As an organizer, I love organizing books and as a mom, I love organizing books. Stacey Crew’s new book, The Organized Mom, combines the best of both worlds.
When I had my daughter, I was in my late 30’s and had absolutely no idea what I was getting into. Oh, I went to the classes, and read the popular books but while those were great for the big picture – I was still amazed at how much I didn’t know and even though I was pretty organized, there was a lot of things I bought that I really didn’t need, and things that didn’t make sense until after I was in the midst of it all.
What I really like about Stacey’s book is that it has a great mix of the warm & fuzzy part of being a mom, and the practical side of what you need to know AND how to do it. So much of being a mom is being organized and having a book like this at your side can be invaluable.
The book is broken into two parts: Organizing Your Home & Organizing For The Baby’s Arrival.
Organizing Your Home encompasses the definitions of organizing, Stacey’s GOPACK method for organizing, and organizing room by room. This is helpful for just about anyone – and as well done as any organizing book I’ve read (and I’ve read a lot!).
Organizing For The Baby’s Arrival spans going to the hospital and coming home to babyproofing to baby’s firsts. This is the part I wish I had when I was pregnant!
Some of my favorite things:
- defining of terms like ‘binky’ and ‘nesting’
- real life stories of how people solved common issues
- super practical and detailed recommendations and ideas
- checklists of what you need (including notations to indicate things that are nice but not necessary)
- diagrams for nursery set up and zones for rooms of the house
- an obvious understanding of what it is to be a mom, and a person with a life before parenthood
- the Appendix that has Worksheets and the one that has Resources
Plus the general philosophy that swirls through the book about having a vision for your life and about being mindful.
A few minor quibbles:
- I may have missed it but the book uses “mom” and “dad” which doesn’t necessarily encompass various permutations of couples such as same sex couples or single parents. However, I suspect this was done for ease of writing and not a deliberate omission.
- The book also appears to make the assumption that someone will have a support system which is not always the case.
The best thing about this book is its logical, step by step approach to getting things done in ways that are achievable and, dare I say, even fun. Plus, learning the skills as an expectant mom will allow mom to teach the skills to her child which may end up being even more valuable. Being organized isn’t natural for all people, and learning the skills during childhood can only make later life better.
Stacey and I share a philosophy that less is more, and that life is so much simpler when there is not so much ‘stuff’ in your way. Bringing a baby into a family doesn’t have to cause chaos. The planning ahead that this book lays out for readers makes it, in my opinion, an absolute must as a baby shower present for any mom-to-be.
You can find Stacey on her blog “The Organizing Mama” and on twitter @staceycrew ———>
