Local woman pens guide for stay-at-home moms

Melissa Stanton never set out to be a stay-at-home mother.

It just sort of happened as the result of a confluence of events — her husband taking an out-of-state job, her own long commute to a high-pressure New York magazine editing job, and the Sept. 11 terror attacks.

'I woke up one day and said, ‘You know what? That's it. I need to live a different life,'?' she said.

Ms. Stanton, who now lives in Davidsonville, admits she didn't know quite what she was getting into when she left the workforce. But she's gained a lot of experience and is determined to pass it on to other...