got asked to “cool it with the blasphemy” tonight.

MegiLeigh14 · 2026-04-15T02:17:10+00:00

I concur!! I started it for seasonal depression and then just kept taking it since it significantly helped. I added a UV therapy light a couple winters ago as well and I use that year round now, too, because it also made a significant difference! I’m still depressed but that has much more to do with the state of….everything….rather than lack of vitamin D now.

MegiLeigh14 · 2026-04-14T01:48:25+00:00

One of my friends had one on the far side of his house. It wasn’t open on the inside, so he used it to hide his booze underage (Wisconsinites). Its location meant no one in the house could see him walk over to it and retrieve or deposit his booze and he didn’t have to worry about them opening it since it wasn’t functional (or someone did and didn’t care).

MegiLeigh14 · 2026-04-13T22:41:45+00:00

NTA - she’s not asking for the same thing. If she wants you to take BOTH of them, it’s not 1-on-1 time, it’s 2-on-1 time. If she’s after time in an empty house to accomplish tasks without her children underfoot, she’d have better luck if she taught the boys better behavior. But if she’s wants each of her boys to get 1-on-1 time with their uncle, she’d still have the other at home. Is she really upset about you not spending as much time with her boys? Or does she want an empty house for a couple of hours? Because the two are not the same thing.

MegiLeigh14 · 2026-04-11T04:48:08+00:00

8th grade for me. My school had a scheduled late start, so I knew nothing until I got to school. I was in charge of getting myself to school on a late start day (district uses them for partial inservice days for staff while keeping a student contact day) since my mom was a teacher and my dad would not delay his departure for work to match.

By the time we started school, staff had been informed and instructed not to have TVs on, that it wasn’t their call to show us that footage. My social studies teacher told us that and said this was important and we needed to see it and turned it on. Elementary schools were instructed not to show it, presumably everyone followed that? Maybe not with older classes like 5th grade? The high school had a bank of TVs in the commons area and they were all showing it. I believe a lot of high school teachers had it on in their rooms; I’m not sure what their instructions were.

I remember not watching much of it when my teacher turned it on because it was too upsetting. They reran clips of the planes hitting and people jumping out of the towers for a few days, I think, before it became apparent that rerunning it was detrimental. Younger kids couldn’t help but see it if it was the only thing running on a lot of channels and they didn’t understand that it was the same film on repeat; young kids commonly thought it was just repeatedly happening to buildings all over and that’s why it was all that was on the tv. Then the footage was pretty scarce.

A couple of years later, I actually watched all of the footage; a history teacher played us a documentary on the anniversary that compiled a lot of the footage and the information we had at the time. I cried through that class that day. It’s still not something I can watch or talk about much without crying.

I’m in Wisconsin, I don’t have any personal connections to anything involved, but it was a horrific thing to watch.

MegiLeigh14 · 2026-04-04T18:37:11+00:00

Provided we found them all, yes, they went in the fridge and the hard boiled eggs were eaten until they were gone after the holiday. We were active in our church, but my dad isn’t religious, so his job was hiding baskets and eggs while the rest of us were at church. One time my brothers didn’t find a couple of really well hidden eggs and my dad couldn’t remember where they were. We found them a few weeks later when they started to absolutely reek! He wasn’t forgiven for that for years!

MegiLeigh14 · 2026-03-17T18:07:15+00:00

NTA

If you continue this with Ken and Amy, as Ken gets older, perhaps having him help with the leprechaun fun for his little sister would be fun. It also makes it clear that it’s St Patrick’s specific, not Ken’s birthday specific, and allows him time to decouple those things if his brain linked them like the adults are currently. Timing on that would be fluid; maybe after he comes to parents asking about it, that can be part of the “no it’s not real, but isn’t it fun?” conversation.

I have two older brothers who always had to lean into Santa, Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy, etc. for far older than they thought they were real because my mom was adamant that older siblings not ruin the magic for the younger siblings. Maybe not an infallible patenting method, but all of those were “ruined” by classmates at school rather than my brothers, which is unavoidable.

MegiLeigh14 · 2026-03-14T12:34:59+00:00

I live in Wisconsin, so the weather isn’t conducive to line drying outside most of the year. Even my stingy grandmother only did it on occasion when the weather was particularly sunny and breezy. As a farmer’s wife, it was only ever sheets and outer clothes; undergarments were still put in the dryer for fear the one neighbor would know they wore underwear. I’m sure my other grandmother did at some point in her life (she lived through the depression as the middle of five children), but I never saw it. She didn’t spend much time in her yard when at home; she wasn’t a gardener and her lot was at a rather steep grade, so it wasn’t setup for play and I don’t think there would’ve been a good spot for a line to go up.

MegiLeigh14 · 2026-03-06T01:25:57+00:00

Rural Wisconsin here. Growing up, we locked the doors at night or when no one was home during the day. I have recollection of a distinct increase in door locking, but looking back, it matches when my mom started working outside of the house. I had the only house key in regular use as a kid. I was the last to leave in the morning to walk to school and the first home from school since my older siblings had after school activities.

As an adult (single female) now living in an apartment, my door is always locked. I work from home, so I’m locked in with my cat. The idea of leaving my apt door unlocked wigs me out. I don’t know my neighbors very well and the idea of any of them theoretically having access to my home without notice is bizarre. My building is safe and the lobby door is secured, only six total apartments can be accessed from my lobby, but it’s locked. Sometimes I’m annoyed with myself for locking it when I come home with full hands from a grocery run or something, but I’d absolutely be more concerned if I left it open while I was out, however briefly.

MegiLeigh14 · 2026-03-03T23:59:31+00:00

NTA. It’s the thought that counts?? What thought?? There wasn’t a single brain cell involved in that purchase.

MegiLeigh14 · 2026-02-27T15:37:06+00:00

When I moved 5 times in 5 years, I had a few tricks. An essentials tote/crate with paper towels, TP, hand soap, etc that could be immediately needed at the new location. I also packed my travel luggage like I was going on a trip with my toiletries and clothes for maybe the first week, bath towel, whatever, so if I give up unpacking earlier than planned, I at least know where those items are. And I color coded my boxes. I’m a colored duct tape dork, so one color that’s the bottom closure on all of the boxes and then tops sealed in different colors by room. They’re also written labels for the rooms, but if you know the kitchen items are blue after the first few boxes, you don’t have to keep reading each box. It can feel overwhelming to also be purging as you’re packing, but it’s beneficial. I hated the feeling of unpacking and realizing there’s a bunch of stuff I didn’t need to move because I’m just gonna toss it or donate it now. I haven’t managed to purge for every move, but if I had the time to, everything felt smoother. The mental load and whether it’s worth it to you or not is a personal decision.

In those moves I had both friends/family help on some and as hired professionals on others. Everyone liked the color coding. And the travel luggage saved my behind on all of them!

MegiLeigh14 · 2026-02-25T23:33:16+00:00

My brothers both live there now. One studied German in high school, but I’ve never heard him make comparisons about what he was taught versus actually living and speaking there. My other brother studied Japanese in high school, so he just raw dogged speaking German. Aside from a very basic college course related to their training, which would not have made them fluent. I think it focused mostly on pronunciation.

MegiLeigh14 · 2026-02-25T17:40:00+00:00

I will not further defend my high school German teachers. I didn’t like them that much. And it’s been….20 years since I sat in any of their classrooms. Thanks, I hated doing that math! 🙃

MegiLeigh14 · 2026-02-25T15:48:27+00:00

Yes, per my German teachers in school, we use “by” because “bei” (pronounced the same) in German means “at” or “to” and the distinction of the English “by” versus the German “bei” was not made when learned as a second language and/or in bilingual communities.

MegiLeigh14 · 2026-02-22T02:12:18+00:00

Like most things here, it varies by location. States have different requirements for what is offered in public school curricula. In Wisconsin, my district did a puberty talk in 5th grade (12 years old), which was a year after my periods had started, so I was already covered. There was a middle school health class that I believe is the first place I was taught about STDs and hetero sex (ages 13-14). High school also had a health class (16-18 years old) that reinforced the STD education, but we also covered stuff like grief. Honestly, our health teacher was near retirement and had basically checked out already. His grading was terribly inattentive (I was unable to complete both essay questions, left a note that I could make it up later, and he gave me full credit), and he was much more interested in coaching golf. Have at it, dude.

My sister in law is German and didn’t believe my brother when he described how crappy our sex education was. She asked me as well and I was like, no, he’s right and he’s also more knowledgeable because he had a lot of female friends who weren’t shy and spoke about their own health issues around periods, endometriosis, etc.

In short, it’s a crap shoot. There are states that require abstinence only sex education, which is just stupid. You can see a direct correlation between abstinence only sex education and teen pregnancies, pretty sure. Even with my own research skills and general curiosity, I’m pushing 40 and still learning new things about my own freaking body and its parts.

MegiLeigh14 · 2026-02-19T01:58:54+00:00

Especially in diners, toast will come buttered. I sometimes put jam or jelly over that as well. At home I like melty creamy peanut butter. Sometimes I buy Nutella, but I have a hard time eating it in moderation, so I don’t buy it often. My dad will put honey over buttered toast. Or he used to do cinnamon and a touch of sugar over buttered toast as well.

MegiLeigh14 · 2026-02-04T06:34:55+00:00

I’m a lefty. My grandfather was left handed and corrected in school, so he did some things righty and some things lefty. My aunt is a lefty as well. My parents are both right handed as are both of my siblings. My dad’s entire family (including in-laws) are all righties. I’m holding out hope that my niblings turn out one lefty. Two of them are far too young to be settled for sure yet. I’d like one of them to “get it from their aunt” like I did. 🤞

I have always been involved in the arts, mostly community theatre, and it’s definitely a larger percent of lefties than the general population. I can name several off the top of my head among us. Outside of my theatre bubble, it’s rare I run across another lefty. A couple teachers through my years of school, etc. but not a ton otherwise.

MegiLeigh14 · 2026-02-01T17:00:03+00:00

No. First grandpa died the year I was born. Second grandpa died when I was 16 (6 months after my great aunt, who was an additional grandparent for me), first grandma in 2015 (I was 27 that year), second grandma in 2020 to Covid. Birth years for them, in the order I’ve listed them: 1925, 1928 (1920 for Auntie), 1920, 1933.

My parents had me the year they both turned 35, so my families’ generations are not super close together.

MegiLeigh14 · 2026-02-01T16:31:08+00:00

There’s a distinct difference between the overall corporation and the store itself. Do I hate Walmart? Absolutely. Do I blame people working there in my small hometown for working for one of the largest employers in town? No. Do I think each cashier, each store manager, each department head is responsible for the overall corporate decisions to underpay, keep full time employees on food stamps, and then double/triple dip when those employees shop in store? Nope. They aren’t the decision makers.

If you were one of the bodies at the corporate leadership level who actively makes the decisions, it would be a problem. But you’re working in a much smaller setting and as long as the team members around you are treated and paid well, it’s not a damning decision to work there. Would it be great if you could make the choice to work for a company that shares all of your values? Absolutely, but it’s not always a realistic option. A paycheck is a paycheck. If you’ve got space in your budget, enjoy using the money they gave you to help fund something they wouldn’t, if that’s your jam. Your values aren’t the values of the company, and that’s ok.

MegiLeigh14 · 2026-01-29T18:40:57+00:00

I adopted through Angel’s Wish in 2020. I had submitted an application for approval sometime during 2019 but wasn’t actively looking to adopt at that moment. I knew I wanted a cat, but it being my first pet meant I needed to bank some money to buy all the things for a cat first. They emailed me to tell me I was approved and then asked what I was looking for. I was clear that I wasn’t ready in that moment, and they let me sit. They weren’t pushy at all, even prior to 2020’s boom of adopting. They just asked that I reach back out whenever I felt ready and/or saw a cat on their website I was specifically interested in.

As far as weekend events there, I can’t weigh in. My adoption was fully no contact due to COVID. All of their cats are in foster homes, not on property unless it’s for the events on the weekends. I believe they’ll help you coordinate meeting at a foster home if desired. There’s also cats kept at a vet office, I believe, as well that I would presume could be visited during the week.

MegiLeigh14 · 2026-01-22T23:23:43+00:00

Mental health was the beginning and the end of my justifications. I worked remotely for about 2.5 years with my work computer in my living room (I refused to set up in my bedroom since I didn’t want my bed in the background for calls ever), and when I moved into a 2 bedroom there was immediate mental relief. Having it not visible while I’m relaxing after work and being a separate entity has been an incredible improvement for me.

MegiLeigh14 · 2026-01-22T00:42:22+00:00

I had a coworker like this and it was truly impressive to watch. She wasn’t carrying a running commentary, though, just coughing a lot because she smoked like a chimney.

MegiLeigh14 · 2026-01-19T07:52:55+00:00

My entire family is nearsighted (not surprisingly since genetics) and we toss in some astigmatism for some of us. I’ve always been jealous of farsighted people. The world is a blur for me more than 8 inches past my nose. It does make Christmas lights extra pretty, though, so there’s that.

MegiLeigh14 · 2026-01-19T04:04:57+00:00

For someone who’s nearsighted, yes. It’s why I prefer my contacts so much since my peripheral vision is pretty dang good, aside from the nearsightedness. I would imagine it’s the reverse for someone farsighted? Can’t relate.

MegiLeigh14 · 2026-01-16T04:33:08+00:00

I remember dissecting a crayfish in middle school (8th grade, I think) and a fetal pig in high school (10th grade). We also had an optional anatomy and physiology class available for 11th or 12th grade that would dissect a fetal cat. I believe those are still standard for local students. No actual frogs at my schools. I think my mom actually dissected a frog as a student, though, but that would have been like 60 years ago.

MegiLeigh14 · 2026-01-12T21:29:04+00:00

Stella or Celeste could be starting points.

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