A Sane Woman's Guide To Raising A Family

First off, if you're a mom of many who wants a book to help you figure out how to stretch that last dollar and still make sure everyone's needs are taken care of, this is not that book. Chapter two, the one that discusses money, is written more toward folks who aren't sure they can afford more than one or two kids. The tips, though great, are general and pretty basic for those who are used to frugality already. How to apply these tips is not explained, though a couple of references for frugality are given.Also, this is not a book for families with lots of children who are dealing with space issues and don't own their own home. The Ostyns, according to her book, got a lucky break and were able to sell the house before the one she talks about at twice the amount it was worth. Because of that, they were able to modify their next house, and, as of when this book was written, added on two bedrooms, converted one room into another bedroom, as well as converted a small space into a "toothbrush room". Don't get me wrong. If I owned my own house, I would be drooling over the tips she has in that chapter. They're all very creative, doable, and inspiring. If you own your home. The tips she mentioned that didn't have to do with renovation were the concept of de-cluttering, the type of washer she finds helpful, and an examination of which toys are really worth it. Since we don't own our home, I've already been decluttering, and we don't have the money for a new washer, the toy tip was the only thing that really helped me in that chapter.The other chapters regarding the "how" aspect of a large family, the practical day-to-day running of one, seem mostly focused on those moms who feel having more than one or two children will deprive their kids in some way. So, chapters four and five which cover kids' activities and vacations were interesting but not currently applicable since our family has already gone over this ground. Chapter six is kind of a wrap-up of the previous chapters because it goes deep into the idea of the "Supermom myth" from the point of view of a "mega-mom".And here's where the book really resonated with me: the emotional side to having a large family. The best part of the book for me were the stories about the comments people make once a couple decide to have more than two kids, the realization that people will either look at you as a saint or a loony but never a normal mom, the multiplication of chaos that can happen along with the multiplication of noises and needs, as well as the terror that your kids will turn into one large mass of limbs and arms that no one will ever want near their house. And she addresses how to quiet those fears, deal with those issues, and hopefully turn out children who are an even greater asset to their community because they had to learn to compromise and get along with others from an early age. The highlight of this aspect of the book was when she deals with the problem of time for a couple to reconnect. Again, the tips in these chapters are brief, but very refreshing. The concluding chapter of the book really ties all that up, showing the strengths of a large family in a more essay format by relating vignettes from her, Mary Ostyn's, life. This book will always stay in my personal library for that chapter alone.The only chapter that didn't really seem to have a place regarded the importance of being that involved parent when it comes to school, no matter what kind of schooling you choose. The flag tip is useful both for a mom helping children with homework as well as a homeschooling mom with several kids at the table. Her thoughts on "gaps" in education are pretty interesting.Overall, this book seems to be written for those who are thinking about having a large family but aren't sure if it's possible. For someone like me, a mom of seven, it wasn't as helpful. If I were giving it a rating based on how helpful it was to me, I'd give it three stars. However, since I don't seem to be the intended audience, and she really does an excellent job being honest about the realities of raising a large family while clearly showing it's not only doable but maybe even desirable, I'm giving it four stars.For moms of many who want more detailed information, I'd recommend visiting her blog, [...]. I looked at it after I read the book and it seems to be more what I need right now.

A Sane Woman's Guide to Raising a Large Family ~ A Real Life Book For Real Life Moms.When I saw this book, I knew right away I just had to have it.If you are looking for a book full of Bible verses and spiritual encouragement, then this is NOT the book for you. I LOVE books that have Bible verses and spiritual encouragement, and I bought one of those at the same time as this one. But what I needed was the message this book contained. This book is full of practical wisdom and advice from a mom of ten kids.Right away I appreciated the fact that the author, Mary Ostyn, although having ten kids herself, realized that a "large" family in this day and age really consists of anyone with three or more children. She wasn't snobby about those that had less children than she does. Her ideas are tried and tested ideas that work not only for her ten children, but for families with three or four.I felt that "A Sane Woman's Guide to Raising a Large Family" to be THE most encouraging practical book that I have read yet on raising a family. The Spiritual encouragement books have their place, but so also do the books like this full of practical encouragement from Christian moms, as it is often the practical that bogs us down and begins to affect the spiritual. I find that if I am not so overwhelmed practically, I am not so overwhelmed spiritually either.I don't believe that there are many books out there like this one, and the ones that are out there aren't as good. As a Christian mom, I'd rather read practical advice from a Christian mom. All moms, Christian or otherwise, have wisdom to share, but I believe that Christian moms will have even richer wisdom to share.Mrs Ostyn's book is fulfilling a great need for the older women to teach the younger to love their husband and children, as they are instructed in Titus 2.I also liked the fact that Mrs Ostyn talks about how she integrated her adopted children into her family. For any mom who has adopted or is interested in adopting, this is a great book also.There are plenty of ideas in this book, such as: how to make more space rather than just moving to a bigger house, which toys are a good buy and which are not, cutting back on finances, kid's activities, vacations with a large family, things to worry about and things to just let slide, etc. This advice is from a mom who is living the daily reality of ten children...six of whom are adopted. It's a real life book for real life moms.

I read this book over the course of two nights. Which considering I am usually so outrageously exhausted, after caring for my 4.5 yo DD, almost 3 yo DS, and being pregnant with my third, that I fall asleep promptly upon beginning a new read. Let me start by saying that I simply loved this book.My husband and I want a large family; along the lines of 5 or 6 children. I never say that though because I am already given sideways glances for being pregnant with a third when I already have a "girl and a boy," as Mary writes about. Her conversational, practical, and easy to read writing style made me head over to her blog and devour it... with a notebook next to my computer.The book doesn't give a bunch of lists and tons of and tons of individual pieces of advice. But, it anecdotally empowered me say it's ok that I simultaneously want a large family, that I can manage it, and I don't have to be perfect. Mary has a strong Christian belief system, which I don't, but I appreciated the book - it is not preachy at all.She provides examples of experience and advice from other moms as well as herself. After reading the book, we decided to move the kids toys to the downstairs Florida room and it has worked out better. When I have a home with a utility room, I love the ideas shared about handling laundry.I have been considering homeschooling and after reading this book, I have a much greater confidence in it. As for adoption - it wasn't really on my mind until I read this book and it led to an open dialogue with my husband about it.I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

I've got 3 kids so far and found this book very helpful! It's very down to earth writing, and makes you look toward to more children

I really enjoyed this book. I'm about to have 3 under 4 and I got some wonderful tips about surviving! The chapters on parenting stress really made me feel normal - like I wasn't a terrible mother for wanting bedtime to come quicker, or fed up playing with Lego. I was also impressed with just how multi-cultural this book was: I live in Scotland and very often Christian parenting books are very geared towards Americans. Pretty much everything Mary said was applicable to me.

i really liked this book as it gave an insight into how a big family works,i admire the woman in the book, she is an inspiration.

Brilliant, entertaining and inspiring.