Just Let Me Lie Down: Necessary Terms for the Half-Insane Working Mom

Kristin van Ogtrop knows she's lucky - fulfilling career, great husband, three healthy kids, and, depending on the hamster count, an impressive roster of pets. She also knows she is tired. Always.

Using stories and insights from her own life, she provides a lexicon for the half-insane working mom. Anyone who has left a meeting to race to the Halloween parade immediately understands van Ogtrop's definition of 'Kill the messenger' as 'The action you must take in order to forget about the office for a time-that is, to remove your Blackberry/ Treo/ iPhone/ whatever from your person and store it as far away as your neurotic self will allow.' Filled with essays, lists, and resonant observations, JUST LET ME LIE DOWN establishes van Ogtrop as the Erma Bombeck of the new millennium.

“"Wise, warm, and well-adjusted, Kristin van Ogtrop untangles life's alphabet of chaos one letter at a time."-- Ben Schott, author of Schott's Miscellany”

"Wise, warm, and well-adjusted, Kristin van Ogtrop untangles life's alphabet of chaos one letter at a time."--Ben Schott, author of Schott's Miscellany "Wise, moving and hilarious--and refreshingly (ok, staggeringly) honest--Just Let Me Lie Down captures the choas, ambivalence, and dagger-through-my-heart love felt by just about every working mother."--Cathi Hanauer, editor of The Bitch in the House and author of Sweet Ruin "This handy survival-primer will offer a laugh, some respite or both. There's something for every mom here."--Linda M. Castellitto, Bookpage "Sometimes funny, sometimes poignant, but pretty much dead on."--Tara Trower, "Mama Drama" columnist for The Austin American Statesman "God bless you, Kristin van Ogtrop. Just Let Me Lie Down is a lexicon for legions of working moms. van Ogtrop nails with a generous, wisecracking charm what we couldn't--even with sleep--articulate."--Elissa Schappell, Vanity Fair "Full of humor and insight of how to juggle a successful career and a growing family."--Danielle Dreger-Babbitt, Seattle Book Examiner "Full of hard-won wisdom and kick-ass wit, Just Let Me Lie Down perfectly captures the joys and frustrations of an entire exhausted demographic. I would like to add one more thing to van Ogtrop's mile-long To-Do list: Run for President."--Mary Roach, author of Bonk, Spook, and Stiff "Frank and funny."--Entertainment Weekly "A witty lexicon of marriage and motherhood."--Vogue "A wise and witty thesaurus of marriage and parenthood. The ideal girlfriend gift."--Jacquelyn Mitchard, author of The Deep End of the Ocean "A smart and hilarious primer for all those terminally over-committed moms who not only could use a laugh, but need one."--Steve Almond, author of Candy Freak and (Not That You Asked) "A hysterical and touching handbook for frantic working moms."--Self magazine "van Ogtrop offers insightful advice with humor and warmth."--Marigne Dupuy, the Times-Picayune "van Ogtrop has created an entire lexicon for modern parenting to make the life of a working mother that much easier, not to mention funnier."--The Daily Beast "Just Let Me Lie Down is the very definition of a smart, funny, and useful book about parenting and work. If you can add one more item to your towering to-do list, it should be to read this book."--AJ Jacobs, author of The Year of Living Biblically and The Know-It-All

Kristin van Ogtrop is the editor of Real Simple magazine and has held positions at Glamour, Vogue, Travel and Leisure, and Premiere. She lives outside New York City with her family

Kristin van Ogtrop knows she's lucky - fulfilling career, great husband, three healthy kids, and, depending on the hamster count, an impressive roster of pets. She also knows she is tired. Always. Using stories and insights from her own life, she provides a lexicon for the half-insane working mom. Anyone who has left a meeting to race to the Halloween parade immediately understands van Ogtrop's definition of 'Kill the messenger' as 'The action you must take in order to forget about the office for a time-that is, to remove your Blackberry/ Treo/ iPhone/ whatever from your person and store it as far away as your neurotic self will allow.' Filled with essays, lists, and resonant observations, JUST LET ME LIE DOWN establishes van Ogtrop as the Erma Bombeck of the new millennium.

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