Mama's New Job By Stan and Jan Berenstain

Rather unexpectedly, I have a job. After 11 years of being a stay at home wife and mother. I saw this book in the kids's doctor's waiting room on Monday, right after accepting the position, so it seemed like the right book to do on my first day of work.

As a child of the 80's, Berenstain Bears were a large part of my life. They are somewhat formulaic and idealized and poor Papa never catches a break, but I still like them.  

I particularly liked this book when I was little. Papa doing his woodwork and Mama doing her thing. It was pretty much what I wanted my life to be like. As luck would have it, I married a woodworker (and leather worker, and construction guy, and cowboy, and... He has a lot of interests.) So I am just as good as the Berenstain Bears. Except I have never managed to grow cobalt blue tulips. 

And I lack Mama Bear's knack with needle and thread. 

Oh, I loved this page. I could (and can) think up so many lovely quilts. Or at least, they are lovely in my head. Once I try to make the designs come out my fingers in fabric form, they suddenly look quite different and I quickly move on to another beautifully designed imaginary quilt.

Mama just happened to hang her quilts out when Papa was having a furniture sale, and lo and behold! A business was born.  

Mama is very autocratic here. She doesn't seem to discuss going into business with Papa at all. A strong, modern woman is great, but I think a polite, "By the way..." before telling the cubs is only fair. Although Papa is infantilized so often in these books that she might just consider him to be one of the cubs at this point.

Papa quickly forgave her though and brought her feet hot water at the end of a long day.

Her quilt shop did a booming business. 

I love Mama's big bold quilts. If I were to make quilts, I would probably have to do big and bold. It looks like a lot fewer blocks to sew together. That is my kind of quilting. 

And now that Mama is a "business-bear wife and mama" they now eat at the Burger Bear. 

Apparently fast food and working mothers are closely linked.