Real Moms on Life

Real advice from the moms who have been there before.

Real Moms on Life - is an online community where real moms share family advice, health tips, and decorating ideas they have learned from all being moms. It's fun, it's free, and it's for moms only.

• Shari Altman is a freelance writer, farm intern, and photographer living in rural Vermont.  She's currently an Extension Master Gardener intern. She co-curates the online inspiration journal, this joy+ride and collaborates with one of her favorite artists on the photography project,  What Remains Inside. Shari lives in rural Vermont with her husband, two cats, and two beehives. Baking, nature walks, and good books fill up her spare time.

  
  Sipping on: hibiscus iced tea
  

  Shari Altman

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• Joanne Bamberger is an author, journalist & political/new media analyst who lives near Washington, D.C.  When she's not at her place, PunditMom, she's trying to finish her book on moms & politics.  Joanne speaks at a variety of conferences on the growing influence of mothers in politics, and her political commentary has appeared on CNN, Fox News, NPR.com, & elsewhere.  When she's not plotting world domination, Joanne shares her wonderful, crazy life with her patient husband and their daughter who is ten going on 28.

   

  
  Sipping on: A crisp chardonnay in the summer and a full-bodied zinfandel in the winter.
  

  Joanne Bamberger

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• Before she found an accidental career doing all things internet, Gabrielle was a graphic designer and art director in New York. Now she gets her creative fix seeking out, writing about, or giving away all things well designed. If she's not online, you can find her dreaming of sugary treats (mmmm, rootbeer floats...) and doing cool things with her family.

  After 8 years in New York, she and her beloved Ben Blair moved to Colorado where they are raising their five kids - Ralph, Maude, Olive, Oscar & Betty (plus one on the way). And skiing. And doing crazy amounts of laundry.

  
  Sipping on: Chocolate Milk
  

  Gabrielle Blair

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• The K. stands for Kathryn and I have a blogging alter ego called Díga(Mama), although my son just calls me mom. 

  I've worked for O, The Oprah Magazine, Ladies' Home Journal, and The Village Voice. I've also written for iVillage, The New York Observer, BUST, NewYorkMag.com, the Huffington Post and a host of other publications in the US and abroad.

  Nowadays I'm a mother, writer, entrepreneur, and teacher — a new calling that I picked up when my family and I left NYC in 2009 and moved to Seville, Spain.   

   

  
  Sipping on: Café con leche or un cortado.
  

  K. Emily Bond

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• I met my husband at 18, got married at 23, and then worked (and played) hard for seven years before becoming a mom. It took us five months to like each other again after our daughter was born. I wish I'd known to expect that! At my day job I've labored in television news, print, and on the web, where I've helped launch many a blog, but I am most proud of this one right here!

  As for my kids, they crack me up. One of them recently picked up a phone, looked me sternly in the eyes, and said, "Shhh mommy, I am on a very important work call!" At least I know they're listening to me! 

  
  Sipping on: Iced Vanilla Skim Latte (Yay! for warm weather)
  

  Amy Boshnack

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• I am a mother, runner, wife, editor, and writer. My work has appeared in The New York Times, Parents, Parenting, Runner's World and many other publications over the years. I also make a mean margarita and run the occasional marathon.

  I live outside of Boston, MA in a 1,000 square foot condo in a neighborhood nicknamed "Little Brasilia" with my husband, our two children (Sam, 3, and Alan, 1), a corpulent cat and a chihuahua with emotional issues. It's a full life in a small house, but I love it.

  
  Sipping on: margarita, rocks, salt
  

  Sasha Brown-Worsham

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• I'm a twenty-something wife to the geekiest redhead I know and a mom to a one-year-old son, Kyle, who proves every cheesy parenting cliche ever written to be true. I spend my days marketing books at a publishing house and my nights alternating between baking cupcakes I can't eat and watching really awful television (of the CW variety). Other than that, I like my margaritas strong and my mornings to start in the afternoon. They often don't, though, which explains the Diet Coke addiciton.

  
  Sipping on: champagne
  

  Jennie Canzoneri

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• Sona Charaipotra is an entertainment and lifestyle writer based in New York City, where she lives with her professor husband and her empirically adorable daughter Kavya, who was born in February. When she's not interviewing A-listers or watching Glee (for work, of course) around little Kavi's schedule (or lack thereof -- gotta love that DVR), she's working on her MFA.

  
  Sipping on: Coke Zero or Adraki chai, depending on my mood
  

  Sona Charaipotra

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• In her former life, Kristen Chase was a published textbook author, musician, and college professor, all of which she's traded for a satisfying new position as commercial pilot and National Guardsman's wife and work-at-home-parent living in the Deep South. What she has not given up, however, is excellent taste, a sense of humor, and a hankering for bad reality television.

  Kristen tries to stay as cool as possible (in all senses of word) while parenting her daughters Quinlan and Margot and her son, Drew in the 'burbs of Atlanta, a job she often does alone.
  

  Kristen Chase

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• It's a hard life, but somebody's got to get paid to eat—and, that's just what Kim Conte has been doing for the last 10+ years. Career highlights include: reviewing 30 late-night restaurants in the seven days before her wedding; eating 16 different bread puddings in one weekend; and posting more one-pot recipes than ever thought possible. Her not-so-secret food crushes are Anthony Bourdain, Eric Ripert, and truffle salt. She wants to be Giada De Laurentiis when she grows up.

  
  Sipping on: Tall, non-fat, no-water Chai Tea Latte from a giant coffee corporation that will remain nameless.
  

  Kim Conte

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• Hi, I'm Jack Domenic's (single) mom -- he's two! I'm the author of the Target Breakout Book Rattled! (Broadway Books, 2009) and the founding blogger of Glamour magazine's Storked! blog. When I found out I was pregnant and my boyfriend bailed, I traded NYC living for the NJ burbs. I drive a Jeep now, have mom friends and can make pasta 1000 different ways. When The New York Times gave my book a favorable review on Father's Day 2009, I did a vindication dance in the mirror with my son on my hip.

  
  Sipping on: Iced tea
  

  Christine Coppa

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• Amy Corbett Storch, better known on the Interwebs as Amalah, has been blogging since 2003 and mothering since 2005. She now does both jobs full-time right outside of Washington, DC. Her four-year-old son has Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), developmental dyspraxia, expressive language delays and synesthesia. Her one-year-old has something in his mouth that he found on the floor.
  

  Amy Corbett Storch

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• Michele is a high-heel wearing mom of twins -- Hunter and Penelope -- who lives in Brooklyn, NY, with her sweet Southern husband and two crazy felines.

  Once upon a time, she wrote about sex. She got pregnant with twins shortly after writing Hot Sexplay for Your Weekend Away, so now she writes about motherhood, too.

  She gets personal on Mommy With Tattoos and blogs with two amazing women she's never met in person at Daily Momtra. She loves everything vintage (especially 70s-era), chocolate chip cookies, reality TV, Mexican food, and her husband's meatballs (this is not a naughty reference).

  
  Sipping on: Water with a splash of cran-grape juice.
  

  Michele Zipp

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• Stephanie Dennis is an artist with a day job and has worked as a writer, marketer, and teacher. She currently lives with her husband and cat in Oakland, CA , where they are hard at work trying to get knocked up (taking fertility meds, harvesting eggs for retrieval, spending her life savings, and so on...). You can follow her IVF journey here on The Stir.

  
  Sipping on: Hot water. What can I say? It makes me happy.
  

  Stephanie Dennis

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• I write about parenting, home, food, clutter, thermostat wars, princesses -- so, basically, my life with a husband, 7 year old son, and 5 year old daughter. Previously I wrote about health and family at readersdigest.com, and before that, I was a newspaper reporter, and before that ... I can't remember anymore.

  
  Sipping on: Green tea
  

  Cynthia Dermody

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• Brianne DiSylvester is a writer and editor living in NYC. Gourmet cooking on a budget and finding fashionista bargains are her Xanax.

  She loves taking care of her baby...a Pomeranian named Mercutio and has an organic dog treat company, Get Lick'd. Her food blog, Get Fork'd, is all about easy, local and organic cooking and she can't live without a few main ingredients: salt, lemon, and butter.

  Brianne has worked for Us Weekly, Life & Style Weekly, Shecky's, The Knot, Ideal Bite, The Huffington Post, Moon Metro, Greenista, Sama Baby, Bambola Beauty, Hartz, and more.

  
  Sipping on: Peppermint Mocha...anytime of year and Italian Cream Sodas. Yum!
  

  Brianne DiSylvester

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• I am a Southern transplant loving and living in NYC. I subscribe to more magazines than I can read, inspirational blogs are my porn, and, while I like to pretend I'm well-versed in the literary classics, I really only devour chick lit and fantasy tales. My friends call me Martha Stewart for my insane obsession of hosting themed parties in my tiny apartment, but since she's my idol, I take it as a compliment. I am a compulsive thrift shop buyer, and am currently trying to make my way through the numerous DIY decorating projects that I've created for myself because of that.

   

  
  Sipping on: A double tall, sugar-free vanilla, skim, extra foam, caramel macchiato. I'm not particular, I'm thorough.
  

  Brittny Drye

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• Jenny Erikson is a conservative chick with a strong opinion and a smart mouth. Sometimes sassy, sometimes sincere, always honest. She believes that ingenuity, elbow grease, and sheer determination can accomplish anything -- even motherhood.

  Jenny blogs at Candid Conservative and records a weekly radio show, The Smart Girl Report, for Smart Girl Politics on Radio For Conservatives.  She lives in Southern California with her husband and their two young daughters.

  
  Sipping on: Coke Zero or vino
  

  Jenny Erikson

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• Juliet Farmer is a freelance writer who spends her days catering to the whims of two cats and a rescued greyhound in Sacramento, Calif. When she's not feeding, walking or tending to one of her four-legged herd, Juliet is busy writing the Eco Dog column for NOVA Dog Magazine, blogging about food for Edible Sacramento, writing about her own experiences in the kitchen for Edible Sacramento magazine, and sharing her opinions on films, music, books and television at Blogcritics.org. Oh, and she has a husband that she does stuff with.

  
  Sipping on: GT's Organic Raw Kombucha Gingerade
  

  Juliet Farmer

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• Once upon a time, I was a television anchor with a closet stuffed full of designer gear. But when I became a mom, my new uniform consisted of cheap blue jeans and disposable t-shirts.

  A few years spent in the mother 'hood and I was ready to claw my way out or die trying-- That's how this blog was born. I believe moms can be pretty, stylish, and on trend. Even on a a ridiculously meager budget. Even in the car rider pick up line.

  You've still got it, Mama. And this blog will tell you exactly how to show it off.

  Have style questions? E-mail me at suburban.turmoil@yahoo.com!

  
  Sipping on: A French Martini
  

  Lindsay Ferrier

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• Amy Jo Jones heads to an office each morning, but considers her real job to be working and playing along the shores of Lake Michigan with her husband, two sons and her big, bad poodle. She writes about it all on her personal blog, Binkytowne. You can also find her reviewing products at the parenting review website, The Full Mommy. Don't let the fact that she is one of the authors in the anthology Sleep Is for the Weak: The Best of the Mommybloggers Including Amalah, Finslippy, Fussy, Woulda Coulda Shoulda, Mom-101, and More! fool you. She would love nothing more than a nap.

  
  Sipping on: My daily Iced Non-Fat Green Tea Latte
  

  Amy Jo Jones

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• Amy Keyishian lives in San Francisco with her husband Randy, daughter Penelope, and unnamed gestating creature due in August, 2010 (kenahora!). On weekends, she also lives with stepsons Max (13) and Eli (9), and boy, is this place getting crowded. She has written for Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Self, Redbook, and many other magazines, online and off -- but these days, her brain's just crowded with mom-facts and mom-figures, so she's glad to be here on Cafe Mom.

  
  Sipping on: Since I'm pregnant, flavored seltzer. Sigh.
  

  Amy Keyishian

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• Amy juggles the care and feeding of one sweet husband, two small and delightful kids, three (!!) cats, one dog, and an 82-year-old house in the urban stew of Detroit. She's a journalist by training, blogger by choice, and recently discovered the home ec major hidden within and taken up cooking and sewing. And swearing, mostly about the sewing.

  
  Sipping on: Mocha latte during the day, cabernet after the monkeys are in bed.
  

  Amy Kuras

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• A former Air Force officer and music industry project manager, Julie Marsh now resides outside Denver. At last count, she had one husband, three children, two cats, six strollers, one overheated MacBook, and far too many strong opinions. She's been sharing those opinions online since 2005. When she's not tied to her laptop or her family, Julie spends her time vacuuming, refilling sippie cups, and training for triathlons.

  
  Sipping on: Teavana all day, wine all night.
  

  Julie Marsh

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• I am a husband, father, freelance writer, TV promo producer and webaholic. I write for Guyspeak, Asylum, Lemondrop, and on my humor blog, List Of The Day. My first book, 1,001 Facts That Will Scare The S#%t Out Of You, just published. Please buy a copy so I can eat. Thanks.

  I live in the Dirty South with my wife and daughter, who's 8 and says funny things all the time, so I made a Twitter page just to share them with everyone.

  
  Sipping on: Cheerwine
  

  Cary McNeal

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• I live and work in NYC, where I spend winters complaining about the cold and summers complaining about the heat. The few hours I'm not working on some project or another, I'm usually reading, writing, or eating good food with great friends. When I need "me" time, I go for a long run or spend an hour at hot yoga -- on rough days, I do both. I also spend entirely too much time planning trips I'll likely never take, and have high hopes of living outside of NYC at some point in my life.

  
  Sipping on: Caramel anything - latte, iced latte, frap, whatever
  

  Sally Mercedes

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• Red Head. Writer. Wife & Mother of 3. Heather writes under the nom de blog "Scout's Honor" & boldly goes where most women dare not to mention on United States of Motherhood.com.She also played the role of both enlisted soldier & military officer in a previous life. Nowadays, between taxi duties & getting dirty as class mom, this MODERATELY conservative Seattle swim mom, former PTA president, Costco whore, Berkeley grad, coffee addict & work-at-home mom loves to share her opinion on the internet & revel in respectful debate that follows.
  

  
  Sipping on: Venti Italian Roast Drip with Three Shots Espresso, Raw Sugar, and Whipped Cream on Top
  

  Heather Murphy-Raines

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• In a former life, Suzanne Murray was a law clerk at the U.S. Attorney's Office, a public defender, an employment and labor law attorney, a fashion and beauty director, a green lifestyle guru, and an employee of places like the Washington Post Company, the New York Observer, and myriad women's magazines. In her current life, she's raising 12 chickens and one adventurous two-year-old. She's also the editor of The Stir's News and Toddler channels. She still doesn't know what she wants to be when she grows up.

  
  Sipping on: Today? Tequila
  

  Suzanne Murray

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• I'm SVP of Content Strategy and Development for CafeMom, Publisher of The Stir, and the mom of two young boys. I live in Brooklyn, unabashedly adore reality TV (even the really bad shows), and use too many exclamation points(!) in my writing. Other fun facts about me: I love airports, hate small talk, read a TON of books, and I gave birth to an 11-pound baby at home. 

  
  Sipping on: Coffee by day, Wine by night
  

  Tracy Odell

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• Lisa Oz is a writer, actress, producer, and co-host of The Dr. Oz Show on Oprah Radio, Sirius and XM. She is co-author of five "New York Times" best-selling books including "YOU: The Owner's Manual" series and author of the forthcoming US: Transforming Ourselves and the Relationships that Matter Most.

  Lisa received her undergraduate degree from Bryn Mawr College and attended Columbia University's Union Theological Seminary. As a Reiki Master, Lisa has spoken widely on her insights into energy and health and maintains a passion for spiritual studies.

  
  Sipping on: Green vegetable/fruit blend (apple, cucumber, parsley, mint, lime, spinach) or a margarita (on the rocks - no salt.)
  

  Lisa Oz

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• April Peveteaux is a writer, editor, sometimes performer and constant mother to two of the chattiest children you've ever met. Seriously, her son learned how to voice a complaint about the offending parent (her) to the non-offending parent (the hubs) before his first birthday.

  April has written for a zillion online and off pubs and just moved her family of four to Los Angeles from Brooklyn, NY. Any West Coast tips are extremely welcome.

  
  Sipping on: I do love the latte.
  

  April Peveteaux

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• Sheri Reed is a writer, blogger, amateur photographer, co-curator of the inspiration blog this joy+ride + former co-editor of mamazine.com (which totally rocked!).

  Here on The Stir, she's the editor of Home & Garden (including the Show & Tell home tours!) + Big Kid.

  She lives, writes, watches birds, + raises two wild + wonderful boys with her husband in Northern California + dreams about the day she'll hear her voice on the radio, opposite of Ira Glass.

  
  Sipping on: morning coffee or nooner tea
  

  Sheri Reed

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• Dr. Mary Rosen lives in a suburb of Chicago with her husband and two daughters, ages 12 and 8.  She is a school psychologist, licensed counselor, and graduate school instructor. When she’s not hanging out with her family, she spends her time running, practicing yoga, and watching (not so) bad reality television.

  
  Sipping on: Red Eye, light cream, two Equals
  

  Mary Rosen

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• I am a working mom that loves having a child but hates being a parent.

  I consider myself smart and funny. When my comic sensibility is called into question I just laugh -- because like I said -- I'm funny.

  I have a girlfriend (as in a gay one) and we have been together for almost eight years. I refuse to call her my "partner" as we are not in business together, nor do we fight crime.

  I carried our daughter. My girlfriend is going to carry our next child. How badly do all of you women out there wish you were gay right now? Like I said -- told you I was smart.

  
  Sipping on: Coconut Martini with Fresh Coconut Sprinkled on top
  

  Jaclyn Roth

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• Julie has produced prose professionally for most of her adult life, adores alliteration and prefers to write with an actual pen. Along the way, she earned a black belt (and a few black eyes) in multi-tasking (case in point: she once fished a snake out of a swimming pool while conducting a conference call, with neither her swimming son nor the client on the line any the wiser). In her spare time, she watches copious amounts of reality television and runs recreationally to preserve her sanity and out of necessity to keep up with her 6-year-old son and 1-year-old daughter.

  
  Sipping on: Chardonnay and Diet Coke--always in tandem
  

  Julie Ryan Evans

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• Jeanne Sager has strung words together for Kiwi Magazine, Babble.com, AOL and more. She lives in upstate New York with her daughter, husband, dog and too many cats.

  She's hoping that pumpkin appliqued sweaters are not part and parcel of motherhood, but she'll find out when kindergarten comes calling this fall.

  
  Sipping on: Diet Pepsi (my indulgence)
  

  Jeanne Sager

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• Linda lives in the Seattle area with her family, where she spends her days wrangling two small children, working, exercising, blogging, going back to school part-time, and attempting to keep her house from descending into a terrifying state of Hoaders-level filth. She's been writing online since 2002, and has contributed to ParentDish, ClubMom, Gather.com, Daily Grommet, Work It, Mom!, Lemondrop, and more. You can find her elsewhere at her personal blog, All & Sundry, or her fitness website, Bodies in Motivation. 
  

  Linda Sharps

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• A former trader at Morgan Stanley and Head of Business Development at Drop.io, a technology focused startup, Alexa is currently on leave from HBS and building LearnVest, a personal finance website for women. The Florida native feels passionately about making personal finance education fun and accessible to everyone.  When she is not tied to her computer or running around New York City, Alexa enjoys spending time with her friends and cooking in!

   

  
  Sipping on: Diet Dr. Pepper
  

  Alexa Von Tobel

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• Adriana Velez's life is such a cliche she wouldn't believe it herself if she weren't living it: a bike-riding Brooklynite mama married to an artist who writes about food and belongs to the local food coop. When she isn't crusading for food justice as the communications coordinator for the Brooklyn Food Coalition she's grilling illegally gardening on her rooftop and playing Legos with her son. She is a contributor to the Park Slope Parents blog and a former contributor to One Little Bite (Cookie Magazine's food blog). She is obsessed with meat but will gladly eat her vegetables.

   

  
  Sipping on: coffee in the morning, komucha in the afternoon, Lambrusco on the weekend
  

  Adriana Velez

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