StepMom Magazine

Inside the February 2015 Issue of StepMom Magazine

Stepmom Magazine February 2015

The February 2015 issue of StepMom Magazine is HERE!

Love isn’t enough when you’re coupled up with someone who has kids. You need to be on the same page. If you’re not? You need to talk about your differences.

The articles in this month’s issue explore the many facets and faces of love … and stepfamily life. While stepfamily life isn’tfree of drama, addressing those touchy subjects early on does pay off.

Use this issue to facilitate conversations with your partner, because the more you two talk the more you’ll realize there’s not a subpoena, stereotype, or solicitation for increased child support that can sink you when you’re actually in sync!

Here’s what you’ll find inside when you subscribe: Continue reading “Inside the February 2015 Issue of StepMom Magazine”

A Stepfamily Wedding – State Farm’s Newest Ad Campaign

Stepfamily Ad State Farm
State Farm ad targets remarried couples: “Sometimes at last doesn’t happen at first.”

Remarriage is on the rise and State Farm knows it. The insurance conglomerate released a commercial last month featuring a mom of one and a dad of two exchanging vows as their children cautiously look on.

If statistics are any indication, the ad will resonate with a large percentate of the U.S. population. According to recent surveys, the Pew Research Center reports: “Four in ten new marriages include at least one partner who has been married before and the number of adults who have ever remarried now stands at 42 million–a threefold increase since 1960.” Continue reading “A Stepfamily Wedding – State Farm’s Newest Ad Campaign”

Inside the January 2015 Issue of StepMom Magazine

January 2015 Issue
The January 2015 Issue

The January 2015 issue of StepMom Magazine is here!

Being a stepmom is a lot like making New Year’s resolutions. You begin with high hopes and great intentions. You set lofty goals. You formulate a plan and you try your hardest to stick to it. Then? Life happens. The stepkids act up. The ex drags your partner back to court. You find yourself simultaneously juggling child support payments, visitation schedules and different parenting philosophies.

Over time? Your enthusiasm wanes. Some days? You feel like you’re right back where you started—at square one. Yet, with new resolve, you start over. (Again.)

Find your strength and the power to start over (if you need to) and make it your best year ever! Here’s what you’ll find inside when you subscribe: Continue reading “Inside the January 2015 Issue of StepMom Magazine”

Stepmoms: Our Holiday Gift to You

Stepmom Holiday Gift
Brenda Ockun and her husband, Gregg.

A Message from Brenda:
I receive letters from readers all year long but, the messages I receive this time of year are always a little extra special to me. I think it’s because I understand how challenging the holiday season can be for stepmoms.

Earlier this month I received a letter from a stepmom who shared her thoughts with me. She said: “Since I moved in with my partner and his kids I’ve felt unhinged. But reading the magazine makes me feel like someone has crawled inside my head. It is the best gift I could have given myself this year.”

Her note made me think. Continue reading “Stepmoms: Our Holiday Gift to You”

A Holiday Survival Guide for Stepmothers

By Brenda Snyder, LCSW Originally published in the Nov. 2012 issue of StepMom Magazine.

The holiday season is upon us! It’s “the most wonderful time of the year!” But sometimes, for stepmoms, the very times that are supposed to make us the happiest can have the opposite effect.

As a childless stepmother, I couldn’t wait to share my mother’s awesome Christmas Eve tradition of having Santa Claus visit from the North Pole. Continue reading “A Holiday Survival Guide for Stepmothers”

Stepmoms: Save $20 – Holiday Sale!

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Stepmoms: Be the Mother Ship (Not the Mother!)

“Be the mother ship. Not the mother.” This is sage stepmom advice I received from my friend Ruth over a cider-slash-venting session years ago. She had been a stepmom before it was even cool. I didn’t know her then. She was 19, he was 30 and suddenly she had two small girls for whom to take care. She hung in there for 18 years of marriage and watched herself and those kids grow up. I know we all think there isn’t enough information out there on being a stepmom these days, but 30 years ago there literally was nothing. She had to learn 100 percent through trial and error. Continue reading “Stepmoms: Be the Mother Ship (Not the Mother!)”

6 Things Remarried Dads Owe Their Stepmom Wives

This article by Joel Schwartzberg originally appeared in the Dec. 2009 issue of StepMom Magazine.

When Hollywood superstar Sandra Bullock married TV celebrity Jesse James, she took on the most challenging part of her life – not just his wife, but stepmother to his five-year-old daughter Sunny. Fresh from playing a reluctant romantic partner in The Proposal, Bullock jumped into her reality role with complete commitment, slowing her career, facing down a trouble-prone ex-wife, comforting a stressed-out husband, connecting with James’ two other children, and by her own admission, putting personal motherhood plans on hold for Sunny’s benefit. Continue reading “6 Things Remarried Dads Owe Their Stepmom Wives”

National Stepfamily Day is September 16

National Stepfamily DayChristy Borgeld, a remarried mom and stepmom, initiated National Stepfamily Day in 1997. Her goal was to create a holiday that would bring the need for stepfamily support and awareness to the nation’s forefront while, at the same time, provide today’s modern family with an opportunity to recognize and celebrate their relationships. Continue reading “National Stepfamily Day is September 16”

A Mixed Blessing for Stepfamilies? There’s S’more to Learn from Honey Maid’s New “This is Wholesome” Ad Campaign

Stepfamily Information and Support
Brenda Ockun
Publisher of StepMom Magazine

In 1973, a postage stamp cost 8 cents, “The Brady Bunch” was in its fourth year of production and I was in kindergarten.

My teacher, Ms. Rahn, was a tall, thin woman with overly teased, brassy blond hair. We kids walked to school—where we read “Dick and Jane” books, ate cookies and drank whole milk before taking 20-minute naps. We sat cross-legged, in circles, on the floor while learning the virtues of sharing and waiting your turn. And nearly everyone’s parents were still married, as far as we knew. Continue reading “A Mixed Blessing for Stepfamilies? There’s S’more to Learn from Honey Maid’s New “This is Wholesome” Ad Campaign”