Don’t get too put off by the title…This is a really bare-it-all book on the pitfalls (and often realities) of motherhood. As Ybarbo delicately put at a recent book event, “Vacations can be bittersweet, 80% bitter, 20% sweet.” Now do I REALLY think these women think we’re constantly failing as moms? Absolutely NOT. But have they taken a completely brutally honest look at many facets of motherhood with thick skin journalism on board? Absolutely yes!
I met this team of Emmy Award Winning Today Show producers who authored the book at a recent Maryland event, and was laughing along with a room full of women about our misadventures along the path of trying to keep it all together as moms. Through vomit, missed school conferences, getting lost in theme parks, figuring out how to put the fun in vacations, and much more, this book takes us through the seasons with anecdotes, tips, and our mommy road map that makes absolutely no sense at times!
Here are Ybarbo and Zoellner at the event:
After meeting them, I tweeted something to the effect of, “Hey, we’re all in this together!” The audience shared hysterical stories of cramming kids full of sugar cereals to survive a 6am flight without thinking how the sugar high would affect their kids at 8 am to watching their kid make lunch for the first time, realizing the next morning the bread was as moldy as a science experience (hmmmm…who was that?!). Even Ybarbo herself shared a really fun story about taking her own son to work when J Lo was in studio, only to realize in her work frenzy that she was missing her other kid’s parent-teacher conference.
It was like watching stand-up comedy about life as a parent, sharing missteps from our mom life without any judgement whatsoever, and laughing hysterically.
The book: Sh*tty Mom for All Seasons: Half-@ssing It All Year Long by Alicia Ybarbo and Mary Ann Zoellner with Erin Clune
Some non-advice advice from the Sh*tty Moms
- An effective way to get rid of those old toys your kids are sentimentally attached to is to “disappear” them behind furniture. By the time you pull out the dresser to vacuum behind it next spring, the kids won’t care about the stuff anymore. Suck it, toys.
- The main goal of parenthood is staying afloat. After that, the main goal is getting the kids on their own damn boat. Bon voyage!
- Kids and grandparents are natural allies because they both have to put up with your bitching. Try to foster a close relationship between them so you can spend a few extra days away, bitching to your girlfriends.
- Making cold lunch at night is a great way to save time in the morning. But the best way to save time at night is to “forget” to make it, shrug your shoulders, and give them two bucks for hot lunch.
Here are some reviews that give you a flavor for the delightful dish in store for you when you pick this book up…
Praise for Sh*tty Mom for All Seasons
“Shitty Moms provides just what we all need at the end of our parenting days: a shot of irreverence with a belly laugh chaser. With Shitty Moms 2, we get to make it a double.” – Jessica Lahey, Author of the Gift of Failure
“Finally, a book that explains why kids are so hard to feed AND so easy to lose in a crowded store. Hilarious and helpful, it will keep you up at night, laugh-crying at the challenges of modern motherhood. ” – Alisyn Camerota, CNN
“A hilarious and heart-warming book that perfectly captures that delicate balance every mom feels, somewhere between “Parenting! #NailedIt!” and “What the F have I done?!?!” – Randi Zuckerberg, Digital Lifestyle Expert, Author and Host of “Dot Complicated” on SiriusXM
“If you’ve never felt like a shitty parent then you’re likely delusional. A brilliant and hilarious guide to make you feel better, or at least in great company.” – Jenni Pulos, Star of Bravo’s Flipping Out
“As a mom your spare time is precious. Spend it laughing with sh*tty moms!” – Wendy Bellissimo, CEO Wendy Bellissimo Inc.
About the Authors
Alicia Ybarbo and Mary Ann Zoellner are Emmy Award–winning producers at NBC’s TODAY show. They are the coauthors of Sh*tty Mom: The Parenting Guide for the Rest of Us and Today’s Moms: Essentials for Surviving Baby’s First Year.
Erin Clune is a journalist and humorist whose blogs include Life After NY, The Mischievous Mixologist, and her advice column, So What? Who Cares? Her work has been featured on NPR, The Rumpus, Thought Catalog, and Medium.
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