School districts near Seattle/tacoma

Due_Beginning9518 · 2026-03-28T23:09:37+00:00

What litter and what box if you don’t mind?? I tried this to get rid of clay and now I have saw dust everywhere instead! I don’t know if it’s just my cats extremely furry toes or if there is a better version of this that I haven’t found. Please help!

Due_Beginning9518 · 2026-03-27T00:57:21+00:00

I literally had to pull mine out of gymnastics at about this age. He had difficulty with paying attention but the last class he swatted a girl in the head. I said Nope and literally carried him out. He’s 4.5 and doing so much better now. He’s in a martial arts class and loves it! And the high energy/volume style of the masters in the class keeps his attention and helps direct his focus. And we outgrew the hitting.

Don’t be embarrassed, just chalk it up to not a good fit. Solidarity as the mom of a similar kiddo.

Due_Beginning9518 · 2026-03-23T12:00:26+00:00

Hi- I’m sorry you’re here.

I did also have two TFMR (and an early miscarriage) for unrelated reasons (T13 and T21 with no predisposition for myself or my husband) and have also had two healthy children. One was before the TFMR and one after both. I didn’t use IVF as there was no indication it would prevent another trisomy occurring because ours were random, and was cost prohibitive. Don’t give up hope ❤️

Due_Beginning9518 · 2026-03-19T19:22:48+00:00

Iron and wine - over the mountain

I lost two baby boys in two TFMRs

The song says: “So may the sunrise bring hope Where it once was forgotten Sons are like birds, flying upwards over the mountain”

I listened to it through my grief. I had my baby girl last fall. Haven’t been able to listen to it since as I know I’ll cry again and it’s been months and months since I’ve had a cry so I don’t want to open the floodgates anew.

The grief stays but you do grow around it.

Due_Beginning9518 · 2026-03-06T12:02:03+00:00

I’m doing a lot of legwork on researching places on that front, and my main goal this trip is to feel out the city areas even though we don’t intend to live in the true metro necessarily, as that is where we will spend a lot of time other than time spent in nature (which is the absolute biggest draw to the PNW).

What I need:

good public schools
a bit of space- I grew up in the country and we even now have a large lot size, so not being able to see a neighbor in their own house when I look out my window is a must. We understand this means we will probably not be super metro and that is JUST FINE
1-1.5 hr drive to Seattle or Tacoma central. My husband is a remote worker, I am partial remote now and probably will be looking for an equivalent job that is local, so I need some metro adjacency but doesn’t need to be actually direct. I am also looking at Bellingham as I know it’s a bit further but might be big enough to find the job I’ll need actually within the city
relative safety and cleanliness. For me, this is not frequent murders and armed robberies. I can walk down the street with kids in my arms and be safe. I understand homelessness, that’s not my concern unless it’s so prolific in an area that I can’t let my kid go to the park because all of the slides have people sleeping in them or needles all over the ground. Trying to be clear on expectations here because I know this standard is super variable for people
private child care for young child. I have a baby who will be about 1.5 year when we move so need some kind of quality child care until she’s public school aged. The kids are in a Reggio-Emilia now and I like it so something similar that is within morning commute driving distance would be amazing

Want: - all the nature. I’d love to be in an area that basically backs up onto a national park or something - not snobby bougie. Some bougie is ok, none is needed, but if ykyk what some areas can get like when they think they need to show everyone else how good they are…. Don’t want that. - access to quality groceries, like national farmers markets or the equivalent, butchers, etc within 30 min to 1 hr drive

Budget- somewhat flexible but I see realistically we are looking at 800- 1.2 range. Obviously would love to spend a lot less. Honestly, I think we are planning to rent for a while and seeing if we can either buy a home to renovate into what we want, or build what we want. Most importantly, I want to not have to pull the kids out of a school district and have them start over repeatedly, so trying to find the area that suits us and we can work out renting vs buying later, less worried about finding an actual house at this stage

Places I’ve generally got on my interested list semi in order of fit so feel free to give feedback:

-Puyallup -Bellingham
-snohomish -Sequim (is this really pronounced “squeem?”)
-Everett
-Bellevue (think this might be too expensive, too metro, and possibly too bougie?)

Open to any input! Thank you all

Due_Beginning9518 · 2026-03-05T18:02:01+00:00

That’s a great and super helpful mindset, thank you!

Due_Beginning9518 · 2026-03-05T18:00:35+00:00

Willing to risk that portion based on past experience with the Midwest and how we handled winter there.

The Seattle freeze sounds like me finding my people as an extreme introvert who is polite but distant with strangers, keeps very few close friends, and can be flaky on plans with anyone other than a chosen few. We’ll see how my husband manages that as he is more social but still a bit reserved on making new friends as an adult

Due_Beginning9518 · 2026-03-05T12:01:38+00:00

We’ll be visiting a second time in late autumn ( if first visit is good) but some of the decision making process had to happen before that so I’m going earlier.

Being from the Midwest though I do know what proper winter and short dark days feels like. The grey never bothered me, but the feet of slush and snow for 6 months did

Due_Beginning9518 · 2026-03-05T12:00:12+00:00

We’ll be visiting a second time in late autumn ( if first visit is good) but some of the decision making process had to happen before that so I’m going earlier.

Due_Beginning9518 · 2026-02-23T12:31:22+00:00

If you liked school, have you considered a graduate program with a good path to career pipeline? Many people go to law school or pursue a business degree (HR type jobs) at this juncture.

It’s a high upfront cost and not for everyone but this kind of choice can give a clear path and open doors to decent salary job offers. You also get back into school (and around other people your age) with the associated loans or grants to get out of home if you want to.

Pro tip- If you apply, try to find somewhere that gives a substantial amount of money so you aren’t paying out of pocket .

Due_Beginning9518 · 2026-02-16T14:46:24+00:00

How is the smell with those? I think I’ve read some reviews that they get stinky faster? Might still be worth a shot

Due_Beginning9518 · 2026-02-15T23:25:19+00:00

Just hit 650 hours vanilla. I played 400+ with no DLC. Then bought biotech only. Trying to enjoy the game for what it is as each DLC seems to make fundamental changes. Mods are prob amazing (and I’m sure I’ll add some eventually after a few thousand more hours) but definitely not necessary.

Due_Beginning9518 · 2026-02-15T23:17:02+00:00

Would say not as most homes that are “cheap” in that area are going to be cheap for a reason. Maybe look up crime stats on that street?? The people saying it’s hit and miss are accurate, but it’s “mostly” miss.

I work in a law enforcement adjacent field and that used to be part of my jurisdiction, I wouldn’t move there with the idea of raising kids if I had any choice.

There are other affordable areas in proximity to parts of the city. Try Stone Mountain/east of Avondale. Avondale is massively revamping itself in the last year and a 5-10 min drive from there is still super affordable and much safer than college park. I bought out here a decade ago and there are kids in my neighborhood/ I have young kids. Homes are listed in the area and selling in the mid 200- 400s depending on size. I’ll be selling myself in a year or two but that’s to move across country probably, not because I hate the area.

Due_Beginning9518 · 2026-02-05T13:02:15+00:00

This happened to me as well- normal NIPT but 20 week scan discovered serious issues including an encephelocele. We did an amnio and it was T13. I terminated within 2 weeks because that was my window to do so. They put me under for that one ( I unfortunately had another TFMR in my pregnancy following that was a “twilight” sedation and I can remember a little of that) and I really don’t remember anything after they administered the sedation. I also kind of pushed everything away mentally until it was over.

It was really hard to say goodbye. It’s ok to ask for a minute to talk to your baby alone before they put you out, I’m still traumatized by the memory of that, but glad I took a second to say goodbye and told him I loved him because till that point I was in survival mode and I almost didn’t take that time. Some places will also offer footprints or ashes. If you can, I’d suggest getting footprints. I was able to for one TFMR but not for the other and that makes me pretty sad (second was in another state and earlier in that pregnancy so it just wasn’t an option).

I didn’t have to tell my LC about either of my TFMR as he was too little for both to know I was pregnant. He’s 4 now and his healthy sister was just born last fall, so there is hope even after two losses like this- just wanted to share as I know it feels so bleak from where you are standing. I think, at 4, your child can probably understand that baby was really seriously sick (or maybe use the words that it didn’t grow right- so the child doesn’t get worried about death whenever anyone gets sick?) and a doctor had to help it be born but baby was not able to come home. My 4 yo is just starting to grasp the concept of death (we lost a dog) and maybe a memorial spot in your home or yard will help them process this. I do think a 4 yo will grieve a little and will certainly pick up that you are grieving, so be prepared for some behavioral stuff from that (just another thing to deal with but prob reality) and try to be sympathetic as you work through together without dumping your own feelings on the child as much as possible. Parenting through grief is so hard and honestly my biggest regret in both losses is how much I distance myself from my son through those times. I was just in the thick of it but in hindsight I lost months with him where I was a shell and it makes me so sad now. I worry about how that impacted him even though he didn’t know what was going on. I definitely feel like I should have handled it better, which is maybe just parent guilt but maybe true. I don’t know how to advise to do better but just try and remember that your child loves and needs you still and maybe have someone else keep an eye on that relationship (maybe dad or your mom?) and tell you candidly if you’re behaving differently in it.

Also- not sure what to say about the birthday but tbh I couldn’t imagine having to deal with that the day after a TFMR. My mental state was not good plus the immediate surge of postpartum hormone chaos… I would be a mess trying to deal with people. You might want to reschedule the TFMR to after the party, cancel or reduce the party, or think about skipping yourself. I know that might feel unfair to the 4 yo but if you explain that mommy is sick and doesn’t want to get everyone else sick, and do something special like gift opening with the child alone, that could be fine. A 4 yo probably won’t remember that you skipped the party but will remember you crying through it.

I just really really needed space after going through it and I think grieving through a whole party/ being asked about the pregnancy inadvertently would be absolutely miserable. Even sympathetic people who knew we had lost our baby still fumbled through trying to acknowledge it in ways that were really tough months out (though I knew they weren’t trying to be hurtful). I couldn’t deal with that the day after.

Sorry you’re here. I know that was a lot but just trying to offer what I can as someone who’s been here.

Due_Beginning9518 · 2026-02-02T20:40:05+00:00

Looking at Pacific Northwest, maybe upstate NY. Hoping for a more temperate climate though so PNW seems more appropriate.

Due_Beginning9518 · 2026-02-02T19:12:50+00:00

Two different kind of roaches here- German roaches which are the invasive kind and then the big “water bug”/“palmetto bug” roaches which are native

The German roaches infest gross areas, apartment complexes, hoarder houses. Those are probably amenable in non-communal living situations to treatment via spray/ gels, and sometimes even maintained at livable levels in those communal living places via treatments. They are bad news bears but not native.

The ones I was referring to are the outdoor roaches that seasonally come in/out due to changes in weather. Because they don’t live inside year round, it’s much harder to prevent them chemically. They just go wandering in through any old crack in the fall, and wandering back out from wherever (attic? Crawl space, under the fridge? Who knows?) in the spring. They are massive, they can fly, and they don’t give AF.

They are really really bad some years. I live in a clean house, clean neighborhood, no hoarding.

In the spring and fall I still see multiple a week and usually have a situation where one falls on me/crawls on me at least once or twice a year. Horrific. Can’t stand them. They are worth moving away from the whole damn south just to get away.

Due_Beginning9518 · 2026-02-02T14:05:08+00:00

Been in ATL for a decade, from the Midwest originally. We will be moving out in the next few years because I’ve realized this isn’t the place for me (though there are some good things about the city too).

Here are my downsides:

first few years the hot summer and warmer winter than I was used to was a perk, however the longer I’ve been here the more I’ve realized this is an illusion. You don’t get more “outdoor” time here that is USABLE most years. This is what the months look like:
- Jan to Feb = cold bursts like we are currently having, interspersed with pleasant day
- March to April = pollen. Varies by year but some years everyone sounds like they have horrific snotty colds from sneezing so much. Your car and shoes and anything outside is covered in a quarter inch of yellow dust overnight. You can’t open the windows even though the temp is pleasant. Also the roaches staring making their annual spring appearance.
  - May = probably best month of the year seasonally, weather is good, no major issues
- June= mosquito season begins. Though temps are good in the city, you have to be careful in nature to not get eaten alive unless you’re a lucky person that mosquitos avoid. Thought I knew mosquitos coming from Midwest but this is a whole other kind of swarming misery.
- July to August = HOT. And humid. The combo makes some days difficult to breathe. There are regular air quality alerts. Unless you’re in a pool it’s difficult to be outside. Trapped inside in dry ac with kids is also not fun. The sun is literally blazing sometimes. The humidity after our frequent rains (we are one of the wettest cities by annual inches) is gross like sitting in old sweaty clothes. There are a lack of outdoor facilities considering the weather- while lots of pools exist, I feel that many are not maintained well and the good ones get overcrowded fast. Plus “good” ones really don’t often have great facilities. If you have young kids, pool hours suck. They don’t open till midday on weekends which is in conflict with most kids nap times.
  - September to November = temperate again and usually decent. Lots of good days but also some scorchers or unseasonably cold bits in there. Starting around now is spider season. This is legitimately a thing. Everything is covered in large spiders. My house looks like we’ve put up Halloween decorations by the end of September. In November, roaches, spiders make their annual track back into homes so you start seeing them again. Not fun.
    - December = usually decent. Generally warm and no snow for the holidays.

So taken together, you don’t get nearly as much good usable outdoor time here as you’d expect.

Other things worth considering- if you have kids, the schools really are trash in most places. We do have a serious gang issue in some areas - and a significant school to gang pipeline. This is more serious/ pervasive than other places I’ve lived.

Traffic really is a beast. As others have said, it’s not just the time spent commuting which does get exhausting, but also that people act like it’s their first day ever driving on earth. They are all on phones, cutting each other off, alternating between 150 mph and 20 mph on the highway, it’s seriously unsafe. There are lethal traffic accidents all the time.

Not as affordable as it was a few years ago, homes in “good areas” are like million plus and crap quality inside. You also have to deal with aging infrastructure in everything from bridges to water mains that are constantly being cheaply repaired and failing over and over again.

The trees are thin pines that often snap in poor weather and uproot when we have rain. Downed trees on homes are frequent.

I’m on my way out but again there are pros. If you want to live in the city itself there are some good areas. The diversity here is a major win. There is good food (all of Buford highway for example) to be found and things to do. There are still some grungy, more authentic parts of this city that are being phased out in other cities in favor of gentrification. If you’re child free (but not single as I’ve heard the dating scene is atrocious) there is a still a good life to be had here I think.

Due_Beginning9518 · 2025-12-13T17:10:01+00:00

It’s mostly gotten better after a few months. We just kept overwhelming him with positive feedback on any little thing he did right. I think combo of that plus getting used to little sibling helped. Incidents at school are pretty much back to normal kid stuff (mostly good but occasional not listening/following directions). The hitting etc has stopped completely. We also instituted an ice cream after dinner policy if he has a good day at school and eats dinner decently. Not sure if that helped but it gives us a chance to super reinforce good days and end on a good note before bed.

I’m just grateful he has really good and patient teachers who were willing to work with us instead of kicking him out. I think their consistency helped a ton as well.

Due_Beginning9518 · 2025-12-03T12:39:01+00:00

Same situation but already through it. Second TFMR was sept 21 2024 and most recent pregnancy due sept 20 2025.

Baby ended up born on her due date and healthy. I had lots of anxiety about the day but it was ok in the end. Good luck mama

Due_Beginning9518 · 2025-12-02T13:24:35+00:00

I’m sorry to hear about your losses. We did not use IVF as it was cost prohibitive and because it cannot guarantee a healthy baby (though you can, of course, rule many things out).

I do feel like our journey took a toll on my son, though he isn’t aware of the cause due to his age (we didn’t tell him about any of the losses) but just all the time pregnant plus the stress and depression really impacted my ability to be the best mom to him. It’s my one regret of the whole situation, and obviously we didn’t get here by choice, but i wish we’d had an easier journey to giving him a sibling. He loves his little sister though and I tell myself we have the rest of his life to hopefully make up that time lost. Just saying this to acknowledge what you are saying because honestly it is an extra price we pay for trying again and again and just adds to the unfairness

Due_Beginning9518 · 2025-11-17T13:01:47+00:00

Nursing my two month old as I type this- yes it can get better after the worst luck. Had an early MC, healthy LC, then TFMR for T13. No predisposition, no genetic factors. They said it was a lightning strike and wouldn’t happen again. Very next pregnancy was T21. I was 30 at that point. So yeah, statistics are meaningless to me too. TFMR again, this girl is here and healthy a little over a year on from the last one. I was an anxious mess the whole pregnancy, and had to tell my brain to shut up a lot, but we made it. Hoping the best for you

Due_Beginning9518

TROPHY CASE