Things that make you go hmmm

Don't you just love a good book that makes you stop and reexamine your life, maybe even make a change or two?  I can think of just a handful that have affected me and won't ever forget.





































I could probably do a blog on each on these books, but this post is about The Help.


I loved it so much back in 2010, that I am re-reading it in 2011 and am throwing a Girls' Night Out party when the movie opens. (Go here for details, be sure to speak in your best Southern accent and wear your favorite apron!)

So, how did this book change my way of thinking?  Believe it or not, it has more to do with my parenting than to do with my views on race, which is the real point.  One of the book's mothers, Mrs. Leefolt, totally ignores her only child, Mae Mo, while her hired help, Aibileen, attempts to protect and raise the darling baby girl.

Reading how Mae Mo yearns for her mom's attention got me a thinkin' 'bout my own treatment towards Haley. (See me slippin' into that Southern drawl??)  She is now 22 months old, and still isn't sleeping through the night.  I've tried everything--let her cry it out, whole milk right before bed, carnation instant breakfast in bed, tummy drops, tylenol, a bear that makes noises that mimic sounds of the womb....

At yet another 5:00 am awakening, I had an epiphany.  Why not just rock my baby girl and spend some time with her?  I wasn't going to be falling back asleep anytime soon, so I might as well make the most of the sweet time I have with Haley.  It was the best morning we've had in 22 months!  We snuggled for a good hour until the rest of the house woke up, and I just loved watching Miss Priss sleep in my arms.

How many hours have Haley and I spent in this chair together?

Hopefully I will be given many more bonding mornings and won't grow weary of this special time!