I recently joined this outfit called
Title Trader and was going to tell you (or, as they say in these parts, yous guys) about it just because it's kind of cool. Here's how it works: you list books, CDs, and DVDs that you're willing to part with. Other members can request them and you mail them out. Then you get credits for the stuff you've traded out and can request items from other members (whoever offers the item pays the postage). I know there are other online swap groups like this, but I like this one because it's not limited to books and gives me a chance to get rid of all the unacceptable media that come into the house in the form of presents. It's worth it to me just to get rid of the stuff because I hate having anything contribute to the unconquerable mess that pervades our lives. But with this I can even get something back for my rejects rather than just hauling bags to Goodwill every month, and of course you break even on shipping. The babies are going to have a nicer Christmas than I expected.
Now, I'm pretty particular and consider most of the available trades junk, but I keep an eye on the new additions on the odd chance that something good should come up (you can also make up a wish list, and if anything you have on it gets offered you're notified). And I've learned something interesting: there's a whole subset of romance novels whose central plot is not (just?) the hot times with the hot dude, but some kind of baby love interest. Here are some titles:
A Baby On the Way,
The Trouble With Twins (cover art is a fetching fellow in an apron apparently making cookies with matching little girls--and wasn't there a Babysitters Club book with this title?), and
Merry Christmas, Babies (four babies in Santa suits under the tree). Apparently Harlequin has a whole line devoted to this: Harlequin Superromance. Who knew? Maybe we should be writing these? We've certainly done the research.
4 comments:
I always knew we were exotic :)
A man comes home from a long day, tired, hungry. His wife meets him at the door wearing only a baby on her hip and last night's supper in her hair.
"Is there any coffee left?" he asks.
"I think so . . ." she murmurs. She walks, dazed, to the coffee pot and swishes the remaining dregs around in the carafe dreamily.
"There's not much left. . ."
As she peers into the bottom of the pot, she notices her own bare ankles. And then . . .
"AAAAA! I'm not wearing anything but a baby and last night's supper in my hair! What the bleep is wrong with me?!?!"
The man shrugs and shuffles over to his favorite chair to read last week's newspaper.
. . .
Well. I thought it was funny.
You know you're an old married Confessie Lutheran when your idea of a hot date with your husband is.... wait for it... attending church with no children.
Guilty as charged.
And Gauntlets, I thought your story was hilarious. Woo-hoo - those baby slings are H. O. T.
LOL--although he probably just caught her in the middle of her Bradley exercises . . . .
RM and I and our respective husbands had a fantastic baby-free double date to church a few years back. At our next opportunity we'll have over twice as many babies as last time, though, so I don't know if it's going to work out again.
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