Teresa Bloomingdale (1930–2000)

Bloomingdale was/is a sort of Omaha, Catholic, mother-of-ten answer to Erma Bombeck. While I'm sure Erma wrote better, I'm compelled to admit that I remember the stories from Teresa's I should have seen it coming when the rabbit died much longer than I remember the ones from Erma's work. Admittedly, Shirley Jackson is the queen of all Life among the Savages genre, but you can't get a Shirley every day.

That said, Sense and Momsense is a little light reading, in the late Erma style. There's show more the chapter of 'what 3rd graders say they want to be when they grow up' and the question and answer sections, and about a 3rd of the book is an admiring pastiche of the Archy and Mehitabel books which I too admired in school. And yet... it's slight, but amusing. The best part is that while she's being funny, these are real life, not, well, Phyllis Diller, which is the direction Erma tended to go.
" Q. At what age should a toddler stop taking a nap.
A. When his mother no longer needs one."

Here, too, she admits that she's not anti-feminist, and explains why it would be better to have a woman vice president of the United States ("Ms. Vice President (or better yet, Mrs.)"):
"Yes, America would be wise to elect a woman Vice President, assuming she is a woman who thinks like a woman, and not like a man. But this is unlikely to happen, because a woman who thinks like a woman would have better sense than to let herself get talked into a job like that." show less

Bloomingdale's short takes on family life are reminiscent of Erma Bombeck and Jean Kerr, except with 10 children to draw on, she has a perhaps somewhat wider field of play.

The reader will find some grins here, but few belly-laughs.

Amusing first-hand account of raising 10 children. Has an Erma-Bombeck, Jean-Kerr feel to it. Very funny

Dated humor, a bit like Erma Bombeck maybe. If it falls into your hands read it but don't seek it out.