That *SPAM* is poison, never trust a big butt and a smile.

WasNotWas

@Cricket81 said:

@WasNotWas‌
I have a feeling Daniel Tiger is where I am going to get most of my parenting advice/strategies.

Between "try new foods cuz they might taste gooood" and "groooown ups come back" it's my go-to

needanustart

Sounds like a good strategy @WasNotWas‌! Yeah G won't watch Daniel Tiger but he is obsessed with super Why so we always have to "change his story." If he is being a punk and not listening to us he says he can't because, "it's written in my story!" PBS has backfired for us, it just taught him to outsmart us. I'm sure he will do fine soon. Maybe not tomorrow, but it will be quick in the grand scheme of things.

WasNotWas

Thanks @calikat80‌ it's weird how it hurts so much when #1 is feeling bad but I can let #2 cry over dinner in one night!!

needanustart

It's so funny you say that was. The oldest will always be the baby I think. I just bought G new sneakers today and they were huge. When I put them on him and he was running around I said, "where did my baby go?!" To which the smart ass replied, "mom he's right there" and pointed to Arlo. Meanwhile Arlo eats the box G's shoes were in. First boys are meant to break your heart I think.

WasNotWas

I love that story!

lioness13

steamboat123 said:

Anyone hear of seekingsitters.com? One of DH's coworkers has used it a few times. I guess it like Uber for daycare? The sitters are all background checked, insured, etc. the sitter will be at your house in one hour.

What? Really?

itsStackie

About to hop in the shower. Quick question: MIL wants to take LO to Legoland tomorrow. Should I let her? We haven't been yet.

riansmommie

I'm in the process of purging my house of all the crap!!!! I am going to do garage sales for two weekends and whatever doesn't sell is being donated. So far I have completed everyone's bedrooms and misc spaces. I just have the kitchen, bathrooms and attic left. Pricing stuff as I go. I feel so accomplished and love how much space I'm freeing up. Ask me how I feel in a month though, I'll be doing the garage sales all alone while keeping an eye on my kids and being 22-24 weeks pregnant, someone should send me to the looney bin!

lioness13

Not eating carbs sucks sometimes...

lioness13

I forgot Married at First Sight was on tonight!



Extreme Weight Loss is good though...

GraceInCA

Baby Girl is pushing out a massive and stinky poop. DH just called and is less than 5 minutes away. Hi, honey! Here's Baby Girl. Have fun.

itsStackie

When does she realize it's not play time but bed time. It's been over an hour of fussiness!

HelgaFunk

sctiger said:

Has anyone been to Gatlinburg? We are going next week with my husband's side of the family. There will be four kids- 6, 5, 2.5, & Amelia. I'm not sure if Dollywood is in the plan. If you have any suggestions or tips I'd love to hear it!

Definitely get donuts from the Donut Friar. It's in some little village area of town and you have to go pretty early in the morning but the last time I was there it was worth the early wake up.

HelgaFunk

Cricket81 said:

Just had to share this idea from Pinterest: "sandbox" full of rice crispies! We have no outdoor play space and I always feel bad tht he doesn't have a sandbox or water table to play in. This is brilliant and it is perfect for his "I put everything in my mouth" tendencies!

I was all excited about this idea then remembered that I have a dog. And she'd eat rice crispies until she explodes.

WasNotWas

This whole anti-feminism bullshit has got me so pissed off. I'm embarrassed at women putting down other women.

WasNotWas

stargazer763 said:

WasNotWas said:

This whole anti-feminism bullshit has got me so pissed off. I'm embarrassed at women putting down other women.

Thank you thank you thank you. 

"I'm not a feminist because I'm a SAHM." Fuck. you. 

"I'm not a feminist because I want to be treated like a lady." Fuck. you.

Or Shalene Woodley or however you say her name saying that "labels promote segregation" HOW ABOUT AMERICA PROMOTES SEGREGATION?! We cannot be equal to a man, like ever, we are not men, but we deserve respect and rights. You have a boyfriend who doesn't oppress you, great, but don't deny that it happens or that the reason he doesn't oppress you is because our foreladies of feminism who fought to allow us to choose our choice. Bite me teenage girls who have no idea of the inequality they are promoting by spreading this message

dmlk413

DD has turned into a fussy, fit throwing turd.  I'm so ready for DH to be back on day shift so he can help out with her more.

needanustart

Today DH is staying home from work because he has "extreme body exhaustion" (commonly known as EBE in the medical community) from his man cold. He asked however that I leave him the car so he could go to guitar center and get strings because he thinks his "body can handle that." Honestly I think I detached both my retinas.

needanustart

Motorcycles are NOT everywhere. Generally cars are, let's stick to the facts. Please get your sign out of my face with your aggressive caps and exclamation points.

WasNotWas

steamboat123 said:

How have I missed this anti feminist stuff? Must pull head out of sand.

of course there is a FB page and a handful of Tumblr accounts:

https://www.buzzfeed.com/rossalynwarren/i-do-not-think-it-means-what-you-think-it-means

 

WasNotWas

calikat80 said:

Motorcycles are NOT everywhere. Generally cars are, let's stick to the facts. Please get your sign out of my face with your aggressive caps and exclamation points.

Seriously, don't drive like a jackass and I will see you! Although everytime I see that sticker it makes me think they are like omnipresent and I giggle

needanustart

WasNotWas said:

calikat80 said:

Motorcycles are NOT everywhere. Generally cars are, let's stick to the facts. Please get your sign out of my face with your aggressive caps and exclamation points.

Seriously, don't drive like a jackass and I will see you! Although everytime I see that sticker it makes me think they are like omnipresent and I giggle

That's my theory. I don't drive like and asshole and I pay attention. It's also why I kind of think the baby on board tags are silly. Oh I WAS going to rear end you, but now that I know you have a cutesy bootsy baby wabey on board now I won't. Thanks for letting me know!

I do however think we should have some type of "I have a sleeping or screaming baby that needs to keep the car moving" bat signal.

numbersgirl08

I hate the Baby on Board stickers as well. I'm not changing my driving because you have a baby in your car. I don't typically try to hit cars no matter how young the passengers are.

needanustart

ChicagoChic82 said:

We have baby on board signs on our car. The point isn't for people to not hit you (DUH!!!!), it is to alert emergency response people that in the case I am not conscious after an accident to get the baby out.

Really? Because with the size of car seats these days you'd think that would be a way bigger indicator to check for a kid than a yellow piece of plastic. 

@cl8badb I did figure they were kind of good for giving people a pass if they are driving extra slow and cautious. Maybe. Kind of. But I usually drive the same safe speed no matter who is in the car.  

itsStackie

steamboat123 said:

Sharknado 2 is tonight. Drinking game?

YES! YES! Yeeeessss! Bad movie, good beer night is tradition with my brother! So, I will join!

musicalsilver

@ChicagoChic82said:

We have baby on board signs on our car. The point isn't for people to not hit you (DUH!!!!), it is to alert emergency response people that in the case I am not conscious after an accident to get the baby out.

So do you take it out of the window when you're not driving with LO?  I feel like with this logic it would be doing a disservice to the emergency responders to not do so, making them feel like there might be a baby lost in the wreckage somewhere.

That being said, as you might be able to tell, I really don't get the point of these stickers.  I'm all for not advertising much about myself/where I live etc on my car.  Our neighborhood provides "registration" stickers for cars, but I just keep mine in my center console, because I hate driving around town advertising where I live.

The only exception I make is for a license plate frame from my undergrad because I'm a little hypocritical like that, but I really loved my undergrad.

WasNotWas

like @musicalsilver advertising what is in the car makes me really uncomfortable. I don't like it when I see the sticker of the soccer player with "MacKenzie" on the middle of it or even the stick families. I feel super paranoid that someone is either going to call my kid's name when we are in a grocery store because they saw it on my car or follow me home and know what to expect when they enter the house.

This comes from being raised by two insurance adjusters...always assume the worst case scenario

Lizzybizzy80

I wish it was more common to use something for new drivers, I actually adjust my driving and patience level for them.

musicalsilver

@Lizzybizzy80 when I was living in England they had new drivers have a "L" learners sticker on their car - while they were learning and then for a while after they got their license I think?  

I think it's a wonderful idea.  I'd definitely cut people more slack if I knew they were a new driver.  Everybody else, all bets are off.

WasNotWas

34blondie said:

On another note, I received a couple Thirty One bags as gifts with M's name on them. They are fine for now, but I'm not about to let him carry something around with his name when he's older and someone can use that as bait. It's a scary world.

I know your current housing situation isn't ideal, so this isn't directed towards/at you in any way, but the way I see it is that I chose a safe neighborhood in a safe area. My kids have a 10 mile radius of safety, easy...but outside of that I don't want to give anyone any ammunition to start a conversation through knowing their name or their interest. I want them to wander and explore, but I also want them to be safe and smart.

I think bubbles and scare tactics are equally bad, but educating a kid on "if someone you don't know knows your name that doesn't make them a friend" or even implementing the 'ol password "if someone is trying to talk to you ask them what the password is, if mommy & daddy know them they will know the answer, if not, run and scream and find the nearest person of authority" is what we have to do. I know the world isn't as scary as it was for us growing up (statistically), but I would have given the same advice 30 years ago

WasNotWas

to lighten the mood

musicalsilver

WasNotWas

heelibrarian said:

@WasNotWas The password idea is great. I've been meaning to talk to DS about strangers but for him it might be a complex topic right now. And FFWC? Both kids have backpacks with their names on them, for preschool and mother's day out. I am with em when they are carrying them. I can see not doing that when ethey're school age and more likely to be away from me. There's a lot to consider, I guess.

My sister is 6 years younger than me and we lived in a not nice area of South Florida until I was 8 so I very clearly remember the warnings I got and the warnings she got at ages 2-5. The password one was huge because it helped me feel safe that if I was confronted by a stranger saying that my mom was in the hospital and he was there to pick me up (an honest to goodness scenario I was terrified of as a child) I could ask what the password was and if it wasn't the one my parents told me I knew that I would be in danger. I will also teach my kids the 'ol "mom! there is someone at the door, do you want me to get it" trick if they are home alone and someone comes to the door. We don't have land lines, but I used to do the same thing if I picked up the phone when I was home alone.

I feel like educating your kids about the realistic dangers and how they can mitigate the risk is really empowering for them. I am a clear example of my parents taking it too far (I have a book of things to do in an emergency that includes what to do if you find a bag of pills or are at a party with drunk adults). But I think there is value in the conversation.

WasNotWas

@majwv8

Western Diva

This is a great blog about teaching kids safety with "strangers".

https://www.checklistmommy.com/2012/02/09/tricky-people-are-the-new-strangers/

needanustart

@mcbush we had a similar incident at the museum last week that I am still bothered about. We have been having camps that start at 9, earlier than our 10 am open time so our front door is open earlier but there isn't a person at the reception desk since the campers go right to back of the building where the instructor is. As I was coming in the building at a few minutes after 9, a 5 year old is coming out and says he'll hold the door for me and then says, "just going to get my sister!" and scoots past me, down the path, across the driveway and then straight into the parking lot. I look in the museum and don't see anyone following him and no one waiting for him in the middle of the lot and then he bursts into tears and is covering his eyes wandering around in traffic! A truck almost hit him turning into the lot. I had to run into the lot and talk him into holding my hand and coming back into the museum so we could call someone. Turns out the boy has severe separation anxiety and for the first 3 days of camp his mother sat right outside the door the entire 6 hour session. Supposedly the 17 year old sister was supposed to be the one to do that today but she just dropped him off. We called the parents and they were livid with the girl, but I kind of wanted to be like, she's a kid too! I felt bad for everyone in the situation, but the parents really need to teach the boy some coping skills or know they have to be with him at all times until they do because it was so close to a tragedy. I keep seeing the truck turn and almost hit him while he was crying in my head

G on the other hand could care less if we leave him and can recite his address, full name and both his parents names when asked so I just have to train Arlo early too!

needanustart

True story, DH is so paranoid about strangers knowing our kids' names that he won't allow monogrammed clothing. We had a "Graham" hoodie we got as a gift and he won't let him out of the house in it. He will however let him wear tee-shirts from his childhood that have Mikey on it to really screw with people. G is so chatty though if a stranger came up to him and said, "would you like candy Mikey?" he would probably say, "my name's not Mikey, it's Graham, and I would love some candy!" The no stranger danger thing is a little scary, he's too much like mommy.

needanustart

@mommycoffee just declutter as much as humanly possible. Also de-personalize. I also feel like generally you probably don't need more décor, as the more bare and open things look the better. We bought our first home because it was vacant with no window treatments and it looked so beautifully light. And let is as much light as possible. If you think it looks too crowded or cramped I would seriously consider renting a small storage unit for a month and getting as much stuff out as you can. It can mean thousands of dollars more in a sale for the small investment of a few hundred in storage.

needanustart

Bleachy14 said:

melOHdy said:

Speaking of mermaids.  I am trying to decide what I want to do for my birthday (in October).  I found this awesome bar that has mermaids who swim through the large, whole-room aquarium throughout the night.  I think that is the route I am going to go.  I love mermaids. 

A girl I used to know is like crazy obsessed with mermaids I think (at least she was as of a few years ago)... She had a full up mermaid outfit with tail and all, and would go to pirate fests and stuff and pose as a mermaid! On land, and then even in the water too. Some of the stuff was kind of weird, but then sometimes I would see pictures of little kids posing with her all excited to be by a "real mermaid", and that I thought was kind of cool!

Was her name Donna Martin? All I can envision is 90210 at Halloween when I think of adult mermaid costumes.

ASmallWonder

Serious question - if a car seat has been ejected from a vehicle due to a horrific crash, do you think the little suction cupped sign stayed on?