{"id":558,"date":"2011-04-18T12:51:32","date_gmt":"2011-04-18T16:51:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.katrinakenison.com\/?p=558"},"modified":"2011-04-18T12:51:32","modified_gmt":"2011-04-18T16:51:32","slug":"simplicity-parenting-and-books-to-give-away","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/katrinakenison.com\/new\/simplicity-parenting-and-books-to-give-away\/","title":{"rendered":"Simplicity Parenting and Books to Give Away"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>I can\u2019t recall how many times a reader has written to say,
\n\u201cI wish I\u2019d found your books years ago, when my children were young.\u201d<\/p>\n

I had that same feeling myself, reading Kim John Payne\u2019s very wise and beautiful book Simplicity Parenting: Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier, and More Secure Kids<\/a>.<\/p>\n

So many of the books I did read when my own sons were small left me feeling confused and inadequate. What I wanted was a calm friend on the page, someone who would reassure me that I was fully capable of giving my children what they needed. Someone who would also remind me that, in fact, my two small children didn\u2019t actually need very much.<\/p>\n

In a culture of competition, noise, distraction, and excess, it is hard to tune in to a place of inner knowing. And it\u2019s harder still for me to hear and to trust my own inner voice — especially when that voice is advocating for such elusive qualities as emptiness, silence, stillness, intimacy, simplicity, and faith.<\/p>\n

I have discovered a spiritual friend, and a mentor for both motherhood and for life itself, in Kim Payne. Even now, reading his book as the parent of two young adults, I find myself underlining passages, realizing that our need for quiet time and simple pleasures does not end with childhood. Again and again, I have to be reminded to stop, to rest, to realign my life with the values I hold most dear.
\nRelationships — whether with a toddler or an eighteen-year-old — are not sustained on the fly. In fact, they are best nurtured in those very moments when not much else is happening. Whenever I turn my attention away from the world\u2019s distractions (and there seem to be more of them then ever!), and focus instead on the beautiful souls of my own loved ones, I am rewarded.<\/p>\n

Anxiety usually means I\u2019m reacting rather than listening, doing rather than being, fixing rather than trusting. Each time I pause to be quiet, to create space, to slow down, I release my grip on a moment that can’t be held anyway. I stop struggling. I reconnect with what I know. Awareness deepens. Gratitude for what is edges out fear of what may be.<\/p>\n

Kim Payne reminds me who I am and how I want to live. He writes:<\/p>\n

Imagine your home. . .<\/p>\n

* as a place where time moves a little slower.
\n*becoming less cluttered and more visually relaxing.
\n*with space, and time, for childhood — and with time for one another every day.
\n*as a place where play and exploration are allowed and honored.
\n*having more ease as you begin to limit distractions and say no to the stress of too much, too fast, too soon.
\n*as a sense of calm and security take hold.
\n*becoming a place where those we love know it, by virtue of our attention, protection, and appreciation.<\/p>\n

This is where I want to live. Don\u2019t we all?<\/p>\n

As Mother\u2019s Day approaches, I am delighted to give away two special gift packages, each containing a copy of Kim Payne\u2019s Simplicity Parenting<\/a> and a signed copy of my book Mitten Strings for God: Reflections for Mothers in a Hurry.<\/p>\n

TO ENTER TO WIN ONE OF TWO SETS OF 2 BOOKS EACH<\/strong>, just leave a comment here. If you\u2019ve found a way to simplify your life, I\u2019d love to hear about it — and my guess is that many others would be grateful, too. But of course you may simply say, \u201cCount me in!\u201d<\/p>\n

Entries close at midnight Monday, April 25, with winners to be drawn at random (using the tool at random [dot] org) and announced the next day.<\/p>\n

WANT THE BOOKS NOW? <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2022 Buy\u00a0\u201cSimplicity Parenting<\/a>\u201d now
\n\u2022 Buy\u00a0\u201cMitten Strings for God\u201d<\/a> now<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

P.S. Many of you have asked about ordering signed copies of The Gift of an Ordinary Day<\/strong> as Mother’s Day gifts. I would be honored to sign and personalize books for all the special moms in your life. And, of course, Mitten Strings for God<\/strong> makes a wonderful gift for a new mother or a mom with young children. Your books will be signed, gift wrapped, and mailed from my trusty local bookstore. Just click here: Order Signed Copies<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I can\u2019t recall how many times a reader has written to say, \u201cI wish I\u2019d found your books years ago, when my children were young.\u201d I had that same feeling myself, reading Kim John Payne\u2019s very wise and beautiful book Simplicity Parenting: Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier, and More Secure […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15183,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,21,27,40,41,8,44,46,15],"tags":[253,324,376,377],"class_list":{"0":"post-558","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-books","8":"category-books-for-parents","9":"category-family-life","10":"category-mindfulness","11":"category-mitten-strings-for-god","12":"category-parenting","13":"category-reading","14":"category-simplicity","15":"category-writing-and-reading","16":"tag-kim-john-payne","17":"tag-parenting-2","18":"tag-simplicity-2","19":"tag-simplicity-parenting","20":"entry"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/katrinakenison.com\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/600x600.png?fit=600%2C600","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/katrinakenison.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/558","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/katrinakenison.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/katrinakenison.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/katrinakenison.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/katrinakenison.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=558"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/katrinakenison.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/558\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/katrinakenison.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15183"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/katrinakenison.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=558"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/katrinakenison.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=558"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/katrinakenison.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=558"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}