Mary Catherine Starr Art + Illustration | Particl Company Profile

Today, we honor Mom Brain for the superpower it is — the one that remembers which toy is the correct one (this week), which song can’t be skipped, which cartoon is suddenly “for babies,” and which birthday party is coming up (and thus, needs an RSVP and a gift!). Introducing The Mom Brain Awards, presented by @skylightcalendar — a calendar that helps make a little more room for everything you remember. What parenting/household knowledge does *only* YOUR Mom Brain hold? Share below!👇

I have no idea who made the school schedule but this is how I imagine it going… And teachers, please know that this isn’t about you! WE KNOW YOUR JOB IS INSANELY HARD AND YOU DESERVE + NEED LOTS OF BREAKS (AND BETTER PAY!)! This is about how parents’ work schedules and school schedules don’t match up in any sort of logical way 🫠 I mean, the real reason we have a long summer break is because children used to work on farms during the summer!! Now we just have to sign them up for 34 different summer camps + spend approx $50,000 to get through the break. #makeitmakesense Btw: happy Maycember to all who celebrate. How are all of you holding up out there as we enter the final push of the school year!?! 🫨 #momlifecomics #momcomics #momlife #parentlife #mentalload

I made this comic almost 5 years ago (in 2020!) and even though we’re not in quarantine anymore and my kids are much older, it still feels VERY applicable to my life: At ages 8 and 5 my kids still stand outside of the shower talking to me while I wash my hair. They still want to come in and sit on my lap if I sneak into my office to work on something. They still prefer eating all of their meals while leaning against me, touching me, or sitting on me. Mom = home ✨ It’s so sweet and also, so suffocating. I love it *AND* it drives me bonkers. I want them to always want to be on me/next to me and also I JUST WANT SOME F*CKING SPACE, you know? Gosh I adore those little barnacles 😍 Can you relate? Does your life look like this, too? 🤪 #momlife #momlifecomics #momcomics #illustratedlife #mamaneedsaminute

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Mother’s Day is less than 2 weeks away so here are some pro tips for you: 1. Make plans *NOW* to do something with your mom friends (or solo) on Mother’s Day afternoon. You can spend the morning with family. 
 2. If you are a mom of young (or young-ish) kids, Mother’s Day is for you, not your mom or MIL. You can give your mom a gift/card or take her out to lunch the day BEFORE Mother’s Day, but on Mother’s Day, do what y*YOU* want to do!
 3. Your MIL’s gift or card is your partner’s job. She is not your mom.
 4. Don’t be afraid to buy yourself a gift or book yourself a treatment (or a night at a hotel!). You deserve it! #eatthedamnpeach🍑
 5. Bonus: DM one of these items [from my sh0p] to your partner and ask them to buy it for you 😉 Link in profile to sh0p 🙌 How do you make sure you get the break you want/need/deserve on Mother’s Day? Share your best tips below👇 . . . . #mothersday #momlife #motherhoodlife #thisismotherhood #tiredmom #tiredmoms #momhumor #tiredasamother #mentalload #overwhelmedmom #mothersday2025

A HUGE shout-out to indie bookstores everywhere in honor of #IndependentBookstoreDay! There are few places I love more than a small, local bookseller, and my appreciation for them has only grown now that I’m a published author (WHAT!?!?) and they’ve been hosting my events and selling my book ❤️❤️❤️ A world with no independent bookstores would be a VERY sad world, indeed. Tag your fave local bookstore below to give them a well-deserved shout-out! And shop local today and every day (+ pick up my book while you’re doing so!!)📚 #IndieBookstoreDay #mamaneedsaminute #booksmatter #bookworm @chroniclebooks @americanbooksellers

I mean, what we want is affordable child care, paid parental leave for both/all parents, safe (and affordable!) maternal healthcare, universal preschool, reproductive freedom, and affordable housing, BUT YEAH, let’s start by giving out participation trophies like moms are kindergarteners finishing up their first season of soccer. Moms will LOVE that!🏆 Now tell me: what else should we teach men in those mandatory menstruation classes they’ll have to take under Trump? 🤔👇

The Danes get it right. When school hours align with the workday, everything just clicks. And, Denmark’s work model proves you don’t need long hours to get big results—they work some of the shortest days, yet remain one of the world’s most productive workforces. Meanwhile, in the U.S., the standard work day runs 9-5, while elementary schools operate 8-2—leaving a gap that just doesn’t add up. Efficiency *and* empathy? Yes, please!

Why does every holiday = tons of candy for the kids + tons of extra to-dos for the moms? 🫠😵‍💫 And yes, I know: “NOT IN ALL FAMILIES! SOME DADS ARE SUPER INVOLVED IN THE HOLIDAYS! SOME DADS DO *EVERYTHING* FOR EASTER WHILE MOM WATCHES TV ON THE COUCH! IN FACT, MY HUSBAND ACTUALLY *IS* THE EASTER BUNNY! HE HIDES EGGS FOR CHILDREN ALL OVER THE WORLD EVERY SINGLE EASTER WHILE I EAT BON-BONS!!!! NOT ALL MENNNNNN!!!!!” But this is not the norm. That being said, I really enjoy Easter! Hiding eggs + then watching my kids hunt for them is super fun (so much joy!!!!)! I am *more than happy* to make the magic for my kids—I just wish more moms weren’t the primary magic makers in so many households…🙄🐰🥚🐥🪺 What else would you add to the mental (and physical) load of Easter? 👇

Meet @momlife_comics, creator of illustrated memoir, Mama Needs a Minute!💛 The perfect gift for Mother’s Day, Mama Needs a Minute! captures the chaos, joy, exhaustion, guilt, and infinite loads of laundry that come with being a mom. This candid and irreverent account perfectly captures what every mom knows in her heart to be true: motherhood is hard (and also really amazing)! Mama Needs a Minute! is available everywhere you find books✨ __ #MamaNeedsaMinute #ChronicleCreators #authorinterview #illustrations #motherhood #GiftsforMom #MothersDay #ChronicleBooks lnk.to/MamaNeedsaMinute

That’s one small step for Katy Perry, one giant leap for Jeff Bezos! 🚀 🌎 👩‍🚀 🌖 💫 But yeah, we don’t need The Department of Education, Medicare, Medicaid, affordable child care, reproductive health services…we just need 3 million dollar per-trip space tourism for the filthy rich 🤑 MAKE IT MAKE SENSE. 👉 What are your thoughts on the Blue Origin space flight?

Behind every successful man is a bunch of women performing unpaid labor to ensure his success. Studies estimate that a stay-at-home-mom’s work is worth more than $180k annually💰 Many high-earning men also benefit from the unpaid labor (generational unpaid labor!) of their own mothers, grandmothers, great-grandmothers, etc. Similarly, even paid female support people (think assistants/employees, admin professionals, + household staff) are often taken advantage of and expected to do additional unpaid labor simply because their gender is “better at it” (hello to those of you who find yourselves planning all office parties, meetings, + group gifts!) 🙄 It’s time women’s contributions to the world were valued. We’re done being invisible, being taken advantage of, and propping up men who don’t honor or appreciate our work. Drop a 🙌 below if you agree with me! ***Not pictured: the layer of unpaid (forced) or underpaid labor BENEATH the women that includes POC and immigrants—male and female—upon whose backs (and blood, sweat, tears, LIVES) this country was built. 
 #invisiblelabor #unpaidlabor #mentalload #allmomsareworkingmoms #genderequality #gendergap

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