I am convinced that having kids can be bad for your ego: Before I had kids, I like to think that I was somewhat poised. I had a decent job where I was able to manage things with some semblance of professionalism and "having it together." Any decorum I possessed, however, went down the tubes the day Elle was born…

Most parents know the critical role that teachers play in the life of their children. Here’s a great post by guest blogger, Bonnie Embry, an elementary school teacher and member of Clorox Classrooms’ Faculty Panel of Experts, with ways parents and teachers can partner in and outside the classroom.

I’ve been at this “Mommy” thing for almost 5 years now, there are so many days when I still feel like that newbie on the job. In any other role, 5 years would be enough time to build some real expertise and experience, and yet here I am, feeling like I’m constantly in a state of “new mommy-hood”. Fortunately, the best parts of mommyhood – dispensing love and affection, joy in seeing my kids grow—won’t ever change. But until I find a way to “hit the pause button” on my kids’ lives, I guess I will always feel like a “new mom”.

Spring is approaching and I’m starting to think more about spring cleaning and getting the house in order. When I first started working at Clorox, it was strange to think that I would be dedicating years of my life to marketing cleaning products. I mean, cleaning products aren’t exactly glamorous and cleaning isn’t exactly dinner party conversation. Or so I thought…

A dear friend recently told me that she was expecting her first baby. The excitement of her news had me thinking about my life before I had kids– those days before I knew what mommyhood had in store for me. And while I happily reminisced about those days of being un-tethered, I also reflected upon the folly of my attitude and behavior in my “pre-baby” days. I’m not proud of some of these moments, so in recognition of any transgressions I committed before I was a Mom myself, I wish to say I’m sorry. And here it is, an open letter of apology for some of the foolishness of my “pre-mommyhood” days: the days before I knew how to change a diaper, before I understood what a breast pump was (“You put that WHERE and do WHAT?!?”), before I knew what it meant to be a Mother…

There was a time when the thought of cooking with my kids would send me running toward the nearest take-out pizzeria. The longer time it takes to prepare a meal, the general mayhem that ensues when kids are in an enclosed space with kitchen tools and yes, the inevitable mess, just had me scared.

As in many households, my husband and I divide the tasks needed to keep the home running. While we definitely have the odd disagreement about who does what, we generally play to our strengths and take on the jobs we tend to be better at. The problem is that, like most moms, I think that I have strengths in MORE parenting areas than my husband…and so I’m a bit hard on him when things aren’t running “my way.”

Ever wonder what Valentine's Day may be like from a man's point of view? Check out the perspective below from guest blogger, Alan Kercinik, author of AlwaysJacked.com.

As we approach Valentine’s day, I think back to those moments of exchanging valentines at school, first crushes and when I fell in love with my husband. Ah, those butterflies in your stomach, the anticipation of a first kiss and of course, hearing those little three words…

No matter how much I love being a parent, I’ve found almost every kid inevitably goes through some phase that causes a parent stress. Whether it’s refusal to potty-train (been there, done that.), temper tantrums (been there, am still there) or experiencing social pressures from school or elsewhere (soon will be there), we all go through periods of parental anxiety. I’m told these stressful phases pass with time and I will end up laughing about them. So in an attempt to self-induce my first chuckle, here’s my latest mommy stress…