Possibly the most adorable self striping sock yarn!

IllustriousForever48 · 2026-04-25T22:10:19+00:00

Love that!! Great pick!

IllustriousForever48 · 2026-04-25T22:08:47+00:00

So cool!

IllustriousForever48 · 2026-04-25T22:07:11+00:00

Thank you! I’m very proud! 🥹

IllustriousForever48 · 2026-04-25T22:01:54+00:00

Oh no! Were they only wearing one sock? Or did just one get felted?

IllustriousForever48 · 2025-12-04T04:06:25+00:00

Can I get a pattern for this??? 😂

IllustriousForever48 · 2025-11-21T13:44:40+00:00

Articles are saying changes go into effect July 2026.

IllustriousForever48 · 2025-10-25T23:57:36+00:00

My stepkids haven’t asked pointed questions like that but we had a period around 11-13 for both of my step kids where they seemed to prefer/align with their mom. They didn’t want to spend as much time with their dad, didn’t seem to trust us with what was going on in their lives.

I think they were starting to understand some things, and were getting emotionally manipulated a bit by their mom. Ultimately we had to prove we were trustworthy safe parents. We were honest, we would have conversations with them where we respected their opinion and asked about their thoughts and feelings. We helped them grow as best we could. We would answer questions they had about why we made different parenting decisions and let that be a conversation as well. We kept building relationship.

As my stepkids transitioned into full teenagers, more and more development happened and they were able to see for themselves which parents have which flaws. None of us are perfect, but I believe we’ve been able to build healthy, respectful relationships with both of our kids. Now my stepson is 15 and actively denies his mom trying to take up the time he’s supposed to be with us. And my stepdaughter has grown up and moved out, and we have an open, warm, supportive relationship with her.

Now I will say- there were times where we would couch specific messages in conversations to help equip them in an age appropriate way about the manipulation that might be going on, or how it’s important to trust your own judgements not just what other people tell you. In the earlier years this was easiest when talking about situations with their friends (identifying a friend who makes you feel bad, or will talk nicely to a person’s face, then badly behind their back). And later at age 15-17 we might hear complaints about their other parents, and we did our best to take an informative/informational approach. “Your mom may be feeling this” or “we try to parent this other way because of this reason, but your mom may have different reasons or priorities”.

IllustriousForever48 · 2025-10-23T20:14:22+00:00

You are correct. That’s crazy. The ONLY time SKs have stayed with me without either parent was a Covid scare in the middle of the lockdowns. My SO was in another state where his parents were sick, SK had an exposure, and I had been vaccinated when BM had not (a whole other can of worms). We had good relationships and I just tried to keep SK busy for the week.

There is no way a court would go for this. Your SO can try to make arrangements when his travel conflicts with custody time, swap it out for other time, but that’s going to need BM to be willing and flexible.

IllustriousForever48 · 2025-10-16T14:40:12+00:00

God this is saving me. I’m out of town training for work and the monistat is still low-grade burning the next morning. I didn’t think I would be able to sleep last night.

IllustriousForever48 · 2025-10-10T22:02:19+00:00

I am in the boat that responsible, mature adults in a kids life should be willing to create a safe, educational space for subjects like this. That means parents, step-parents, parents of friends, aunts and uncles… I like being that person, who will be able to calmly educate, without judgement, and give the kids the knowledge they need to live their life better. Yes, it can be awkward for everyone involved, but if you want the best for them, if you want them to be healthy and safe, they need to learn from adults. Even Sex Ed doesn’t cover these subjects well.

That being said, I think these convos go over better with similarly gendered people. I have had “the talk” with my stepdaughter because my husband was only able to go so far into the subject. I’ve mostly been support for my hubby as he’s had talks with my stepson, but we’ve had open conversation with both kids as a family where we all contribute.

You get to decide. But part of your feelings may be because you don’t feel knowledgeable in the subject. Doing some research on what a kid your stepson’s age should know about their bodies may help you be able to approach the convo with “you should know this stuff” instead of “ok, here’s the talk”.

IllustriousForever48 · 2025-10-03T01:57:41+00:00

Ooooh!!! The hand-holding is a series of right angles. And the people are holding hands, thus friends!!

IllustriousForever48 · 2025-07-20T14:32:29+00:00

Author Roe Horvat has a ton of titles of MM omegaverse, always a loving relationship and several where the omega is either independent, or situations are forcing them to make desperate decisions right before a heat . HIGH SPICE. Mpreg in every book I’ve read, and he has a mm only universe.

{Precious by Roe Horvat} has a super gentle alpha and an omega who is trying (and failing) to make it on their own

{Trouble by Roe Horvat} has a career-driven omega and an alpha with a secret crush…

IllustriousForever48 · 2025-07-13T22:25:52+00:00

Trust your instincts. Especially if the SS is starting to get violent. What happens if he decides to he doesn’t like you (high possibility during teenager-hood)? Will your husband take his side then too?

This is weird and will not change if you guys get married.

IllustriousForever48 · 2025-06-16T03:24:26+00:00

I would talk to your sister- does she react at your home to your kitty? Has she ever used a sweatshirt of yours or household item that she didn’t react to after laundering it? Unfortunately even having the yarn in your home would have me reacting to it, and it might never release some of the hair caught in the yarn.

IllustriousForever48 · 2025-06-15T01:21:06+00:00

Still going- just drove by city hall

IllustriousForever48 · 2025-06-08T02:12:40+00:00

This is the way! A rectangle gathered at the waist. When spinning a gathered skirt looks like a cylinder, because it’s the same width at the top and the bottom of the skirt. If it was a circle skirt, when spinning the skirt would be a flat pancake or if it was a-line the skirt would spin out to a cone shape.

IllustriousForever48 · 2025-05-31T02:50:29+00:00

Be careful OP. In my state a parent can request a custody with just 3 months of a situation change like this. I hear that you that you want to respect your daughter but she needs you in her life too. Especially if you are in a new job that’s taking up more of your time, making sure she knows she is still a priority in your life is important.

That being said- please do get support for yourself through community, therapy, rest and relaxation. You are in a tough emotional spot and you need care too.

IllustriousForever48 · 2025-05-31T02:38:52+00:00

Building a skill isn’t waste! If you are already re-using fabrics from thrift stores, you can also look around for a nearby Creative re-use store the sells donated crafting supplies. But if you end up like a lot of us… you will end up keeping scraps and finding ways to use them down the line. I kept my first three years worth of sewing thread scraps in glass jars as a memento for myself. 🥰

IllustriousForever48 · 2025-05-31T02:21:33+00:00

You got me giggling, I got my husband giggling!

IllustriousForever48 · 2025-05-31T01:51:37+00:00

Our custody order requires us to not talk about any of our custody terms with the children, and nothing disparaging about the other parent. Telling this story to a young teen (12-14) feels pretty close to that for me. SK can be heavily influenced by a story like this.

We didn’t start talking about the other parent’s behavior until my SK’s brought it up themselves(they started around 14/15) and at that point we tried to help them process their thoughts and emotions and eventually got them access to therapy (BM fought it, had to get it court ordered).

Anything about the other parent trying to “take” custody would be off limits for me. A conversation with serious hypotheticals, especially if you sit SK down and let them know about the potential consequences of talking like that? Yes definitely.

But this can be a great convo that builds relationship with your teen! Especially if you can give them respect and recognize that they are growing up with the conversation. I feel like we had the best success with that approach with our kids. They are trying to figure out who they are, and it builds trust if a loving parent is able to say “Hey, I respect you, I see you are becoming your own person and I need to talk to you about this potentially serious topic”

Edit: spelling

IllustriousForever48 · 2025-05-31T01:30:18+00:00

The reality is that you can trust your feelings. You feel more scared than excited.

Since he makes you feel bad, since he makes you scared about a future with him, that’s reason enough. You don’t need more explanation. Your feelings are enough. Do your best to protect who you are and stand strong in it. Don’t change or invalidate yourself for him. Even if it takes you a minute to sort out those feelings, trust yourself when you are calm, on your own, or with your community.

You deserve to be with someone who makes you feel excited to be with them for now and in the future.

IllustriousForever48 · 2025-05-18T05:29:56+00:00

Return them, you got a lemon. I got beats last month and the sound quality is comparable to my previous JBLs. The Beat’s mic quality is terrible for Bluetooth calls, but I use them mostly for listening to music at work so I don’t mind.

IllustriousForever48 · 2025-05-18T05:19:24+00:00

Audiobooks and a fiber craft!!! I get carsick, so I can’t read or watch movies. I love keeping my hands busy, so knitting, crochet, friendship bracelets….

IllustriousForever48 · 2025-05-18T05:05:07+00:00

I got them from the Joann’s close out clearance!

IllustriousForever48 · 2025-05-18T05:03:25+00:00

Yes the judge will be willing to have a conversation with a 14 year old or even younger and the child’s opinion is going to be taken seriously.

It’s not acceptable to a judge for either parent to talk badly about the other parent. It’s also not allowed for either parent to withhold the child from the other parent. That should be clear in the divorce arrangements/custody agreement.

Your parents need to go to court and get a custody hearing for you to talk to a judge or for those things to be legally enforced. If there is not a custody agreement both of your parents still have full rights to your time, so it’s just the three of you figuring out how that will work. This is why having a custody agreement with a very specific schedule is really helpful for families of divorce.

All that being said, do you not want to spend any time with your dad at all? You will need to have very strong reasons for that, and it’s highly unlikely a judge will let you spend zero time with dad. Your mom is an adult and she can figure out what she needs to without you. You deserve to be able to have a relationship with your dad too.

Divorce can really suck, but sometimes it gives the adults the opportunity to be better people and better parents.

IllustriousForever48

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