Home and Family Books

Covered every aspect of dealing with Type 1 Diabetes.
Good reference book to have in the house.

This book is a must-have for any caregiver of a person with Type I (Juvenile) diabetes. It includes straight-forward, no-nonsense facts that are written in everyday terms. It is obvious that the author knows from reality what she is writing about, not just from a text book.

Probably the best compliment I can make is to say that I wish I had this book when my son was diagnosed!

This brilliant well written book really is the everything guide for parents with children with diabetes. The book addresses many issues that will help all parents to raise a healthy well adjusted child with diabetes. The newly diagnosed section is a great resource for a parent that is a new caregiver. Recently I recommended the book to a mom of a newly diagnosed child. She felt that Ms. McCarthy was with her in the hospital during the diagnosis, and the tips she gave were right on!

The book also addresses topics for veteran caregivers, addressing such topics as diabetes and teens, teens and diabetes burnout. It also will help the experienced parent keep a fresh approach to diabetes management The tip sections throughout the book are very helpful and informative for all caregivers. This book should be on the bookself of every parent who cares for a child with diabetes.

This is an excellent book for any parent who is faced with raising a child with diabetes. I purchased this book five years into my daughters diagnosis and learned many new things. This book is very well written for the layperson and easy to pick up for reference. I would strongly recommend it!

This is a very good book for parents (and children as well) It explains
everything in layman's terms and is easy to understand. I raised a diabetic child and would have loved to have had this book availble.Moire is a wonderful advocate for finding a cure fot the disease.

I was moved by the way the fabric of faith was woven into each book chapter, as it should be entwined into each page of my life. This book gave me a new perspective on my family and their enternal value. Dale Salwak has the heart of a storyteller and the pen of a poet.

I was moved by the way the fabric of faith was woven into each book chapter, as it should be entwined into each page of my life. This book gave me a new perspective on my family and their enternal value. Dale Salwak has the heart of a storyteller and the pen of a poet.

For decades, magicians the world over have known Dale Salwak as a fellow performer, one of the most well known of Neil Foster's students and, ultimately, a primary instructor for the world-famous Chavez School of Magic. In addition to having written a number of books on magic, Dale teaches the Chavez method in California, and supervises the school's home-study course and its worldwide distribution. Outside of the world of performing, Dale's "other job" is as a literary biographer and literature professor. He teaches English at Southern California's Citrus College and has taught courses and conducted seminars on biblical history and literature for more than 25 years. In that role, he has written 17 books on various contemporary literary figures as well as served as editor of "Wonders of Solitude" and "The Words of Christ," both published by New World Library. In "Faith in the Family" (246 pp.), Dale tells amusing, poignant stories from his own family life that illustrate what families offer children and parents alike. Among the many examples of exemplary individuals, Dale has included eight pages devoted to his personal memories of Neil and Jeanne Foster. We were proud and honored to be approached by Dale to look over his original manuscript pages regarding Neil and Jeanne, and to serve in an advisory capacity. We were moved by the material and wholeheartedly endorse it as a splendid testament to the memory of a couple revered in the magical fraternity and beyond. Those in the conjuring profession who had the privilege of knowing Neil Foster in his lifetime know well that he regarded the "magic of life" as far more important and vital than the magic that he created on the stage, or helped other magicians to create. For him, *people* and *responsibility* were far more magical. We hope that you will join us in that memory and support Dale Salwak in this worthwhile project! -- John C. Sherwood, MysteryVisits.com

Dale Salwak's "Faith in the Family" is a refreshing, reasurring and wonderful book. Not only does Dr. Salwak incorporate Christian values to everyday living, he provides a sense of right and honorable behavior even for non-Christians. I believe that everyone can not only read this book, but apply it to living a fufilling, fruitful and meaningful life. I had the great opportunity to take one of Dr. Salwak's classes at Citrus College, and this book was a great reminder of the substantial influence he had on me as an English student and as a Christian living in a secular world. Not only does the book say so many things people really think, but so many things so few of us say. It is a book that you cannot put down, in fact, I read it in about three hours. Dr. Salwak makes incredibly valid points about reading, education, and the influence of media in children's lives, and how that affects them in the long run, and brings up common sense ideas about family, marriage and faith. I highly reccommend this book to anyone who is looking for a good read, inspirational or otherwise. I am definitely passing it on to all of my freinds and family. Thank you Dr. Salwak for taking the time to write this much needed and appreciated book. I only wish I had the oppurtunity to take another of your classes.

It was with reservations that I began reading Faith in the Family, Citrus College English Professor Dale Salwak's latest effort. I am not a churchgoer, and I am a former Salwak student, two prejudicial factors for any would-be objective reviewer.

By page 18, however, Salwak's firm grasp of the English language, storytelling ability and messages about family values and faith struck a cord within me.

Stories from the author's own life, as well as from a variety of people with diverse backgrounds, illustrate what families can offer to children and parents alike. These lessons are reinforced with scripture passages and quotations from notable novelists, poets and biographers to provide the reader with a subsequent understanding of the importance of familial relationships.

Salwak is thoughtful and insightful, weaving together tales of his youth with powerful imagery and clarity. He possess the uncanny ability to recollect the feeling of what it was like to be a child, lacking experience but full of curiousity.

In one particularly moving passage, the reader is taken back to the author's earlier years to illustrate an important lesson he learned about giving thanks for the lives of his family.

Faith in the Family is arranged into nine chapters, each touching on a different aspect of family life. The need for connection in the family, caring for and teaching children, respecting and relating to our own parents and other subjects are explored, always relating back to the book's central theme of "honoring and strengthening home and spirit."

The overarching spirituality and religious tones in the book are not crammed down the readers' throats. Rather, the inherent insights were carefully collected, then constructed and compassionately pieced together to appeal to readers from all walks of life.

The book overflows with practical advice and should be passed around by family members to share in its wonderful wisdom.

In the midst of the Information Age, with school shootings and political sex scandals topping the news, there is a definite need for Faith in the Family. Salwak shows readers through experience the indispensability of family, and the nature of the book itself -- part history, part story and part advice -- allow the reader to examine their own relationships and form their own interpretations of its guidance.

Truly an essential read, Faith in the Family's advice offers a "how-to" approach to help reap the rewards of family living.

My Son read this book to me. This is an easy one for him but we are working on reading out loud. He needs to practice reading with the breaks in the right place. It is a cute story about Little bear and his father. It is an I Can Read book that I would recommend for K-2nd grade.

WE HAVE HAD THE LITTLE BEAR BOOK FATHER BEAR COMES HOME FOR AT LEAST TWENTY YEARS,AND WE STILL LOVE IT! I JUST BOUGHT ANOTHER LITTLE BEAR BOOK FOR MY NEICE, AND AM WAITING FOR IT TO COME. IF YOUR LOOKING FOR A GREAT BOOK YOU CAN'T GO WRONG WITH THESE!

WE HAVE HAD THE LITTLE BEAR BOOK FATHER BEAR COMES HOME FOR AT LEAST TWENTY YEARS,AND WE STILL LOVE IT! I JUST BOUGHT ANOTHER LITTLE BEAR BOOK FOR MY NEICE, AND AM WAITING FOR IT TO COME. IF YOUR LOOKING FOR A GREAT BOOK YOU CAN'T GO WRONG WITH THESE!

There are 4 different stories in this book. My favorite was Little Bear's Mermaid. I liked when Little Bear saw the mermaid when his mom and dad were sleeping. I also liked when Little Bear went fishing. Other kids will like this book because it has many stories in it.

The Little Bear saga are truly classic. From the artwork and storylines you think you are reading a Victorian era storybook. No your grandmother didn't read these stories to you. Soon enough we will be reading them to our grandchildren. Buy the hardback versions, your grandkids will love them.

The country where you were born rarely stops being home. Especially if you lived there for very long. This book highlights a family from the United States whose parents come from Mexico. The parents still feel very strongly that Mexico is home though they are firmly planted in the US. The kids are very uncomfortable with the knowledge. They prefer to speak English and feel that the US is home. What is this place their parents call home? What if they want to stay there? How do their parents really about about home in the US which the kids consider home? It's a confusing dilemma for kids and parents have to have mixed feelings too.

Eve Bunting takes her readers on journey with a Mexican family going home for Christmas. The text she uses is elegantly written. Through the feelings expressed by Carlos and his family you get a real sense of the Mexican culture and the importance of family. David Diaz's illustrations lead you into the journey with Carlos and his family. With the use of collaged background and inset illustrations the pages come alive. The text of Bunting and the illustrations of Diaz give you the sense of being there. This is a book that a child of any age would enjoy.

This book is very touching...it sensitively portrays the sacrafices Mexican immigrants have to make to move to America for their children to have a better life. Very well done themes of parental love, long car trips, the sadness of leaving one's home country, sibling realtionships, husband and wife being romantic (tasteful and age-appropriate), and a child's growing understanding of the complexities of life. Buy and read it to every child (and adult) you know.

This story is well told, with a nice pace and sense of language. Diaz is up to his usual standards, creating a colorful world that you just want to hop right into. Judge this book by its cover - it's beautiful!

Eve Bunting's books have a wisdom that transcends their simple stories. As an ESL teacher and a teacher in classes with immigrant students, I have often shared this book with middle school students and adults. In a brief and poetic narrative, it tells the universal story of parents sacrificing so their children will have a better life, through the eyes of a child. The adults in my ESL classes love it and take it home to read to their children.

I am now an avid reader and I have to say that this book is what started my love of reading. I read it when I was in 4th grade and I still (11 yrs later) love this book .

It tells the story of Rebecca, a young girl who loses her father and has to live with a mother she doesn't know. As time goes on, surpassing their differences, they start to truly care for one another. Add to this the story of a troubled, young boy with a skill for drawing, as a friend for Rebecca and you have the book that started it all for me!

This was one of my favorite books as a kid. Laura Stevenson's writing is clear and fresh, and the story is easy to follow, though it is not a simple one. When Rebecca's father dies, she must move from sunny, idyllic California to bitter Vermont to live with Rachel, the mother she doesn't know. How Becca adjusts to her new life and friends, and how she and Rachel learn to live together and, ultimately, love each other, is an interesting, heart-warming story that should keep a parent reading long after their child has turned the last page with a satisfied sigh.

This book is the best. It tells of a girl ,when after the death of her father,tries to get along in vermont with her mother who she never met berfore.As she progresses in riding her horse she also progresses in her relationship with her mother and new class mates.She also begins to befriend a mesterious boy with a tough guy reputation.

It got me thinking about how fortunate we are to have our loved ones. This book is about the death of a dad. It is about learning to cope with things you can't change.The main character, Becca, dealt with the emotions she was feeling well. Going to live with her mom isn't easy, especially when she feels that her mom, Rachel, doesn't love her or want to care for her....

This book has got to be the BEST book I've ever read about horses! I love horses and read any book I can find about them. It was nicely written and it's not only about horses but also about family problems that probably some of us suffer from. When Becca learned about her father betraying her, you could really tell that she was deeply depressed about it. Her father; a man she looked up to for most of her life, the man she went to when she had problems, the man that healed her bruises, inside and out betrayed her. When Laura C. Stevenson writes about going back to her mother, a stranger, it feels almost as though Becca is you and you're going back to a mother you never knew you had. Becca learns to forgive her mother through the love of horses. When Becca's mother gives her a pony, Becca not only learns to take care of her pony but to respect it and love it and that's exactly what she learns to do with her mother. This is a definate 10 on the scale of best books! If you're a horselover and love books about horses but also many different things this is a book for you!

regardless of how amicable my ex and i worked to make our divorce, it still was an adult situation that our daughters had to contend with. this book was found by my then 8 year old daughter on our local library shelves. i will admit to being skeptical since it was part of the American Girl library. but, after MANY overdue fines and countless rereads, i finally opted to purchase this book. it does a great job of simply and clearly explaining a wide variety of topics without talking down to the reader. she revisits the pages often, reads them with me and shares information with her younger sister. at the risk of sounding over the top, i'm very grateful that this book is a part of my daughter's library and our lives.

There is so much horror in divorce. It's bad enough from the adults' perspective, but as a child who is catching only bits and pieces of a larger picture, it can pull the rug out from under her feet. My six-year-old daughter clung to this book for weeks, reading and absorbing the honest information on the pages. She learned how to take care of herself emotionally, how not to get pulled into a needy parent's net, how to answer questions about her parents' divorce and how to accept her new circumstances and move on with grace and dignity. Now, a few years later, we still bring it out to deal with new issues and remember how to handle old ones.

This book is an absolutely excellent resource tool for any professional who wants to help a young girl to better cope and understand divorce. I am a psychotherapist and I give my young clients this book and I have gotten excellent feedback. Enjoy.

After Separating, I realized things were becoming increasingly difficult for my daughter. I knew I needed help. So when I saw the title 'HELP!' I bought this book immediately. I have never been so impressed with a book. It asks the questions that kids have, but often are afraid (or unable) to ask and gives parents a way to answer - without too much information. HELP! assisted my daughter in breaking the silence with her therapist and to sort out some issues she had with her mother and me. It acts as a guidebook - informing children of some ways to speak up if they feel that their feelings are being squashed or if basic child/parent rules are being broken. HELP! even describes what some of those basic rules are. I'm actually purchasing one for my Ex-wife that she can read with our daughter. One of the best things that has come from this book is that my daughter now keeps a notebook and writes down questions for me in it, I respond to her and we bring those in to her therapists office. This approach lets us all know what important issues are on her mind, and how best to HELP! her through these difficult times. The best review though - I can't go more than a few days without being asked to read from the book.

A wonderful book! It explains what and why girl's are feeling and thinking the way they do in a manner that is FAIR to all parties. It doesn't show bias to any individual (Mother/Father/Step Parent/Child). This book can help show a child that they are not alone and that it is normal to think and feel the way they do. It also explains when/how a parent is putting the child in the middle and how that shouldn't happen. And how a child plays both parents and shouldn't. The book stresses that the child should talk about their feelings with their parents. This book is a must have for any girl that has experienced divorce, whether it is happening now or happened 10 years ago.

Debbie Williams takes to heart the concept of "feed a man a fish and he's full for a day, but teach him how to fish, and he'll have food for life." Her book, "Home Management 101: A Guide for Busy Parents," can take even the most organizationally challenged person and help them become more organized.

Whether your home is chaotic, cluttered, or just needing more systems for organization, this book is for you. Ms. Williams' writing style is delightful and easy to understand. It's like having her there as your personal guide in tackling that cluttered closet or chaotic kid's room. I used her book as a guide to organize two of the most chaotic rooms in my house. Before reading "Home Management 101," I was too overwhelmed to even begin. "Home Management 101" is a book I'll keep handy to refer to again and again.

The great thing is that Debbie Williams offers affordable organizational coaching services, which I've also used. She's got a wonderful way of helping you see exactly what you need to do and comes up with creative solutions that keep the whole family excited about being organized...

A very useful book to gain control of my home. So many helpful ideas to manage and keep my home in order.

"This book shares all the information you will need to create a successful, easy-to-maintain system for your family. By learning the basic skills of an organized parent, you can react in a calm professional manner so that you control your household, rather than allowing it to control you." ~Debbie Williams

If your home looks like a hurricane just hit and there is no storm in sight, this book might help you finally tackle your organizational challenges. If you just have a few things out of place, here or there, then this will give you a few basic ideas you can implement in your organizational wars.

My mother's idea of organizing was to put everything in my room in the middle of the floor and let me sit and organize it for hours on end. Even after all this training, I still occasionally find myself in the middle of some disorganized, creative whirlwind.

There are times when you might be more in the mood to organize than at other times. To use those to the best advantage, read this book! It is really about more than just putting away clutter. I love her ideas about writing down items you run out of on "inventory" sheets hanging in various rooms. It saves running to the other room to find that pen and paper and ...oops, you already forgot what you were going to write down. This is a great time saver.

Debbie Williams presents an action plan:

1. Let's Get it Together -You will finally have ideas for how to sort through the items in your house. I like her idea about organizing one room at a time. It will give you a sense of satisfaction to see your home changing one room at a time.

2. Home Management 101 - A great section on managing paper clutter. I take ideas about sorting mail very seriously these days. One idea I discovered that saved me a ton of time sorting mail, was to get a P.O. Box. That way, I only get mail once a week for the most part and I take time all at once to sort through everything and organize bills, etc. As Debbie says: "Did you know that eighty percent of what you file is never looked at again."

3. Conquering Common Clutter - It is very easy to organize your closets. The author gives ideas for various ways to organize various items. I used her system to organize my clothes into various sections so it is easy to decide on formal/casual, etc. I like her ideas on "rules about inside/outside toys" and "one toy rule" to keep toys put away when not in use. Her "conquering kitchen clutter" was enlightening. I finally purchased a "chore chart" and put it on the front of the refrigerator. Want to remove some of that art on the front of the refrigerator? The author has some ideas about how to organize your children's creative offerings.

4. The Organized Parent - Ever considered organizing your car? This chapter has ideas about mobile desks, diaper bag checklists, creating a traveling nursery, creating stress-free holidays and even ideas on how to save money when ordering Christmas cards.

5. Office Management 101 - This situation is often a very highly specialized organization task, however most of us need the same basic items. Debbie gives ideas on how to consider the needs of all the people in your family who will be using this area.

6. From Here to There: Effective Time Management - This chapter really makes you more aware of the reality of priorities. Debbie encourages you to define what is most important in your life and schedule time for work, family AND yourself. She ends the chapter with a discussion about goal planning and the difference between must, should and would.

7. It's A Dirty Job, But ...- How to organize bathrooms, complete spring cleaning. Her ideas about freshening up pillows and comforters really do work and save drycleaner bills.

8. More Help for the Organizationally Challenged - A list of books with ISBN numbers so they are easy to look up at Am land. There is also a list of fun organizing products you can shop for online.

Throughout the book, the author gives Bright Ideas that are very helpful. One idea that has helped me be more organized is just getting a big black trash bag and walking through the house now and then. I did this for years and finally I can hardly find anything I want to give away. It has helped me keep the clutter down and it is less painful to get rid of your precious possessions a little at a time. After a few years, you start looking forward to donating items to good causes.

A cute book that is a fast-read so you can get right to all that organizing!

~The Rebecca Review

This is a very very basic book on organizing your home. If you were just beginning a system of organization, didn't know where to start at all, or had not read another book about organization; then this might the book for you.

If, however, you are like myself- fairly organized and looking for a few hints and pointers and possibly some better ideas of ways to organize, you can skip this book. Personally I suggest to my friends that they consider 'Confessions of a Happily Organized Housewife' by Deniece Schofield. (Both her books are well worth the money!)

So- here is my opinion: IF you have never organizined before this is a very non threatening book with some great ideas for organizing various parts of your home. The author does a great job of explaining how to sort through things for importance, how to keep a system going once it is in place, and ideas of how to organize what you do keep. I just find it a VERY BASIC book. If you are already somewhat organized in your life or have already read some books on this topic, you can probably skip this book.

Williams' book is filled with organizing tips that are not only practical, but are also easy for any busy family to implement into their households. And after following her suggestions in the chapter on office management, I found working space in my writing area, I did not think even existed! Priscilla Y. Huff, author of 101 Best Home-Business Success Secrets and HerVenture.com.

I was already a huge fan of Rebecca Lobo before reading this book. 'The Home Team' gives you a look into the lives of Rebecca and Ruthann Lobo. It's such a real look at how their lives truly are and how much they love each other. After reading this book I was blown away by the courage both of these amazing women have shown in thier lives.

I had the opportunity to meet the Lobos at a seminar, and they are as congenial in person as they appear in this fantastic book. Each personal chapter of this narrative made me feel like I was almost a part of the Lobo family. I liked reading about how Rebecca and her brother and sister grew up, what it was like to be part of a team as tight as the Huskies, and how the family dealt with RuthAnn's cancer. I have read this book over and over, and my mother and grandmother both love it as well. It is definitely worth sharing!

Very well written and inspiring. Surviving with strength and heart to carry her family, Mrs. Lobo is amazing! Rebecca's tales of life and the heart ache of her moms struggle with breast cancer. They stuck together and beat it out! WAY TO GO MRS. & MS. LOBO!!!

I really love this book! I did not want to put it down. A couple of reasons I love the book is because now I know she was a normal child once and she did'nt always play basketball. I also liked it because her mom talked about her life. Now I know they had problems just like any other family does.

This book is a must read for all WNBA fans. Rebecca Lobo's life is revealed in many aspects, that of her point of view and her mother. It talks about many issues such as Ruthanne's struggle with breast cancer and how the family dealt with it. As a 15 year old girl, reading is not one of my favorite pastimes. When I heard of a book about my idol Rebecca Lobo, I decided maybe I should give reading a try. I finished the story in a total of two days and found myself waking up in the middle of the night wanting to know what was going to happen next. It is an extremely moving book in which I fould that it was very easy to relate to. As a basketball player, some of Rebecca Lobo's theories such as playing basketball to relive stress and cope with problems I use also. It gave a new perspective to why I am two different people a hustler and leader on the court and a shy and proscinator off of it. Athlete or not, this book will get you moving. It will leave the message in your heard that anything is possible and it will help you to get out and reach that goal that you have been striving for.

This very funny take on fatherhood by Mr. Eddy should have a place of honour on every new parent's bookshelf-right alongside whichever overly earnest new authority is the current guru on childrearing.Dead-on in its insights into parenting and family life,it's the perfect antidote to the notion that marriage and babies is the end to life as we know it.

Housebroken is a book about parenting for people who arenýt interested in books about parenting. Finally, a witty, playful AND philosophical take on the biggest decision of your life, by one of the funniest authors of our day.

Eddieýs new book is a fresh break from the slightly bitter, bleary eyed assessments of this ancient art: You donýt get any sleep? You donýt say! Instead of whining about scraping applesauce off the walls for 10 pages, Housebroken explores new ground with the kind of details youýve always want to know, especially for lads: Is it possible to still be cool as a Dad? What happens to your mojo? Your sex life? What REALLY changes? What do you actually need to know to be a Dad?

Itýs all here in Housebroken for the anxious Dad-to-be. Think About A Boy meets Bukowski and youýre getting warm. Eddieýs transition from Cad to Dad is the story for every man who is taking the leap or even just thinking about it. That mysterious gap between the single life and fatherhood is traversed with enough insight and original humor to give the nervous newcomer a very clear idea of what to expect.

Still, itýs not a dude book exclusively. For all those girls out there wondering about that tormented clown expression on your manýs face whenever the subject of children comes up ý read this!

Whether youýre a parent in waiting, just flirting with the idea or sure youýre not going to breed, Housebroken is a hilarious and inspiring read, the first of itýs kind on the topic of domestic Dads.

Housebroken is a book about parenting for people who arenýt interested in books about parenting. Finally, a witty, playful AND philosophical take on the biggest decision of your life, by one of the funniest authors of our day.

Eddieýs new book is a fresh break from the slightly bitter, bleary eyed assessments of this ancient art: You donýt get any sleep? You donýt say! Instead of whining about scraping applesauce off the walls for 10 pages, Housebroken explores new ground with the kind of details youýve always want to know, especially for lads: Is it possible to still be cool as a Dad? What happens to your mojo? Your sex life? What REALLY changes? What do you actually need to know to be a Dad?

Itýs all here in Housebroken for the anxious Dad-to-be. Think About A Boy meets Bukowski and youýre getting warm. Eddieýs transition from Cad to Dad is the story for every man who is taking the leap or even just thinking about it. That mysterious gap between the single life and fatherhood is traversed with enough insight and original humor to give the nervous newcomer a very clear idea of what to expect.

Still, itýs not a dude book exclusively. For all those girls out there wondering about that tormented clown expression on your manýs face whenever the subject of children comes up ý read this!

Whether youýre a parent in waiting, just flirting with the idea or sure youýre not going to breed, Housebroken is a hilarious and inspiring read, the first of itýs kind on the topic of domestic Dads.

Start with one part humorous self-criticism, add two rounds of the battle of the sexes, season with sleeplessness, stir-in references to unsuccessful careers and the writing process, baste with challenging child care, season with memorable one-liners and smooth writing, wrap in love, and cover with household chores and frustrations. That's the recipe for Housebroken, a survival manual for any man who's about to become a stay-at-home in-charge-of-it-all Dad of a little one and humorous relief for Moms everywhere.

Mr. Eddie's writing and perspective remind me very much of Erma Bombek and her descriptions of how your children drive you crazy. The main differences are that Mr. Eddie is a better writer and uses fewer one-liners. The ones he does use are priceless though: "Dressing small children is not as easy as you might think. First buy an octopus and a string bag . . . ."

Here are the chapter titles:

1. A Square Peg

2. "She's Perfect"

3. A Cad's Fear of Kids

4. "I'm a Househusband."

5. The Advent of Nicholas

6. Our Horrible Honeymoon

7. The Hong Kong Handover

8. The Politics of Drudgery

9. How to Cook

10. Towards a Possible Redefinition of Machismo

11. "What Do You Do All Day?"

12. How to Dad

The book recounts how Mr. Eddie transitioned from being adrift in his own urban world of freelance writing, messy digs and chasing available women to fathering a son, marrying, and becoming the primary care-giver for that child in the suburbs while his "perfect" wife returned to her high-paying career in television news. In the process, he steals a few moments to nap and reflect (and occasionally to write). All writers will love and appreciate his fascination with old, cheap typewriters (so there's always one nearby where he can peck out notes for a writing idea no matter where he is in the house). He's certainly not Super Dad . . . more like Improving, Loving Dad.

Although the book is played primarily for laughs, it switches somewhere midway through into a mostly reflective book on sexual roles and the love and care that a Father is capable of providing for his children. The reflection part played well with me because I've had several friends who have operated as single, stay-at-home fathers. Interestingly, each of them is a writer and has an outstanding sense of humor. I felt like deja vu as I read this fine book, from that perspective. Mr. Eddie's reflections exactly matched those of my friends.

Does being a writer create your destiny as a father? I hope not. The only male writer I knew when I was growing up was a hopeless alcoholic who passed out soon after finishing his writing quota for the day. His family walked around quietly until the next morning lest he be roused in an angry mood. But then again, Mr. Eddie does suggest that liquor makes the whole process more bearable. Hmmm. There's drink for reflection . . . er, I mean, food for thought.

The book made me delighted that my hard-working wife put me in charge of the outdoors while she does the heavy lifting indoors and with our wonderful teenage daughter. They're both napping now while I'm writing.

After you finish having fun with Housebroken, think about where your ideas of what Moms and Dads do is getting in the way of you and your children having a better relationship. Then, change what you do accordingly (after warning all involved so they don't think you're starting a new mid-life crisis). That's the ultimate reward from this book. Enjoy your parenting!

This book is absolutely hilarious! It is warm, funny, smart, and should be read by dads AND moms alike. Ladies, don't let the title sway you from picking this up.
David Eddie details his days as a bachelor wonderfully, complete with descriptions of his apartment such as putting food out on his "trunk/coffee table in his living/dining/bedroom/study area". He leaves this swinging lifestyle for Pam, "Ms.Right", and they purchase a home across from a mental health center. The irony of raising a child, (a job that can be mentally stressful at times as any parent knows), across from an actual mental health center was just too funny for me!
David Eddie and Pam married when she was 5 months pregnant with their son, and due to several lay offs for David and Pam's growing career, he ultimately becomes the stay-at-home parent to their little boy Nicholas. He talks about middle of the night wake ups, people making unsolicited comments on his parenting in public, and finding adventure in his neighborhood. He gives advice on methods of child rearing that have come to work for him, and commiserates on topics that any parent can appreciate, such as "Nap Time: Your Window to Sanity".
I love this book because it's a real life account of a 'househusband', but it's just as touching and funny for me as a woman and mother. I was touched and amused by a father's point of view on his child coming into the world; as he put it, "he felt anxiety and protectiveness toward him and hoped he would always be warm and dry in the world and find happiness". His stories about the birth experience, his relationship with Pam before and after baby, vacationing, all ring true and made me laugh out loud. It's great that he takes over what is usually considered a 'mother/female role', and keeps his masculinity in tact. He manages to be nuturing and 'just one of the guys' at the same time.
Kudos to David Eddie, personally AND professionally!!

I bought "How I Feed my Family on $16 a Week" during the 70s and actually kept my weekly food budget under $20 until the mid 80s. That fed 2 rather than 4 people, but my husband was 6'4" and I was 5'5". We saved money on groceries and maintained low healthy weights following Jo Ann York's advice on shopping, cooking, meal planning and avoiding GREED eating. 30 years later I still review her ideas to help me resist the national 'affluenza' epidemic which encourages us to buy and EAT more and more and then pay for exercise gym memberships, weight loss programs and bariatric gastric bypass surgery to destroy the evidence of our greed.

A good basic cookbook but it lacks an index and is somewhat dated. A new update with index and expanded receipe section would be welcome. It's not James Beard or Julia Child but it is better than most of the basic cookbooks I have found.

My daughter recently got married and we gave her this book as a gift. Although a couple of pages were missing and the cover bent, she and her new family are "living happily ever after" despite losing the little one a few weeks before the wedding.
I'd definitely recommend this one for newlyweds - any young gentleman would be thrilled to have a bride like Jo Ann York!
All the best,
Mrs. M. Da Vomme

Someone gave me a copy of this book when I first got married. I have worn it out. Her advise is sound and timely even though the prices are not. The recipes are simple, yet tasty; food that my children loved to eat. I would strongly recommend this book to anyone who is trying to cut food costs and learn to cook good, simple meals. I can't imagine being a wife and mother without this book as my companion.

I bought the paperback version of this book in 1976 and wore it
out. It was very helpful and practical. She gives you good
tips on how to save money and time and her recipes are simple
but good. I would recommend this book to any mother with children
to feed. My children are grown now, but I still use the recipes
in this book.