Book Review: "Secrets of an Organized Mom"

I am a messy mom.  I admit it.  I even wrote about it candidly on Yahoo! Shine, got over 100 comments, many of them scathing, letting me know how terrible it was.  So when a book called "Secrets of an Organized Mom" plops on your desk you have to be a little curious.  Okay, I was more than curious, I actually opened the book.

The first thing that's missing from this book are photos.  I can talk and talk until the cows come home about an organized home but I want proof.  I want photos. Let me see your organized home.  But there's not a single photo in Barbara Reich's book.  I'm a visual person.  I am a photographer.  I need to know how to do this in a photo (a picture is worth a thousand words).  I can organize better if I can see what organized looks like.

But I did read through Barbara's book.  It makes a lot of sense.  It takes an unorganized mom and walks her through the steps to becoming a highly efficient, organized mom by following a system on how a family functions.  From the first steps walking into a home, to the next steps walking through each room in the house are processes that help you keep a neat and organized home.  Baskets play a big part of it.  Lots and lots of baskets, bins and labels.

It also takes determination.  (That's something apparently lacking in hoarders.)  But once a system is in place it becomes easier and easier to maintain the orderliness of this process.  

I also enacted a new law in our house that incentivizes my children.  Rather than paying them to clean up I pay them to keep things clean.  If they keep their kitchen spot area clean they get a dollar a day.  Taking money away carries more weight than giving them money.  Is that reverse psychology?

This is what my kitchen counter used to look like.  It didn't help that even though I have an office I often worked there and piled things on my kitchen counter.  But once I officially moved my office and all that comes with it TO my office, the kitchen clutter ceased and desisted.  

Now it looks more like the bottom photo on a regular basis.

Being organized means that my mind is less cluttered also. The visual order helps me think more clearly and feel better inside and out. It's funny how that works.  But it does.
So if your home is anywhere near as messy as mine WAS, check out her book, "Secrets of an Organized Mom" by Barbara  Reich.  Your kitchen counter will thank you.

Where to purchase a copy: Amazon.

Disclaimer: I was provided with a review copy of this book, but all opinions and mess are my own.