As Easter approaches, I’m reminded of last year’s delightful bunny tale.

My husband discovered that our son had been “borrowing” his razor.

“My mustache is getting really bad, Dad,” the fourteen year old said.

Once we wiped our eyes, and regained our composure, my husband and I decided that the child was old enough to have his own shaving supplies.

Easter was in a few days. As we assembled the baskets (and yes, our teen gets one only because his younger sister still believes in the bunny), I struggled with what on earth to put in such an old kid’s basket. Then I had an epiphany! That year, the bunny brought my teenager a shaving kit along with the assorted Peeps and chocolate eggs in his basket.

From a press release that landed in my inbox, declaring there is a “new movement of stay-at-home momism” and that “despite the progress women have made and despite the overwhelming number of reasons why women should stay in the workplace, more and more young mothers are opting to raise children full time.”

• Workforce participation for married women with children has dropped from 59% in 1998 to 52% in 2000
• In 2005, there were 5.4 million stay at home moms compared with 4.5 million in 2003
• Twice as many Gen-X mothers as baby boomer mothers spend more than 12 hours a day attending to child rearing and household responsibilities

Apparently the overwhelming number of reasons for “stay at work” moms is decreasing!

Last year, I read a column by Patricia McLaughlin that mentioned the FlyLady. I was intrigued and asked around only to find that I had two friends that were “Flybabies.”

I read the FlyLady’s book, “Sink Reflections” (by Marla Cilley, the FlyLady’s real name). It changed the way I thought about, well, everything at home and at work and made a real difference in my life.

I can look back to a year ago today, when I was feeling very overwhelmed and really NOT loving myself (FLY, in the book, stands for Finally Loving Yourself). I can now list very specific ways I’ve changed for the better as a result of reading it, and taking it to heart.

If you’re feeling this way, give the FlyLady a try.

In my spare time (my second of three jobs I’ll admit to) I write a shopping column for the St. Louis Post Dispatch. Here’s this week’s edition of Shop Talk.

I’m teaching this semester; a course in public relations at Fontbonne University. It’s a commitment I’ve made, to teach every other year, one night a week for sixteen weeks. It’s a two and a half hour class.

With the amount of to-do on my list, family, being sick (still, can you believe it?), teaching has seemed at times like one thing too many. Getting ready for class I count up the weeks till May and think, If I can just make it through this . . .

But then Wednesday night comes, and I see my students’ smiling faces, hear their voices, marvel at their ideas, laugh with them (okay, sometimes at them), and enjoy thoroughly the place they are in their lives, and being a part of the process of ushering them through it. Driving home every week I remember, Yes, that’s why I’m doing this; because it’s just so much fun.

My co-worker Jamie just had a little girl (her first child) and my friend Elizabeth just had her third son (fourth child). Of course they’re the most adorable children (since mine, of course). Congrats to both of these strong, brave moms!

When I see new babies I have to hit the emotional pause button and remind myself that while I’m in my thirties with a fully functioning biological clock screaming (BABY!), I also have a fifteen-year-old and an eight-year-old.

Back away from the babies. Wait for the grandbabies. That’s what I tell myself.

Yesterday was Presidents’ Day which meant the kids had no school. Great! I said, to the oldest, my teenaged son, You make dinner.

He agreed, but only if he could use “a box” which meant taking fresh chicken breasts, a box of Slow Cooker Helper and following the instructions.

We had chicken and dumplings when I got home from work and it was just lovely to have dinner ready to eat after a long day. He was proud of himself too, bragging to his girlfriend’s mom that he’d made dinner for the whole family by himself.

Hungry? Grab a box and give yourself a break.

I had the best time cracking the kids up last night.

Have you seen the movie Napoleon Dynamite?

A really productive co-worker shot me this link yesterday: http://albinoblacksheep.com/flash/ndsound.php

I had a blast using Napoleon sound bytes to respond to the kids’ questions. Hilarious!

At work, I’m going to impersonate absent co-workers on conference calls with, “I wish you’d get out of my life and SHUT UP.”

See the movie. Cutest I’ve seen in 2004-5 so far.

Whoa — I just read the most amazing article, part of this week’s Newsweek cover story: The Myth of the Perfect Mother

This one is a must-read for moms of every description. You’ll all say, “Yes! That’s what I’m talking about!”

So, you have the net nanny and you think you’ve blocked off all possible inappropriate material from your children.

WRONG!

Don’t forget e-mail — kids can easily set up a Hotmail or Yahoo! account and it’s AMAZING how many spammers are out there ready to e-mail your teen or pre-teen with decidedly inappropriate material. Of course, in some cases, the minor has gone to an XXX site and “verified” that they were of age, signing up, sometimes unbeknownst to them; sometimes giddily completely aware of their actions.

Mmmmyeah. I speak from experience. I know one teen with suspended Internet access. Perhaps forever.

SIGH.