{Happy New Year, friends! Looking for a book to get your 2017 off to a fresh start? I’ve got just the thing…}

Loving My Actual Life: An Experiment in Relishing What’s Right in Front of Me by Alexandra Kuykendall

The book: (from the publisher) In a world of comparison and discontent, it can feel impossible to be happy with life as we know it. Other people seem to have it all together, to be finding success, to be having more fun. But we weren’t meant for a life characterized by dissatisfaction.

In this entertaining and relatable book, Alexandra Kuykendall chronicles her nine-month experiment to rekindle her love of her ordinary, actual life. After wiping her calendar as clean as a mother of four can, Kuykendall focuses on one aspect of her life each month, searching for ways to more fully enjoy her current season. By intentionally adding one thing each month that will make her jump for joy, she provides a practical challenge women can easily replicate. With humor, poignancy, and plenty of personal stories, Kuykendall weaves together spiritual themes and practical application into a holy self-awareness, showing women how a few small changes in their routines can improve their enjoyment of this crazy-busy life.

The author: Alexandra Kuykendall spends her days washing dishes, driving to and from different schools and trying to find a better solution to the laundry dilemma. All while trying to sneak in chunks of time to work on various writing projects. On staff with MOPS International (Mothers of Preschoolers) for nearly a decade, Alex continues as a regular contributor to MOPS’s Hello Dearest blog. She is an established and trusted voice in mothering circles.

Alex lives in the shadows of downtown Denver with her husband Derek and their 4 daughters. She is co-hostess of the annual Open Door Retreat and speaks to women’s groups around the country on issues of parenting, faith and personal growth. From church basements to the set of Good Morning America, Alex offers women grounded perspective on how to approach the “crazy busy” in front of them. Find out more about the retreat at TheOpenDoorSisterhood.com or connect with Alex at AlexandraKuykendall.com.

Genre: Non-fiction/Christian Living/Personal Growth

[Tweet “Crazy-busy life needing a reboot? How to relish what’s right in front of you #LovingMyActualLife @Alex_Kuykendall”]

Recommendation: While I’m not one to make New Year’s resolutions, I still desire each new year to do the next one better than the last (no matter how good it was). So I faithfully take stock at the end of every calendar year, noting what worked and what didn’t, so that I can make adjustments as I move into a crisp, clean year.

If you’re of similar habit, then I have a gem of a book to aid you in your quest. Alex Kuykendall’s Loving My Actual Life provides women with a manual for a makeover, but with a subtle twist: it’s not so much about reinventing a life but appreciating what’s already there and then capitalizing on those good things. It’s about slowing down and being intentional…savoring.

What I liked best was its combination of both practical tips and inspiration drawn from authentic details of Alex’s real life. As she tells her story, Alex’s tone and approach is friendly, so that it’s easy to imagine you’re curling up with her for some good convo, cup of coffee in hand. She enables readers to be a fly on the wall as she enacts her experiment and then reflects on where it succeeded and where it did not.

The two subjects that resonated with me most profoundly were the ones she tackles first: Quiet (both actual and virtual) and Mornings. These resonated because they reinforced what I am already on the path to knowing: that these things matter. They are in fact foundational — and yet so easily overlooked. So I appreciated Alex’s artful articulation of why and how they matter, and further, the way she provided ideas for rooting these elements more firmly into my own life.

After thoroughly enjoying my journey alongside Alex as she partook of her 9-month experiment, I came away with a handful of ideas to try on my own, and a heart full of inspiration to buoy me as I follow them through.

Thanks to Baker Books for providing me this book free of charge. All opinions are mine.

After words: What’s one thing you aim to do differently in 2017 than in 2016?