One sometimes magical solution, guaranteed to give me a lift, is "Step Aside" from their album One Beat. The steady beat and lyrics like the ones above and these, "This mama works till her back is sore/But the baby's fed and the tunes are pure," bring the kids running into the kitchen for a dance party, and the acknowledgment in song of my mama exhaustion is often enough to "pick me off the floor."

Other songs this mama loves on One Beat include "Far Away," a song about the morning of 9/11, which starts, "7:30 am nurse the baby on the couch/then the phone rings/ 'turn on the T.V.'" and "Sympathy," a song Tucker wrote after her son spent time in the NICU after his premature birth, in which she sings, "How angry I would be/If you'd taken him away/I wish I was wiser but instead/I'll be grateful I'll say thanks/for the joy for the love for the smile on his face/I'd beg you on bended knees for him."

For more on Sleater-Kinney, One Beat, and their newest album, The Woods, check out their website.

What music keeps you going? We want to hear! Send in your favorites to contact@mamazine.com.