That’s My Son: How Moms Can Influence Boys to Become Men of Character- This book was a tough one for me to read. It’s an “ok” book from my point of view, but I wouldn’t read it again. It was hard for me because it is geared directly at single moms raising boys. But no where does it say or allude to that. Johnson quotes a lot of things from a few authors/books, including Wild at Heart by John Eldredge and Dr. Dobson’s Bringing up Boys, both of which I’d rather have invested my money in. If anyone reading this is a single mom trying to raise a boy(s), then this book would be great for you! Because that is not our situation, it was harder for me to appreciate some of the points he was trying to make. There were a few things I took away from the book, but those could have been obtained from other books addressing raising boys. I was honestly left a little disappointed in my purchase.

I struggled long and hard about what to read next. The first book I read from my goals list touched on the spiritual aspect of my life, the second on the organizational side. I had hoped the third book would be something great geared towards bringing a child, a son, into the world. Since I was disappointed, I considered going straight for another book focused on babies. As much as I wanted to read something about preparing for him, I felt deep in my heart that I should read something focused on my marriage. I’m in no way, shape, or form saying there is anything wrong with my marriage. In fact, I consider myself to be pretty darn blessed to have such a great one! Even so, I think everyone can benefit from trying to grow and strengthen their marriages. I doubt it does any harm to try to be a better wife or husband, especially if you’re approaching it from a Biblical standpoint.

My So-Called Life as a Proverbs 31 Wife by Sara Horn was an incredible, quick read. I did not want to put it down after reading the first page. Sara Horn is a great author, very “real”. This book is by no means a guide to obtaining the characteristics of the Proverbs 31 wife. In fact, what caused Horn to try this experiment was when her pastor preached on the subject and she got infuriated by the standards in which the Proverbs 31 wife lives. She thought it was completely unrealistic but set out to see if it was possible in the world we live in today. The book details her journey in a very “real” way. She doesn’t hide behind her emotions and openly discusses her struggles as a woman, as a wife, as a mother, and as child of God. The end of the book doesn’t leave you feeling like a failure if you’re not obtaining all the characteristics of the P31 wife. In fact, Horn’s realization is will leave you feeling better, not worse, about yourself.

As a Christian, as a woman, and as a wife, its hard for me not to want to strive for the qualities the Proverbs 31 woman possesses.  I can honestly say that I’m not hitting home runs over here.

Take yesterday for example. I had a morning full of errands and then essentially crashed for the afternoon (hello bread of idleness). One of my errands involved me dropping a pile of clothes off at the tailor to be hemmed. When she told me the final price due at pickup, I almost choked. $35 for 5 pairs of pants. THIRTY FIVE dollars. It kills me because I have the materials and capability to hem them myself. However, I’m lacking the motivation, the energy, or quite frankly, the desire. And I think a lot of that boils down to the fact that I worry I will screw something up and someone will walk around looking like a dork with one pant leg higher than the other.

It’s not about hemming pants. It’s about taking care of my family, taking care of our home, being good stewards of our time and resources. But it’s also a big part about my attitude when doing these things. I didn’t want to cook dinner tonight. I am tired from not sleeping well and my leg was on fire from standing a lot today (I have nerve issues in my left leg). I grumbled through cleaning up, even though Joe helped me with the few dishes we had. Emily = bad attitude = not glorifying God at all. 

I’ll never be the Proverbs 31 woman, I get that. God hasn’t called me to be her, He’s called me to be me…his Child, a faithful follower, trusting in Him the entire way.

But it still doesn’t keep me from wanting to possess qualities that she does.