For the most part, I don't miss my pre-kids life at all, except for one thing: the morning routine. I could get up, nod at my husband in a friendly manner (we're not morning people), have an entire cup of coffee while it was still hot, and still be at work on time.

Not so much these days....it is a mad dash from the time my eyes open until the youngest is packed off to preschool.

I need help! Fortunately for me (and you), here it is:

People throw around the term "mommy wars" a lot, but as a mom for more than nine years now I've never felt any of the fire. Oh maybe someone's comment about their choice to stay home makes me feel a little guilty about my choice, but cowardly anonymous internet attacks aside, I don't feel like it's mom vs. mom that's the issue -- it's moms vs. working life in general that's the real problem for most of us.

My sister, an attorney, sent me this departure memo that appeared in Above the Law from a mom who was trying to juggle a law career and her family and decided it was just too much. In it she outlines a typical day, and concludes that she just can't do both anymore so she is leaving the practice. I've read it countless times, and it's haunting and heartbreaking in its familiarity.

Folks, I have seen the inside of Octomom's new house. And I have to say... Wow. Nadya Suleman allowed Rumor Fix's cameras inside her new house in order to dispel the rumors that she lives in squalor. And guess what? Sure looks like she doesn't live in squalor. At all. Am I really going to have to write a post where I say glowing things about Octomom? Yes, yes I am. 

The truth is, I'm impressed! It's actually clean and tidy. It looks sane. And orderly. And not at all what you'd expect from someone with such a messy tabloid life. Nadya totally looks like she's got her shizz together here.

I had my first child in 2005, my second in 2008. Prior to two years ago, I worked full-time outside the home. These days I work from home -- mostly part-time, depending on my freelance client load -- while taking care of my kids.

I tell you that only so I can say that given my own background and experience with balancing work and parenthood, I'm not terribly surprised by the recent study that shows moms who work full-time are healthier than moms who stay at home.

Not because moms who work are better off. But because moms who are free to make their own choices are.

Mommy will you take me to the circus? Flying acrobats, clowns, lion tamers, and animal abuse -- oh my! I've never wanted to take my son to the circus. Every time the circus comes to town, the subways and street corners are plastered with those exciting ads and I just ... I can't. I've heard too many reports of animal abuse. 

Are the reports true? Ringling Brothers paid a $270,000 fine for violating the Animal Welfare Act (even though they didn't admit to abuse). And Mother Jones published an expose on the treatment of circus animals. It's not The New York Times, but as someone who never really liked the circus anyway, that's enough proof for me. So then why did I let my son go to the circus anyway?

It's never okay to leave your child alone. And in this case, the child knew that, but his mother did not. At 1 a.m. a 3-year-old boy named Adrian started dialing numbers on the phone trying to reach someone for help because he woke up alone and afraid. He ended up dialing another room at Superior Creek Lodge, the extended stay motel in Hamilton County, Tennessee, that he was living in with his mom Angela Deville.

The neighbor called the cops. Police arrived to reportedly discover Adrian all by himself in the room, which was a total mess. Feces on the floor, dirty diapers everywhere, and as one cop described, a cloud of flies. And when the mother got there, the lying began.

The other day I wrote about a woman who earned a ton of negative comments on her blog over the contents of her hospital bag (I know, right?). In thinking about her experience with random drive-by criticism, I said that I find it laughable when I hear people saying that the "Mommy Wars" were made up by the media. I said that while the (incredibly annoying) term may have been coined by some pundit who was likely fishing for a grabby-looking headline, the reality is undeniable -- thanks to the Internet, moms these days have a global venue in which to passionately disagree with each other over every single goddamned topic under the sun.

SAHM vs. WOHM. Breastfeeding vs. formula. Cloth vs. disposable (and whatever happened to elimination communication, is that still a thing?). Co-sleeping vs CIO. And on and on it goes, with all sorts of methodologies coming in and out of vogue to fuel the fire (pre-chewing your toddler's food! Free-roaming baby beds! Baby-led weaning!).

Most of us have had to make the choice at one time or another between boosting our career and maximizing time with our kids. Monica Kapoor, one of the ensemble cast of MAMMA MIA! on Broadway, really swam against the tide of her profession when she went from being a featured player in the show back to being a part of the ensemble.

Most people who are pursuing showbiz as a career know that the time to do so is short; you don't see a lot of 50-year-old dancers hoofing around the stage. So opting out is even more chancy than it is for most people ... but Monica wouldn't have it any other way.