The Busy Couple's Guide to Sharing the Work & the Joy
4.4
5
5
5
Even though I have been married twenty years and have five children, our family has many areas of disorganization which honestly could use some helpful tips from a talented family manager in order to make our lives more functional and less stressed--while remaining focused on positive family relationships. This book is packed full of suggestions to help reign in common areas of chaos in American homes. Yet somehow Kathy manages to organize her own family and household in ways which encourage family togetherness as well as mutual responsibility and independence.Peel breaks down the average family's responsibilities into Seven Family Manager Departments: * Time and scheduling * Home and property * Menus and Meals * Family and Friends * Finances * Special Events * Self-ManagementEven though our family is fairly functional in a number of these departments, at least two of them could use some extra help! My favorite chapter was "Managing Relationships With Family and Friends." Although I think we are doing fairly well in this area, in this chapter Peel includes some great ideas for fostering intimacy with your spouse as well as ideas for spending quality time with your children, with separate suggestions based on ages as well as available time for an activity. Perhaps my only critique of this book from my personal perspective is that it is written to an "average American family" audience. I did notice quite a few tips which were obviously geared to a family whose children attend school outside the home, and in some sections it seemed to be addressing a household in which mother works outside the home. However, those areas which did not apply to my own household were few, and the tips I have gleaned have been many. This book was provided for review by Tyndale.
January 20, 2010
Let me start by saying I LOVED this book. It was such an easy read. I read it all in one day. That gave me a chance to read it again. Another reason I liked this book is you can read any chapter in any order and still get all the information from it. Kathy's husband Bill also puts in the man's point of view through out the book. Right off I knew I was going to get a lot of helpful hints from this book. Why? Because right in the first chapter there is a form you can copy and use. Instead of To-Do lists she suggests you use this "Weekly hit list". I love the sound of that and so does my family. There is a spot for weekly time and scheduling. Then there is boxes for different areas of family management. We are placing it in our home management binder. Time management is our families biggest problem is time management. Kathy's book is full of useful information that I pray our family will use. With everything from time management to managing family relationships there is something in this book for everyone. Each chapter is full of helpful charts and forms to help your family become more organized. I just wish I had read something like this years ago. I HIGHLY recommend this book.Tyndale has provided me with a copy of this book free for review.
January 9, 2010
The Busy Couple's Guide to Sharing the Work and the Joy was not at all what I expected. I did expect tips on how to manage the household as a married couple, but this went beyond that in a very helpful and practical way. This book was better than I expected! Kathy, along with some tips from her husband, Bill, has written an easy-to-read and an easy-to-use book that will help any couple think through seven areas of every day life. It is packed full of tips, and advice, along with recommendations for resources, and simple worksheets to aid in organizing your life. The seven areas of management are: -Your Time and Schedule -Your Home and Property -Menus and Meals -Relationships with Family and Friends -Finances -Special Events -Yourself This book is great to read by yourself or with your spouse. If you have a spouse that does not like to read you may still be able to get them to look at a section or two. Kathy has broken the content down into fun sections within the chapters which can be read in a minute or two. The Busy Couple's Guide can be read by any couple - newlyweds or couples ready to celebrate 20 years, and by those with kids or without kids. There is help in here for whatever stage of marriage you are in. It would also be a good book for engaged couples to read through before marriage. Kathy and Bill bring up topics and questions that most couples would not think of until it becomes the focus of an argument! While organization and household management can be weighty topics for some, this book will have your relaxing while reading about it all. The sidebars offer quick and catchy tips of various kinds through out the book and the layout is smooth and refreshing. The Busy Couple's Guid to Sharing the Work and the Joy should be in every couple's marriage toolbox. * * * * * This review copy was courtesy of Tyndale House Publishers.
January 6, 2010
I wish someone had given me this book 19 years - before I got married. It's amazing how, over the years, you can realize how very different you are from your spouse when it comes to your thoughts and ideas on how things should be managed in your household. In The Busy Couple's Guide ... Kathy Peel talks you through all that. The book even includes worksheets to work through with your spouse that will help you discuss your thoughts on certain areas and why you feel that way. It will help you learn how to best join your ideas into one way that will be workable for both of you, and your whole family. One area that I admit that I struggle in is getting my children to help with daily chores around the house. This book helps with that! I also hate talking about money. This book helps with that as well - there are discussion ideas for discovering your family's "financial policy", seven financial mistakes to avoid, and various worksheets to lead your family to financial success (without stress).Some other areas of this book that I'm looking forward to reading more in depth are the managing relationships with family and friends and managing YOURSELF (I need that one!) This is a book that you can pick up and read through from beginning and end, or you can pick and choose which sections you want to read, in which order, depending on your immediate needs. Men will appreciate the extra notes dispersed throughout the book, compliments of Kathy's husband, Bill Peel. Another fun feature are the extra tidbits of information in the sidebars of the book - these are under headings such as "from the heart", "good to know", "smart move", "tech tip", and "caution!" If you want to start 2010 off with some new habits for your family - things to make your lives and your household more manageable, then I would recommend The Busy Couple's Guide to Sharing the Work & the Joy.
January 5, 2010
Welcome to Christianbook.com! Sign in or create an account
Cart
0 items
Checkout
We now accept PayPalfor ALL orders
Limited Time Price)
