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.

What's a charismatic church?

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 choose gear based on Consumer Reports. Thus, we have a Graco Metrolite travel system, and when we do finally get a crib, it'll be the Delta Luv model they selected as their best buy rather than something stunningly attractive and expensive.

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.

Yeah...I've heard good things about Park Street too. I actually even like the looks of their singles' program...and I HATE singles' programs. I didn't realize that Vineyard was charismatic (not that I'm opposed to that either). There's one here in Cambridge. They used to be on the way to BU at a high school, but they just moved into their own building, which is somewhere around Alewife, I think: [link] I HATE their new advertising campaign that they've got on the T, though. It's too pop culture for me. I may be new-fashioned in my thinking, but I'm old-fashioned in my church service liking. I like hymns and stuff. I'm just not into the new contemporary services.

What's a charismatic church?

From Wikipedia: Charismatic is an umbrella term used to describe those Christians who believe that the manifestations of the Holy Spirit seen in the first century Christian Church, such as glossolalia (known as "speaking in tongues"), healing and miracles, are available to contemporary Christians and ought to be experienced and practiced today.

I like hymns and stuff. I'm just not into the new contemporary services.

If that's the case, I doubt you'd like Vineyard. I went to a Vineyard church for about 6 months, and the only time they sang anything traditional was at Christmas.

That said, though they're charismatic, I never felt like there was any pressure that I needed to start speaking in tongues or otherwise seeking the sort of spiritual gifts people of my Baptist-Presbyterian-Anglican bent tend to be wary of. And I have a really great friend who was one of the founding members of the Cambridge Vineyard, and I tend to assume anything with T. on the leadership would be worth trying out. We've drifted out of touch, in the way of people living on opposite ends of I-90 ("You're just down the road, but you never come see us," quoth T.), but I'd be happy to drop him a line to get more info on the church--it'd be an excuse to get back in touch.

but I'd be happy to drop him a line to get more info on the church--it'd be an excuse to get back in touch.

That would be cool. I'm more likely to go check a church out if I "know" someone there...or have someone "looking" for me.

Cool. I'll email him today.