WOMAN FIRST FAMILY ALWAYS offers insightful, not always applicable, advice by a woman who knows all about being a mom--after all, she's had ten children in eighteen years.  Discovered by Oprah Winfrey, Kathryn Sansone shares her tips and strategies for raising a happy, healthy family while balancing her own personal needs and those of her marriage.

I highly agree with some of what Kathryn Sansone says.  She offers tips in three categories: Your Self, Your Marriage, and Your Family & Kids.  I also disagree with other points.  Therefore, I think many readers will find themselves in similar shoes--not everything is appropriate or applicable.

 In Your Self, the author delves into dismissing the lines between being a SAHM (stay at home mom) and being a working mom.  Instead, she says value your role and be happy to be doing what you do.  The author also delves into making sure you have time for yourself, that you maintain friendships, setting manageable limits, and getting away when you feel pressured.  The same principles exist for Your Marriage.  Her key point is making sure you get alone time, and that means NO kids in the bed.  I highly agree with her there.  I also agree that an end should come to those who state being a SAHM is easy and an incredible luxury--I have been away from my children for more than three hours time three times in their lifetime.  That's not a luxury!

In Your Family & Kids, the author discusses teaching manners, helping maintain a healthy self-esteem and teaching responsibility, all while allowing a child certain room to make their own mistakes.  I agree here, but feel too many parents are too lenient with the "mistakes" portion.  I've seen families where giving a child room has led to disaster.  In these cases, the mothers needed to trust in themselves and not listen to others when they said they needed to lighten up.  I also took issue with the author's financial lesson.  After school, she handed six of her children $9 and took them to Subway and had them "feed the entire group" using the $9 and bring her back a soda as well.  They ended up buying two subs and splitting them six ways and buying one drink.  The one cup then got passed from sibling to sibling as they each got an entire drink and then refilled the cup a seventh time to bring to their mom.  Clever?  Yes.  Theft?  In our area fast foods, it would count as theft.  Most stores have a two refill policy.  A much better lesson would have been to take them to a grocery store and have them purchase a loaf of bread, sandwich meats, and a two-liter bottle of soda.

Another topic where I had issues was over money and keeping a budget.  With ten children, I can only imagine how high the Sansone family's bills are.  I'm assuming from this book that the family has an extremely large income or that she gets perks from her appearances on Oprah that allow her additional luxuries.  They live in a house with room for all ten children, a master bedroom that allows them to actually have "alone" time, and have a basement with a basketball court and exercise room.

In the "Your Self" section, she talks about whisking off for weekends alone with her sisters, I only wish I could drop everything and head off on some sweet, little weekend getaway. The cost alone is enough to make that a fantasy and not a reality.  I have a feeling that the author has luxuries that are not available to other moms.  For the above reasons, I think most readers will find her advice is of the "take it or leave it" variety.