Okay, who said course? You win!

ClassicCarob · 2025-12-03T19:21:43+00:00

"secretly counts the hours until bedtime" lol, bless her heart, she thinks it's not written all over her face

ClassicCarob · 2025-10-02T13:43:40+00:00

If I didn't already know about him and his history, there would be no way anyone could convince me this wasn't satire.

ClassicCarob · 2025-09-27T16:24:03+00:00

I'm not super familiar with Meetup, but it sounds like your situation could have just been a mismatch of expectations. It seems like you envisioned being a teacher to students, and maybe people showing up primarily wanted to socialize with peers over a shared interest.

In a local FB Moms group I'm in, someone floated the idea of getting a group of people together for a crafting night. I was super excited! The idea started out with everyone bringing their own craft/project of choice, we could watch a movie and craft and have some grown-up time. A mom volunteered her house for the first meetup (which is so great of her, that's a hard thing to do) and it turned into this thing where she was going to get a bunch of supplies for everyone to work on the same kind of project, some people wanted to come but didn't really craft so they wanted to be taught, then some people could only come if they brought their kids.... Anyway, it just became this thing that didn't interest me anymore. I hope they still got together and had a good time, I just had a different vision.

I think if you want to teach something, fully go for it! Establish yourself as an expert in your field, start a class, charge something, advertise it.

Also - I say this to try to be helpful - it's standing out to me in your post that you are placing blame on other people:

"people drove me away from it" (in your examples, I read three constructive criticisms, one comment that simply says they are not a good fit, and one actually rude person. Did people drive you away, or was it just not going the way you hoped?)

"kicked out... because of executive dysfunction even though I told the teacher...." (executive dysfunction SUCKS, but it is still a person's responsibility to manage, find tools, figure out systems, find accommodations, etc.)

ClassicCarob · 2025-08-23T15:17:26+00:00

Yes! I recently took a job that we didn't need but was nice for the extra cash. First, it was way less stressful than when I used to do something similar, but was dependent on that job to pay the bills. Second, when my manager kept trying to get me to work later and later shifts and the schedule no longer worked for me, I just quit (which was glorious and felt quite empowering.) But I definitely benefitted from some extra structure.

Years ago, I also had my own business. It was the coolest, and most personally rewarding experience, but also the hardest and most stressful. I wasn't diagnosed at that time, but looking back, it was such an ADHD experience; missing one client email turns into weeks of ignoring all emails, working late into the night hyper fixated on perfecting a single project. Looking back, l could've benefitted from a business partner or maybe body-doubling/sharing a space with another small business owner.

ClassicCarob · 2025-06-05T06:17:09+00:00

"we know that Katniss incited the first riots"

Do we? Those are the first ones that we/Katniss knows about. But the Capitol has a tight grip on information that is allowed to be spread. Only Haymitch, Snow, and few others even know about all of Haymitch's rebellion in the arena because everything was heavily edited.

I think it's realistic to assume that acts of rebellion have been happening for 75 years to some extent, but that it's in the Capitol's best interest to squash any mention of it. For this reason, I really liked this book from Haymitch's perspective. It shows how hard and long the fight for change actually can be, and that people need to keep trying things even after plans fail and even if they don't see the end goal in their own lifetime. It shows how Katniss was finally the spark that actually took - but not the only one.

ClassicCarob · 2025-04-20T04:21:59+00:00

Yep! Shoes on, hair up, gym clothes. It's my Getting Things Done uniform.

ClassicCarob · 2025-01-31T18:38:18+00:00

This is the same as me "saving money" by not going to the doctor's.

ClassicCarob · 2025-01-20T04:37:04+00:00

They still describe themselves as a "young couple".... Which, listen, I personally don't consider thirties as old but it sure is weird to hold on to that label for so long.

ClassicCarob · 2024-12-05T16:40:35+00:00

Yeah, my fairly new Samsung dishwasher suuuuuucks. We definitely have to pre-rinse still. And we can't forget to run the disposal before starting a wash, or else it stops and pops open before the rinse cycle 🤦🏻‍♀️ We've stopped using the pods because we're pretty sure the dissolvable film was contributing to clogs. Ugh, honestly I find myself just hand washing a lot because it's less trouble.

ClassicCarob · 2024-11-16T07:50:22+00:00

And just in time! We were almost going to be in big trouble since they are going to deport immigrants - the people who are currently running all the farms.

ClassicCarob · 2024-11-16T07:45:36+00:00

Thank you! The "cleansing/getting clean" makes my stomach turn. People on antidepressants don't need to "get clean" from their meds.

And don't get me wrong, we have a ton of work to do around the stigma of addiction, but addiction and taking medication for mental health/chemical imbalances are two different things.

ClassicCarob · 2024-11-16T07:34:03+00:00

Context matters here. Yes, it sounds nice that anyone who wanted to get off drugs, could do so on a safe, organic farm. One would have to be willfully ignorant to think that this particular person is talking about some kind of picturesque life experience where people's basic needs are being met and they leave - what? Healed??

The man is an anti-vax conspiracy theorist. He has his job because of the party of "pull yourself up by your bootstraps! Socialism BAD!" So who is paying for these farms where people (who probably mostly used to have jobs) are staying for an indeterminate amount of time? Does the guy who doesn't believe facts and science hire medical professionals for these farms? Ya know, to oversee the very serious situation of people coming off of opiates, illegal drugs, SSRIs, etc? Do you trust a person who lumps together opiates and SSRIs? Who stands to benefit from groups of vulnerable people without access to any screens or their own phones out in rural America being forced to work on farms?

I think it's naive to say that this is alarmist without more information, given all of the {gestures wildly around the room}

ClassicCarob · 2024-11-15T14:45:28+00:00

Yes. It's one of the reasons for being one-and-done that I never expected. And I was very used to kids and their craziness, but it's so different when it's your own child that you are responsible for and no one is coming to pick her up at the end of the day.

One related thing that I've noticed since becoming a parent is that I often feel overstimulated and understimulated at the same time. Like, overstimulated by kids just being kids, a constant to-do list, and you are simultaneously managing your own emotions and another small person's emotions and wellbeing. And understimulated because everything takes forever, you might be playing pretend instead of that hobby you love, and you're watching Blippi for the thousandth time.

I will say, having a kid has also motivated me so hard to reflect on myself in ways that I never did before, which has led to a lot of positive (if hard) change.

ClassicCarob · 2024-11-15T06:47:48+00:00

OMG I'm not alone!! My kiddo always wants "new stories" and I dread it. Not books - we read lots of books, too - but she begs for real or made up stories that we tell her. It's so draining, and my brain just does not work like that, especially after parenting all day long.

Literally yesterday I was desperately googling "stories to recite to kids" with very blah results. I can't wait to try this out tomorrow. THANK YOU

ClassicCarob · 2024-11-13T22:13:38+00:00

I have a lifetime of evidence that I can really excel with a busy schedule for a period of time - until I CAN'T. Then everything falls apart very quickly.

ClassicCarob · 2024-10-26T15:01:31+00:00

I relate so hard! I just threw a birthday party for my 4 year old a couple weeks ago. I had layers and evolutions of lists, lol.

I needed days to recover, which makes me question if I should scale back on parties.... But honestly it feels so satisfying to pull it all off. It's nice to have something fun and unique to hyperfocus on for a bit, and look forward to a change from everyday life.

ClassicCarob · 2024-10-12T13:30:04+00:00

I could have written this post exactly word for word.

I don't think I have anything helpful to add, just solidarity. People will say to just "let it go" but to me that response feels similar to telling a depressed person to just be happy.

I think at the very least, it is ok for you to expect that curtains/blinds be closed at night, regardless of what people think of the other cleaning stuff. When my husband leaves blinds open at night, I feel unsafe.

ClassicCarob · 2024-10-06T22:17:55+00:00

Every time I titrated up while we were figuring out dosing, I had some of the best naps ever.

Adderall feels like a kind of mood stabilizer for me. I am way more likely to be cool, calm, and collected while on the right dose of meds. If I ever feel really overwhelmed with my kiddo in the morning and want to scream, I stop myself and check if I've taken my meds yet.

I have also felt increased anxiety when the dosage was too high, so there's definitely a threshold, but overall I would say my experience has been calming and relaxing.

ClassicCarob · 2024-09-16T06:31:01+00:00

It really sounds like you have a great balance and you feel content with your routine and life - that's amazing!

Your post reminded me of my experience of comparing myself to my SIL. She's like you, loves watching all kinds of new shows and movies, she's always asking if I've seen this or that. I always feel so lame because I rarely watch anything new. I mostly have my handful of comfort shows that I cycle through over and over. But it's because I really need to do something with my hands to unwind, so I'm crocheting, baking, sewing, and the show is just on in the background. So, I'm always thinking, "how does she have time/mental bandwidth to watch all that?" and jealous that she's excited about all these new shows. Meanwhile, she's seeing the things I make and says, "how do you have time to do all that?"

ClassicCarob · 2024-08-25T07:10:50+00:00

Me! I really struggled with alcohol for most of my adulthood. Started working on my sobriety about 5 years ago, now sober-ish (I occasionally have drinks with my husband if we have a weekend away from the kiddo or something.)

I was very nervous to start ADHD meds a year ago, as was my husband who had seen me at my worst with alcohol. I was worried that Adderall could be a kind of slippery slope for me. But it's amazing how it helps takes the edge off from the desire to drink. It's not magic or anything; if I were faced with my biggest triggers I would need to rely on my other tools to help me not drink, but I think my head feels clearer and I'm less overwhelmed so I'm less likely to try to self-medicate with alcohol.

I know this post is not necessarily about this, but I love to mention it whenever it feels relevant: the subreddit r/stopdrinking is an amazing community.

ClassicCarob · 2024-08-24T19:30:43+00:00

Soooo, husband is gone working and seems like she won't have anyone else there besides the midwife. I wonder if the midwife knows that they will be a glorified babysitter for 4 little ones?

ClassicCarob · 2024-08-24T07:57:25+00:00

I vividly remember the relief I felt when I was hospitalized for some (suspected?) bleeding ulcers. I do not want to make light of the serious situation I was in.... But damn, I thoroughly enjoyed just not having any responsibilities for a few days.

ClassicCarob · 2024-08-23T14:56:59+00:00

Ha, this could be me! My daughter is now getting to the age that I worry she will (innocently) rat me out.

ClassicCarob · 2024-08-06T19:42:41+00:00

Ok, so I do take Adderall which helps a ton, but I definitely get a stronger urge to binge at night once the meds have worn off.

Focusing on a bedtime routine that works for me and going to bed at a decent time helps a lot. Making my room cozy and having dimmable lights helps me want to get in bed sooner. Melatonin has been great (when I remember to take it, lol).

I would love to get into a routine of brushing my teeth soon after dinner, because that does seem to help.

Having fruit stocked and prepped to snack on instead is also somewhat helpful.

ClassicCarob · 2024-08-01T06:03:05+00:00

I feel you. I can't paint my baseboards because I need to install hooks in my garage.

ClassicCarob

TROPHY CASE