Amber Buttermore

When I was 12, I received a coveted writing award at my 8th grade graduation. So right about now my 12 year old self is super pumped to be writing for Seacoast Moms! Writing loads of poetry helped get me through many challenges as a preteen. Nowadays I write often in advocacy and in relating to others and about newer, deeper challenges as a parent and as a woman. Expressing my feelings and writing about what I've learned while becoming a grown up may hopefully be relatable to other moms too. In college I was set on a law career but took one intro to education class and fell in love. I received my Master's in Education from Lesley College through a life changing program called Art Integration in the Classroom. During my years of teaching 4th grade I also coached for The Girls on the Run program and witnessed the importance of extracurricular activities, teamwork and movement for children. Once my daughters came along, I made the tough decision to pause my career and focus on motherhood. I became the organizer of my family (and chaos) as a stay-at-home mama. The trick I found to support my extrovert personality was to not "stay-at-home". My children and I quickly became involved with our community in Portsmouth, NH. Through involvement in the community over the years I suddenly found myself becoming skilled at event planning and fundraising. I eventually helped lead a nature playground committee at our local school which successfully raised tens of thousands of dollars over several years. Within our PTA I've planned many events and led our group members to think of outside of the box while using ways to connect with the community and secure sponsorship for The Ecology School Fund as well as The Nature Playground Fund. In the Spring of the last few years, I have been coaching young girls with Seacoast Lacrosse. Being a non-athlete growing up and with zero Lacrosse experience, I learned quickly. I can do anything with a lesson plan! I have a knack for empathizing with children and helping them see the importance of themselves, kindness and being a good teammate. Over the last few years, I've also navigated the health and special education field for both my daughters and I am an advocate for enhancing special education and for invisible disabilities and Dyslexia and awareness around mental health support and PANS/PANDAS awareness. Over the last 11 years as a Seacoast Mom the one thing that I've learned is that kindness can go a long way and that you truly never know what another mom or family could be dealing with. So offer a helping hand when you can, a compliment or an unexpected smile. It can and will change someone's life. I like to speak up when it's important and I truly believe we should skip the small talk and discuss the meaning of life. I love my family and friends and community fiercely.