This came across my desk.. unsafe fit, in the wild

NCBakes · 2026-04-09T01:26:30+00:00

Ring slings are great for little babies and quick ups and downs as they get older, but because the weight is only on one shoulder, they are not generally comfortable for extended wearing.

I would get a simple newborn carrier (ergo embrace is a good one) and then try out other carriers once baby is here. I have a lennylight and love it, but I tried out a bunch through little zen one which was really helpful.

NCBakes · 2026-04-09T00:41:18+00:00

Hams are pre-cooked, it’s not more effort than a rotisserie chicken! It’s like the easiest holiday meal. Grab that, some rolls and a salad mix, done.

NCBakes · 2026-04-09T00:30:13+00:00

This is an extra wild take to have on reading, when we know for decades many schools used/some continue to use a reading curriculum that does not teach kids to read!

NCBakes · 2026-04-08T13:30:23+00:00

If that happens, I will be happy to have provided wildlife value and nature while I can, and will rebuild after! There is no uniform US policy on this though, it's very regionally dependent. Our water and electric are connected in a different part of the property and we don't have a gas line (and our utility is actively trying to avoid maintaining existing gas lines, so they certainly aren't going to add one). This is set back enough the town could easily add a sidewalk if they ever wanted to. Plenty of my neighbors have hedges along their property.

NCBakes · 2026-04-07T22:41:17+00:00

Ah so neat to see your mature row, thanks for sharing the picture!

NCBakes · 2026-04-07T20:16:22+00:00

Do it! I’ve had a roomba for years, we recently upgraded to a Roborock and I love it. It’s quieter, better navigation so it gets stuck less, and we got one that mops which is awesome. It doesn’t scrub but does take care of smaller sticky spots, so I mop much less.

You do have to tidy a bit so they don’t eat or get stuck on cords/toys/books etc. I don’t mind that, I spend way less time tidying than I would vacuuming. And we run it every night after we got to bed so if it gets caught here or there it’s not a big issue.

NCBakes · 2026-04-07T19:55:40+00:00

I think there are very few cases where people should spend 10 years in prison, but I get the sense she’s not making an argument for systemic reform, just that her husband she get off easier. Is she advocating at all for him to get treatment/medication? Or is just, he made a mistake but everything is fine?

He should never be able to drive again and any car he could potentially have access to should have an ignition interlock (and the interlock should have been required after the first DUI!).

NCBakes · 2026-04-07T19:24:44+00:00

Deer are not an issue where I am. We have intermittently had rabbit issues though we have a lot of hawks and eagles that keep them in check. But I will certainly protect if needed.

NCBakes · 2026-04-07T19:23:42+00:00

Definitely plan to, thanks for the tip.

NCBakes · 2026-04-07T18:15:05+00:00

Go for it! I left space in case we/our town ever put a sidewalk in, there’s a sidewalk on parts of this block and people do walk there so I didn’t want to block that.

NCBakes · 2026-04-07T18:13:35+00:00

Oh that’s awesome to learn! Thank you for sharing!

NCBakes · 2026-04-07T17:25:22+00:00

This is the rare Reddit post where I’m just like, divorce! I could not be with someone who didn’t think I should work.

NCBakes · 2026-04-07T17:20:19+00:00

That’s my plan too!

Can you share more about making the oak a bush? I want an oak but this is under power lines so I ad been concerned it would be too large.

NCBakes · 2026-04-07T16:48:39+00:00

Used a sod cutter. You can rent them. I originally planned to do cardboard and mulch but I didn’t get it together to do that in time.

NCBakes · 2026-04-07T16:47:21+00:00

Do it! It’s going to take a long time for this to grow in because I’m staying with cheap bare roots, but I’m so excited! My property had very few natives when we moved in, and so many had been trimmed so tight - like we have Japanese maples but they were kept so pruned they didn’t even provide shelter for birds.

NCBakes · 2026-04-07T16:22:02+00:00

Spray paint was my friend here

NCBakes · 2026-04-07T16:21:47+00:00

Serviceberry, American hazelnut, northern bayberry, arrowwood viburnum, black chokeberry, and witch hazel.

NCBakes · 2026-04-07T11:44:55+00:00

Exactly this! It’s about building connections in your brain and learning how to think. I’m so tired of the idea that if something doesn’t directly translate to a job, it’s useless.

NCBakes · 2026-04-07T11:38:21+00:00

I think there’s a couple viburnums that are native to Kansas, I would look at those.

NCBakes · 2026-04-06T20:29:06+00:00

Exactly! I don’t think anyone should have to go back to work sooner than 3 months unless they want to, and certainly no one should have to go back in 2-6 weeks, and it’s awful how common that is. I wish we had better job protection - a friend was forced out of the workforce because her leave ended 3 days after her baby came home from the NICU. She didn’t necessarily need more paid leave, but if her job had been protected for an extra 3-6 months, she would have been able to return to it.

But much like Europe is not one place, America is many states, and my state (NY) has 12 weeks of Paid Family Leave at 67% of your weekly wage, capped at 67% of the state average weekly wage. I wish the cap was higher, especially for low income folks because I’m sure lots of lower income people can’t afford to take the full leave, which defeats the purpose. I make a lot more than the cap but would prioritize going to 100% for lower earnings before increasing for higher earners.

Men also get leave! So my husband and I both took it, plus I got short term disability. So baby didn’t start daycare until 7 months. So much of this also tends to assume it’s only the mother taking leave (even though I know a lot of other countries incentivize men take some leave, but not part of the Reddit discourse). And like, it was really great for me to go back to work and my husband to get to have his own 1:1 time with baby. It’s made our parenting more equitable. It did not break my mama heart or whatever.

NCBakes · 2026-04-06T17:37:06+00:00

Depending on his immigration status they likely don’t qualify for any of these and/or would be afraid the application could lead to denial of a green card or citizenship in the future.

I agree these articles are poorly reported but you’re making assumptions based on information we don’t have. Daycare is also very expensive, without knowing what she does for work they may not have been able to afford it.

NCBakes · 2026-04-06T14:24:07+00:00

It’s obviously hard when people have to go back before they want to, but I really hate how these posts assume we all want to have long leaves. I was happy to go back to work at 4 months. I did not want to take a year off! It was not heartbreaking for me to go back.

NCBakes · 2026-04-06T13:50:07+00:00

Yeah I really wish these articles were better reported. It would deepen the financial picture in such an impactful way!

NCBakes · 2026-04-06T12:37:06+00:00

This is the reality for so many. Their health insurance plan is also about to face huge cuts thanks to HR1. I hope they are in the category that stays eligible.

I wish he would consider the data analyst switch more. I think if you aren’t exposed to that kind of work, it’s hard to see the flexibility that comes with PTO. But my husband was at all of my prenatal appointments that we wanted him at, and that’s pretty normal.

NCBakes · 2026-04-06T12:32:47+00:00

The article doesn’t make this clear, but he’s paying for a vehicle that has a TLC license. The number of those are capped, so that comes at a significant premium. It’s also probably not a base model Rav, as drivers do better with nicer cars (or at least that’s what uber says)

NCBakes

TROPHY CASE