The Christian Mom’s Idea Book (review)

The Christian Mom’s Idea Book, by Ellen Banks Elwell, is….just what it sounds like—a book of helpful tips and ideas on an assortment of subjects, from education to discipline to laundry to birthday parties, and so on.

The book opens with an acrostic on motherhood, inspired by Proverbs 31. A variety of virtues—merciful, observant, trustworthy, and so on—are each discussed in this devotional, motivational chapter.

The remainder of the book is organized topically, making it easy to flip to whichever subject strikes the reader’s fancy. The author collected 500 different ideas from 80 different mothers, so each chapter includes an assortment of ideas from women who may approach issues very differently.

I found the book somewhat helpful. I found it interesting to read how different families do laundry and how the children contribute (or don’t)! There is some useful information on what age is best to begin music lessons, the different approaches to teaching music, and some tips for getting your child to practice. There are ideas for birthday party themes and for organizing your home. There are even chapters about adoption and single parenting.

I probably would have loved the book as a young mother, bookmarking pages and taking notes. However, now, in my 26th year of parenting, most of the information was not new to me. I think it could be helpful for younger parents, though.

I received a free copy of this book through the Crossway Homeschool Book Review Program in exchange for my honest review.