I’ve become a little obsessed with reading, really. When I was in primary school my sister and I were convinced we could read every book in the school library. I don’t think we came close, but it instilled a love of reading and learning in me. I want this to spill over into my family!

Over the years it’s gotten harder and harder to find reading time, especially without feeling guilty when there are so many other things to do with a young family. BUT, I’ve finally reclaimed ME TIME and ensure I get to pick up a book every day, even for a brief time. Not only do I get to expand my mind, it’s also an escape with some relaxation. The better mental shape I’m in, the better mental shape my whole family is in!

You can learn so much from reading too including new words and expanding your vocabulary. I decided to pick a 1243 page book, Shogun, to learn about 17th Century Japan and get some new words. I’m halfway through it and have now decided our family must go on a trip to Japan – think big and dream bigger!

I like reading a few books at once and make sure I always have some good fiction in there along with self-help, health, business and fiction. My interests keep expanding and often listening to podcasts is where I find out some good book titles to keep me going. If you find a book you love, see if the author has other titles you might like or ask friends to recommend stuff they love. I just finished ‘In Order to Live’ by Yeonmi Park about a North Korean woman who escapes to South Korea despite many struggles. It was beyond inspiring and I love learning through stories as they mean so much more and you remember and retain more.

We have introduced 10 minute reading time every night in our family at 730pm in our living room. It’s mostly for my husband who struggles to pick up a book, but loves it once he does. We’re both being great role models for our kids and it gives us even more things to talk about as a family. Do you find a way to fit reading into your day? How do you do it?