Review: Home-Ec 101

For those of you up North still experiencing snow, well down South here, “It’s Spring time in Texas, Y’all!” This past Monday we had tornadoes and 80 mph straight line winds all over North Texas. Poor SuperDad, who works for an insurance company {let’s just say I’m “in good hands”}, spent all of Monday fielding claim calls, and all day yesterday answering the question, “When is someone going to come out?” And, well, with the nice Spring weather it has also, once again, motivated me to get some Spring cleaning started. Now, I say started because our current schedule doesn’t allow me to actually finish anything! :/

Anyhow, imagine how thrilled I was to find out I had been chosen to review Heather Solos’ book Home-Ec 101: Skills for Everyday Living! I was actually able to find some time {during those priceless late night/early morning hours} to read the book from cover to cover… and so glad I did. It is truly chop full of great ideas, tips, and resources. Even after 5 kids and almost 17 years of marriage, I was able to learn things I had never heard before. The book was written in such a fun, easy to understand format and even included definitions as it went along. So, if I did not already know the difference between conduction and convection I could look on page 167 and learn all about it! This chef, turned blogger, truly knows her stuff and is sharing it all with us in her book!


My favorite part of the book, other than the amazing amount of knowledge gained, was her use of both sarcasm and raw humor! As you read along learning how to organize and clean your home, you find bits of humor sprinkled throughout the book and, hence, a smile on your face. For instance, when talking about the bed, Mrs. Solos adds, “A lazy person may want to save time by layering a week’s worth of pillowcases and removing one a day. Note: This does not work for underwear.” And it’s a book about cleaning! I never thought cleaning was such a fun topic to read about. Plus, the retro look of the book just makes it even better!

Letters of readers with interesting questions, recipes for both meals and cleaning solutions, measurement conversions and dangerous chemical combinations round out the long list of resources the book provides. Here are just a few things you can find in the book:

• Quick and easy cleaning tips broken down day by day to help you get on to bigger and better things
• Functional organizational tips that allow you to find those items you need efficiently
• Frugal laundry tips for removing stains, keeping your whites bright, and removing musky odors
• DIY home repair tips that put you in control of your home and your pocketbook
• Fast and healthy weekly meal plans with recipes to stop those last-minute take out trips
• Rules on how to keep a well-stocked pantry so you can make a meal even when you haven’t been to the store or you need a meal when disaster strikes
• Definitions for kitchen appliances, cooking terms, techniques and the basic needs for every kitchen

Want to read more? You can find the book on Amazon and Barnes and Noble, plus you can follow Heather Solos on Twitter and Facebook. Home-ec101.com is also full of more information on both Heather and the book, Home-Ec 101: Skills for Everyday Living.

**Disclaimer: I was chosen for this review through the One2One Network and was provided a copy of the book to review free of charge. All opinions are 100% my own. There are also affiliate links in the post.**