I Just Wish I Had a Bigger Kitchen by Kate Strickler

 

Summary (from the publisher): In a social-media saturated world, it's all too easy to see the shiny lives of others and find your own less than lustrous. And while most women won't admit they're unhappy, they will tell you they just wish. "I love my life! I just wish ____." After ten-plus years of professional life online, Kate Strickler, founder of Naptime Kitchen, has experienced the many ways we see a life on the other side of the screen—and wish it were our own.

Setting out to fight the lie that what she had wasn't enough, Kate discovered simple perspective shifts that ultimately helped her fall in love with the life she already had. Here she shares the small changes you can make that add up to a whole new outlook on life. With her trademark real-life tips and life hacks mixed with humor and stories she's never shared before, Kate helps you identify and dismantle ten lies about relationships, money, time, and home life. As you discover how to live and mother in ways that work for you and your family, you'll stop just wishing your life away—and begin to truly enjoy the one you already have.

Review: "Folks are usually about as happy as they make up their minds to be." - generally attributed to Abraham Lincoln.

Part memoir, part self-help, this insightful book provides a beautiful reflection on life. I have followed Kate Strickler of Naptime Kitchen for years and love her mix of funny, down to earth, relatable content, clever hacks, and deep meditations on a life well lived. She brings all that and more to this book, which is deeply personal and revelatory. She opens the book talking about how easy it is to compare ourselves to others in the age of social media. But then goes on to have chapters that talk about various areas in her life and her own personal struggles and how different shifts in perspectives have helped improve her overall outlook.

This is not the first book written by an 'influencer' that I have read. In fact, it's not the only one I have read this month! But it by far the best I have come across. This goes beyond the surface level. Kate shares intimate stories from her life from her loneliness in her early college years to moments of irritation with her husband to her postpartum struggles with her fourth child. I deeply appreciated Kate's willingness to be vulnerable and share her truths in her writing. I felt like Kate was inviting us into her home, much like she does on her Instagram account, and showing us the good, bad, and the ugly. She reflects on the type of mom, friend, wife, and general person she wants to be and how she wants to be remembered and in doing so, encourages her readers to be reflective about their own lives and how they approach them.  

I listened to this on audio, which was read by the author herself. I loved hearing her stories in her own voice! It made it feel like I was just listening to a long audio message from a friend. I also loved the quotes that opened each chapter, that beautifully summed up the content of the upcoming chapter. 

Stars: 6