LilSugar

10 Tips For Staying Sane While at Home

LilSugar — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 04:00:43 PDT

Devoting time, and giving up your job, to caring for your child is often easier said than done. Despite popular belief, stay-at-home moms do not sit around all day eating bon-bons, watching Oprah, and talking with their pals on the phone. Screaming tantrums, poopy diapers, and a messy kitchen are inevitable - and often before the sun comes up. Staying at home is a tough job, and not everyone has to do it, but some choose to. The mental demand is enough to break any homebound mama, so if you're struggling with staying sane and at home, check out our tips for coping with one of the world's most challenging jobs.

Lil Community: The Great Mommy Debate

Lil Community — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 00:05:00 PST

Let the debate rage on! Over in A Place to Vent, an anonymous reader submitted her thoughts on the ongoing debate over working moms. Here is an excerpt from her post.

The most fulfilled I have ever felt is when I became a mother, something so many women today take for granted. Yes, I can already hear the outraged cries from Gloria Steinem and NOW. Helen Reddy is pondering, "Did she not listen to the lyrics of 'I am woman'?" But I stand by my claim. Raising a child is the most important gift we have been bestowed. Yet in 2011 I am constantly amazed at how many of us choose to pass this awesome opportunity off to people who are barely adults themselves, or at the very least can't wait the 4-5 years to do this until the child is of school age. Our excuse, as if there is one, is that it's our duty to define ourselves outside of the parameters of the traditional mother and wife.

Let me preface this by stating that I am all too aware that it is indeed a fact that some of us must work to put a roof over our heads. I know from where I speak, I am a divorced mom who was abandoned by her husband and am without any support from my son's father. I have gone from living a cosmopolitan life abroad to residing in a more humble suburban setting. Despite the fact that the most exotic thing I do these days, is travel down the ethnic food aisle at Whole Foods, I am confident that the sacrifices I am making today in order to be a daily part of my son's life, possesses far more value than anything I can purchase off of Net-a-Porter.

If we are perfectly frank here, the majority of those women adorned in their Tory Burch tennis outfits and Gucci sandals, dropping their precious cargo off at daycare, look a far cry from being one step away from standing in the breadlines. I highly doubt that their haste is the result of a desire to head straight to their jobs at Walmart. With a simple blow of a kiss and a small wave of the hand they are dismissing the one true thing in their lives as though they were just another accessory in their status wardrobe.

Keep reading to see the rest of the reader's thoughts on working moms. Overwhelmed by a crying baby, fighting tots, overbearing in-laws, and competitive parents? Start venting in our anonymous group, A Place to Vent and share your stress with fellow moms who understand your plight.

Parenthood: Has Having Kids Consumed Your Life?

Heather Maddan — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 09:00:28 PDT

Is it possible for parents' lives to not be consumed by their children? Last night on Parenthood, Joel has a hard time seeing beyond his life as a stay-at-home dad when it is time to showcase a hobby at Sydney's school. While he frets over something to wow the crowd, Kristina worries that she and Adam are losing their relationship to the stresses of their daily commitments. Do you find yourself in a similar situation?

Cheers Mom! Do You Drink on a Daily Basis?

LilSugar — Mon, 03 May 2010 06:00:39 PDT

Sippy cups aren't for Chardonnay, but a coffee cup might be. Friday's 20/20 episode featured moms who tapped the bottle on a frequent basis while raising their babes. The mothers drank wine at the park, at playdates, and even while driving their children with the beverage hidden in a thermos. The shocking (to some) report followed three women who struggle with sobriety because of the pressures of daily life working or staying at home. The show also included an interview with recovering alcoholic Stephanie Wilder-Taylor, the author famed for writing about her irreverent take on motherhood in Naptime Is the New Happy Hour and other popular titles that the mom masses rallied around. Being a mom isn't easy, do you drink?

OnSugar Blog: Am I the Newest Desperate Housewife?

OnSugar Blog — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 09:00:49 PDT

Lots of moms think out loud, and GwennW does too. Am I the Newest Desperate Housewife? comes from the Cooking in Pajamas blog at OnSugar.

My dentist has three chickens and I am so jealous. When I was in his chair last month, I couldn't wait to ask him how many fresh eggs he got that weekend. Three and a half dozen! If I had called him the night before, he would have brought me a dozen of his fresh eggs! I began to quiz him. "Where do they live? How many did you start with? Was it expensive to build a coop? Are they noisy? Do I need to fence in my yard? Will my yard smell like a barn? Can two city folk like me and Phil really raise a small group of chicken, just so we can have fresh eggs." He assured me that it was incredibly simple, and I could just come check out his chickens. I started to imagine myself in overalls and a straw hat, going out to my chicken coop every morning to get fresh eggs. Wouldn't my dogs love to run around the yard with chickens? This is going to be SO FUN!

Then the New York Times Sunday Magazine comes out with an article entitled, "The Femivore's Dilemma". It seems as though "chicks-with-chicks" is the newest way for stay-at-home moms to find some sort legitimacy to their domestic lives. It is the same argument we have heard a million times before....today's soccer mom feels undervalued. If you have chosen to stay home with your kids, you may be 'prone to depression', some women lose a sense of financial independence and feel guilty for not 'contributing financially' to the household income anymore, or a general sense of 'purposelessness' takes over.

What is a highly educated, well-read, stay at home mom to do to boost her self worth? Apparently, jump on the latest bandwagon and start building your backyard mini-barn. To read the rest of this post, click here.

Want to see more? Start following OnSugar blog Cooking in Pajamas or start your own OnSugar blog. We may just feature your content on LilSugar.

The Pros and Cons of Being a SAHM

LilSugar — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 08:30:12 PST

When deciding to go back to work or stay at home with her child, an ambivalent mama has a tough decision to make. Both sides of the spectrum have their own pros and cons that need to be weighed before making the big decision. Here are some advantages and disadvantages of being a stay-at-home mom.

Keeping Children of Working Moms Fit and Healthy

babysugar — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:00:05 PDT

Pack your bags working moms, we're going on a guilt trip. As if there's not enough blame to push on the working mother, a new report came out giving those of us in the work force another reason to feel self-conscience for bringing home some bacon. A British study found that children of working mums spent more time watching television and had poorer eating habits than their peers with stay-at-home moms. While that may be the case, there are ways to skirt that issue. For instance, when I found out my nanny was taking my daughter to the bakery every day for a cookie, I thanked her for the kind gesture and then kindly asked her to refrain from the tasty pastry stop unless it was for a special occasion. Where there's a will, there's a way, which means parents may have to put forth the extra effort to set up guidelines for the caretaker but it is by no means a given that a working mommy's child should be less fit and healthy than its counterparts.

Do you have certain restrictions outlined for your nanny?

Why Didn't Anybody Tell Me: Stay-at-Home Mom

LilSugar — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 14:00:10 PDT

I'm about to pop which means my maternity leave is likely just days away. While I've always been a working mother, I can't wait to gain stay-at-home mom status for a few months. I've done it twice before when my daughter and son were born and loved every minute - even those that were covered in spit-up. While spending so much quality time with my kids is the obvious perk, there are others that are often overlooked. Here's my list!

I get to drop off and pick up my kids from school and get more involved in their daily activities.
Impromptu trips to the park don't revolve around my work deadlines.
An 8 a.m. trip to the grocery store is less stressful than weekend ones.
Forget scheduling meetings or appointments, life is all about playdates!
Sweats and sneakers is a totally acceptable outfit.
My kids will get my undivided attention (well, it will be divided between the three of them!)

What is or was your favorite thing about being a stay-at-home mom? Join our The Mommy Club over in our LilSugar community and share your stories! Here's a detailed guide to posting questions or posts to groups if you are new to the PopSugar Community.

Tell Mommy: Does the Term "Housewife" Offend You?

LilSugar — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 06:00:59 PST

I've never been a full time stay-at-home mother (except for when I was on maternity leave), but I was raised by one and feel the sting every time I hear the term "housewife" used to describe a mom who opted out of the work force to focus on her children. The SAHM mamas I know aren't popping bonbons on the couch and watching soap operas or scrubbing the kitchen floor with a toothbrush and playing bridge, they are educating their offspring, shuttling carpools, catering school parties (when a lot of working parents can't make it), not to mention raising the next generation. This doesn't discount the fact that many working moms do some of the same things. But, it's 2009 and the term "housewife" seems a bit demeaning and outdated. What's your opinion?

Are Working Moms Really Happier Than Stay-at-Home Moms?

Lisa Horten — Mon, 21 May 2012 12:04:39 PDT

Balancing (or choosing between) career and motherhood is a decision (or struggle) that every mom faces. This weekend, Motherlode, The New York Times' parenting blog, took a look at the results of a Gallup poll on the emotional satisfaction of working vs. nonworking mothers. Survey says . . .

Non-employed women with young children at home are more likely than women with young children at home who are employed for pay to report experiencing sadness and anger [for] a lot of the day . . . Stay-at-home moms are also much more likely to report having ever been diagnosed with depression than employed moms. Employed moms are about as emotionally well-off as working women who do not have children at home.

The standout results supporting these findings? Twenty-six percent of stay-at-home moms experience "sadness," versus just 16 percent of working women, and 28 percent of stay-at-home moms report depression, versus 17 percent of their employed counterparts. Other emotional benchmarks, like smiling, laughing, and experiencing enjoyment or happiness, had closer results.

While the pool of women surveyed was of a fairly substantial size (60,000 women responded to Gallup's phone survey), we can't but help but wonder how other factors, like salary, job flexibility, commute time, and spousal support, weighed in.

Do you agree with the study's findings?