Reviewed by Nancy Irene Boehm

I really liked author Lisa Robert's style of writing. I was able to read the book quickly and comprehend the contents easily. Her writing is light and enjoyable. It kept my interest through the entire book. The stories were great. The one where she is in labor and trying to finish a thesis had me giggling all day.

The format of the book was excellent, also. As a computer programmer I work with many task lists. The tasks were laid out in detail with time estimates on how long to accomplish the tasks. It would be easy for someone to start a business by just following the task laid out in How to Raise a Family and a Career Under One Roof.

Section 1—In the Family Way—was very helpful for me. Currently I work for a consulting company as a programmer analyst, doing year 2000 program changes for an electric company. I telecommute from my home 2 days a week. I thought when I started telecommuting I would be able to take care of the children and work at the same time. I found it very frustrating when I couldn't and thought I must be doing something wrong. The chapter on Caring for the Children helped me realize I was expecting too much of myself. I now send the children to a baby sitter without regrets. The author's suggestions on how to fit in home responsibilities were particularly helpful, also. I am delegating more and insisting on more help from my children. We are a stepfamily; my husband and I together have 5 children ranging from 4 to 15. Even the little one helps sort and fold the laundry now.

In today's fast growing technical society the Internet offers so many opportunities. The list of online sites will help people navigate to business sites that could make a difference with their home business. I am a new Internet user and I am constantly looking for new sites to visit. The list of books to read for additional information is excellent also. One of the tasks in the book is to do additional research. With the list of books at the end of each chapter, the author has given the reader a starting point for that research.

The only parts that I found limiting addressed how to start a typing service. The last time I was a typing secretary was 20 years ago in college. My boss would ask me daily if I could type anything without at least 10 errors. It just is not one of my gifts. Thank goodness for word processing. However, I did find that most of the book was general where the principles could be applied to any type of business.

This book has renewed my desire to look into starting a business from home. I have started my "Journal" and am working on my commitment level. I would love to have a successful business at home so that both my husband and I could stay closer to home. Currently our office jobs are 100 miles from our rural home. Our commute time is 1 1/2 hours each way. The task list and the time estimate will help me keep on track and so I don't get discouraged.

Nancy Irene Boehm is a Senior Consultant for Keane, Inc. She is currently working as a computer programmer analyst with Tucson Electric Power Company on the Year 2000 project. She now telecommutes 2 days a week but hopes to telecommute full time. Ms. Boehm and her husband together have 5 children, 2 that live with us full time and 3 that visit. They are weekend farmers, living on a 120-acre farm where they grow vegetables and squash. They hope to be full time farmers in the future which is a home business in it's own way.