title: It's Ok Mom; Just Take Deep Breaths
author: Jill Lenett Keller
description: It's OK Mom; Just Take Deep Breaths is a humor memoir of a mom/college professor. It takes a comical look at the funny and the not-so-funny aspects of working life and raising kids. The book is comprised of a series of laughable vignettes with the overall message that humor is the best way of dealing with the ups and downs of very relatable situations that most parents and employees have experienced.
zlib_text: Copyright © 2019 by Dori Lavelle
  All rights reserved.
  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and
  retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
  
  CONTENTS
  Chapter 1
  Chapter 2
  Chapter 3
  Chapter 4
  Chapter 5
  Chapter 6
  Chapter 7
  Chapter 8
  Epilogue
  More May Flowers Short Stories
  Also by Dori Lavelle
  
  T
  he moment I walk into the tiny cottage I share with my mother, the stench of cigarettes,
  old food, and booze hits my nostrils and I reel back. Clenching my teeth, I shut the door
  and lean against it for a moment, pulling in deep breaths to prepare myself for yet
  another uncomfortable evening.
  “Mom?” I call out, pushing away from the door. She doesn’t respond.
  I find her in the living room, sprawled on the couch, watching a celebrity reality TV show, a
  cigarette in one hand. It’s rare to see her without a cigarette. Sometimes I worry that o