Not sugarcoating motherhood

Woodmere native writes about regaining your pre-baby mind, body and mojo

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Woodmere native Lyss Stern takes the stance that motherhood is not easy. That appears to be the message of her second book, “Motherhood is a B#tch!: 10 Steps to Regaining Your Sanity, Sexiness, and Inner Diva,” which was released in April.

The book’s foreword was written by star of the Bravo network’s comedy series “Odd Mom Out,” Jill Kargman, and Stern had her friend and New York Times Children’s Bestseller Sheryl Berk helped her to write the rest of the book.

“I wanted a book that didn’t sugarcoat motherhood,” said Stern, who summered in Atlantic Beach, attended Syracuse University and now lives in New York City.

She’s a columnist who’s been featured in the New York Sun and Cookie Magazine, has her own newsletter, the DivaLysst, which is published on DivaMoms.com, a network and events company for which she is the chief executive officer. It caters to mothers who seek to maintain their glamorous pre-child lifestyle.

The idea for the second book was spawned during a conversation Berk and Stern had over coffee. “After the birth of her third child I noticed she wasn’t her usual vivacious self,” Berk said. “She was frustrated and down … She wanted to get back to the woman she once was.”

“Motherhood is hard,” Stern said, “It’s important to take time for yourself.” In her book she documents ways the ways to “reclaim your pre-baby body, mind and mojo.”

Stern’s editor, Brooke Rockwell couldn’t wait to work with her after reviewing her pitch. “Lyss writes honestly about motherhood, letting all the moms out there know that those perfectly posed pictures on social media are just that,” Rockwell said. “You don’t see the dirty dishes in the sink, the piles of laundry or the crayon writing on the wall.”

Rockwell believes that the book features important advice for taking care of yourself, not only your children. “And best of all, she tells mothers it’s okay to say no,” she said, “and that it’s important to make the time to take care of themselves.”

Stern co-wrote her first book, “If You Give a Mom a Martini … 100 Ways to find 10 Blissful Minutes for Yourself” with Julie Klappas and each of the 100 tips come from different moms, including celebrities such as Christie Brinkley and Kelly Ripa.

She’s also currently working on a children’s book based on her daughter and a scripted comedy called “#NanaDoll” that she and her sister, Samantha Kreitzer-Dyer, have based on their mother. She and Berk also have plenty of work left over they couldn’t include in this edition, and they may write several sequels or possibly a treatment for a television series.

As for “Motherhood is a B#tch!” Stern is living proof of her message’s effectiveness, according to Berk. “I watched her follow her own advice,” she said. “She looks amazing, feels healthy and happy, and she is so empowered … You read it and you instantly feel, ‘I can do this, too.’”

“Motherhood is a B#tch!” is available on Amazon.com