5 comments about One Year to an Organized Life: From Your Closets to Your Finances, the Week-by-Week Guide to Getting Completely Organized for Good.

1. On page 24, Regina Leeds says just about everything that needs to be said on the subject: "Everything you do needs to be scheduled". This happens to be the same message David Allen delivers much more effectively in his "Getting Things Done".
   
   Of course, saying it is a lot easier than doing it, which is why people like Leeds and Allen can count on their books selling year after year.
   
   Leeds takes the approach of teaching you how to organize your life over the course of a year, with new projects every month. For me, the approach simply doesn't work. Too much territory is covered. For example, I'm not going to be moving into a new home, so that chapter - and the month's project - is wasted on me.
   
   Also, Leeds is a bit too "New Age" for my personal taste. Tidbits like an "affirmation" for the month strike me as treacly. August, for instance, tells you: "I am guided with ease to my new home. I embrace the life waiting for me. I also bless and thank my current home. I release it to the new occupants. I am thankful for all the participants in this transition."
   
   Regina Leeds has quite a following, apparently, but I don't think I'll be joining it.
   
   Jerry



2. As a home and garden author myself, I love Regina's new book and I've read them all! (It didn't make the New York Times Bestseller List for nothing!) Her friendly tone, combined with her "real world humor" and room by room how-to tips will help the overwhelmed and organizationally challenged person break their challenges down into realistic organizing projects. A great organizing tool!



3. This is the first book by Regina Leeds for me.
   So far, so good!
   At first I was worried that I bought it in May and not in January - "oh no!! I'm already behind!!"
   But after reading the forward (and you must) my fears were put to rest. You don't have to DO the month IN the month.
   What has worked for me so far is this: I did January first because it deals with alot of why, etc. Now I've moved on to managing paper.
   I enjoy hearing the personal side from the author. I, too, have a golden retriever. Enough said!
   I even emailed her with a question, never expecting a personal or quick response. I got both the former and the latter!!
   I say: Enjoy the ride, it is definitely worth the price of admission!



4. This book has great ideas. It gives good examples of how to organize certain spaces. You don't have to start organizing on January 1st. You can jump in any day of the year. It's a nice motivating tool.



5. This author really knows her stuff. As a long-time sufferer of adult ADD, I am always interested in tools to keep my household organized, not to mention my life. The monthly projects are great, not too overwhelming. The only problem is...I read the book 3 months ago and it is still on my nightstand because I like the way it looks there!

5 comments about Canning & Preserving for Dummies.

1. The book was well written. My wife loves canning and this book had information that she did not know how to do. Best thing I ever got for her.



2. I have always fantasized about canning and preserving my own locally grown garden vegetables and fruits. One day on a lark of what my partner called "Pure Insanity" I bought a Water based canner and equipment to put my dreams into reality. I would have panicked had I not reviewed and purchased this book the day before.
   
   In only a matter of a few hours I read the book from cover to cover and felt like an expert. Soon thereafter when I found a wonderful source of locally grown cucumbers I "canned" 8 pints of 'Bread and Butter pickles' from a recipe provided in this book. Three weeks later I was the recipient of a Blue Ribbon at a local fair for my "Prize Winning Recipe". I was astonished! They will never know the secret of my success was "The Dummies Guide" but I will never forget. I've since gone on to do Corn Relish, Apple Butter, Lime Pickles, and tonight I shall can Green Beans and Carrots.
   
   This is the book that will bring success to the otherwise accident and disaster prone "cook". Don't start this hobby without it!



3. This product is great it will help you if you don't know a thing about this or if you just need a little help. I had to buy this when my granny died and my mom was being selfish and wouldn't copy my grannys' how to's so I could learn how to do a few new things that I didn't get a chance to ask my granny before she passed. I think you should buy this. It thought me so much that I needed to know. My granny would be proud.



4. I give this book a "U" for unsatisfactory. It has NO information
   on canning meat, poultry or fish !!! It recommends another book
   - apparently the author thinks it's way too hard and scary to can
   meat. It isn't - buy another book with more practical information
   in it.



5. If you are thinking of canning summer's bounty, this is a great place to start. Step by step basic instructions on how to thrill and not kill your friends and family with home canned goods.

5 comments about The Pocket Parent.

1. A good book with some practical advice, however, more topics could have been covered. Example: How to break your preschooler from picking his/her nose!



2. I love this book so much, I got rid of most of my other parenting books and just use this one. The cool thing about it is it's indexed so that the main things you need to get advice on are easy to find as problems/challenges happen. Potty training? Flip through the book and find the header and there you are. Hitting. Sleep. Easy and fast.



3. I love this book:) I wish I have it when I had my first born although he is 5 now but I am encouraged to buy this book after noticing that my second child is strong will and stubborn than her brother, all my strategies with my eldest won't work on her so I desperately need help. Thank goodness with this book it saves my sanity! I like that you don't need to read it from the beginning to end instead you can just look at the topic you need, most likely work like a dictionary but with really useful advise and example. I highly recommend this book, a must for every mother or parents.



4. This is a book of parenting advice, not problem solving advice. I was looking for creative ideas for how to keep my toddler from screaming when I wash his hair, or, as another reviewer noted, how to get him to quit picking his nose. I think most people who would be interested in this book are beyond the diaper bag stage, and I don't know in whose pocket it would fit. The book does contain good advice about setting limits, respecting the child, and modeling appropriate behavior - pretty standard stuff for 21st century parents. I will use it as a reference book, but you won't see me whipping it out in the middle of Wal-Mart.



5. This book was very simple. I got it for that very reason, I have a 2 year old who is running the show and a new baby -- I needed help quick! After reading it by skipping around to various needed chapters, I learned that it had a quick underlying theme that is consistent throughout the book. Once you get that, it becomes less helpful. It was a good message and has been helpful in teaching me to avoid arguments with my 2-yr old, but I found that I am left wanting more information about all these issues. I like the book recommendations in the back, though, they recommended age-appropriate children's books that help kids through difficult situations, like potty training, family deaths, new baby, etc. I will open this book again, if we are faced with difficult situations and want to find some helpful books that will help our kids through the crisis.

5 comments about Urawaza: Secret Everyday Tips and Tricks from Japan.

1. These tips allowed me to carry heavier things, improve my karaoke skills, eliminate excess beer foam, overclock my car battery and cure my hiccups. The tips and the instructions on how they work are so fascinating that they lodge in the mind easily--I may not need to know how to remove gum from someone's hair for five or ten years...but if I ever need to do it, I'll remember the Urawaza method.



2. Love learning the super creative ways to be more efficient in every day living. I think this would also would make a cool & unique gift too.



3. "Urawaza" is a word with a long history in Japan. In martial arts, it means "from the back", an unexpected or tricky move that only experts might know. In the computer gaming world it means programmers' back-doors that let players gain points, levels and advantage by doing something unexpected.
   
   In society in general it represents frugal and clever household techniques. There's been a show on Japanese television for nine years where ordinary people share their tricks with other people. UTube is a great source of videos often taken from this show. The sound is often in Japanese, but the tricks work without sound. I've learned to perfectly fold a tee shirt in a few seconds, for example. An even more amazing video shows how to make babies stop crying by breathing on them after drinking a bit of red or white wine.
   
   This book is an excellent introduction to the genre. The ideas work -- I tried the shallot trick for a stuffy nose and I was cleared up in a few seconds -- and the illustrations are excellent and amusing. Each of these Urawazas comes with a technical explanation of why they may work. The philosophical approach is a commentary on the loss of ingenuity in an era of specialized products, many of which don't work very well.
   
   If you enjoy reading the cooking shortcuts in cooking magazines or the shop hints in "Popular Mechanics", you'll find this a real adventure in human ingenuity.
   
   
   Robert C. Ross 2008



4. This book is like a fun version of Hints from Heloise...little tricks that you're surprised work, that make your every day life a little smoother. I like skimming the book, and I've gotten some good ideas from it already. Another nice thing is the explanation of why each tip works...I picked up some lite science while reading. That said, the book is a little layout heavy, with only one tip per page. If it was more packed, I think I would've given it 5 stars. Even so, it's a fun book to have around when you just wanna thumb through.



5. Everyone knows how to cure the hic-ups, or to get wine stains out of white clothing right? There are all sorts of little household tricks and tips handed down via word of mouth, or from a helpful friend or parent in a time of need. The Japanese term for these is "urawaza", a word with a sly feel to it meaning a little secret that only you know about, something you discovered about a product that the producers didn't intend for you to know. Its main use is with videogames, referring to cheat codes left in by programmers who never intended them to become public knowledge.
   
   This book is full of urawaza's, little "cheat codes" for common household objects like potatoes and old sales receipts, things that would normally never be used for more than their intended purposes. For example, magically clearing up a stuffy nose by shoving the white root section of a scallion in your nostrils, or rubbing a little egg white on your glasses to prevent them from fogging. Each tip is accompanied by a short explanation of why the process works, showing the molecules and process involved that accompany the magic.
   
   The strange thing is, the tips actually work. I haven't tried all of them, but the ones I have given a shot work just as advertised. You might feel a bit strange at first rubbing a cut potato across your bathroom mirrors to make them fog-free, but you can't argue with the results. Want to know how to keep your bathwater from going cold using only orange peels, or how to make your dull hair glossy? "Urawaza" has what you need.
   
   The only disappointment with this book is the lack of any real Japanese connection, aside from the title. There are a few little asides at the start of each chapter talking about the author's personal history or a few cultural notes, but that is about it. There was a good opportunity to include some Japanese vocabulary for each entry, just a few words here and there relating to the subject, and make this a language-learner along with its helpful and fun tips. Unfortunately they didn't go that route, but if you aren't studying Japanese and just want a cool and useful little book, then that isn't really an issue.

5 comments about Home Buying For Dummies, 3rd edition.

1. This book goes without saying that it covers all the basics and provides additional information through web links. This is my 4th Dummy book and will continue to use it as a reference for many years to come! Easy read, funny at times without being to cheesy. Kudos to the authors again for another quality book!
   
   Read this book in any fashion you like and mark points down to inquire with Realtors, loan officer, appraisers and inspectors... You'll make some mad for being informed and catch others trying to lie or sugar coat it to you!



2. it is a must read if you are a first time home buyer. I knew what to ask, what to expect. I am not money savvy, but the morgage section is simple enough that I feel that helped me getting the best deal possible.



3. If you've never bought a home before, buy this book. It gives you a good overview of many areas of the homebuying process. If the thought of purchasing your first home is a bit daunting, educate yourself. This doesn't give you every single detail that you need to know, but it will help you ask informed questions and lead you on your way.



4. I recently ordered several mortgage books as learning and reference tools as I embark on my new career as a loan officer. I have not read any of the books from cover to cover, but they are serving me well for the purpose intended. The book arrived in a timely manner and in the condition described.



5. Full of interesting things about home buying. I wish that in some parts it would have gone more in depth. But in the end I felt like I learned a lot from this book.

5 comments about Storey's Basic Country Skills: A Practical Guide to Self-Reliance.

1. This book is filled with a great breadth of knowledge. It helps you know what you don't know about self-sufficient living and even gives you enough infomation in some areas that you could go forward without too much additional research. If you're considering buying a little land and using it to live from, I'd recommend this book.



2. So cool. Where else can you get a book that will tell you how to build a pond and raise livestock, wire an outbuilding, and cut wood? This book has a little bit of everything in it and I'm glad to have it as a resource when I move out to the country in a couple of weeks. It's not exhaustive, and there are probably things in it that I'll want to know more about, but the diagrams are very clear, the discussions neither patronizing nor over my head, and most of all it has a cheerful, you can do it feel that makes me excited about my future challenges.
   This would also be a good (if big) book to share with someone who used to live in the country and run a farm, just for their interest and amusement. My dad, never a farmer, would have loved this book for the bits of interesting things in it to read and think about.
   Don't know if I'll be self-reliant after using this book, but I think I'llb e keeping it out on the coffee table for quite a few months.



3. Who would have thought you could cram so much information into one book. This has been a wonderful tool for my husband and I who are in the process of establishing our little retirement ranch. Excellent resource for anyone moving from the burbs to the country.



4. The book was definitely basic and it covered lots of information that would be useful on a farm. However, it was not helpful in how to develop the farm system, it was very piece meal and stand alone information, it also deferred its solutions too much to the chemical industry.



5. This book covers a huge range of country skills, including a companion planting guide. I wouldn't be without mine!

No comments about Joey Green's Fix-It Magic: More than 1,971 Quick-and-Easy Household Solutions Using Brand-Name Products.

5 comments about Parenting From the Inside Out.

1. 
   Parenting From the Inside Out, is an excellent resource!
   This book was highly recommended to me, by a psychologist and family therapist. It reveals how we as parents can gain insight, into how our own childhood and past significant family relationships have an enormous impact on how we will relate to and share experiences with our children. It gives wonderful instructions for parents, on how to be emotionally "present" with our children.It also is very informational about brain/mind development.



2. Parenting from the Inside Out is an easy-to-read book on the neurobiology of parenting. It builds upon the attachment theory of child development and contains useful exercises that are aimed at helping readers identify and work with psychological issues related to parenting.
   
   The core theme of this book is that when parents cultivate a strong, healthy relationship with their children, it promotes development in areas of the brain enabling emotional, cognitive, and interpersonal skills. Experiences and memory shape emerging neural connections; essentially parents sculpt the minds of their children.
   
   Unresolved issues from childhood may reduce the quality of the parent child relationship. Through deepening self-awareness and processing past issues in order to give meaning to them, parents can change ingrained patterns and help their children thrive. Parents can grow together with their children, enjoying them for who they are. Children in turn can become grounded in reality and more self-assured. Specific psychological concepts are introduced and clearly explained.
   
   Siegel's openness in regard to his experience as a parent is courageous and serves to normalize the inevitable fact that parents are imperfect. Parental ambivalence is approached with sensitivity and guidance is provided regarding how to identify and heal negative patterns.
   
   I highly recommend this book for parents who wish to deepen their relationships with their children and enhance the quality of their lives together. This book is also very useful for anyone working with children.



3. This book helped me gain enormous insight into myself and also create a compassionate space in which to parent. It is not an easy read, but it is important and well worth the effort. I've read some beautiful parenting books, but what many of them lack is what this book presents so beautifully. Until you can understand yourself better, all of the good intentions in the world will just crash down, leaving you feeling like a failure. I am so grateful that this book found me.



4. Really good info for parents concerned with giving their kids the best of their parenting abilities. Kind of a technical read in some spots. Very interesting.



5. If you want to avoid making the same mistakes your parents made, if you know there is a better way of parenting than the one you have been exposed to, if you want to be a better parent. or if you want to parent with compassion and understanding.

3 comments about Solar Power Your Home For Dummies (For Dummies (Home & Garden)).

1. As an electronic engineer, I originally looked at home solar energy as a chance to buy some cool gear to play with, while saving money in the bargain. As I delved into the book, my outlook changed. I was surprised to find how complex a home's energy use situation can be, and that some money can be saved before connecting a single wire. Even as I later relished the chapters covering solar electricity generation, I still noted the frequent reminders and references to non-electrical aspects of a "solar" home, as well as practical financial and regulatory realities to consider in choosing a system. In short, I came away from my first reading with a much more balanced perspective on solar energy, and I'll continue to re-read as a reference. Of course, I'm still hankerin' after that gear, yet, at least, now I have a better picture of what's really useful. Plus, I'm off to a good start in being knowledgable enough to deal effectively with those installation contractors. Well done!



2. My husband and I have become increasingly consciencious about saving our natural resources. It has been our goal to add solar panels to our house but most of the books out there were not written for the average person. This book answered all our questions in a language we could easily understand. We learned how to make solar power an investment throughout our entire house! How cool is that?
   
   The awesome thing about this book is it goes way beyond explaining the money we can save but includes vital tips on what not to do. I love when a book keeps me from making mistakes. I could go on and on about this book because I'm thrilled I finally have a great reference tool. I am eagerly anticipating creating a home that will actually not take so many of our precious resources from the earth.



3. This is a good introduction to how the energy from the sun can be put to practical everyday use. If you don't like to read a lot of technical stuff, this book is for you. Quick, easy reading the non-technical average person. with references for more information. This book has practical projects for the person who already has some knowledge of solar energy as well. If you're looking for a really detailed technical book of how to design and install your own solar collector (electrical or water), better get a different book. My 5-star rating is for those who are beginners or those that have a little knowledge of solar energy.

5 comments about It's All Too Much: An Easy Plan for Living a Richer Life with Less Stuff.

1. This is the best book I have ever read. My husband is a hoarder, so we read it together. This book will help you systimatically go through your home and eliminate everything that you no longer use or need. I feel so free now, and my home is more peaceful and relaxing. It's a great life when you free yourself of the junk that keeps you from enjoying it.



2. This book was eye opening. I actually checked it out from the library a couple times and decided I just needed to buy it for reference and share it with friends and family. It is a very useful guide to organizing, downsizing and training your habits on your stuff. Definite must read for anyone with clutter or hoarding issues!!



3. I have read a myriad of books about space clearing and getting organized, but none hit the spot like Peter Walsh's philosophy of getting (and staying) organized.
   
   Even Walsh admits that much of what he does is good ol' common sense, and it is. He puts his educational psychology degree to excellent and practical use in his career. He's one person who deserves all the positive publicity he gets.
   
   It was refreshing to see another person say lots of the things I had been thinking about regarding hoarding stuff. I'm not a hard-core hoarder like some folks, but I did need that extra push to not only get rid of the things that had been clogging my space for years, but not feel bad or want it again when it's gone.
   
   Although I have been able to let go of much stuff in the past, Peter Walsh's book enabled me to keep in mind not to continue to buy while cleaning out and to be extremely mindful when buying more things in the future.
   
   If Walsh's advice were taken by more Americans, no doubt there would be less debt, less fat, and less needless stuff floating around. Highly recommended! - Donna Di Giacomo



4. By process of self-selection, I would place myself in the better half of the population when it comes to keeping the clutter out of my life. Reading Peter Walsh's 'It's All Too Much', I was glad to find many of the suggested practices already in use, but I also found a few small gems which made me reconsider the status quo and make a change for the better. The discussion on 'cost vs value', was especially valuable: remember that the cost (what you paid), is not necessarily equivalent to value of that item in your life. It's that piece of clothing you bought and wore once, or an expensive present someone gave you and which is now occupying prime real estate in your house - it's time for it to go.
   
   The only immediate shortcoming: the book, in all likelihood, will attract a self-selected crowd of people who are already well down this path. We all know a friend or a relative who could really use the lessons, but Peter Walsh does not provide any discussion on how to breach or introduce the subject. There, you're on your own.



5. Simple and profoundly true. I sat down to rest, to write this. Must go back to THROWING THINGS AWAY, that are neither useful or important. Excellent book.