PBK wants to welcome Desire author Sarah Anderson! *waves to Sarah*
Romance is a wonderful thing. However, as we all know, romance as presented in delightful novel format is slightly different than romance in the real world. For example, I’m sure you’ve noticed that no one ever has to go to the bathroom really, really badly in a romance novel, much less during a date. (Not that that’s ever happened in real life. Certainly not to me. Nope.)
The other thing is that in romance novels, great personal chemistry moves the world. It inspires people to make great changes and sacrifices. The day-to-day stuff just falls into place.
In other words, in a romance novel, no one ever has an argument—a running argument—about Pop Tarts.
Boy, I love my husband. He’s a great man, husband, and father. He and I are very much in agreement on all of those big issues—how many kids we have, how we manage our money, what constitutes a hot night out on the town.
But, as they say, the devil’s in the details. In this case, the devil’s in the Pop Tarts. This is the sort of thing that never pops up (har!) in romance novels because it is the definition of ‘trivial’. Until you have the same Pop Tart argument every day. For months. For years.
Pop Tarts (or, as they are known in this family, Top Arts) are my seven-year-old son’s go-to breakfast food. My husband apparently has a soft spot for Pop Tarts about a mile wide. I didn’t think to get a bearing on the Pop Tart Gauge before the wedding. Now it’s too late, because I’m of the opinion that Pop Tarts are just as nutritious as having a Snickers for breakfast. I’d consider them an afternoon snack or dessert. Not a regular breakfast.
We went through a phase when The Kid was three or four where he ate Pop Tarts four to six times a week. And every day, I seethed about how we were feeding our son while my husband chowed down on them, too. Constant headlines about childhood obesity and high cholesterol didn’t help. (Although, to be fair, I married a string bean and gave birth to one, too. The Kid was considered underweight for the first two years just because he was so darned tall!)
Eventually, I was able to turn the Pop Tart tide—mostly because they got kind of expensive, but also because my pleas for nutrition finally registered. Now Pop Tarts are a weekend-only breakfast, because—in theory—The Kid can get up and get himself breakfast without waking up Mommy and Daddy. (In practice, he always wakes me up. But he’s usually eating a Pop Tart by the time I stumble downstairs, so the battle is lost.)
What about you? Do you have a running disagreement with your spouse about something so trivial you’re actually sort of embarrassed about it? (Not that I’m embarrassed about Pop Tarts. Not even a little. Nope!) Leave a comment and I’ll randomly choose one name to win an autographed copy of A Man of Distinction. Plus—bonus—I’m giving away a handcrafted (by me!) book necklaces from everyone who commented throughout the week! Check the Authorial Moms blog September 11th to see if you were the winner! For another chance to win, sign up for my newsletter here.
A Man of Distinction Blurb: “Let me see my son.”
He’d said goodbye to his life on the reservation without regrets. He’d asked Tanya Rattling Blanket to come with him too many times, and Nick Longhair never begs. But when business brings him back to his ancestors’ land, he finally understands what he exchanged for money and power.
In the years he’s been in Chicago, Tanya has been raising his baby, a son he didn’t know…. Determined to give his child every advantage, Nick isn’t about to leave again…at least not alone. But that means winning back the love of those he left behind.
A Man of Distinction is available! Visit your favorite bookseller, at Amazon, or for the Nook.
Bio: Award-winning author Sarah M. Anderson may live east of the Mississippi River, but her heart lies out west on the Great Plains. With a lifelong love of horses and two history teachers for parents, it wasn’t long before her characters found themselves out in South Dakota among the Lakota Sioux. She loves to put people from two different worlds into new situations and to see how their backgrounds and cultures take them someplace they never thought they’d go.
When not helping out at school or walking her rescue dogs, Sarah spends her days having conversations with imaginary cowboys and American Indians, all of which is surprisingly well-tolerated by her wonderful husband and son.
This post is brought to you as part of the A Man of Distinction Blog Tour. For a complete tour schedule and rules, visit http://www.sarahmanderson.com. Comments on this blog will be entered to win a signed copy of A Man of Distinction. All comments will be added to the weekly book jewelry prize drawing. 
I guess that after nearly 46 years of marriage, I’ve put aside any little petty disagreements. Things like that just tend to roll off. In the end, it’s not a really big deal.
All kids go through stages of liking (or disliking) certain foods. Oh yes, my children loved PopTarts for a certain number of years. I used to worry about them eating this “junk” and back then, Pop Tarts really WERE junk! The kids turned out fine and Pop Tarts have become more nutritious with better ingredients. Believe me, “The Kid” will grow up healthy and one day before you know it, he probably wouldn’t touch a Pop Tart with a ten foot pole. Then, it will be something else like cocoa puffs cereal or potato chips! Hang in there, Mom. I can attest to the fact that they DO grow up and they DO have kids of their own and then the fun part starts. You get to sit back and watch THEM deal with all of the frustrations of raising their own kids that you dealt with. That’s when you sit back and snicker in your iced tea!!
Oh, Connie–yes. I know the Pop Tarts are a small thing, and I’ve resolved to turn it over and not worry about it–after all, it’s not like I eat a salad for breakfast! And who knows what he’ll wind up eating by the time he gets to college!
Congratulations on your newest book release, Sarah! I don’t have any specific day-to-day arguments with my husband, but the topic we always come back to again and again is words. Their meaning, pronunciation, usage, etc. Most times one or both of us will start laughing, but yeah… We argue about words. =)
Words can be fun! In my house, we *all* automatically assume that I’m pronouncing it wrong. That’s the big downside of being a reader–I know the words and what they mean, but I don’t hear them spoken often enough to get the correct pronunciation!
Welllll after 31 years, those things have kinda faded into the distant past… but as a University employee around young people… who order the most non-nutritious lunches delivered… I just say, ‘Enjoy this now, because some day soon – you won’t be able to eat like this!’ Those kids who order daily strombolis, pizzas, etc.. will soon be with the rest of the adult world eating the food pyramid..
Oh, heavens–yes. That boy is on his own when he goes to college! But if he’s got his father’s metabolism, he’ll still probably be okay–at least until he turns 41!
Congrats!
XOXO
The Clarences
Thanks so much! And thanks for stopping by!
No problemo! Enjoyed it, Sarah!
xoxo
The Clarences
http://www.theclarences.com
Thanks for blogging with us and congrats on the book. We have lots of running arguments, mostly about child rearing. We have different styles, and it’s hard when one parent is with the child all the time. That parent has their way of doing things and it can be disruptive when someone else steps in and does them differently. So, yes, lots of ongoing arguments.
Oh, Shana, I know that. I pick him up from school and always seem to find myself in charge of discipline, then when his father gets home, he gets to be the fun one. It’s a challenge!
Can’t say we have an ongoing argument … but I DO love PopTarts. Especially strawberry. None of that chocolate stuff. You should send out PopTarts as a prize.
Gen, that’s the current battle–the ice-cream flavored varieties! I find myself arguing for at least the fruit-flavored strawberry, so I can pretend he’s getting something nutritious out of the deal! But no–chocolate, marshmallow–oy!
Hey Sarah. Have you noticed how Pop Tarts have totally given up the illusion of being a healthy, fruit filled breakfast pastry? Now they’re hot fudge, s’mores and cookie dough flavored. You pick up the strawberry unfrosted ones thinking they’re better for you and they’re not. Just as many calories, sugar and fat. I’ve eaten my share, especially in college, although I prefer Toaster Streudel. But at this point in my life, if I’m going to blow 200 to 400 calories (Cause who eats just one? The second will get stale!) on a nurtionally defunct breakfast, I can think of some way better things to eat.
Andrea
Andrea–EXACTLY. If I’m going to blow the calories, it darn well better be on super-good chocolate and a nice glass of wine, not Pop Tarts!!
After many hard fought battles, we’ve both learned we won’t be winning any battles with each other. But, I’ve came to accept, as the years have went by, he’s actually pretty smart sometimes. So, sometimes I listen to him, and that reduces the battles, too. Oh, and about the pop tarts…I don’t have those battles. I have “jolly rancher”, “nutty bars” and “Uncle Bob Cheese Burger” battles. He feeds these delicacies to the kids whenever he thinks I won’t notice (the cheese burgers are somewhat hard to hide, btw). But, I know I won’t win this battle, either, so I just pretend not to notice that big, greasy burger in the kid’s hands or those seemingly constant mouths full of jolly ranchers. Marriage really is sweeter when denial is involved.
Ivy, I think I need a shirt that says, “Marriage really is sweeter when denial is involved.”
No running disagreement.
bn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com
Never had a pop tart. Plenty of long term niggling annoyances. We are about to celebrate thirty years marriage. The secret. I don’t argue with his conviction it would be hard for a man his age to find sex without paying for it. So he tolerates me.
Thirty years! Congratulations, Fiona!
Congratulations to Ivy! She won a copy of A Man of Distinction!
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