@annabenanna@MRSCORKER Thanks ladies. My son loves me and we have a great relationship even though it's only been 3 years. I guess I'm just extra sensitive to it right now because of other stuff going on with him that kind of rubs salt in that wound.
I remember seeing Keiko (free willy) at the aquarium when I was a little girl and he was just floating there doing nothing. Even if aquariums were able to significantly enlarge their tanks. ....it's not the ocean. It's a sterile environment. I used to go to SeaWorld in Orlando when I was little and it was fun! The orca shows were cool but the exploitation for monetary gain is terrible and keeping these creatures in captivity is cruel. I can't even go to the zoo anymore. My kids can watch any of the tons of educational movies/shows that exist or go to the library to learn about animals. I definitely want to go whale watching with my kids.
@joyful08 Me too! I'm usually a crunchy person in terms of favorite food textures, but a perfect avocado with some salt has been hitting the spot! My DD hates them so I'm not entirely convinced she's even mine.
Oh anti-vaxers........this was one of those issues that put distance btwn crunchy mom's and me. Damn those evil vaccines! ! Bring back small pox. I swear if they rid us of polio....
@krzyriver I couldn't agree with you more because I'm a soon to be Stepmom to four kids and their "Mom" is completely useless. She never sees them, my FI has raised them all on his own. She has no idea how they do in school, no clue how they are doing medically, the list goes and on and on. I feel that full time Dads/Stepmoms that take full time care of the children get the crap end of the stick when it comes down to it. On the flip side, when the kids grow up I think they know who really took care of them and was there for them and it pays off in the long run.
And I'm so glad I'm not the only one @kmalls and @alysie89, I do the same thing and just take pictures in the outfits! Lol
My UO is that while I love you ladies being all wild and crazy for eating sandwiches (I partake in them from time to time, too), I will not go back to a Jimmy Johns again because it supports the CEO's hobby. The CEO is an avid trophy hunter. He kills elephants, rhinos, zebras, leopards, etc. and poses next to them... I just can't support that.
OMG I wish I was still in ignorance on this one. I really like JJ's salad wrapped option and freaking A. Why?! Oh well. Just don't tell me anything compromising about Schlotzky's . I freaking love their original and if I had to boycott cinnabon I might cry forever.
I love love love schlotzkys. JJ ingredients seem really low quality. Firehouse is way better than JJ. Nothing beats a Publix sub though. Every time I'm back in FL I get one.
Yes to schlotzsky's!! I will choose this over JJ & Firehouse any day! That bread...ohmygoodness
Has anyone else noticed that most of our boards end up about food?! Haha this made me chuckle!
My UO, I don't know why but I just don't like baby clothes that says "Daddy's little" this or "Mommys" that. Mostly because they are always saying "Angel" or "princess" for a girl or "slugger" and such for a boy. I don't like defining genders by colors or stereotypes and when I see those clothes it just makes me cringe a bit. I also feel like it takes "ownership" of the baby somehow by either parent. I know that may sound weird but for my DD at my shower my ex's family bought ALL "Daddy" clothes and it drove me insane!!
@ladyshark311 YAAAAAS I totally agree, shirts with "mommy's little ..." Or "daddy's little ..." are the worst!! I ended up with a bunch as gifts for DS and I definitely never put them on him. Actually, I kind of hate all shirts with slogans on them, they're just so cheesy!
UO: training your baby to poop in a diaper is silly. Nipple confusion is a thing. How about toilet confusion!!
interesting. What is your plan?
People here in Tanzania start potty training as soon as their kid can sit so it's totally the norm here that kids are potty trained super early. I was talking to a mama yesterday who said even at night they just wake up every once and awhile and sit the baby on the potty to poo
@krzyriver I also consider my stepson as my son. His mom at one point said she never wanted to see him again and my husband was paying child support and she had primary custody at the time. He called right away and got her support froze and got a hearing to get custody and claim abandonment. It was ruled in our favor and we now have him full time and support was dropped. She just lets us know when she wants to get him which usually is only one weekend out of the month. I've lost all respect for her because I don't understand how she could say those things and not see or talk to him for a month or more at a time. He calls me mom and I introduce him as my son. I can't believe the police did that to you especially with a custody order. I know my state's laws are stupid when it comes to custody, they screwed my husband when he initially went through the process. Luckily things worked out and my stepson is in a more stable home full of love.
@jillianpardo@kmolleltz I agree it's an issue and personally plan to use elimination communication (which I haven't read up on thoroughly yet so no one ask detailed questions!) as much as possible. As I understand it mostly entails noticing when baby is eliminating and holding them over the toilet. People make a noise to associate with poop and pee (like pshhhhh) and make it when the baby goes, and then theoretically at some point when you hold the baby over the toilet and make the noise it will automatically go. You also want to change diapers as soon as possible so they don't get used to sitting in their own waste, and using diapers that FEEL wet can help too so they are uncomfortable and not just happy to pee. I also read some stuff about making bathroom stuff normal - let them watch you go, don't act like it's yucky or should be hidden.
This is way easier for a SAHM, obviously. I won't be able to be one, so baby won't get this kind of attention round the clock (and I'm not going to stress about doing it perfectly myself). But theoretically at least doing it sometimes will still help your kid associate poop and pee with the toilet from the beginning.
@jillianpardo@kmolleltz I agree it's an issue and personally plan to use elimination communication (which I haven't read up on thoroughly yet so no one ask detailed questions!) as much as possible. As I understand it mostly entails noticing when baby is eliminating and holding them over the toilet. People make a noise to associate with poop and pee (like pshhhhh) and make it when the baby goes, and then theoretically at some point when you hold the baby over the toilet and make the noise it will automatically go. You also want to change diapers as soon as possible so they don't get used to sitting in their own waste, and using diapers that FEEL wet can help too so they are uncomfortable and not just happy to pee. I also read some stuff about making bathroom stuff normal - let them watch you go, don't act like it's yucky or should be hidden.
This is way easier for a SAHM, obviously. I won't be able to be one, so baby won't get this kind of attention round the clock (and I'm not going to stress about doing it perfectly myself). But theoretically at least doing it sometimes will still help your kid associate poop and pee with the toilet from the beginning.
^wss @kmolleltz You don't have to be a SAHM to EC. I started with my first a few days after we got out of the hospital. I didn't expect to start that soon. We just woke up and I tried it. If you start really young you hold them over a receptacle of your choice. At first it's mostly done through timing (upon waking, before and after eating, every x amount of time).poop was very easy to catch/spot and after two weeks of EC DD was only pooping in a receptacle. I missed a lot of pee for a long time and that's totally fine. I read a book on it, infant potty training by Laurie boucke (may have messed up name sp).we had a strong start. We traveled a ton around 6 months and EC kinda went to the wayside (still ec'd when it was really convenient :waking, eating). I'm really happy with it. We saved a lot of money on diapers because she spent most of her days in a flat cd or just naked bum. I loved not having to wipe up stuck on poo. We saw a significant drop in pee misses when she hit 1 year (still no poop diapers as the majority ). She was day trained by 14 months. Night training took the longest. She was completely potty trained by 18 months. Potty training takes time no matter when you start it. You can EC part time and reap the benefits.
@krzyriver as a stepmom (but not full time like yourself), I can relate to the hurt/frustration. Although I will tell you a thing I read on George Takei's FB page. He had shared a post about "what little thing has made you feel loved", and it was a thread on reddit. Two of the posts that struck me (because I could relate the most) was:
1.) "The day my step-dad introduced me as "my son" for the first time.I don't think he even realized he did it. But every other time he introduced me to anyone he would say "my wife's son."I was like 13, and I won't ever forget that moment."
2.) "I went to my Dad's house and his wife's car had the stick figure family on the back window. I was on it with her real kids."
It is really nice to read this and nice to hear about other "stepmom" experiences. I have only been seeing my step son for a few months now so we are still at the beginning/stressful stage. It's rough to be the one who goes through everything just like the bio parents, but you're not technically "involved".
I love Sea World and am so sad they are getting rid of the orca shows. Yes, I've watched Black Fish and done my research, but my opinion is that Sea World treats those animals well.
We used to have a Sea World in Ohio and growing up my parents took us every single year. The Shamu show was the best, and on two different occasions each of my brothers got to go on stage and pet and feed Shamu! How cool is that?!
Ahhhh I have so many feelz on this subject! Ultimately I don't think it matters how "well" an Orca is treated in captivity. If it lives in a tank, it's being abused.
Recently there was a 100+ year old Orca sighted off New Zealand. In captivity, they're lucky to live to 20. There's no excuse for that.
By that same standard my goldfish is being abused. Or why not my dog? Is a pet not held in captivity?
I love Sea World and am so sad they are getting rid of the orca shows. Yes, I've watched Black Fish and done my research, but my opinion is that Sea World treats those animals well.
We used to have a Sea World in Ohio and growing up my parents took us every single year. The Shamu show was the best, and on two different occasions each of my brothers got to go on stage and pet and feed Shamu! How cool is that?!
Ahhhh I have so many feelz on this subject! Ultimately I don't think it matters how "well" an Orca is treated in captivity. If it lives in a tank, it's being abused.
Recently there was a 100+ year old Orca sighted off New Zealand. In captivity, they're lucky to live to 20. There's no excuse for that.
By that same standard my goldfish is being abused. Or why not my dog? Is a pet not held in captivity?
@heatherperkins14 - do you keep your dog locked in a small cage 24 hours a day with no hope of ever getting out? Because that would be the equivalent of what an Orca in captivity is subjected to. Otherwise, no, a pet that has been domesticated for hundreds of years (as opposed to a wild animal) is not being kept in captivity.
As for your goldfish, yep, I'd argue that keeping it in a little bowl is abuse. I personally haven't ever had a fish and never will. They're not meant to live in tanks.
I love Sea World and am so sad they are getting rid of the orca shows. Yes, I've watched Black Fish and done my research, but my opinion is that Sea World treats those animals well.
We used to have a Sea World in Ohio and growing up my parents took us every single year. The Shamu show was the best, and on two different occasions each of my brothers got to go on stage and pet and feed Shamu! How cool is that?!
Ahhhh I have so many feelz on this subject! Ultimately I don't think it matters how "well" an Orca is treated in captivity. If it lives in a tank, it's being abused.
Recently there was a 100+ year old Orca sighted off New Zealand. In captivity, they're lucky to live to 20. There's no excuse for that.
By that same standard my goldfish is being abused. Or why not my dog? Is a pet not held in captivity?
There's a difference between a wild 2 ton animal and domesticated animal.
But really a lot of people are uneducated about keeping fish, especially goldfish, so I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't well kept.
Re: UO 3/24/16
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Ive been living on avocados this whole first trimester. A little salt, pepper, and lemon....mmmmmm!!
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And I'm so glad I'm not the only one @kmalls and @alysie89, I do the same thing and just take pictures in the outfits! Lol
People here in Tanzania start potty training as soon as their kid can sit so it's totally the norm here that kids are potty trained super early. I was talking to a mama yesterday who said even at night they just wake up every once and awhile and sit the baby on the potty to poo
This is way easier for a SAHM, obviously. I won't be able to be one, so baby won't get this kind of attention round the clock (and I'm not going to stress about doing it perfectly myself). But theoretically at least doing it sometimes will still help your kid associate poop and pee with the toilet from the beginning.
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Interesting stuff. I'll def be looking into it more.
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By that same standard my goldfish is being abused. Or why not my dog? Is a pet not held in captivity?
As for your goldfish, yep, I'd argue that keeping it in a little bowl is abuse. I personally haven't ever had a fish and never will. They're not meant to live in tanks.
Hope that clears things up for you.
But really a lot of people are uneducated about keeping fish, especially goldfish, so I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't well kept.
TTC #1 - Nov '14
DS born 10/18
O16 April Siggy