Play It Again, Sahm

Play It Again, Sahm
Meredith Efken

After years of friendship, the women of the SAHM I Am e-mail loop are finally meeting in person. But with two new moms trying to blend in with Dulcie and the gang, there's bound to be trouble!Earth-mother Iona and young mom Hannah are thrilled to join the weekend getaway sans hubbies and kids. But sparks fly when Hannah's know-it-all attitude clashes with the Queen of Ego, Rosalyn. When things go from bad to worse, one mom must step in to save the weekend from total disaster!

Praise for

Meredith Efken

@HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS

“[Efken] offers a balanced and loving take on gender roles, faith and child-rearing. Both stay-at-home and working Christian moms will recognize their struggles here, and feel the novel’s lighthearted humor lessening their load.”

—Publishers Weekly

SAHM I AM

“Can a novel consisting entirely of e-mails be enjoyable faith fiction? Efken’s charming, light debut offers a resounding and surprising yes. Efken keeps the mood light, although she’s not afraid to tackle serious topics such as infertility, marital difficulties and chronic illness. Christian readers will savor this fresh entrée.”

—Publishers Weekly

“Written in the tradition of Erma Bombeck, this fine first novel is recommended.”

—Library Journal

“SAHM I AM is hysterically funny and I lost count of how many times I laughed out loud. I loved the cast of quirky characters and I could hardly turn the pages fast enough. Erma Bombeck was a funny lady, but Meredith Efken is even funnier.”

—Christy Award-winning author Randall Ingermanson

Play It Again, Sahm

Meredith Efken

www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

To my mom and dad, Judi and Mike, for filling my childhood with love, my soul with laughter, and my shelves with good books.

And for all the readers who asked me so sweetly for another SAHM story—this one I wrote for you.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Collecting inspiration for my SAHM stories has always been something of an accidental treasure hunt. I never know when I’ll stumble across the next gem. I’m very thankful to the following people whose crazy behavior, odd mistakes and other personal quirks have proven so useful to my story. (Because yes, it really is all about me!)

For Tosca Lee, the queen of text messaging. Thanks to you, my cell phone company has increased their profits because I had to get a new service to accommodate all our messages to each other. You’ve trained me well, and now I’m working on getting my husband hooked, too.

Thanks to Scott Ross for his brilliant discovery that glass stove tops can be broken with a pan. His wife may not have appreciated it, but I found it was most instructive and inspiring.

Thanks to my friend Richard Vasey, the original Tiara Man, for showing me how cute a dad can look when his daughter dresses him like a fairy princess.

Thanks to my agent, Steve Laube, not just for being a fabulous agent, but also for telling me about the people in Phoenix who trucked in snow for their kids’ birthday party. He told me about giant roof rats as well. Too bad I don’t write horror.

A big thanks to Morgan Busse for having the creative foresight to bring a child into this world who would nearly nuke a kitten, thereby providing me with yet another entertaining disaster for my book.

And thanks to my own daughter whose talk-the-babysitter-into-letting-us-play-with-lit-candles scheme nearly drove me over the edge… And the crawling out on the porch roof… And the Queen of the World remark… And…well, I’d better not share any more of her secrets, I guess. Since I was able to use it all in my book, everything is forgiven.

Much appreciation and love to Camy, Randy, Steve, Gina, Chip, Tosca, Jim, Brandilyn and all the many others of my late-night writers conference buddies. The retreat in this book was written with you guys in mind—for your friendship, laughter, support, and for all the sleep hours we’ve given up in order to hang out together.

Finally, a special thank-you to my editor, Melissa Endlich, for being such a great supporter of my writing and letting me do a third SAHM book. I appreciate your insight, enthusiasm and how much fun we’ve had working together. The campfire scene at the end of the book—that’s for you. Thanks, Melissa!

Contents

Begin Reading (#u5e4b7035-49bd-5d50-a142-9f6ad21c659f)

Letter to Reader (#litres_trial_promo)

Questions for Discussion (#litres_trial_promo)

Beloved Moms,

I am SO pleased to have the honor of welcoming back our dear Rosalyn Ebberly to our SAHM I Am loop. As many of you know, Rosalyn made the wise decision about a year ago to take some time away from our loop family so that she could focus on some intensive therapy and counseling with her own family. Praise God, He blessed them with much healing. Today, they are stronger and healthier than ever. And Rosalyn feels at peace with returning to the loop.

She will return to her moderator duties immediately, and none too soon. The other half of my news isn’t nearly as wonderful. My mom, who is in her seventies and lives all by herself in Santa Fe, is going in for double hip replacement surgery next week. We’ve been discussing it for several months, and it only made sense that she come live with us for the surgery and through the rehabilitation period. This is going to be a HUGE upheaval in my family’s routine, since James (who’s thirteen now!) is going to have to either move in with little brothers John and Josiah or let them move in with him. Rachel and Rebecca were already sharing, and we didn’t have a guest room.

And Mom is going to need so much help with everything for a long time. So just as Rosalyn is returning, I’m afraid I’m going to have to say goodbye for a while. I’ll miss you all terribly, but I know I’m leaving the loop in the best hands possible. Rosalyn will take care of everything. Please give her the same cooperation and respect you’ve always given me. If you want to e-mail me privately, you can. May Jesus bless all of you.

With all the mother-love in my heart,

Your loop mom,

Connie Lawson

SAHM I Am Loop Mom

Sweetest Sisters,

It is SUCH a joy to be back among you! I feel like I’ve been sojourning in a strange land and have finally returned home. It’s been a bit more than a year since I took my sabbatical, and yet you girls have made me feel like I never left.

This past seventeen months has been a time of growth and healing for me and my family. I’m looking forward to sharing what I’ve learned with all of you. I think the best way to do that will be through my resumed duty of moderating the Topic of the Week. My sister, Veronica, has, from what I’ve heard, been doing a great job in my absence, but when she heard how eager I was to take my old place again as TOTW facilitator, she graciously agreed to step aside.

Most of you know I’ve been involved in intensive therapy and counseling along with my family. One of the most important things I’ve learned is that I must be COMPLETELY HONEST with those around me. So this is our TOTW— Total Honesty.

It’s difficult to be honest and vulnerable with other people, even the ones we love. But I’ve learned that this is the ONLY way to truly break the cycle of dysfunction and strife.

So let’s practice this week, shall we? I’d like each of you to share with us one deeply personal thing that you’ve never shared before. As we bare our hearts to each other, grace and friendship will be released, and we’ll be closer than ever. With that in mind, here is my confession. I give it to you with trembling fingers and a full heart:

I HATE to cook. In fact, sometimes when it’s been a really bad day, I call my husband and ask him to stop at McDonald’s on the way home from work. I can down a Big Mac in under two minutes, and we have a bin of Happy Meal toys that we stash in the basement when company comes over.

Whew! It’s great to have that out in the open at last! See, honesty isn’t so hard. What about you? Get that secret off your chest. And remember, this is for posterity, so…be honest.

Peace to you all,