Thank you to everyone who subscribed to Apparently! Even more exciting than the number of subscribers was the robust comment section under my first post. Your participation is ultimately what is going to make this feel like a community as opposed to me just rambling on all the time. In addition to weekly posts, I am also going to have a weekly discussion thread. This is your opportunity to get to know the group.
So. Let’s all introduce ourselves!
In my introduction post, I wrote, “Hi. My name is Ilana. I used to want to be an actress but that dream went up in flames when I developed a terrible case of stage fright right around puberty.”
Tell me where you live, how old your kids are (if you have kids), and then a similar one liner to describe your former self. It can be what you wanted to be when you grew up (whether that came true or not), something you enjoyed doing as a kid or before you had kids, or anything else that feels right to you.
Hi! I'm Allie from the Mommy Shorts team! I grew up on Long Island and then moved to NYC after college but for the last year I've been living in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. When I was little, I told my parents I wanted to be the Statue of Liberty🗽 when I grew up. My ever-supportive parents told me I was going to have to work really, really hard for that one.
Allie, I never realised your last name was "Isnardi". I always thought your username was "Allie is Nardi" and thought it was some sort of inside joke. I have asked myself "I wonder what a nardi is?" multiple times 😁
Hi! I’m Alli and I’m a former teacher turned stay-at-home mom to my now 6 and 4 year old boys. I grew up in the suburbs of NYC and now live in the suburbs of Baltimore. In November I was diagnosed with a genetic condition called a BRCA1 mutation. In the last 6 months I have had a prophylactic hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy as well as a prophylactic bilateral mastectomy. (In non-medical terms I’ve had my uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, cervix and both breasts removed due to my mutation putting me at EXTREMELY high risk for “female cancers”) I still have a few more surgeries left to go and the last 6 months have been a LOT, especially as a young mom with young kids, but through this experience I have learned how amazing my husband truly is and how much I want to be alive for my children. I’ve learned that being an advocate and speaking about my experiences brings me a sense of purpose and hope to eventually work with organizations that help women going through BRCA or cancer procedures.
Good evening! I am Sinéad, we are a nomadic expat family, we have lived in Asia (my husband is still there) for 16 years but because of well, ya know the pandemic, I am back in England for now, because India was just not safe for us, with our son who is 8. He is planning on being a professional football (soccer!) player, when I was 8 I aspired to be the person who put jam in doughnuts. Then when I was 9 I found out a machine did it and my life has never been the same since.
Looking forward to reading all the other responses.
Hi, I'm Erin. Currently living in NJ, but from Vancouver, Canada. I have two teenagers 15 and 17. I'm mostly a stay at home Mum right now, and majority of my time is helping my son battle Leukemia. He's currently in the PICU, with more complications than any one person should have. Shameless plug here... Today is World Blood Donor Day. Please make an appointment if you can, there is a shortage of both blood and platelets. He's needed three transfusions in two days and they don't have enough platelets in his type😔
Hi there! My name is Katie and I live in Bliss, MI. As a true Michigander, I wish I could show you my palm and point to where I live. If you look at your right palm, I live on the edge of the tip of your middle finger, 15 minutes from the top of the peninsula and the Mackinac Bridge. I have one daughter who just turned 11 and is transitioning to Middle School. (Send positive vibes my way!)
As a child I loved to boss my younger brothers around but didn't envision much beyond that as a career. I went to college for Marketing and Logistic Management and fell into being an HR professional. I have seen the very top and bottom this career has to offer. It was after failing at the very top of my career that I realized family was more important than my career. I am no longer an HR Executive but a very happy, content, HR Manager.
Hi I’m Áine (pronounced like on-ya) I’m in Dublin, Ireland. I don’t have kids but love following your page & take inspo for my friends kids and hopefully future me!
Hi there. I’m Ariel, an at-home dad for 13 years and a mod in RAP. I grew up in Naperville and moved back 7 years ago with my wife Shira and our 3 kids. Ilana was kind enough to feature our family in the Wednesday Evenings series. Kiddos range from 13-7.
When I was a kid I wanted to be a teacher or an archeologist.
Everyone told me parenting kids gets easier when they get older. I’m finding out they lied.
I'm Monica, a former people pleaser. I was addicted to making everyone else happy and making sure people liked me. Today I'm working on setting boundaries and making sure I focus on myself. I'm 41 with a blended family including 3 step-kids, 1 of my own, a wonderful husband, great friends, a close family and great job. I doing some discovery on what I want to be doing with my career in 10 years and into retirement. I've been following you since I had my daughter 7 years ago, she's a year younger than Harlow. Looking forward to being a part of this community.
HI! I'm Megan, an exhausted Special Education teacher and mom to a 9 yo daughter and 5 yo boy in the suburbs of Chicago. I have been following you since my daughter was born and she was in the Evil Baby Glare Off contest. How fun! I thought I was going to be a college professor and be this academic wonder instead, I got mad at the issues in education and the students who weren't being served so I went and got a couple of masters' degrees in Special Education to help those kids succeed.
Howdy, I'm Kristen. I live in a suburb north of Houston, Texas. I have a 10 year daughter and an almost 7-year old son. Our family was one featured during the Monday Morning series! Pre-kids me had so much free time that she wasted NOT traveling, being social, getting fit or trying new things.
Hi! My name is Rocio. I turned 30 five days ago. I'm married and don't have kids yet. I live right outside Chicago but have lived exactly half my life here and half in Mexico. I've only been following for the last few months but really love where you're going with this space Ilana. Ever since I was 5 I wanted to be a doctor so I graduated medical school in 2018. But now I'm not so sure that's what I really want to do. I'm currently trying to figure out what I want to do with my life career wise. It's reassuring to see that lots of people grew up wanting to be one thing and now have taken completely different paths. It's ok to change your mind. Nice to 'meet' you all!
Hi! My name is Lorena, I was born in Mexico and grew up in Chicago. Now I'm back in Mexico, married and have two kids, 9 year old daughter and 4 year old son. Currently pregnant with our 3rd. I am a preschool teacher and I absolutely love your writing, you bring me in to every moment you write about.
Hola!!! I'm Celina, originally from El Salvador, lived in NY, Texas and now loving and not moving from sunny Miami,FL with hubby and my 7yo girl and 3 yo boy. Growing up I wanted to be a teacher or a nurse, later on I wanted to be a pop star. At the end, life took me through oh so many different paths and now I'm the HR Manager for a Hospitality Company. Just making lemonade out of all these lemons!!!
Hi! I’m Jessica from Berlin, NJ. I wanted to be a veterinarian until I realized I didn’t want to learn all those fancy science names for parts of the body. My dad wanted me to be a doctor but I only made it as far as the bad handwriting. 🤷🏻♀️ Instead I have work for a finance department at an aerospace and defense company. The hubby and I have two girls, newly 8 yesterday and another that will turn 11 in September. I’ve been following the Ilana and her page since almost the beginning. I love it because our girls are close in age and through her posts I get to see how she deals with situations I’m either about to go through or am in the middle of.
Hi! I’m Krista and I was born, raised, and live in MN. My kids are a 9 year old boy and a 6 year old girl. I hope they will actually like each other one day. I grew up wanting to be a back up dancer for Janet Jackson or Britney Spears, but alas, I took a different route and am an elementary media specialist (teacher librarian) that instead has dance parties at home.
Hi, I'm Meghan, mom to a Will, 10 and Charlie (short for Charlotte), 5. I grew up on the East Coast (DC and Boston) and now live in the Bay Area. Growing up, I wanted to be a vet but things changed when I learned that not all of my patients would be cute puppies. Now I'm in Advertising. 🤷♀️ I'm so excited for your next chapter, Ilana!
Hi y’all. I’m Rebecca. Born and raised in NY and my family moved to St. Pete, Florida a few years ago. I’m a stay at home mom and after 15 months of my youngest at home due to her preschool closing due to covid and not feeling comfortable sending her to school in person, I finally have an empty house. 8.5yo will be at sleep away camp and 5yo at day camp. I have a long to do list on what I want to accomplish during this time!! I’m excited!
I had a few things I wanted to be when I was younger. The traditional was a teacher. But I also loved zamboni machines and thought driving them would be super cool. I also love black abs white cows and thought being a dairy farmer would be cool (but I might get sidetracked by the amazing black and white cows and ignore the other cows!)
Hi! I’m Ashleigh, and I live in Pennsylvania. I have a 3 yr old and an 8 year old. When I was younger I wanted to be a performer, but had zero self confidence and musical ability. Instead I have been a first grade teacher for the last 15 years…a different kind of performing!!
Hey! I'm Maria, Brazilian living in New Zealand! My wildchild boy is 7 and I used to plant popsicle sticks in the garden, hoping to grow a popsicle tree. A bush would've been fine too.
Still salty that not a single one grew but to be honest, I still suck at keeping plants alive so maybe that was the issue there.
My name is Dawn. I am from NY but was raised in Florida. My sons are 3 and 12. My imaginary friend was a fire hydrant and I am still obsessed with them. I am an elementary teacher.
Hey, I'm Lindsay from Long Island. My daughter is 10 and my son is 5. My 10 year old is a theater kid, and quite talented. Mr. 5 starting kindergarten in September and I'll be sobbing at his pre-k graduation this week! We love going out on our boat, bike rides and reading.
I always wanted to be a doctor growing up. I never followed through with the school part, but now I am basically a doctor, as I watch a ton of Grey's Anatomy, so that's pretty much the same thing, right? I've been waitressing for almost 20 years, and finally just left the industry to utilize my master's degree (that I finished 10 years ago...kids). Wish me luck!
Hi! I’m Meredith. Im currently living in Germany, but have a house in Alexandria, Va we will come back to in 2 more years. I grew up on LI, NY, went to college in upstate NY, then move to NYC to work in romance publishing. I moved to DC in 2000 and now work in medical publishing. I have two daughters (13 and 11)…teens are definitely interesting….
Hello, I'm Dara. I used to be a TV & radio producer for a small advertising agency in Manhattan, but taught myself how to be a court transcriber from home so that I could be around more for my two kids who are now 8 and 3. I lived my whole life in Brooklyn, NY until three years ago when my husband and I decided to move to a small town in Massachusetts. When I was younger I wanted to be a hair stylist and in grade we had a sort of career day where my teacher laughed at me and said I should want to be something better...I quickly changed my answer to marine biologist. I became neither in the end haha But during COVID quarantine my hair stylists dreams kind of came true as I provided cuts for my husband, children, and nephew. So take that 7th grade dream killer teacher!!
Hi! My name is Molly. I was born and raised in upstate NY near Albany and still live here now! I have an almost 5 year old and a 4 month old -- both boys!
I was supposed to be a teacher. My entire life I told everybody I wanted to be a teacher and eventually narrowed it down to special education early childhood education! I received my bachelor's in early childhood education and went to school (but ultimately dropped out) for my masters in special education! I ended up being a nanny then working at a daycare after having my son. I learned that I was not going to want to work with kids when I had kids at home, I ended up quitting the job at the daycare and ended up on a journey to where I am now
...writing and managing contracts for the NYS Medicaid program!
We sound very similar! I also have said I wanted to be a teacher my whole life. I got my undergrad degree in Early Childhood (PK-3rd) and then ended up in the Special Ed world. Was 1/2 way through my masters in secondary special education when I had my first son and decided to stop teaching and become a stay at home mom! Been home with my kiddos for almost 7 years now!
Hi! I'm Kristi! I live in Portland Oregon with my husband and two daughters (ages 11 and 8). I work part time as an environmental engineer so I can keep my career on life support while still being available for the kids.
I feel like I only have glimpses of my former life
or what I wanted from life - I used to have lots of hobbies and interests, but those fell by the wayside when I had kids. And being a parent definitely wasn't what I expected. I often think of parenting similar to pregnancy trimesters. The first trimester (when they were little) sucked, and right now we're solidly in the second trimester which is awesome and amazing, but we're bracing for the third trimester of adolescence and puberty. We're currently enjoying the second trimester while we can :-)
Hi! I’m Tara from WV. I have 2 boys. 10 and nearly 12. I wanted to be an optometrist when I grew up, but eyeballs are gross. Ha ha ha! I’m an elementary teacher!
Hello! I’m Sarah and I have a 7-year old and an 11-year old daughters. I’m a special education teacher in Los Angeles.(I’m totally on summer break after quite the year!) I used to have friends I hung out with, now I shuttle kids to soccer trainings and practices. I struggle to make and maintain friendships and I’m looking to making this a priority in my life.
Hi! I'm Tara. Born in New York, moved to and currently reside on the surface of the sun aka Arizona. My husband and I have been together almost 13 years, married for 8 and have 3 children! We also have a dog and a turtle. I wanted to be a marine biologist and a stay at home mom when I grew up, of which I am the latter. I love practicing self care in the form of doing 1000+ piece jigsaw puzzles while having a drink and listening to Spotify. And I think that about covers it
Hi, my name is Gabriela. I was born and raised in Brooklyn but currently reside in NJ. I have 3 kids - 14 (g), 11 (b) and 6 (g). I am married to my husband for 15 years but together for 19 (still can’t believe how long it’s been). We have 2 cats. I’m a big nerd/geek/weeb and so are all my kids which is pretty awesome. I never really know what to say in these things lol.
I used to want to be a singer… but then I realized that I cannot sing in front of strangers, so yeah that didn’t work out.
Hi! I'm Sarah, long time follower of all things Mommy Shorts (I think I started reading your blog when Harlow was only 1). I'm from Boston, MA and have no kids - just two cats! I went to college to teach (my childhood dream) but quit after a year (it was the system, not the kiddos). Now I'm an EA at a software company!
Hi, I'm Kate. I live in the south Chicago suburbs and I have an 8 year old daughter. Pre-Mom me was going to be a singer-songwriter-super CEO-working-for-Disney. I now am a piano teacher that owns a construction business and homeschools full time (even before COVID). So, pretty sure I got what I was hoping for, but the Universe just put it in the me-sized box that it was supposed to. ;)
Hi I'm Allie. I grew up in south shields, England. I'm 47, no kids but love being an Aunt. I wanted to be a pop star or an astronaut when I grew up...I'm still waiting to grow up. I got married last September, on a Wednesday afternoon, in the middle of a pandemic. Myself, my now husband and 2 witness...it was glorious and the most perfect day.
Hi, I’m Alison from Alberta, Canada. I grew up on Vancouver Island in BC and never really had a plan for what I wanted to be when I grew up other than travel, which I did a lot of in my early 20’s. I have a (soon to be) 9 year old son, and am looking forward to when we can travel again between provinces and outside our borders.
Hello, my name is Chandra. I grew up never really wanting children and now I have 8 year old GGB triplets! Ha! We live in Southern California. I am a geek and love all things Disney (my husband and I worked/met at Disneyland when we were in our 20s).
Hi there! I am Nimisha. I am born and raised in the Bay area, CA. My kids are 11 & 9 and I started following Mommy shorts probably about 4-5 years ago and I just love following her around NYC. I am a city girl at heart but we had to move out of SF once we had our children. I am a nurse and have always wanted to work in health care! I am excited to follow along on here on all things parenting tweens among other things! My family and I love to travel and explore and it has been fun having to explore our own backyard during this pandemic! Congrats to you Ilana!
I am from Johannesburg, South Africa and have two girls 11 and 9 yo, and two King Charles Spaniels (you sent me messages once when i just got my puppy and it helped me so much!). I have a husband who drives me nuts and makes me so happy all at once :) I always wanted to do something creative!
Hi I'm Christine and I live near Wilmington, NC. I have a 12 year old daughter. When I was little I wanted to be an elementary school teacher. When I was in college I realized I could be responsible for a generation of illiterate children and that pressure was too much. I'm now a pharmacy technician.
Hello, I am Debbie from Southern California (LA County). I have a 9 (almost 10) year old son and a 6 year old daughter. I went to college to become a teacher but burned out after teaching a couple of years. I now lead manufacturing engineering projects in Aerospace. I know nothing about engineering but I can organize the crap out of what our team does. Haha
I’m Adela. I too wanted to be an actress or a ballerina. Without dance lessons the ballerina bit was off the table ( we couldn’t afford them). I took acting classes and ballet lessons as an adult. I did a lot of community theater which I enjoyed . I made it to the big time as a tax preparer. Not the way I imagined my life would turn out but I’m not going to complain because I have great kids!
I’m Katy! I’m a divorced mom of 2 girls who are almost 11yo, and 8yo, residing in central NY. I have my girls 90% of the time and have no local family support, and I work full time as a PA, so life moves pretty fast between work and school age kids. I used to think adult life seemed so glamorous and now I realize it’s mostly sleeping the wrong way and waking up with aching joints. When I was younger I wanted to be a writer of a preschool teacher and I still think I would have enjoyed both of those careers!
Hi, y'all! My name is Heather and I live in the burbs of Atlanta. I have two teen boys, 13 and 16, who gross me out and make me laugh daily. When I was a kid I wanted to be a backup singer for Pat Benatar. After working as a tv producer for many years I currently teach a music class for infants and toddlers. Instead of singing backup, I'm the lead!
Hi, I'm Caroline from Goiânia in the middle of Brazil! I don't have any kids but I am a psychologist who works with kids :) When I was a child I wanted to be a famous singer, but at high school I had depression and discovered the wonders that a good psychologist can make at somebody's life, so I wanted to help another person like my psychologist helped me!
who knows, maybe in a few years I can be a famous psychologist rs
Hi! I'm Faezzah, originally from Singapore but lived in Sweden and now in Washington, DC. I don't have any kids (yet) but love yours! I wanted to be a politician (haha!) but now I'm a cancer scientist. Been following you for years, and love what you're doing here! :)
Hi! I’m Bianca. Many friends call me “B”. My middle name is “Jae”, clearly my parents didn’t that through. I’m a Brit in NYC. My daughter is 8 years old. Her name is Harriet which means “ruler of the house” (which is about right). I founded the Crime Prevention Panel at my school.
Oh really! I’ve never met another Jae outside of my family 👋 Jae is short for Julia, my Moms name. Mom doesn’t like her name so we got her initial. How about you?
My sister is Jazmin Jae. She was called 'Jazzy Jae' when she was little (I think my nana still calls her that now sometimes too!). I got the same middle name as my mum, nana and great-nana (Frances).
Hi. My name is Betsy from OH. My girls are 10 and almost 13. I thought about being a teacher but decided that I did not have the patience for it. Then I ended up training people for a living. Still not the most patient.
Bom dia - I’m Darcy and I’m an American pretending to be Brazilian as we finish out our expat assignment here in Rio de Janeiro before we return to Houston in July. I have 3 daughters (5, 7, and 9 years old) and 1 husband.
My 5yo just lost her 1st tooth (and then her 2nd only 3 days later wth). This is far earlier than my older kids and so this moment hit me hard out of nowhere that my kids are BIG now. She did promise she’ll always be my baby though so she gets me.
But this makes it feel I am officially returning to the U.S. in an entirely new phase of life from where I was when we left 2 years ago and I have a chance to go through a bit of a self-rediscovery of my own. So I will be an avid reader to see how you do it!
Today I learned that Role Call is actually Roll Call. Oops. Fixed. I blame the theater kid in me.
As a teacher this is one of my pet peeves 😁
Hi! I'm Allie from the Mommy Shorts team! I grew up on Long Island and then moved to NYC after college but for the last year I've been living in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. When I was little, I told my parents I wanted to be the Statue of Liberty🗽 when I grew up. My ever-supportive parents told me I was going to have to work really, really hard for that one.
Allie, I never realised your last name was "Isnardi". I always thought your username was "Allie is Nardi" and thought it was some sort of inside joke. I have asked myself "I wonder what a nardi is?" multiple times 😁
OMG I thought the same thing!
Me, tooo! I have been thinking that for years!
Goes without saying that the Statue of Liberty thing didn't pan out for me.
I mean, there's still time 🤣
Hi! I’m Alli and I’m a former teacher turned stay-at-home mom to my now 6 and 4 year old boys. I grew up in the suburbs of NYC and now live in the suburbs of Baltimore. In November I was diagnosed with a genetic condition called a BRCA1 mutation. In the last 6 months I have had a prophylactic hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy as well as a prophylactic bilateral mastectomy. (In non-medical terms I’ve had my uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, cervix and both breasts removed due to my mutation putting me at EXTREMELY high risk for “female cancers”) I still have a few more surgeries left to go and the last 6 months have been a LOT, especially as a young mom with young kids, but through this experience I have learned how amazing my husband truly is and how much I want to be alive for my children. I’ve learned that being an advocate and speaking about my experiences brings me a sense of purpose and hope to eventually work with organizations that help women going through BRCA or cancer procedures.
Amazing! I’m a gyn/oncology nurse. It maybe tough, but what you are doing is great! It’s amazing where science has come.
Good evening! I am Sinéad, we are a nomadic expat family, we have lived in Asia (my husband is still there) for 16 years but because of well, ya know the pandemic, I am back in England for now, because India was just not safe for us, with our son who is 8. He is planning on being a professional football (soccer!) player, when I was 8 I aspired to be the person who put jam in doughnuts. Then when I was 9 I found out a machine did it and my life has never been the same since.
Looking forward to reading all the other responses.
Hi, I'm Erin. Currently living in NJ, but from Vancouver, Canada. I have two teenagers 15 and 17. I'm mostly a stay at home Mum right now, and majority of my time is helping my son battle Leukemia. He's currently in the PICU, with more complications than any one person should have. Shameless plug here... Today is World Blood Donor Day. Please make an appointment if you can, there is a shortage of both blood and platelets. He's needed three transfusions in two days and they don't have enough platelets in his type😔
Hi there! My name is Katie and I live in Bliss, MI. As a true Michigander, I wish I could show you my palm and point to where I live. If you look at your right palm, I live on the edge of the tip of your middle finger, 15 minutes from the top of the peninsula and the Mackinac Bridge. I have one daughter who just turned 11 and is transitioning to Middle School. (Send positive vibes my way!)
As a child I loved to boss my younger brothers around but didn't envision much beyond that as a career. I went to college for Marketing and Logistic Management and fell into being an HR professional. I have seen the very top and bottom this career has to offer. It was after failing at the very top of my career that I realized family was more important than my career. I am no longer an HR Executive but a very happy, content, HR Manager.
Hi fellow Michigander! I’m from Union Pier, the bottom left wrist of your right palm 😉
Hi I’m Áine (pronounced like on-ya) I’m in Dublin, Ireland. I don’t have kids but love following your page & take inspo for my friends kids and hopefully future me!
32 & still figuring out what I want to be 😁
I love your name 💜 and thank you for the pronunciation. My daughter’s middle name is Aisling (pronounced like ash-lin)
Thanks for pronunciation, what a beautiful name!!
Hi there. I’m Ariel, an at-home dad for 13 years and a mod in RAP. I grew up in Naperville and moved back 7 years ago with my wife Shira and our 3 kids. Ilana was kind enough to feature our family in the Wednesday Evenings series. Kiddos range from 13-7.
When I was a kid I wanted to be a teacher or an archeologist.
Everyone told me parenting kids gets easier when they get older. I’m finding out they lied.
I'm Monica, a former people pleaser. I was addicted to making everyone else happy and making sure people liked me. Today I'm working on setting boundaries and making sure I focus on myself. I'm 41 with a blended family including 3 step-kids, 1 of my own, a wonderful husband, great friends, a close family and great job. I doing some discovery on what I want to be doing with my career in 10 years and into retirement. I've been following you since I had my daughter 7 years ago, she's a year younger than Harlow. Looking forward to being a part of this community.
HI! I'm Megan, an exhausted Special Education teacher and mom to a 9 yo daughter and 5 yo boy in the suburbs of Chicago. I have been following you since my daughter was born and she was in the Evil Baby Glare Off contest. How fun! I thought I was going to be a college professor and be this academic wonder instead, I got mad at the issues in education and the students who weren't being served so I went and got a couple of masters' degrees in Special Education to help those kids succeed.
Howdy, I'm Kristen. I live in a suburb north of Houston, Texas. I have a 10 year daughter and an almost 7-year old son. Our family was one featured during the Monday Morning series! Pre-kids me had so much free time that she wasted NOT traveling, being social, getting fit or trying new things.
Hi! My name is Rocio. I turned 30 five days ago. I'm married and don't have kids yet. I live right outside Chicago but have lived exactly half my life here and half in Mexico. I've only been following for the last few months but really love where you're going with this space Ilana. Ever since I was 5 I wanted to be a doctor so I graduated medical school in 2018. But now I'm not so sure that's what I really want to do. I'm currently trying to figure out what I want to do with my life career wise. It's reassuring to see that lots of people grew up wanting to be one thing and now have taken completely different paths. It's ok to change your mind. Nice to 'meet' you all!
Hi! My name is Lorena, I was born in Mexico and grew up in Chicago. Now I'm back in Mexico, married and have two kids, 9 year old daughter and 4 year old son. Currently pregnant with our 3rd. I am a preschool teacher and I absolutely love your writing, you bring me in to every moment you write about.
Hola!!! I'm Celina, originally from El Salvador, lived in NY, Texas and now loving and not moving from sunny Miami,FL with hubby and my 7yo girl and 3 yo boy. Growing up I wanted to be a teacher or a nurse, later on I wanted to be a pop star. At the end, life took me through oh so many different paths and now I'm the HR Manager for a Hospitality Company. Just making lemonade out of all these lemons!!!
Hi there. Fellow South Floridian here. I’m in Boca Raton. 😊
Hi! I’m Jessica from Berlin, NJ. I wanted to be a veterinarian until I realized I didn’t want to learn all those fancy science names for parts of the body. My dad wanted me to be a doctor but I only made it as far as the bad handwriting. 🤷🏻♀️ Instead I have work for a finance department at an aerospace and defense company. The hubby and I have two girls, newly 8 yesterday and another that will turn 11 in September. I’ve been following the Ilana and her page since almost the beginning. I love it because our girls are close in age and through her posts I get to see how she deals with situations I’m either about to go through or am in the middle of.
Hi! I’m Krista and I was born, raised, and live in MN. My kids are a 9 year old boy and a 6 year old girl. I hope they will actually like each other one day. I grew up wanting to be a back up dancer for Janet Jackson or Britney Spears, but alas, I took a different route and am an elementary media specialist (teacher librarian) that instead has dance parties at home.
Hi, I'm Meghan, mom to a Will, 10 and Charlie (short for Charlotte), 5. I grew up on the East Coast (DC and Boston) and now live in the Bay Area. Growing up, I wanted to be a vet but things changed when I learned that not all of my patients would be cute puppies. Now I'm in Advertising. 🤷♀️ I'm so excited for your next chapter, Ilana!
Hi y’all. I’m Rebecca. Born and raised in NY and my family moved to St. Pete, Florida a few years ago. I’m a stay at home mom and after 15 months of my youngest at home due to her preschool closing due to covid and not feeling comfortable sending her to school in person, I finally have an empty house. 8.5yo will be at sleep away camp and 5yo at day camp. I have a long to do list on what I want to accomplish during this time!! I’m excited!
I had a few things I wanted to be when I was younger. The traditional was a teacher. But I also loved zamboni machines and thought driving them would be super cool. I also love black abs white cows and thought being a dairy farmer would be cool (but I might get sidetracked by the amazing black and white cows and ignore the other cows!)
Hi! I’m Ashleigh, and I live in Pennsylvania. I have a 3 yr old and an 8 year old. When I was younger I wanted to be a performer, but had zero self confidence and musical ability. Instead I have been a first grade teacher for the last 15 years…a different kind of performing!!
Hey! I'm Maria, Brazilian living in New Zealand! My wildchild boy is 7 and I used to plant popsicle sticks in the garden, hoping to grow a popsicle tree. A bush would've been fine too.
Still salty that not a single one grew but to be honest, I still suck at keeping plants alive so maybe that was the issue there.
Where in NZ are you? I was born in Palmerston North!
I'm in the South Island, 30min out of Chch! been here for over 13years =)
My name is Dawn. I am from NY but was raised in Florida. My sons are 3 and 12. My imaginary friend was a fire hydrant and I am still obsessed with them. I am an elementary teacher.
Hey, I'm Lindsay from Long Island. My daughter is 10 and my son is 5. My 10 year old is a theater kid, and quite talented. Mr. 5 starting kindergarten in September and I'll be sobbing at his pre-k graduation this week! We love going out on our boat, bike rides and reading.
I always wanted to be a doctor growing up. I never followed through with the school part, but now I am basically a doctor, as I watch a ton of Grey's Anatomy, so that's pretty much the same thing, right? I've been waitressing for almost 20 years, and finally just left the industry to utilize my master's degree (that I finished 10 years ago...kids). Wish me luck!
Hi! I’m Meredith. Im currently living in Germany, but have a house in Alexandria, Va we will come back to in 2 more years. I grew up on LI, NY, went to college in upstate NY, then move to NYC to work in romance publishing. I moved to DC in 2000 and now work in medical publishing. I have two daughters (13 and 11)…teens are definitely interesting….
Hi there. Do mind asking where in Germany you are? I grew up there.
Hi, we currently live in Wiesbaden. We love it!!
So happy to hear you love it. Enjoy the rest of your time there. I can’t wait to travel home again and visit my sister.
Hello, I'm Dara. I used to be a TV & radio producer for a small advertising agency in Manhattan, but taught myself how to be a court transcriber from home so that I could be around more for my two kids who are now 8 and 3. I lived my whole life in Brooklyn, NY until three years ago when my husband and I decided to move to a small town in Massachusetts. When I was younger I wanted to be a hair stylist and in grade we had a sort of career day where my teacher laughed at me and said I should want to be something better...I quickly changed my answer to marine biologist. I became neither in the end haha But during COVID quarantine my hair stylists dreams kind of came true as I provided cuts for my husband, children, and nephew. So take that 7th grade dream killer teacher!!
Hi! My name is Molly. I was born and raised in upstate NY near Albany and still live here now! I have an almost 5 year old and a 4 month old -- both boys!
I was supposed to be a teacher. My entire life I told everybody I wanted to be a teacher and eventually narrowed it down to special education early childhood education! I received my bachelor's in early childhood education and went to school (but ultimately dropped out) for my masters in special education! I ended up being a nanny then working at a daycare after having my son. I learned that I was not going to want to work with kids when I had kids at home, I ended up quitting the job at the daycare and ended up on a journey to where I am now
...writing and managing contracts for the NYS Medicaid program!
Hey! Fellow upstate New Yorker here too! I lived there until I got married and followed my husband for his job. I still miss it sometimes!
We sound very similar! I also have said I wanted to be a teacher my whole life. I got my undergrad degree in Early Childhood (PK-3rd) and then ended up in the Special Ed world. Was 1/2 way through my masters in secondary special education when I had my first son and decided to stop teaching and become a stay at home mom! Been home with my kiddos for almost 7 years now!
More Albany crew here - Delmar!
I’m from Colonie but love in South Glens Falls now. Love all of these upstate people on here!
Hi! I'm Kristi! I live in Portland Oregon with my husband and two daughters (ages 11 and 8). I work part time as an environmental engineer so I can keep my career on life support while still being available for the kids.
I feel like I only have glimpses of my former life
or what I wanted from life - I used to have lots of hobbies and interests, but those fell by the wayside when I had kids. And being a parent definitely wasn't what I expected. I often think of parenting similar to pregnancy trimesters. The first trimester (when they were little) sucked, and right now we're solidly in the second trimester which is awesome and amazing, but we're bracing for the third trimester of adolescence and puberty. We're currently enjoying the second trimester while we can :-)
Hi! I’m Tara from WV. I have 2 boys. 10 and nearly 12. I wanted to be an optometrist when I grew up, but eyeballs are gross. Ha ha ha! I’m an elementary teacher!
Hello! I’m Sarah and I have a 7-year old and an 11-year old daughters. I’m a special education teacher in Los Angeles.(I’m totally on summer break after quite the year!) I used to have friends I hung out with, now I shuttle kids to soccer trainings and practices. I struggle to make and maintain friendships and I’m looking to making this a priority in my life.
Hi! I'm Tara. Born in New York, moved to and currently reside on the surface of the sun aka Arizona. My husband and I have been together almost 13 years, married for 8 and have 3 children! We also have a dog and a turtle. I wanted to be a marine biologist and a stay at home mom when I grew up, of which I am the latter. I love practicing self care in the form of doing 1000+ piece jigsaw puzzles while having a drink and listening to Spotify. And I think that about covers it
Hi, my name is Gabriela. I was born and raised in Brooklyn but currently reside in NJ. I have 3 kids - 14 (g), 11 (b) and 6 (g). I am married to my husband for 15 years but together for 19 (still can’t believe how long it’s been). We have 2 cats. I’m a big nerd/geek/weeb and so are all my kids which is pretty awesome. I never really know what to say in these things lol.
I used to want to be a singer… but then I realized that I cannot sing in front of strangers, so yeah that didn’t work out.
Hi! I'm Sarah, long time follower of all things Mommy Shorts (I think I started reading your blog when Harlow was only 1). I'm from Boston, MA and have no kids - just two cats! I went to college to teach (my childhood dream) but quit after a year (it was the system, not the kiddos). Now I'm an EA at a software company!
Hi, I'm Kate. I live in the south Chicago suburbs and I have an 8 year old daughter. Pre-Mom me was going to be a singer-songwriter-super CEO-working-for-Disney. I now am a piano teacher that owns a construction business and homeschools full time (even before COVID). So, pretty sure I got what I was hoping for, but the Universe just put it in the me-sized box that it was supposed to. ;)
Hi I'm Allie. I grew up in south shields, England. I'm 47, no kids but love being an Aunt. I wanted to be a pop star or an astronaut when I grew up...I'm still waiting to grow up. I got married last September, on a Wednesday afternoon, in the middle of a pandemic. Myself, my now husband and 2 witness...it was glorious and the most perfect day.
Hi, I’m Alison from Alberta, Canada. I grew up on Vancouver Island in BC and never really had a plan for what I wanted to be when I grew up other than travel, which I did a lot of in my early 20’s. I have a (soon to be) 9 year old son, and am looking forward to when we can travel again between provinces and outside our borders.
Hello, my name is Chandra. I grew up never really wanting children and now I have 8 year old GGB triplets! Ha! We live in Southern California. I am a geek and love all things Disney (my husband and I worked/met at Disneyland when we were in our 20s).
Hi there! I am Nimisha. I am born and raised in the Bay area, CA. My kids are 11 & 9 and I started following Mommy shorts probably about 4-5 years ago and I just love following her around NYC. I am a city girl at heart but we had to move out of SF once we had our children. I am a nurse and have always wanted to work in health care! I am excited to follow along on here on all things parenting tweens among other things! My family and I love to travel and explore and it has been fun having to explore our own backyard during this pandemic! Congrats to you Ilana!
I'm Alexis... 4 years ago I turned 40 and went from single lady to single mom before I turned 41.
I am from Johannesburg, South Africa and have two girls 11 and 9 yo, and two King Charles Spaniels (you sent me messages once when i just got my puppy and it helped me so much!). I have a husband who drives me nuts and makes me so happy all at once :) I always wanted to do something creative!
Hi there! I'm in Randburg!
amazing how we are all so connected :)
Hi I'm Christine and I live near Wilmington, NC. I have a 12 year old daughter. When I was little I wanted to be an elementary school teacher. When I was in college I realized I could be responsible for a generation of illiterate children and that pressure was too much. I'm now a pharmacy technician.
Hello, I am Debbie from Southern California (LA County). I have a 9 (almost 10) year old son and a 6 year old daughter. I went to college to become a teacher but burned out after teaching a couple of years. I now lead manufacturing engineering projects in Aerospace. I know nothing about engineering but I can organize the crap out of what our team does. Haha
I’m Adela. I too wanted to be an actress or a ballerina. Without dance lessons the ballerina bit was off the table ( we couldn’t afford them). I took acting classes and ballet lessons as an adult. I did a lot of community theater which I enjoyed . I made it to the big time as a tax preparer. Not the way I imagined my life would turn out but I’m not going to complain because I have great kids!
I’m Katy! I’m a divorced mom of 2 girls who are almost 11yo, and 8yo, residing in central NY. I have my girls 90% of the time and have no local family support, and I work full time as a PA, so life moves pretty fast between work and school age kids. I used to think adult life seemed so glamorous and now I realize it’s mostly sleeping the wrong way and waking up with aching joints. When I was younger I wanted to be a writer of a preschool teacher and I still think I would have enjoyed both of those careers!
Hi, y'all! My name is Heather and I live in the burbs of Atlanta. I have two teen boys, 13 and 16, who gross me out and make me laugh daily. When I was a kid I wanted to be a backup singer for Pat Benatar. After working as a tv producer for many years I currently teach a music class for infants and toddlers. Instead of singing backup, I'm the lead!
Hi, I'm Caroline from Goiânia in the middle of Brazil! I don't have any kids but I am a psychologist who works with kids :) When I was a child I wanted to be a famous singer, but at high school I had depression and discovered the wonders that a good psychologist can make at somebody's life, so I wanted to help another person like my psychologist helped me!
who knows, maybe in a few years I can be a famous psychologist rs
Hi! I'm Faezzah, originally from Singapore but lived in Sweden and now in Washington, DC. I don't have any kids (yet) but love yours! I wanted to be a politician (haha!) but now I'm a cancer scientist. Been following you for years, and love what you're doing here! :)
Hi, I'm Sarah from Iowa. My kids are 10, 7 and 5. I hate balloons and jelly beans and I love coffee and beaches, especially together.
👋 Hi from a former Iowan (now Bostonian). I grew up in Mason City.
Hi! I’m Bianca. Many friends call me “B”. My middle name is “Jae”, clearly my parents didn’t that through. I’m a Brit in NYC. My daughter is 8 years old. Her name is Harriet which means “ruler of the house” (which is about right). I founded the Crime Prevention Panel at my school.
My sister's middle name is Jae too!
Oh really! I’ve never met another Jae outside of my family 👋 Jae is short for Julia, my Moms name. Mom doesn’t like her name so we got her initial. How about you?
My sister is Jazmin Jae. She was called 'Jazzy Jae' when she was little (I think my nana still calls her that now sometimes too!). I got the same middle name as my mum, nana and great-nana (Frances).
Lovely. So nice to meet you!
Hi. My name is Betsy from OH. My girls are 10 and almost 13. I thought about being a teacher but decided that I did not have the patience for it. Then I ended up training people for a living. Still not the most patient.
I see you and I had the same realization about being a teacher, lol!
Bom dia - I’m Darcy and I’m an American pretending to be Brazilian as we finish out our expat assignment here in Rio de Janeiro before we return to Houston in July. I have 3 daughters (5, 7, and 9 years old) and 1 husband.
My 5yo just lost her 1st tooth (and then her 2nd only 3 days later wth). This is far earlier than my older kids and so this moment hit me hard out of nowhere that my kids are BIG now. She did promise she’ll always be my baby though so she gets me.
But this makes it feel I am officially returning to the U.S. in an entirely new phase of life from where I was when we left 2 years ago and I have a chance to go through a bit of a self-rediscovery of my own. So I will be an avid reader to see how you do it!
Hi I'm Jude from UK. I have two girls 11 and 8. When I was little I wanted to visit every continent in the world, only two continents to go.