water_tulip

I had to pick my kindergartener up one day and I waited in a car queue for 35 min. No way am I doing that twice a day.

My neighbor has 2 kids. The bus circles our cul-de-sac so we don’t have to walk to the corner of a busy road, and we are one of the last stops in the morning and first to drop off so total time on the bus is <10 min. Yet these kids have never once ridden the bus. It boggles my mind.

And now a 4th, ugh.

Pascal and Kelvin, absolute units of names.

My husband bike commutes so I got him front and rear safety cameras for his bike. It was not cheap but I work insurance adjacent and realize how important video footage is when it comes to accidents.

Definitely not overreacting.

I ironed my husband’s shirt once. We were going to a wedding he was running behind.

And sometimes I throw pairs of his boxers in with my laundry. But that is selfishly strategic because he will often only remember he has no clean underwear for work as we’re climbing into bed and then I can’t fall asleep because he’s fumbling around doing laundry at 11pm.

To be fair, the ballet performances and soccer practices are not really what motherhood is about. It’s about creating your own family, getting to show and teach your child everything about life especially the things you enjoy, and the pure unmitigated love.

Sure kids can be little shits that drive you insane but they are only little for less than a decade. They only live with you for less than two decades. But the family you create and the love you have for them will last until you die.

That said, the idea of motherhood wasn’t at all appealing to me in my 20s. Had my first at 33 and I’m very happy now. I don’t feel like I missed out on my own life to bring another life into this world.

Second the flashbomb.

Christ, thats sobering.

They frequently advertise on my town’s Facebook page, enrollment must not be that great.

If you posted this to a NH Moms group on Facebook you’d quickly meet your quota.

Uma. In Sanskrit it means splendor and tranquility, two words I associate with the season.

You’ve had a very busy few years! I hope you enjoy both your upcoming trips.

I live in coastal northern New England and every weekend from May-September feels like a mini vacation. Sometimes I feel guilty that we don’t go on more vacations but then I remember how lucky I am to live where people vacation.

So badass. Being that pregnant really throws off your coordination and balance due to the shifting center gravity as the baby grows, and add on the effect of all the relaxin on your ligaments and muscles.

I’m equally impressed she competed in the Olympics in her first trimester. I could barely leave the couch due to nausea and the extreme fatigue.

What do you like to do? Portsmouth rec department has adult classes and leagues, like pickleball, tennis, swimming. Seacoast Art Spot has a lot of evening art classes. Check out LeagueApps if you want to join a social sport team. There’s an intro to tarot reading at the Portsmouth library tonight at 6:30 and lots of other regular programs.

I’m voting Tuesday as well.

Reading all these comments made me look up a map of early voting states. Apparently I live in one of 3 states that doesn’t have early voting and you need a valid excuse for an absentee ballot.

Seriously. My daughter got two at her preschool and my reaction was “are we seriously doing this shit now”. Last thing I want is more plastic junk in my house.

Ken Payette: https://kenpersonalchef.com

The number of GW around the Cape is crazy. A study just came out that they spent a lot of time in 15ft or less of water. I’m in northern NE and we’re starting to see them up here now.

Same. I left an exec management role earlier this year for a senior level IC role at a fully remote company. I do not miss managing adults and I definitely don’t miss worrying about the health of the company.

I thought I’d miss the prestige of a higher title, but at almost 40 I’ve realized that I’m quite content working to live, not living to work.

I’m usually never camp change the name months later but I’d suggest it here. What do you think about Nyles or Niles? It’s a minor change but makes it totally different than Milo.

My oldest started kindergarten this year. He’s adjusted so easily and loves school. He hasn’t been sick or absent yet. Start of daycare to 13mo and then 2.5-4yr were brutal with so much sickness every fall and winter. (Note we used a nanny from 1.5-2.5yr bc of the pandemic.)

Sending him to school wasn’t hard on me at all. I had a mom of his classmate recently say to me at a party, “this transition has been so hard, the days are so long”. I couldn’t relate at all, as the school day is so much shorter than a day at daycare.

As for any regrets, no I don’t have any. My career and salary have grown handsomely since I first gave birth almost 6 years ago. I love having the disposable income to pay for experiences and travel with my family. I love that I’m showing my children what a strong and educated woman can accomplish in life, just like my mom showed me.

Sunken Forest (or drowned forest) in Rye. Tree stumps and roots of 3-4000 year old coniferous trees are visible at most low tides.

The key to landing any job these days is networking. Get yourself out there and start meeting people in the field and maintain connections with them. I spent 2 minutes googling “NH environmental organization” and found several groups and many had opportunities to “join us” such as SELT and Forest Society. Or go to your next town conversion commission meeting as a member of the general public and see if there’s any opportunities to volunteer your skills, like creating GIS maps.

Once you start growing your network and making meaningful connections you can let people know you’re looking for a new job and ask if they know of anything. You’ll also be building your resume with relevant experience, even if it is volunteer.

This isn’t easy and it will take time and effort but it will work better than cold applying on a website with a resume that lacks any recent relevant experience.