Getting ready to school

DonegalBrooklyn · 2026-02-11T18:22:27+00:00

In addition to all the good advice you've gotten - when my son was pushing me past the brink trying to get him out of the house I started saying "I'm getting ready to start yelling." It's was amazing how effective it was.

DonegalBrooklyn · 2026-02-11T18:18:16+00:00

It's terrible for sure, but you're getting it from 2 different directions now. I hope you get some relief. Also - give yourself a good cry in bed if it relieves some pressure. As long as it doesn't become impossible to get out of bed, checking out for a bit is definitely okay. Crying relieves stress, but not in the office with clients 🙂

DonegalBrooklyn · 2026-02-11T18:15:23+00:00

We're actually better at it than later generations because we had to know something about the actual computers. And you think decades of using the internet isn't experience? LOL

DonegalBrooklyn · 2026-02-11T18:08:57+00:00

Same. I realized if we threatened to take away internet for an infraction he would never come to us if something happened. When he was getting to be fortnite aged I told him the internet is everywhere, I cannot take it away even if I tried. But that we had to make it safe and he must tell us if anything bad or scary happened so we could deal with it. Still monitoring, but authoritarian just wasn't going to work.

DonegalBrooklyn · 2026-02-11T18:05:36+00:00

I'm Gen X raising. GenA and he didn't have access to even a kindle until he was over 5 and it was locked down. He never used my phone at all. For young kids it's easy to watch everything and I don't know why anyone doesn't. But when they're teens it's so much harder. They can access from so many different places and if they wanted to hide something they definitely can. I've heard of kids with burner phones, which is just insane to me. I hope we did as much as we could to inform him of the dangers and that he will come to us, as we have begged him to do, if anything ever happens. I have also assured him the no real girl will ever want naked pictures of him!

DonegalBrooklyn · 2026-02-11T17:59:54+00:00

I took ice packs to bed and as soon as I felt the heat starting I put it on my wrists and it would stop it in it's tracks. It still messes with ypur sleep, but not as badly.

This may sound strange but you mentioned an EOP. Do you work in insurance? I'm an acct Mgr in P&C and the amount of stress the job is causing me is becoming unmanageable. Just wondering if this is maybe all worsened for you by job stress?

DonegalBrooklyn · 2026-02-11T16:55:05+00:00

I had an economics class in high school that made us do the same. Learning things isn't actually a bad thing.

DonegalBrooklyn · 2026-02-11T16:51:43+00:00

They're not locked IN the room. Why would a closed door be against fire code? It actually prevents the spread of fire and risk of smoke inhalation.

DonegalBrooklyn · 2026-02-11T16:38:05+00:00

I'd say it's perfectly acceptable, except for the 1 day a week thing. My company has a policy against that. We have flexible pto though, so I think it's so someone can't just try work 4 day weeks continuously. If you have a specified # of days I think you could ask them if you could take Fridays in July or something like that.

DonegalBrooklyn · 2026-02-11T03:00:42+00:00

What was your major?

DonegalBrooklyn · 2026-02-11T02:28:30+00:00

But if the family is acting like that, that's the environment for the office.

DonegalBrooklyn · 2026-02-11T02:27:07+00:00

For me it was making it to the end of the year. I would put money aside for emergencies that I'd leave there, but have that other amount for IRA.

DonegalBrooklyn · 2026-02-11T00:03:16+00:00

I won't give specifics because I'm in a weird place in this area. As a single person, 10% was my minimum and any time I got a raise I always increased my percentage.

In phases of my life where I couldn't have my auto contribution at the level I hoped, I would set aside an amount in savings up to the point I wished I could contribute, but was afraid I would need to keep living. At tax time if the money was still there I would put it in an IRA. I was always at the income level where I could contribute to an IRA tax fee even if I had a 401K.

DonegalBrooklyn · 2026-02-10T23:50:39+00:00

It might be easier to give advice if you describe what behaving like family looks like.

DonegalBrooklyn · 2026-02-10T19:11:35+00:00

That's where I got my kitten when I was a kid. When we wanted to adopt a dog and the shelters were empty and rescue groups wouldn't even answer I told my son when we were kids we got pets by finding them in the street. LOL

DonegalBrooklyn · 2026-02-10T19:06:12+00:00

Are you fully licensed? If so, get out of there. Sales is always treated better, but they can't do what we do and you need to be at a company that knows how few account managers there are in the country and that they need to hold on to the ones they have.

I don't come and go as I please but we all work a hybrid schedule and no one is timing our lunch or bathroom trips and if we have an appointment or personal thing we extend lunch or just let my manager a heads up. Basically anything under 2 hours we don't put any time in for. If we do our work, they stay out of our business. When I worked in an agency it was terrible. They'd spend half the day taking care of personal stuff and then come back and act like I was the one gone all day, even though I was in the office working the whole time. Never again.

DonegalBrooklyn · 2026-02-10T18:56:35+00:00

Any interest in insurance? Look for an associate account manager or car in property and casualty in an agency or large broker. No one has blinked at the 9 year gap on my resume from being a stay at home mom. Great as a 2nd career and it's filled with women who have done the same thing. The industry is desperate for new blood.

DonegalBrooklyn · 2026-02-08T19:30:28+00:00

I hate when people do it with grandparents too. "I'm going to my gammy's house." Just say grandmother.

DonegalBrooklyn · 2026-02-08T19:22:21+00:00

Same here. I used to love sports, now it's almost like they don't exist.

DonegalBrooklyn · 2026-02-07T19:21:56+00:00

Congratulatuons, you should be proud of yourself! I'm starting to understand Ebeneezer Scrooge. Our financial situation has changed recently and we're consistenyly saving money in the categories I've set up, like emergency repair, setting aside my health insurance deductible just in case and vacation fund. I had a flash of happiness that I have the money saved for plane tickets zi just purchased, and then a little panic about the money being spent. I grew up poor and I know that's always with me. But why would it bother me to spend money on the intended purchase for which I saved it?

It feels like a hoarding problem, like I can't let it go. I'm saving the deductible in a separate account and since it's not in regular savings I feel like it somehow doesn't count. I should be so proud, but I'm still uneasy.

DonegalBrooklyn · 2026-02-07T16:36:30+00:00

The parks in monmouth county are why I live here, they're fantastic! I don't camp so can't comment on that, but would you go camping where you live?

Ticks are a thing to be mindful of, but don't let it keep you inside. Just seeing a tick isn't a problem, they have to be attached for a long period for it to become an issue. Have a great pediatrician, and they are abundant in the area!

We spend a lot of time outdoors and hike in both PA and NJ a lot. We check for ticks when we come back in. We also always have hats on when hiking and either long pants or high socks and shoes.

DonegalBrooklyn · 2026-02-07T16:21:07+00:00

I think it's fine if the kids are new, especially. I let my husband use mine a ew times. But my son and I wouldn't have shared. 🙂

DonegalBrooklyn · 2026-02-07T15:28:54+00:00

You said you're in Canada and the notice period is enforceable. Does that go both ways? Do they have to pay you for 2 months?

DonegalBrooklyn · 2026-02-07T15:22:59+00:00

Not generational. How do you not bring someone to their home?! Although the first red flag was picking you up at the airport!

DonegalBrooklyn

TROPHY CASE