This book is a long-awaited definitive instruction manual for the most difficult role you never imagined having, and couldn't possibly prepare for--being a Stepmom. Cathryn Bond Doyle became a stepmother in 1996. Cathryn has developed specific techniques and insights to help stepmothers handle the stress and relationship challenges that may arise with their families. In addition to learning from her own journey, she has worked with thousands of stepmothers, through her support group at smoms.org (which she founded in 2000), to build this collection of proven and practical approaches and tools. Cathryn shows you how to recognize, compassionately acknowledge and understand your own reactions to potentially upsetting stepfamily situations, resist the urge to over-give, resolve your resentments, strengthen your relationship skills, build your connections with your partner and stepkids, and deal with any difficulties that may crop up if the bio-mom of your stepkids is neither kind nor civil. The Table of Contents is designed as your guide to getting specific info on a wide spectrum of common stepmothering "dilemmas." The chapters are written to stand alone in support of each topic so you can get right to the answers most important for you and your situation. Additionally, there are thirty-one proactive tips included to help you and your partner improve daily stepfamily life and so much more. Peppered throughout the forty-one chapters of the book are stories from twenty veteran stepmothers. They share their personal challenges and how they've handled them through working with Cathryn and using her strategies. They each describe how they've become more savvy, confident and self-aware women as a result. These women join Cathryn as Stepmoms on a Mission (SMOMS) and all believe-wholeheartedly-that any woman in the role of stepmother can benefit from this book and the hard-earned wisdom it imparts.

An honest and groundbreaking guide to understanding the complicated emotions that develop between stepmothers and children. When faced with often overwhelming challenges, what woman with stepchildren is unfamiliar with that “stepmonster” feeling? Half of all women in the United States will live with or marry a man with children. To guide women new to this role—and empower those who are struggling with it—Wednesday Martin draws upon her own experience as a stepmother. She's frank about the harrowing process of becoming a stepmother, she considers the myths and realities of being married to a man with children, and she counteracts the cultural notion that stepmothers are solely responsible for the problems that often develop. Along the way, she interviews other stepmothers and stepchildren and offers up fascinating insights from literature, anthropology, psychology, and evolutionary biology that explain the little-understood realities of this unique parent-child relationship and—in an unexpected twist—shows why the myth of the Wicked Stepmother is the single best tool for understanding who real stepmothers are and how they feel.

Like Rachel, stepmoms and moms can turn their cries into song by finding their voices and healing the past with spiritual tools, speaking their truth, reconnecting to nature, releasing trauma from the body, and trusting their inner voice. Rachel ends her silence and shares her truth as a survivor of domestic violence, sexual assault, and being a stepmom. I Sang Anyway is a return to nature and the discovery of self-love. This memoir is her story with spiritual advice woven throughout the text. If you are feeling lost and desperate to figure out how to cope with life because nothing else has worked, this book is for you. You will gain spiritual wisdom and ideas for how to trust yourself for what to say and do in tense family situations.

One of the most significant but least understood of character disorders in individuals is narcissistic personality disorder, or NPD. In this book, a licensed marital and family therapist provides a much-needed overview of NPD, its wide-ranging effects, and guidelines for dealing with this disorder.

A divorced, mother of two, Janice had tossed aside her ideas of marital bliss and become content with being on her own . . . that was until her also recently divorced pastor made it his mission to take her as his new bride. Falling in love with Rev. Bobby Love was easy, but no one prepared the couple for what came after saying, "I do," when blending two homes equated to a stepfamily of ten!With honesty, humor, and compassion, Janice R. Love recounts her experiences as a mom, stepmom, and pastor's wife in One Plus One Equals Ten: A First Lady's Survival Guide for Stepmoms. Tackling tough questions, One Plus One Equals Ten offers real life examples, faith-based inspiration, and practical tips and strategies for both new and struggling stepparents. If you are thinking about dating or planning to marry someone with children, or have already married and are having difficulty adjusting to "living-in-step," this book is for you! Includes Useful Tips and Resources:* Certified Stepfamily Coach and experience-based suggestions and strategies* Relevant and inspiring Bible verses * Over a dozen recommended references for stepparents * Additional pages for journaling and notes* And much, much more!

"Wickedly entertaining! Light, witty, and original, Wickedly Charming is also a wry insider's view of publishing and the heady delights of being a booklover." —Mary Jo Putney, New York Times bestselling author of Never Less Than A Lady He's given up on happily-ever-after... Cinderella's Prince Charming is divorced and at a dead end. The new owner of a bookstore, Charming has given up on women, royalty, and anything that smacks of a future. That is, until he meets up with Mellie... But she may be the key to happily-right-now... Mellie is sick and tired of stepmothers being misunderstood. Vampires have redeemed their reputation, why shouldn't stepmothers do the same? Then she runs into the handsomest, most charming man she's ever met and discovers she's going about her mission all wrong... It's only natural that sparks fly and magic ensues when these two fairy tale refugees put their heads—and vulnerable hearts—together... Praise for Simply Irresistible "A sweet romance...Grayson's clever, humor-tinged writing is absolutely delightful." —Booklist "Danger, humor, and passion are all here and in full force." —RT Bookclub Top Pick

Reflecting and Doodling Your Way to a New Destination Are you looking for some insight into your role as a stepmom? Take control of your life and emotions by working your way through this uplifting 30-day reflective book for stepmothers. Written with the childless or childfree stepmother in mind, this book will help you reflect on your new role and experiment with ideas to improve your relationship with your stepchildren. Through readings, reflections, and action items, you will embark on a journey to gain a better understanding of yourself as a stepmother and how you fit in with your new family.

In Stepparenting the Grieving Child, Diane Ingram Fromme shares the assumptions and presumptions, steps and missteps that occurred within her own stepfamily. Diane faced the key challenges any new stepparent to grieving children experiences, including helplessness to know how and when to offer comfort, awkwardness to identify the times and ways to memorialize the lost parent, and outsider blues--not only feeling uncomfortable in her own home but also in her own skin. With personal examples, insights from other stepfamilies, and knowledge gained through experience and research, Diane provides information relevant to anyone who supports grieving children. Diane's straightforward approach will help you: Gain a more relaxed mindset toward stepparenting through grief Learn meaningful ways to include and memorialize the lost parent Help the natural parent claim his or her role in the grieving family In Stepparenting the Grieving Child you'll find hope, strength, and inspiration for the journey ahead, no matter where you are now.

Being a mom is one of the hardest and most important jobs a woman can have. Being a mom in recovery is even more challenging. In Moms to Moms, counselor Barbara Joy shares the stories, advice, and inspiration from more than 60 mothers in recovery from across the United States who have struggled with addiction. These are women of all ages, races, and religious affiliations who candidly share their experiences: the challenges of being a mom in recovery, the values they want to teach their children, and their fears, struggles, and accomplishments. This is a book that offers help and hope to busy, stressed out moms in recovery; a book they can turn to again and again to find inspiration, comfort, and advice. Joy offers evaluation tools and strategies for positive parenting, journaling activities for reflections, and affirmations designed to relieve stress and reinforce positive behavior.

Welcome to a no-nonsense, unconventional approach to college admissions! Hey AdmissionsMom: Real Talk from Reddit from the voices of r/ApplyingToCollege, with Carolyn Allison Caplan, aka u/admissionsmom FRONT DOOR COLLEGE ADMISSIONS HELP Discover what over 100,000 engaged r/ApplyingToCollege subscribers are learning about as they discuss a fresh approach to college admissions. With Hey AdmissionsMom, Carolyn and the kids from r/ApplyingToCollege give you a place to stop trying to figure out what your top schools want in you and instead ask yourself, What do I want out of life when I leave high school? What do I see for myself? You're a talented, interesting student, and when you really know who you are, you're going to make the best decisions for yourself As a sophomore or junior entering the college admissions process, maybe you're overwhelmed by the paperwork, school descriptions, test score requirements, extracurricular activity options, and the daunting task of figuring it all out without losing yourself. Others of you already started the college admissions process and feel okay about your applications, but you're struggling with the personal statement or essays. Or, you want permission not to be a carbon copy of the ideal student and want out-of-the-box ways to be yourself, both in life and in the admissions process. And you're not just managing your expectations, but also your parents. College admissions can be especially intimidating if your high school sucks, you're first in your family to go to college, or you haven't always been a model student. You might also be a concerned parent or mentor looking for a guide designed not to stress you and your kid out and might even help with that as you learn the ropes of college admissions. For all the times you or your high school student thought, "There has to be a better way," when you hear advice about high-performance, achievement, and crazy amounts of EC's (extracurriculars)... You were right. You just found it. Hey AdmissionsMom: Real Talk from Reddit In this refreshingly honest, irreverent digest of college admissions questions and answers from u/admissionsmom and the subreddit, r/ApplyingToCollege, you'll find 37 bite-sized chapters of practical information, inspiring personal stories, insider tips, and yes, we have to be honest about this here - the occasional swear word, too. The time is NOW for you to: Focus on who you are, what you want from life, and how college fits into your goals, not the reverse Write essays and personal statements that actually sound like you, the real you Stop being one of 50,000 students applying to the same 20 colleges Stay positive even if you're not valedictorian or you didn't cure cancer (nobody else has either -- yet) Find questions asked by students just like you, so you don't feel alone or like you're the only one who doesn't already have it all figured out Take a deep breath as you learn about mindfulness By the end of Hey AdmissionsMom: Real Talk from Reddit, you will have peeled back the layers of your authentic self and be able to appreciate your personality traits, interests, and talents as you breathe and apply to college with a smile.