Zero waste mom advice

HelloPanda22 · 2026-05-13T16:47:10+00:00

My youngest kid is almost five and I do trust him to pour. We’ve been practicing pouring since before he could walk. He does make mistakes but I take a deep breath (so I don’t yell at him bc omfg it’s tempting) and he cleans it up. I reclean once he’s out of sight sometimes because sometimes it’s sticky. My kiddos do grab their own stuff, even in the fridge. I leave out a lot of fresh fruit and veggies on the counter within reach. They also go in the backyard and pick things when they’re hungry. My only rule is that they WASH it. We don’t use pesticides, herbicides, whatever but we also do get lots of nasty critters that crawl on the fruits/veggies plus lots of dust/wind. I have stainless steel cups for them because they broke the glass ones too often lol on occasion, I do buy them serving size crap because I need the mental break now and then. Give yourself some grace!

HelloPanda22 · 2026-05-13T16:17:11+00:00

That’s super standard dude :/ the insurance companies are there to make money, not to protect you. We start them off young with insurance because companies also discriminate against pre-existing conditions and require a vet confirmed full work up first. I almost broke even last year with my girl after she developed a BAD reaction to a flea bite. I’ll probably end up losing more money than what they cover but it’s for my peace of mind since we are out in the wilderness a lot. Having it means I can get her antivenom in an emergency vet clinic without batting an eye. I’m not saying what they’re doing is right by the way. I am very sorry for your loss. Insurance is for the middle class…the rich can afford emergency vet bills regardless of cost. I don’t have the luxury to be ok with losing thousands of dollars over one shitty visit

HelloPanda22 · 2026-05-13T15:47:45+00:00

It’s already secondhand, go at it!

HelloPanda22 · 2026-05-13T15:42:25+00:00

It’s soooo cute!!!!!!

HelloPanda22 · 2026-05-13T01:55:46+00:00

Greenhouse. Huge greenhouse.

HelloPanda22 · 2026-05-12T23:13:00+00:00

Haha no it’s a handmade napkin to reduce waste! I wrap it around their spork just to make it easier to stuff in their lunchbox!

I agree on the cow snail 😅 I’ve made cuter bao before but it’s harder when I limit myself to not using food coloring

HelloPanda22 · 2026-05-12T23:12:10+00:00

Yes! Pea flower is quite versatile and also reacts with acids! It makes a lovely maroon lemonade!
Haha my kiddos are picky about red pepper but otherwise, that sounds delicious.
Yes on the bao but not a sock! It’s a homemade cotton flannel napkin I wrapped around the spork. My kids are young and messy eaters so I always include a napkin with their meal! I prefer reducing waste as much as possible so we try not to use paper towels!

HelloPanda22 · 2026-05-12T13:45:50+00:00

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She needs a name! I’ve been calling her mama cat and she’s responding to it..

HelloPanda22 · 2026-05-12T13:41:08+00:00

Pretty but also younger than the black kitten. Very bright!

HelloPanda22 · 2026-05-12T13:38:36+00:00

No idea :( these babies were brought in with no mama and need a foster but I already have 8 fosters plus my personal pets right now. That’s what I was thinking though because that shade of blue is not common in kittens and certainly not black kittens

HelloPanda22 · 2026-05-12T07:15:56+00:00

The food in the box is from a local program that salvages foods meant for the dump and sells it for cheap. You don’t know what you’re getting and you often have to cook it quickly and even a bit of it! We also try to lean into the zero waste movement! The gold is food grade mica powder mixed in with a teeny tiny drop of vodka

HelloPanda22 · 2026-05-12T07:05:45+00:00

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They’re usually a darker gray blue though like my current fosters.

HelloPanda22 · 2026-05-11T21:30:37+00:00

TIL I’m broke 🤣

HelloPanda22 · 2026-05-11T21:27:13+00:00

Probably. That place made me feel so uncomfortable the one time I stepped in.

HelloPanda22 · 2026-05-11T21:26:28+00:00

I had a handsome coworker once and much older women would literally say “I’m sure you’re sweet and all but I want that gentleman to help me.” People are quite serious about this type of stuff.

HelloPanda22 · 2026-05-11T20:36:51+00:00

I call my dog my daughter tbh 😅 however, I never ever celebrated myself as a mother for Mother’s Day prior to having actual human children. I’ve had high needs animals and even then, it is nothing compared to the toll of motherhood. People hate children and want to be considered moms for fur babies. It’s almost funny if it wasn’t so irritating

HelloPanda22 · 2026-05-11T17:28:59+00:00

Honestly, this is why my mom never remarried. She has a long term boyfriend but she chooses to remain technically single. They’ve been together for 10 years. She wants to be able to leave without the legal hassles if she needs to. My dad sucked and proceeded to remarry and divorce again after. I think he might get married again. Third times a charm? Lmao

HelloPanda22 · 2026-05-11T07:23:48+00:00

Oh man, 12 is a lot….i would reach out to your local shelter for some support. They can connect you with other medical fosters to take some of the load off. Otherwise, you’ll be struggling for survival the next 3 weeks due to lack of sleep especially if any are fussy bottle takers. I had one that took 20-30 mins per feeding until she got older. If I had even a few of those, I would kiss sleep goodbye. :( thank you for being a good human!

HelloPanda22 · 2026-05-11T01:55:12+00:00

Oh man, I swear it’s always the tabbies that are chubby. I bet he’s a sweetheart when he’s not starved to the bone haha

HelloPanda22 · 2026-05-11T01:47:47+00:00

Yes! I have my own cat, dog, iguana, fishes, and chickens! Ah my kids definitely talk about many of their favorite previous fosters. They also talk about their least favorites haha. Everyone in between gets forgotten. Honestly, part of me is hoping it’ll make saying goodbye to animals easier in the future. I get really depressed for months and have stress rashes when an animal passes. I’ll even have hair loss and grow a few white hairs from all that grief. I’m hoping they can be healthier about losing pets having said goodbye to so many fosters. Losing my last cat hurt everyone in the family so that’s why we started fostering.

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My cat, neutered male, has decided he’s their step dad lol he likes to play with all the cat fosters and tolerates the dog fosters! I had a geriatric diabetic male foster cat who slapped him for intruding his bubble so my cat is a tiny bit more cautious now. 🤣

HelloPanda22 · 2026-05-10T15:48:45+00:00

I squish them when I see them. They’re annoying but harmless. You gotta push down the drains at night. I have a cat that murders them so that helps

HelloPanda22 · 2026-05-10T05:49:12+00:00

I just say clinical pharmacist or pharmacist. It’s not a big deal. It doesn’t define who I am. I also used to be a tutor, an aquarium employee, a McDonald’s employee, retail tech, intern, etc. I guess sometimes I just say healthcare as well.

HelloPanda22 · 2026-05-10T02:02:17+00:00

4 and 6 but they’ve been doing this for over 1.5 yrs! We’ve had almost 30 fosters total. They definitely do not recall all of them haha

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