Mandy discusses more than just her relationships in what I would do if I were you, and really does express her ‘mothering’ feelings, using her formula for comedy with success. Those school mornings, those ‘bloody dinners,’ feeling like a slave to the family, the anxiety that comes with becoming a parent, the battle of nits, the ‘sex talks’ and thinking about those ‘traditional’ methods; are all part of this laugh out loud encounter of family life. And what of the family and their reactions to all these ‘funny’ stories, “they don’t take any notice,” laughs Mandy, “it’s like their history. It’s their friends that tell them their mum has written about them, or said this about them on stage. They enjoy the focus that way.” Extract from ‘The Morning of the Earth Mother’ What I Would Do If I Were You: Not get out of bloody bed Every morning I wake up and I think, today, I am going to be a nice person. But I can’t do it. By 8 o’clock I have lost my mind. Of all the parenting challenges, it’s the morning routine that turns my head inside out. Every day my kids act like the whole concept of getting up and going to school is a brand new idea. ‘What? We’re gong to school? Really, what a surprise!’ Whatever happened to the leisurely roll out of bed where one slipped on a silk chemise and padded into the kitchen for morning coffee? (Oh those were the days…ugh school lunches…) Extract from ‘Secrets and Lice’ What I Would Do If I Were You: shave I’ve got a secret. I’ve got head lice. I’ve had them off and on for the past ten years. Not because I’m a crack whore or crazy cat lady, but because I have five kids. At our house
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