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Sane Women's Guide to Raising a Large Family, A
 
 
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Sane Women's Guide to Raising a Large Family, A (Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: Little House, New York City, Phase Ten
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

A SANE WOMAN'S GUIDE TO RAISING A LARGE FAMILY is written from the practical, experienced perspective of a mother of ten and has thoughtful, helpful answers to important questions, such as:
Can a mother meet the needs of multiple children without drowning in sheer neediness?
How can a moderate income stretch to include more children?
How can you make space in your home work for you?
What are some ideas for handling mountains of laundry?
How can you preserve time for yourself and your marriage?
How can you manage multiple children and their activities?


From the Back Cover

Have you ever seen a mom with kids hanging all over her heaped-up grocery cart and marveled at how she juggles it all? Have you ever wondered if you could do it? A Sane Woman's Guide to Raising a Large Family is written from the practical, experienced perspective of a mother of ten. It has thoughtful, helpful answers to important questions, such as:
Can a parent meet the needs of multiple children without drowning in sheer neediness? How can a moderate income stretch to include more children? How can you make space in your home work for you? What are some ideas for handling mountains of laundry? How can you preserve time for yourself and your marriage? How can you manage multiple children and their activities? Whether your idea of a big family is three kids or ten, this fresh, commonsense approach to parenting will help you find peace of mind and joy in a big bustling household, and, most importantly, learn how a child can feel deeply cherished as an individual.

Mary Ostyn is founder of Owlhaven (http://owlhaven.net), a hugely popular place to share parenting tips and funny mothering moments. She has been published in Chicken Soup for the Expectant Mother's Soul and in several magazines, including Christian Parenting Today, Adoption Today, and Adoptive Families. As mom to ten children-six of whom are adopted-she is a writer for Workitmom.com (http://workitmom.com). She lives with her family in Nampa, Idaho.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 192 pages
  • Publisher: Gibbs Smith (February 18, 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1423604512
  • ISBN-13: 978-1423604518
  • Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #71,112 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

More About the Author

Mary Ostyn
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Inside This Book (learn more)


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Customer Reviews

20 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.5 out of 5 stars (20 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Serious advice from a fun (and not TOO sane) mom..., July 21, 2009
I have 12 children myself, and in a nutshell, I loved the book, just like I knew I would. For one thing, the cover is awfully cute. Which has nothing to do with anything, but I thought I'd mention it.



More importantly, the book is solid. Solid advice. Solid balance. Solid practicality. Solid reassurance.



Mary totally made me believe I could truly raise a large family!!


Which is a relief, when you get right down to it.



Although I'm not 100% sure about the "sane" part. I think you (and I mean this in the most complimentary way possible) truly have to have a little bit of the insane in you to consider raising a family larger than the norm these days. That is, if "insane" can be defined as the audacity to go against the flow, live contrary to popular culture, challenge suppositions, and embrace your inner rebel.



But you know, it's all semantics in the end.



Mary's book addresses the very real issues of space and money and time in the context of hoards of children, but also delves into deeper issues of being emotionally available for both children and spouse, as well as the Myth of the Supermom (oh how I hate that one) and how to encourage sibling friendships.



I found so much sensible and soothing about this book; it was like settling down with a cup of tea and some really good chocolate (referenced multiple times as one of Mary's secret weapons for coping, by the way) and having a lengthy chat with a close, level-headed friend after a particularly tiring day. It refreshed my spirit and strengthed my resolve to do the very best job humanly possible with this parenting gig.



Which subsequently made me wish quite longingly that I lived next door to Mary, not surprisingly.



Even if you are done growing your family and it isn't considered large by the world's definition, this book has so many practical hints on how to save money, make time for your children, foster family fun, and remember that guy you said your vows to, that I would bet just about any woman with any number of children would glean something worthwhile from the reading
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars practical and encouraging, April 1, 2009
By Meredith (Tennessee) - See all my reviews
This is the most practical parenting book I've read. Even though we only have 3 kids, I could have been using this commonsense advice since our first child.

You won't find a lot of fluff here, but you will walk away encouraged and armed with new strategies for dealing with real family life. Honest, sound information about what it costs to have a large family, balanced with ideas for stretching the average budget.

I learned that my kids need to work harder around the house, and I should focus on teaching my kids those skills instead of cleaning up their messes. I feel like we can move ahead as a team after reading this book!
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars I feel a bit saner already!, March 27, 2009
By Kategal (New York, USA) - See all my reviews
I read this book cover to cover as soon as I got it - standing up while making dinner, in between folding loads of laundry, and finally - finally! - after my kids all went to bed at night. I greatly enjoyed Ostyn's funny, poignant, inspirational and incredibly useful musings on raising a large family. I didn't expect I would get any new parenting ideas, but I went away with quite a number of them. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the parenting superhero "Owlhaven" is a real person - she has just figured out what is essential when it comes to parenting her large brood, and what she can be a bit more relaxed about (children's rooms, laundry, for instance). This is a useful book for any mom looking for a bit more sanity in her busy world - no matter how many children she has.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A Real Life Book for Real Life Moms
A Sane Woman's Guide to Raising a Large Family ~ A Real Life Book For Real Life Moms.

When I saw this book, I knew right away I just had to have it. Read more
Published 8 days ago by K. Wilson

1.0 out of 5 stars Oxymoron
In an age of serious overpopulation, no sane woman would *have* a large family. And sane people don't become Bible-thumping morons, either.
Published 1 month ago by Reginleif II

5.0 out of 5 stars LOVE LOVE LOVE this book!
Not only does this book have practical sense, it is darn funny! Great Read regardless of the size of your family.
Published 1 month ago by Tammy C. Kelly

4.0 out of 5 stars Sound and Encouraging Parenting Advice for Families of All Sizes
The title of this book cracked me up, because as a mother of "only 2" children, sometimes I do wonder how in the world someone stays sane with a bunch of kids underfoot. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Jennifer Donovan

5.0 out of 5 stars Finding peace among chaos
This book was an inspired find! Having a large family these days is an unfortunate anomaly, leaving many a mom to feel isolated. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Joann M. Oneil

2.0 out of 5 stars Boy, talk about stereotyping.
I bought the Kindle version of this after reading the initial free sample. Boy, was I diappointed by what came after the freeby. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Kate

5.0 out of 5 stars Great whether you have 1 child or 10!
I love the practical advice in this book! I have been slowly reading through it one little nugget at a time so that I can take time to implement some of the ideas Mary has... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Vera's Mom

5.0 out of 5 stars A Sane Woman's Guide to Motherhood
Don't let the title fool you. Mothers of any number of children will find this book helpful. Almost everything in this book is useful whether you have 1, 2, 3, or 10 kids. Read more
Published 4 months ago by carrien

5.0 out of 5 stars I love this book!!!
I am almost done with this book and it's hard to put down. If I didn't have five children myself I would be done reading it by now and I just got it on Friday. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Angela M. Maddox

4.0 out of 5 stars Practical advice
This book is filled with practical, tested parenting advice. I am tired of reading the theories of child psychologists. I often times wonder if they believe their own drivel. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Denise C. Ritter

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