization that we are God's precious creation. Monescillo's beautiful and vibrant illustrations bring the words to life. Lucado's story possesses an almost Dr. Seuss-like quality and was enjoyable to read out loud. I would recommend this book to others.

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Leaving on a Jet Plane
Sarah

Have you ever seen a mom with a look of desperation? Perhaps she was walking lopsidedly with a screaming child dangling from one arm and that child's many accouterments hanging from her other arm. Perhaps that mother was me.

I dared to take my first plane trip with my two-month-old Ben. Call it naivety or stupidity, but I decided to take this trip on my own. My husband needed to stay home for work and I wanted to go visit my parents and friends to show off this little boy. The trip started well. My husband was able to get an escort pass to help us get through security. (This was a lifesaver as I had NO idea how I would be able to remove my shoes, jacket, my laptop, the bottle, my baggie of liquids . . . all while holding a baby.) I usually carry my son in a Moby wrap, which is like magic in fabric form. Unfortunately, the TSA finds it necessary for you to practically strip naked before going through security, so there was no way I could wear it through the screening process.

I managed to put my shoes and jacket back on and return my laptop to my bag. I then had to open up my bottle so that they could hold a magical strip above it to make sure I wasn't going to feed explosive material to my son. Oh that bottle.

I had it all planned out perfectly. Ben's tummy started to grumble and so, being the innovative mother that I am, I decided to get a cup of hot water from the Starbucks kiosk to warm the bottle. Everything was going perfectly. The milk was warm. The baby was hungry. I took off the lid . . . there was no hole in the nipple. I breastfeed my son, and so we use bottles very rarely. I thought taking a brand new bottle on our trip would be great fun. The night before, I sanitized and washed the new bottle, somehow never realizing the liquid had no means of escape.

So there I sat with a screaming child futilely trying to suck milk from a bottle with no hole. In the process, I attracted a great deal of attention. And with the attention came the well-meaning advice of those sitting around me. In my son's frustration he kicked his socks off (which I now held in my hands while I was trying to placate him). One woman informed me that my son was crying because his feet were cold and that I needed to put socks on him right away. I am usually a very non-confrontational person, but at that point I wanted to cry just about as much as my son. I politely responded, "No ma'am, my son is crying because he's hungry. His feet are fine." I then proceeded to gather my belongings and moved to another part of the terminal.

So, surrounded by businessmen on cell phones and laptops, I nursed my son, a situation I was hoping to avoid. Our trip had not begun quite the way I had planned, but in the end, Ben's hunger was satisfied, a crisis was averted, and we arrived safe and sound.

What did I learn on the trip?

#1 Moms should have at least two extra pairs of arms at all times
#2 Never take a new, untested bottle on a trip
#3 Unsolicited advice is seldom appreciated.
#4 Even if everything goes awry, getting there safely is what really matters.


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A New Adventure
Sarah
It's hard to believe that I'm someone's mom. Perhaps that's because I still feel like the same college kid I was a few years ago. Now I have this little man who depends on me for his everything. Life is certainly full of twists and turns. God is teaching me many things through these mommy moments, and I will do my best to share with you all the mommy adventures and misadventures as they come along.
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