For busy moms who are looking for a healthier, more balanced lifestyle, Life Lessons for Busy Moms offers seven ingredients for greater personal and parenting success. Encouraging moms focus on organization rather than perfection, the creators of Chicken Soup for the Soul ladle out touching stories, practical tips, and warm encouragement.

Seven "essential ingredient" chapters teach a woman to (1) make time to nurture herself; (2) take charge of her parenting style; (3) implement creative solutions; (4) feed her soul; (5) keep an organized home; (6) solicit help; and (7) make time to slow down. The book is broken into short, easy-to-read segments for busy moms with little spare time. Each chapter ends with questions for further reflection and/or exercises for applying the material.

The book is not specifically written for homeschooling mothers. In fact, it assumes that moms will be sending their children off to school daily. Like most of the Chicken Soup books, Life Lessons for Busy Moms is chock full of laughs, tears, and entertainment, offering wonderful ideas for organizing chores, rooms, and daily schedules. I appreciated the regular reminders that I don't need to be superwoman, I can ask for help, and my kids need me, not activities. Yet, sadly, the Key Ingredient is missing: Christ. Rather than encouraging mothers to delight in their God-ordained roles with the Lord motivating all that they do, the book emphasizes a mom's need to "find" herself and make herself happy before giving anything to her children. I also felt that much of the advice was geared toward working moms and was therefore irrelevant for stay-at-home moms like me.

If you're willing to dig through the modern psychology for the gems, then Life Lessons for Busy Moms provides a few nuggets of shining wisdom. However, from one busy mom to another, I suggest that you spend your valuable time delving into something with less broth and a little more meat.

Product review by Wendy Walker, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, August 2007