There are so many witty and wonderful moms I’ve connected with since launching this blog, it makes me smile. There’s nothing like meeting genuine moms. You know that feeling you get when you meet a fellow mom for the first time and you can instantly tell if she’s a total bi**h? As if her kids’ diapers don’t stink? As if you’re the only woman on the planet that’s a flake at times? Sorry, but it’s true. Hello – like a snotty mom I keep running into in town who pretends I don’t exist? (Oh, I’ll vent about this another time, believe you me.) Well, this mom is not a snot. She’s genuine. She is a friendly mom blogger and her name is Kelly Bevan McIlquham. You may know her as Renaissance Mom. We have a ton in common, including our love of “Just Jack” from Will & Grace. And SNL’s Mary Catherine Gallagher. I could go on and on. Kelly is a mother of three and her attitude is positively contagious. We met via the Blogosphere and she of all people won my book in a recent giveaway from RhodyMamas (two other very awesome blogging mamas I’ve gotten to know who are sponsors of Julie Loffredi’s Give and Glam event. A girls’ night/book signing event I’m participating in with fellow author Raina Smith on June 7 at NYLO Lounge in Warwick, RI.). And I digress, of all people, she won my book. AFTER we got to be bloggy mom friends. Then she asked me to do a guest post! And she did a review/giveaway of my book. How awesome is that? Here is a link to my guest post featured this week on Renaissance Mom. Enjoy – and thanks again, Kelly. You are a SUPER STAR! http://renaissance-mom.com/tag/jackie-hennessey/

You’re a mom. Your body has been through hell in a hand basket. (Not to mention many pairs of God forsaken netted hospital panties.) At some point, your body is done with the whole “Before” and “After” crap. Thanks to Jillian Michaels and other ass-kicking fitness experts, we finally settle on a lifestyle where we feel healthy and happy with our bodies. We run. We walk. We cut back on crap food. We do exercise classes. God knows we try. But what the eff, may I ask, is up with the “Arm Dangle”? You know, that abundance of fat on the inner arm. For this mom who recently turned 41, I didn’t realize that I’d be so young when I would be introduced to the Arm Dangle. No, I thought I would be 88 when my arms would wave along with me. I’d have white hair and teach stretching at the senior center. Every time I’d lift my arm, it would jiggle and smell like Sanka. And all the other blue-hairs would lift their Arm Dangles along with me. No, it was not until I recently saw a picture of myself and had to ask, “Who is the old chick on the right with the fat arms? No, really, whose arm is that? WTF, what’s wrong with this picture?” Then I saw another picture, and yet another, with white mounds of flesh looking like they were stretching out to sea. “Holy tamale, that’s ME!” I will admit I like to eat. Always have, always will. But I exercise a lot too. Someone please tell me what’s happening to my body. And WHY is it necessary for extra flab to gravitate to this random (but oh so obvious) part of my body at this time of my life – especially when the summer is quickly approaching? And cute, colorful sleeveless blouses are finally on sale? Why is it that no matter how much I work out, how careful I am about the food I eat, it’s inevitable that the camera will capture this particular part of my arm in such a way that it looks like both arms are ready to set sail? And no matter how hard I try to crop the photo, these repulsive mounds of useless flesh stretch on and on and on, beyond the crop line. Flash back 1,800 years ago. Say I’m wandering the wilderness with my baby wrapped in animal skin, I can see the use for this excess flab. Subsisting on nothing but berries and bark, that extra body fat could come in handy on day four of an involuntary fast. I could live off of it for several days, weeks even. But what purpose does it serve now and how the heck can I get rid of it? I recently tried a week-long tone up and work out schedule. I was pretty proud of myself. Then in yet another picture, I caught a glimpse of my winged friends. Thankfully, I did find a trick in a magazine that says if you place your hand on your hip, it diminishes the appearance of inner arm flab. Please make a note of this the next time you see a photo of me. It’s my new pose, girl, and I’m stickin’ to it!

I have to shout out a big thank you to all the familiar faces who showed up at my book signing event at Hollies in Barrington last night. You all rock! I co-hosted the fun “Whine, wine, cheese and jewelry” book signing event with one of the most beautiful moms I know, Diane. Yes, she is one of those women who is genuine and effortlessly gorgeous. She doesn’t wear make-up because she doesn’t need it. Her hair is naturally light blonde. She pulls her hair into a pony tail and looks better than any gal that just came from a salon. (Meaning me.) She makes incredible jewelry and I’m wearing her fab metal earrings right now. Aside from the back fat I’ve gained practically over-night since turning 41, I feel awesome in them! Thank you, Diane and thank you, Holly Smith, (the fab owner of Hollies who had to put up with me in my oh-for-the-love-of-Christmas-planning mode over the past few weeks)! You both rock! XXOO

Do you live in Rhode Island? Then you won’t have to drive far! (Or as the locals say, “Faaah”.) I hope you can join me Thursday, May 17, for a mommy’s night out-style book signing & retail therapy event at Hollies gift shop in Barrington from 7 to 9 p.m. My mommy friend, Diane Stratton, is a talented artist, RISD alum and she’ll be showing her gorgeous line of metal-smith jewelry. It’s all about whine, wine, cheese and shopping, my friend. So I hope you can stop by! www.holliesontheavenue.com/

Were you treated like a movie star on Mother’s Day? I’m sure you were, because you deserve it. Happy belated Mother’s Day to you! You GO! So, I woke to sweet hugs and hand-written cards from my 8-year-old, breakfast in bed, balloons, flowers, cards, more hugs (even a precious embrace from my 11-year-old son) and lots of giggles. Then on to a busy but fun day visiting family, including my beautiful 85-year-old grandmother who has a way of lighting up my day despite her reflections on every depressing news story known to man. Bless her heart. I know she can’t help herself. After a long and eventful day driving from one side of the state to the next, I put my children (and husband) to bed, grabbed a cold bottle of beer and proceeded to rent the most appropriate movie to watch on Mother’s Day (without anyone else around, of course), Mommie Dearest. If you ever feel like you’re a bad mom, watch this movie. If you ever feel like you’re getting a little soft in the parental disciplining area, watch this movie. No word of a lie, you will feel like the world’s most loving, giving mother. You will be up there with Mother Teresa. Faye Dunaway is so good at playing a crazy, obsessive and abusive Hollywood mother, I spent the better part of my childhood thinking she actually was insane. (But I know now that she’s just one heck of an actress!) I would like to take this opportunity to say to my children that you can have all the wire hangers you want. All the toys you want. I honestly don’t care how you hang your clothes. Nor do I ever want to see either of you scrub the bathroom floor until your knuckles burn. Because I love you unconditionally. Happy Mother’s Day! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOILKHmZBwc

I want to extend a big thank you to The Savory Grape in East Greenwich, RI for a wonderful book signing and wine tasting event Wednesday evening. Thank you, Jessica Granatiero and Sabrina Solares-Hand. The turn-out left this mom speechless. (In a good way!) So many familiar faces, such fine wine (fittingly sponsored by The Girls in the Vineyard from California), so little time. Thank you! And Happy Mother’s Day!

So I had my first book signing last night at Barrington Books. And I have Jill Smokler to thank for helping me calm my ridonkulous mommy insanity nerves in the days leading up to the event. As a friend and fellow author, Jill reminded me that people will come. I live in this town, and there will be no mysterious illness that keeps them from stopping by. She put me at ease and frankly shut me up when she tweeted about my event, which made me grin from ear to ear. I had been wallowing in my own Nutella-induced mommy insomnia pity party, fearing no one would remember the date, the time or the place. That the rain would damper everything and I would be reading my chapter on the Pains and Pleasures of Playdates to myself and the lovely girl who works behind the counter. That I would be signing three copies – to my husband, daughter and son. But, Scary Mommy was right. Thank you, Jill! They came! The place was packed. And I had a wonderful time chatting and venting (over cheese dip, of course) about my experience of writing and self-publishing How to Spread Sanity on a Cracker! But do you know what really made my night? Not that one of my best friends from high school came with a huge hug and all the support a dear friend needs. Not that one of my best mommy friends showed up 10 minutes before it was over because it was her son’s birthday. Not that so many came with genuine support, asking me to sign copies upon copies of my book. It was when I woke up and found my book sitting in my 11-year-old son’s Hall of Fame display (filled with trophies, autographed footballs and sports memorabilia.) And when he and my daughter hugged me this morning to congratulate me on my first book signing. That’s when I realized this is what it’s all about. I did something that made my kids proud. And that, my friends, is all this mommy needs.

I gave my 8-year-old a ride to school today, and rather than taking my preppy SUV-mobile, we decide to take my husband’s pick-up truck. But this is no ordinary pick-up. It’s a quad-cab white Dodge with no power locks, no power windows and nothing extra, not even a DVD player. I have to stop and roll down the windows manually if I want to talk to someone. My husband loves it because he can haul anything with it and it’s perfect for his business. And boy, does this thing stick out like a sore thumb in our town. Thankfully, because I’m a native Texan, I kind of get a kick out of people’s reactions. Our nieces and nephews take one look at it and shake their heads. Most kids still have no clue how to roll down the windows without a button. So my daughter says to me, as we’re waiting for the truck to warm up (half-way to her school), “Mommy, why is it always colder in Dad’s truck than it is outside?” (It was 50 degrees outside, but felt like 30 in there.)

Raise your hand if you’re relieved that spring break is over. I know you adore your kids, but honestly after 10 days, enough is enough. It was pouring out yesterday and by the end of the day, my kids were arguing like an old married couple. I had HAD it…then smiled to myself knowing that Monday they would be back at school. Can I get an AMEN, sistah?