40 boy-approved books

Gift Guide: 40 Books Your Boys Will Love

November 14, 2018

As a mom of 3 boys, I’ve noticed some books DEFINITELY appeal to boys more than others — and when you’re trying to get an active boy to slow down enough to dive into a book, you want something that’s going to hold his attention. Here are 40 tried-and-true books approved by the boys in this house.

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Hi, I'm Lyndsey! Just trying to navigate this wild & crazy life as a boymom x3 - join me on a mission to raise good men!

Hi, I'm Lyndsey! Just trying to navigate this wild & crazy life as a boymom x3 - join me on a mission to raise good men!

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#boymom_screentime

#boymominseattle

#boymomsandpodcasts

#boymombookrecs

#boymomspotlight

Remember my post about The Soul of Discipline by Kim John Payne? I ran out of room to share my FAVORITE part. (Find the first post here: #booksforboymoms)
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Most of the book talks about those three phases of parenting — Governor, Gardener & Guide — but at the end there's a whole section on parenting in this digital age. SO much good stuff!
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I loved what he wrote about screens — he's not ANTI-screens, he's PRO-human relationships & PRO-family connections. 🙌🏼👊🏼 #AMEN It's fun to use screens within reason, but just make sure you're not doing it at the expense of quality time.
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He also shared two great (screen-free) ways to really connect with your kids:
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💥 SLOW + SEE — Slow down your pace, pause what you're doing and really stop to observe your child. Don't say much — just see them for a minute, notice what they're doing, have a minute in your busy day to connect.
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💥 PARALLEL PARKING — Take your work and go sit next to your kid when they're reading, playing, whatever. Just show them that you enjoy being with them — and that it’s fun to work on separate things, together, just because you love the shared time.
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I've been trying to do both of these things (when I remember — and when we’re not all totally SICK of being together #snowmageddon 😬😉) — I notice their latest LEGO creation, or bring my own book to their Dog Man reading marathon, or take a second to make eye contact and really listen to their latest story. So far it's really helped me slow down time a bit and actually enjoy my kids, instead of just rushing through the day. 💙
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#connecting_with_boys
📷: @taylorandersonphoto

FEBRUARY AT DISNEYLAND ✨ | The big news this month is that they're celebrating Valentine's Day *and* Get Your Ears On. And, princess dining is back. 🎉 Oh, and it's been raining a lot. FYI:
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💗 Disneyland is celebrating Valentine's Day until Feb. 18 with super cute photo backdrops (👆🏼), decorations, a scavenger hunt and LOTS of yummy treats. 😋
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🎊 Get Your Ears On is a fun celebration of Mickey's 90th birthday, going on this spring — if you see Mickey & Minnie wearing lots of polka dots, now you know why. 😍 Here's what's this means:
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A) Mickey's Mix Magic, a new nightly laser & lights show (fireworks are now only on weekends & select nights 💥😔) — watch it on Main Street for the best view;
B) an updated Mickey's Soundsational Parade;
C) new Mickey & Minnie merchandise & decorations everywhere; and
D) sooo much new Mickey food & treats (macarons with pop rocks 😳) — you can actually grab a separate Food Guide to help you find everything. 👏🏼
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👑 After closing down the Princess Dining last year, Disneyland FINALLY announced a new one: Princess Breakfast Adventures begins March 30 at the Napa Rose restaurant (inside the Grand Californian hotel). IMHO, character dining is the BEST way to meet characters because they come around to your table to "chat" & snap pics, so much easier than trying to chase them all around the parks! ❤️ There are other character meals too (non-princess related — #boymom): one at each of the hotels, plus a daily breakfast at the Plaza Inn on Main Street U.S.A.
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🍴PRO TIP: You can make dining reservations up to 60 days before your visit (highly recommended for character dining!) — just call (714) 781-DINE. 👊🏼
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☔️ And, if you're there on a rainy day, don't be sad! Rain usually chases most of the crowds away, so it's a major blessing in disguise. 🙌🏼 But also, I live in Seattle, sooo....rain is not a big deal. 😜
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Craving more Disneyland goodness?! Go here 👉🏼 #boymomatdisneyland
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📷: @everythingdisney.55 (a GREAT Disneyland account to follow!)

This week has NOT been pretty. Snowmageddon is getting to all of us. 🤬😤😑😒 But, today felt different.
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We managed to celebrate a pretty low-key Valentine’s Day — heart-shaped food and our “secret” mailbox notes to say what we love about each other. We also (‼️) made it to the gym, played at McDonald’s and had a visit from good friends — we’re almost feeling back to normal. 😅
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Even though I woke up grumpy today, as soon as I started setting out our valentines stuff I felt better. The kids perked up as they wrote their love notes and marveled at the pink sprinkles I put on their pancakes. 🤣 There really is such power in family traditions & rituals — they can bring you together, even during the worst case of cabin fever to hit Seattle in 50 years. 🤣
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Happy Valentine’s Day! 💕💜 How did you celebrate today?

Video games have a thing called DEFAULT SETTINGS — a standard set of controls (or lack thereof) that come automatically built in to the console or game. Usually they're pretty loose and open, since the object of gaming is to appeal to as many people as possible. In last week's #boymom_videogamehacks we showed you how to change your Xbox default settings to the Child or Teen options — giving you (and your kids) better control over what they see & share.
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Defaults exist in real life, too — I noticed this recently at the gym. Our YMCA has two child care options — one for babies & young kids, one called the Hub for tweens. When we first signed up at the Y, the Hub was FULL of board games, hands-on sports and fun activities for kids...and also an Xbox. *Every* time I walked by, I saw every kid in there huddled around the TV. 🙄 I’m sure the YMCA people added it thinking it would be simply another fun thing, something anyone could do — a default option. But those video games were too appealing and sucked kids in like moths to a flame.
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My oldest boy only went to the Hub twice before I put a note in the comment box asking the Y to remove the Xbox. 😂 Why send my kid there for MORE screen time, when we've worked hard to set limits on that at home? Apparently a lot of other parents complained too — the Xbox was gone in a matter of weeks. 💪🏼
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Having video games (or screens in general) can be the default for so many of us. They're fun, they give us some alone time, "everyone" plays. But it's our job as moms to AVOID THE DEFAULTS. Don't go along with things just because they're easy or popular. Take a closer look and decide if the "normal" way of doing things is actually right for you. If it's not, don't be afraid to make a change. Who knows, you might be paving the way for others to follow. 👊🏼
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In today's Stories we're showing you how to do Custom settings on your console. You've seen the Child & Teen "default" options (those kind of defaults can be really helpful, don't discount those 🤣) BUT if you want to be a little more hands-on about the settings — this is for you.
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Tag a friend 👇🏼 who's ready to make a change. 💙

Remember how I said we’d only get 10 school days this month?? Well, that was generous. ❄️⛄️ After this week we’re down to 7...and that’s assuming we go back to our regular schedule next week, but I’ve seen ANOTHER storm lurking in the forecast. 😱🤬😱
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We’ve been staying busy, but my boys have been at each other’s throats a lot and the whole family is tense from cabin fever. Most roads are icy & we live on a big hill, so it’s hard to get places. I’m losing patience reeeeal quick. 😅😅 BUT — today, I’m just trying to count my blessings and see the good in all this.
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Here are a few things I’m thankful for:
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🙏🏻 Our power hasn’t gone out
🙏🏻 We have a GREAT snow shovel
🙏🏻 A community that has been off the charts with acts of kindness — neighbors helping neighbors, everyone checking on each other
🙏🏻 My city’s awesome job trying to keep things running & sharing info
🙏🏻 My early-morning routine that still gives me SOME alone time 😅
🙏🏻 A good husband who took the kids to work with him on the ONE day he’s gone into the office over the past 2 weeks 🙏🏻 Lots of quality family time (some would say TOO much 😜) with no schedules or obligations — we’ve definitely made some memories this week.
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What’s something YOU are thankful for today?