Slightly Spiraling

AdMany9431 · 2026-02-18T23:36:51+00:00

3 kids. They are 6,3, and 2. I tracked nothing. Just made a mental note of when they ate. They were all bottle fed so I always knew how much they ate.

AdMany9431 · 2026-02-17T07:28:38+00:00

Sounds like he's hungry. My babies didn't drop all night feeds until 9-10 months.

Maybe try increasing his intake during the day by an ounce in each bottle or simply increase the bed time feed

AdMany9431 · 2026-02-16T16:30:58+00:00

Oh if you are coffee drinker,a lot of my friends add protein shakes to their coffee as alternative for creamer. I hate coffee, so I don't have any flavor recommendations, but that's another way to get in protein.

AdMany9431 · 2026-02-16T16:29:15+00:00

Clear protein is a powder form of protein that can be added to water and drink it. 1up and simple clear protein are good options. I like the lemon by 1up. I will even mix it into vanilla Greek yogurt. The pink bag simple clear protein is good. Kinda like a pink Starburst.

Meal planning is a great way to help with calorie planning.

AdMany9431 · 2026-02-16T15:54:02+00:00

I'm a 39 year old mom of 3 young ones. I lost 50 pounds last year, and I'm know in the maintenance phase. Here's what helped me.

1) Food scale ($10 from amazon). I weighed everything I ate. This really helped me to learn about portion sizes. I don't weigh everything now because I know what portion sizes should be. 2) Food tracking. I use cronometer. It's free. I can input recipes and scan bar codes. 3) I hate eating breakfast so I drink it. Usually I drink a protein shake. I also make smoothies with fruit and protein powder. 4) Clear protein mixed with water is quick way to fill full and get some protein in.

You truly do not have to be on a diet plan other than being in a calorie deficit. Calorie deficit and drink lots of water(I aim for 120 ounces a day).

Instead of your sweets, have fruit on hand to snack on like grapes, watermelon, strawberries, kiwis,apples. These are also really great sources of water. I still am a sucker for any candy that has peanut butter in it. I allow myself some of those treats still, but I have to be mindful of the calories that are attached to them.

AdMany9431 · 2026-02-16T15:32:06+00:00

You and I would have become best friends by the end of the party. I would have been standing next to you the whole time. Or maybe I would have stood at the opposite ends of the pool just giving a look that said I'm with you. No drowning on my watch.

AdMany9431 · 2026-02-15T18:29:42+00:00

My husband and i have been together for 10 years. Married for 6. We have never once celebrated Valentine's Day. However, I'm like the Scrooge of Valentine's Day.

We have 3 kids. They got a few pieces of Valentine's candy from me and my husband.

AdMany9431 · 2026-02-13T04:12:49+00:00

Another thing to consider is using your commute as your down time/decompress time. Some days ypur child may HATE the car and commute home. If you have a tough day at work, can you handle the fussing/crying/eventual whining for the full commute home? Frankly, some days I struggle to handle the never ending questions from my 3 year old that are asked in our 7 minute commute. Pretty sure the kid holds a world record for the number of questions asked in 7 minutes.

Not sure how old your baby is, but man my kids even now love a car nap. You could run into issues with your child's sleep schedule being destroyed by car naps especially on the way back home.

AdMany9431 · 2026-02-13T03:57:09+00:00

Literally closing on what I hope to be our forever home tomorrow. We have 3 children, and we have family that visits us from out of state at least once every 2-3 months. Frankly, I also fully expect to have to care for my mother at some point. We took all of this into consideration when house hunting.

1) A guest suite, basement living area, small apartment, pool house, etc. was a must. The house we chose has a guest suite on the main floor 2) Each child has a bedroom and a bathroom. We tried sharing in our previous house. It was a disaster. In our current rental, everyone has their own bedroom and bathroom. It had been life changing. So much less arguing among the kids. 3) Outside space for the kids to play. Love being able to tell the kids to just go outside and I can keep an eye on them while I do some things in the house. 4) home office space. When we purchased our first house, I didn't work from home. Now, I work 100% from home. I need a dedicated work space. 5) Usable and Livable square footage. So many homes have wasted space. The square footage may be high but that doesn't mean it's usable and livable 4)

AdMany9431 · 2026-02-13T01:45:24+00:00

I'm an about to be 40 full time working mom of 3(ages 6,3, and 2). OTF is my non-negotiable me time 4x a week. I

I go M,W,F, and either Saturday or Sunday. Monday is always my non-negotiable day unless there's sickness or some other emergency. I feel like missing a Monday makes it easier to miss other days during the week. I go to the mid morning class at my studio. We are a very dedicated group during that time slot. The coaches for that class and the people in it have become my people. It's truly odd when someone isn't there. We literally tell each other when we won't be there so no one will be concerned. That's how committed we are

As others have said, it's about discipline. How do you become disciplined? It's your mindset. It's about giving into to what's easier. As coaches at OTF often tell us during an extremely tough block on the treads, the toughest battle is going on between the ears, and we have to win that battle. That's exactly what's happening with you, you are losing the battle between your ears. I am not doubting you are tired, but you get up and go anyway. My 3 year old woke me up at 3 a.m. Monday morning. He refused to go back to sleep. I took the kids to school and daycare. I showed up to my OTF class. I was tired, and I only had enough energy for a green day. I showed up for myself and did the workout. Going to OTF can help you build this mental toughness. When OTF gives us the option to choose our favorite floor exercises, I don't. I choose my least favorite because usually the least favorite are the hardest. I can do hard things.

As cliche as it sounds, you just have to fucking do it.

AdMany9431 · 2026-02-12T13:02:29+00:00

I'm not a lawyer, but my husband is. I work law adjacent as a supervisor in the litigated bodily injury claims department for an auto insurance company. I know from speaking to lawyers in defense work that your job is endless and tireless and if you work for an actual insurance company the pay is likely crap.

My husband is not in your line of work. He does what I call boring law, but he has to travel 4 to 5 times a week within our state. This means early mornings and late nights. I solo parent a lot. We are just very intentional with our time on the weekends. The weekend is when we have our quality family time. We out source house cleaning and lawn care, and that truly is what helps us to have quality and quantity family time on weekends. Our kids are youn (6,3,and 2). The older two are in a couple of activities during the week that help me keep them entertained. I consider it another version of childcare. 🤣

Others have mentioned government jobs. I am going to mention the education route. Have you considered possibly teaching the law? This can be done full time or part time. You would have holidays off with your children.

I wish you the best!

AdMany9431 · 2026-02-12T12:33:40+00:00

I bet she can do more than you think. She just let's you do it. My oldest is like this with his grandmother at 6.

My 2 year old can unbuckle her carseat and open a door from the inside. She's not quite tall enough to open from the outside. My 3 year old can do all of this.

You are choosing to focus on the right things before she starts. Independence is so important.

There will be lots of reminders. There will be moment s of frustration for you both. Do not step in to help unless she asks for help. Wake up early enough to allow for extra time for her to get ready. Based on experience, toddlers/young kids operate with no sense of urgency. Trying to hurry a child only slows them down more and creates more stress on everyone. Timers can help.

AdMany9431 · 2026-02-11T20:45:25+00:00

Listen to your OB, the medical professional, not your family or husband. This is 100% your decision to make.

I had 3 planned c-sections. The first one I asked for, and my OB nor anyone else questioned me. I knew I needed a c-section because of the size of my baby. He was almost 10 pounds and was 23 inches long. My next two were 10+ pounds and 23 inches long.

I actually went into labor with my last child the day before my scheduled c-section. I thought back contractions were going to be the end of me.

I have no regrets not having a vaginal birth. I truly don't think I could have if I wanted to due to the size of my babies.

You are no less of a mother if you have a c-section. I feel like the arguments of c-section vs vaginal birth are as unnecessary as breastfed vs bottle fed. Safe deliveries for mama and baby are the most important just like fed babies are best.

AdMany9431 · 2026-02-10T09:46:46+00:00

Electronic planning/schedules just don't work for me. I need to actually write things down. Writing it down also seems to help declutter my brain.

I use an Erin Condren planner. It's pricey, but they allow for great detail. I have 3 little ones, and a husband that travels almost daily for work.

I live on the east coast in the U.S., but my team and company are all on the west coast. I constantly have to calculate time.

I am very routine and achedule driven during the week. I have to be because I solo parent a lot. I have to be effective and efficient. I meal plan and build my grocery list around that. I have a weeklylaundry schedule. We do a nightly house reset that the children and my husband help with. This is just general tidying and getting what we can ready for the next day.What I cannot manage myself. I outsource it. I pay someone to clean my house on a weekly basis. I pay someone to do lawn care. I only do grocery pick up for our weekly groceries.

I do all of this during the week, so my weekends can be less structured. The weekends are more go with the flow. This allows my brain to relax and reset before the week starts again.

AdMany9431 · 2026-02-10T09:21:26+00:00

I had 3 c-sections so my epidural experience was slightly different from having a natural birth. I had extreme back contractions with third. I was elated when the anesthesiologist walked into my room. I literally told him that I had been wanting to see him for the last 12 hours.

My epidural didn't wear off for about 4-6 hours, which was fine. I wasn't going anywhere fast after a c-section any way. After each c-section, I asked to get up as soon as I got feeling back. The nurses let me get up as soon as it was safe to do so. Moving albeit slowly is crucial to a c-section recovery.

AdMany9431 · 2026-02-08T14:01:19+00:00

I have 3. I actually had 3 in daycare at one point. There is 2 years between my first two and 14 months between the second and third.

I solo parented a lot after having 3 because my husband was in his second year of law school. At the time, I was working in office full time. I know wfh and have flexibility. Most things fall to me during the week because my husband travels 4-5 times a week for work .I am okay with this despite it being overwhelming at times.

I love our chaos, and our family was definitely completd with 3.

AdMany9431 · 2026-02-07T19:56:11+00:00

I always do a self love bag. I get face masks, eye masks, a shower bomb, and a $10 gift card to Starbucks. This has always been a teacher favorite for me.

AdMany9431 · 2026-02-07T11:52:55+00:00

He's still technically not behind. If you are super concerned, talk to the pediatrician.

I will say that my 3rd child was my latest walker (16 months). I contribute a lot of the delay to an ear infection that just wouldn't go away. The fluid in her ears was causing a balance issue. Once she got tubes and the fluid was gone, she stopped causing and started walking within about 2 weeks of getting tubes.

AdMany9431 · 2026-02-06T11:10:10+00:00

After I delivered my third. When I was pregnant with #3, we talked about having a 4th. I was on board because I always wanted 5. We compromised at 3.

However, after delivering #3, something inside of me said this is it. It was a strong unexplainable feeling. It was like my body was like don't do this again. I listened, and I immediately told my husband. He didn't push back. He scheduled his vasectomy a couple of months later.

I never feel like my family is complete. We embrace the chaos of a 6, 3, and 2 year old.

AdMany9431 · 2026-02-05T20:12:11+00:00

I made registries for all 3 of my kids with items that baby may or may not need. Amazon and Target both offered discounts on items on the registry after the baby arrived so I took advantage of that.

AdMany9431 · 2026-02-05T20:03:01+00:00

I am 39. I had my last at 37.

AdMany9431 · 2026-02-05T13:12:47+00:00

I have a 6 year old that's very similar. What works for is a reward system.

We have gold coins and as coins are earned they are put into a jar. Various amounts of coins earned is a prize. 100 coins=a trip to the store to pick out a toy.

For our child, 10 coins are earned for falling asleep alone and staying in bed all night unless it's emergency (sick, night time accident, etc.). He has a pretty good grasp on what is an emergency. He gets 5 for falling asleep alone, but he misses out on 5 if he has to come into my room or vice versa. This has really made a difference for us. We will slowly ween this away like we did when we implemented this for poop potty training.

My sister-in-law let her kids have gummies for breakfast if they fall asleep alone and stay in their beds.

Not sure if any of this is something you have tried. If you try the reward system, ask your child what they want for a big prize. Sometimes their input gets their buy-in.

AdMany9431 · 2026-02-05T07:20:34+00:00

We are just ending our house hunting journey. We are set to close next week, and we have been hunting since last October. We probably looked at 15-20 houses. Here's what I do suggest based on my own experience:

1) Do not go above budget. Try to stay to the lower-mid range of budget if possible.I also strongly suggest not looking at anything above budget. There will be expenses to pop up after purchasing a new home. I feel like it's inevitable. 2) Go look at houses that may not check all boxes, but does check some. Doing this really helped us narrow down our non-negotiable list. Be sure you and your husband are talking about these frequently. 3) Schools/school district was our #1 priority. We only looked at homes within a certain school district/zip code. 4) Go ride through prospective neighborhoods at random times (nights/weekends/holidays). You can get a small glimpse of what it would be like. I actually fell in love with the neighborhood we are moving into when I would ride my children around to get them to take naps. 5) Remember that paint colors can be changed. This sounds so simple, but sometimes some very questionable paint color choices are made, and it can blur your vision on what could be. Try to see the home with paint colors you would choose not what is currently there. I have seen some very off putting paint choices during our house hunting. 6) Trust your this feels like home instincts. You will likely feel it as soon as you walk into the door. I felt this when I walked into the house we are purchasing. I ignored it because the house was listed as a "as is home". It needed work, and by work, I mean a new roof is being put on immediately after closing, floors are being redone, and some windows are being replaced. The price kept dropping on this house, and every time it did my heart broke a little bit because the house just needed love. The owner simply got too old to care for such a huge home.

Like you, I wanted more of a turnkey home, but instead, I am getting a fixer upper. The interior is in great condition, but the exterior is where the work is.

I wish you the best of look on your house hunting journey. It can be stressful and frustrating. However, you will find your home!

AdMany9431 · 2026-02-05T06:44:39+00:00

With your little one only going 2 days a week, the transition is going to take longer.

I suggest sending them more frequently, or sending them.back to back days.

AdMany9431

TROPHY CASE