Book Review--Making a Family Home

You'll enjoy Making A Family Home by Sannon Honeybloom. I was happy to be offered this review. I haven't had the opportunity before to review any cookbooks or books of this type so I was excited to get this chance.

I really enjoyed the book. I really liked the name it describes what Shannon is sharing. It is basically a 'How she did it' or 'does it'. Each of the 84 pages is filled with bright colorful photo's. Since there are so many photo's there isn't a huge amount of text so it is easy and fast to read. But it is fun. There are many good suggestions throughout the book. One thing that impressed me is Shannon describes how to use and incorporate all of the house from the front porch to the basement to the attic and even the backyard!

This book is not just about decorating or organizing the home it also contains suggestions on how to make the rooms into learning environments for the children. In chapter 3 the use of the twelve senses is discussed. Here's a couple of the examples:
"Touch--the experience of the skin meeting whatever is just beyond it--soft, hard, smooth or bumy..." This is illustrated by a photo of different fruits like oranges and apples.

One idea she shared that I really liked and hope to incorporate is how she set up the Playroom with a daybed against the wall between the windows and a round canopy hanging over it making it a fun place to hide away and read a book. Or "close the muslin drapes aruond themselves to creat a little fort, a castle, a teepee, or a knight's tent. "

The publishers website decsribes the book . . . Making a Family Home is a book of real beauty, one both personal and universal. In describing her home and family life, Shannon Honeybloom shows how she made—and how we can make—a house into a real home as she shares her own efforts, hopes, and lessons in making a safe and healthy home that provides warmth and intimacy for the whole family. Illustrated in color with lively, evocative photographs, Shannon invites the reader into her home and offers warm encouragement and practical suggestions for virtually every aspect of bringing love, comfort, and beauty to a family home. The chapters in Making a Family Home range from “At Home with Children” to “The Front Porch” and “The Playroom” to “The Backyard and the Garden.” Shannon Honeybloom is a friend and confidant who offers gentle suggestions and wise insights for parents who wish to surround their family with the best possible home environment.

I recommend this book. It would be a great wedding gift or gift for a young couple moving into thier first home. Or a couple just starting thier family.

It is available at Amazon and on the publisher's website. I also happened to find the authors blog you might enjoy visiting there. I liked this . . . It’s not about trading up, maximizing profits, buying new stuff. It’s about slowing down, taking stock, and creating thoughtful, comfortable, intuitive spaces for our families. It’s about having a home that is a calming antidote to our fast-paced, stressed out lives.

Many thanks to Shannon for sending me a copy and allowing me to write this review.