Frumpy Middle-Aged Mom: Dispatches from the Front Lines of Motherhood

I started reading Marla’s columns years ago! I didn’t live in Orange County anymore but my mom would cut them out every week and mail them to me in a little package with treats for my kids. Mom was “Her biggest fan” I’ve always said. I’m the oldest of six so our mom, who had a great sense of humor also knew all the ups and downs of parenthood. Her new book is a compilation of all the best columns from her universal trials and tribulations of mom-hood! The way she writes is like you are hanging out with your best friend over a couple of margaritas swapping the funny or annoying things your kids have been up to! Pets are included in the mix. I highly recommend her book. All parents can identify with the struggles and humor! Now we need her to write a travel book!

Even though I'd read some of these tales in The Orange County Register, they still proved hilarious and fresh. This is a wonderful collection, full of personality, wit and heart. Move over, Erma Bombeck!

I’ve read Marla Jo’s columns in the OC Register since she first started writing them. They are a bright spot in the Sunday paper. This is a compilation of all her favorites and I heartily concur with her choices. Her self deprecating humor is just right when dealing with ungrateful kids and Houdini dogs that won’t stay put. Her travel advice is top notch also...a second book of all her traveling miss haps should come next!

I love this book for the way it looks at motherhood in a realistic light. I laughed out loud more than once, and found myself nodding in agreement often. Motherhood is wonderful, but can be full of landmines and Marla Jo lays it out for all of us to enjoy. I highly recommend this book for yourself or as a gift for a friend. Laughter is truly the best medicine and this book supplies it.

Life throws all sorts of things at us and Marla Jo Fisher has had more than her share of ups and downs. But it is how you react and handle life’s adventures that can make the difference. “Frumpy Middle-Aged Mom” exposes the hilarity that can be experienced in the everyday challenges and adventures of family life. Quirky, brave, fun, spirited, loving, unapologetic and touching, this frumpy middle-aged mom is an everyday superhero! Get ready to laugh, smile and see a bit of yourself in this collection of family escapades!

I have read Marla's columns for years and always loved them. It's so delightful to have a compilation of her work that I can read and reread, so I can laugh and re-laugh as needed. A must have for all parents!

I have been following Marla Jo for years in the Register, both her Frumpy Mom stories and her ‘Find the Best Deals’ columns. When she reported she wrote a book I immediately ordered it on Amazon. My book came yesterday and it is so good, like hearing from an old friend! Her honest humor about her family brings me many smiles. Enjoy!

What a great compilation of her stories from the Sunday paper. I love getting the paper and look forward to her column. This book has all the top columns in one place. If you need a giggle about raising kids- this is it. Grab a copy soon

Bought this for my Mom and she was kind enough to hand it to me when she was done. Marla Jo speaks straight to what we all experience as parents but brings such wit and humor to each situation that you can't help but laugh out loud. We are eagerly awaiting another book from her - in the meantime we enjoy her stories in the newspaper and trolling her social media whenever we need a laugh!

I have been a big fan of Marla Jo Fisher’s weekly column in the Orange County Register since its inception. I too have raised a son and daughter ( now in their twenties) in Orange County, California. Her funny and honest tales, of the joys and woes of motherhood, had me laughing out loud every week and realizing that all mothers struggle with the same issues. I am so glad that she finally put a collection of her columns in a book. It’ s a great read especially during a pandemic, when you need something to brighten your day and make you smile.

I started reading Marla’s columns years ago! I didn’t live in Orange County anymore but my mom would cut them out every week and mail them to me in a little package with treats for my kids. Mom was “Her biggest fan” I’ve always said. I’m the oldest of six so our mom, who had a great sense of humor also knew all the ups and downs of parenthood. Her new book is a compilation of all the best columns from her universal trials and tribulations of mom-hood! The way she writes is like you are hanging out with your best friend over a couple of margaritas swapping the funny or annoying things your kids have been up to! Pets are included in the mix. I highly recommend her book. All parents can identify with the struggles and humor! Now we need her to write a travel book!

Even though I'd read some of these tales in The Orange County Register, they still proved hilarious and fresh. This is a wonderful collection, full of personality, wit and heart. Move over, Erma Bombeck!

I’ve read Marla Jo’s columns in the OC Register since she first started writing them. They are a bright spot in the Sunday paper. This is a compilation of all her favorites and I heartily concur with her choices. Her self deprecating humor is just right when dealing with ungrateful kids and Houdini dogs that won’t stay put. Her travel advice is top notch also...a second book of all her traveling miss haps should come next!

I love this book for the way it looks at motherhood in a realistic light. I laughed out loud more than once, and found myself nodding in agreement often. Motherhood is wonderful, but can be full of landmines and Marla Jo lays it out for all of us to enjoy. I highly recommend this book for yourself or as a gift for a friend. Laughter is truly the best medicine and this book supplies it.

Life throws all sorts of things at us and Marla Jo Fisher has had more than her share of ups and downs. But it is how you react and handle life’s adventures that can make the difference. “Frumpy Middle-Aged Mom” exposes the hilarity that can be experienced in the everyday challenges and adventures of family life. Quirky, brave, fun, spirited, loving, unapologetic and touching, this frumpy middle-aged mom is an everyday superhero! Get ready to laugh, smile and see a bit of yourself in this collection of family escapades!

I have read Marla's columns for years and always loved them. It's so delightful to have a compilation of her work that I can read and reread, so I can laugh and re-laugh as needed. A must have for all parents!

I have been following Marla Jo for years in the Register, both her Frumpy Mom stories and her ‘Find the Best Deals’ columns. When she reported she wrote a book I immediately ordered it on Amazon. My book came yesterday and it is so good, like hearing from an old friend! Her honest humor about her family brings me many smiles. Enjoy!

What a great compilation of her stories from the Sunday paper. I love getting the paper and look forward to her column. This book has all the top columns in one place. If you need a giggle about raising kids- this is it. Grab a copy soon

Bought this for my Mom and she was kind enough to hand it to me when she was done. Marla Jo speaks straight to what we all experience as parents but brings such wit and humor to each situation that you can't help but laugh out loud. We are eagerly awaiting another book from her - in the meantime we enjoy her stories in the newspaper and trolling her social media whenever we need a laugh!

I have been a big fan of Marla Jo Fisher’s weekly column in the Orange County Register since its inception. I too have raised a son and daughter ( now in their twenties) in Orange County, California. Her funny and honest tales, of the joys and woes of motherhood, had me laughing out loud every week and realizing that all mothers struggle with the same issues. I am so glad that she finally put a collection of her columns in a book. It’ s a great read especially during a pandemic, when you need something to brighten your day and make you smile.

I have followed Marla Jo Fisher’s newspaper columns for years and love her humor. Finally have it in book form. Just received, just started reading and love it already! Check it out!!!

Love it! Made me laugh! I’m not a book buyer any more. Mostly just buy digital but I read Marla jos column every week. So I bought the actual paper copy. Kudos!!

I always enjoyed Marla's columns in the Orange County Register and was excited to see she wrote a book! It is full of her adventures. Her humor and insight into life and raising children are relatable and true. I laughed out loud at some of their predicaments.. Marla is a courageous woman, full of life. I recommend her book to anyone who wants an uplifting and fun read!

I've been enjoying Marlo Jo's column for years in the paper on Sunday mornings. Here irreverent wit and crazy stories of raising and traveling with kids keep me laughing. Hidden beneath the humor and clever banter, is a warm, loving Mom that adores her messy, troublesome, ornery teenagers! And this book is the best of the best. Move over Erma Bombeck....Marla Jo is here!

Terrific book. Funny and a page turner. Loved every page. Do not hesitate

Great book! So entertaining & I got mine signed by are her!

I preordered this book, the day it appeared on Amazon. It didn’t disappoint. I’ve been reading her columns in the OC Register for years. Now I get to read some of my favorites all the time.

Great read. So funny Love Marla Jo

Marla Jo is an absolute delight , witty and honest and a beautiful woman. She tells it like it REALLY is, everyone can relate to her stories. Love the book ! Get your copy ASAP !

Marla Jo Fisher is a wonderful writer! Her columns make me laugh out loud, and sometimes shed a tear or two. If you have ever been a parent or a child, you will see yourself in her stories. I have been reading her weekly columns for a year or so; it's wonderful to have a collection so I can enjoy all the years I missed!

“Frumpy Middle-Aged Mom, Dispatches from the Front Lines of Motherhood” is a collection of reflections on life written by Marla Jo Fisher for The Orange County Register as the former single woman adopted two typically energetic kids and became a “frumpy middle-aged mom.” As a long time reader, I remembered most of her columns well, but I chuckled again as I reread her adventures. I laughed along as the “kids” grew, and she struggled with the changes. I understood the complexity and moral challenges of raising children, and I certainly sympathized with her trauma in Chuck E Cheese and with kid-life in general. I giggled at her reflections of being a team mom and living with Buddy The Wonder Dog. I was not brave enough to take my children to the exotic places she braved with her kids, but I understood her plight and laughed with her. I highly endorse Frumpy Middle-Aged Mom, Dispatches from the Front Lines of Motherhood.” We all need to laugh with ourselves and at ourselves. In the end, Motherhood is like mountain climbing; you don’t think you will be able to do it, but once you start you cannot stop. It is comforting to know that her kids as well as mine all made it to adulthood despite everything. I still have rolls and rolls of duct tape. MOMS RULE!

No one can write about their dog running away, the weeds in the front yard, or the kids' shenanigans in the kitchen like Marla Jo does, making it all deliriously funny. I have read her columns in the Register for years and years and laughed out loud at them. This book should be required reading for all parents, prospective or current. Marla Jo is also an adventure traveler who has dragged her kids around world on all kinds of trips, sometimes to their dismay. Her travel mishaps are legendary in the telling... Buy this book. You will love it.

Marla Jo Fisher was an independent, single woman news reporter who traveled the world. One day she woke up realizing she forgot to have kids and went and adopted a precious little sibling set out of foster care. In her mid-40's - as in old. Like most of us, she didn't have a clue as to what she was doing. (I can relate, because I also chose adoption when I was in my 40's and had forgotten to have children.) Her writing style is so warm you feel like she has been an old friend forever . In case you have forgotten, motherhood is the greatest adventure of all. Raising kids is a hoot!

Fisher writes a column for a newspaper which she strung together for a book. It’s humorous read of her adventures in parenthood. At 46 she adopted a 5 and 3 year old. Kudos to her bravery. The book is categorized in different genres but I appreciated her sarcasm and realistic wit concerning single parenting. Thanks to edelweiss and the publisher for the advance copy.

A book filled with wit, humor, and love. Makes you appreciate with a smile all the ups and downs of parenting. The author has a unique perspective where we find a bit of ourselves whether we like it or not.

What a treat to have a whole book full of Marla’s funny stories about parenting. She’s witty and honest about the challenges of being a mom. I’m reminded of Erma Bombeck’s humorous and affectionate style. I’ve been a fan of Marla’s column for years and it’s great to see all the dispatches made into a very entertaining book.

Marla Jo leads on a rollicking adventure through her life thus far. Each section is a vignette that will make you giggle or cry, and sometimes both. She is honest in her successes and failures as a middle aged mom to her two adopted siblings, and along the way you fall in love with all three members of this crazy-beautiful family.

Best Book Ever! Each of Marla Jo's personal experiences ends with us chuckling....as she reminds us of what it was/is like in the life of a real mom..........knowing darn well her readers are thinking "well I've been there and survived those mom moments!" Not sure how she remembers and comes up with all the little things that get lost over time, hope she continues to "include us in her life Humor.....those 5 little letters" Keep us laughing !

Love this book! This is what humor is all about. It’s based on true experiences we can all identify with. That’s what makes this book so down to earth funny. She says what all parents are thinking.

I've been a fan of Marla's for many years and it's great having a collection to dip into when I need a lift.