When I was young, I practiced walking around with a briefcase. Seriously. Obviously, it was indicative of my interest in becoming a professional. All bets were on a profession that involved that briefcase and that's exactly how it turned out. But through all the years of determining my future career, or imagining my life, I NEVER imagined being a stepmom. Frankly, if you're a stepmom, it is usually indicative of an unfortunate situation...a death or divorce. Not a dream that

My mother and father divorced when I was three. But they managed to have a very close friendship throughout their lives until his death more than 15 years ago. Though divorced, my parents managed to make holidays painless and nearly seamless for my sister and me. We both lived with my mother and stepfather which, fortunately, was in close proximity to my dad. Each holiday was spent with both families. Sure, there was some shuffling at times and a bit more organization require

Planning. Everyone who knows me knows that I am all about the planning. I Christmas shop in July. I pack for vacation two weeks before leaving. I plan meals a week ahead. I even schedule workouts. Therefore, it should be no surprise that upon entering into a relationship with my now husband and realizing that I would be a stepparent, I made a plan. My plan of attack was preparedness. Yes, I had come from a stepfamily but mere experience didn’t feel like enough preparation. I