What do you think?
Rate this book
The Busy Mom's Guide to a Happy, Organized Home: Fast Solutions to Hundreds of Everyday Dilemmas
“How can I reduce sibling bickering?” “Can I plan a memorable birthday party without breaking the bank?” “How do I display my faith in God to my children?” When busy moms have questions like these, they need answers . . . fast. Kathy Peel, America's Family Manager, offers moms quick solutions and practical advice in The Busy Mom's Guide to a Happy, Organized Home, an easy-access reference guide that covers all of the key questions asked by women who want to be the best moms possible. Containing a comprehensive index, helpful checklists and charts, and an extensive list of online resources, moms will turn to The Busy Mom's Guide to a Happy, Organized Home to guide them from bewilderment and confusion to confidence and maturity as they perform the important job God has called them to do.
336 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2008
7 people are currently reading
87 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
Read
March 29, 2010http://orgjunkie.com/2010/03/golden-r...
The Most Important Things to Remember
1. People are more important than things.
2. There are no standards but your own. Every family has to decide how clean is clean enough.
3. The more you accumulate, the more you have to clean and maintain -and the more time it takes to do it.
4. When your kids grow up and leave home, they won’t remember if the towels were folded in perfect 16-inch squares in the linen closet; they will remember if your home was a good place to be and if Mom was a fun person.
5. If you have a choice between taking a family vacation or buying new furniture, go for the vacation. The furniture will end up in a garage sale one day; the memories of the trip will last forever.
6. Everyone who lives under the roof of a home should contribute to its upkeep.
7. If a teenager is an expert at text messaging, he can become an expert at using the washing machine. A man who can program a PDA to remind him of his tee time can program a PDA to remind him to pick up the dry cleaning.
8. Mess causes stress. Getting your home in order will help you get your life in order.
9. There’s no such thing as perfection. Giving up trying to make your home perfect is the first step toward making it a good place to be.
10. The choices you make about your home involve a lot more than wall color and window treatments. Home is where human beings develop. It’s a place to restore souls, find shelter from outside pressures, grow support for talents, and receive inspiration, comfort, and aid.
The Most Important Things to Remember
1. People are more important than things.
2. There are no standards but your own. Every family has to decide how clean is clean enough.
3. The more you accumulate, the more you have to clean and maintain -and the more time it takes to do it.
4. When your kids grow up and leave home, they won’t remember if the towels were folded in perfect 16-inch squares in the linen closet; they will remember if your home was a good place to be and if Mom was a fun person.
5. If you have a choice between taking a family vacation or buying new furniture, go for the vacation. The furniture will end up in a garage sale one day; the memories of the trip will last forever.
6. Everyone who lives under the roof of a home should contribute to its upkeep.
7. If a teenager is an expert at text messaging, he can become an expert at using the washing machine. A man who can program a PDA to remind him of his tee time can program a PDA to remind him to pick up the dry cleaning.
8. Mess causes stress. Getting your home in order will help you get your life in order.
9. There’s no such thing as perfection. Giving up trying to make your home perfect is the first step toward making it a good place to be.
10. The choices you make about your home involve a lot more than wall color and window treatments. Home is where human beings develop. It’s a place to restore souls, find shelter from outside pressures, grow support for talents, and receive inspiration, comfort, and aid.
October 8, 2009
So, I am a big clutter bug. I really have turned over a new leaf, but with a husband that wont get rid of anything and two kids it is a struggle. I am ALWAYS trying to get organized to no avail. I have bought lots of get organized books that just frustrate me more.
However, This is a Great reference book with many ideas for getting organized. I have implemented her "command center" idea of having one spot for folders for important categories. I went to Ikea and got magazine holders for the bookshelf in my kitchen and put a name or category on each one. It has proven to work great for keeping up with school papers, calendars, handbooks. For once in my life I can find a paper I am looking for.
So, there are a ton of other ideas for managing your life and getting organized. Very practical.
However, This is a Great reference book with many ideas for getting organized. I have implemented her "command center" idea of having one spot for folders for important categories. I went to Ikea and got magazine holders for the bookshelf in my kitchen and put a name or category on each one. It has proven to work great for keeping up with school papers, calendars, handbooks. For once in my life I can find a paper I am looking for.
So, there are a ton of other ideas for managing your life and getting organized. Very practical.
May 28, 2010
While I found some of the tips to be things that I already do, I found many more useful tips. Many were things that I thought, "why haven't I figured that out yet?" It just seemed so obvious! LOL This book is filled with lots of useful things to help make running the household much easier. Well, maybe not easier, but less stressful.
One thing I didn't like was that I got the impression that Peel thinks the home/kids/family domain are solely the mother's job. That the man works for his family, and that clears him of responsibility on the home front. I'm not sure that's exactly her thoughts, but that was the impression I got. I don't like that. Not one bit. A job is (generally) only 40 hours per week. Maintenance of the home and care for the children is a job that takes 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 52 weeks per year. There is NO WAY I can do it ALL without at least SOME help from my husband! I know that as the kids get older they can help more, but still. What kind of example is it to them if they see Mom working CONSTANTLY around the home, and Dad's always relaxing? They don't generally get to see him AT work, so I don't think it would send a good message if he wasn't doing things around the house.
Anyway, as I said before, overall this was a helpful book filled with a lot of great tips. I will reference it often when tackling various things that I think could use a new approach.
One thing I didn't like was that I got the impression that Peel thinks the home/kids/family domain are solely the mother's job. That the man works for his family, and that clears him of responsibility on the home front. I'm not sure that's exactly her thoughts, but that was the impression I got. I don't like that. Not one bit. A job is (generally) only 40 hours per week. Maintenance of the home and care for the children is a job that takes 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 52 weeks per year. There is NO WAY I can do it ALL without at least SOME help from my husband! I know that as the kids get older they can help more, but still. What kind of example is it to them if they see Mom working CONSTANTLY around the home, and Dad's always relaxing? They don't generally get to see him AT work, so I don't think it would send a good message if he wasn't doing things around the house.
Anyway, as I said before, overall this was a helpful book filled with a lot of great tips. I will reference it often when tackling various things that I think could use a new approach.
May 12, 2010
MY REVIEW:
Are you feeling overwhelmed?
Do you feel like you are always busy?
Do you long for way to simplify your life?
If you answered yes to any or all of these questions then The Busy Mom's Guide could be the book of the year for you!
In an easy reading format this book provides help and encouragement for the organized and unorganized Mom alike. It is fun to read straight through or easy to read in any order you need. It also is a great book to read a page a day with-out feeling like you're lost. Kathy breaks life down into 7 manageable categories and then provides a variety of helpful tips and ideas to make each of those categories work better in your life. Whether you browse the book or read from cover to cover, this book is for you! It is a great addition to anyone's personal bookshelf and one that you will go back to over and over through out the years of motherhood as you fine tune your home and routines.
I liked the easy read format along with the index for quick finds if searching for tips on a particular subject. I also enjoyed all the sidebar tips, tricks, and tid-bits. Kathy has truly given you fast solutions to hundreds of everyday dilemmas!
* * * * *
This review copy was provided by Tyndale House Publishing, but the opinions expressed are strictly that of my own.
Are you feeling overwhelmed?
Do you feel like you are always busy?
Do you long for way to simplify your life?
If you answered yes to any or all of these questions then The Busy Mom's Guide could be the book of the year for you!
In an easy reading format this book provides help and encouragement for the organized and unorganized Mom alike. It is fun to read straight through or easy to read in any order you need. It also is a great book to read a page a day with-out feeling like you're lost. Kathy breaks life down into 7 manageable categories and then provides a variety of helpful tips and ideas to make each of those categories work better in your life. Whether you browse the book or read from cover to cover, this book is for you! It is a great addition to anyone's personal bookshelf and one that you will go back to over and over through out the years of motherhood as you fine tune your home and routines.
I liked the easy read format along with the index for quick finds if searching for tips on a particular subject. I also enjoyed all the sidebar tips, tricks, and tid-bits. Kathy has truly given you fast solutions to hundreds of everyday dilemmas!
* * * * *
This review copy was provided by Tyndale House Publishing, but the opinions expressed are strictly that of my own.
June 2, 2010
I don't know of any woman who wouldn't like to be more together and organized in her own home, myself included! I'd heard of Kathy Peel but this is the first book of hers that I've read.
This is a fabulous addition to any home library. I do think it could be a bit overwhelming if you tried to read and implement everything all at once, as it's a dense book, packed with all sorts of information and home management tools. This is a great book for someone just starting out with home organization, and it's also good for someone who has a system in place, but is looking for helps or hints.
My favorite part of each chapter? The Most Important Things to Remember pages. I have come away with so many tidbits of wisdom from those pages. I so need to remember these two morsels specifically, "Don't let the things that matter least to you rob time from the things that matter most." and "The minutes of your day come with a choice: Only you can decide how you'll spend them."
Overall, a terrific resource for anyone wishing to inject some order into their homes and lives.
This is a fabulous addition to any home library. I do think it could be a bit overwhelming if you tried to read and implement everything all at once, as it's a dense book, packed with all sorts of information and home management tools. This is a great book for someone just starting out with home organization, and it's also good for someone who has a system in place, but is looking for helps or hints.
My favorite part of each chapter? The Most Important Things to Remember pages. I have come away with so many tidbits of wisdom from those pages. I so need to remember these two morsels specifically, "Don't let the things that matter least to you rob time from the things that matter most." and "The minutes of your day come with a choice: Only you can decide how you'll spend them."
Overall, a terrific resource for anyone wishing to inject some order into their homes and lives.
July 18, 2009
This book was okay - there was nothing new or profound for me in it. I definitely liked the first half better than the last half of the book. There were some good reminders in there for me. I felt the author put a bit too much on how to parent in the family section, rather than keeping the emphasis on being an organized parent. Also, a little too many references to god and religion for my liking.
February 1, 2010
I mostly skimmed this book...I always feel this desire to read an organization book at the beginning of the new year to get me back on track. I liked her ideas about running your home like a business (with goals, visions, purposes, priorities etc) and taking the time to nail down those priorities so it's reflective in how you run your home. But in terms the nitty-gritty organization techniques...I think "Confessions of an Organized Homemaker" is much better reference.
April 13, 2011
Overall, she had some great ideas. I especially liked how she viewed mothers as "family managers" and the 7 different areas we manage. Some of the ideas I definitely want to take to heart. It could be easy to feel overwhelmed reading this book in all that you can do/have the option to do, but I just read it with thinking of options, not thinking I had to do every single thing. Also a great list of Web sites at the end for each section.
August 28, 2009
This had a lot of great ideas for getting organized. Of course we're not all the same so some things work and some things don't. I like her approach to family organization--that it's not just a way for mom to rule everything, it gets everyone involved--and I love that she has strong Christian values that factor into planning.
November 18, 2010
(Non-Fiction Mothering-Organization) Many of the chapters in this book felt like they could have appeared in women's magazines. My favorite parts of this book were Peel's "Things to Remember" in each chapter. They are great reminders of how moms should prioritize the things in our life and they help moms remember what's the most important.
May 10, 2014
I think I was just the wrong audience for this book. I was looking for a book more specifically on decluttering and organizing your home and possessions. This book was more about organizing your life (i.e. keeping your kids' appointments straight), although it does touch on decluttering.
February 6, 2009
I'm trying to read this, but I'm wondering about a book for busy mom's that is as densely packed as this one is.
February 14, 2009
There are lots of great tips that I have come across so far.
March 28, 2009
I love reading organizational books. She has lots of good ideas
April 7, 2011
Good advice, some things that would really work for me. But there are a few things that work only if you have good time to spare.
March 28, 2016
Practical tips on how to manage your home ..and be the best home maker you want to be ... Loved especially the chapters on Time management, Home and property management ... managing yourself ...
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews