Thursday, October 8, 2009

Guest Blogger: Celia Rivenbark & Giveaway

Yesterday, I reviewed a hilarious book called YOU CAN'T DRINK ALL DAY IF YOU DON'T START IN THE MORNING by Celia Rivenbark. This book is laugh-out-loud funny, and I think Southerners, moms, and women in general are going to love it!

I am so glad that Ms. Rivenbark has written this guest post for my blog. I think it's a wonderful (and honest) look at motherhood as only Ms. Rivenbark can write. I am pretty sure that you will get an idea about Ms. Rivenbark's writing style as well as her sense of humor through this fun essay!

The Joyful and Not-So-Joyful Days of Being a Mom

I was 40 years old when my daughter was born. I had never changed a diaper in my life. I had never babysat for anyone. To tell the truth, I never particularly liked children. They all seemed too short and they talked funny. Maybe we just had too much in common now that I think about it.

Then along came Sophie. Precious gift-from-God Sophie. Totally unexpected. Totally capable of turning our lives upside down and inside out and sideways.

And I’d never want to go back.

Maybe because I was what my o.b. once (and only once) termed a “geriatric mom”, I found that even the sleep-deprived moments had an element of joy. Joni Mitchell said you don’t know what you’ve got til it’s gone. That perfectly described my once treasured 8-9 hours of uninterrupted sleep every night. But I was awake, night after night, with this fascinating, gurgly creature and I was palpably grateful. Joy in spades.

Sure, she could be a handful every now and then but, aside from one memorable pre-ballet tantrum that landed her in the “naughty chair” for an hour while I slowly sipped Chardonnay and seethed, Soph was a dream. Still is.

Of course, this is easy to say when we still haven’t gotten to puberty yet. She’s on the edge of it, can almost see it if she stands on her pointe shoes, but it’s not here yet. I’ll have to get back to you on if and how that changes things.

I earnestly believe that having Soph when I was older meant that, although I had a little less energy than younger moms, I had a great deal more patience. We spent many, many lazy days doing nothing more than packing up some Ritz Bits and Juicy Juice and walking down to the creek near our house to watch the turtles sun themselves. Every now and then, we’d get all gussied up and go to a play or a concert together, splitting a Twix bar at intermission in a ritual we’ll have for the rest of our lives, I think.

Will she say she hates me one day? Perhaps. Will there be door-slamming and tongue-piercing and a procession of sullen, head-down boyfriends who honk the horn for her to come outside? Perhaps.

For now, we curl up and watch “Project Runway” together while Daddy sighs at such mediocrity and shuffles back downstairs to watch The History Channel.

For now, it’s all “Twilight” posters and books and watching her navigate preteen friendships with great care and more kindness than I did. Sophie didn’t arrive on this earth to make me a better person but I think it happened anyway. Joy all over the place.

Celia Rivenbark dishes essays about the old south, the new south, and everything in between in her fifth book YOU CAN'T DRINK ALL DAY IF YOU DON'T START IN THE MORNING. In addition to a collection of essays so funny you’ll shoot co’cola out of your nose, Celia gives readers a treasure trove of Southern recipes and the hilarious stories behind them.

For eight years Celia wrote for her hometown paper, the Wallace, NC Enterprise. She covered everything from weddings to funky fruit to dead bodies(sometimes all in the same day). But the big city beckoned so Celia packed her bags and headed to Wilmington, NC and the Morning Star. More weddings but eventually she achieved every Southern girl’s dream. She was paid to be a smart ass(a.k.a. write a humor column).

Along the way she found herself a husband (the sports writer, of course-- they are the cutest guys at the paper!), a beautiful baby daughter, and a gig as a stay-at-home mom. After her 3,000th diaper change, Celia starting writing a humor column for the Sun News in Myrtle Beach, SC. After all, what’s funnier than 3000 dirty diapers? Laugh along with Celia on her WOW Blog Tour-- dates are listed at www.wow-womenonwriting.com/blog.html

Thanks to WOW Blog Tours, I have a copy of YOU CAN'T DRINK ALL DAY IF YOU DON'T START IN THE MORNING to share with one of you. To enter this contest, please leave a comment (with a way to contact you) telling me what your drink of choice is! To double or triple your chances, you can blog and/or tweet about this giveaway with a link back to this post. This contest will be open until Thursday, October 22nd at 11:59 p.m. EST; and I will notify the winner the following day. This contest is open to those of you with United States addresses only. Good luck!

67 comments:

Heather said...

I have this one daily: 44oz. diet coke!


heatherstubbs at mac.com

Beth Kephart said...

The title alone made me burst out loud in the dark here this morning.

The Many Thoughts of a Reader said...

Margarita!!

bermudaonion said...

You scored a great guest post! I think Rivenbark is hilarious! No need to enter me.

Unknown said...

Awesome guest post! Definitely one to make me want to read more of what Celia Rivenbark has to say.
My drink of choice right now is a cup of milk due to being pregnant myself and it still will be until I'm done being pregnant and then done nursing.
After that I'll probably go back to my Cosmos.
lillyswistek@gmail.com

A Bookshelf Monstrosity said...

I have either a tall coffee from Starbucks or a diet Dr. Pepper at least once a day!

fitz12383(at)hotmail(dot)com

A Bookshelf Monstrosity said...

tweet tweet:

http://twitter.com/bookmonstrosity/status/4707069694

fitz12383(at)hotmail(dot)com

A Bookshelf Monstrosity said...

Also posted in my blog sidebar (Other Giveaways).

fitz12383(at)hotmail(dot)com

Karlie said...

Great guest blog! This book looks hilarious. Right now my drink of choice is a mug of warm apple cider.

holdenj said...

I have one can of Diet Coke a day! (cutting back). Occasionally, my alcoholic drink of choice is a nice glass of red wine.

The books sounds great and I love the title...what is it about the South and motherhood!?
Thanks.
JHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com

Unknown said...

My regular drink of choice is unsweetened iced tea. If I'm having a cocktail, I love a frozen margarita. Thanks.

Nicole (Linus's Blanket) said...

Great post!

I am a big fan of prickly pear margaritas.

Just Mom said...

Lots and lots of diet Coke!
theroundfile(at)live(dot)com

Beth F said...

Fantastic guest post! No need to enter me.

Pam said...

Depends on the day! I love a good margarita or a cold beer on a hot summer day. An amaretto and diet coke is always lovely too (tastes like Dr.Pepper which is another fave!)

melacan at hotmail dot com

rhapsodyinbooks said...

Wish I could say water. But alas, I have to admit: diet orange! (and for alcohol, kahlua)

nbmars AT yahoo DOT com

Kaye said...

Tea! Hot,iced, it matters not. I just love it and can't survive without it. Rivenbark is a total hoot. I read another one of her books last year and was literally laughing out loud. Not little snickers but big snort inducing guffaws. Love her writing. Please enter me in the drawing.

florida982002[at]yahoo.com

Jenn P said...

My drink of choice is always a margarita on the rocks w/ salt!!

LisaMM said...

I run on Diet Coke all day long.

When I found myself pregnant at age 34 1/2, I was horrified when the doctor wrote "advanced maternal age" on my chart!! I might have knocked her out if she'd spoken the words "geriatric mom". That's just so wrong!!

Anonymous said...

you can't drink all day...actually you can if you nap!
would die w/out diet coke
love miller light in frosty bottles

dianam167@sbcglobal.net

Unknown said...

Mt Dew all day long!
kathydetweiler at gmail.com

Unknown said...

Tweeted here
https://twitter.com/kdet62/status/4710081073

Jackie said...

This sounds hilarious!

Tea and Jose Cuervo (just not together) ;-)

everexpandinglibraryATgmail.com

Jackie said...

Darn....just read the US only part! I'm in Canada so take me off your list. I'll add the book to my TBR, though, for sure.

Irene said...

I remember reading Celia's column in the Wilmington NC Morning Star (now Wilmington Star News), and laughing out loud. One that truly stands out is what every true Southern woman should have/do. Not being a true Southern woman, I paid attention, and now (even though I am back in the North), I always have a casserole in my freezer. You never know when someone in the neighborhood may have an illness or death in the family, and you are ready to go, casserole and comfort/condolences in hand.
Water with lemon, a glass at my side all day...
Please enter my name. Thank you.

cyeates AT nycap DOT rr DOT com

Anonymous said...

Great post.

My drink of choice would be arum and coke, but I rarely have one.

carolsnotebook at yahoo dot com

Susan Helene Gottfried said...

No need to enter me, babe. I'm dropping in to say thanks for the e-mail. I've got this posted at Win a Book. And it was a great read, too.

Celticlady's Reviews said...

I would have to say that my favorite drink of choice is coffee, has to be Starbucks of course, any flavor hot or cold, doesnt matter as long as it is coffee....

momkelly2003(at)yahoo(dot)com

http://www.celticladysramblings.blogspot.com
Thanks!

Celticlady's Reviews said...

P.S.

Celia Riverbank is hilarious, love her books!!!

Unknown said...

My drink of choice is coffee liberally doctored with sugar and creamer. If it's been a bad day (my daughter is knocking on the door of puberty too!) I'll switch to Kahlua and whatever kind of milk we have on hand!

jgbeads(at)gmail(dot)com

J.T. Oldfield said...

My favorite non-alcoholic drink is tea with milk and honey (what I'm drinking right now!). But my favorite alcoholic drinks include: dirty vodka martinis, vodka with grapefruit juice (greyhound), margaritas, shots of patron muddled with lime, Guinness, Bell's Oberon (a wheat beer), Bailey's on ice, Strongbow...hey, I don't have kids yet!

I tweeted about this http://twitter.com/bibliofreakblog/status/4713106074

j.t.oldfield[at]gmail.com

Jaime said...

It's Coffee, coffee and more coffee
copperllama at yahoo dot com

BookHounds said...

Diet Vanilla Cherry Dr Pepper -- but the manufacturer discontinued it so now I resort to vodka.

Florinda said...

Great guest post, and the book's on my wish list thanks to your review yesterday :-).

Favorite drink: lemonade iced tea. And every morning MUST include coffee!

3.rsblog AT Gmail DOT com

lag123 said...

Bushwackers!

lag110@mchsi.com

lag123 said...

Tweeted.

lag110@mchsi.com

mrsshukra said...

It's boring but water is my drink of choice! And chocolate soy milk!

delilah0180(at)yahoo(dot)com

Anonymous said...

My drink of choice is an ice cold bottle of water :)

karen k
kmkuka(at)yahoo(dot)com

Juliana said...

Depends on the time of day...
Carnation Instant Breakfast at 6:30 a.m. Followed by strong coffee...a Coke Zero in the afternoon and sweet tea iced tea with lemon for supper. What can I say...I'm a middle school librarian that lives in the south.
I would LOVE to score this book.
Linda

Anonymous said...

A strong cup of freshly brewed arabica coffee each and every morning, follwed by lots of water all day long.


bgcchs(at)yahoo(dot)com

Unknown said...

My drink of choice is Dr. Pepper i am hooked ;0
tanyainjville@yahoo.com

Mitzi H. said...

A SLOW COMFORTABLE SCREW....Not, but I do love the name!!! I'm a diet coke drinker, but I do love a cold beer on a hot day.

enyl said...

My favorite drink is home brewed lemon ice tea.

enyl(at)inbox(dot)com

Melanie said...

I'm pretty boring and drink water all day. But I'd love to eb able to sit around and drink margaritas all day. They are made with lime juice so it's a serving of fruit :)

Alison (Alison's Book Marks) said...

Coffee -- mother's little helper!

Great post, looks like a fun read!

APSkap (at) comcast (dot) net

Unknown said...

Definitely coffee,

jennsicurella at verizon dot net

Amanda said...

Oh this one sounds too funny. Thanks!

nycbookgirl at gmail dot com

Jenners said...

Oh this sounds so fun!!! My drink of choice is water --- I KID YOU NOT! It is really my only good habit! And as a "geriatric" mom (42 with a 5-year-old) I think I should get an extra entry no matter what! ; )

budletsmom said...

My drink of choice changes through out the day - morning coffee preferable a frap - tonight would be anything with tequila in it. I have also really started to like IPAs (beer).

budletsmom at yahoo dot com

Asylumgirl said...

Ooh, an ice cold margarita with lots of salt!

Deidre
deidre_durance at hotmail dot com

Mozi Esme said...

A mocha rage. Sugar/fat free if possible... :)

janemaritz at yahoo dot com

MD said...

Snapple - especially Plumagranate!

mdfitz85[at]yahoo[dot]com

Dawn M. said...

Ice water. :0) Unless I'm away from home...then it's Cherry Coke, Root Beer or Sweet Tea.

Thanks!
librarygrinch at gmail dot com

Aaron's Books in Lititz said...

I should totally wear my "loser" hat today at the store for not having heard of this book until reading your blog this weekend! hmmm how can I convince the 2nd half that I NEED another book???!!!????

Beth (BBRB) said...

Ooh! Tough one! I'd have to say frozen margarita or mudslide. Or Irish coffee when it's cold.

BethsBookReviewBlog AT gmail DOT com

Canadianfreestuff.com said...

MMMMMM Home made strawberry Daquaries with rum.

http://www.canadianfreestuff.com.

Posted on forum: http://www.canadianfreestuff.com/forum

Melissa said...

My alcoholic drink of choice is Reisling...my non-alcoholic drink of choice is iced tea.

Rebecca N. said...

In the morning it has to be a HUGE mug of coffee with lots of flavored cream and sugar in my Winnie the Pooh cup! For the rest of the day I absolutely NEED pepsi. In the evening before bed, only occasionally ( now that I have children ) I love a drink with vodka or a glass of white zin while I read and relax. Thanks for the great giveaway!

imsosweepy { at } gmail { dot } com

Linna said...

I love citrus tea.

linna.hsu at gmail dot com

Raspberry said...

Hot chocolate. Hands down. What's not to like?! I like Stephens, because it's actually very good. The Hazelnut or Amaretto...I've even drunk it during the summer....
you're also on my giveaway sidebar at twoandahalfbooklovers.blogspot.com
Thanks!
rae_sunshine4(at)yahoo.com

Anita Yancey said...

My favorite drink is diet Dr. Pepper. Sounds like a fun read. Please enter me. Thanks!

ayancey(at)dishmail(dot)net

heatherzilla said...

A Lulutini from Lulu's Chocolate Bar.

heatherzilla(at)care2(dot)com

Stitchin in the Sip said...

Sweet tea with lemon......

This books sounds hilarious.


ryspenc@yahoo.com

Nancye said...

My drink of choice is a 44 oz. Sprite Polar Pop for 69 cents at the Circle K. I'd drink them every day if I could!

nancyecdavis AT bellsouth DOT net

Nancye said...

Tweet! Tweet!

http://twitter.com/NancyeDavis/status/5035179196

nancyecdavis AT bellsouth DOT net

Vera said...

My favorite alcoholic drink: White Russian!

vvperesk@gmail.com

Unknown said...

I love so many drinks that I WOULD have to start in the morning, but I guess my favorite must be a Royal Poolside.

mistiDOTbuckner @ gmailDOTcom