When I was a kid, I had an aunt who lived in New York City. Whenever we'd visit her, I could never sleep. All night long from her 14 th floor apartment, you'd hear sirens blaring, taxis honking, cars backfiring (or were those gunshots?). I couldn't imagine how anyone could get used to all that noise. When my aunt came to visit us in the suburbs, on the other hand, she complained it was too quiet.

By Abigail Green for TheBump.com

Veer / The BumpThe point is, you get used to your surroundings. I am reminded of this every time I'm around people who don't have small children at home.

When my parents come to visit, for example, I have all these visions of going to the gym, shopping, going out to dinner with my husband - basically taking full advantage of the free babysitting. But then after the first day or two I begin to realize that most people aren't used to our "lifestyle," as it were.

You know you're a mom when...

I've become so used to the craziness around here that it's

Read More »from Sometimes I Forget Just How Crazy and Chaotic Motherhood Can Be

Do you ever feel like you are behind on topics other mommies know all about? Feel like the only frumpy mom at carpool? Do you feel like every time you get together with friends they are always telling you what you should be doing and what you shouldn't? Is there such thing as a mommy bully?

Yep - it exists.

By Paula Miranda for TheBump.com

Thinkstock / The BumpI had my daughter in my early twenties when most of my friends were spending all their hard earned money on clothes and going out to the latest club. I was determined to give my baby every opportunity I could. I started involving my daughter in every activity I heard about hoping to find new friends that were like-minded. Instead, I found that no one was my age, or even remotely close to it. I was the young, pretty mommy that had a baby at "Gasp! How old were you? Oh, how brave!"

Once the other mommies got over the initial shock of how young I was, they couldn't get over how I was raising my baby as a single mom. They would tell

Read More »from 7 Secrets All Mamas Need to Survive the Mommy Bullies

Photo: Katherine MartinkoShortly after my first son was born, I left Toronto and moved to a small town where my husband had a job. It was a big adjustment since I didn't know anyone, didn't have a car, and my husband was working 12-hour shifts, often at night. We lived in a cramped two-room cottage with no phone, Internet, or laundry facilities, so I mostly spent my days walking through residential streets and exploring trails along the edge of Lake Huron. Despite being a bit boring, it was also incredibly special to spend so much time focused on my baby. He was my constant companion and gave structure and focus to my day.

Read More: Having a Second Child? It's Easier (and Harder) Than You Might Think

That was three years ago. Now I have a second child and life is very different. I have friends, a car, and a washing machine that never seems to stop. There is very little time for boredom and spontaneity because my calendar is full of social obligations. There are nursery school pick-ups and drop-offs,

Read More »from What's Baby Number 2 Missing Out On?

You're divorced, stressing over your young daughter's future, and in a job situation that is, at best, "meh." Time to move back in with your parents!

So it went for writer Claudia Lonow, a one-time stand-up comic who has taken that experience, filtered it through a Hollywood lens, and is now letting it unfold on primetime. Her new show, "How to Live With Your Parents (For the Rest of Your Life)," premiering Wednesday night on ABC, is loosely based on her own "boomeranger" story. 

The show, which stars Sarah Chalke (of "Scrubs" fame), finds the funny in an increasingly common side effect of the recession. 

"I moved in a long time ago when the economy was great, not everyone was doing it. I was ahead of my time in terms of bottoming out in my '30s," the executive producer tells Shine.

PICS: Single Mom Leaves Excuse Instead of Tip

And while not everyone's family are showbiz people like Lonow's clan -- her stepfather, Mark Lonow, is co-owner of the Improv Comedy Clubs and her

Read More »from A Single Mom’s Guide to Living with Your Parents

Formula shaming has got to goI'm irritated.

I just read an article (and why do I feel the need to click on articles about parenting that have nothing to do with my life?) on MSNBC that said that a lot of women are starting their babies on solid food too young.

Apparently specialists recommend not starting any type of solid food before your baby is 6 months old. Okay, fine. I'm not completely irritated by that. I mean, sure my pediatrician recommended starting at 4 months and six months if a child exhibited allergies to breast milk/formula or was having digestive trouble. The article basically calls out moms (because we all know dads have no responsibility for feeding their children right?) for starting too early thereby risking diabetes, Celiac disease obesity and other horrors. According to the article, the moms who started solids too soon had reasons like "A doctor or health care professional said my baby should start eating solid food" or "My baby wanted the food I ate" or "It would help my baby sleep longer

Read More »from Food Fight: Can We Stop Criticizing Formula Feeders?

Let's get this out of the way up front: we all love our kids. That being said, being a mom also has its less-than-awesome moments. We all have little things about being a parent that DRIVE US NUTS. For me it's clipping little fingernails. I always let it go too long so they have talons. Then they wiggle and squirm while I'm clipping them so it's a little like wrestling an octopus, if octopi had claws and were willing to rake them down the side of your face. Every time I find myself clipping tiny fingernails, I wonder if it would be acceptable to send a 5-year-old and an 8-month-old to a nail salon so I can outsource the whole thing. Lucky for me, there are lots of other moms out there willing to share what they don't like about parenting. Solidarity, people! Here 7 moms share their least favorite things about motherhood. - By Rebekah Kuschmider

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Read More »from Haters Gonna Hate: 7 Moms Share Their Least Favorite Parenting Moments

Beach vs Water Park

Living in Florida has taught me that if you want to feel really crappy about yourself and guilt yourself into a starvation diet, you should simply go to South Beach.

Yep, the beaches here are filled with hot, svelte, uber-tan, scantily clad, could-be models who do things you would normally see in cheesy 80s spring break movies or the making of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, like whip their hair out of the water in a single choreographed move in slow motion.

For this reason, I always have a cover-up no more than an arm's distance away as I sit under an umbrella and wonder, "When did I stop being that young, hot, frolicy, slow-motion girl? Wait, was I ever her? Shoot, I don't know if I was ever her, and now I'll never be her again or for the first time..."

This is why I rarely go to the beach. Buuuuuut, I've also learned that to combat this feeling, one does not need to spend Spring break in an Alaska-esque climate where she can bundle up and hide under a trendy puffer Read More »from Why Water Parks Are Good for Your Ego

As a parent, you spend a lot of your time trying to teach your child things, but if you stop to think about it, they are constantly teaching you as well. Recently I've realized just how many great life lessons I've learned from my own little one. Click through to see what I've learned and then I'd love to hear what life lessons your little has taught you below in the comments! By Lauren Hartmann

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5 amazing things babies can teach you

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Read More »from 7 Things My Toddler Already Knows (That I'm Still Learning)