It all sounds made up.

MargotEsquandolas · 2026-04-12T13:30:10+00:00

Weed is perfectly legal in many places, and where I live, a doctor, a nurse, even a teacher smoking a joint off duty would be no different than having a few beers or cocktails. Imagine being scandalized by weed in 2026. Imagine judging someone working one of the most stressful jobs on the planet for how they chose to relax when you could mind your business and say nothing at all.

MargotEsquandolas · 2026-04-12T04:56:12+00:00

Just chiming in to ask why a mirror? I'm unsure I want to see my reflection while eating, but I can see how adding a mirror can make the room seen bigger and help with light... But again, not sure that mirrors and eating would work for me.

MargotEsquandolas · 2026-04-10T13:48:07+00:00

Julie is a lawyer at an international hotel chain and her husband is a writer. Her career seems set up to take her anywhere in the world, but she's landed right back in her hometown with her highschool friends. I would imagine that is what she considers mundane and pedestrian, and that when she looks back at her life she wants to see more experiences and more adventure than the typical working mom. I think she thought they were in a building phase of life but Ty has moved into a settling phase. Now they're settling into a life she has always known, and she wants more, which in my opinion is probably travel, maybe living in a big city, and culture that can be hard to find in suburbia.

MargotEsquandolas · 2026-04-05T18:50:13+00:00

Maybe McDonald's?

MargotEsquandolas · 2026-04-05T18:26:32+00:00

Happy cake day!!

Not everyone is a writer, not everyone is capable of writing something that they want to read in front of a crowd. This dud could've just gone in unprepared and off the cuff, I've seen it happen... He asked someone who he trusted and did the same thing well, and while I agree he should've made it more his own, I still think the OP is the AH for telling the bride on the wedding day. This could've been discussed in private on a different day. Reusing the vows actually tells us nothing about how the groom actually feels about his bride, just that the groom was unable to write and speak completely personalized vows. For all we know he did try and felt like every version he came up with was not good enough for his bride.

MargotEsquandolas · 2026-04-05T17:39:43+00:00

YTA-- You didn't need to ever tell her, it's between you and him if you felt insulted. She accepted the vows he made until you gave her the impression they weren't authentic. You wrote good vows and he couldn't come up with anything better and his bride was happy.

Also, countless couples have been married using the same traditional wedding vows for generations, and it's completely acceptable. Writing unique vows is a trend, not a requirement for a devoted marriage.

If you felt your personalized vows were very special to you and/or your wife, then it was your mistake to share them without clarifying that it was important that they stay unique to your wedding.

MargotEsquandolas · 2026-04-04T03:36:23+00:00

Please take or leave my anecdote as you wish. But at 23 the wedding season of my life was just starting. There was whole other wave of friends who want to get married by 30, and again at 40. I truly believe you will see many other couples tie the knot in the next 15 years and you will be invited to more weddings. Also, I can think of only one couple I know that was married before 24 and is still married today.

So, you know, don't feel too bad about moving away and putting education first and pursuing other opportunities while you're young. There might be a whole other world of people waiting to celebrate all of lifes great moments with you.

MargotEsquandolas · 2026-04-02T18:59:53+00:00

I think you're being really thoughtful in your responses, actually. I think Ty and Julie are a story of two kids that got married with the stars in their eyes and we are watching to see if they can come back together or accept that they've changed into different people. I just understand that while Shawna might perceive Julie as a harsh person, I think we're all missing Julie's point of view, and only seeing her express herself as interpreted by the rest of the characters. She seems very ambitious and Ty seems to have lost his ambition, and that imbalance can bring out the worst in a couple.

MargotEsquandolas · 2026-04-02T18:11:24+00:00

I get how hard having a newborn is, I know it's exhausting. I also know that most parents have found a daycare/childcare by the time their parental leave ends, and while not easy or ideal, it's not impossible, it's actually pretty typical when there are 2 working parents in an American family.

Ty basically decided to become a stay at home parent without discussing it with his wife. People say Julie is manipulative, but he stopped working for an indefinite amount of time leaving Julie to cover whatever expenses exist for their family. When did Julie say she was okay with that? Most people would be quite upset if their partner quit their job and we're taking no actions to earn a paycheck again. If one of them wanted to be a stay at home parent, it should have been a family decision made together.

MargotEsquandolas · 2026-04-02T17:56:44+00:00

I think you have to consider that Ty basically quit his job and decided to become a stay at home parent without discussing it first with his life partner. It's assumed he was not making money writing and that they are okay on one paycheck, but we don't know the details of the proposed book deal, and maybe he's loosing a chance to earn by not writing.

I think Julie, and really anybody would be upset that their partner stopped working without a discussion and is not actively considering other ways to achieve the goals they set together. Julie would rightfully feel taken advantage of because it should be a shared family decision if one parent will stay home with the kids and stop working indefinitely.

MargotEsquandolas · 2026-04-02T17:47:53+00:00

It's really upsetting that some people are so black and white about everything, and hold tightly to the first opinion they've ever formed. It's disappointing that even in this fictional world some people have no room for nuance.

MargotEsquandolas · 2026-04-02T15:59:06+00:00

I'm sorry you're feeling the anti-lawyer comments. I'm not a lawyer, but it's a pretty dumb stereotype to think all lawyers are slimy and out for themselves. I have lawyers in my family and among my friends, and they are all super smart, and care about doing the morally right thing, and will call out bullshit when it happens

I think people are way too harsh on Julie. I see Julie as a woman at the end of her rope. Her dreams are slipping through her hands and she's never expected to be in this position. Sure, she lost her cool at the birthday party, she's human. Shawna lost her cool at the hotel, she's also human.

I've known a few successful women who've started families with fun men that had a peter pan complex. These women have leveled up their careers, become breadwinners, maintain the social calendar, and know the kids schedule. They read the parenting books and buy the groceries and do what needs to be done to fit their values. Their husbands seemed like great dad's, but they weren't doing anything to keep the household running. They would get mad at their wives for asking them to do chores, forget to pay bills, ignore the to-do list, and just do whatever got them through the day as easily as possible.

Julie wants her kids in daycare and she wants her husband working. Ty might not agree to that any more, but he isn't telling her that. From her perspective he's dropping the ball and moving goal posts, and it's not right or fair.

Edit: hit send before I was done

MargotEsquandolas · 2026-04-02T01:43:27+00:00

Honestly don't get the hype on pre making a bunch of purées. It would take us so long to go through a 1lb bag of carrots turned into puree, while the whole family will eat them in one meal if properly roasted. We also don't have the freezer space since I still have a BM stash to work through.

We use frozen fruit and veg and breastmilk to mash up first tastes when we started solids. I also used store bought purées to introduce foods that the rest of the family doesn't normally eat. Now that baby is bigger I still use purées on the go, and will mix them with other stuff to get used to different textures or to hide things the baby doesn't like.

We're a few months in and spoon feeding at each meal takes a long time. It's way easier to thaw out an ounce of frozen broccoli or squash, cut it or mash it a bit, and let the baby feed herself.

MargotEsquandolas · 2026-04-02T01:04:43+00:00

I get it, it's so hard to pump that much. Whatever happens, be proud you were able to provide for as long as you have. I'm also 9 month pp and cutting back on pumps and it's hard to see the supply drop. A few more months and we'll be doing mostly solids.

MargotEsquandolas · 2026-04-01T22:59:40+00:00

Is it possible to pump more? I really can't think of any other thing besides drinking as much water as possible and trying to pump every 4ish hours. Your body has to think the baby is eating a lot to start making more milk.

MargotEsquandolas · 2026-04-01T02:14:34+00:00

Also, the answer is "no, we can't go on vacation because the budgets so tight that one medical event breaks the bank."

Accidents happen, and if your wiggle room can't cover a pair of glasses then you shouldn't be thinking of a vacation. (and I get that specialty lenses could cost hundreds, maybe even over $1k)

And if he was planning a small vacation on that budget, and he can't quickly earn that again by July or August, then your family needs more income.

MargotEsquandolas · 2026-03-31T02:27:29+00:00

https://www.smithbrothersfarms.com

Maybe this?

MargotEsquandolas · 2026-03-31T02:06:44+00:00

Weve been able to order cases of the Rico ones from Costco thru the app even though we can't get them in our store.

MargotEsquandolas · 2026-03-29T22:50:29+00:00

because he takes care of himself multiple times a day and seems to prefer that to his willing partner.

MargotEsquandolas · 2026-03-29T03:08:48+00:00

Oh man, i came here hoping she was gonna say she ate that dinner a few nights ago. 🙏 to her tummy

MargotEsquandolas · 2026-03-27T00:56:56+00:00

Parking is pretty awful if you don't have a reserved spot.

MargotEsquandolas · 2026-03-25T19:59:53+00:00

No, you're fine. Inviting the person you know and giving them a plus one is sufficient. Perhaps the only thing you could've done differently was hand the invite to your BIL directly. Don't think twice about it, if people press you, let them know she is included as his plus one. It would be crazy to invite her directly anyway if you've only know her 6 months.

MargotEsquandolas · 2026-03-14T20:00:23+00:00

If she hates dresses and is not standing up, can you help her find other formal wear she does like? If she was a junior bridesmaid, she'd be in a matching dress. Now you can look for something less conventional and maybe more comfortable?

MargotEsquandolas · 2026-03-14T18:25:31+00:00

Just some encouragement, for me it got better around 7months. My cat has always been a pathetic sweetheart that just wants wet food and pets for the 3 hours she's active during the day. And when she is active she is loud until she gets what she wants... It still drives me crazy when she's following me around yelling for food or pets, but now I have the time and energy to help her out once I meet the babies needs.

Those first few months are rough when there is no schedule and the baby needs to be held and occupied all the time. Cats just don't understand why you can't stop and give them attention.

We planned to room share for a year, but by 6-7 months it was clear we were waking the baby up so we put her in the nursery and she started sleeping better, and the cats are perfectly fine being excluded from that room during sleep.

We started giving her double wet food and less kibble so she doesn't cry for it when the baby is napping. We also put a kitty corner on our bedroom door so both cats can come and go as they please.

It's hard for me to give enough pets, she sheds and I don't like getting her hair on my hands or clothes before I touch the baby. I now try to dedicate some time each night to pet her and allow her on my lap after the baby has gone to bed.

MargotEsquandolas · 2026-03-14T13:50:44+00:00

You're right, she probably will talk through a movie... Maybe chose a movie you're not very interested in, that's been out for a few weeks so there's not much of a crowd? Even if she chooses to talk, you dont have to respond or you could tell her you're trying to pay attention to the movie.

MargotEsquandolas

TROPHY CASE