By Jenifer from www.onenjen.com

When my son was 10 months old, the opportunity to travel to Germany for work was presented to me on a silver platter alongside a small promotion. At first, the prospect of leaving my still-breastfeeding son for a solid week seemed crazy. I wasn’t ready to wean him (nor did he seem ready to be weaned), but was it feasible to keep it up by lugging my breast pump all the way to Europe and stopping whatever it was I was doing, be it on the 10-hour flight there and back or at an international convention center in a glorified port-a-potty next to the German sausage carts, so I could, ahem, painstakingly (emphasis on the pain) express myself? (Ugh. That bathroom.)

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By Tamara Walker of La Coquette Boutique

This is a decidedly non-girly confession for a beauty boutique owner, but I have never had a spa mani-pedi. I simply prefer to take care of my own hands and feet. It’s less expensive, I can do it whenever I want, and I don’t have to worry about whether or not my spa practitioner has properly sterilized all of the tools before my visit.

This is my method for a ten minute treatment that will leave your hands and feet feeling smooth, moisturized and perfectly pampered.

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By Jess from Du Wax Loolu

I’ve worked as an editor for four years now. Usually, this is irrelevant to life, but every now and then it makes me very useful. This is one of those times. So, let’s talk grammar!

The most important thing when writing or editing a document is consistency. Many stylistic choices are just that—choices. Different style guides conflict on some basic things. So don’t worry too much about whether the Chicago Manual of Style agrees with your stylistic choice (just make sure that we’re talking about something that’s a choice and not something that’s a rule).

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By Angella of Dutch Blitz and Committed: The Ties That Bond

My husband and I have three kids. Our oldest is in second grade, his brother is in Kindergarten (alternating full days of school) and their sister is on preschool two mornings a week. The boys have swimming lessons all winter and come spring there is baseball/soccer. My daughter has ballet on Saturday mornings and would be in swimming lessons except that when we brought her to her first class she completely LOST IT. We’ll put her in next year. Maybe.

I’ve recently returned to work full-time in an office and my husband works part-time hours around the kids’ school hours. In addition to work, he and I have date nights, fitness classes, church meetings and time spent with our friends. The week gets filled up at lightning speed.

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By Sarah from www.saraviz.com

I would dare venture a bet that many working families eat more takeout or fast food than they want to. I know this because that was my family. That is, until my husband and I sat down and came up with a plan that not only cuts down on the amount of money we spend ordering out, but also has helped us to make dinnertime a Family Event:

1. Create a weekly meal plan.

Trust me, our meals are nothing fancy, usually consisting of basic variations of pasta, homemade pizza, tacos, chicken, fish, pork, steak, and my boys’ favorite, Topsy Turvy Night (breakfast for dinner!)

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Amanda Del Buono is a financial planner who believes that wealth should never be defined by a dollar sign. She gives mad advice at www.pearlwealth.com and mad love at www.mandajuice.com

Every November my husband and I sit down and map out a very careful Christmas budget. X dollars for this kid, so much for that one, our decorations, cards, booze. We’re about as anal-retentive as two people can get when it comes to planning.

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By Momo Fali

It’s that time of year again; time for early mornings, homework schedules and blisters from new shoes.

My children are in the fifth and first grades and I work at their school, so I have seen a lot of back-to-school jitters from kids and parents alike. Here are my tips for a stress-free transition to your new routine.

* Have your child meet his teacher before school begins. Being familiar with the only adult in the room will help him feel at ease and less likely to pee his pants because he was afraid to ask to go to the bathroom. Trust me.

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By Kerrianne of Kerrianne.org

So, you’re going to a party! You’ve received an invitation, happily accepted, and are choosing just the right shoes to wear with just the right dress. Maybe it’s the type of party wherein you’re arriving with a gift for a little one, an expectant mother, or a bride-to-be.

What you might not remember in all the hustle and bustle of pre-party planning is that there is someone else to potentially gift in this equation.

Parties take planning, provisions, invitations. In short, they cost money, and time, and while your presence and shining personality is no doubt a great gift in and of itself, remembering your hostess (or host) with a thoughtful and material “thank you” is beyond classy, and lets your hostess (or host) know that you appreciate everything they’ve done to make the party a great one. (This is especially true if said party is being thrown for you.)

OK, OK, so now that we know hostess gifts are grand, what sorts of things should you be giving?

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By Chris from Rude Cactus

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not big on “Hallmark holidays.” You know, the ones that were dreamed up solely to sell greeting cards. But it’s hard for me to argue too strenuously because the subjects of the holidays the greeting card industry dreamed up are pretty great. I mean who can dispute the relative merits of mothers, grandfathers, secretaries, or trees? I’m an ass sometimes but not that big of an ass. And it’s not like they also came up with Insider Trader Day or Cracked-Out Prostitute Day (though, really, cracked-out hookers could use a card at the very least). And really, I can’t honestly say that I don’t like waking up on one particular day and being honored as a father. After all, it’s the most important job I have. But there’s the inevitable question that I always get from my wife but never know how to answer. What do you want for Father’s Day? Damn. I can’t escape that one.

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By Angella of Dutch Blitz

So! Mother’s Day is this coming Sunday. As if all of the cheesy ads on TV weren’t enough to remind you, I am here to add to the bombardment of commercialism.

I am kidding. Really. Before I was married, and for many years afterward, I gave the big middle finger to commercialized holidays such as Valentine’s Day and the others. I might be getting soft in my old age, but maybe in the midst of our crazy lives we need an official “holiday” to remind us to appreciate those around us.

In honor of Mother’s Day, I thought that I would share some of my favorite gifts that I have received in these past six-and-a-half years of being a Mom.

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