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It's confession time: as organized as I am (it comes with the job), this professional organizer hates housework! In fact, most of my organizational skills come from my desire to contain the clutter so that I don't have to clean as frequently. I just have the luxury of not having to clean before the maid comes that many of the "organizationally challenged" are lacking in their lives. Ms. Sherman's book, A Housekeeper is Cheaper Than a Divorce, not only provides the tools for finding and keeping a good housekeeper, but also helps us determine whether or not we need domestic help and at what level.

Many time management and family counselors argue that husbands and wives should share housework 50/50, but as Ms. Sherman points out in the introduction of her book, that still places the burden of another part-time job on our significant other. This just splits the load, taking you both away from other tasks you'd rather be doing, such as having more leisure time or starting a home business. And if we hire a babysitter to watch the kids while we catch up on our cleaning chores or complete a work-from-home project, aren't we missing the point of raising our kids and helping them grow?

As a work-at-home mom, I see the pitfalls of trying to be Super Parent and do it all: work, home, kids, spouse, self. (Usually self doesn't even rate, because we're just too tired to pamper ourselves.) So it's not surprising to read that one survey found that "almost half of couples have fought about cleaning, and 1 in 10 has separated over housework disagreements." Wow, I guess we're not all by ourselves in this struggle, are we?

This book helps you weigh the pros and cons of hiring a housekeeper, maid service, or choosing the DIY (do it yourself) route and enlisting the help of your family. It's methodical, practical, and very thorough. Far from dry reading, however, this book provides you with checklists, planning guides, comparison charts, and other tools you need to effectively decide for yourself whether or not hiring domestic help is the right move for you and your family.

Read reviews from those that have purchased this book, Average customer rating is 5 stars http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0967963605/thefamilycorne02

Review courtesy of professional organizer, Debbie Williams. See Debbie's website Organized Times at http://organizedtimes.com

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