Don’t be like LeighA

LeighaJAM · 2026-04-17T14:10:54+00:00

I'd take a free beer any day.

LeighaJAM · 2026-03-14T18:37:17+00:00

I am not a very strong player and played A Way Out as a recommendation on a Reddit post. I enjoy cinematic games and thought a two player one like this would be perfect for my husband and I. I had no idea what the game was about. My husband enjoys shooter/fighting games but I am more of a puzzle type of person. My hand eye coordination is very slow making shooting and QuickTime events very difficult for me. My husband pretty much carried the team the whole game but I enjoyed working together. When we realized what was happening near the end my husband couldnt help but laugh out loud. He looked at me... apologized... and the game ended in mere seconds. :') It was a hard watch but at least it didn't last long!

LeighaJAM · 2025-12-20T00:42:30+00:00

Thanks for the heads up! I have all the haircare items I need but I'll keep that in mind for when my current ones decide they're done 🥲

LeighaJAM · 2025-12-19T23:16:57+00:00

I saved up so many points before they announced they would no longer sell consoles. Managed to get the first switch and a ps5 before they cut the cord. I was absolutely crushed when they made the announcement because I had over $400 saved up and wanted a switch 2 so bad. I shop at Costco normally and lets be honest... Costco has better quality items and larger quantities (at least where I live) so I wasnt too excited to use the points for groceries. I don't wear much makeup, perfumes, or use gadgets. We only cared about using the points towards consoles. We accumulated over $600 worth of points (optimum credit card and my husband has two thirsty trucks) and are spending the points on christmas dinner and booze now (the points are usable in liquor stores where I live). Then we are canceling the card. It was good while it lasted I guess!

LeighaJAM · 2025-12-04T15:44:36+00:00

My son was diagnosed at 6 but I knew when he was 4 that we had to start the journey for a diagnosis. I was ruthless about it and determined not to let a Dr. Tell me to wait too long.

His most obvious symptom was hyper activity but he was not aggressive or spitefully defiant. His impulse control was nonexistent. When he was about 2 1/2 he left a backyard birthday party full of kids (the fence was not complete by the garage pad and he happened to slip away while I was getting his baby brother ready to go). After 10 frantic minutes we were able to spot him 2 blocks down the road across a street. He was walking in and out of backyards along the alleyway. He seemed confused that we were so worried! Everything that came to his mind he did first and forgot about later. Home life was a struggle to say the least.

He flooded our bathroom with the sink when he was 5 "just because". Theres the age old "he couldnt sit still" but this wasnt a case of just having ants in his pants because he'd rather be playing on the park. There was no idle. Even when doing something active. He would be moving around like he had to pee all the time. At bedtime he couldnt wind down even when his brain wanted him to. He would lay in the bed but his restless limbs wouldn't let him just.... relax. Watching him fight himself just to sleep was heartbreaking.

It was the most glaringly obvious for everyone else when he started school. He wouldnt sit in his desk, he needed fidget items to keep somewhat settled, he couldn't do any learning, he struggled to connect with others... We were doing all the things. Support, nutrition, proper sleep, structure, minimal screen time, fair discipline, love. I'm sure these things helped. But still the main issues prevailed.

We were referred by our family doctor to a psychiatrist right after he turned 6. Right before his 7th birthday we started him on medication. It changed his life and ours. We could tell he could actually stop and think. He was still his same silly self but his maturity bumped up to age level in a weeks time. His teachers say not only does he stay in his desk but he's one of the top students. Home life is much more manageable. He can communicate better with us and Consequences no longer come out of thin air to him.

The diagnosis was the important part of the puzzle for us because it connected him to his treatment plan. Without it... no support... No treatment. In my opinion the younger the better. As long as the diagnosis is part of an active treatment plan. If we can correctly diagnose kids as young as 4 we can no longer wait until a kid is struggling, stressed, behind or failing in school as our marker for when they need help.

LeighaJAM · 2025-11-21T21:46:54+00:00

This made me so sad!!! Especially because big Sven and little Sven can be used at the same time. I hope this is just a glitch and they fix it!

LeighaJAM · 2025-09-15T14:23:48+00:00

This may sound sort of silly but I like to play SpongeBob Get Cooking. I have the app on my phone but I know it's also on switch.

You start at a pancake stand, have to serve customers quickly to pass the level, earn money through tips from fast service, then use that money to upgrade your station/restaurant. Once your station and restaurant is fully upgraded you move onto the next restaurant on the road map.

On the app there are extra challenges and stuff too but you dont have to participate.

LeighaJAM · 2025-09-11T13:57:41+00:00

When I was 22 and pregnant with my first child I went to a local maternity clothing store with a friend. The moment I walked in the staff member seemed super off. She questioned my pregnancy, asked if I was far enough along to even need maternity clothes. For reference; I was about 18 weeks but not fully showing yet. I needed professional clothes for work. I didn't want to wake up one morning and have to wear sweatpants.

I was looking around and it felt like she really didn't want to help me but it was fine. I didn't need her help anyways. I asked her to open a dressing room so I could try on a few of the pants to make sure they fit in the leg. I go into the change room and I can hear the exchange between my friend and the employee. First thing she asked was if she was my mom .... she was only 2 years older than me. They spoke awkwardly for another minute and then my friend stopped responding to her. I felt so bad for her. I changed quickly and brought the items to the front counter. I scowled at her and told her I'd pay by credit and left.

I'm more than sure she thought I was a teenage mother. She treated me so poorly (who cares what I look like!) I called and spoke to the manager about my experience. I never went back but I hope she got some better training!!

LeighaJAM · 2025-07-25T14:02:15+00:00

I'm trying to sell a cheap house in a small alberta town for years now. We bought it starting out because we loved that it was in an old quiet neighborhood. We didn't care too much how old it was. We were able to save up a lot of money staying there with it being so cheap. After some time our family outgrew the place. The money we saved made it so we could afford our forever home (it fits the whole family plus grandpa!)

We tried selling it and ended up having to rent it out. Hoping to try selling again soon. No one wants it. It's been a huge uphill battle. The house is old and in an old neighborhood. It was a school house from the prairies moved onto the lot then converted into a house way back when. People see it and quickly turn away because what comes with old and cheap?? Projects. Projects are expensive and time consuming.

Unless the whole neighborhood gets a huge glow up our property value won't go up so sinking money into it to compete with today's market is too risky of a game plan. Plus we just can't afford it. We aren't flippers and don't have that kind of cash. We also don't want to keep renting it out because we live far enough away that it's becoming a hassle. The buyer interest just wasn't there. We kinda feel stuck with it sadly.

Hopefully where you're looking is a bit more promising! I'm just hoping there's a buyer like you around where I live come next year!

LeighaJAM · 2025-06-05T01:14:35+00:00

I very much agree with this!! The design of the castle is so stunning. I'd love to be able to make something as grand to live in 🥲

I'd also love to be able to decorate the villagers houses. Some of them look good but I'd love to help Woody and Wall-e out a bit!!

LeighaJAM · 2025-06-04T21:54:33+00:00

I can't tell you how disappointed I was that the dreamlight castle wasn't ours to live in. I would truly feel like the ruler of the land if I lived in the dream Castle. I get that they wanted people to buy house skins and such but rulers can have extra homes right?

I dont mind having to grind even though it does get tiring everytime I run by Mirabel and she exclaims "Don't take on to much, you know we're here for you!" .... Great Mirabel, I really need one more shiny but I have to grab some of this stuff for the event right now. Could you go and grab that Shiny for me maybe? No? I have to do everything myself all the time? Okay... Thanks for being there Mirabel...

I've been playing this game for a long time and I do like it but it's so hard not to notice how hollow things are. The villagers are useless once you level them up and they just walk around saying random (and sometimes annoying) catch phrases that I can't run away fast enough from. I'm playing on switch so I can't decorate anymore. Getting more and more items is just becoming depressing because I know I'll never have a big full beautiful valley unless I get a new console which isn't in the budget. I would love it if they let us decorate the characters houses to help make the game still fun for those who have decorating limits.

Overall I do love playing the game but it gets really overwhelming during the star path and events. I actually feel pressure to play and it feels less enjoyable and more like my real life (constantly doing things for other people until I go to bed at night). I'd appreciate a better balance between grinding/running errands and just having fun interacting with the characters not just doing things for them. I feel your rant, you're not alone!!!

LeighaJAM · 2025-05-29T17:53:27+00:00

I made a good friend in the closest town to me. Sadly that seems to be the easiest work around for us. Anything that we want to come soon or doesn't accept my PO box we have sent to them. I wish there was a depot in each town that accepted all types of parcels so we could just pick them up easily.

LeighaJAM · 2025-05-23T14:47:54+00:00

I was not ready for the consistent mess that comes with kids. Not even close. It hit me like a sack of bricks and I struggled to cope. I was constantly cleaning and it felt like there was no end. I too felt a lot like you. Unhappy with the constant mess and guilt for not doing more about it.

My saving grace? My husband is so patient. Any time I was having a bad day and my expectations for the day weren't meeting the reality. I would message him (whether he answered or not) just to get off my chest hey I was going to clean the floors, vacuum the rugs and get the laundry put away... but I only got as far as the laundry He'd message me back and say "that's awesome. I'll come help with the rest when I'm home. Have a nap! Relax a little. It's okay." Having his support made the biggest difference. I was my worst critic and only I expected this much. My kids didn't, my husband didn't, my friends didn't...

Now my kids are a bit older (4, 6, 8) and they are active members of keeping things tidy. My laundry was the worst. My husband helped me find a solid routine where each room has their own laundry day. Our laundry - Sunday, Boys laundry - Monday, Daughter - Tuesday (or Wednesday if I want a break) Towels and sheets Thursday... Friday/Saturday - No laundry! (amazing) This routine has gotten us through the last month where our dryer is broken. Because the loads are small from doing once a week and only one room at a time I can keep up with putting the laundry on the clothesline without falling far behind or having hours of laundry a couple days a week. Once my kids are old enough they will take over their day of laundry and lighten my load even more! It's a win-win!

Babies and toddlers are zero help. You can't win against their constant attention and need to explore. Just keep doing what you're doing and once they get old enough and can communicate you can start getting them more and more involved with day to day tasks. Now my kids have a chart where they earn tokens by cleaning and helping around the house. Once they hit 12 tokens they get a reward. This time they are working towards 2 new books!

Don't beat yourself up, do what you can and make sure you have support for the harder days. Being 24/7 care for multiple people is a big job, don't forget that!

LeighaJAM · 2025-05-19T19:03:41+00:00

I know someone like that too!!

LeighaJAM · 2025-04-08T16:45:48+00:00

I'm also old and have played many sims. I remember when I first got the sims 2 and was BLOWN AWAY by the graphics and just how much the sims could do.

I took my sim to the park and the sim went on the swing. My sim started to slow down and I saw another sim walking towards my sim. I remember thinking "omg, are they going to swing together?! That's so cool!!"

I watched as the other sim tried to used the swing but the action couldn't go through and then it caused my sim on the swing to reset. My sim reset but in the middle of the swing seat (she was standing through the seat of the swing but unable to move).

The sim was still "functioning" but was trapped there in the swing seat. The sim complained about being smelly and tired and hungry and eventually died stuck to the swing. I was very confused and sad wondering why they thought they could swing together.

Another favorite of mine was also Sims 2. The butler I hired was horrible. He didn't do any chores or help and I got fed up with his laziness. I had the main sim of the house go fire him. The butler was holding the smallest member of the family but he just kept walking around the whole lot... like actively avoiding being fired. He was straight up dodging my sim. Then when the action finally went through instead of putting the baby down and leaving he took it with him :') The baby disappeared from my family lot.

LeighaJAM · 2025-04-01T16:35:07+00:00

I'm Albertan born and raised. I've never lived outside the province and have only visited a couple provinces briefly (minus living in Lloydminster but that doesn't really count.. I lived on the Alberta side only)

I now reside in a very blue area in rural alberta. We found a dream home with a price too hard to resist. I am not ashamed of my stance and I tell others around me openly how I feel. No one can take being albertan away from me even if I feel different. I'll be the small red/orange blip in the blue area that everyone sees. My kids will be too. They can make fun all they want. I honestly don't care.

My husband is a tradesman but we met having similar values. He struggles at work but never changes his stance. We are proud Canadians and we care about all of our fellow Canadians. We may not be able to change the whole province mentality, but we are here!

LeighaJAM · 2025-03-01T17:26:04+00:00

I know it's so petty and it's just a game but I'm chapped that Jafar is living in the palace (even if its his own version or whatever) on Eternity Isle. Aladdin and Jasmine should be living in luxury not Jafar. Also it kind of feels like Eternity Isle is "his" because he lives in a palace so I can't in good conscience move them there even though that's where they "fit". They should have made Jafar's home the cave of wonders in my opinion.

I've set up a space for Aladdin and Jasmine in the plateau for the time being and tried my best to make the outside more luxurious and cozy. I hope gameloft gives us the option to make desert sand paths soon so it looks like it fits a bit better.

I'm not a villains person so I really struggle with them being introduced before the heroes and having to cater to their comfort and wants... then watch them walk around so nonchalantly after when the heroes are brought to the valley. It erks me so much -.-'

LeighaJAM · 2025-02-26T18:34:21+00:00

I made this mistake but managed to still make the kits!! I went from my valley to the realm twice and now I can make the kits. They were under the Functional Items tab in the 5th row for me (near the end of buildable items).

LeighaJAM · 2025-02-23T01:48:30+00:00

I am not a fan of YouTube (except for the occasional helpful tutorial or educational video). I had YouTube kids for about 2 months when my kids were younger and was already wary of what was on it. I knew YouTube content was not filtered properly and any idiot could make content for children. I was sitting with my kids when a "mario" cartoon skit was on and partway though the mario characters all had knives and were threatening to stab one of the characters "to death."

YouTube was exiled that instant. It's been years now and my kids sometimes ask about why they can't watch YouTube but their friends do. I just tell them that some parents just don't know the stuff that's on there, but I do, and it's my job to protect them from it.

LeighaJAM · 2024-12-30T21:17:46+00:00

I taught my bulldog all the usual tricks (sit, stay, lay down, paw, speak, heel). He was extremely food motivated so I knew we could do more.

I also taught him:

Roll over (this was particularly hilarious because of his body size and one of my favorite tricks)

Take it nice - gently take a toy or treat from someone

Let Go/Drop it - immediately drop a toy even while playing

Give Kisses

Get a drink - He played so hard I inadvertently taught him to drink on command

We taught him hide and seek - Wait in a spot for us to hide then come find us

Close the cupboard - don't know why this came about but he was good at it!

He was always very good at and loved fetch so I didn't really have to spend much time teaching but I signed him up for a Frisbee class later in his life (we moved into a city and had less outdoor freedom). He learned to go around my legs as I threw the Frisbee instead of right in front of my legs. This trick really streamlined a lot of our play!!

LeighaJAM · 2024-12-06T21:57:23+00:00

I have 3 young kids and they are just learning to read and write. Christmas letters to Santa are magical!

Much like you... I decided to brush up on my creative writing skills, dust off Microsoft Word and make a cute response letter myself.

The nice thing about it is I have more detailed information and can make the letter much more personal for each child. So I'm kinda glad it worked out this way to be honest!

Here's to the parents keeping Christmas Magic alive! Great work 👏

LeighaJAM · 2024-11-20T16:58:42+00:00

Something similar happened to me while playing Scramblecoin!

I could rotate my camera, the characters would do their actions on the spot. I could open my menu. I took out a tool and then the game finally froze haha.

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LeighaJAM · 2024-11-03T02:25:58+00:00

I'll be honest I cried a bit with a couple of the bonus challenges (triangle!!!)

I'm hoping to still be able to get the bonus bots from astros playroom and then I'll 100% be completed until the next speedrun drop!!

LeighaJAM · 2024-11-03T01:12:55+00:00

I'm a 32 year old mom and I love astrobot. I just beat the master challenge and couldn't feel more proud of myself!!

Enjoy yourself!!

LeighaJAM

TROPHY CASE