Are you desperate?

Are you desperate for help in running your home?

I recently read Desperate Households: How to Restore Order and Harmony to Your Life and Home

The author, Kathy Peel, is known as America's Family Manager. What I love most about this book is that Kathy had to learn all the principles herself. She was not naturally a morning person, she ran late, her house was disorganized and messy, and she doesn't cook. It is so refreshing to read about someone who had the same struggles I do and know that with focused time and effort, I have great potential.

Kathy divides home managing into these seven categories:

• Home & Property--overseeing the maintenance and care of all tangible assets, including belongings, house and its surroundings, and your vehicles
• Food--meeting the family's daily food and nutritional needs of your family
• Family & Friends--dealing with relational responsibilities as a parent and spouse, and with extended family, friends, and neighbors
• Finances--managing the budget, bill-paying, saving, investing, and charitable giving
• Special Events--planning and coordinating occasions--birthdays, holidays, vacations, garage sales, family reunions, and celebrations--that fall outside one's normal routine
• Time & Scheduling--managing the family calendar and daily schedule; dispatching the right people to the right place at the right time with the right equipment
• Self-Management--caring for one's body, nurturing the mind and spirit

I felt no condemnation or guilt reading these pages. Instead I felt a desire to soak in all I could to begin making the necessary changes in my home to replace chaos with calm. It's definitely a work in progress and will always be a challenge for me!

It was encouraging to read that although I desire to have a Type A personality, I think God has given me a Type B personality - and that includes how I manage and run my home. I need to recognize that and learn to manage my home in a way that fits my style.

If you find yourself desperate from time to time, (or most of the time!), you may want to check this book out.