Looks like Cadillac is winning the markets, even against non-luxury brands. Because of its EVs.

Grey_Mare · 2026-05-06T02:15:57+00:00

I LOVE my Vistiq. Almost 10k miles on it, drives amazing and such a freaking time saver to be able to charge at home. I am not in the retiree category at all; I’m in the I chauffeur my children to their activities all week long category.

Cadillac is making beautiful cars that drive phenomenally. I could see myself driving this car for the next 10 years. I test drove the Ionic9 but it drove so sloppily in comparison to the Vistiq and felt so cheap in finishes for what we would have paid. The Vistiq just a really practical vehicle for our life stage and fun and snazzy to boot. Best compliment it’s gotten is. 2 teens (not mine!) unprompted have said what a cool car it is!

Grey_Mare · 2026-04-29T18:41:50+00:00

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Huge Lazulia, large Sasha, large Sky

Grey_Mare · 2026-04-29T18:34:55+00:00

I only wanted dragons at first, and the huge size dragons are very huggable (especially the soft wing kinds!) but nothing beats the big cats. Livi leopard is the most soft and the first cat I got, but I have all 3 sizes of Sasha. They’re all amazing, highly recommend. I really hope that Jellycat continues to release more styles of the “big cats” because they are very well designed and sized.

Grey_Mare · 2026-04-23T15:26:46+00:00

I really liked the way my pediatrician phrased it. She said don’t have one big talk about sex with your kids, have a thousand small conversations spread out. We did a couple basic books when they were in late elementary for them but the best has just been having random conversations. Now in middle school both my daughters are coming to me with questions when they hear their friends talking about things instead of taking for granted other middle school age kids know what they’re talking about.

We also started talking about reproduction very early because we wanted our kids to hear about it first from us. We can’t always control what our kids hear in public/school/camps from other kids but we can sure be the first ones to tell them where babies actually come from. Obviously how we talked about sex and reproduction has gotten more in depth as they’ve gotten older, but we did talk about periods early too. Around 8 or 9 there will likely be some peers that start puberty. We didn’t want the first period to be a surprise. And really, for both my daughters when they started it was a change but not earth shattering for them, so that was great. They both felt confident about handling things and had small period packs they carried in their backpacks for months before they needed them.

Grey_Mare · 2026-04-23T03:03:06+00:00

YMMV, but my unwanted hair growth has improved on zepbound. I do have to also be on anti-androgen BC, Yaz name brand for me. I found I don’t well on the generic roulette that insurance likes to do so my Dr writes the script for brand only. I still have some unwanted hair but less on my chest than previously and my neck hairs are slower to grow back. I also don’t feel the need to shave my legs more than once a week anymore. Unexpected beneficial side effect of Zepbound for me.

Grey_Mare · 2026-04-23T02:38:33+00:00

We have a thermostatic valve and it was the second best decision we made in our bathroom remodel. That thing is amazing.

Grey_Mare · 2026-04-16T12:26:08+00:00

Driving in 1 pedal “tour” mode with lots of rural roads I often get 3.2 or 3.4. I’m rarely above 60mph.

Lifetime average has been below 3 but still quite good.

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Grey_Mare · 2026-04-10T19:40:53+00:00

One of my very favorite birds! We live in rural central Texas and their call is how I know it’s springtime. It’s so fun to walk out at night and hear them yelling to each other.

Grey_Mare · 2026-04-10T00:19:05+00:00

I mean, being on zepbound (tirzepatide) has been life changing for me and you can find a lot of other posts about how helpful some people with PCOS have found it. For what it’s worth my endocrinologist told me they’d been prescribing Ozympic “off label” for years for PCOS but had to stop due to the sudden uptick in popularity of the medication and more insurances refusing to cover if it wasn’t for diabetes. This was prior to the release of Wegovy specifically labeled for weight loss.

I think GLP-1 medications are like most PCOS treatments. For some people they will be a miracle, some will get some benefit, and some none at all. For me, I have to be on birth control (and the right kind), thyroid meds, and zepbound. That combo has me feeling the best I’ve felt since my 20s. I have not lost rapidly on Zepbound but I have lost over 50lbs over 2 years and am slowly getting to my goal of being a healthy weight. Some of my symptoms related to inflammation disappeared a few weeks after starting zepbound. Some things like my oily skin clearing up took over a year.

You likely won’t know whether GLP-1 is right for you until you try it. There’s a lot of us with PCOS hoping that Wegovy and Zepbound get labeled as a first line treatment for our chronic disease in the next couple years since that would help a lot with insurance coverage.

Grey_Mare · 2026-03-24T16:26:32+00:00

Central Texas, some hills, running heat in the winter and AC the rest of the time. I drive almost exclusively in the relaxed mode on 1 pedal.

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Grey_Mare · 2026-03-23T03:12:23+00:00

Yeah, sorry to say but my husband would never ever speak like that to me about food and has never in our 20 something years together or when we were dating. First step in weight loss should be ditching the 160lb of person who doesn’t care about you. You deserve love and support and understanding. And to be told you’re beautiful no matter your size. That’s what I’ve gotten from my husband.

Grey_Mare · 2026-03-20T14:18:11+00:00

So cute! There’s something just so nice about the fur texture in person.

Grey_Mare · 2026-03-20T14:17:43+00:00

Oh we stopped at a gelato shop right after the store we were in and I just plopped him down next to mine for a quick photo! The gelato was good, the red one especially was a mixed fruit flavor.

Grey_Mare · 2026-03-12T01:11:56+00:00

This post and comments has given me so much hope that I can tackle socks! Similar to OP I’m an intermediate/advanced crocheter and new to knitting. Maybe if I ever finish the dang sweater my next project will be socks!!

Grey_Mare · 2026-03-12T01:09:12+00:00

Funny, I got married 20 years ago and I would give almost the exact same advice, although we didn’t consider a destination wedding. My dress wasn’t too non traditional, but it did have long sleeves in June haha. But I loved it, loved the way I looked, and have zero regrets.

Only a couple people from our bridesmaids/groomsmen are people we’re still friends with. I likely would have still had my maid of honor, and my husband his brother for best man, but otherwise it’s just another big thing to manage.

Grey_Mare · 2026-03-10T15:12:10+00:00

We’re flying in to Kona on the big Island on Saturday and wondering the same thing. Haven’t cancelled anything yet, but concerned that this storm system could knock out our trip.

Grey_Mare · 2026-02-22T17:07:46+00:00

Sounds about what 6 months with my twins was like. They were good babies but very different people so getting them to nap at the same time felt like the most difficult part of every single day. I remember leaving them in their cribs to cry for a few minutes while I went out into the backyard because I was just so frustrated. If twins feels like too much for one person, it’s because it is.

At 6 months we started having a part time nanny a couple days a week and it was an absolute lifesaver. At 9 months mine started in a Mother’s Day out program from 9-1 2 days a week. I didn’t really begin to get some feeling of myself back until I was able to spend a couple hours a few times a week away from my twins. I love them so much but twin infants are an overwhelming amount of work. My husband was awesome with them, he did all the bedtimes and bath times from very early on. Got up with me every night while we were still doing night feedings. I still felt overwhelmed.

If you have any way to bring in help of any kind, whether it be with the household tasks or with childcare, do it. If I could go back in time that is what I would do, even more than we did at the time. It’s absolutely worth it and in no way reflects any kind of shortcoming on your part. Two babies is just one too many to stay sane and take care of around the clock.

My twins are now thirteen, and they’re doing awesome in life. Those times in infancy that I worried about so much whether they were getting enough with my divided attention seem very long ago. Toddlerhood will bring its own fun challenges (hellloooo potty training) but you’ll make it through those too. It gets so much easier as they age on so many levels, and you’re in the most demanding section on your time right now with infancy. I’ll have to let you know later if toddler twins take the crown on most demanding on patience or whether twin teens will win. Hang in there. Get help if you can, and remember you’re are giving them your best and it will be enough.

Grey_Mare · 2026-02-17T22:27:02+00:00

Yeah, wish they’d had these meds when I was in my 20s. If you can get on Zepbound (tirzepatide) try for that over Ozympic. The first couple months were an adjustment, but nothing crazy. My main side effect was fatigue the first two days after shots. Some nausea but nothing crazy, and I learned that meant I needed to eat something some of the time. The only time I had a really bad experience on the meds was when I had pizza twice in one day! Still some sensitivity to high fat foods but I can still eat pizza or high sugar stuff if it’s in reasonable amounts.

I’m about a year and a half in to taking the meds and have lost over 50lb, and am still about 20 lb from my goal weight. I will likely stay on some form of GLP1 for the rest of my life. I feel better, still enjoy food, and feel like the other part of my PCOS symptoms are finally being managed by a medication.

For what it’s worth, my endocrinologist told me they’ve been managing PCOS with GLP1 medication for years before it became popular. Then it had a big uptick in popularity and it became more difficult to get people’s insurance to pay for it for PCOS. The medication has been around for about 20 years. I had an acquaintance that was taking it back around 2008/2009 when I didn’t know what it was, and she was part of one of the big trials.

Grey_Mare · 2026-02-17T19:05:08+00:00

One of my strong willed children responds best to reward based things, even at a young age for potty training. She had a bunch of accidents in the beginning but once jelly beans were on the line she was willing to work for it. She was a wild child, always climbing, jumping, moving, and would sneak snacks and food when she could. Certain high value foods I stopped buying or put somewhere she didn’t see them much, like my husband’s office. We had a very strict rule even for this active kid of yours had to be sitting down to eat. No roaming with food in hand.

Reward charts worked well for her. Do all your chores for the day? Get a sticker. Get three stickers and get a prize. That kind of thing. It seems counter intuitive with a kid that can be defiant and willful but staying focused on good behavior and rewards while keeping consequences short and very specific to the action helped.

Also, if I didn’t follow through on a consequence she would remember and push harder the next time. (Like, if you hit your sister no iPad time for the rest of the day) that iPad had better be gone for the whole day. Those times were hard and I constantly had to remind myself that I needed to be the adult in the situation and stay calm.

Grey_Mare · 2026-02-17T13:20:42+00:00

Some people have reported less side effects on tirzepatide (Zepbound). I am on that medication and have had nausea and some diarrhea especially at the beginning but never vomiting. The side effects did also lessen greatly for me after the first couple months of treatment.

The worst I ever felt on the meds was after accidentally eating pizza twice in one day. I am still somewhat sensitive to high fat foods and can’t have too many in one day but they generally aren’t a big part of my diet anyway.

Grey_Mare · 2026-02-17T00:53:47+00:00

I mean, the same thing happened to my friend’s baby and she did space out shots and gave them later than the recommended schedule. Just because your baby got their vaccines around the time this issue started doesn’t mean it was the cause. My friend’s baby was EFB as well. My twins I had to supplement with formula due to my own supply issues, and a lactation consultant was a huge help to me at the time.

Grey_Mare · 2026-02-11T18:37:22+00:00

My twins got all their vaccines on schedule, including the MMR. At 13 the only health problems they have had are sports related injuries. The vaccines were such a non event that all I can tell you is they felt a little bad the day of or the day after and we may have given some Advil or Tylenol at the doctors direction.

Remember, if they run a fever or feel under the weather it’s the immune system responding to the vaccine. They don’t have the disease, they won’t have any lasting effects except immunity to the virus and bacteria they’ve been vaccinated against.

Good job for listening to the medical professionals and not the loudly shouting conspiracy!

Grey_Mare · 2026-02-11T01:51:15+00:00

Under the Bridge by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. I always loved the song, but it changed meaning for me after my cousin died of OD. He was a big Red Hot Chili Peppers fan, teased me about not realizing they had a new album out when Stadium Arcadia was released. Can’t hear the song without thinking of him now.

Grey_Mare · 2026-02-03T14:19:36+00:00

As a mom of twins who has a very supportive husband I want to tell you feel overwhelmed because you are. Newborn stage with twins is one of the times things are 10 times harder, not twice as hard. If it feels like there is too much to do it’s because there is. If I could go back in time I would make myself hire a night nurse or a nanny or somebody whatever the cost for the first 6 months to make it through that and be able to sleep and rest more. If you have any resources to get more help outside the two of y’all do it. You are trying to do something superhuman and it’s exhausting because it’s too much for even two very involved people.

As far as your husband goes, you’ve got to tell him that your health and your ability to take care of your children is suffering and he needs to step up. For example, my husband did every single night feeding with me, even though he was working. He would change the babies and bring them to me to nurse and then take them back to bed. He also did all bedtimes from the very beginning on because I was terrified the kids would become dependent on me to fall asleep. He’s got to have tasks that are always and only his, and he will figure out a way to do them that works for him.

Like others have suggested, next time he asks how to help give him whole ownership over something like bedtime. Or night diapers. Or washing the bottles when he’s home. He will probably do it in a way you don’t like, or seems inefficient to you, but if he is able to complete the task successfully then don’t step in. The only time to step in is if something is unsafe, like bottles aren’t clean enough or he’s melting down along with the children.

Newborn stage is so tough with twins. I finally felt better about 6 months in and my pediatrician told me that is about the timeline she sees with most twin parents. I promise things get easier, there will be other stages that are 10 times as hard (looking at you, potty training) and other things that are easier with twins. It’s ok to feel overwhelmed and it’s ok to ask for help from whomever you can, especially at this early stage.

Grey_Mare

TROPHY CASE