10 Books That Have Changed My Family's Lifestyle

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I really love to read. I have books in every room of my house and yes, they are all categorized. I can't stop buying new books. I am guilty of having both softcover and hard cover copies of the SAME book! I have a serious problem. I am a Rory Gilmore when it comes to books. My librarian and I are on a first name basis. They set a whole shelf aside for my library holds. I AM NOT KIDDING!

I read all types of books but recently I have been reading a lot of nonfiction. The reason why I haven't been reading novels lately, is because I have been falling asleep with a book in my hand. (Life with a toddler is tiring). It is much easier to pick up a nonfiction book than a novel after reading a few pages at a time. I don't have to worry about mixing up characters or remembering plot lines.

I love that you can find books about anything you want. My favorite part of nonfiction books is the bibliography since it leads to me to even MORE books on similar subjects. This is why my library has a whole shelf for my holds. after reading a book I enjoy, I immediately go on my library's website and search for the books from the bibliography and place them on hold. Of course they all come in at once and, thus, take up an entire shelf!

Have you ever read a book that has changed your life? I have read so many good books in my life so far that each book has changed me a little for the better. I have compiled a list of my Top 10 books that have changed my family's lifestyle. You may have heard of some and not others but all are excellent books that I highly recommend.

1. Barnheart: The Incurable Longing for a Farm of One's Own By Jenna Woginrich

What initially drew me to this book at my library was it's beautifully illustrated cover but as I read the first few pages, I realized that I also suffered from "Barnheart" (a made up condition coined by author which is described as an "incurable longing for a farm of one's own"). I have always loved growing vegetables, dreamed of owning farm animals, and love making things from scratch. I never knew I was a homesteader at heart until I read this book. This book is a memoir of Woginrich's journey of how she came to own her own farm. While it is entertaining and funny it is also full of inspiration. What I really love about her book is that she writes about her mistakes and struggles which not all authors (or humans in general, I suppose) like to reveal. The feminist side of me also loves the fact that she is a single woman conquering this all on her own and all the while changing the face of the stereotypical male farmer archetype. My husband also read this book after me and also found it inspiring. This book has changed my family's lifestyle by giving us a dream of someday owning a farm of our own one day.

2. Made From Scratch: Discovering the Pleasures of a Handmade Life By Jenna Woginrich

I know what you are thinking two books by the same author?! Yes. As I admitted earlier, once I read a book I love I research more like it. This book is the author's first book. Before she even had a farm to call her own, she wrote a book about homesteading things such as : beekeeping, keeping chickens, caring for and shearing Angora rabbits, starting your own veggie garden, and more. I love this book because it is a great introduction for anyone who wants to learn some simple skills that will last a lifetime. She also includes some delicious recipes such a bread, pasta, sauce, quiche, apple cake, and jam. This book has changed our family's lifestyle since we now enjoy homemade fresh bread on a daily basis. This book gave me the courage to bake my own bread and also make my own pasta. My first loaf came out perfect and I have been making my own bread ever since. Ms. Woginrich gives wonderful detailed instructions that anyone can follow and try for themselves.

3. The Omnivore's Dilemma: The Secrets Behind What You Eat By Michael Pollan

If you have not read this book and you are interested in healthy eating, I highly suggest it. With all the crazy labels on our groceries nowadays, shopping for healthy food can be confusing and overwhelming. This book divulges what our food goes through to make it to our dinner table. He gives the reader an inside glimpse into America's industrial corn obsession as well as "convenience" foods, such as fast food and processed foods. He also exposes what big business organic means and how they seem to fool us to believe it is the best choice. This book has changed my family's view on what we eat. Now we read food labels, eat less processed foods, grow more of our own food, cook most of our food from scratch, and shop for sustainable and locally produced foods as much as we can.

4. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life By Barbara Kingsolver

After reading The Omnivore's Dilemma, I began researching how to eat more locally and came across this book. It is a wonderful memoir about how Barbara Kingsolver and her family commits to eating either foods they have grown themselves or locally sourced for an entire year. They not only grow their own food on their farm in Virginia but also raise chickens, make their own bread, cheeses, and can their own food for out of season consumption. She also includes many delicious recipes. This book has inspired my family to shop and cook along with the seasons, grow more of our own vegetables, try our hand at canning and preserving seasonal foods, and support local dairies and sources of meat.

5. Nourishing Traditions:The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats By Sally Fallon

This book is an extremely valuable resource for healthy eating. For so many years, we have heard how low-fat milk, margarine, low-fat, low-carb, and other diet foods are better our health, but are actually doing us more harm than good. This heavily researched book lists the most nutritious foods we should be eating, why they are good for us, and gives fabulous recipes. This book has changed the way we eat, and most importantly, to my husband's joy, brought more bacon and grass-fed meat into our diet from local, nitrate free sources. I now purchase raw milk and cheeses from reputable farms, grass-fed butter, make my own sauerkraut and other fermented foods, make bone broth, and cook with soaked grains as much as possible.

6. You Are Your Child's First Teacher: What Parents Can Do With ans For Their Children from Birth to Age 6 By Rahima Baldwin Dancy

I picked this book up from the library after the birth of my second son in 2015. My parenting style has always revolved around outdoor play, nursery rhymes, songs and games, playing with simple and wooden toys, lots of art, and imaginary play. I never knew there was an educational philosophy that encompassed all that I believe in until I read this book. This book introduced me to Waldorf Education founded by the philosopher, Rudolf Steiner. I fell in love with Waldorf Education because it stresses to allows kids to behave like kids: to let them play, and learn at their own pace. It strays away from overstimulating toys, drilling our children with flashcards, and pushing technology on young children. Some of the topics discussed are child development, things to with your baby and toddler, age appropriate toys and activities, common parenting issues and helpful tips, how to nourish your child's imagination, artistic and musical abilities, how to create rhythm and discipline daily, and many lists many helpful resources. It is a wonderful guide that I refer to daily. This book has changed our family's life since it has encouraged us to live more simply, has inspired us to create family routines, and has introduced us to Waldorf Education.

7. Heaven on Earth: A Handbook for Parents of Young Children By Sharifa Oppenheimer

This book is another wonderful resource for parents of young children. It discusses how children learn, appropriate nutrition for children, and gives wonderful ideas for activities and routines you can implement in your home. This book changed my family's lifestyle by helping me set up daily routines and rhythms that help us stay organized, teach our kids about chores and respect, and makes our days flow much more nicely. It is important that we set up routines for our children so they know what to expect each day. I refer to this book on a daily basis and it is a wonderful start to implement Waldorf principles in your home.

8. All New Square Foot Gardening: Grow More in Less Space! By Mel Bartholomew

This is my gardening bible. Mr. Bartholomew's book is basically a fool-proof way to grow a lot of food in a small amount of space. I have had so much success with this method. Last year, we built three 2 ft by 4 ft raised garden beds and successfully grew Romaine and Mesculun lettuce, beets, carrots, radishes, spinach, Swiss chard, snap peas, corn, and strawberries. This year we plan on building more garden beds so we can grow even more. This book has helped change our lifestyle by allowing us to successfully grow our favorite fruit and vegetables at home.

9. The Nourishing Homestead: One Back-to-the-Land Family's Plan for Cultivating Soil, Skills, and Spirit By Ben Hewitt

This book is part memoir and part handbook for creating your own sustainable homestead. The Hewitt family owns a 40 acre homestead in Vermont where they raise their own meat and milk cows, grow dozens of fruit and nut trees, have many vegetables gardens and berry patches, and harvest their own firewood from their 10 acre woodlot. They also home school their two boys, while teaching them the responsibility of living off the land by giving them livestock to manage and teach them homesteading skills such as hunting, making baskets, butchering animals, woodworking, and even making their on clothing. This book discusses their trials and errors of homesteading, and gives excellent practical information on how you can create your own successful homestead. This book has changed our family's lifestyle by giving us a dream to strive for. While we are far from having our own 40 acre homestead, we learned a lot of useful information from this wonderful book that we can apply to our lives in the present and has inspired us to teach our boys homesteading skills as well.

10. Little House Books By Laura Ingalls Wilder

I know what your thinking...a kids book?! Yes, the Little House Books are well written treasures that brings the reader back to simpler times. These books make wonderful read-aloud stories for the whole family. They have taught our family what it means to be a family, how to work together and help others, how to be thankful for what we have, about respect, hard work, and many other important life lesson. All 9 books int he series have taught us and entertained us thoroughly and I plan on rereading the series with my family for many years to come.

I hope you and your family enjoy some of these wonderful books. I would love to hear about your family's favorite books or if you have enjoyed any of these titles.

Comment below to share your recommendations!

Happy Reading!

Warmly,

Kelly

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