There’s a growing happiness gap between men and women. According to new research, men have gradually cut back on activities they find unpleasant. They new work less and relax more.

Women, on the other hand, have replaced housework with paid work—- and as a result are spending almost as much time doing things they don’t enjoy as in the past. In other words, we’re spending more time on paid work and less on cooking and cleaning.

I don’t need research to tell me that. I’ve said this before and will say it again: my husband gets up, goes to work and unless I really bug him—comes home sans stopping at CVS, Stop and Shop and the dry-cleaners. I, on the other hand not only do errands after work, on my lunch break and before work, I’m also the one remembering to stop at Staples because Syd  needs White-Out or rushing home to throw laundry in because Corey needs a certain shirt for tomorrow’s gym class. I’m also the one worrying about how messy the house is (his parents officially think I’m a slob); what we have in the house for breakfast/lunch/dinner that’s not frozen or pre-packaged, as well as who needs to be carpooled where.

So am I happier than him? What do YOU think?

Looking for a good phone for your tween? I just got Sydney the Kajeet phone which is really cool because you can set up a parent/child account. This way, you and your tween can make decisions together on who pays for which calls and services. It also comes with fun stickers—which of course, makes the phone more fun.

Better for you: thanks to the kajeet configurator, you can set up and approved and blocked phone numbers, manage when phones can and can’t be used, and view calls made to you and your kid(s). It’s one way to avoid (future) arguments.

Am I the only mother NOT taking copious notes at these back to school nights? After all, I’m not the one going to school—my girls are. And I DO think it’s their responsibility at this age (12 and 14) to take their own notes/understand what the teacher expects from them.

The other night: Sydney had Spanish homework that was clearly difficult. She asked for my help. I noticed that the top of the page said “Please do this alone. Do not ask for help.”

“I think your teacher needs to know you need help with this,” I told her. “I can’t give you the answers” (though I felt good that luckily I knew them—I haven’t been able to do her math homework for years). What I did help with—steering her in the right direction so she could find the answers.

Isn’t that what back to school night should be about? Not also: about trying to “make friends”/suck up to teacher so she’ll like you and in turn like your kid. I can’t tell you how many people I saw doing THAT too!

I just have to say how sad I am. The slain postal worker that was killed the other day in his Mamaroneck apartment was actually my postman—and was really nice. I mean REALLY nice! Didn’t mind my barking dog, always had a friendly smile (or piece of advice: he grew up in the area); and loved to talk about the Yankees (at least with my husband: I’m from Baltimore and so remain a tried and true Orioles fan).

It’s just so frightening and horrific. And, of course, a subject that I had to discuss with my children. Real life yet again infiltrates my little ‘burb, proving that crime happens everywhere.

Take a break from back-to-school shopping with our Mom’s Night Out at the newly revamped Richard Scott Salon & Day Spa in Mount Kisco (15-17 S.  Moger Ave.), next Wednesday, Sept l9th from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Besides getting to meet ME!! (sheer joy, right?), you’ll be treated to hand facials, parrafin treatments, chair massages, color/cut consultations, make-up touches, wine tasting from women-owned vineyards, tarot card reading and numerology by Ann Marie (of Traprock Suites) and best of all: get a goodie bag with skin care from DeCleor and more (value of $50).

RSVP to ME: jmuchnic@lohud.com or 914-696-8288.

Did you all hear about the Ohio woman —an assistant principal at a grade school—that left her 2-year-old daughter in alone in a hot car by accident. She was not charged, though the toddler died. Her claim? She was so busy and agitated with her daily errands/work/juggling acts that she literally “forgot” her daughter was in the car. See story here.

I have to say, I can relate. I don’t think any of us can judge. What do you think?

What would YOUR kids do if they were home alone when a stranger knocks? I had the opportunity to find out—though in a VERY public way (meaning they’re not speaking to me now). I “set” my kids up on a new Bill Stanton Dateline NBC show, which aired last night.

We all learned some important lessons.

For the record, though, what the camera DIDn’t show: the fact that my girls DID try to call my husband and I before they opened the door (we were instructed not to answer) and that they DID have hesitations. My husband is “positive” they would NOT have answered had the man at the door been dressed in a UPS or FedEx uniform. But still…it’s a learning lesson for us all.

What would YOUR kids do?

I’m curious what you think is fair to pay a kid for a certain job. In my area, it seems to be overblown. Case in point: Sydney got $45 for a week of watering my neighbor’s plants. 45DOLLARS!!!! Yes, there were a lot of plants but…..I would have given her 25.  Another neighbor gave her $25 for feeding their cat over the weekend. Again: maybe 10?

What’s bad is that my darling 12-year-old is now getting a level of expectation. While she was THRILLED to get so much money and was as surprised as I was at the amount, she has also started to question my “tooth fairy” ways: ”$2,” she asked when she lost a tooth that had been loose for a while. “What were you expecting?” I asked. “Maybe $5?”

Living in Westchester, I’m losing perspective on what is reasonable and fair. What would YOU pay?

To file under….Helicopter parents? What’s this world coming to? Or: I’ve now pretty much heard everything?

Two things I have to comment on:

1. My friend, who has a 17-year-old son, said this to his mother this weekend: “Why can’t you be like other moms and get me a job?”

2. Which fits into number two: According to Michigan State University ’s Collegiate Employment Research Center, the number of companies that reported parents sending resumes on behalf of a child has reached 31 percent! The number or parents that complained when their child was turned down for a job: 15%. And the number reporting that a parent had attended an interview: 4 percent.

Seriously, folks: get your kids to grow up!

I’ve been debating about what to blog about…so many things going on…so many things to report on. So many balls in the air, that suddenly, for whatever reason, are starting to fall down on me….

I was debating about writing about how I need a wife…I just feel super stretched. Though both my husband and I work it seems to be ME who always worries about what’s for dinner, who has clean clothes (why do the girls ALWAYS want what’s in the wash?) and the kids’ plans. Though my husband is better than most when it comes to helping out (the dog is HIS!), the reality is: I do more. In general, men leave the house and lock the door. Women, on the other hand, walk out and worry about how the house looks—mine’s always a mess— and whether the kids have playdates or if there’s fresh milk in the fridge.

I’m so stressed that I managed to get myself into a fender bender last night—that was my fault! I know I was trying too hard to please everyone—poor Syd is bored (all her friends are in Europe!!!) and while I worked, she spent the entire day home alone, so I promised that after work (after a deadline-crazed/email-filled/stressful day) that I would take her back to school shopping when it was honestly the last thing in the world I wanted to do. We got into a fight in American Eagle (she didn’t like any of the clothes I picked out and she says I “embarrassed” her) – and the next thing I knew, I was backing up into the fender of another car.

It wasn’t horrible—but after the root canal bills I’ve had this month (another fun thing to add to What I did this summer) not to mention the defensive driving course I took ALL day Sunday and the $125 ticket I recently had to pay (I swear: it’s mostly mothers who get speeding tickets because we’re trying to do for everyone and get them there on time), knowing that I might have to shell out MORE money for an accident put me deeper in the hole. In other words, I was in one SHITTY mood.

All of which leads to what’s GOOD about being an adult: I was so frazzled, I came home and dished up two huge scoops of ice cream for dinner. Syd, on the other hand, had soup. Thank god for canned food since Mark came home from work just as he left: with seemingly no worries. (Though, thanks to Mark for not yelling at me when he saw the car.)

Sorry. Am ranting today. But it’s been one of those months….just feel sometimes that I’m better at my job than I am at being a wife and mother..and that makes me upset..because it’s my  job that stresses me out (or that I allow to stress me out) which in turn, makes me lash out at my family. It’s days like this, I wish I could move to a part of the country that was more laid-back. Heck, at this point, I don’t think scooping ice cream would be all bad…if it paid the bills. At least I could leave my work at work and go home and deal with home without the added aggravation.