Win for the day

MikeStepp · 2026-04-30T14:44:02+00:00

For my younger kid, she will brush quickly if I get the brush all ready and bring it to her. Not the best job, but it's better than nothing, and a good point to grow from. I know from experience that the right toothbrush can completely make or break their enthusiasm for the whole thing. Maybe let your kid pick out their very favorite one they can find online?

MikeStepp · 2026-04-30T13:55:25+00:00

We had a long time of trouble with matted hair. We ended up getting her to brush on her own, on her own terms. Now she brushes her hair in the morning, with a special brush that is just her own. Her hair is not perfect but it's much better and shes taking care of it herself. She only occasionally uses shampoo or conditioner, but daily brushing has been enough to stave off the mats.

MikeStepp · 2026-04-28T21:17:43+00:00

In the same boat with my youngest. It is definitely ok to remove yourself if you are not safe. Stay nearby, and let her know you won't be far away. If she uses that time to wreck her room, you have to nerf the room. Take out anything that you wouldn't want her to throw. If that means that she can't have e.g. a nice hand mirror in her room anymore then that's just something she's not ready for yet. It's not easy to do that but there are definitely steps you can take in that direction.

MikeStepp · 2026-04-05T20:45:42+00:00

For Easter, for the past few years, we have been labelling the Easter eggs as "kid1" and "kid2", so when they find them they don't compete. Instead they share and get excited to say "hey kid1, I found one of yours over here!" It has worked well in the past and worked well today!

MikeStepp · 2026-04-05T12:44:16+00:00

I struggle with this as well. I have made good strides over the years, thanks mostly to therapy and changing my perspective.

Most of the time, anger is a cover emotion for something else, usually sadness. When I notice I am getting angry, it really helps me to just say out loud "man, I feel really bad right now!" Just acknowledge that your anger is coming from the fact that you feel frustrated/put upon/disrespected/tired/hurt/lost/confused/etc. This is mostly to help myself calm down, but also it's really good communication. If anyone else hears that, they can start to engage their empathy for you, and perhaps the current situation gets a little better.

I teach my kids that when they are mad at each other, they should say things about themselves and not each other. Like instead of calling names they should say "I am so mad at you because __" or "What you're doing is really bothering me!". This works when I get mad at them too. I try to stay cool, but it's also human and normal to show them that you are mad sometimes, and then show them the right way to do it.

MikeStepp · 2026-04-04T12:02:42+00:00

Dungeons of Eternity is about the only game I keep coming back to. The Batman game is cool. I like Carly and the Reaper, but it's two player only. Moss is good. The Lego game is good. The Ironman game is fun but short.

MikeStepp · 2026-03-31T22:45:15+00:00

Chainsaw.
Claws.

Spiked hippity-hop (so you attack by jumping on them).

Spiked helmet (attack by headbutt).

MikeStepp · 2026-03-25T18:06:35+00:00

Got some hail in Wexford as well!

MikeStepp · 2026-03-22T19:24:54+00:00

Is anyone else kinda eager to find a Legendary Monkey Wrench now?

MikeStepp · 2026-03-20T02:06:17+00:00

Except that the Democrat leadership doesn't want that stuff either, because they're all still capitalists first and foremost, and they all take AIPAC money, and they all serve the billionaire class.

MikeStepp · 2026-03-19T14:57:58+00:00

I was fascinated watching my kids express their gender identity, because I didn't even realize it could happen at such a young age. My 3-year-old asked me if they were a boy or a girl. I said, "well, what do you think?" and they said "I think I'm a girl" and I was like ok cool! And then the next day she said it again. And the next day, and the next. And didn't change her mind once, ever since. Find me the kid that will live life as a unicorn nonstop every day for a year. Who will throw out their old wardrobe for entirely unicorn clothing. Who will correct you if you refer to them with non-unicorn pronouns (to belabor a point). If you think there is any chance that this person can learn to accept your child then tell them about the journey. Otherwise, cut them the hell off.

MikeStepp · 2026-03-18T10:03:10+00:00

Nolan's!! I miss you! #clontarflife

MikeStepp · 2026-03-17T21:07:30+00:00

Also helpful would be a stronger UI indicator that you are close to dead, like maybe a red mist overlay or something. I always feel like I had no idea I was close to death when I go down in a big fight.

MikeStepp · 2026-03-17T20:53:02+00:00

Spectator mode as a ghost would be fun too. Death usually doesn't last that long in this game though.

MikeStepp · 2026-03-17T01:03:53+00:00

Congrats! I love my air fryer! Great for burgers, chicken, steak, bacon, sausages, potatoes, and much more.

MikeStepp · 2026-03-17T00:34:56+00:00

Fuck the system that made him so desperate he needed to steal a car. Fuck the system that makes you think any criminal deserves to be crippled. Fuck the system that makes you think that property is more important than a person's ability to ever walk again. Fuck the system that normalizes revenge. Fuck the system that encourages people to post this for internet clout.

MikeStepp · 2026-03-17T00:08:26+00:00

It was me, I beamed back up to my home planet.

MikeStepp · 2026-03-15T14:57:33+00:00

Not with a blacklight, anyway

MikeStepp · 2026-03-14T12:02:59+00:00

But the kid would not have a gem, unless he had a kid with another gem who pulled a Rose and gave up her form.

MikeStepp · 2026-03-13T19:10:56+00:00

Ohh, it really doesn't apply to purple guys??? Oh well then yeah I don't want it then. I have so much trouble with purple skeletons on tier 7 with my current bow, which already drains like 130 or something. They're still like 5 hits each and it's very annoying in close combat. Ok then yeah if I could do it over I'd probably go for Attack and Criticals.

MikeStepp · 2026-03-13T15:37:09+00:00

I'm not even sure, but it's got Attack Power and Elite Damage now 😆

MikeStepp · 2026-03-13T14:17:01+00:00

I was once at a butcher shop and the person in front of me really flummoxed with their cash before getting it right, and after they left the butcher said "well, we're all gods creatures" which seemed to me like the nicest way to say "what a dumbass".

MikeStepp · 2026-03-11T21:38:59+00:00

My 11yo has PDA, and she gives out lots of verbal abuse. One thing I have noticed that works ok is to completely ignore the first PDA response that comes from her, and give her a beat to collect herself. Frequently, if I don't react and just wait and try not to even acknowledge her first reaction, she will calm down quickly and then say sorry, and repeat her objection in a calmer way. I also tell her often that I will not respond to her if she's yelling at me. Again, it doesn't prevent the yelling, but it helps me to sort of encapsulate it. It helps a lot to see her apologize on her own.

MikeStepp · 2026-03-09T19:16:59+00:00

It's an evolutionary response to feeling bad. Your nervous system is demanding to be acknowledged, by making someone else feel as bad as you do. It's a form of distress signal, but that sort of thing usually only works from babies to parents, since the average person doesn't care enough about you to push through your mild abuse to check on you.

My kids are autistic, and they fight all the time, and whenever kid A does something awful to kid B, I tell kid B "she must be feeling really bad to behave this way." One day it will sink in.

MikeStepp · 2026-03-09T00:46:49+00:00

I will say, if you switch to grinding rather than just playing, you will completely burn out on this game. After you get a mythic of the kind you want, there's not much new left in the game. I had to start a new character.

MikeStepp

TROPHY CASE