monique
Monique is a native New Englander; she lived in Northern New Hampshire all her life until moving to Saint Albans in 2005. She has two daughters: Audrey, born in 2007, and Cloe born in 2011. She graduated from the VTC nursing program in 2010 and has found her calling as a Gestational Surrogate Coordinator at Vermont Surrogacy Network. Monique was formerly the third-party reproduction coordinator at Northeastern Reproductive Medicine. She speaks French, English, and sarcasm fluently, and loves reading, hiking, and spending time with her family.
Social Media: Don’t Assume You Know Me by What I Post
I have a confession to make: my actual life looks nothing like my social media posts. I’m pretty sure yours doesn’t either.
I’ve posted plenty of pictures of my daughters hugging and looking like...
How I Embraced the Label of “Cool Mom”
I’m a cool mom. I know this because people who aren’t my kids tell me I am.
Last fall, I walked with my daughters from their school to the park for the annual Veterans...
When Did Summer Vacation Get So Busy? A Mother’s Plea for Simpler Times
Ah, summer vacation. The days are long, the nights are warm, and there’s nothing but two solid months of rest and relaxation ahead for the kiddos…
Record scratch. Freeze frame. Wait a second. That’s not...
Franklin County Dining: Coffee and Pastry Shops North of Burlington
Hi! I’m Mo, and I live in Saint Albans.
And I’m Erica, from Fairfax.
We’re a part of the BVTMB team, but we don’t live in Chittenden County. We live in Franklin County, and we love...
Podcasts That Keep Me Sane While I’m Driving
I have done a lot of driving since the beginning of the year. A. LOT.
If I were leasing my car, I would be well over the mileage limit for the next five years. It...
Caring for Older Parents: Things I Wish I Had Done Sooner
I was born to older parents. In the 70s, it was unusual for couples over 35 to start building their families. I’ve always grown up knowing that my parents would probably need longer-term care...
Five Tips for Talking About Gender and Sexuality With Your Kids
My husband and I have always been pretty open with our daughters about their bodies and how they work. We talk a lot about the changes they can expect as they grow. My husband...
Vermont’s Liquid Gold and Quebec’s Signature Dessert
It’s spring in Vermont, and we all know what that means. It’s sugaring time!
The sap starts to flow in the maple trees, not to mention in the veins of the locals. There are bright...
A Family Tour of the Vermont Teddy Bear Company
{Disclaimer: We are working with the Vermont Teddy Bear Company to bring you this post, however, all opinions are our own!}
In the early 1980s, an enterprising Vermonter named John Sortino discovered that there was...
Ten Years: A Tribute To My Daughter as She Enters the Double Digit Years
Dedicated to my lovely daughter as she enters the double digit years.
You must have known how cold it was on your due date ten years ago because you had no plans to exit my uterus....
My Father: The Legacy of the Stubborn Angry Frenchman
I remember when I was a kid, whenever we would go somewhere and someone asked my father how he was doing, he had the same response. In his heavily accented English, he would reply, “Not...
The 7 People You Need to Have in Your Mom Village
“It takes a village to raise a child.”
While the origin of this proverb is up for discussion, the concept itself is a familiar one for most parents. The idea of an entire community taking...
I Have a Second Child and The Second Child Syndrome Struggle Is Real
Hi. I'm Mo. I don’t know what to do with my second child.
Don’t get me wrong. I love my second child more than life itself. I would lay my life down for her. She’s smart,...
The Year of Mo: Finding Myself Again in Five Steps
I don’t know about the rest of you, but I was glad to put 2016 to bed.
Yes, there were some good times, but it seemed as though the world finally gave in to its...