I think someone calling themselves a seasoned mama can be offensive to someone that is insecure about their own status. It wouldn't be offensive to a secure person, they'd just laugh and move on.

And the seasoned = knowing it all... From what I've noticed, the more you know, the more you realise you don't know... So if someone thinks seasoned = knowing it all, then i'm guessing they'd be in the less knowing category.

Reading your blog today Julie is making me feel old. I'm not even 34 yet! Since you're seasoned, I'm probably pickled (what comes after pickled?!)! 16 years of programming, there's no escape .. aaaaa :P

I feel the same way about that word, Julie. Learning by doing, rolling with the punches, and feeling secure about making decisions without having to have every move validated by anybody else--that's how I think of a "seasoned" mom (or a seasoned anybody, for that matter).

I wonder if the word wasn't originally intended to indicate "having been through the seasons" (i.e. been around the block a couple of times)....

LOL...16 years! You are... dehydrated :) I'm kidding. So, what you learned on FORTH?

Actually, sometimes I do feel dehydrated.. Especially when I forget to get up and drink water while working.. heehee.

I learned on pascal at university, but then quit uni when I got a job as a trainee systems programmer at the age of 18. I've never learned forth (thankgod), just assembler, cobol, adabas natural, IBM Rexx, Paradox .. whatever their language is called, and then Delphi, my favourite development environment. Which is back full circle to pascal.

From everything you've talked about, I'm guessing you are VB/VBA?

Well, I learned FORTH in college -- I had to build my own compiler in compiler design 101 (or was it 102 ;-) ) and FORTH was the language of choice for such an adventure. Truth be told, you'll recognize the true geek girl in me when I say that compiler design was my <b>absolute</b> favorite course in college. I got off building a compiler. It was so natural for me. Once we were well past building compilers and doting on the fun ABCs of programming using assembler, we were taught C and then our OOP classes on C++. Fresh out of college I was offered a job designing missle launching systems but realized that given my experience in the legal field I would be starting at square 1 salary wise when I could be starting at square 10 and that morally I didn't think I could do it... so I developed a niche using VB and VBA and here I sit. I'm quite bored at this point with it though... I'd love to have the drive I used to have to do more but I don't. I want to do something entirely different.

Missile launching, OMG... that's not a field that you'd want to be releasing software with bugs!!

Actually, it interesting you mention salary. That's the whole reason I got into the computer industry, money. By the time I was 20 I was earning more than my Dad.

Have you ever thought of going into business for yourself? That's an incredible motivator, and does add a whole new dimension to coding. You seem really good at web design, both technically and creatively. And you seem to enjoy it from what I can tell from here. It really very, very different working for yourself. I mean after 8 years you would have gone through your first 7 year itch, which generally means time for a change.

I've considered it... I even acquired the perfect domain name but to go into business for myself would make me responsible for design, coding, implementation and maintenance and installation and I just don't want to have to travel to client sites and deal with squeaky wheels, etc. I don't have that kinda time with my kids around. I definitely have the 7 year itch..right now I'm just doing it for the money. It's hard to justify not doing it considering the position I have, KWIM.