Because I Said So [Paperback]

Dawn Meehan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2009

One of the most popular mommy-bloggers thanks to a humorous eBay listing about her child's baseball which was circulated rapidly until she became a household name, Dawn Meehan offers readers a hilarious journey along with her six kids on madcap adventures, underscoring the notion that a sense of humor is an essential parenting skill.

Because I Said So affirms that parents are not alone in the daily chaos, struggles and joys of child-rearing. With a huge dose of laugh-out-loud, real-life examples, Dawn shares hard-won wisdom gleaned from life with six children.

With refreshing honesty, she examines episodes from her everyday life and spins them in a humorous light, offering reassurance and guidance to overworked, overstressed parents. Her stories communicate that it's okay for kids to be kids.

Poignant and amusing, this is a refreshing and instructive look at the mistakes we all make in child-rearing and a hilarious testimony to parents who don't have it all figured out.

Endorsements: "Stories more gripping than duct tape and humor funnier than a stand-up comic! I laughed until cappuccino came out my nose. Many have claimed to be the next Erma Bombeck, but only Dawn Meehan can rightfully wear that bathrobe. Hers is the permanent new voice of parenting humor for us all." -- Debi Stack, author of Smotherly LoveTM: I Know Where Your Buttons Are and I'm Not Afraid to Push Them

"No parent is perfect. But if you've ever found yourself in the unpleasant company of other parents who didn't happen to get that memo, then this is the book for you. Because I Said So will have you laughing until your cheeks hurt, and you might even start feeling a whole lot better about your own parental adventures. You're going to love this book!" -- Martha Bolton, bestselling author

"Dawn Meehan may just have to receive the first ever Lifetime Achievement Housewife Award®. I'm exhausted from just reading about her life with six kids and her quest to keep pencils, dolls and donuts from being flushed down the toilet. If you're having a crazy day, read Because I Said So... and not just because, er, I said so, but because it's fun and probably a lot like your life six times over." -- Jen Singer, creator, MommaSaid.net, and author, Stop Second-Guessing Yourself The Toddler Years

"Refreshing, candid writing to reassure the average mom that no parent has her act together. Some are just really good at pretending." -- Therese J. Borchard, editor of "The Imperfect Mom: Candid Confessions of Mothers Living in the Real World"

"I well remember the sensation Dawn caused on eBay when she auctioned her son's baseball, and told America why. Moms everywhere laughed, nodded knowingly and said to one another, 'This woman should write a book!' Happily for all of us, she did!" -- Joan Wester Anderson, author of Where Angels Walk

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dawn Meehan writes a blog, Because I Said So.com, about daily life with her husband and six kids. The site has averaged more than 32,000 hits daily since the 1 million hits in a month it received after Dawn's infamous eBay listing for her son's baseball. Her story and excerpts have been featured in media nationwide, including Good Housekeeping and Redbook and upcoming issues of Guideposts and Hallmark. Dawn and her family live in Chicago.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: GuidepostsBooks (April 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0824947479
• ISBN-13: 978-0824947477
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #735,696 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dawn lives with her six children on the outskirts of Chicago where she practices her juggling skills daily. On any given evening, Dawn can be found taking one child to cheerleading practice, dropping another off at church, making dinner, going the grocery store, paying the bills, kissing a boo-boo, reading a bedtime story, making school lunches, cleaning up muddy footprints, folding some laundry, taking a child to the ER, and writing blog posts.

After Dawn auctioned a pack of Pokemon cards on eBay, she attracted the attention of nearly a hundred thousand readers in one day. Her blog, BecauseISaidSo, skyrocketed to become one of the most popular mommy blogs on the net. In 2008, her blog was voted the Best Parenting Blog by The Blogger's Choice Awards. It was also nominated for the Best Humor Blog, the Hottest Mommy Blogger, and the Best Blog of All Time.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A quick, easy, hilariously funny read!, March 18, 2009

By 

Semele (California, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Because I Said So (Paperback)

Written by the enormously popular blogger Dawn Meehan (of BecauseISaidSo.com), this book is like a longer, more detailed version of her terrific blog. Those of you who have come to know and love Dawn and her family through her blog will recognize all the characters, but there's new material in there so you won't feel like it's just a re-tread of the blog.

If you want a light, easy and wildly funny look at parenting a large family, stop here. It's a ton of fun to read, and it will make you feel great to realize that all parents - no matter how many children they have - strugle with the same craziness in raising our kids.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Recommended for fun, laughter, with a touch of sanity, April 12, 2009

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Because I Said So (Paperback)

In May, 2006, Dawn Meehan auctioned on Ebay "a dirty old baseball" and it sold for $1,125.00! It was the humorous stories about her children the bidders really liked.

Dawn started a blog in June, 2007, to earn money while staying at home with her children. She auctioned Pokemon cards on Ebay that somehow mysteriously appeared in her grocery cart. Her wild daily experiences with 6 children spread through the net like "a virus." She received 94,000 'hits' a day from around the world on her blog. She became so popular, her readers pressed her to write a book, thus Because I Said So came to print.

Dawn feels books did not prepare her for the many chaotic experiences she would face while rearing children. She says it usually took four hours to shop for food with her children. On one occasion, she found her account had no money. There was also another incident of embarrassment when fire trucks and police cars showed up at her house because her child had locked her out when she emptied the trash.

Meehan admits that, "before kids", she pictured the "idyllic world" and raising the "perfect child", but then you have your own. No one told her duties would be chauffeur, the Tooth Fairy, or children would become "budding artists" and would take two years to remove markers from walls.. Having kids' means you no longer have your own hobbies, it means, "play house, dress up, and pretend you work in a restaurant". Then, there's camping. "Food, Gas and Lodging next Exit"..., does not always mean "there is food, gas or lodging at the next exit." Meehan suggests, if you camp, locate the "nearest emergency facility."

Dawn says, her children have taught her well. "Parenting is definitely a profession with on-the-job training" and "if you are going to raise children, a sense of humor is an absolute must." She reminds parents they are not alone. Being a parent is rewarding and fun amidst all the struggles faced every day.

Because I Said So, gives encouragement to all moms and dads on coping with their own chaotic episodes, whether they have one child or several. This book is recommended for fun, laughter, with a touch of sanity.

Clark Isaacs

Reviewer

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Because I said so - funny and refreshing and uplifting, May 17, 2010

By 

Rachel L. Richesson (Tampa, FL) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Because I Said So (Paperback)

I just loved this. Funny stories but nice themes woven through. I was very impressed witht this book. I could not put it down actually. I am stressed out at time managing a full-time job and my brood, and reading something like this makes me think I should find the humor in it. Good job. Great writing. A special surprise chapter at the end that made me *postiive* the book is worth the money....

If you read her blog you will not be diassapointed. This is all new material. Thanks, Dawn. For the laughs and inspiration.