Description

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Tales from the Crib will make all parental units feel better about themselves—no vegetables required.

Let’s be honest. Nobody wants to sit next to that chipper mom at playgroup who knows everything. Please. You want to plop down by the mom who’s just as clueless and cranky as you are and have a good, hearty, conspiratorial laugh together. Because that mom gets it. That mom makes you feel better. That mom isn’t afraid to admit that chicken nuggets are one of her household’s major food groups (though she is fraught with guilt over it). That mom is just like you.

That mom is DeeDee Filiatreault—a regular housewife with fairly normal kids (if there is such a thing). But unlike you, she writes all her ridiculous family stuff down (for her newspaper column and blog) with wit, snark, heart, faith, and far fewer swear words than she’s probably thinking. Her writings have yet to appear in the New Yorker or HuffPo, she doesn’t go on morning shows to dole out parenting advice (mainly because she doesn’t really have any), and she doesn’t have a weird, new hook for a “mom-oir”—like how she survived a year of family dumpster-diving or co-parenting her children with wolves. She doesn’t have eighteen kids either, just two. And oh yeah, only one husband (as required by state law).

This collection of DeeDee’s favorite columns and writings spans her first near-decade in the mom business. Reading it is like plunking down next to that funny mom at playgroup. You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. You’ll feel less lonely in this thing. And you may even feel a little superior. (That alone might be worth the price tag.) Just come and sit down next to her.

About the Author

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DeeDee Filiatreault began writing a humor column in 2007 called Tales from the Crib for her local weekly newspaper in Connecticut, which evolved into her blog, TalesFromTheCribBlog.com. She has written lots of words for lots of different entities over the years, including an art museum, a mega-church, a political campaign or two, and for former South Carolina Governor David M. Beasley as his chief speechwriter. A transplant from the Carolinas, she now lives in Niantic, Connecticut, with her husband, two children, a spastic dog, and one blissfully quiet rabbit.

Praise For…

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“In these bite-sized, hilarious essays, Dee Dee Filiatreault celebrates the underachiever in all of us. Anyone who has ever done school drop-off in the same yoga pants she slept in will recognize herself in these pages—and feel a whole lot better.” —Amy Wilson, author of When Did I Get Like This?

“A fun romp through the messy realities of being a mom. DeeDee Filiatreault writes with humor, and from the heart . . .” —Christie Mellor, author of The Three-Martini Playdate and Fun Without Dick and Jane

"By page 10, I was nodding in agreement. By page 110, I was convinced DeeDee and I were leading parallel lives. By page 210, I wanted her to move next door—with or without her children. Tales from the Crib will make you smile and laugh, especially if your kids are finally asleep in their beds—or anywhere, really." —Leanne Shirtliffe, author of Don't Lick the Minivan and Mommyfesto

"DeeDee's stories are laugh-out-loud funny and worth embarrassing yourself over—whether on the train, the bus, the subway, or even in your own bathroom. Or someone else's bathroom. DeeDee is our generation's Erma Bombeck!" —Todd Ellison, Broadway music supervisor of An American in Paris, Spamalot, and 42nd Street

“DeeDee Filiatreault has been there, done that, and kept a sense of humor throughout the journey of motherhood. She hands out ‘honorable mention’ ribbons to all of the parents and confirms there is no ‘right way’ to parent—just our way.” —Val Curtis, editor-in-chief of BonBon Break Media, LLC

"DeeDee has a rare gift—she can make you laugh about things you didn’t know were funny until she pointed them out, and she can make a quasi-serious point at the same time. These essays are terrific." —Barton Swaim, author ofThe Speechwriter: A Brief Education in Politics

"DeeDee Filiatrealt is a modern-day Erma Bombeck. In her transparent, witty, and extremely well-written debut release, Tales from the Crib, DeeDee strips away the pretenses of parenthood, modeling the medicinal power of laughter and how to celebrate the joy in every jelly stain. Her writing is a gift." —Tara McClary Reeves, author of Point Me to Jesus

“In these bite-sized, hilarious essays, Dee Dee Filiatreault celebrates the underachiever in all of us. Anyone who has ever done school drop-off in the same yoga pants she slept in will recognize herself in these pages—and feel a whole lot better.” —Amy Wilson, author of When Did I Get Like This?

“A fun romp through the messy realities of being a mom. DeeDee Filiatreault writes with humor, and from the heart . . .” —Christie Mellor, author of The Three-Martini Playdate and Fun Without Dick and Jane

"By page 10, I was nodding in agreement. By page 110, I was convinced DeeDee and I were leading parallel lives. By page 210, I wanted her to move next door—with or without her children. Tales from the Crib will make you smile and laugh, especially if your kids are finally asleep in their beds—or anywhere, really." —Leanne Shirtliffe, author of Don't Lick the Minivan and Mommyfesto

"DeeDee's stories are laugh-out-loud funny and worth embarrassing yourself over—whether on the train, the bus, the subway, or even in your own bathroom. Or someone else's bathroom. DeeDee is our generation's Erma Bombeck!" —Todd Ellison, Broadway music supervisor of An American in Paris, Spamalot, and 42nd Street

“DeeDee Filiatreault has been there, done that, and kept a sense of humor throughout the journey of motherhood. She hands out ‘honorable mention’ ribbons to all of the parents and confirms there is no ‘right way’ to parent—just our way.” —Val Curtis, editor-in-chief of BonBon Break Media, LLC

"DeeDee has a rare gift—she can make you laugh about things you didn’t know were funny until she pointed them out, and she can make a quasi-serious point at the same time. These essays are terrific." —Barton Swaim, author ofThe Speechwriter: A Brief Education in Politics

"DeeDee Filiatrealt is a modern-day Erma Bombeck. In her transparent, witty, and extremely well-written debut release, Tales from the Crib, DeeDee strips away the pretenses of parenthood, modeling the medicinal power of laughter and how to celebrate the joy in every jelly stain. Her writing is a gift." —Tara McClary Reeves, author of Point Me to Jesus