I was filling my car up with gas last week (and having a minor heart attack because, my God, $55 to fill up the beater Saab I was driving that day? It’s like adding insult to injury) when the woman approached.

She looked to be in her late 40s. Windblown hair, flower-print blouse, minimal makeup. Looked like a harried mom who maybe needed help finding an obscure street in my tiny New England town. Looked like she was sure I’d say “No” if she asked me anything. So I made up my mind to say “Yes.”

“Excuse me, but can I ask you a question?”

“Yes!” I said brightly, one hand on the nozzle. My brothers like to joke that I can’t find my way out of a wet, upside-down, brown-paper bag, but if she needed directions, I would do my best.

“Have you ever thought about earning a little extra income from home?”

My first thought: Who hasn’t?

My second thought: Crrraaaaaap. She’s doing a sales pitch. And with the gas pump ticking away and my car keys in my pocket, I was a captive audience. It’s like a taking a call from a telemarketer times infinity, because you can’t really hang up on one when she’s standing in front of you. Read the rest of this entry »

I hate to admit it but, this year, I’ve had a hard time finding my Christmas spirit.

It’s not that Scrooge has taken over, or that it’s been a hard year, or anything like that. In fact, it’s been a pretty great year. I’m just tired. And all of the gift buying and present wrapping and package mailing just seems like that much more on my already-long to-do list.

I’m all about the planning — I’ve had things planned out for months. Batches of homemade jams and chutneys and pickles were canned back when the weather was still warm. I’ve had other little gifts ready to go for weeks. I made candies yesterday – can’t really do candies too far in advance.  My dining room has turned into Santa’s workshop, with boxes and ribbons and cellophane bags ready to hold all the treats.

But instead of being good to go, I’ve ground to a halt.

This Christmas stuff… what, just a few weeks ago, was fun and festive, now seems an awful lot like work. Read the rest of this entry »

Forget Barbie. Please, please forget Bratz. There’s a new doll in town, and she’s more than just a fashion icon: She’s a superhero.

Meet Super Mom.

On the one hand: Can I tell you how hilarious this is? Check out the accessories! Two heads, so you can switch from calm to frazzled in a blink of an eye! An adorable baby that’s half angel, half monster! A briefcase stuffed with work and toys! An extra-long To-Do list! A bag full of groceries! And it even comes in your choice of skin color, proving that no single ethnicity has a lock on the working mother. I don’t see the working-mom guilt there in the blister-pack, but you could probably download some. Read the rest of this entry »

When I became pregnant with L., there was this mysterious thing I had to contend with, something that I hadn’t encountered when I became a step mom: Maternity leave.

I was going to be away from the office for about five months. It had been 23 years since I’d had that much time off all at once. What was I going to do with myself?

I had grand plans: I’d finish painting all the bedrooms. I’d write at least one freelance story a week. I’d edit all of the recipes from my mom’s old restaurant into a great cookbook. Heck, cookbooks seemed easy — maybe I’d write two! Read the rest of this entry »

It took me nearly two hours to drive the 30 or so miles in to work recently. A massive accident on a major route, coupled with minor back ups along the way, more than doubled my commute, and road crews on the smaller streets taking advantage of this last gasp of good weather to fix potholes made the alternate routes just as bad.

While stuck in the third or fourth traffic jam of the morning — the final backup was a so close to my office that I could practically see my desk from my car — I thought to myself, “If I worked from home, I could have gotten so much done by now.” Read the rest of this entry »

So, how do I manage to squeeze 36 hours into my day? The way I figure it, I spend about 12 hours a day at the office, commuting to or from the office, researching work-related projects, telecommuting, or doing freelance work at home. But I spend 24 hours a day being a parent, a spouse, and “Chief Cook and Bottle Washer” (or, as I like to see it, “Chief, Cook, and Bottle Washer” — it’s all in the punctuation). So, 12 + 24 = 36.

If my budget could take the hit, I might consider cutting myself some work-related slack. Then again, I might not. It’s a moot point anyway. But I’ve been working for so long that I suspect that I don’t really know how to stop. Read the rest of this entry »

Hi! I’m Lylah. I’m a mom and step-mom to five kids, ages 1 to 14. I work full-time outside the home (as a newspaper editor), full-time inside the home (cooking, cleaning, laundry, laundry, laundry), and part-time on the side (writing, mostly).

The question I hear most often (other than “Are all of those kids yours?”) is “How do you get it all done?”

Honestly, I don’t know. House elves? Read the rest of this entry »