Like all books having to do with homemaking and child-rearing, this one ought to carry a warning label. The important thing to know is you are not expected to follow all the advice. These Mom Books are suggestions only. I sure as heck don't follow all the advice in them. If only you could see the cluttered state of my kitchen right now! However, these books do have beautiful Pearls of Wisdom which you can adopt and adapt to suit your own style of life.;)
Kathy Peel has written a bunch of books and has a wonderful website. She even trains people in how to coach other people in managing their homes. And I'm sure she didn't mean to insult Stay-At-Home Mothers when she titled one of her books The Family Manager's Guide for Working Moms. ALL moms are working moms, of course. Some of us simply do not receive financial compensation.
Chapter One is all about assessing your family's currant situation, making a plan to organize it, and mobilizing the family team to accomplish organization. Naturally, this is the most difficult step. I've found that it's not a one-time event too. Life throws me a curve ball and the next thing I know I'm starting all over again! Kathy does an excellent job of laying out the steps for this. There's no wishy-washy advice.
Chapter Two covers housekeeping. It's not a how-to-scrub-the-toilet section. It's all about organizing your household so that it's user-friendly, easy to keep clean, and easy to get your family to do their share of the work.
Chapter Three concerns the Schedule, daily and weekly. Setting priorities, organizing time, getting things done.
Chapter Four is about the yearly schedule. Everything from back-to-school to seasonal cleaning.
Chapter Five describes how to manage special occasions, like throwing a party and traveling.
Chapter Six is a bonus section on the holidays, like how to survive Christmas with your yuletide cheer intact.
I've found having a notebook is essential to keeping track of all this. I call it my 'Dump Book' because I dump all my thoughts into it. Unfortunately, my Dump Book has mutated into three Dump Books over the summer. I'm going shopping for a new one, just one, that I can carry in my purse at all times.
As mentioned, Kathy Peel has written a bunch of books on similar topics, so pop over to her website to learn more. http://www.familymanager.com/
The Family Manager's Creed
I oversee an organization-
Where hundreds of decisions are made daily,
Where property and resources are managed,
Where healthy and nutritional needs are determined,
Where finances and futures are discussed and debated,
Where projects are planned and events are arranged,
Where transportation and scheduling are critical,
Where team-building is a priority,
Where careers begin and end.
I oversee an organization.
I am a Family Manager.
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