Book Review: "Woman First, Family Always"

"Woman First, Family Always" by Kathryn Sansone promises simple ideas and basic concepts behind living a balanced, organized and fulfilling life from a "happily married mother of 10". I really wanted to love this book but I thought it lacked realism, honesty and substance. I cruised through this book very quickly--the author doesn't do much but scratch the surface on a lot of things I would've loved to hear about. For instance, just how does she get laundry done for 10 kids every week? What job does her husband have so they can afford 10 kids to begin with? Where are the concrete facts on how she really gets all these people out the door in the morning? How many bathrooms do they have?? Really, her editors should've insisted on further detail because it doesn't add up--how can one person have enough time to maintain a neat and well-decorated home, chauffeur a bunch of kids to activities and sports, have date nights with the hubby, volunteer, daily workouts, manicures, etc. I suspect that she enlists her older kids to take deal with the grunt work of daily living just like my Grandma used to do with her 7 kids.

On the other hand, I really admired the author's general message about taking care of yourself and your relationship with your spouse first, so that your family has a truly strong foundation. It's true that sometimes when we get married, we forget how important our close friendships are--not to mention nurturing our own sense of self or cultivating a fulfilling marriage. She was careful to remind the reader that every normal family has a cycle of ups and downs, no matter how organized or spiritual the family members are--a critical notion to hold onto when the circumstances of life seem a bit hard to take.