Rating: 
Summary: Take Your TV to the Goodwill!
Review: "I've heard from many parents who've reported that the best step they've taken to simplify their lives with kids is to get rid of the television altogether. While this is a plan I heartily recommend for simplying anyone's life, I realize it's not a desirable option for many families." So writes Elaine St. James, one of her 100 practical and wise ideas for improving your family life. Through a family vote at a weekly family meeting, seven years ago we took the step of removing TV from our family life, a simple step that has greatly improved the quality of our family life together. "Simplify Your Life With Kids" is a how-to idea book organized under 14 main headings including, The Daily Routine, The Workload, The Plugged-in Family, Simple Discipline Strategies, Conflict, At School. One area she overlooks completely is family spirituality through prayer, devotion, worship and celebration. I still highly recommend this book for the busy parent looking for creative ways to improve your home and deepen your joy as a family. Also recommended: The Family Cloister: Benedictine Wisdom for the Home, by David Robinson (New York: Crossroad, 2000, 192pp., trade paperback)
Rating:
Summary: Take Your TV to the Goodwill!
Review: "I've heard from many parents who've reported that the best step they've taken to simplify their lives with kids is to get rid of the television altogether. While this is a plan I heartily recommend for simplying anyone's life, I realize it's not a desirable option for many families." So writes Elaine St. James, one of her 100 practical and wise ideas for improving your family life. Through a family vote at a weekly family meeting, seven years ago we took the step of removing TV from our family life, a simple step that has greatly improved the quality of our family life together. "Simplify Your Life With Kids" is a how-to idea book organized under 14 main headings including, The Daily Routine, The Workload, The Plugged-in Family, Simple Discipline Strategies, Conflict, At School. One area she overlooks completely is family spirituality through prayer, devotion, worship and celebration. I still highly recommend this book for the busy parent looking for creative ways to improve your home and deepen your joy as a family. Also recommended: The Family Cloister: Benedictine Wisdom for the Home, by David Robinson (New York: Crossroad, 2000, 192pp., trade paperback)
Rating:
Summary: Take Your TV to the Goodwill!
Review: "I've heard from many parents who've reported that the best step they've taken to simplify their lives with kids is to get rid of the television altogether. While this is a plan I heartily recommend for simplying anyone's life, I realize it's not a desirable option for many families." So writes Elaine St. James, one of her 100 practical and wise ideas for improving your family life. Through a family vote at a weekly family meeting, seven years ago we took the step of removing TV from our family life, a simple step that has greatly improved the quality of our family life together. "Simplify Your Life With Kids" is a how-to idea book organized under 14 main headings including, The Daily Routine, The Workload, The Plugged-in Family, Simple Discipline Strategies, Conflict, At School. One area she overlooks completely is family spirituality through prayer, devotion, worship and celebration. I still highly recommend this book for the busy parent looking for creative ways to improve your home and deepen your joy as a family. Also recommended: The Family Cloister: Benedictine Wisdom for the Home, by David Robinson (New York: Crossroad, 2000, 192pp., trade paperback)
Rating:
Summary: Spend time with your children as much as possible
Review: Children grow up so fast. The book gave me a perspective on what is more important in life. What I liked about the book is that she talked about how to make daily routines less stressful and gave suggestions on simple parenting strategies and discipline strategies.
Rating:
Summary: Spend time with your children as much as possible
Review: Children grow up so fast. The book gave me a perspective on what is more important in life. What I liked about the book is that she talked about how to make daily routines less stressful and gave suggestions on simple parenting strategies and discipline strategies.
Rating: 
Summary: This book is bad for kids.
Review: Elaine St James does not have children of her own, but she has co-written this book with Vera Coles-mother of three. Despite Coles' parent perspective, much of the writing seems out-of-touch with the daily lives of most parents. But much more frightening, the authors have not done their child development homework, and many of their suggestions could be harmful to children. St James begins with a description of your typical harried day, which includes having to "rescue your two-year-old from the baby-sitter." Any mother whose typical day includes "rescuing" her two-year-old from child care needs more than to simplify her life. She needs to drop everything and find some better child care! But St James, with no experience in trying to find adequate and affordable child care, doesn't appreciate the magnitude of this problem, and is simply trying to be funny. (Also, most child-care professionals resent being called "babysitters," a term she uses throughout the book, because it does not reflect the care and education caregivers work hard to provide.) On page 7, St. James attempts to deal with the universal problem of separating from your child. As she does repeatedly, St. James approaches this problem with only the parents' needs in mind. Her focus is on streamlining the adult's morning routine, without any mention of the child's needs. She suggests that you (mommy) let daddy take the child during the first few weeks because the child is probably more used to saying good-bye to daddy. The stereotypes in this statement annoyed me, but worse than annoying was her suggestion that you enlist "another adult" to take the child. Separation from parents is one of the most difficult problems children face in child care. It is a process that takes time, and one in which children need support from their most trusted adults. Making your child start a new care situation without you present is cruel. St. James neglects to consider the child's point of view again a few pages later. At the end of a section discussing chores and having children help, she says, "As they get older and become more competent in the kitchen, you can leave the cleanup entirely to the kids and begin your own evening activities." I prefer a family in which everyone helps out, so that everyone can then enjoy activities together. Later, St. James talks about using logical consequences to persuade children to do things like brush teeth. Logical consequences are an excellent way to guide children's behavior, when they are used appropriately and in the right circumstances. However, St. James suggests telling a child he won't get a bedtime story if he doesn't brush his teeth. Bedtime stories are extremely beneficial to young children. Taking them away is not a logical consequence of failing to brush teeth; it is simply piling one injury on top of another. Most of St. James' suggestions worried me, so I welcomed the one that made me laugh. She suggests that you keep your pantry stocked with staples so that you can put meals together quickly without having to run to the store. But some of the staples she suggests-canned tomatoes, olives, olive oil, and spices-wouldn't go over well with my children! Again, she seems to be catering to adult tastes while ignoring those of the children. Simplifying and striving for a less harried life are good goals that are likely to benefit both parents and children. If you are searching for advice on how to accomplish these goals, avoid Simplify Your Life with Kids, or you may end up doing more harm than good.
Rating:
Summary: Every parent could learn something from this book
Review: How did Elaine St. James get so smart? Mothers can't do it all and we shouldn't try. Some of her wisdom I had discovered for myself, but there are half a dozen suggestions which I hope I never forget!
Rating: 
Summary: A Good Read!
Review: I enjoyed this book! Maybe it didn't go indepth as parenting books go but since it seamed to be written for the parent to better simplify THEIR life I enjoyed the book. The short reads were great while slipping into bed! She may not have children but here suggestions take us back to earlier days when life WAS simpiler and more relaxing! I enjoyed her way of looking at things and have used some of her ideas, with success! This book is for the person that WANTS to live a simpiler life and raise there children like our parents were raised.
Rating:
Summary: Terribly Disappointing
Review: I guess this book falls into the category of "never take parenting advice from someone who never had children". I bought this book because I LOVED "Simplify your life" by this author. I found it very helpful. This book, however, was mostly confounding and fairly depressing. While St. James *did* seek out advice from her friends who had children, these friends apparently take a very 'hands off' approach to their kids. The book opens with a scenario in which a mother has forgotten to pick up her child and the child is stranded somewhere late in the evening while she tries to figure out a way to get someone else to go pick him up now that she's home and needs to make dinner. This did not bode well for the rest of the book [for those of us who don't routinely completely forget about our children and leave them alone in public places late at night....] Much of the advice in this book falls into the category of "simplify your life with children by paying someone else to deal with the little brats". There is much about how parents should put their children in day care all day [and don't EVER let your child think they have the ability to cause you to delay your departure because of their pathetic tears, etc, etc, etc] and then get a sitter to care for the children in the evenings so mom can have "Me" time and parents can have "Us" time. Apparently, if you schedule 2 hours of "quality time" on Sunday afternoon with your kids, that's really all they need. There was also a big push to teach the kids "self sufficiency" - as in, your 5 year old really can get his own breakfast so he doesn't "bother" you. I'm all for self sufficient kids and encouraging my children to be strong and independant, but too much of this book was geared towards forcing your kids to basically survive without any parental assistance or interaction - yeah... I guess that would be simplier than actually caring for your kids yourself. At least until they turn 13 and get put in jail for shooting up the school or something. There were a few good ideas in this book, but not nearly enough to warrant wading through all the bad parenting advice and depressing disregard for children's well being. "Shelter for the Spirit" by Victoria Moran includes some great chapters on re-prioritizing and simplifying that are very child-friendly and would lead to strong parent-child relationships. In my opinion, parents would do better to read what Moran has to say and skip this particular book by St. James.
Rating:
Summary: Terribly Disappointing
Review: I guess this book falls into the category of "never take parenting advice from someone who never had children". I bought this book because I LOVED "Simplify your life" by this author. I found it very helpful. This book, however, was mostly confounding and fairly depressing. While St. James *did* seek out advice from her friends who had children, these friends apparently take a very 'hands off' approach to their kids. The book opens with a scenario in which a mother has forgotten to pick up her child and the child is stranded somewhere late in the evening while she tries to figure out a way to get someone else to go pick him up now that she's home and needs to make dinner. This did not bode well for the rest of the book [for those of us who don't routinely completely forget about our children and leave them alone in public places late at night....] Much of the advice in this book falls into the category of "simplify your life with children by paying someone else to deal with the little brats". There is much about how parents should put their children in day care all day [and don't EVER let your child think they have the ability to cause you to delay your departure because of their pathetic tears, etc, etc, etc] and then get a sitter to care for the children in the evenings so mom can have "Me" time and parents can have "Us" time. Apparently, if you schedule 2 hours of "quality time" on Sunday afternoon with your kids, that's really all they need. There was also a big push to teach the kids "self sufficiency" - as in, your 5 year old really can get his own breakfast so he doesn't "bother" you. I'm all for self sufficient kids and encouraging my children to be strong and independant, but too much of this book was geared towards forcing your kids to basically survive without any parental assistance or interaction - yeah... I guess that would be simplier than actually caring for your kids yourself. At least until they turn 13 and get put in jail for shooting up the school or something. There were a few good ideas in this book, but not nearly enough to warrant wading through all the bad parenting advice and depressing disregard for children's well being. "Shelter for the Spirit" by Victoria Moran includes some great chapters on re-prioritizing and simplifying that are very child-friendly and would lead to strong parent-child relationships. In my opinion, parents would do better to read what Moran has to say and skip this particular book by St. James.
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