The tips, tricks and support you need to survive stepmotherhood — the perfect gift for every stepmom around You've met the partner of your dreams and have gotten your happily ever after, but now you've taken on a new role: stepmom. And you have no idea what you signed up for. Or maybe you've been a stepmom for a while now, but things are getting you down. Who do you turn to for help? Where is the stepmothering support group that'll give you the advice you need? A book for all the ins and outs of having a blended family? Who actually gets how hard being a stepmom can be? We do. We are the women who have chosen stepmotherhood and lived to tell the tale. This parenting guide holds our solutions to help you: Brave the crazy ex demands Overcome the financial hurdles of a blended family Be prepared for the legal battles and custody arrangements Handle disrespectful children Nourish your relationship Manuever the emotional breakdowns of stepmotherhood Build your own stepmom's club Understand why you need your partner to have your back Written by stepmoms for stepmoms, these tips, anecdotes, and words of advice will help you find success and support within your new family. We are the Stepmoms' Club — your club — and we're here to help you.

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.

Forget Cinderella and the hundreds of other fairy tales about wicked stepmothers. Here is the truth-- a warm, bright, positive, yet frankly honest and realistic celebration of the most challenging role any woman will face. Think of it as the joy of stepmomming, and the perfect Mother's Day gift of encouragement and support. Written and illustrated by Cynthia L. Copeland, a stepmother to three boys and author of the bestselling "Really Important Stuff My Kids Have Taught Me and other books with 585,000 copies in print, THE 317 BEST THINGS ABOUT BEING A STEPMOM is packed with humor, wisdom, empathy, quotes, and testimonials from dozens of stepmothers who have shared their experiences with the author. So, if being a stepmother seems so often to be a storm cloud, this is the silver lining. For example: "People can't figure out how old you are by the ages of your stepchildren. Or, When they hug you, you know it's genuine, not out of habit. You didn't have to agonize over whether to name your stepson after his grandfather, his rich uncle, or your favorite poet. If you ever go ahead and have kids of your own, you've had practice. And if you are already a parent: "The trip to the warehouse club is finally worth the gas money. Your step-teens will see to it that your younger kids are up on the latest cool music, video games, and cargo pants. Family counsel now has enough people for a house and a senate. And, "With so many more participants, there's a chance that you won't always get creamed at Scrabble!

The stepmother's role often is ambiguous and underappreciated, and frequently it carries unrealistic expectations. The book answers women's concerns and questions, including: How can I be a caretaker and a key emotional connector in the family if the children don't accept my influence? How shoud I cope with children who are confused about their family and torn between loyalty to their biological mother and me? When should I step back in conflicts and when should I insist that my husband stand up for me? In addition it addresses the spiritual and emotional climate of the home, providing perspective and guidelines to help stepmothers and their families thrive.

A funny, honest, and empathetic resource for the novice stepmother on maintaining sanity, solving hair-raising identity issues, regaining a sense of humor, and surviving what you did for love.... What happens when the honeymoon comes to a screeching halt and you're faced with a houseful of rambunctious children, an ever-present ex-wife, and a new husband trying to balance the chaos? This helpful guide includes advice on: • The kids: Adjusting to suspicion, resentment, and biological-parent loyalties • The ex-wife: Living calmly alongside her, whether she's a psycho or the perfect mother • The holidays: Accommodating old family traditions and developing new ones • The sex: Keeping love alive through the kids' bed-wettings and nightmares • The finances: Building safety nets and avoiding financial disasters • The urge to be evil: Accepting it, and then stopping yourself from saying something you'll regret—to him, the kids, or her • Plus an invaluable list of resources, websites, publications, and organizations specifically for the new stepmother

There were three things food writer Robin Davis promised she would never do: she would never move back to Ohio, she would never get married, and she would never join an organized religion. Never say never—today, Davis is a recent transplant to the Midwest wife and stepmother, and converted Catholic. In Recipe for Joy, she shares her stories of food, faith, and family life, and discovers that “food” is the language she can speak when stepping into unfamiliar territory. Recipe for Joy tells Davis’s story of recognizing God’s plan, doubting it, and then discovering why God’s plan is her newfound path. The stories in Recipe for Joy are grouped by themes based on the courses of a meal, and each chapter ends with a recipe inspired by the theme. Recipe for Joy reveals that food and faith can go hand in hand and that God uses people (and some really good meals) to bring us into a closer relationship with God.

Most little girls grow up dreaming of being a mom, but hardly any of them dream of becoming a stepmom. Nevertheless, approximately one million new stepfamilies are created every year. It’s no secret, being a stepmother can be a living nightmare. But it can also be an enriching and rewarding experience—one that God can use to strengthen you, helping you survive and even thrive in the toughest job you never asked for. Written by two women who are stepmothers themselves—and know the difficulties of helping to raise someone else’s children—this book is filled with down-to-earth insights and advice for stepmothers from stepmothers. It also offers expert guidance from pastors and counselors on such issues as roles, expectations, realistic goals, organization, finances, holidays, vacations, relationships with stepchildren, negotiation, forgiveness, healing the past, building a strong marriage with stepchildren on the scene, dealing with in-laws and ex-spouses, sexual tensions in stepfamilies, health, depression, stress, and much more. While there is no magic formula to guarantee stepmother success, encouragement and practical wisdom are available in this much-needed resource.

Ah, high school. Is there any better place to start fresh after a horrible middle school relationship? Nope! Not unless your ex ends up at the same school as you and is now your stepsibling. What was supposed to be a sanctuary of peace where I could avoid ever seeing her again has become a living nightmare! Everywhere I look, I see her—in my house, in my school, in my class. There's no escape! She even claims that she’s the older sibling. Like hell she is! But I won't lose to her. After all, I'm the older brother in this new family situation. That’s right, we’re family now. No matter how much we may have thought we loved each other before, we saw one another’s true colors and realized we weren’t meant for each other. That’s why even though we may keep up a buddy-buddy sibling act for the sake of our parents, things will never go back to the way they used to be.

Who's taking care of me? Popular author, psychotherapist, mother, and stepmother Sue Patton Thoele has the answer to that question. She offers practical advice and emotional support for women who find themselves in transitional families -- but it's not the usual nuts and bolts advice about such issues as dealing with hostile ex-wives or learning to effectively discipline. Instead, Thoele's book is the first to focus on stepmothers' unique emotional and spiritual needs.

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.