I've made the difficult decision to get rid of the kid. For a few hours a week, I mean. I believe some women are cut out to be stay-at-home moms, while others are not. I am not. (see  here , here , and here ) I do the best I can, but lately we've got a case of the Terrible Twos combined with Second Trimester Hormonal Rage, plus a dash of the Terrible Thirty-Fours thrown in for good measure. I need a break, because I'm miserable and it shows in my parenting. I figured that if I can get a little time way from my sweet cherub who occasionally grows horns, life would be better for everybody. Besides, there's a strong possibility I'll need part-time help when the new baby comes and everyone we've talked to says it's better to get the older kid used to being away from mom now, instead of during the turmoil that is bringing a newborn into the house. It's not necessarily in our budget, but it's worth saving my sanity. When we interviewed a local daycare,...

There are many things I do well. For example, I make the best fudge you've ever tasted. It's creamy and thick, without any of those nuts or other things that cause distraction. And I have an amazing talent for picking out greeting cards. Standing in Hallmark, the right card calls to me, expressing everything I didn't know I wanted to say. You should be so lucky to get one of my birthday cards. I also write better than the average person. When required (or when inspiration strikes), I can turn a phrase like Bobby Flay turns a steak -- with finesse and precision. Other things I'm not so good at, like staying home with a 2-year-old. The truth is I never wanted to be a stay-at-home mom. It's one of those things that just sort of happened, like online shopping after drinking too many Captain and Cokes. You probably had good plans in the beginning, but somehow you ended up with 36 banana slicers and you don't even really care for bananas all that much. I was n...