Product Description

Collected columns from The Washington Times and Faith Magazine family columnist Marybeth Hicks chronicling the experiences moms and dads face in our fast-paced, high-tech parenting culture. In heartwarming and hilarious detail, Hicks paints a vivid picture of family life in America. Stories like "Dinner with SpongeBob," "A pefect day at the (nude) beach," and "Nobody warned me about driver's ed" will have readers laughing out loud and shaking their heads in agreement. And pieces such as "The saddest day of summer" and "A silent night for mother and son" will stir the heartstrings of every parent. Illustrations by award winning illustrator David Clark.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #716976 in Books
• Published on: 2006-11-17
• Released on: 2006-11-17
• Binding: Paperback
• 153 pages

Review
Funny, heartwarming, smart...did I mention funny? --Jen Singer, founder, MommaSaid.net, author, "Fourteen hours till bedtime"

Hicks' observations about family life are dead-on accurate and downright funny. --Tim Bete, Director, Erma Bombeck Writers Workshop, author, "In the beginning...there were no diapers"

Marybeth Hicks' column offers our readers common-sense wisdom in dealing with today's culture. Her anecdotes of her husband and four children tap into universal themes that every parent can relate to and appreciate. --Wesley Pruden, Editor-in-Chief, The Washington Times

About the Author
Marybeth Hicks is the weekly family columnist for The Washington Times and appears monthly in Faith Magazine, the fastest growing Catholic magazine in America. Her column also appears nationally on several major web sites and she is a frequent radio guest on topics of parenting and family life. She currently is writing a parenting book about raising wholesome, happy "geeks."

Customer Reviews

Highly recommended reading!
My wife and I have been enjoying this book since we got it - it's perfect
because it's something that we can pick up for a few minutes, read a story
or two & put down for later.

Just about every story hits home for us - they're either about something
we've experienced, are experiencing or something we relate to. Plus I
love the writing style - it's sophisticated but still easy to read. I'm
recommending it to all my friends & business partners!

Family Life is the Fodder for Great Stories
Imagine being a teenage kid and having your stories spread across the front page and indeed around the world via internet by your mom. Then imagine that the stories become so popular and sought after that they're put into book form and forever memorialized.

Most kids probably might balk at the prospect, but not the Hicks kids! In fact, their mom has to be careful to include them in columns on an equal basis or they get miffed.

Spend some time reading The Perfect World Inside My Minivan -- One Mom's Journey Through the Streets of Suburbia (Faith Publishing Service, November 2006, paperback, 153 pages) by Marybeth Hicks and you'll come to see pretty quickly why these particular teens think their mom is so cool. Since 2004, Marybeth Hicks has been looking to her family for motivation and inspiration, and her children have delivered. Now, to the delight of fans of her weekly internet and Washington Times work, Hicks has gathered her words into book format.

As a long term fan of the work of this talented writer, I'm thrilled to recommend this book to families of any size or age. Marybeth Hicks writes with a freshness and universality that will make you think she's been spying on you in your minivan or SUV! Marybeth's columns have always been on my must-read list. This book should be a primer for any mom or dad looking to savor the parenting journey and enhance their relationship with their own children.

Very relatable!
I have enjoyed reading Marybeth Hicks articles in my Sunday paper the past few years and was thrilled to learn she had published a book. Her essays are right on the money. She is funny, insightful and strong. She has a great blend of topical concerns, spirituality and humor. I can't imagine too many moms that won't relate!