Emilie's Creative Home Organizer

Rating:
Summary: Not what I'd hoped for................
Review: As a busy mom who is an organizer at heart, I am always looking for hints for staying even more organized. I was really looking forward to receiving this book. However, I was very disappointed when I began "reading" it. Each chapter in this book is basically a list of "bullets". It is very scattered and not at all entertaining or creative in it's design. I'm sure there is much wisdom, as the other reviews suggest, but it would take forever to read through each bullet to try to find something that might apply to me. When I sat down to read it, I felt as though I was reading someone else's notes that they jotted down as ideas came to them. For example, in the section for children, she has a hint about homework followed by a hint about gardens, using timers, games, and desserts. It's not that these aren't good ideas, they are just not organized in a user-friendly way. Emilie seems to be a very sweet woman, who does have her priorities straight and does have good ideas, she just needs to find a better writer/publisher for this book. In short, this is the most unorganized book on organizing that I have ever seen.

Rating:
Summary: Emilie will be your personal mentor in this detailed book!
Review: As a creative woman who has too much stuff to maintain well. I turn to Emilies Barnes' books over and over for motivation and encouragement to stay the course and make my home the most pleasant place to live, study in, to be hospitable and be able to find things that somehow have disappeared when I need them. She has her priorities straight and has determined that all homes no matter what the size can be organized and she gives easy to follow intructions. The only thing better than having her books handy is her videos *smile* or maybe her living right next door. You'll really learn lots. and then get a copy for the next bride who could use the tips.

Rating:
Summary: it just doesn't deliver
Review: This book will NOT teach you how to organize your home. What it does is offer you (in random order despite the clearly identified chapter titles) a host of tips on things like how to clean up messes and how to choose the "right" checkout lane at the supermarket. That got a whole page (in the chapter on finances)! There are 18 chapters including Cleaning, The Garage, The Automobile (has a section on what to do if your car won't start), Finances (includes the tip--when shopping classified ads use a colored marker to circle ads you're interested in, so you don't have to wade through the paper to find them again later), and even Raising Children and Good Health. The real problem with this book is it's scope is far too broad. Mrs. Barnes tried to give us practical help for every area of our lives. The trouble is, the book title says it's about Home Organizing. Why does it cover how to buy a car (or sell yours)? Most of the book's 300+ pages are devoted to tips for making chores easier and faster. That is NOT organization. If you want a good book for helping you set up your house to deal with clutter and hectic schedules, look elsewhere. If you get a kick out of the kinds of homey tips (how to mend a crack in a china cup with milk) found in ladies' magazines (and have LOTS of time to browse) you may have a winner here. I'm giving the book two stars because it contains SOME useful information. The thing to do though, is to use a highlighter to mark a tip you like so you won't have to wade through the whole book to find it again later!