Because she said so

My mother used to use the phrase, "Because I said so," all the time. It drove me crazy. As an only child at the time, and a very inquisitive one at that, I did not understand why she could not explain why I could not paint on the walls, had to put down the sharp knife, should not try to cross the street alone. I wanted more of an explanation than because I said so offered.
So, when I heard the name of the book by Dawn Meehan, "Because I Said So," I giggled to myself. Meehan addresses the reason for the name in her book, which will have you in stitches.
She, too, admits it drove her crazy when her mother uttered the phrase. But, Meehan is a mom to six, yes you read it right, six children. If anyone should be able to explain herself with because I said so, it's her.
I first met Meehan last year, at a bloggers' event for Adventures in Disney. I liked her as a person right away. When I went home and read her blog, I liked her as a writer too.
This is Meehan's first book, but she already has fans across the globe. Her first entrance into public storytelling was when she sold a dirty baseball on Ebay. The sale had 220,000 hits because of the story she told. She became a blogger and later auctioned off a pack of Pokemon cards on Ebay and had 94,000 hits in one day, again, not so much for the Pokemon cards, but for the great story she told about her kids.
Her book is filled with those stories. Be prepared to laugh out loud. More than once.
I giggled my way through the first few pages, but on page 10, Meehan had me nearly running to pee, I was laughing so hard. When she described what it is like to wake up, in the middle of the night to find a child staring at you, I could not help but burst out laughing. Every parent has been there.
I am a mom of two. But some of the things that children do to drive us insane, um, I mean to show their creativity, is true no matter the number of children in the pack. When Meehan talks about taking children with when trying to buy clothing, well, I guess you're going to have to buy the book to read about that one. I highly recommend that you do so, by the way.
To buy the book, go here. To read and subscribe to Meehan's blog, go here.
And, if you want to meet Meehan, she will be signing her book from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., April 4 at The Book Stall in Winnetka. For more information on the event, go here.

Welcome

Hello everyone,
Many of you have been my blog followers when I wrote under Cafe Aulet for The Herald News in Joliet. It's been about a month since that blog was taken down and I wanted to provide everyone a place to continue to read my work. Since much of what I wrote about on Cafe Aulet is still a part of my life, even though I am a freelance writer and not on staff, I thought I needed a place to write.
So, please become a fan of this blog. Send me ideas and information about local events. And watch for my review of "Because I said so," a book by Dawn Meehan, a mom of 6 and a blogger who will have you in stitches.
Welcome back everyone.