Poem: Cliques

Bound to a group.
Tied to one another by common interests.

Cautious not to let outsiders in.

Chained together by past experiences,
they walk
to
a
meeting
place
hidden from the world
dependent on one another.

Nicholl McGuire
http://www.twitter.com/motherhoodtips

Poem: How Soon They Forget

How forgetful some are!
when you've tried
when you given your all
and they say, "I don't remember."

How forgetful they are!
when money was low
when illness struck
when tears fell
and you were there
and they still say
"I don't remember."

But you recall it all!
Still when their hands are out
and mouths are open
YOU ARE THERE!

Nicholl McGuire, Content Producer, Blogger, Author, & Poet
http://associatedcontent.com/nichollmcguire

Poem: What Kind of Woman - An Unpopular Cry of Mothers & Their Girlfriends

A best friend to a few
a stranger to some.

Graciously she gives
to her circle of friends.

Never failing to offer
her advice, her help
employed, intelligent
attractive
conniving, selfish
ugly.

She sits at home alone
dwelling in her haves and have nots.
All the while that she gives,
she wants to be thin,
to have money,
to be loved
by your man.

And she'll risk the chance
to lose you to win him!

Jealous emotions started gradually
your smile, your thoughtfulness,
your wealth, your words, your children,
your wedding photographs.

Your best friend was steadily falling
deeper and deeper into your life
your home
and your bedroom.

Somehow you knew,
somehow you suspected.
But you lost track of time.
You forgot to rid yourself of her.

So here you are
and there she is
and you ask,
"What kind of woman?"

Nicholl McGuire
http://www.twitter.com/motherhoodtips

Induction Into Motherhood - Laughing at Sleepless Nights and the Naivete of First-Time Moms

I don't think I've had a decent night's sleep in about five years...since the birth of our oldest son, JR. Actually, it has probably been longer than that because the last few months of pregnancy are horrible. Everyone says, "Get some rest now, before the baby comes." That's such a crock (at least in my experience.)

By the time I reached the eighth month, my hips and lower back were so sore that no position was comfortable; rolling from one side to the other was like making a seven-point turn. Getting up from the couch even made me out of breath. When I said this to anyone, they smiled and responded, "Oh, that's just getting you prepared for when the baby comes" Wink, wink.

I typically find comments like that annoying, but I found it especially obnoxious at the time because my ankles were swollen, (well, I think they were. I couldn't exactly see them anymore past my belly), my back was killing me, I was peeing every ten minutes, my skin was a mess, and my hormones were raging.

It was all worth it, of course, when our precious little boy was born. Every newly expectant mom envisions what that moment will be like; the moment when you see that new little person for the first time. You think it will be perfect; angels singing, harps playing and beautiful photo ops of you and the baby.

Okay, so maybe that's not exactly how it all went down.

In reality, of course, my feet were up in stirrups for what seems like hours while the doctor stitched up a tear roughly the size of Texas. My breath, my husband, Joe, later told me, smelled rancid from all of the medicine in my I.V. (At the time, I thought it was so sweet that he kept kissing me on the head, but he later confessed that it was because of my toxic halitosis) Joe, like any first-time dad, was excited to cut the umbilical cord (which he later compared to hacking through a garden hose) and our wrinkled little son was covered in all the schmutz that accompanies birth. It didn't matter, though. In our eyes the moment couldn't have been more beautiful.

I couldn't wait to sleep that first night because I could sleep in any position I wanted. I had big plans of lying on my stomach and sawing logs through the night.

Ah, the naiveté of a new mom. Those nights in the hospital were anything but relaxing. Nurses came and went from my room at all hours of the day and night. My blood was drawn so much that I wasn't sure I had any left, and one nurse had to stick me three times before blowing my vein and having someone else do it. I went home actually more tired than before I went in labor.

Little did I know, that was merely the beginning...or, more appropriately, the end of sleep. No one told us that parenting a newborn was pretty much a third-shift job or that JR would soon test the very fabric of our being, the strength of our relationship, and the staying power of coffee as we entered into this crazy world of parenthood.

Fast forward almost five years, and now I am a very busy wife and stay-at-home mom of four little ones ages four years to seven months. I spend my time lovin' on my family, working at my church, picking up toys, changing diapers, refereeing fights, cooking seventeen meals a day, and kissing away boo-boos! In my "free" time I blog about the craziness of this thing I call my life at http://www.mandypmommyof4.blogspot.com

Motherhood and Career - How to Juggle Between the Two

I have been a mother for the last 8 years. I gave up my career to be a full-time mother to my children. Motherhood has been a thoroughly enjoyable experience with its share of vicissitudes. Yes, there were times when my sons threw tantrums when I wanted to escape and run away. There were times when I wanted to sleep but had to stay up putting a cranky baby to bed. There were also times when just a full-throated laughter, a smile, or the smell of my baby's skin could melt my heart and lift my spirits. A roller coaster of emotions, I guess, is part of normal motherhood.

Keeping up the daily routine of being a mother, the one question which was always at the back of my mind, "what about my career?" A well-educated MBA, it always tugged at my heart's strings that years, which could be spent in building my career, were flying by looking after kids. It did hurt me to see batch mates and colleagues climb corporate ladders while I was being a mother.

The pragmatist in me knows how important it was for me to be at home, for one parent to be always around and available for the kids. However, that little thought gnawed at the back of my mind that I was wasting my education. The successful career that I had pursued earlier seemed like a distant dream now. But that niggling thought never went away.

So, what was the way out? What did I do? I worked around the circumstances. I have always had a flair for writing. So, I began writing a blog as a hobby. And, slowly built it into a career of freelance writing. It was not easy; it still is not. And, it will never be easy to juggle career and motherhood. But, I am getting there. I am happy that it is satisfying; and I am doing my own thing.

That point about wasting my education - I realized that education is never wasted. Education has made me the logical, analytical person having the skills that I have today.

So, all the mothers out there who have taken time off their regular work to raise kids -- kudos to you! Remember, there can only be one mother to your children -- you! You have made the right choice. There is a career option waiting for you to pursue in your spare time, or from home. All you have to do is find it, when you feel you are ready for it.

Meanwhile, enjoy the motherhood; career can wait!

Rachna Parmar is a Content Developer, Blogger, Article writer, and owner of her Consultancy Smart Solutions. A passionate reader and a mother of two sons; she loves working out, cooking, blogging, traveling, raising her two sons, and writing. She loves making friends and sharing notes.

Blog: http://rachnasays.blogspot.com/
My website: http://www.smartsol.in