"I wear the Maternity Pants in this Family" by Susan Konig

This was yet another collection of short stories from the life of a mom. Is this some kind of new genre?

The back cover has the same picture, without the kids coming out of her pants. Danny asked, "So, which one do you think is more insulting?" That was a funny question.

I enjoyed this book, especially because not all of the stories were self/husband-deprecating. Some of them were, as seems to be the trend in this genre. But there were actually several stories with happy "endings" - obviously, real life doesn't translate into opening-conflict-resolution-conclusion format.

The book starts out with the most hilarious story ever. Konig is dropping her daughter off at kindergarten, and she thinks, "Ahhhh peace! Finally! I can have the time to all those things I haven't been able - " and then she promptly feels nauseous. Not just any nauseous, pregnancy nauseous. Her all-my-kids-are-finally-in-grade-school momming lasted about 6 minutes.

I think my mother in law would really, really like this book, or at least be able to relate to it in some ways. Both women had an unplanned, unexpected baby in their later years. Both of them were happy to have the baby, even if it meant some new life complications. Konig's writing is fun to read; she sounds a lot like my mom or mother in law. I enjoyed this; it's a quick read, doesn't require lots of deep thinking, which is kind of nice sometimes.

Maybe this is TMI, but I got in the habit while Jane was nursing to stash my library books at various places in the house, so no matter when Jane needed to stop and nurse, I would have something to read. I still do this, even though she is weaned. The nooks include our family room coffee table, the kitchen counter, my nightstand, a basket in Jane's room, and the upstairs bathroom. Where I put the books seems to be a subconscious reflection of what kind of book it is. This one? A leisurely bathroom reader. Hey, I'm in there ten billion times per day peeing 1/2 a teaspoon; the least I can get out of it is a few chuckles from a good book, right?