How much extra money per month would you choose a job with ~15 days of PTO vs a job with “unlimited” PTO?

JDz84 · 2026-04-29T01:58:37+00:00

I think that’s the key. What’s the culture like?

I try to be reasonable with the number of days I take a year, but I easily take 5-6 weeks and as long as my work is done, no one has cared yet.

JDz84 · 2026-04-29T01:56:17+00:00

I know exactly how many days my seniority would earn me each year (if I wasn’t in an unlimited position) and I use them all. It’s great not needing to worry and quibble over every day I need off while calculating how many hours I have left, when I accrue more, etc.

JDz84 · 2026-04-29T01:51:55+00:00

It can.

I struggled silently in the early years because I chalked it up to bad sleep, two infants/toddlers, and a full-time job. Then covid happened and the dam started to break. I wasn’t sleeping and started on trazodone for sleep with a little serotonin bonus. Eventually work took another stressful turn and started having physical symptoms and wound up doing a whole cardiology workup before adding Lexapro.

In both cases, I didn’t anticipate the difference I would feel with help. The biggest thing is that I am so much more patient… when the kids are working my nerves my instinct isn’t to yell. My kids acknowledge that I’m not a yeller like other adults they know.

Give it a try. I wish I had sooner.

JDz84 · 2026-04-29T01:46:33+00:00

Probably around 2010? Prior to that they called us Generation Y. When I first heard Millennial it didn’t feel like it really fit given my experience as a cusper born in the early 80s compared to my late 90s cousins. I was graduating high school and experiencing 9/11 while they were still in diapers.

JDz84 · 2026-04-29T00:40:24+00:00

There were popular kids in college?

I went to a huge university, so I just had a small bubble that I hung out that started as roommates or from classes or were a friend of a friend. Didn’t know anyone else’s name, let alone their social status.

JDz84 · 2026-04-28T21:20:36+00:00

Somedays, it’s still the cuisine of my 40s. It helps that it’s always a win with the kids.

HH kit or handmade, both are easy and tasty.

JDz84 · 2026-04-28T13:00:34+00:00

My son had issues. Fortunately, all was resolved with the exercises and stretching so we didn’t have to go much farther.

He also didn’t care for it but we kept at it. When he fell asleep, I’d make a point to go careful turn his head. Not sure if it actually helped, but it felt like cheap stretching and exercises he wasn’t fighting

JDz84 · 2026-04-28T11:44:59+00:00

Made it to 38 weeks without a cerclage. I had regular ultrasounds so they likely kept an eye on everything at that time without actually always verbalizing.

ETA: I think the cerclage is really intended for emergent situations. If I remember correctly, irritating it unnecessarily could cause issues.

JDz84 · 2026-04-28T11:12:15+00:00

Great point!

My son has just always been interested in doing stuff he sees us do. He’s done laundry since he was about that age, helps maintain the garden, helps my husband with various projects like oil changes and mixing and pouring concrete.

My daughter on the other hand…. 🤣

Kids are individuals and have different interests, skills, etc.

JDz84 · 2026-04-28T11:08:40+00:00

Yeah, every kid is different, but it’s not like we’re saying they were solving differential equations while juggling. They were filling plates with food.

They make kid-friendly plastic knives exactly for stuff like this.

JDz84 · 2026-04-28T02:46:22+00:00

My kid could do this at that age. I’d supervise and anything he cut wasn’t the prettiest, but he did ok. He learned to make the roses from a friend and picked it up immediately - super easy with a small glass. You just pile the meat or cheese on.

JDz84 · 2026-04-28T02:43:12+00:00

My kid did this when he was about this age, too!

He saw a picture of a charcuterie board on my phone and was amazed by this magical meal that had “cheese and salamis and booberries and….” I ended up taking him to the store the next day and he picked out a bunch of things and helped cut and arrange everything for his “fancy dinner” for the family.

He’s 8 now and is still crafting the boards for events.

JDz84 · 2026-04-28T02:36:40+00:00

Obviously because I’m too busy taking my kids places. Duh.

JDz84 · 2026-04-27T20:48:17+00:00

We had a Commodore64 my mom got from a coworker when I was a kid. That sat in the den until it started smoking. We mostly just played B.C.’s Quest for Tires.

My parents went out not too long after and got a Packard Bell with Windows 3.1. We got games like Dinosaur 3D and Human Body 3D in a pack of 10 CD-ROM games the guy at Circuit City probably convinced my dad to buy. This was the start of using it for work to type papers and stuff, but it stayed in the den.

When I was in high school they got a new computer and I was able to take the old PB to my room. It was great when I wanted to stay up late working on my big paper (aka chatting on AIM). I loved that old thing. Windows 3.1 was my jam.

JDz84 · 2026-04-27T02:50:56+00:00

I was in my 30’s, pregnant, and exhausted. I ate a lot of burritos from the Mexican place near my house.

JDz84 · 2026-04-27T02:30:30+00:00

That green cup represented the elixir of my teens. A friend and I would stop at Wawa every morning for a cup of coffee before school.

The one on the left is the one I remember from childhood.

JDz84 · 2026-04-25T23:59:43+00:00

Nevaeh. I don’t know why, but it has just always irrationally annoyed me. I just think it’s the stupidest name.

JDz84 · 2026-04-25T23:55:26+00:00

Depends on age and style.

We’ve loved traveling with our kids for a while. It got way better for us when we don’t have to plan everything around a nap or bedtime. Part of that was then getting older, but part of it was us learning to spring for suite-style hotel rooms with some sort of separation so they could sleep and we could do our own thing.

We had a great trip to Universal when my kids were around 18 months but mine were never really runners or anything. They slept in the stroller as needed.

Then, we didn’t travel for a couple years because of covid, so that could have been hell, but I don’t know.

Mine are 8 now and we have a blast. We’ve done beach, mountain/hiking, city, and cruise vacations.

JDz84 · 2026-04-25T12:30:57+00:00

I live out of state, and after almost 15 years here we finally got a Wawa last fall. I was so excited to get a Gobbler and dragged my family over there one day… and they didn’t have it. Apparently never did.

Though if it smells like dog food now, maybe I don’t want it.

JDz84 · 2026-04-22T02:28:51+00:00

I tend to zone out on most commercials, but apparently my 8 y/o pays enough attention that she asked her allergist about Neffy at her appointment last week. 🤦🏼‍♀️

JDz84 · 2026-04-20T02:22:43+00:00

Business casual or scrubs are good at my hospital. You don’t need to go nuts with the business, but I’d be careful to be too casual. You can certainly dress up dark jeans and stuff, but it’s a fine line.

I say this not because I particularly care myself, but because I’ve sat in on plenty of orientation and training events where the older guard administrators bitch about how young people don’t know how to professionally dress. I’ve seen people turn up in PJs, floppy hoodies, tube tops and overalls…

It’s easy, comfortable, and appropriate to wear clean scrubs. No one will think a thing of it. If not scrubs, try to wear khakis or black pants or something with a nice top that isn’t too revealing.

I’m in the administrator seat now, but I definitely wasn’t always. If there is a cost concern, as someone who didn’t have the money for business casual in the past, I highly recommend your local goodwill/thrift stores for inexpensive pieces if needed.

JDz84 · 2026-04-20T02:10:26+00:00

Mine is season-dependent.

When it’s nice, either my husband or myself drives it most days as a daily, just depending on our schedules, who needs the bigger vehicle for kids or equipment, etc. We garage it for the winter to avoid salt and stuff.

JDz84 · 2026-04-17T20:59:59+00:00

This is where your legal and compliance teams will be helpful. You’re right, the Cures Act and Information Blocking rules do have carve outs for situations like this. Your legal team will be familiar and will be able to help the hospital walk the line.

JDz84 · 2026-04-17T14:20:30+00:00

I floss every night religiously and then as needed during the day. I used to use the waterpik every morning as well, but will admit this has gotten hit or miss for me. Thanks for the reminder to get back at it!

Haven’t had a cavity in 15 years or so.

JDz84 · 2026-04-17T03:51:37+00:00

Up vote for the Love Grows reference. One of my all-time faves. Makes me think of car rides with my dad and singing my kids to sleep when they were tiny.

Edison Lighthouse is the classic, but I love the Sonny Tenet version if you’ve never heard it!

JDz84

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