Blog Posts by Mommyish

Are you one of my Facebook friends who posts pictures of stuff you cook (or, even worse, grow) for all the world to see? If yes, please don't send a friend request to my husband. Seriously. I don't need for him to find out that pita pizza, taco night and pasta isn't what everyone else is eating on a regular basis.

Allergy Nation: Lies And Triggers Will Make Us Paranoid

I try really hard to make healthy meals for my family but there are a few complications, including the fact that I have a four-month-old baby who doesn't like to be put down for any length of time. The bigger issue is that I am a vegetarian who eats fish; my husband is a carnivore who also enjoys fish but who hates eggs, quiche, eggplant, lentils and most bean dishes; and my picky toddler is allergic to fish and seafood. In addition, at least 66.6 percent of us are lactose intolerant. And, finally, I really don't enjoy cooking.

In the old days, I used to make fish a couple of times a week as an easy,

I was around 12 years old when I became truly aware of my fear of childbirth. Perhaps it came with the onset of puberty, but ever since I was a little girl I've been terrified of labor.

I've always had a low threshold for pain coupled with a high sensitivity to gore. I've never been able to watch a slasher film without covering my eyes. I've never been able to hear about a surgery or a medical procedure without feeling a bit faint. I'm still very much the adult who has to be treated like a child when I have blood taken as the nurses cycle through questions about the street I grew up on and my mother's maiden name.

• Labor Pains: Does Reading A Dozen Baby Books Prepare Men For Childbirth?

Hospitals have always made me uncomfortable, the sight of blood makes me light-headed, and pain - any type of extreme corporal pain - makes my breath quicken. But as I got into my teen years, I found that I was shielding my eyes from child-birthing scenes with the same immediacy as

In a recent post on this very site, writer Samantha Bailey wrote about her (sadly) non-existent sex life: "It's simply about trying to be intimate amid the chaos of kids." I just happened to read her post one day after I had a quickie sex session in the back of my boyfriend's Acura that was parked in his garage.

Unlike Bailey, the "chaos of kids," as she puts it, has actually improved my sex life tenfold. In fact, I've had more sex since my boyfriend and I blended our families (we now have three girls between the two of us). Actually, I've had more sex since I've been with him - with our combined three children around - than I have possibly in the last decade of my life! (Sorry, Bailey.)

There is something about the "chaos of kids" that is such a huge turn on for us. Forget about handcuffs and blindfolds and licking. I'm talking about the good, old-fashioned quickie! Let me explain. Because there are three children always wanting to spend time with us - and we do spend

A while ago, CBS MoneyWatch has put out on an article onHow to Spy on Your DayCare Provider. Or, the more likely outcome, how to really piss them off. The whole premise is wrong because spying on your daycare provider is a lot less helpful than actually talking to your provider. Two of their tips are even less helpful. They suggest things that you don't keep a consistent schedule and show up unannounced. Apparently, this is done to surprise your daycare and see what happens when they aren't expecting you. In reality, this is the best way to have your daycare provider HATE you. It also makes the caregiver think that either, you don't trust them (because you don't). Or that you're incredibly irresponsible, because you can't stick to a darn schedule.

I could tell you how rude and unfair it is to never keep a constant schedule, but I'm going to hope that your provider has told you that themselves, because they should. I will say

Welcome to Splitsville. This weekly column will focus on parenting after a divorce, break-up or one-night stand thatdidn't end like a Katherine Heigl movie.

The second rule of fight club is: not in front of the kids.

Let's all say this together, "We will not fight in front of our kids."

I've always thought that it was healthy for children to see their parents have an argument. Not a huge, passionate screaming match, but a simple disagreement that can be worked through. The parents talk it out, then kiss and make up. The children get to see that confrontation is not the end of the world, that arguments can be discussed logically and that you can still love each other, even when you disagree. Really, I think that small arguments in front of children can turn into teachable moments that will help your children deal with conflict later in life. Obviously, I'm talking about small misunderstandings and disagreements here,

Yet another study confirms what moms everywhere already know - that we can't have it all. Of course, there's that nagging questions most moms face at some point: stay at home with the kids or pursue a career? For some, they have no choice but to work for financial reasons. Others need it for their sanity. No matter which path you choose, there are bound to be challenges.

New research presented this weekend at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association highlights just that. The study finds that women who stay at home raising children are more likely than working mothers to have symptoms of depression. But before you working moms out there pump your fists in triumph, know that you're not in the clear. In fact, the study found that working women with a "supermom" complex - you know, the ones who think they should have a fulfilling career and a fulfilling family life - are setting themselves up for disappointment.

Back to school takes on a different connotation for parents who have their kid's whole scholastic career already mapped out. While some children enjoy coming back into the classroom, reuniting with their peers, and being presented with new academic challenges, others are returning to campus already burned out from a whole summer's worth of activities and summer classes.

More kids are presently applying for college than ever before, which can leave many well-intentioned parents scrambling for how to get their kids to develop some type of edge now - whether that be multiple languages, musical prowess, or artistic skills. Instilling strong study habits in children is admirable, but spreading them between a day's worth of classes as well as multiple afterschool commitments can tire kids in more ways than having them sleep solidly at night - they can give up altogether.

Parents who are in a financial position to

Super-sized families have been getting more attention than ever. From reality television shows, tabloid news coverage and even a special on Nightline. But the Duggars, Bates, and Sulemons have also inspired some serious anger in those that believe large families are fundamentally wrong. Just take a look at the comments made on ABC's article about the Bates family.