Life's too short not to laugh at the absurdities around us, such as women who won't carrots because of their high-carb content but spoon up the Ben and Jerry's like there's no Weight Watchers weigh-in tomorrow. I also like to poke fun at women who shop with toy poodles in their purses and the hysteria du jour over newly discovered health threats, such as drinking water.   I accidentally became a humor writer after selling a series of humor essays to newspapers, and the deal was sealed after I published my first humor book, "Carpool Tunnel Syndrome," which branded me as a humorist. If I had any idea what a tricky path I was setting for myself, I would have done something easier, like becoming an astronaut.  The funniest things I write are taken straight from the news. I mean, you just can’t make up stuff as hilarious as educators banning “tag” and Paris Hilton brandishing a Bible (upside down) to display her remorse over having to write the word “socialite” on a resume.  My goal is to write such fabulous humor that one day, someone really intellectual will call it "trenchant."  Writing humor is the most fun I have (during the day), way more fun than working out at the gym. I also love the fact that my work makes other people laugh (except when it makes them mad). I love to imagine the sounds of people laughing when they read my columns and books. I'm also influenced by my Jewish faith, and fortunately, God has a sense of humor, and I hope He approves of what I'm doing. My fan mail from people who think I'm writing about their own lives when I complain about kids who think a thesaurus is a kind of a dinosaur or who think forks are for boinging across the table to a sibling rather than for, say, eating, make me feel I'm doing something good.

"The Women's Daily Irony Supplement" (Creative Minds Press, 2007)won BOOK OF THE YEAR award in humor from ForeWord Magazine; a Silver award for humor from Independent Publisher, and the Ben Franklin Award for Humor (Bronze) by the Publishers' Marketing Association in 2008. A quote from the book appeared on more than 5 million Starbucks cups, which impressed my kids out of all proportion to the achievement.

"Till We Eat Again: Confessions of a Diet Dropout," won Best Humor Book of 2003 by Midwest Independent Publisher's Association. The book was also serialized on eDiets.com.

"Carpool Tunnel Syndrome: Motherhood as Shuttle Diplomacy," earned a Merit award for humor by the Midwest Independent Publisher's Association (2002).