It has been wonderful to carve out a decent amount of reading time this month. Most of the books I read this month were not typical. As many of you know I recently started a tutoring business so many of the books relate to that new aspect in my life. We have also been working lately on some of the more mundane tasks of adulthood-gathering tax information. Yuck huh?
How to Pay Zero Taxes by Jeff A. Schnepper’s. I can’t decide if I”m proud or a teeny bit embarrassed that I actually read or skimmed this entire book. The book itself is a good 1.5 inches! I found this book to be absolutely intriguing. Nerd alert! I had no idea all of the different legal exemptions that can be written off of your taxes. One of my goals this year is to do a better job in the area of finances. The first aspect of that goal I have decided to tackle is the area of taxes. This book is wonderful and I highly recommend it for the motivated person who wishes to see their tax bill shrink! As a side note I would NEVER recommend doing your own taxes (you miss way too much that a CPA would not). After reading this book I am incredibly motivated to keep stellar financial records and write off more items from our taxes!
Zondervan 2012 Minister’s Tax and Financial Guide: for 2011 Returns by Dan Busby. If your husband is in the ministry I highly recommend purchasing and reading this book! Tax returns for ministers are much different from regular returns. There are different deductions, allowances, etc. I wish I read this book 3 years ago when Brandon and I got married. After reading it I have a much better understanding of taxes for ministers.
Running a Side Business: How to Create a Second Income by Richard Stim and Lisa Guerin. As I continue to work on the business aspects of my tutoring business I have found a lot of help through many of the books from our public library. This one touched on many of the legal aspects of running a side business that I had not yet thought of. There were also a decent amount of links to other sources inside the book. Although there was a section on Advertising & Marketing I was disappointed that there were no examples. A nice book to browse through from the library but not one we will be adding to our own bookshelf.
Adopted for Life by Russel Moore. While at Southern Seminary I had the privilege of meeting Dr. Moore the author of this book. Having actually known his wife and family (and 4 boys-two of which are adopted) it was very interesting for me to read a book about a family I was acquainted with. (I got to know the Moore family well during a small retreat I went on with their church a couple of years ago.) What is so interesting about this book is that the book is about a Christian’s adoption into God’s family AND about the need for Christian families to adopt children into their homes. Whether you are interested in adoption yourself or not I would highly recommend reading this solid thought-provoking book.
The No-Cry Nap Solution: Guaranteed Gentle Ways to Solve All Your Nap Time Problems by Elizabeth Pantley. This book was a great read. Elizabeth Pantley is one of my favorite authors when it comes to raising babies. Although we probably wouldn’t agree on discipline I find most everything else she has to say to be very helpful. This book was filled with many wonderful ideas but I think it is more applicable for children who still take their naps in their crib. We continue to struggle with Eli taking a nap now that he is in a toddler bed and can get himself up out of bed. He can also open the door knob no matter what type of child lock we place on it! I have read Pantley’s The No-Cry Sleep Solution for Babies and Gentle Baby Care. I would highly recommend both of these books. The No-Cry Sleep Solution is the perfect book for those who do not want to let their child cry it out but instead want to help teach their child to put themself to sleep. I read it first when Eli was a little baby and it was such a blessing to our family! The No-Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers and Preschoolers is next on my book list so I will keep you updated. 🙂
Emerson Family 
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