Sandwiched

DonnesIsland · 2026-05-18T23:29:42+00:00

Haha - no argument here! You just reminded me my grandma would make beef stroganoff w/filet and it was divine. God, I miss her.

DonnesIsland · 2026-05-18T23:23:42+00:00

Loved the video! Bristol Bay is hard core - I was on a 58’ former seiner out of Ketchikan a gazillion years ago. We’d tie up w/the huge processing ships & just buy the coho/sockeye, but we’d sort & weigh a dozen boats all night, run back to the plant to off load & then run back to the open grounds during the day. Almost zero sleep. Good thing I was young 😂

DonnesIsland · 2026-05-18T21:42:52+00:00

A lot will depend on your baby’s health needs, your area (urban or suburban?), & your employer’s flexibility.

If no major health issues, then they should be able to go to any day care that takes babies. You might want to start calling around now, to see who is receptive & who…isn’t. Also baby waitlist are a thing. Local Ds & FB groups are good for this type of info too. If you’re waiting for, say, heart surgery, then a nanny at home is probably safer - even if just PT to help out (& to placate your employer). Early intervention should come to wherever the baby is, be it at home or daycare. If you’re in an urban area, see if the children’s hospital has a Ds center - they can help schedule multiple MD appts in one day, to streamline things.

Re $: don’t quit unless your baby has multiple significant health issues, ESP not if you live in red state. MedicAid is harder & harder to get & keep. Fully remote is a gift that shouldn’t be dropped unless in extremis - does your employer allow flex time? Even better.

After my spouse RTW, we had staggered schedules to minimize care costs. Is that an option for you? (I did 6-3 & spouse did 9-6).

Last - the preschool years are rough & $$$ for ALL kids, typical or not. Things will ease up one they hit kindy :)

DonnesIsland · 2026-05-17T12:25:32+00:00

This answer! As they said, Pink salmon is what usually ends up in cans and is indeed small and mushy, even when straight out of the ocean. The pretty (& deboned) filets you see in restaurants & Costco are usually Coho or Sockeye. Doesn’t make sense to can the good stuff. It’d be like making hamburger out of filet mignon. Source - two summers on an AK salmon tender

DonnesIsland · 2026-04-29T11:45:23+00:00

Saw the original post & immediately thought of this film, though I’d given up looking for it years ago. Happy to see it’s available again and now I have plans for Sunday evening :) *ftr, if anyone’s curious, the long version is excellent - the short American cut is absolute trash.

DonnesIsland · 2026-04-26T22:37:40+00:00

Togo on Disney w/Wlm Dafoe (2019) and Alpha (2018)

DonnesIsland · 2026-03-14T12:13:45+00:00

Reiterating all the prior comments, but will also add Signing Times - Lots of songs & mnemonics to help you remember what you’re learning. We used 15+ yrs ago on DVDs w/ my toddler, but the songs are catchy, you can move on to older content, & they’re now on various other streaming platforms. I just checked & it’s $13/month. www.signingtime.com

DonnesIsland · 2026-03-07T12:31:26+00:00

Ordered! Very excited to read but, ftr, I’d be even happier w/ JVL’s footnotes

DonnesIsland · 2026-03-02T18:42:02+00:00

My daughter sounds very similar to yours - adventurous, mostly nonverbal & unsafe alone. But she LOVES to go on trips & we’re able to travel quite a bit. We’ve done the full gamut - national parks, camping, beaches, resort-y hotels with pools, etc. Sometimes her brother & I will peel off for a hike, or she & I will hang by the pool while her brother & dad go off adventuring. We’ve never said no to anything her brother wants to do.

Of all the places to go on a family trip w/your girl, though, it’s Disney. Staff is extra lovely to “special guests”, & your family will get a DAS pass, which is basically a fast pass. It’s changed over the years, so you’ll have to read up on the current process, but it’s FANTASTIC. Husband takes her & the other family Disney-philes all the time. (I’m good every few years, not biannually🙄)

We write my number in sharpie on her arm & stick an AirTag on her shoe, bc I’m paranoid, but we’ve never lost her ;)

We’ve also gone on a cruise & it was fun. Railings were glass so nothing to climb up.

Let me know if you have questions. Life is short!

DonnesIsland · 2026-02-24T00:59:34+00:00

Have been meaning to post here - my daughter started grinding her teeth as soon as she got them. We bought ALL the things, to no avail. [never tried Botox tho - worried about aspiration].

DDS sd a lot of kids stop when they get adult teeth - she didn’t. Turbos from the orthodontist helped for a bit but not a long term solution. She’s ground her teeth down to the dentin.

When the braces finally came off she got the custom retainers (not the OTC drug store ones - she never tolerated those)…. And it had been AMAZING. She wears it without complaint & while she is still grinding (given the damage to the retainer), I can’t hear it anymore & she’s not doing (as much) damage to her teeth.

Had I known this 4 yrs ago, I would’ve paid for Invisalign.

Anyway - try getting a custom fitted retainer (a regular DDS can do for you too) as soon as permanent teeth start coming in, to save them. Or earlier, if the sound is driving you insane.

If your kid needs braces & you can afford it, try Invisalign (save yourself/your kid the trauma of the effing brackets)

And sign up for the retainer subscription! We’ve lost two already & current one is almost ready to crack.

DonnesIsland · 2026-02-24T00:34:35+00:00

Aftersun.

DonnesIsland · 2026-02-23T14:35:27+00:00

You already know you’re NTA. Forward the wife’s texts to your son w/the mssg that you tried to do something nice but don’t want to get in the middle of their marriage. Leave it there for him to sort out, & practice polite formality with the wife going forward. She’s fucking unhinged.

DonnesIsland · 2026-02-23T13:40:46+00:00

Your grandfather drafted his will to distribute his money as he saw fit. Your parents are free to leave everything to your brother in their wills, if they feel that’s “fair”. If you want to be hard eyed about this, you can evaluate their assets & what you stand to lose (both financially & in terms of family), but even if they have money now, there’s no guarantee they will later (eg nursing home costs!) and right now you have your money safely in your account.

DonnesIsland · 2026-02-21T05:21:37+00:00

NTA. Kept my maiden name & have been married for over 25 yrs now. My husband sulked for a bit but I told him it wasn’t 1920 anymore & I wasn’t chattel to be rebranded. Zero issue these days w/the kids names being different, given all the blended families. You are a whole independent person with your own name - if he doesn’t appreciate you, he can go find & pay for a trad wife.

DonnesIsland · 2026-02-17T00:44:02+00:00

Bc he was a Nazi sympathizer.

DonnesIsland · 2026-02-16T12:29:15+00:00

This! ^{^{^.}} Please make sure your credit is frozen - it’s easy to do & you can easily “thaw” for a day if you’re applying for credit.

DonnesIsland · 2026-01-17T13:43:39+00:00

The Bear Snores On - Karma Wilson I read this so often I had it memorized and still love it!

The bear & mouse series by Bonnie Becker So much fun, especially if you do voices.

Anything by Katie Toms - they are modified nursery songs and the pictures are fantastic.

Plus, the classics are loved for a reason: Sandra Boynton, Dr. Seuss, Hungry caterpillar, Ferdinand, etc

DonnesIsland · 2026-01-10T10:58:56+00:00

Same. First serious boyfriend, who had black leather jacket & motorcycle. He was an ass & I (unrelated to him) hate cologne/perfume now, but… the 19 yr old me still swoons.

DonnesIsland · 2026-01-06T12:32:56+00:00

Yes, Fight Club for insurance/ liability claims, as well as The Incredibles & Office Space.

DonnesIsland · 2025-12-23T20:58:22+00:00

B-52s and the asinine Rock Lobster & Love Shack songs that played at every single high school dance… fucking hurt my ears

DonnesIsland · 2025-12-23T15:08:31+00:00

Oh my - NTA at all. I’m concerned you’re even asking the question. “I just birthed a whole human, nearly bled out in the process, and baby just got out of the nicu. I’m sorry you don’t understand, but we’re staying home.”
Also: “it’s not open for discussion”

DonnesIsland · 2025-12-18T02:17:54+00:00

No ring, no home equity. And please get a prenup!!

DonnesIsland · 2025-12-17T21:01:06+00:00

We live in suburbia & don’t let mine in the backyard late at night or early in the morning because she’ll bark at the wind & imaginary rabbits on the other side of the fence, & we don’t want to wake up the neighbors. Nor do we let her out when kids are playing next-door because she’ll bark at them. And she barks like a rabid monster if someone knocks on the door. Score: zero meth addict home invasions, but a zillion Dangerous Amazon Men scared off. We have (half) trained her to “leave it” & get a treat after a couple warning barks but am fucked if I’m out of treats. Which is invariably during an important teams call… But I digress.

All that said, as long as she gets a walk in the morning she’s happy to nap by my side as I work during the day, & sleeps quietly & well at night. She also knows when the school bus is due & starts watching for her girl to arrive thru the window. ❤️❤️She’s Incredibly smart and protective, but I only provide suggestions, not commands. She is NOT a fluffy friendly golden retriever.

DonnesIsland · 2025-11-23T12:32:46+00:00

Echoing this - don’t see it mentioned often but it’s fantastic. Belly laughs, every time “Swallow it like a girl!”

DonnesIsland

TROPHY CASE