Reclaiming Home: A Family's Guide for Life, Love & Legacy

I found "Reclaiming Home" through my MOPs group when Krista Gilbert and her topic of reclaiming home was featured. I immediately bought the book. It can serve to be a comprehensive guidebook for any family if you are looking to create a family home that is full of rich living and experiences. I appreciate Krista's ability to make you feel like you are a dear friend as you read and her concise way of passing on knowledge without making you feel overwhelmed (even though each chapter is full of wisdom nuggets!) She gets to the heart of what makes a home through a wide range of topics that each chapter tackles individually from your family legacy and marriage, to more practical stuff like scheduling and planning family traditions.Despite the wide range of ways to reclaim your home this book is short and an easy read which is a plus for the busy parent. Also she makes it so practical by offering worksheet forms in the book to help you think through the topic and questions and/or action items at the end of each chapter to apply what she has been talking about. I would love to use this book as a small group study and her format makes it easy to do that.Finally I really appreciate that while Krista is a Christian and has that at heart while writing that she is not preachy or over theological. This is the type of book I would feel comfortable giving to anyone regardless of their beliefs or faith because she is tackling a topic that we all long to have: a happy, healthy and connected family.Reading her book then lead me to her podcast "Open Door Sisterhood." If you loved this book, I highly suggest checking it out!

It is rare that I feel inspired by a book in this genre, but Reclaiming Home has done just that--inspired me. One little sentence says "Adapt the actions to fit your personality," and I can easily apply that to the whole book. Every chapter--almost every page, actually--has some gem or practical tool or idea that I can adapt to my personality and incorporate into my life with the people I care about the most--my family and friends.Too many have given in to the disconnected, tech-driven, social media-obsessed culture and have lost authentic and meaningful connection to their children, friends, and spouses as a result. Reclaiming Home gives us a strong voice to say "NO. I won't give up and I won't give in." This is a no-nonsense, simple, straightforward, and very practical guide to build, rebuild, and maintain loving connections with the people we love the most. Krista doesn't say "get rid of the technology, ban social media..." Instead, she skillfully, creatively, and thoughtfully helps us find the balance. And she does this in very realistic ways, keeping the focus on what's most important--relationships and meaningful connections. I found myself frequently saying, "What a great idea!" followed quickly by "I could do something like that!"Krista weaves authenticity, vulnerability, powerful metaphors, personal stories, simple examples, self evaluation and organizational tools, and common sense into a heartfelt guide for our journey to reclaim ourselves, our marriages, our families, our friends--our homes. It's not just a "must-read," it's a MUST-DO!

I was honored to be able to read Krista Gilbert's new book, Reclaiming Home: The Family's Guide for Life, Legacy and Love. Her personal experiences along with her practical ideas teach us all the importance of focusing on family and making the most of that time. Krista's chapter on reclaiming time teaches us how to invest and be intentional in claiming family time as well as one on one time with each family member. She reminds us all that time is a gift that should be treasured. The chapter on reclaiming childhood provided a list of what friendship looks like to help teach children what to look for in a friend. Each part of the book relies on the experiences that Krista has lived, but also on the ideas that she uses to reclaim her own home. This book is a must read by all no matter what stage your family is in.

"we are living the fullness of our lives right now ... we simply breath in the beauty of what is before us." (pg. 113). i love the way krista consistently encourages her readers to embrace and enjoy The Now. the significance of the present is woven into pretty much every page of her book. whether we've been parenting 2 months or 20 years, it's a message we all need to revisit in the stories of our own families --- there is no time like the present. ready, set, go! krista gilbert's writing inspires and motivates us, not to be perfect in our parenting, but to be passionate about our families.

As a wife, mom, teacher, and youth leader, I have found Reclaiming Home to be an incredible resource both personally and professionally. I love Krista's humor! Her way with words made me feel like we were sharing a cup of coffee in some mom and pop coffee shop. This isn't a book I'll read once and put aside, but read over and over. Krista fills the pages with practical ways to reclaim home. You can put what you learn into practice even before you turn the final page!I would recommend this to anyone with a family, even if you aren't married or have children. There is something for everyone!

As a mother of a 4 year old son with special needs this book spoke to my heart. Krista is a fantastic storyteller but also has the ability to take the concepts and make them relevant to everyone trying to raise a family in today's world. Our struggles are not the same but the way we apply her principles can help us all. I told my husband that I had several "aha" moments while reading it and will be taking action on several of her suggestions, including some of the recipes! Thank you, Krista, for such a thoughtful book that provided fun, introspection, and healing.