Customer Reviews

Mom Central: The Ultimate Family Organizer

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I loved the book, and have referenced it often, but it is a little more tailored towards the working mother than I had anticipated. There is a whole section on Child Care (interviewing potential nannies and such) that as a stay at home mom was completely not relevant to me. The biggest disappointment, however, was the fact that there's only space for TWO children! I am expecting my third soon, and am wondering how to incorporate their information into this otherwise outstanding book. They have lots of lists and places to put information I never even thought of before, and that aspect of this book is great. Just can't believe the authors didn't give any thought to the family that doesn't have 2.5 children (heck, even the .5 child gets short-changed!)

I purchased this book a couple of years ago and like most reviewers found the eye-catching cover, the index tabs, bright colors, and the information great. Upon trying to use it, I found that I really only needed a couple of pages out of each section. The Emergency and Medical, Traveling, and Home, Car, & Pet sections are great and I got alot of use and tips from it. But from there on, I really only used a few pages from the other sections. As a teacher I can tell you that the questions in the Children and Family section are good ones and for those w/o children in school already, great info to have before they head into the classroom. But, as with the other sections, it's WAY too much information, and a lot of it is, in my opinion, fluff. I disagree with the whole,"Stay-at-home Mom" v/s "Working Mom" comments. No matter what you do it can be useful. I just think that the best thing to do if you are looking into buying this book is to go the the bookstore and check it out yourself. Maybe you'll have a use for the "entertaining" section(if you've entertained at all you don't need it), but I think that overall, for the unorganized person it's worth the money. But if you are an organized person, you can do this same thing with a 3-ringed binder and your own touches.

I returned this book because I didn't think I would use it enough. Many of the sections are good ideas, but the book is not flexible. For instance, the emergency section doesn't have enough slots for all our phone numbers (cell, beeper, etc.), and the car care section has only four or five spaces for all car servicing...you'd use it up in a year. There is room for only two children. And the book is too heavy to tote easily to doctors, etc. A 3-ring-binder format might have made it more expandable. It's a very cute looking book but I think it would just sit in my shelf. I am going to make my own ring binder with this information in it...not as cute but suits me better.

This book is excellent for organizing scatter-brained parents who find themselves forgetting the simplest things like their kids shirt size to more important things like soccer practice dates or social security numbers. I do agree with other reviewers that this book has alot of information and lists that are not necessary to everyone. I do find them helpful to read as a refresher before a parent/teacher conference or before going out for the evening & leaving my kids with a new sitter. The book is set up for a family with two children. I have three kids but easily remedied this by photocopying the necessary pages, cutting them to fit correctly, and paper clipping them where they are categorized. I also photocopy the babysitter info pages, the weekly planner, and prescription pages. I am always using these so I never write on the book "copy". I save these for my "master copy" so that I don't lose them and they can be photocopied forever! This is my second copy of this book. I bought my first one in 1998. It finally fell apart after my son's rabbit chewed up half the pages. Besides the rabbit, it is a durable and useful book that I recommend for any crazy, busy family. I love my copy.

I got the book "Mom Central" for Christmas (from Amazon.com!), but I'm really not very happy with it - it's just a bunch of lists and it's not in a 3 ring binder or anything, so if you use one of the lists you destroy the book.

It's the sort of book that may make someone FEEL organized when they first write all the info in it, but then they'll just have to re-write it later when they outgrow the book (which seems like it would happen pretty quickly!)

I think getting yourself a small 3-ring binder and some colored paper would make more sense!

This is a great way to organize. It made me think of things I probably wouldn't have otherwise. It is however more for the busy working mother than the stay home mom, so much of it does not apply to me. I also wish the forms were easier to copy or remove from the book without destroying the form or the book. Generally though this is very useful especially if you are not organized by nature.

I am the kind of person who writes notes on too many "little yellow stickies" and has to go searching through those little pads to get back the information. Mom Central has given me one organized place to record all the pertinent information I need to keep handy and my family or caregiver may need in my absence. An added bonus is the momcentral.com website and their monthly on-line newsletters which are full of useful information.

Finally, a quick reference guide for moms by moms! Mom Central is well organized, easily navigated, and even easier to use. The Table of Contents lets you know at a glance what's inside the book, and where to find it in an instant - no fumbling or wading through rivers of text to find the information you need. With forms for planning, journaling, and chronicling, Mom Central is the only records keeper you will need to keep your family's life in order. This one was definitely worth waiting for, and I can't wait to show it to my clients and workshop students.

I purchased this book a couple of years ago and like most reviewers found the eye-catching cover, the index tabs, bright colors, and the information great. Upon trying to use it, I found that I really only needed a couple of pages out of each section. The Emergency and Medical, Traveling, and Home, Car, & Pet sections are great and I got alot of use and tips from it. But from there on, I really only used a few pages from the other sections. As a teacher I can tell you that the questions in the Children and Family section are good ones and for those w/o children in school already, great info to have before they head into the classroom. But, as with the other sections, it's WAY too much information, and a lot of it is, in my opinion, fluff. I disagree with the whole,"Stay-at-home Mom" v/s "Working Mom" comments. No matter what you do it can be useful. I just think that the best thing to do if you are looking into buying this book is to go the the bookstore and check it out yourself. Maybe you'll have a use for the "entertaining" section(if you've entertained at all you don't need it), but I think that overall, for the unorganized person it's worth the money. But if you are an organized person, you can do this same thing with a 3-ringed binder and your own touches.

Being a military spouse, I need to keep everything as organized as possible and this book helps!!!! I work on mine about 2 to 3 times a week and take it with me when going to the doctor's office or to things concerning my child, since I usually update my book at least once a week. If you're a busy parent, get this book!!! It's the best thing ever.