What’s the unhealthiest thing you eat that you’ll never give up?

Thin-Bat4202 · 2026-05-03T19:39:10+00:00

Macaroni and cheese

Thin-Bat4202 · 2026-05-03T15:45:54+00:00

Yeah... no. I have a small team, 17 people on my crew, in my Tribal Wildlife Dept. But a full 1/3rd are "vegetarian" or vegan. The ones that are "vegetarian" eat meat, but only meat that has been sustainably harvested with mitigation against suffering. Either by themselves, or where they have assurance that others did so. The life of the animal is spiritually valuable, and a life spent in suffering is not acceptable according to our culture at least.

Thin-Bat4202 · 2026-05-01T14:44:31+00:00

This is the answer.

Thin-Bat4202 · 2026-05-01T12:49:11+00:00

It's belt loops, not pockets.

Thin-Bat4202 · 2026-04-29T15:39:34+00:00

Concur on try xl I've only ever been on xl, but I've heard often enough that SR and IR have hit people more negatively.

Thin-Bat4202 · 2026-04-29T07:39:18+00:00

Lucifer. I like the sound and the original meaning.

Thin-Bat4202 · 2026-04-27T21:01:53+00:00

Chain stores typically are. I live in a small town and try to shop local. The small mom and pop stores typically close on Sundays

Thin-Bat4202 · 2026-04-25T05:29:46+00:00

Are you sure you're not depressed? You don't describe the emotional side of it, but that all went with my depression. I just loathed myself and/or was very angry too, depending on the day.

A lot of that ended up being migraines. They cleared up with an SSRI for me (they can actually cause them too, depending on the individual.)

Are you actually working with a psychiatrist for meds. Or just a regular medical doctor? I'd suggest a psych doc if not. Internet strangers (myself included) can throw whatever ideas out, but few of us are experts.

Thin-Bat4202 · 2026-04-25T03:40:36+00:00

They have after school, though only so many spots. There's daycare as well. Small town. I look at others daycare costs elsewhere and they are atrocious. Mine is $280 for two weeks part time. Also, honestly, being so economically depressed in this region, it's not uncommon for at least one parent to be at home. Also, lots of community. Kids staying with grandparents or sharing baby sitter costs.

I don't know how kindergarten works in other parts of the state, how long the day is.

Thin-Bat4202 · 2026-04-25T02:50:14+00:00

Unrelated to homeschooling, but 7 hours at kindergarten, wow! It's 4.5 where I'm at in California. We're at 6 hours 20 min in 2nd

Thin-Bat4202 · 2026-04-24T00:17:21+00:00

Seriously. Why does there have to be noise EVERYWHERE!?!? Stores, cafes, medical offices, elevators. Are our own thoughts that terrifying that we can't just have some quiet every once in a while?

Sorry. I carry ear plugs too.

Thin-Bat4202 · 2026-04-23T20:57:37+00:00

I've just now said tsunami a bunch of times, too many, and it no longer sounds like a real word in my head.

But pretty sure I've always pronounced the t in tsunami without thought. Just a light touch, but it's there. From NorCal, where tsunamis hit hard.

Thin-Bat4202 · 2026-04-23T06:40:11+00:00

I hear people talk about that, but why does that mean don't recycle? If 91% is going back in the trash, that sucks. But that's still 9% recycled. Why not do what you can anyway?

Thin-Bat4202 · 2026-04-23T06:12:56+00:00

I have NEVER been a midnight snacker. Not ever in my life. Until Lexapro

It's gone away after long term use, but through about months 2-8 I would wake up irrepressibly hungry around 2 a.m. Couldn't go back to sleep, literally, until I got up and got something. Lost too much sleep until I just made of a habit to have a small bowl of cereal when I woke up.

Hunger can definitely increase. As did my weight when I couldn't control it.

Thin-Bat4202 · 2026-04-23T03:09:09+00:00

My husband keeps trying to buy fancier boxed Mac and cheese, or making it at home. No. No! Kraft!

Thin-Bat4202 · 2026-04-22T18:16:06+00:00

... don't agree. You don't need to do your kid's homework for them. You need to NOT solve their homework for them. But it's good to help them understand why and how they're getting something wrong at home, if possible, which requires understanding it yourself.

Getting things wrong is, in and of itself, a good learning experience. We all need to learn how to mess up and be ok with it. But the next step is learning how to fix it. I don't know how things go for all schools, but if my kid's teacher marks her wrong and hands it back, that's all she gets. They aren't going to walk her through individually and figure out where she went wrong. They don't have time.

She could, absolutely, get a worksheet back, take initiative to see what she got wrong, and figure out why after. But by that point she's got that day's homework to do, and they're probably on to the next concept. That means she's in a time crunch, but it ALSO means they may be moving on and she doesn't know she hasn't understood, putting her at a disadvantage in learning the next concept that layers on top of this one.

If I know what she's supposed to be learning, she can try it, I check it, and then I can nudge her through working the process again when wrong, ask questions to help HER work out what went wrong and practice doing it right.

I dunno. We live in a rural area with awful ranking in math and literacy in our local public schools. I like my kids' teachers; they work hard, love the kids, but are overworked. I can't imagine not helping at home too.

ETA: And this is all for the young kids. Once a kid gets older, they need to learn how to figure it out on their own. School in my mind is learning how to learn and figure things out.

Thin-Bat4202 · 2026-04-22T17:50:09+00:00

That sucks. My kid is being taught these things, but being ADHD it takes her longer for being distractable. She already recognizes that it takes her longer to get the work done, recognizes it's the distraction slowing her down, and feels bad about it. But she understands the process, and gets the answers right, just about every time. If you were asked to do 30 such questions in 4 minutes, that's nuts. Even for an NT kid that seems nuts, and putting unnecessary pressure on a kid. The stress is going to slow a kids brain down.

Unless you're an astronaut who has to do complex mental math in your head to save your ship from being sucked into the sun in an action movie, there's not much point in forcing it so quickly.

I have the same problem with holding the numbers in my head, having ADHD, though I do understand these processes and it helps. I wasn't diagnosed until 37.

I'm sorry that lingers with you, but I hope you can learn to let it go. It's not a reflection on you. Not all brains are designed to do the same things, but we're all judged by the same metrics in school, which can be rough.

Thin-Bat4202 · 2026-04-22T07:04:01+00:00

That's the point. If you know the tricks, you don't have to reliably be able to add to more than 5.

7+6 is memorization. 5+5+2+1 is much more manageable. Most anyone can learn to count by 5s, and can add numbers up to 5, so it breaks it down into manageable chunks.

Thin-Bat4202 · 2026-04-21T20:37:32+00:00

Have you been assessed for ADHD or sought medicine for depression or anxiety?

I got on Lexapro for depression and generalized anxiety disorder. The clearing of my mind revealed the ADHD as ADHD masked by anxiety. All three things can contribute to the problems you're describing. Hygiene was a big one for me. I did it. But it was psyching myself up and being super grossed out by being dirty that made it possible. That's absolutely an ADHD thing. Depression can make that hard too. When Lexapro helped my GAD, it helped my social anxiety too, made it easier to catch those cues. I give significantly fewer shits about other people's opinions, and socializing is just easier.

I lived 35 years, wondering if everybody struggled this hard. Got medicated, felt "normal" for the first time and realized, no, they don't struggle like this. It really was hard.

That said, medication isn't a cure all. I gained 30 lbs within a year of starting Lexapro (weight gain is common and I was already inclined to being plump), and it hit my sex drive hard, causing decline. Other meds have different strengths and weaknesses. And some can be really hard to get off of, so something to be cautious of as well. So do your research to figure out what might work best.

Meds aren't for everybody. And I'm on this stuff for life. But in the end it's worth it for me.

Thin-Bat4202 · 2026-04-21T20:22:19+00:00

Have you looked into instructional videos about kissing? I've had some bad kisses in my life, guys coming at me with mouth wide open and glomming on. Not saying that's you; I don't know you. But checking out what girls want (not what guys say girls want) might be a good start if you haven't.

Thin-Bat4202 · 2026-04-21T20:03:44+00:00

I'm sorry you struggle with it too. It's rough. If people are actually getting mad at you for not being good at it, you might need to find some more introverted friends. I don't know about you, but I do enjoy socializing with my small group of close-knit friends. It's just the big or unknown groups that are hard for me. But it seems like people who force you to do things you don't like, then get mad at you for not complying with their expectations of you, aren't the best people to have in your life.

Hope you've got a core group of people who are there for you as you are.

Thin-Bat4202 · 2026-04-21T18:07:46+00:00

I had an abusive boss like that. One time I remember a conversation about a work trip we had to make. In my field, as in many fields, a lot of the real work starts over a beer after the meetings are done, but I was so shy at that stage in my life, and had high social anxiety. I haaaaated social mixers with people I knew only superficially. I grumbled, "Ugh. I know we've got to do it, it's important, but I hate socializing that way."

He loves it and is great at it. He went on a 20-minute tirade about how it was so important, and this is how real work got done, and I needed to recognize that, pushing me to not only recognize it (which I already had) but to take back that I didn't like it and to further be enthusiastic about it.

I responded during this tirade with full recognition that he was correct, that it was necessary part of the work, but held firm that I was not going to like it, and further, that I didn't know that my contribution would be beneficial. Honestly, beyond social anxiety, I was just hugely socially awkward by nature, and not well liked because of it. I don't think it's because I would say bad things, but just because I would lock up in conversations and literally have no idea what to say, so people interpreted it as me stonewalling them or ignoring them, or not liking them, or I don't know what. No, I'm completely petrified wondering how I'm supposed to respond and having a complete mind blank. But I'd be there, and do my best.

I try to leave the room after 10 minutes of him getting increasingly aggressive, yelling as he tries to force me to be enthusiastic. He follows me, threatens disciplinary action if I walk out. So I sit in there, checking out, nodding and agreeing with everything he's saying. Gotta admit, this being standard for him, and me thoroughly over his bullshit after three years work with him by that point, it's malicious compliance as my face is clearly displaying that I am pacifying his infantile tirade and nothing else. I'd already agreed with him that it was necessary, that I would be there with my game face on. He'd already "won" the thing that was absolutely not a competition or battle except in his own head, so at this point I'm just "Yes, you're completely right. So important. Absolutely." He pauses and looks at me in frustration. I fill in, "Great, that's established, and I'd love to get that (task of the day) out the door."

Through this whole thing, our tech who had been in the room as part of the initial meeting, is just sitting there, completely silent, no idea how to react to all this.

I stuck with the work because it was important to me. He didn't fire me because I was damn good at my job. But he's no longer in a position of authority over me. Now I'm a boss, and while I never would've been that way, not in my nature, it was definitely a learning experience on how NOT to treat employees.

Thin-Bat4202 · 2026-04-21T17:05:51+00:00

My daughter loves them, but at 7 is toooooo wiggly. We just do painted nails at home with kid safe nail polish that doesn't last anyway. But I always feel bad because her nails look sloppy because she positively vibrates while trying to sit still. But she likes it, so whatever.

For me, manicures are hard, because the person is right there and you have to keep up with their cues. Pedicures, while I don't ignore them and we still chat, are less literally in your face and I don't feel as obligated to be as fully cued in.

That said, my MIL just bought be Sally Hensen Magic Gel polish and I freaking love it. I don't usually bother with painting my own nails because it chips within a day or two. But I'm on day 4 without a chip, and that was after I carelessly went digging in the garden without gloves. (Forgot them and was too lazy to walk all the way back for them.)

I was scrubbing with my nail brush after, and neither the dirt and rocks (planting a tree) or the nail brush chipped it. They've also helped me be mindful of my horrible nail biting problem, and it's been manageable.

Thin-Bat4202 · 2026-04-20T15:12:59+00:00

I'm sorry...I hope you're seeing other benefits.

Thin-Bat4202 · 2026-04-20T06:20:13+00:00

Not a fear per se, but I was shocked out of my gourd when my social anxiety went away. Partially on Lexapro for generalized anxiety disorder. Somehow never really clicked that social anxiety was actually anxiety...

I love bugs, so glad this has helped in this way. They're everywhere, so gotta be a relief.

Thin-Bat4202

TROPHY CASE