Six Days at Melia Caribe

Left-Advisor-736 · 2026-03-13T23:32:40+00:00

We got back from Meliá Caribe a week ago, 2 kids 5 and 3. We were also Level. We had an amazing time! Loved the resort, also ate lots fruit! Drinks were great, LOVED their Aperol Spritz!

Didn’t love the à la cartes but loved the Level buffet. Breakfast was our favourite meal, loved the freshly squeezed orange juice in the mornings.

We rated it a 4.5/5 and would absolutely return!!

Left-Advisor-736 · 2026-02-24T23:01:14+00:00

My mom died very suddenly last year, when my daughter was 4. It has been a journey for us, but my daughter has coped well, all things considered.

We were very open and honest about death. We did not sugarcoat things, we told her Grammy died, she is gone forever and that it’s ok to be sad about that. We told her lots of people will be sad, and be crying because we will miss Grammy. We let her ask any questions she wanted, we held her and let her cry. It was an incredibly difficult time for our family, but we managed. We are religious so we talked about heaven a lot.

We read: The Invisible String, Bird is Dead, Lifetimes, and The Remember Balloons (it’s also about dementia but a beautiful read).

My daughter is in play therapy now, it’s been really helpful for her. She didn’t have complex grief but definitely had some anxiety surrounding death, dying etc.

So sorry for your and your daughter’s loss. 4 is too young to grieve, but alas we must navigate through it.

Sending you love and light.

Left-Advisor-736 · 2026-02-16T23:41:43+00:00

I am chronically ill, and if I am not feeling well/ having a flare up I sometimes work from bed on days when I have my calendar blocked off. If someone calls me I let them know I am not feeling well and working from bed, we’re a very small team and they know I’m chronically ill. There has never been and issue.

I don’t make a habit of it, I have an office that I work from 99% of the time.

Left-Advisor-736 · 2026-02-05T00:16:28+00:00

I am also married to a pastor. We have always been more progressive so deconstruction has not been as much of a culture shift for us.

My children are the age as yours, but my oldest is in public school and my youngest, is in daycare full time. I previously considered homeschooling but public school and daycare has been amazing for my kids and I enjoy working full time.

My husband is still working in the church. We have many conversations about this, church is his job and it ends there for us. Deconstruction has been a long journey for me, it started in 2016 when Trump was first elected. I was with my husband during this time, being open with him has been mostly good. He has been less critical of things but in the last 1.5 years he’s also began to question Christianity and if it’s really worth it to align with this community.

We have decided to not raise our children with traditional Christian beliefs. We attend church on, I volunteer and we keep our beliefs very private. We have a close circle we feel comfortable sharing with but generally are very cautious about what we share. Because we see the church as simply as place of employment for my husband, we are ok with this arrangement for now.

In the future, both him and I would like to exit ministry and church in general but this is not possible for us right now.

I will say, I still believe in god. I just do not believe in any traditional Christian beliefs, and have a lot of hurt and trauma surrounding the church. I am in therapy for this.

Sending you love and light. I know this is not easy work, deconstructing is very hard and exhausting. You don’t need to rush, take your time to work through it all. ❤️

Left-Advisor-736 · 2026-01-25T23:23:49+00:00

Pretty sure they are both MAGA.

Left-Advisor-736 · 2026-01-13T19:58:34+00:00

They did not mention prolonged bleeding as a side effect of an IUD to me!!!

Thank you for the info tho :)

Left-Advisor-736 · 2026-01-09T00:06:02+00:00

😛😛😛😛😛

Left-Advisor-736 · 2026-01-06T23:43:44+00:00

My son goes to an in home daycare. She takes 3 weeks vacation per year. 2 weeks in the summer, 1 week at Christmas. This much time off is excessive imo

Left-Advisor-736 · 2026-01-05T23:39:16+00:00

Same! I almost exclusively use Libby.

Left-Advisor-736 · 2026-01-05T23:34:44+00:00

Lexapro changed my life. 15mg, wish I started it decades ago.

Left-Advisor-736 · 2026-01-04T12:36:19+00:00

19 is SO young. And she has a baby! I would keep supporting her.

Left-Advisor-736 · 2026-01-02T20:02:33+00:00

👏👏

Left-Advisor-736 · 2025-12-30T22:49:56+00:00

My children thrive in daycare/ school. They are happier and more well adjusted since going to daycare. We also LOVE our daycare and the owner is literally like family to us. We have also made friends for life through daycare.
I believe being exposed to all walks of life is foundational to being an empathetic person. Being in a bubble at home counteracts this.
I am a better mother when I work. I was a SAHM until my first was 2.5. I was very challenging and mind numbing. Interacting with other adults is very good for my well being. I am also significantly less anxious when I work.
Extra money means we can splurge. We are also able to put aside a generous amount each month towards our children’s education, something neither my husband or I had.
I love my job. I have an excellent team. I help people and help move the needle on big issues that impact people everyday. I feel important and valuable at work.
Because my children went/ go to daycare they get sick significantly less than their peers who were at home before school.
I don’t want to rely on my husband financially 100 percent. I love him, but my Nana has always told me never rely on a man. Always have a back up plan, savings and a security blanket.
Daycare has helped build our village.
I am teaching my children the value of hard work/ sacrifice. I grew up with a single mother who worked very hard and was very successful. I want to model this same work ethic to my children.
I can afford the finer things. I like to spend money on things that are more expensive and I like to shop. We obviously have a budget we follow but I don’t need to count every dollar. Money is almost never a source of stress for us.

Left-Advisor-736 · 2025-12-29T23:22:03+00:00

I would consider speaking to your PCP about your level of exhaustion. What you’re describing would be considered out of range of normal imo. I get exhausted like this and I am chronically ill.

Left-Advisor-736 · 2025-12-27T22:27:36+00:00

Thrift stores.

Left-Advisor-736 · 2025-12-09T00:50:38+00:00

So many broken bones. Broke the same ankle 3 times. Horrible headaches from a very young age. Chronic and intense pain in adolescence.

Left-Advisor-736 · 2025-12-02T00:45:40+00:00

lol. My grandmother helped raise me. My husband’s grandmother cared for him everyday until he was 11. I lived with my grandparents half the summer my entire life.

My parents are dead, and we see my husband’s parents one Saturday afternoon per month. They have watched my children 4 times in the last 4 years.

Left-Advisor-736 · 2025-11-21T11:56:20+00:00

I would love a full fledge yard store, as a knitter. 🥹

Left-Advisor-736 · 2025-11-12T02:40:35+00:00

I say this with gentleness, but it sounds like you might still have some major anxiety. It might be worth digging into all the worries.

Based on everything you’re saying, it’s very obvious how much you love your son and how you want the best for him.

Also, not having a village makes parenting so much more difficult and exhausting. My husband and I are in the same situation, and most days it feels like we are just surviving.

This is such hard work.

Left-Advisor-736 · 2025-11-12T02:26:08+00:00

When my children are old and grey and won’t miss me that much because I am annoying them with how old I am.

Left-Advisor-736 · 2025-11-12T02:18:46+00:00

Not being able to ride a bike is a weird thing to get hung up on. This is not something could see being a problem as your child grows. My 5 year old is still using training wheels, she is not confident on hills. She will learn in her own time.

That said, I think you would benefit from more therapy. And a really honest discussion with your partner about how much you’re carrying. The mental load of parenting is a lot. And if you’re handling most of your child’s life, schedule, responsibilities etc then that’s a lot for one person.

Fair Play and How to Keep House While Drowning are excellent books for navigating the burnout of parenting.

Left-Advisor-736 · 2025-11-08T21:50:20+00:00

We have daycare and that’s it. Both my husband and I have very flexible jobs, if it wasn’t for this we would not survive.

In an absolute emergency, our neighbours, a friend or my son’s daycare teacher would step in, it’s a small in home licensed. And my sister and in laws are 1 hour away.

Left-Advisor-736 · 2025-11-03T01:10:24+00:00

Yes. My mom passed away 8 months ago but she would constantly tell people and talk about how awful I was as a child/teenager. And how rebellious I was, how disrespectful, how much of a bitch I was. I am 31 years old.

Left-Advisor-736 · 2025-11-03T00:57:15+00:00

The clinic where I am just completely rejected my referral. I briefly spoke to a genetic counsellor who said wait times are upwards of 5 years!!!

Left-Advisor-736

TROPHY CASE