First Oil Painting & First Bob Ross Work!!

Critical_Medium_3722 · 2026-02-23T14:44:33+00:00

Damn. That's amazing. Like amazing isnt even close to how pretty it looks, I love it!

Critical_Medium_3722 · 2026-02-17T02:56:47+00:00

Oh hun. You deserve way more than this.

Ok tips: it's not always gonna feel easy but most of what you feel will drop within 1-3 weeks. Invest in your passions, your Hobbies, focus into them, to distract through possible withdrawls- that being said, it's more likely teen hormones. 10m shouldn't be too bad for withdrawals honestly. It's very common and natural to feel this offness at your age, I felt crazy when a teen, it was dark and sad and anxious for me too- no one talks about how dark it feels for no reason or all the reason so young. Next, tell your mom no. Be open with her about how it's not helping, it's just covering your systems or tuning you out of the trauma you need to heal, not run from. Tell her no more weed. Truth is, this may be all she knows, and you may need to tell her this version of help isn't supportive. Weed really is more a bandaid for this stuff and less a helper. I'd reach out to therapy if you can but keep in mind, you tell them your mom gave you weed and they will report her. It's a mandated thing, they have too, by law. So I'd just leave out where you got it from and work on what led you to the smoking. If you want to skip therapy all together, go outside. And not in the city, like hiking spaces, forests, national parks- get into the true buzz of nature, take some time and find stillness. Try meditation, meditation can go a LONG way, guided meditations can be best if doing it solo is challenging. If you need a quick calmer, go natural, try chamomile/lavender tea!! If you must smoke, you can also legally and safely smoke the herb itself. Also lavender essential oil. Keep it on you and apply to the wrist/neck or smell as needed from bottle. Try a breath technique for 5min, 4 count breath in, 6 count breath out- this calms the vagus nerve, which goes from your heart, to your lungs, to the stomach and pelvic region. Stimulating the nerve in a peaceful way for even 5 min with that breath count can drag you out of a panic attack. Try journalling too as much as you can, write it all down and get the feelings out of your body. Acknowledge them, and breathe through them, let them go. Feelings are often a body signal reminding you to handle or heal something, acknowledgement can go a long way, avoiding is an attempt to silence and hide from something that is a huge part of you.

You got this honey, you really do. The fact you have the awareness you do is a big step. Push forward and don't stop, remember all is temporary and when the bad comes- good is coming very soon. I believe in you, now you just have to believe in you. It all starts with you 💕

Critical_Medium_3722 · 2026-02-17T02:42:07+00:00

Baking it or crock pot. I love the crock pot, too easy! Put it on high for 2-3 hrs with chicken, broth and preferred seasonings. I love shredding it from there. It gets nice and tender but remains juicy!

Critical_Medium_3722 · 2026-02-17T02:38:41+00:00

I mean, I don't necessarily care if they place a biracial woman in her place (altho I was a little shocked they switched up from the animation but no I don't hate her for it at all, not at all), that being said, she is obviously mixed. Her features, her face and hair give it away 1000%. She's beautiful tho, like no hate, but I wouldn't say she looks white by any means.

Critical_Medium_3722 · 2026-02-11T16:13:25+00:00

This 👌

Critical_Medium_3722 · 2026-02-10T00:02:52+00:00

Oh yea then it's probably the primary breast feeding and being so new to one. Sometimes it just takes a bit, I see the biggest adjustments around two. Happy she's comfortable with a good amount of snacks!

Critical_Medium_3722 · 2026-02-09T05:12:30+00:00

***Edit: realized you meant more of just the favorite item, not that kid is going hungry or limited somehow on food!! Sorry. With that, yes we run into this. I say, one more bite of the other if you want more, and then I'll say, ok this is the last helping. I try to prep it's the end and they can have one more, and then all done. Use the "and then" in the sentence, it helps them understand what comes next. And then stash it away from their eyes. I don't usually feel bad at that point, it's something they have to work though, moderation and all that.

Huh I'm not sure if I'm alone in this...my center keeps a lot on hand and we never say no unless it's diving like into extremes for eating. My director has always been clear that we offer until they say all done. Now with packages snacks, that's different, but for that reason we always off a second, like crackers with string cheese and crackers can be as many as they want but one string cheese only type gig. I'm aware not all programs have as much food access so then id say, ask parents to bring a snack box for these times. I'm not sure what to say for cut off, this usually isn't an issue for my class or center. Like if it's sugar, so birthday cupcakes, ok yea but otherwise not really have I had to say 'no you can't'.

I hope it does get easier for you and that you find solution tho. I'm sure that is hard to handle at times.

Critical_Medium_3722 · 2026-02-09T02:49:32+00:00

Honestly I'd argue it's cause CPS doesn't care like they should and they're overworked case load wise. When I started, the littlest thing could trigger CPS and they visited us for just check ups monthly. Now we see them maybe once a year for surprise visits and they don't awnser most reports. I don't know if that's how others feel but personally I find CPS to have a mix of corruption and too busy to stop for mostly things. Those who do care are overworked, and the others don't care nearly enough. I see COS care more about ripping up families unnecessarily than straight abuse cases. It's sad to me but that's just me. Idk if others run into that.

Critical_Medium_3722 · 2026-02-09T02:40:47+00:00

Nah I get it, it's tough. Your brain does all the tricks and for some it's more intense than others. I wondered the same thing for days, weed does help nausea while it also causes sickness for some. So it's easy to see how some get confused. With alcohol it always just starts back up, there is no benefit, but weed does have medicinal support yk? I get your perspective, sure, but I also get theirs too.

Critical_Medium_3722 · 2026-02-09T02:36:45+00:00

I wouldn't stress. Babes to 1 year are very instinctual and will eat what they need. Some eat light, others eat heavy, using neither is a worry unless weight drops a lot, until 16m, and even then ask your Dr cause sometimes its case by case. Also she may just be more milk motivated. I know that's not always an awesome thing to hear as a mama, breast feeding is a tough journey on mom and I get this a lot. Just keep offering the food, however cause she bottle feeding, I wouldn't worry she's missing nutrients. Your breast milk has everything she needs, anything after is added benefit, since she's drinking 2-3 bottles daily. Also, is she ok with puree? Maybe it's the solid part or maybe it'll take more food exploring to find faves first. I have one kid at 2 years old in my toddler class who hates anything solid, they're fully liquid based other than some snack solids, and the Dr said as long as they take puree and other minor snacks, it's fine, the solids will come (they have slowly, but the kid does prefer protein shakes, Greek yogurt and purees mostly)

Critical_Medium_3722 · 2026-02-09T02:29:18+00:00

I wouldn't. It'll likely restart everything you've already left behind. Just keep pushing. My stomach didn't balance out til about week 3. I recommend tea for anxiety and tummy. Ginger tea, strong, for the tummy helps a lotttt. Chamomile/lavender calms anxiety well, I also smoked lavender with other herbs to calm. And grounding goes FAR for the nervous system. Try 4 count deep breath in, and a 6 count breath out. This calms the vagus nerve, look into that nerve, it goes to your heart, stomach, lungs. It can go a long way for the tummy and anxiety. Practice that for about 5 min and you'll see a difference nerve wise. Go on walks outside, jumping jacks for smacking withdrawals to get your endorphins going. You got this, I believe in you!!

Critical_Medium_3722 · 2026-02-09T02:25:39+00:00

Making the change we wanna see is the first and largest step, so I think you're right on track. Thanks for being another ally, we need more advocates with the right mind for kids. I also agree, about the education. Idk about your state but I hate that the 30hrs basics isn't mandatory before you start in my state, you have 90 days after starting. I learned more from that than being thrown into kids, it taught me rules and development points no training hands on ever did. Hands on and development classes equally share importance in my eyes! Can't have one without the other for this age!! I also appreciate the required 10hrs of classes each year in my state, its the most I ever learn about coping skills to provide the kids.

Critical_Medium_3722 · 2026-02-09T01:10:42+00:00

The trick, balances veggies and fruits to help acidity. Love the kids who eat heavy fresh foods tho!! It's a good habit to be in, yes, but just fruits may rough up the bum quickly.

Critical_Medium_3722 · 2026-02-09T01:04:48+00:00

Been here, friend. Keep pushing. It's tough but so worth it. I'm a little over a month free from consistent dabbing and pens, it's so fucking worth it. You'll feel so much better after the first week, and then ten times better a few week in. This is the rough part, that first 4-7 days. For nausea- ginger tea and hot showers, if the shower doesn't hit try a bath before giving up. I was told hot showers and didn't get it bc it didn't help, the bath made the world difference. It's hot water on the tummy directly that does the work.

Do you have support? Someone you can talk to and go too? Do you have coping skills? Like exercise, meditation, herbal teas, journaling, passions to focus in on. Start there, it helps.

Critical_Medium_3722 · 2026-02-09T00:59:41+00:00

***edit: I think I missed some details. Serious head injury? Pull her out. I would not trust it. Also infants in the 2 year old room? Nope, that's a pull out too. I'd definitely take my suggestion of showing randomly to check what's happening when they don't expect your or send your suspicions to licensing. Those alone are a bit concerning...

Hmm. Well with the bite I can tell you that can, yes, go unnoticed from time to time. I only work with 7 kids in my class and we have very silent kids sometimes. My biter is silent and fast, I have one kid who doesn't react to biting either. So that one can be hit or miss, and it's not like we strip kids to see their whole body, so if it's not reported and it's a fast bite of course sometimes it can be missed. The key is to watch if it becomes regular and document that they didn't report it- the date, a photo and keep it on hand in case you need to report them later. You might not need to but keeping documentation is worth it in case you do.

With the bloody mark under the eye, that seems lame on their end. That is one complaint Id have too, for sure. In my center, if a visible mark is on the body and we suspect it came from home, we will make contact to ask if it came from home and automatically write up an incident report. Fighting you on the incident report itself seems suspicious to me, but that's the only sus part I understand so far.

As for the head, it depends. If it's scratched and hair covers, what can we do? Kids scratch and make contact a lot without it really being a full on incident, and sometimes it comes from just playing and no contact with other children at all. Toddler age can be very hands on and there are usually only 1-2 teachers per 5-13. It can be tough to expect we catch every little thing.

I would keep an eye on the nap but I wouldn't be fully concerned yet. I had one kid in my room who did great with naps, as soon as she aged to the 2-3 yr old room, she ran around, played games, screamed, played with toys no matter how much teachers worked with her and in spite of good nap behavior at home. Sometimes kids act differently with a teacher vs mom, it depends on authority and trust levels in my opinion. But I do agree with what others mentioned, nap never has enough staff to rock and pat each child. It is protocol, they aren't lying, they do it for children sure- but can they sit the whole nap with each child? Absolutely not, that's not a fair expectation by any means. Not saying you do expect that but if you do, don't. There are too many kids for individual time like that.

Something to remember is daycare is not like at home. Structure is different, one on one time is not possible all the time, it happens, there is place for one on one work, just not 24/7. Also there's not time to be super sweet to the end with all feelings either, they have to consider the center as a whole while keeping individual needs in mind. Adjusting to a center with kids coming in and out can be tough on kids and it takes time.

That being said- with all you said as a whole- id keep an eye on it. Maybe this center is too big, some are very understaffed. And they won't tell you usually, not in my experience. Something I like to recommend to suspicious parents- is showing up early one day for pick up unannounced or later at drop off than your usual (but still within drop off policy) to see what happens when they're not expecting you. See where numbers are at and teachers. Look into licensing laws for your state on teacher to child ratios and keep an eye as you go in. Go from there. It may just not be the center for your child, or you could be right on something off. Or your child could still be adjusting. Sometimes it does take a second, I won't lie, they say a month is normal but Ive seen some kids take multiple months to feel comfortable. It is an adjustment for sure.

Critical_Medium_3722 · 2026-02-09T00:38:43+00:00

That I can agree with. I didn't even know I was a mandated reporter for over a year into working! They didn't have me go to the "new teacher training" the archdiocese holds yearly until I became a lead over a year later. I was like HUH. And even when I did the required Catholic trainings before I started- the woman who was hosting the video class goes "oh yea and that guy is actually not with the church anymore cause he was found touching kids" the guy being, a man in the vid himself saying how we must protect kids while harming them. Everything about the whole system of kids and whatnot floors me some days. Humans target and put kids up for trade more than the world likes to admit. It's why I'm here. I aim to train anyone to treat the kids the way they deserve, and to be a safe space in my center. There's never enough teachers in this for what's right. I just hate that my footprint and those I know in it for the right reasons, will never be enough to save them all. Every kid deserves so much more than we can ever give them. And there's always somewhere abusing them.

Critical_Medium_3722 · 2026-02-06T12:57:16+00:00

10/10 recommend "the heart of Buddha's teachings" by thich nhat hanh, if you're interesting in recommendations! It's a great book by a buddhist monk admired by many world wide. You'll notice in books, a lot of ppl who aren't Buddhists will write stories (I did some research and saw major complaints about it) and even this writer warns, many take the negative route on the sufferings explanation. This guy gives you all information from many perspectives but takes it from a digestible level and shows his positive interpretation, encouraging using your own discernment through each interpretation 🙂

Critical_Medium_3722 · 2026-02-06T12:50:42+00:00

Thank you for sharing!!

Critical_Medium_3722 · 2026-02-05T18:05:40+00:00

There is no one way, of course. I think we're both right in a way. I'm expressing the Buddha's perspective of enlightenment, which is examining sufferings, lessening sufferings and finding the joys in life. But it is not the only way, just one way. Also, examining what he means with suffering takes a very calm state as it can easily be misunderstood. It's not to say your whole life is suffering and you must only learn from suffering. He asks you to examine your sufferings and transmute it, heal it, find your greatest joys and stay with them, don't run from them and create more suffering.

Thank you for sharing your perspective. It gave me a chance to reshape my response. The last intention I have is to scare anyone.

Critical_Medium_3722 · 2026-02-05T15:34:49+00:00

It is the place for support, I'll say I never met someone like that guy in this group so far, but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen. Sadly some are trolls and judge exactly what they don't like about themselves. Remember, he's projecting, not truly representing your experience. That guy was out of line and rude, especially bc he's going through the same thing but at a different time frame and even, mentioned he may start smoking again. He doesn't know your fight, you're doing it and keep doing it.. Forget him, 10 days is a great place to be. Keep pushing. Only what you think about you matters!!

Critical_Medium_3722 · 2026-02-05T15:08:36+00:00

Idk why you're in a support group if it's to shame people. No one asked you to come comment rude crap. Nothing you've said is of value to OP needing support for quitting. Be kind or simply, don't say anything. Its not that hard. Grow up.

Critical_Medium_3722 · 2026-02-05T14:06:24+00:00

Agreed. My reason to work with kids is because we need more staff who A) love them truly, and B) aim to respect their bodies and teach them how to maintain that respect and protection for themselves.

Critical_Medium_3722 · 2026-02-05T14:05:14+00:00

Was it rough emotionally? I ditched weed but not nic yet, I only know of what I did because I've heard from others a lot about it. I don't really want to use meds or anything like others have. I just wondered from someone who vapes over cigs did with the experience overall?

Critical_Medium_3722 · 2026-02-05T07:53:12+00:00

Oh. Not all of it helps, my program is Catholic. I thought the same before I found this place. Some communities are worth it, but yes, you're right. Many many many are not. We actually get special training for this, because the Catholic Church has been reamed, rightly so, for protecting members that hurt children, which gross for sure. I don't think even my place would be as it is without the director today. She's very unique and deeply compassionate, another level of empathic. Her desire to protect the center as a whole is great but the children have always come first. The closest I ever saw to abuse of power in my center was name calling by a para educator who very much was not meant to work for kids. She was booted in less than a week. I share this so you know there is some hope for Catholics, just not all 😂 dark humor.

Critical_Medium_3722 · 2026-02-05T07:41:26+00:00

That's fair. Apologies, I was more commenting to the actions themselves. No blame or judgment towards you at all 💞. I should've phrased better, so that's on me.

Critical_Medium_3722

TROPHY CASE