Just Let Me Lie Down

Book excerpt: 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. You could also say she's half-insane, but name one working mom who isn't. Using stories and insights from her own life, van Ogtrop offers a lexicon for working moms everywhere. Terms and concepts illustrate the highs (kids who know where their soccer cleats are, coworkers who don't hit "Reply All," dogs who helpfully eat whatever falls from the table) and the lows (getting out of the house in the morning, getting along with everyone at the office, getting willful kids into bed) of balancing work and family. Filled with amusing and resonant observations, Just Let Me Lie Down establishes van Ogtrop as the Erma Bombeck of the new millennium.