Besides the fact that we are both moms and were born on August 16th, there is very, very little I have in common with Madonna. At least that’s what I thought before I caught a snippet of an interview the “Material Girl” just did with NBC’s “Rock Center.” Unlike Madonna I am not an international entertainment superstar, I don’t have arms that look like Rambo’s and I wholeheartedly oppose yoga as a way to add balance to my life. However, I recently discovered that when it comes to parenting, we have this in common: We would rather be dead than … Continue reading →

In this day of job insecurity and a bleak economic outlook, many women are postponing getting pregnant for fear that taking maternity leave will prompt their employers to give them the heave-ho. Technically, a company could be sued if it terminated a female employee simply because she got pregnant and used maternity leave, but stranger things have happened in the workforce. Perhaps that’s why the news of a major insurance company based in Australia actively celebrating procreating female employees has captured so many headlines around the world. If you have been living under a rock, you may have missed the … Continue reading →

Does where you live affect how you parent? NBC News recently ran a story about moms and dads dubbed “super commuters.” According to the peacock network, the title is bestowed upon a growing number of Americans who live in one city and are forced to travel extreme distances to work in another. In the Nightly News piece, one dad shared his story of spending nearly four hours behind the wheel a day, putting 1,000 miles a week on his car, and forking over $450 for gas per month. All so that his four children can remain in the same home … Continue reading →

I’m no tech junkie. I don’t own a smartphone. I don’t allow my kid to play video games. I am anti-Facebook and I don’t text. However, this is not to say that I don’t embrace the wonders of technology. For example, I am hugely grateful for television remotes and I couldn’t make a living without a laptop. In addition, I don’t think I could live without a telephone answering machine. In fact, without the simple technological wonder, I wouldn’t be able to listen to my grandmother’s voice whenever I felt the need. My dear, sweet grandmother who died nearly five … Continue reading →

You will too after reading about a select group of upscale New York parents who thinks the world begins and ends in their little corner of Brooklyn. Yes, Park Slope parents are making national headlines again for yet another insanely absurd interpretation of one of life’s most basic rites of passages. I guess that’s what happens when you have big bucks and don’t have to take four modes of public transportation to three different part-time jobs that barely help you keep a roof over your kids’ heads and food on the table. Rich people problems; where do I sign-up for … Continue reading →

Just when you thought that parents were realizing that it’s not such a good idea to leave young kids alone in a car while they take care of business elsewhere, a story like this makes national headlines: BREAKING NEWS OUT OF KATY, TEXAS: SELFISH FATHER CHOOSES GUN SHOPPING OVER KID WATCHING That’s my title, and I unequivocally stand by the use of “selfish.” Here’s why. According to Texas law enforcement, a dad is being investigated by Child Protective Services after leaving his two young children in the backseat of a hot van while he spent in hour in an air … Continue reading →

Don’t worry; it’s not one of our mommy bloggers… at least not yet. Heh. Okay, not funny. Nor is the news that a 24-year-old wife and mother to two young kids is behind bars tonight for allegedly paying someone to kill her husband. According to reports, Brittany Rachelle Martinez, an EMT and mommy blogger from Houston was caught masterminding a murder-for-hire plot that would have offed her firefighter husband. Police say Martinez offered a friend between $1,500 and $2,500 to gun down her hubby and make it look as though it was “work-related.” The Houston Chronicle claims the mom approached … Continue reading →

There’s a line in the Litany of Humility that references the fear of being forgotten. Upon reading it my 7-year-old instantly remarked that her biggest fear (aside from being bit by a tarantula) is being forgotten. You know; second graders and literal translations. The kid, who has never in the history of the world, ever, ever, ever been left behind, alone, overlooked, neglected, or made to wait even two seconds beyond a scheduled pick-up time is fearful of being forgotten? How could this be? Of course, upon further analysis, I realized that the fear of being forgotten is not exclusive … Continue reading →

Be afraid. Be very afraid. Rumors have been swirling for weeks, and now it appears that MTV’s resident smoosher is planning to go public with news that she’s got a mini meatball baking in her oven. Snooki, whose real name is Nicole Polizzi, is reportedly expecting her first child with… Well, isn’t that the million-dollar question? Okay, maybe not. But, the 24-year-old reality TV star is said to be raking in at least that much when she reveals her pregnancy and the ID of her baby daddy on her new MTV show– that’s not “Jersey Shore.” Snooki and fellow “Jersey … Continue reading →

(Am I a “real” mom?) “It feels like you’re really officially, really truly a mother when you have two kids.” Really? I’m pretty sure actress Jessica Alba regrets having uttered those words during an interview with PEOPLE magazine. Then again, maybe she stands behind each and every syllable. Alba’s comment went viral months ago, yet whenever I conduct an online search for information about transitioning from a one-child household to a two-child home, the Hollywood mom’s infamous quote still pops up. Seems as though parents of singletons don’t much care for the movie star’s opinion on what it takes to … Continue reading →