While I push my Graco (the Honda Accord of the stroller world) and O's in mismatched Old Navy t-shirt and shorts.

It's funny the messages this stuff sends. I feel like our stroller (a Maclaren) needs a sign saying, "Grandma bought it," because it's by far the poshest bit of baby gear we own. We really do get totally different looks from other parents if I happen to have Annabel in the sling (transforming me to Granola Mommy) or the cheapo stroller (earning looks of vague pity).

ION, I'll be glad when a certain news story disappears of the radar altogether. It's disconcerting to hear one's not-that-common last name everywhere from TDS to Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me.

And vw, I'd personally be wary about giving up my entire weekends like that, but I'd say it depends on you--if it'd be less stressful to kind of keep school and work separate, a weekend job might be better, because you wouldn't be juggling your class schedule around it, etc.

Susan, I can only imagine how that news item is affecting you. It pings me each time I hear it.

Cashmere, think of the park as basic training for dealing with other mothers when Owen gets to school. It's a funny world out there in kiddieland. We have one mother (she has children in Ben and Julia's house), who I have only seen a handful of times without her cell phone attached to her ear. She and her h have split, and their 1.something million dollar house is on the market. She usually doesn't deign to exit her Lincoln Navigator (or whatever Lincoln's SUV is), even to wait with her little girl. We have supermoms who always look like they just finished modeling for JJ Jill. We have the happy, peppy, PTO moms who really do run the school (and that's a compliment--I'm grateful to them, because I don't have to). We have slackers moms like me. And we have the just-a-little-different moms--some of whom seem very cool, and some of whom seem odd. Julia has decided she is in love with the son of the one mother I've been tempted to run down with my car (only because she could single-handedly cause a traffic jam, even if she was the only car in a 10 mile radius on a 4 lane highway. She may well be a lovely woman, otherwise).

Oh, vw. I meant to post this before. What Susan said. Also, I don't suppose any church you're interested in has a Sunday night service?

because you wouldn't be juggling your class schedule around it, etc.

Yeah...this is a tough one. I have my pros/cons list here, and it really is about equal. Usually when I do that exercise it shows me definitively which way I should go. So, I sent off a cover letter/resume to them. If nothing else, it could be a good interview practice. We'll see what happens.

It's funny the messages this stuff sends. I feel like our stroller (a Maclaren) needs a sign saying, "Grandma bought it," because it's by far the poshest bit of baby gear we own. We really do get totally different looks from other parents if I happen to have Annabel in the sling (transforming me to Granola Mommy) or the cheapo stroller (earning looks of vague pity).

It's totally weird! I tend to pick gear based on how it works for me and how sturdy it looks--followed by affordability. I read From Here to Maternity last week and it's made me laughingly notice things that I hadn't noticed before about the Mommy status symbols. Not even when I was shopping for O's stuff or registering for the baby shower.

Also, I don't suppose any church you're interested in has a Sunday night service?

Park Street has two Sunday evening services...they're at 4 and 5. I wouldn't be able to make it to either of them. I thought that Vineyard had a Saturday evening service, but it looks like it doesn't. I must have made that up. Oh, actually, looks like Park Street does have a 6pm service on Sundays. That could work...Hmmmm...

All my gear that people saw came from my baby shower. I didn't register or anything, so I had an unmatched mish-mash of stuff. I think our stroller was from Play-Skool. It converted from a baby carriage to a stroller. Once we were in serious-sitting up age, I bought an umbrella-style stroller from the now defunct Ames for about ten bucks. I used the diaper bags I got from people, and not one of them went with anything else I had. Eventually, I abandoned them for a tote bag I got free from LL Bean or some place like that. On the upside, nobody could accuse me of thinking of my kids as accessories to my outfits.

It's totally weird! I tend to pick gear based on how it works for me and how sturdy it looks--followed by affordability.

Isn't it, though? I pick which stroller to use or carry the sling totally based on what's practical for the circumstances, so it cracks me up to know I'm giving off a totally different vibe just because I hate waiting on elevators at the ballpark (hence the sling rather than the stroller) or don't want to trust the fancy stroller to the tender mercies of an airline (hence the cheapo stroller).

Oh, Park Street. They've always had a great name, around here. Where's there a Vineyard near you? Are you open to a charismatic church? I'm only asking because that's my impression of Vineyard congregations, not because I have any problem with them.