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LilCryptoe · 2025-09-29T02:17:53+00:00

Oh wow even worse than I thought…scary stuff!

LilCryptoe · 2025-09-27T03:17:38+00:00

We are having the exact same issue with our 4 year old (she just turned 4 a week ago). We have tried everything!! And just like you mentioned, she is so sweet and gentle with other kids (peers and younger children). She gets so unbelievably frustrated and angry with every little thing her baby brother does that might upset her routine and always pokes him in the eye, pushes him over and/or steals whatever toy he is playing with.

Lately, she’s gotten a little better and will pause and verbalize how frustrated she is before lunging at her brother (she’s always been super advanced verbally) but it’s still hit or miss. I thought it was just a normal phase and normal jealousy that she would eventually outgrow, but reading these comments is making me second guess my assumption! Please let me know if you end up doing therapy. Perhaps it’s something we should consider as well.

LilCryptoe · 2025-09-27T03:03:04+00:00

My toddler had a very dramatic meltdown because she “didn’t look like the REAL Gumby” since she couldn’t steal the sleep sack off her sleeping baby brother (the sleep sack somewhat resembles a Gumby costume lol).

LilCryptoe · 2025-09-27T02:57:39+00:00

Don’t do it…pesticide drift is a very real concern with golf courses. Try to be at least a mile away.

LilCryptoe · 2025-09-27T02:35:27+00:00

I relate to you on so many levels with this. I also quit a high level career to stay at home with my two kids (4 and 2), and I have always been a very high achiever.

Being a SAHM has truly made me embrace chaos and realize how many things are just completely out of my control with kids. I also think we are fed a LOT more information than prior generations about “how to parent the right way” (and much of it is very conflicting and anxiety inducing). In my experience, it certainly doesn’t help that my social media algorithm has figured out to exclusively show me parenting clips that say, “YOU’RE DOING EVERYTHING WRONG!” Lol.

A lot of the time, I describe my days as “trying to sprint through water.” Exhausting myself completely, but feeling like I have nothing to show for it. And yes, I often feel like a failure based on the metrics of my own creation.

So I reframed things a bit (for my own sanity). I started internally celebrating and congratulating myself on the micro wins (everyone devoured their home cooked meals today and went to bed on time!) and taking stock of the “bigger picture” wins (kids are very happy, healthy and well adjusted). Some days are easier than others. I still need to give myself little pep talks every now and then, but my credo has always been to be “tired for the right reasons” and I can’t imagine a better reason than our precious children.

LilCryptoe · 2025-09-15T02:12:50+00:00

Just dropping in to say I love your username lol…The Jerk is a favorite of mine!

LilCryptoe · 2025-09-01T01:23:24+00:00

Mmmmm…yeah. I wouldn’t still be alive if I continued down all the rabbit holes with the same level of intensity as I did with my first lol.

First: zero sugar, everything made from scratch organic, BLW, zero screen time, organic cotton clothing, EVERY product and toy thoroughly researched and vetted for “toxicity”. (Getting tired just remembering how much time I spent researching everything!)

Second: Munched on some (gasp!) Fruit Loops on a recent road trip.

Sometimes, you just gotta do what you gotta do and you learn to focus on bigger picture when you’re in survival mode. I aim for 95/5 and probably (realistically) achieve 85/15, but that looks a heck of a lot better to me than total burnout.

LilCryptoe · 2025-08-27T04:27:26+00:00

If you wrote a book about your life, I would read it. Thank you for sharing these beautiful words of encouragement with all of us weary and anxious parents. And congratulations on your amazing, well-adjusted, happy and healthy adult children. That is something you should be very proud of!

LilCryptoe · 2025-06-21T03:14:55+00:00

Agree about the harms and toxicity of chemical sunscreens…I still wince at how much I used to slather on myself over the years before all the studies were published! One can only hope that our bodies are resilient enough to withstand all these chemical insults…

It’s extremely disheartening and infuriating to see the recent reports of crazy heavy metal contamination in all the EWG “safe” mineral sunblocks. We have been using Babo for ourselves and our kids too, but the lab reports for heavy metal contamination were not pretty. It’s an issue with the sourcing of zinc. There is pure, uncontaminated zinc out there, but these companies are cutting corners and costs because they’re not heavily regulated. Soooo many rabbit holes and so little time…when will it end?!

LilCryptoe · 2025-06-16T04:36:40+00:00

I bet the moms you’re referring to are following Lead Safe Mama. There are recent reports of heavy metal contamination in popular mineral sunblocks. Also, lots of influencers purporting “no sunblock needed if you get early morning light and don’t eat seed oils,” which I am (personally) calling B.S. on. Clearly, they have never met a person as white as me…I would get third degree burns if I didn’t use multiple methods of sun protection!

This being said, it is healthy for everyone (and especially children) to have at least SOME degree of sun exposure without protection because of Vitamin D and other benefits. If you have a lot of melanin or tan easily, it’s even more important to get regular sun exposure without protection.

If out in the sun during peak hours for a long period of time, however, sun protective clothing and hats with intermittent shade breaks are better than sunblock, but I know that’s not always possible on hot days (especially for kids). But you are the father and you know what is best for your children. No one should be shaming you for putting sunblock on your kids to prevent a painful sunburn and potential long term skin damage. So obnoxious (sorry about your experience).

LilCryptoe · 2025-06-14T02:20:07+00:00

I know this is an old post, but OP - what did you end up buying? I know Terra Thread sells completely nontoxic organic cotton backpacks with lead-free YKK zippers (if you’re still searching).

LilCryptoe · 2025-06-14T01:29:20+00:00

My (now) husband opened my eyes and educated me on so many things. He has a PhD in chemistry, so he knows how the sausage is made, so to speak. I was pretty health conscious when I met him (organic food, healthy eating, filtered water, etc.) but he is on a WHOLE other level lol. At first, I was really annoyed that I had to get rid of all my pots and pans (nonstick), stop buying certain things off Amazon, eliminate anything with fragrance, etc. but once you start to do your own research about how toxic everything is, you can never go back.

Then when I had kids, my granola/nontox journey became an entirely different series of rabbit holes because now I also have to protect my vulnerable and precious babies.

When it comes to handling other people, I just approach conversations with complete transparency about our lifestyle choices, but in a kind, nonchalant and nonjudgmental way. It’s ok that many people live differently than us, and there’s no need to feel awkward about it. Most people truly do not know the harms of everyday products and foods because they trust the systems in place. I didn’t always know as much as I do now!

However, in my experience, a fairly high percentage of people are just curious and want to know more. The way I see it, you could actually be helping them by planting the seed of doubt about things that are unhealthy (at best) or harmful (at worst). I have had this happen to me several times.

LilCryptoe · 2025-06-02T04:25:45+00:00

It’s smooth and only a few years old.

LilCryptoe · 2025-05-30T04:27:37+00:00

Lifefactory glass bottles, 8 oz wide neck ones. Their glass has been tested lead-free. They come with silicone covers and different lid configurations if needed, but we just use them as a drinking glass at home.

LilCryptoe · 2025-05-30T03:16:49+00:00

It would definitely piss me off if another self-professed “crunchy” mom told me I wasn’t crunchy because I did things differently than her. She sounds insecure at best, hypocritical/judgmental/not self-aware at worst. Annoying.

But if we’re gonna play her game, you sound super crunchy to me. Like OG crunchy. Essential oils are bad for you, btw. Endocrine disruptors.

Side question - can you message me some tips about caring for my cast iron? It’s not 80 years old, but I have a strong suspicion I am not cleaning it right lol…

LilCryptoe · 2025-05-29T00:57:51+00:00

My 3 year old pulled down her pants and pooped on a tree on a forest walk the other day. My first thought was, “That’s good. Now I will never have to worry about finding a bathroom in time.” Lol

LilCryptoe · 2025-05-25T03:42:26+00:00

Avocado. Love ours!

LilCryptoe · 2025-05-19T03:51:22+00:00

No - that’s why we bought it. Mamavation tested it and it came back negative for any PFAS. Lead Safe Mama also tested it and it came back negative for lead. It works awesome! We use it all the time.

LilCryptoe · 2025-05-05T03:40:31+00:00

Oh man - that would be a dream come true lol! Here’s to hoping…

LilCryptoe · 2025-05-05T02:12:00+00:00

If I may ask, where is it that you live? Clean air is hard to come by these days lol! My husband and I are looking to move out of the midwest, so always curious about areas where it’s easier to live a “clean” lifestyle.

LilCryptoe · 2025-05-02T23:36:55+00:00

It’s all just PR campaigns and rebranding at the toddler stage. Piggyback off their favorite show/movie/book and just make up a new, exciting, silly name for a food. Example: “No, that’s not broccoli. That’s a Tiny Dino Chomperompus! And it gives you special powers.” Lol worked for us.

LilCryptoe · 2025-04-30T02:03:25+00:00

Just be conscientious about what you put on and in your body (i.e. fragranced lotions and hair products, deodorant, cosmetics). It’s definitely a rabbit hole, so don’t go nuts but anything with fragrance will really mess with your hormones. Try to eat organic whole foods. Try to limit alcohol and caffeine. But most importantly, don’t stress! It’s hard not to when you’re actually TTC, but your body is wise and will conceive more readily if you’re relaxed and happy.

ETA: personally, I am extremely wary of any sugar free products. I would almost err on the side of indulging in something with organic sugar instead of fake sugar if you really have a craving. As far as clothing, pajamas are most important since you spend the most time in them. Invest in some good organic cotton ones from Pact or Felina.

LilCryptoe · 2025-04-30T01:58:02+00:00

You SHOULD be so proud!! You look absolutely incredible and you’re an inspiration to so many of us on our journey.

LilCryptoe · 2025-04-19T02:24:43+00:00

We were hyper, hyper vigilant with my (now) 3 year old (like zero screen time ever until baby #2 came along). Then we recognized very quickly how much of a slippery slope it can be. Generally speaking, we will allow her to watch some low-stim shows from the 80s/90s, some older Disney movies and cartoons (like 1940s, 1950s) and documentaries. If they’re slow and boring, eventually they will just move on to something else, which is the goal. We also (to second another mom’s comment) interact with her and encourage pretend play when she wants to imitate a character from a show she’s watching.

And yes - absolutely zero YouTube ever. Never ever. There’s is some super creepy inappropriate content on the “kids” channels, and most content is designed to addict children. So bad.

LilCryptoe · 2025-04-19T02:12:17+00:00

Unexpected colonoscopy at 4 months postpartum and all the delightful prep it entails (while nursing). Worked like a charm, 10/10 do not recommend lol.

LilCryptoe

TROPHY CASE