With the ever growing popularity of social networks and communities like those of Circle of Moms, many moms are making virtual friends with people they never would have met in real life — referred to online as "IRL."

Some moms even say they have more online friends then IRL friends. And many find that their online relationships become essential, such as Circle of Moms member Cathy S., who reports, “My Internet friendships are as real to me as my real life ones.”

But can virtual friends play the same role in our lives as “real” friends? It depends on who you ask.

How Do You Know on Online Friendship is Real?

Here are my own stats: I have 329 Facebook friends; 64 “Likes” on one of my professional Facebook pages, and 974 followers on Twitter. That doesn’t even touch on other forums I belong to, or social media sites like Google+ and Pinterest.

This is my reality, virtual or not. Most of my work and social networking is done online, so a lot of my professional interactions are online as well. Are these people my actual friends? I'm with Circle of Moms member Krista E., who believes that physical proximity isn't always mandatory for friendship. That said, I do think a real friend is someone whose presence and personality you can confirm, so I don't consider all of the people I'm "connected" to online as real friends. I disagree with a Circle of Moms member named Teresa, who gives every online interaction the benefit of the doubt. As she explains it, “there certainly are some fake profiles, fake stories, and many exaggerations, but I always respond [with] the idea that it's real. If it's fake... who have I harmed?”

Unfortunately, people can be harmed by fake friends. Take for example, all the people who have been fooled and wronged by Internet hoaxes like the recent Warrior Eli cancer hoax or the many kids who have been bullied online.

What Online Friends Offer That IRL Ones Can't

Despite this, I answer member Katherine C.’s question “Do some of your best friends live in your computer?” with a resounding “Yes!” A lot of my virtual friends are colleagues. We share the same interests and a respect and understanding for each other’s work.

Over the years, in various groups, forums, and email exchanges, these people and I have also learned about one another’s families, illnesses, financial worries, and other real-life concerns. We’ve formed an online network of support. No one cares whether I’m in my pajamas while I write (I’m not at the moment) or whether I’m twenty-two or sixty-two (I’m in between).

As Circle of Moms member Tam B. explains, “Coming to a place like this is the virtual equivalent [of] going to a social gathering, albeit without the hassle of having to make oneself presentable.”

Perhaps virtual friends are more supportive because they’re not distracted by the mundane things mom Katie H. mentions — such as whether your house is clean, or when the babysitter needs to go home.

Or maybe, as Kylie H. points out, the lack of face-to-face contact allows people to “be funny and confident. . . when in reality they are shy and quiet and would never say those things to your face.”

There was a time when I tried to pare down my innermost thoughts to 140 characters, or when, if I said something funny, I thought to myself, “That so has to be my Facebook status!” But I’ve gotten past that novelty. I have IRL friends I can tell my jokes to.

On the whole, though, it’s my online friends who I turn to for emotional support. Statistically, with such a large pool of people from all over the globe, more of them have problems, joys, and concerns that are similar to mine.

Are virtual friends the same as IRL friends? Well, no, but that doesn’t mean the friendships aren’t real. To paraphrase mom Cathy S., you can create online friendships with like-minded people you might never have had the chance to meet in real life.

Image Source: Courtesy of Amanda Morin

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, POPSUGAR.

Although working from home has its perks — no commute, private bathroom, and homemade meals — there are definitely more distractions. Don't let anything derail you from your focus. Here's how to stay on track when you're working at home:

Don't work all over your home. Just because you can, don't do your work on the sofa, then switch to the bed, then maybe mosey over to the dining table. You need to keep yourself focused, and doing work all over your home can distract you from your task. Further, the lines between your personal and work life can get blurry if you don't designate a working spot. It's really important to create an office space at home.

Don't go chore-crazy. Sure, your boss isn't around to see you wash your dirty dishes, but you should still try to limit the amount of chores you do and errands you run. They can easily take up a lot of time. You can save the more time-consuming ones for after you clock out.

Don't start a leisure activity. Even if you're going to limit it to your lunch break, try not to start an activity that can potentially eat up a lot of your day, such as watching TV or starting on a new book. You may be tempted to continue and finish it to the end, and you won't notice the time flying by.

A lot has happened since my daughter Matilda was born last year. (Wow, a year already. Man, it flies!) I've been a singer most of my life, but I stepped down from performing on the Las Vegas Stage so that I could stay home, raise her, and not miss one single minute. But I think I have a weird type of virus — an entrpreneurial type. For some reason, I can't just sit and veg. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but I can't seem to make it happen.

When Matilda was born I launched my blog, which some of you aleady know about because it is a Circle of Moms Top 25 Tech Mom Blog. (Very cool and it's been a major ride ever since.) That made me begin thinking: Many times we parents don't want to get our hopes up too high or dream big because...what if we fail? But I'm reminded of all the successful people who paved their way to millions on the back of their failures, plural.

I was also thinking about how our babies mimic every little thing we do. Tonight, for instance, I taught Matilda how to brush her two little teeth. Just from watching me swoosh the brush left to right she was able to do the same thing. Cute — but more importantly, it made me realize that as a parent, I need to avoid tellng her one thing and doing another. Afterall, she's always watching.

So here's what I'm saying: If you tell your children that they can grow up and be and do anything they want, but meanwhile they know that you have a dream that you didn't follow, don't expect them to follow theirs either. Children are very perceptive. As parents, if we are going to tell them, "Hey baby, when you grow up you can be the President, a doctor, or anything else in the world you want to be," well then moms, we need to do the same! So I'm just nudging you a little and saying, if you had a dream that you hid away a long time ago, why don't you get down that old box, blow the dust off of it, let your dream breathe and get new life? Don't just tell your kids that they can be anything in the world they want to be; show them they can be anything they want to be — by your example.

Image Source: Angela Mcguire

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, POPSUGAR.

According to a new study, telecommuting is on the rise. In fact, 56 percent of decision makers at US companies think that working from home makes employees more productive and 53 percent of CFOs plan on increasing telecommuting options at their companies. If you're part of the lucky population that is or soon will be allowed to work remotely, be sure to follow these tips for maximizing your home office and making sure you're following proper coffee shop office etiquette!

At Home

• Have a designated work area — The couch may be comfy, but working while hunched over on your sofa isn't the best idea for your posture. Get a real desk, or at least work at the dining table so you can prevent a sore neck and back later on down the road.
• Keep a clean workspace — Speaking of a designated workspace, there's nothing more distracting than working amongst cords, cables, papers, dirty coffee cups, and whatever else happened to land on your desk while you weren't working. Start the day off right with a clutter-free environment by making a point to clean off your desk at the end of each workweek. Monday mornings will thank you.
• Ready, set, share — Set up a file sharing service with your teammates so you can keep on top of document changes while you're working. Dropbox and Box.net are both great services for sharing documents and files between groups.
• Consider dual monitors — More desktop real estate equals more productivity. Since you've got a good desk, you might as well make the most of things by allowing yourself more monitor space to see your incoming emails, web browser, chat windows, and spreadsheets all at once. No more clicking around, searching for the right window!
• Set your schedule — Schedules aren't there to make your life miserable — they actually help get things accomplished. Be sure that your working hours are clear with your boss (even better if they're flexible to start and end times), and take regular breaks to stretch.
• Communicate often — If instant message is your preferred form of communication, be sure you're available during your working hours, and remember to set the "away" notification when you've stepped out. This will be a big help for your co-workers who may be looking for you.
• Keep track of expenses — If you're freelancing or building your own business, be sure to document and save receipts for purchases. You can usually write off expenses for computer equipment, Internet access, and even part of your rent if you work from home. I recommend scanning all of your receipts and storing them in a cloud-based locker so if by chance your paper files get damaged, you'll always have a digital copy. Same goes for any important documents you need.

Planning on posting it up at your favorite coffee shop? Some etiquette tips you may want to keep in mind after the break.

There are tons of perks to working from home: the short commute from bedroom to home office, limited exposure to germs from coughing co-workers, and taking calls in your PJs. These perks are great, but when it comes to your health, working from home could be your downfall. You may be tempted to snack all day long since your kitchen is steps away. It's also tough to motivate yourself to leave your comfy house to exercise. Here are some suggestions for working from home without gaining weight.

• Wake up and put on your sports bra and sneaks. Wearing exercise gear (instead of your cozy jammies) will motivate you to work out.
• Schedule a time to exercise and stick to it. Write it down in your planner and think of your workout as an appointment you can't miss. If it's tough to break away once your work day begins, exercise before work. Better yet, make a fitness date with a neighbor so you won't be tempted to sleep in.
• Take regular breaks from work to do some strength training moves and stretches. Keep a set of weights and a yoga mat in your home office. Since no one is around, you won't feel silly doing some bicep curls or Sun Salutations.
• If you have more than one bathroom, use the one that's the farthest away, preferably one that's on a different floor so you have to climb stairs. A few extra steps throughout the day really start to add up.

Keep reading for more tips.

Circle of Moms member Jennyfer S. says she's feeling the summertime babysitter blues: "I'm jealous that my sitter is watching the baby." And Stephanie S. says she feels like she's missing out on the prime playtime hours of summer, and "hates that by the time I get home after eight hours it's bed time."

It's summertime and the weather is fine, but you're trapped at work while a babysitter or other caregiver is soaking up all the fun with your children at the pool, or filling in for you at play dates. If you're feeling a little envious, it may be comforting to know that you're not alone, as these Circle of Moms members and a national survey from Care.com demonstrate.

According to the survey's findings, a majority of parents--58 percent--reported feeling envious of their babysitters during the summertime, frequently, often or sometimes, while nearly 11 percent said they always felt envious.

As Wendy Sachs, editor in chief of Care.com says, "When my babysitter texts me that she's at the pool with my kids eating ice cream and I am at work, I've felt envious. You want your babysitter to be enthusiastic about playing outdoors and going to the pool, but parents want to be there too. After all, it's summer."

Visions of sandcastles, swings and ice cream cones dripping down t-shirts cause working moms to want more from their babysitters during the summer. Sixty-six percent of parents expect caregivers to "be outside, playing in the park, going to the zoo, and planning more," says Care.com's Sachs, adding that this only increases their feelings of remorse for not being there themselves.

To stave off the guilt, here are a few creative solutions for keeping your cool at work while your kids are out having fun this summer, gathered from Circle of Moms members and Care.com's Sachs.

1. Enlist your "momtourage": Sachs recommends maximizing your summer flex-time and vacation days by rounding up working moms of similarly-aged children in your neighborhood and alternating care or trips to the pool on assigned days. Circle of Moms member Diane B. says when her kids were little and she was working part-time during summers, she rallied with other part-time moms in the neighborhood to take shifts during the days they were off. "We set up a neighborhood 'Science Club," she says. "We would make toothpaste, homemade ice cream, leaf rubbings, etc. We would get the neighborhood kids together, and they really enjoyed themselves. So did we." Knowing that she was spending some time with her kids and that her kids were with other moms helped ease the summer working blues, she says.

2. Let your kids chill: You don't have to schedule every minute of every day for your kids (and then feel guilty that you aren't there for each moment), says Sachs.

3. Create flexible hours: With some creative juggling, self-employed moms can find a little more flexibility in their schedules for summertime fun, suggests Courtney L., a mom of four who also runs a family businesss with her husband out of their home. She takes her kids on neighborhood adventures to the pool or park, and then works longer hours in the early morning or later at night to get her work done. Otherwise, she laments, they're "glued to a television or computer" while she works.

4. Consider summer school and camps: During the summer, you're less likely to be envious of camp counselors than you are of a babysitter who would be spending one-on-one time with your kids, says Sachs. It's also comforting to know your child is engaged in fun or educational activities all day long, as they are during the school year.

5. Take a vacation: "Unfortunately, I will be working all summer, " says Grenita, a mom of three year-old twins. "But we are going to take a road trip to Atlanta, and that combined with their ballet lessons hopefully will make summer fun for them."

6. Enjoy your own summer: Most importantly, try to take some summertime moments for yourself to just breathe and soak it in, says Tracy B. who works full time. And especially during the summer, says Rene A., "don't stress if the house is messy," and treat yourself to an dinner-in at least occasionally to make the most out of your time with your kids after work.

Image Source: South West RDA via Flickr/CreativeCommons

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, POPSUGAR.

The school nurse just called you at work. Aidan has a fever. You have to come pick him up from elementary school.

Yesterday it was the daycare that called. Kayla, your toddler, was puking in technicolor. You had to go pick her up and take her home.

You are not making progress at work. Your co-workers give you that knowing smile that barely masks their irritation. You wonder if you'll have a job to come back to the next day.

Logically, we all know that kids get sick. But emotionally speaking, getting that dreaded call can leave you feeling alienated from your job and frustrated with the demands placed upon you.

Turns out you are not alone.

According to the National Association for Sick Child Daycare, working mothers are absent from their jobs anywhere from five to 29 days per year because they are caring for ill children. The organization further estimates that among dual-working families, more than 350,000 children below the age of 15 are too sick to attend school or daycare on any given work day.

For every one of these under-the-weather kiddos, there is a mom (or a dad) who must leave their job, push off their work responsiblities, and head home to play nurse maid.

Yes, it's just part of the parenting gig. But it also can side track a career and cause tension on the job.

As it turns out, this "on-call" medical responder role falls more into mom's lap than it does into dad's.

According to the results of a 2007 University of Cincinnati study by sociology professor David Maume, 78 percent of women reported that they are the ones taking time off from work to stay home with an ill child versus only 28 percent of men whom indicated that they are just as likely to do so.

In the study, the work habits of more than 1,400 working mothers and fathers were analyzed to determine which gender most often left work to tend to a sick child.

"There has been almost no change in men's priorities," reports Professor Maume. "Men put work first, and women weave or adapt their work around the family."

That is how it works in Circle of Moms member Sarah M.'s household:

"I'm the one who calls in sick if the kids are ill," she writes in the Debating Mums community. "Always, without exception."

Sarah M. said her husband is much more "needed" at his workplace than she is at hers and that if she has to stay with sick children during the day, she can make up her hours in the evening once he comes home.

Laura S., also a member of the Debating Mums community, tells a similar story.

Her retail job pays far less than her husband's engineering position.

"He gets paid a percentage of what he bills out so if he doesn't work, he doesn't get paid," she shares. "Plus he doesn't handle sick kids very well."

Not all moms have even have a partner to potentially rely upon.

Tania B. is a single mom whose son has been repeatedly ill.

"I was wondering how others handle this," she asks in the Single Moms community. "I don't want to put my job at risk. Are there supports in place for moms like us?"

Turns out that single moms may be ahead of the curve on this one. When you're the only parent, you're forced to develop just the kind of support system Tania B. is asking about. And when that's the case, as single mom Jennifer D., explains, help may be just a friend away: "I am back up for my friends when that happens and they are back up for me. Can you develop a system like that? It depends on whose day off it is."

Image Source: Marc van der Chijs via Flickr/Creative Commons

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, POPSUGAR.

When I hear the phrase “multi-tasking mom,” I get a mental picture of one of the moms in my running group who arrives at the track at 5:30 a.m. announcing she’s already folded two loads of laundry, put dinner in the Crock Pot, and packed both her daughter’s school bag and her after-school soccer cleats and uniform.

Working her Blackberry and phoning wake-up calls to the abovementioned seven-year-old, she effortlessly jogs three miles around the track. She sprints off to shower and head to her daytime corporate exec gig. Meanwhile, I’m left gasping and exhausted, not so much by the workout as I am by the thought of keeping up with this multi-tasking Alpha mom. If only I could.

I used to aspire to be that woman—but I recently discovered what I really am: a "frazzer."

"Frazzing" is a new term coined by Edward Hallowell, the "distraction guru," and it's short for "frantic multitasking." It refers to “frantic, ineffective multitasking, typically with the delusion that you are getting a lot done," Hallowell said when he introduced the concept at the the Australian International Education Conference earlier this year. It's become a buzzword for stressed out execs, but mom bloggers have co-opted it to describe the crazy everyday juggling that's also par for the course in motherhood.

If my own experience is any indication, "frazzing" fits us moms perfectly. And as if to prove the point, a group of Circle of Moms community members in the Debating Moms group held a lively and good-humored bragging contest last December, one-upping one another with dazzling feats of manic mom multi-tasking.

For self-proclaimed multi-tasker extraordinaire Loureen K. the competition heats up on the baby front. “I breastfed my baby in a sling while walking, leading the dog, and chasing a toddler."

For working mom Jackie R. the multi-tasking proving ground is her daily commute: “I drove to work the other day (45 minute drive) in the rain holding a coffee mug that wouldn't fit in a cup holder in one hand (because i ran out of travel mugs) and a smoke in the other, all while driving a stick shift.... top that!"

And Amanda P. boasts: “I can get myself a cup of coffee while filling all four kids’ bowls with cereal and milk, while dragging out the bench with my foot, than using my elbow to open and shut the fridge for milk and using my pinky finger to grab it." She does all this with an almost two year-old “clinging to my leg, my seven-year-old shouting for his shoes for school, my four-year-old screaming she needs to go potty NOW and needs help, and my almost three-year-old whimpering that Dora isn't on. That's my morning. Daily.”

Pretty heavy lifting! But are any moms out there discovering, like me, that all of this multi-tasking is leaving you...frazzed?

Image Source: Courtesy of Ordisway via Flickr/Creative Commons

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, POPSUGAR.

Want to work from home? We've all seen the hype:

Earn full-time salary with only part-time hours!

Have more time for your children!

Work your business around your busy schedule!

This perfect job for moms.

It's hard not to be lured in. But those of us who have taken the bait only to find ourselves quickly sucked into a scam have some wisdom to share.

Getting Suckered

"As easy as it is to see through these come-ons, sadly, bad guys rope more than three million consumers into bogus distributorships, work-at-home plans, franchises, pyramid schemes, and business opportunity scams each year," writes Jeff Blyskal, author of the article Work-At-Home Schemes Don't Pay published in the online edition of Consumer Reports.

With economic uncertainties only increasing, many moms are looking for extra income and being duped in the process.

"The economy is bad right now, (and) scammers are going to new lows to try and get people to hand over their cash," posts Shahala V. in the Money Saving Tips community.

Unfortunately, she speaks the truth. Many of the "opportunities" being presented in today's market place are not legitimate pathways to steady earnings.

Scams on the Rise

In fact, there are more scams than ever.

In a 2008 Business Week article, author Karen E. Klein interviewed Christine Durst, the co-founder and chief executive officer of Staffcentrix, a training and development company providing career services to the U.S. State Department and various branches of the U.S. Armed Forces.

"When you're sending jobs leads to the (U.S.) State Department, you do not want to inadvertently send scams," she stated in the article Scanning for Scammers Before You Buy In. "So we developed a kind of sixth sense about what opportunities are legitimate and which are not."

Durst said that in 2005, her company found a 30-to-1 scam ratio among the job listings they gathered. Just three years later in 2008, that ratio had increased to 48-to-1.

1. Don't Pay to Play

Luckily, several Circle of Moms members have developed and shared their expertise in sorting out the real deals from the rip-offs.

Many opportunities require that you front startup costs. "Everything else (that seems legit) seems to cost money to start, which is hard to do when you don't have it," laments Misty J. in the Twins community. And yet there's always a new round of takers:

"I tried one about processing rebates from home," writes Molly J. on the Circle of Moms Welcome Page. "It was around $300. RIP OFF. They send you a bunch of emails and offer support to keep you on the hook, but it's really a scam."

She said the work-at-home offer she selected in the end really had "nothing to do with processing rebates, but it's all about advertising crap on the web and getting people to buy it."

Buying "it" was exactly what Tresie S. ended up doing.

"While you are conducting your search, you have to be careful about scams. In 2003, when I began my search for work from home, I got scammed out of over $500. You name it, I've probably done it," she posts in the Work At Home Moms community.

Tresie S.'s experience points to the first warning sign of a likely rip-off, say consumer advocates.

"If someone wants you to make an advance payment to 'get in' on the ground floor of a new business opportunity, this is a big red flag. Don't do it," is the advice from the Better Business Bureau in a staff-written blog post (10 Ways to Spot Work at Home Scams).

Yvette G. agrees: "I've been looking to work from home, but everyone wants money. That has always been a red alert for me," she comments in the Working From Home Changes Lives community.

2. Avoid Certain Types of Businesses

Katherine C. is the moderator for the Work At Home Moms community. She posted a thread Important Information For Starting Out in which she lists work-at-home jobs to avoid. Her list includes assembly work, envelope stuffing, home typing, setting appointments, online (only) businesses, and processing medical claims.

She also suggests not buying lists of companies that "hire home workers."

"The simple reality is that these lists are often just compiled from the telephone book and many of the companies on them don't even know they're on such a list," Katherine C. advises. "And, the real kicker: Most of these companies don't even hire home-based workers."

Rather, she suggests, "settle on a product or service that you can get passionate about."

3. Do a Background Check

Then, do some time-consuming research. Compare compensation plans, learn the company history, and verify that it has a clean business record, she says.

"Read the policies and procedures manual," she encourages. "I know this sounds super boring but generally if it's a good manual, it should be in layman's terms. If it's a bunch of legal jargon, then my guess is the company is betting on people not reading it."

Legitimate companies are forthcoming with information regarding their activities and histories.

"Usually scam companies do not talk about their credentials," writes Sherry M. in the Work At Home Moms community. "They should have a verifiable story with years of service and features in publications such as the Wall Street Journal for example. There should be several organizations that will proudly back them up."

A legitimate at-home job also realistic in its estimates of the income you can earn.

"If someone is promising large sums of money for little to no work, or better yet, something quite simplistic, then avoid it," advises Shahala V. in the Money Saving Tips community. "If this were true, most of us would be millionaires by now."

Have any tips to add? Weigh in below.

(For more tips on how to avoid scams, check out the following articles at the Federal Trade Commission's website: Looking to Earn Extra Income? Here's How to Avoid Bogus Business Opportunity Offers and Facts for Consumers: Work-at-home Schemes. The Ripoff Report is another excellent online source for the consumer point of view on various companies.)

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, POPSUGAR.