Confessions of a Cereal Mother - Rachel McClellan

Summary:  In this humorous memoir you’ll discover several mind-saving rules, which include:

-      Don’t throw your pregnancy test away before the full three minutes is up.

-       Unless there is a rush on the grocery store pending a zombie-virus outbreak, never take your kids shopping.

-       If your toddler is going to chew on a Band-Aid, hope it’s one found inside the community swimming pools chlorinated pool and not one found in their locker room.

-       Never throw up in a cookie sheet.

-       Things can always get worse. You could discover your child playing with a used tampon applicator. It’s not a whistle, sweetie.

-       And most importantly, the moment one of your children is seriously ill, forget about everything else. You have the greatest honor in the world – being a Mom.  (Image taken from rachelmcclellan.com, summary from goodreads.com.  I received a copy in exchange for my honest opinion.)

My Review:  I tore through this book in a couple of hours.  McClellan has a very easy, fun style to read, and it was a great book to escape into.  It really is nice to occasionally be reminded that sometimes, despite my best intentions and preparations, chaos will find a way, that I’m not the only mom who has had to rely on dry cereal in a baggie as a “meal”, and that the allure of detailing Christmas lists in September is a universal trait among all kids-not just mine. More importantly, it was a subtle and welcome reminder that I chose this brand of chaos.  Is there anything better for recharging those mommy-batteries than remembering that?

Funny, relatable, and often poignant, this book would be a perfect one to throw into a summer beach bag, or as a palate-cleanser following a particularly heavy read. 

My Rating:  3.5 stars.

For the Sensitive Reader: McClellan frankly discusses the regimented nature of trying to start a family, of stomach flu viruses (don’t read that section on an uneasy stomach – I’m recovering from a terrible tummy bug and her descriptions nearly did me in!), and of the downsides to diaper changing.