About Autumn (Collins) Burger

Anyone that's lived in, or even been to, Cleveland, Ohio, knows that there are two sides of the city: The Eastside and The Westside. Not a native of Northeast Ohio, I moved to the Westside in 2004 and took up residence in a large suburban house full of windows.

After 3.5 years of "happy" suburban marriage, my husband and I filed for a dissolution and I moved to The Eastside suburb of University Heights, where the houses are smaller but older and charming, and the man of my dreams ended up already having two small children. Even in my child-free suburban life, I was a total "Martha." I cooked, baked, entertained, had an eye for decorating, and sewed pillow shams and purses in my spare time.

Surely, already being a suburban valedictorian, I would turn out to be the quintessential stepmom. Hmmm... enter the 4-year-old and the 2-year-old. I should start by saying that I have it pretty good when it comes to the rugrats. They are generally respectful, smart, funny, and perfect for cuddling. What I wasn't used to, however, was my cooking being called "yucky," my craft ideas being tossed up (literally) into the air, and my efforts to keep the house tidy and visually pleasing thwarted by trucks, trains, doll parts and used wet wipes.

I see this new chapter as a time to reinvent the suburban smartypants I thought that I was. I have to work harder sometimes to feel just "good enough," but I know that I can still bake the fluffiest cake you've ever tasted. Bring it on, AP-level Suburban Success! You're not going to get me to show up (again) at the wholesale club without mascara and a killer pair of shoes. There are some things that are just sacred out here.