The Meat and Potatoes of Life by Lisa Smith Molinari

I would not want to admit to as much, but she does it with humor and grace. We have oh so much in common (I moved several times, but not overseas). I was surprised by how closely I related to this wife and mother, with great intimacy, even though she is a military wife and mother. There’s a fine line between humor and sadness, so I had a good cry, too, especially in the fifth and last “season of life,” as the sections are divided into seasons one through five, each containing a number of episodes. I could relive some of that innocent time that I when our daughters were young and living at home.

At this time when I can’t see my children, I could reminisce. I’m glad I read The Meat and Potatoes of Life-Lisa Molinari’s hilarious take on family life- during a pandemic, not only because it made me laugh, but because it made me remember. Lisa lives with her family in Rhode Island. The Meat and Potatoes of Life: My True Lit Com is being hailed as “…hilariously honest, beautifully engaging and vividly written … A must read,” (Gina Barreca, author of They Used to Call Me Snow White, But I Drifted) “ … engaging stories that resonate … pure Erma Bombeck …” (Teri Rizvi, founder and director of the Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop) and “ wonderful look inside the kind of family we all want to invite home to dinner.” (Amy Newmark, editor-in-chief, Chicken Soup for the Soul). I just got where she was going and enjoyed the big-hearted humor along the way.' Alexa as a 'can of tuna', popcorn in the bra, and crabs running amok on the dock. It won First Place for Humor in the 2018 National Society of Newspaper Columnists' nation-wide contest, in which one judge commented, 'Molinari has a great grasp of using the small to explain the big.

Weekly, Molinari writes the award-winning syndicated column 'The Meat and Potatoes of Life,' which appears in Stars and Stripes, the newspaper for the US Armed Forces. 'here is a palpable sense of wonder for everything from a dog’s shedding to parenthood: 'It’s an incredible privilege to watch a human being grow.'' ~ Kirkus Reviews as well as lessons on hard work and gratitude.' ~ Kirkus Reviews

The volume includes memorable one-liners. 'Readers will relish Molinari’s self-deprecating anecdotes about aging, marriage, and anxiety. Lisa Smith Molinari is the author of hilarious and unique memoir, The Meat and Potatoes of Life: My True Lit Com, which Kirkus Reviews calls 'emorable autobiographical essays capturing the service of motherhood with candor, humor, and grace.'

The Meat and Potatoes of Life by Lisa Smith Molinari