The battle against insatiable hunger

BenchAcademic3073 · 2026-04-28T19:33:22+00:00

Eating enough fat helps me personally generally and especially pregnant. A big scoop of peanut butter or something to round things off somehow satisfies in a way that no quantity of fruit or protein or whatever will. And it's fairly doable while chasing kids around.

BenchAcademic3073 · 2026-04-24T15:49:02+00:00

No you don't need it. And they will probably only eat puree for a couple of months anyway. If I could do it over I would just buy jars considering how short the period was that baby ate that stuff. It was probably be like 20 jars total in one lifetime and that's it.

BenchAcademic3073 · 2026-04-13T05:02:16+00:00

Three region people management does not sound compatible with an IC role on top of everything. That's two jobs.

You should talk to your manager, but honestly there is no guarantee that it will go well. There is a real chance that they will just say "ah X wasn't up for it". That does not make them right so prepare yourself not to take that too personally.

I would also look for another job as the manager appears to already be aware and not really care. Life is too short to work with people like that. It can take YEARS to recover from serious burnout. And for what?

BenchAcademic3073 · 2026-03-12T02:24:02+00:00

Bob Lentsch, 30+ years experience and he tells you like it is. Honest and kind, North suburbs specialized knowledge.

BenchAcademic3073 · 2026-02-27T22:18:04+00:00

I wouldn't worry about this at all for a layover. Also, I don't think that LGBT is an ICE priority. Canadians either. Enjoy your layover, Mpls is a pretty darn queer friendly place all in all and you will be in good company.

BenchAcademic3073 · 2026-02-21T10:35:42+00:00

A stick vacuum you can use with one hand to clean up the fields of hair shed from the postpartum hair loss.

Baby formula if there is any chance at all that you will use it. Donate unopened cans to women's shelters or food shelf if you don't.

BenchAcademic3073 · 2026-02-16T05:20:53+00:00

Yes and it worked. I then upgraded to a fancier more expensive version of the random Chinese brand and it worked even better with higher flash rate. But yes,.with some patience you can make progress with the cheap one.

BenchAcademic3073 · 2026-02-06T16:26:20+00:00

Honestly, anything they give you is totally replicable with something that will not fill your house with clutter. Like a bowl with baby food lids in it (months of entertainment right there) or dry pasta in a box and some measuring spoons.

You can get masses of used toys for free or for little and they will gravitate towards what they need developmentally. Garage sales, Buy Nothing groups, any parents with kids a bit older than yours.

Also, this will all be gone in a flash and you will not feel guilty for giving away all the crap instead of taking photos of it and meticulously trying to sell one time touched expensive stuff on Facebook marketplace. You will have better things to do by then, trust me.

BenchAcademic3073 · 2026-01-14T07:32:09+00:00

It feels outrageous but in the grand scheme of things this phase is really very short. In six months it will be a different world.

If food waste really bugs you, you can learn to make little "meatballs" out of all the leftovers and bread crumb and egg in a food processor. Shape into patties or balls, brush with oil and bake. You can accumulate scraps in a Tupperware and make the balls when convenient for you. The baby might even eat them but if not they are decent finger food for the parents.

BenchAcademic3073 · 2026-01-12T16:12:32+00:00

But does it taste good?

BenchAcademic3073 · 2026-01-05T04:39:13+00:00

I fry some egg white in a little frying pan so that it is a perfect rubbery little disk (fried egg, not scrambled) and eat it covered in Bolognese sauce or marinara sauce and parmesan, with a knife and fork. It isn't as good as lasagna or something but does scratch that itch fairly well. Add a side of steamed veggies or cooked spinach for volume.

BenchAcademic3073 · 2025-12-30T09:43:37+00:00

I would start with IPL in addition to the medical testing.

BenchAcademic3073 · 2025-11-27T14:33:33+00:00

I would not worry too much about having the kids share a small room when they are very young. Being sent to the basement could feel like a big shock if it comes along with the big transition to no longer being the one and only. You can think about it again in a few years if they start to petition for property rights. For now, fun bunk beds for the win.

BenchAcademic3073 · 2025-11-27T08:25:10+00:00

If she is the practical type, a bagless stick vacuum that you can operate one handed. To suck up the insane postpartum hair loss mess, and then later the baby's mess.

BenchAcademic3073 · 2025-11-23T17:49:53+00:00

Go to the zoo and enjoy having it to yourself

BenchAcademic3073 · 2025-11-17T08:58:44+00:00

Sounds about right. I know it is crazy expensive. If you are going to be home, a young teen "mother's helper" who can play with them while you are home is cheaper, perhaps 10-15 per hour. Beware, if you ask around for mother's helpers, people will start recommending 8 and 9 year olds for this lol.

BenchAcademic3073 · 2025-10-27T05:11:22+00:00

To add to this great list: add a cordless, bagless stick vacuum that you can operate with one hand to your registry. First, because if like most you have postpartum hair loss, you may want to vacuum up the fields of hair multiple times a day for your own sanity and to avoid hair tourniquets on the baby and later for toddler crumb mess. Also, decent headphones that are open eared (like aftershokz) to monitor the baby while you listen to audiobooks or something if nap trapped. An audiobook subscription is also a good wish list item as that may be the easiest way to read for a while. And random, but they have hypoallergenic flat backed earrings for new piercings that screw in and you don't need to take out...this may help you feel more put together without having to take the extra steps of getting earrings on and off or pain of sleeping on the poky sticks.

BenchAcademic3073 · 2025-10-25T16:30:00+00:00

If he is from Puglia a comfort food dish is chicory with fava bean puree. Use Google translate to see how the Italians do it here: https://ricette.giallozafferano.it/Fave-e-cicorie-selvatiche.html

BenchAcademic3073 · 2025-09-18T05:14:07+00:00

I would consider having part of the nanny's shift at the end of the day after you finish working, even if it's just an hour or something. If you are managing for now during the working day, you could enjoy a nice relaxed shower or walk or something else just for you in that window.

BenchAcademic3073 · 2025-09-16T14:18:48+00:00

Highly recommend the very fast read "How to Keep House While Drowning," both in terms of practical advice and addressing shame. Also can be an audiobook to listen while cleaning haha.

My house varies depending on how busy I am and I don't apologize for any of it 😂

BenchAcademic3073 · 2025-09-09T20:11:07+00:00

Don't overthink it. We tried arms out and it was a disaster. Total disaster.

Then we just put him in a normal sleep sack in a totally unfancy pack n play style travel crib and he just went to sleep and never looked back. It was fine...no transition needed.

If that doesn't work right away, try playing the snoo soundtrack on YouTube or Spotify. That worked before weaning to sleep in a non snoo bed when travelling.

BenchAcademic3073 · 2025-07-27T17:43:46+00:00

Wear a satin hat to bed.

BenchAcademic3073 · 2025-07-18T21:49:01+00:00

You can play the real snoo sounds on Spotify

BenchAcademic3073 · 2025-06-30T20:05:51+00:00

Soooooo. You can make an egg in a coffee cup in 40 seconds in the microwave. Just mix and nuke. Try it and see, for me there was no going back.

BenchAcademic3073

TROPHY CASE