ChiKat

I have suburban girlfriends and city girlfriends. My suburban girlfriends rock. They have given me wonderful baby advice, lots of support and are a ton of fun. But their experience as moms is often different than the city experience.

My suburban girlfriends all recommend the high-end convertible stroller, which is designed like a mini-tank. I looked into it and found out it weighed 35 pounds. When you live in a house, a 35 pound stroller isn't a big deal. When you live on the third floor, it is a very big (heavy) deal.

When you live in the house, you have a wonderful thing called a basement. That means they can randomly say, "Oh, I have the perfect thing for you that I used once a few years ago and have since kept in my basement for just this occasion…"

I have a closet and a dresser for storage. That's it. I can't imagine what it is like to have the luxury of keeping stuff just because it might possibly come in handy for someone else in a few years.

Until now, none of my city girlfriends have had kids. However, I just found out that one of them is pregnant. I'm beyond thrilled. It will be so nice to have someone who can relate to the space challenges, the public transportation challenges and the three-flights-of-stairs challenges.

Now that my son and I are settling into a routine (meaning, now that I have discovered the pacifier which is the most wonderful invention EVER), I've been thinking about going back to work.

When I first started freelancing, I stumbled into the career because a former boss really needed additional help and was willing to let me work part-time. Now that I'm thinking about going back to work, I wanted to do the freelance path correctly.

One of my readers, Karen, sent me her book, called "Full-Time Woman, Part-Time Career". It's a quick read that summarizes the different career options available to women who want to work part-time. If you want to brainstorm about jobs that might fit your lifestyle, this book will really help you. It also addresses the pros and cons of working from home.

For me, because I already knew that I would be writing, the book's second chapter was the most important. There, Karen does an amazing job explaining the different tax implications for freelancers, the basics behind starting your own business and your retirement savings options.

When I started to freelance, I never considered the fact that I was starting my own company (a company of one). I've spent two tax years wasting money by not claiming the right expenses. Her book really helped me see the bigger picture. I'm determined to do this better this tax year and take advantage of the strategies she explains in her book.

My husband quit his job yesterday. He took the high road and didn't blame his boss for the last few years of poor management and lack of vision. Instead, he took responsibility for their (shared) problems and his boss really responded well to that. His boss even offered to write a positive letter of reference and said he would try to help my husband with his job search, which was way more support than we were expecting.

My husband has until the end of July to find something new. I really hope he can find something that challenges him; a job that he enjoys.

In the meantime, I'm looking at airfare to see if we can squeeze in a vacation between jobs. Because at times like this, I am nothing if not impractical.

The first few weeks of my son's life, I didn't post here that much because I was too busy cooing over how fabulous he was. After that, I didn't post here because he was screaming. All. The. Time.

But behold! I have discovered the wonders of the pacifier! My ears are finally getting a break.

In other news, my husband might quit his job today. His work is funded by a grant that expires in July. His boss is demanding that my husband justify (read: beg for) more funding. That's perfectly reasonable, except for the fact that for the last two years, his boss has been demanding this every few weeks. At this point, if his boss doesn't have confidence in my husband's project, my husband doesn't see the point in begging for more funding.

I think my husband would feel differently if he felt like his boss respected him. But the boss has made it very clear that he doesn't think my husband will be successful. Why stay in a job like that?

Well, for the salary and the health insurance. We do have savings, but my husband is extremely stressed. I don't know how I feel. A part of me wants my husband to be free from such a demoralizing boss, but another part of me is afraid of the change. We have no idea what my husband would do for a job if this doesn't work out, so we're both feeling a bit unfettered.

Of course, there is a small, irresponsible part of me that is screaming, "ROAD TRIP!"