What mommy doesn't need want a little vodka every once in a while? Or maybe your poison is a glass of wine or some chocolate … something (anything) to just chill out and decompress from the daily stresses of parenting. "Barely Surviving Parenthood" is something many of us feel like we do regularly — we just power through and try to laugh along the way! Well, thank goodness for Aunt Becky who will help show us how it's done … Barely!

Life is always unpredictable when you're a single mom with eight kids: 12-year-old twins and 8-year-old sextuplets keep things interesting every minute of every day. But Kate Gosselin makes it work -- balancing motherhood with a crazy work schedule, the upkeep of her house, and their devious family dog -- oh and don't forget the barn full of chickens! Somehow she manages to squeeze in time to cook (which she loves) and running (which keeps her sane!). It's never easy and it never will be, but it's always an adventure -- and incredibly entertaining to read about.

Being a parent can be scary and so we offer Jill Smokler, better known as Scary Mommy, to bring some levity to the ridiculous (but sometimes serious) situations we often find ourselves in. And since the life of a mom can be ruled by the lists she keeps (good, bad, or otherwise) we thought you would appreciate, and maybe find some usefulness, for these lists here.

Do you ever hear or see something that makes you want to blurt out, “Did that really happen?” It could be news about a random celebrity hookup, a dirty look at the playground, or even a new report stating we're more likely to get divorced if we forget to floss. Whatever it is, humorist Jenny Isenman is here to make sense of all these outrageous, ridiculous, and ironic issues as they arise -- one-by-one!

John Biggs, trained gadgetologist, seasoned tech journalist, and father of two, test drives all the shiny, new electronic gizmos hitting the market. He'll tell you what gets a big, fat, FAIL and what's worth breaking into your kid's piggy bank to buy. And he isn't afraid to let his little ones play with the expensive stuff; especially when it's in the name of good reporting!  

If we knew then, what we know now, some of our choices would most certainly be different. In a few cases ... very different. Maybe we wouldn't spend so much money on our wedding day -- or we would resist the urge to satisfy grandma and give our baby a name we actually like! Hindsight may be 20/20 but don't be fooled, there is plenty we can learn from it. Here, Kristen Chase will go through her laundry list of lessons -- all in the name of saving us from making the same mistakes she did.

Jenny Lawson, better known as The Bloggess, is here at The Stir to dole out parenting advice on some of moms' most annoying problems. But beware, Jenny doesn't mince her words, is not qualified in any way to give advice, and has the ability to make you laugh so hard that any liquid you might be consuming is in danger of shooting out through your nose. 

Before Gabrielle Blair found an accidental career doing all things Internet, she was a graphic designer and art director. Now she gets her creative fix seeking out and writing about all things well-designed for her popular blog Design Mom and for her "Inspiration Scout" column here at The Stir. She has six children, including a just-born baby girl. 

Linda Sharps spends her days striving for balance in the always-unbalanced world of working from home while parenting two rambunctious boys. When she's not cursing the laundry or daydreaming about wearing heels again, she can be found writing about the ups and downs of her charmed life in her weekly Stir column "Mom, Interrupted."

Joanna Montgomery gave birth to a beautiful baby girl and then five days later found out the mass on her fallopian tube, discovered during birth, was an aggressive form of cancer. That was December 2011. Here we follow her incredible journey as she not only fights this disease but experiences all of the joys (and exhaustion) new motherhood has to offer. 

 

Lindsay Ferrier, is a mom/stepmom/blogger who still loves date nights, parties, shopping, and any excuse to dress up (and yes, that includes the car rider pick-up line at her local elementary school). Without a lot of time or money, she does her best to make it work and wants to share her ideas and inspiration with you.