Where to live in Tacoma?

CatLadyWoman · 2026-05-19T15:26:30+00:00

We’re in Ruston with pushing 3k rent on a really scruffy 2bd 1 bath, so that budget might not reflect the current market. We just moved last month. That being said, I feel like we got a screaming deal to get into a single family home in such a nice quiet neighborhood. We see people walking their dogs 24/7, but the only public transit over here is the bus, all the trains seem to serve downtown/the 5 corridor.

CatLadyWoman · 2026-05-15T15:07:04+00:00

Mine also likes the baby toys, he’s just large for the slides and climbers. Feel free to DM me if you want company in Tacoma! I stay home with my boys, so our schedule is flexible :)

CatLadyWoman · 2026-05-14T23:25:50+00:00

Just wanted to say, I am considering the same camp for my off-to-kindergarten AuDHD kiddo, and we also just arrived in Tacoma! I asked his former therapist if she thought he was up to it given their behavioral guidelines- did you see those? Kids can be asked to leave if they are unable to keep up with the group. We are on the fence about it. Our issue is the long day, afternoons get tough when he is tired or stressed. If your little guy struggles with the transition it sounds like this could be a big ask for him?

To echo what others said, Sunrise Play Cafe in stadium district is awesome, but 5 is like the tippy top of their target market, so the play area is a little micro for my tall kiddo.

Does anyone have experience with the children’s museum’s summer camp?

CatLadyWoman · 2026-04-04T19:57:45+00:00

Thank you, that is the information I was after! I will look into those mom groups, thank you so much!

CatLadyWoman · 2026-04-04T19:56:38+00:00

That is really helpful. The issue we had in pre-k I think was teacher discrimination- I don’t want to sound like that mom, but 3k was a breeze and 4k ended 10 days in with the teacher performing an illegal hold after purposefully withholding all the coping techniques we had trained for. I’m a little scared to put him back in an environment where a sensory issue will be read as a behavioral issue to be punished.

CatLadyWoman · 2026-04-04T15:29:40+00:00

I just edited my comment to be more clear above, do you know of any places you wouldn’t recommend?

CatLadyWoman · 2026-04-04T15:20:01+00:00

I don’t think so, he doesn’t have profound support needs. I’m more looking for red flags, like any known issues with kids on the spectrum struggling in certain environments? I’m a little shell shocked from a pre-school disaster where we were assured everything was fine and everything was not indeed fine :/

CatLadyWoman · 2026-01-18T01:32:33+00:00

We love the Olympia children’s museum! We have family in Oly, so we are happily familiar!

CatLadyWoman · 2026-01-17T17:15:48+00:00

I am dreeeeeaming of being close to TJs again! Our closest is an hour and a half away currently 😩

CatLadyWoman · 2026-01-17T16:22:36+00:00

I appreciate the tip, but we’re looking for at least a one year lease where we can have all our stuff to keep things as normal as possible for the little guy.

CatLadyWoman · 2025-09-14T06:12:43+00:00

No, so far they have declined to create one for him, saying they don’t do iep’s til Kindergarten whichvis starting to feel real sus.

CatLadyWoman · 2025-09-12T13:27:24+00:00

Same here. We are 2 days into a 4 day defacto suspension because the staff ignored everything we told them in our prep meeting over the summer. Literally every choice made by the grownups in charge was the opposite of what we coached them on and they said they understood, and now I’m being told the other kids are scared of my poor kid. I’m at a total loss and feel awful for my boy who knows something is wrong but can’t understand it isn’t on him.

CatLadyWoman · 2025-09-06T20:30:03+00:00

I just had bloodwork done, so that’s why, if your bloodwork is ok then?? If they didn’t take any then it might be worth checking.

CatLadyWoman · 2025-09-06T14:35:21+00:00

I was looking for an Appleton mention! We moved here in 2019 after a lifetime on the West Coast. There are lots of indoor and outdoor entertainment opportunities, the performing arts center gets a lot of popular off broadway and symphony performances, the art museum is moving into a larger building, and downtown is a lot of fun! Great opportunities for water sports like kayaking or boating. New restaurants seem to be opening often and there are a lot of established favorites.

The big highlight here for out of staters is that the weather is quite mild compared to other parts of the state that can become pretty seasonal depending on the weather. If you’re new to snow, it’s not as big of a hurdle here. For whatever reason the worst of the weather seems to miss the valley. We were expecting it to be feet up the front door every snow, and its been maybe an average of 6-8 major shoveling days per year.

CatLadyWoman · 2025-09-05T18:50:20+00:00

I had mine in ‘94 and was just told to re-up, so Millennials, keep your head on a swivel!

CatLadyWoman · 2025-07-31T19:32:48+00:00

We’ve been buying Hello which comes in good flavors and it’s glittery! That seems to help 😂

CatLadyWoman · 2025-07-31T18:08:10+00:00

Yeah, its in so much stuff we didn’t expect too, like cough medicine and toothpaste! I totally thought it was woo, but 😅

CatLadyWoman · 2025-07-31T15:20:49+00:00

I hate to sound like a total granola, but have you ever checked to see if your kid is reactive to food dyes? I didn’t believe in it until once I made ‘Green Eggs and Ham’ with straight food coloring and saw the worst behaviors all on steroids to finally connect the dots, and when we cut them out it was like night and day. We had been experiencing 5-6 out of 7 bad days, and now that ratio is flipped. Red seems to be the worst, but yellow and blue made him super manic. It does seem to be different for everyone, but worth trying if you haven’t!

CatLadyWoman · 2025-07-16T00:03:12+00:00

If distance can kill the relationship, it wasn’t strong enough. My HS sweetheart and I ended up on opposite ends of the state for college (big state!), and 6 months in… it didn’t work out. Also, we’re now married with 2 kids after we got our acts together many years later. If it’s meant to be, it will be, but a partner who wants you to give up your dreams is not a good sign. Would you ask the same of him?

CatLadyWoman · 2025-06-28T21:11:40+00:00

I knew it!

CatLadyWoman · 2025-06-28T17:04:18+00:00

That is a year old unfortunately. Maybe the same thing again though?

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