I Have Everything I Had Twenty Years Ago: Except Now It's All Lower

Ledbetter, a contributing editor to Family Circle magazine, reports on domestic life from the vantage point of a 40-something mother of four, as she did in her earlier collection, The Toast Always Lands Jelly-side Down. Most of the 30-plus articles deal with Ledbetter's misadventures as a working parent, including the tribulations of carpooling, Christmas shopping, dealing with household gadgets, male inefficiency and packing for trips. Although there are occasional funny highlights, such as Ledbetter's ``You know it's gonna be a bad day when...'' list, some of the author's humor is labored and out of date. By the end of this collection, Ledbetter's persona as a bemused career woman struggling gamely to cope against the odds has worn very thin. Illustrations not seen by PW. Author tour. (May)