Mom, Published Author and Former NFL Cheerleader Miranda Lobs of Allamuchy has Many Facets

By Sheila Abrams
The Warren Reporter

Miranda Lobs wears many hats. First and foremost, the energetic resident of the Panther Valley community is a wife and a proud stay-at-home mom to three young children.

But demanding as that job is, she doesn’t stop there. She is a psychologist. She is a dancer, She is a former NFL Cheerleader. And, most recently, she has added to her resume the title of published author.

Lobs, a native of Florida, is the author of “What No One Ever Told Me About Motherhood,:” published in 2009 by Tate Publishing. The 148-page paperback is a breezy, light and amusing look at the female side of parenting, from a viewpoint which is also honest, sometimes painfully so.

“I don’t want to scare people,” Lobs said in a recent interview. “But there are things even your best friends don’t tell you beforehand. “

Lobs’ research for the book began with an email survey of friends and acquaintances, asking the question, “What did no one ever tell you about motherhood?” Some of the answers she received are quoted in the book. She also kept a journal during her early days as a stay-at-home mom, and the book ultimately evolved. It was her second book. The first, written while she was still in college and is thus far unpublished, is about dating and relationships.

“Before you have kids,” Lobs said, “you know everything – or at least you think you do. You see other parents with their kids misbehaving in public and you say, ‘That’s never going to be me. My kids will never behave like that.’ And then you have kids and one day you realize that everything is not in your control. Motherhood is nothing if not unpredictable.”

The book includes chapters dealing with becoming a parent, the early days of parenthood, which may not match the idyllic storybook image a new mother has, and then the nitty-gritty of dealing with having young children. A light and amusing book, it looks at issues not from the perspective of the professional, handing down advice from on high, but from that of the real live woman who is living with those issues every day. Practical, realistic and comfortable, it may be very reassuring to the young mother who thinks she’s the only one with these problems. It’s also an amusing look back for someone who has been there herself.

Lobs earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of North Florida, with a major in psychology. Subsequently she earned a Master of Arts with the same major. After college, she worked as a psychologist, conducting psychological testing for clinical trials in the pharmaceutical industry.

A dancer from early childhood, Lobs had taught dance since the age of 16, and was a member of a prize-winning competitive dance team while at college. While working in the field of psychological testing, she decided to try out to become a Cheerleader for the Miami Dolphins football team. Her husband, Josh, was particularly supportive of her efforts because becoming a  Cheerleader would give her access to tickets to Dolphins games.

Out of about 600 women who tried out, Lobs was one of the 40 who were selected. Out of those 40, she eventually became one of 16 who toured as an elite show squad. She enjoyed the experience but resigned after a year, when she learned that she was expecting her first child, Joshua, who is now six.

The Lobs family moved to New Jersey in December 2006, where Josh works for Novartis, a pharmaceuticals firm. Along with Joshua, the household includes Jonathan, 4, and Julia, 2. Lobs’s book speaks honestly about her problems with conceiving her first child, and the surprising ease with which she conceived her younger two, as a caveat to young mothers.not to take anything for granted.

In addition to raising her children, Lobs works as a dance director for the New Jersey Football Classic cheerleading squad. She also continues to write. Information about purchasing ““What No One Ever Told Me About Motherhood” can be found at the website www.mirandalobs.com or at www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore.