Book Summaries - "How to Talk So Kids Will Listen..." Chapter 2.

Book Summaries are summaries of books I have been reading about bringing up children. They're not book reviews. Their purpose is to help me clarify what I have been reading, and you, too, may be interested in the main points of some of these books. I intend to use them as a useful quick reference, and you may like to as well. Not everything that I read (and therefore write here) will be my own point of view, though it's highly likely that the books I've chosen to read will be on par with my own ways and views. Though perhaps not always. Sometimes learning about different approaches can really cement my own views. These summaries are not me suggesting to you how you should bring up your children. Take what you wish from them, or if you don't feel the need to have any further input on how you do your job, pass this post by and I'll see you on another topic.

HOW TO TALK SO KIDS WILL LISTEN AND LISTEN SO KIDS WILL TALK 

Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish 

CHAPTER TWO - ENGAGING COOPERATION                           

This book is packed with information and includes loads of examples, including many cartoon strips! My summary will include a lot of their examples (including some paraphrasing for brevity), and many direct quotes.

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A portrait of my children every week for a year.

Pukeiti - favourite places

While on holiday we visited Pukeiti, one of my favourite places in the world, and the home of long ago family memories. Pukeiti rain featured on my list of favourite things, but in its place I am quite happy to be featuring Pukeiti sunshine here instead. The rain was lovely to listen to, tucked up in the Lodge - my grandparent's home - when I was little, but the truth is I would prefer a day like this...

This one's for you family.

Don't miss the attempted sibling pic where we used to have our cousin photos taken.

Snow Dough

Yes I do spend a little bit of time gazing around Pinterest. It can be useful, inspiring, and a total waste of time, but I'm happy with that combo. I must say that after the initial excitement of a new thing, I now only have the patience for a fairly brief look. My pinning goes in bursts, and I think it will wane once I have a new house that is looking totally perfect. Ha! I am definitely a sucker for beautiful decor.

I also pin quite a lot of food photography, and poetry and prose that hits the spot. I haven't quite got in to gardening, as it may never stop, and I still mark websites that I want to revisit using old-fashioned bookmarks - Pinterest for me is just single image inspiration.

A summery holiday

What a wonderful holiday we had! Apart from a couple of trips to the Wairarapa, our post-Christmas holiday was the first we have had in many years and I admit I was a little nervous. Sleeping the kids in strange beds is never entirely successful and holidaying has not really been on my radar. But wow, what great experiences there are to be had!

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  A portrait of my children every week for a year.

The Hill St Farmers' Market

I read about the Hill Street Farmers' Market many months ago and thinking about going has become a regular feature in my life. The market is held on a Saturday morning and we're often on the lookout for something to do on a Saturday, and we finally got there this weekend.

Christmas Day treats

In this summer series of humouring me, here's a bit of a collection of pics from our Christmas Day. Yes, I had a nice day thank you. I find the lead up to Christmas very difficult, but the day itself - good food, presents, happy children - there's plenty to like about that.
And I took the kids to church, actually.

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A portrait of my children every week for a year.

Moving out, but not on

  

On December 10 we closed the door to our lovely but-getting-too-little home for the last time. It didn't matter, by then, whether we wanted to go or not, the train had already left the station. The house was sold, the truck had taken our boxes away and the house was bare - soon to be filled by a young couple who had fallen in love with it. I was ready for whatever will be next.

Summer holiday humour

We're back! Or should I say, we're still here! In the last month we have moved out of home, settled in to Nana's, put in an offer on a house and lost out, celebrated Christmas, been on an extraordinary holiday, landed at Wellington airport in 140km per hour gales, and found ourselves in a new year.