Because I'm the Mother, That's Why

This Erma Bombeck for the baby boom generation, columnist, ad agency executive and mother of Phoebe Pierson writes with tongue in cheek of her escapades as a working wife and mother in the '90s. Quirky anecdotes, lists and witticisms abound, at once poking fun at and shedding light on such phenomena as the facts of life, dog ownership, gardening and the true character of the '90s. There is even a hilarious month-by-month ``diary'' of her own life versus that of homemaker extraordinaire Martha Stewart (March: ``Martha learned all about American architecture, majolica, and beans . . . I threw out all the stuff in the refrigerator that had mold in it''). But the lighter side of mothering nine-year-old Phoebe is the heart and soul of this book. After all, it's hard to resist a kid who says, ``Mommy, I hate Daddy much more than I hate you.'' Short, funny and charming, this is a great Mother's Day gift that should lift the spirits of moms. (May)