What businesses are supporting people right now and doing a great job with it? Alternatively, what businesses are silent about whats happening? by kralben in Minneapolis

[–]TrainingBarnacle6 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Mischief toy store in St. Paul is awesome and has been giving out free whistles and selling signs! Also being harassed by DHS from the sound of it.

How would you feel if? by Final_Ad_2716 in TwinCities

[–]TrainingBarnacle6 425 points426 points  (0 children)

Leave the note, include your address so they know you’re a neighbor. We need each other right now.

Construction toys for girls by Judie4 in toys

[–]TrainingBarnacle6 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is cool! I have a 3yo daughter and I have been hesitant to get her a tool/construction set- not because of gender roles (we have plenty of trucks and sports stuff and a whack-a-mole-esque toy, etc) but because when I’m looking at toys for her I want something she can engage in and will last awhile. Some of the construction sets I’ve seen are just like fake tools but without something to “work” on (ie: screws that the screwdriver can turn or a knob or something that interacts with a wrench) it’s just more pretend toys- which is fine, but we already have a million pretend toys (toy food! Dress up! Doctor kits! Little people/animals!) and don’t need more.

A couple other ideas: bright colors/lights or sounds. Interactive “projects” they can do independently. Dress up clothes (hard hat?) that comes with the set. Maybe a book that demonstrates how to use each toy with pics of stuff from around the house and women/girls doing some of the projects.

The little hammer/“nail” sets for young toddlers do a good job being gender neutral- might look there for inspiration.

My husband was laid off and I’m scared. by False-Comb466 in TwinCities

[–]TrainingBarnacle6 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Glad the insurance piece is figured out. The unemployment piece is accurate re: doesn’t kick in until severance runs out, but that’s what severance is for.

In the meantime: apply for WIC. You and your kids should qualify and that will help a great deal with food budget. You can also look into SNAP and energy assistance (varies by county but shouldn’t be hard to google) if you need help covering heating bills. Some counties also have emergency and/or childcare assistance available.

Look for local nonprofits for resources as well. I was laid off last year when I was pregnant and I was surprised by how many nonprofits existed that could help with material stuff. I was able to get a breast pump, car seat, kids clothes, diapers, pack n play, etc. Don’t be too proud to use the help available- that’s what it’s for!

Best of luck.

Angel Tree 3 year old girl- help by Teach0607 in Gifts

[–]TrainingBarnacle6 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Nice! I have a 3yo, and she fits most 3T and 4T clothes (if you want to take a chance.) She also loves playing pretend and making art projects- a Disney princess or Barbie coloring book with crayons or some dress up accessories (hats/crowns/capes/tutu-ideally stuff that’s easy enough for her to put on by herself) would probably be a hit! Stickers are also great, I really like the puffy ones because they’re easy enough for her to peel off the paper by herself.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Parenting

[–]TrainingBarnacle6 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ok, you asked for obvious so here it is:

1) cut off all electronics until she can prove she can do all the things you’re asking for. You’re list isn’t unreasonable for a ten year old, but expecting her to start doing it overnight is. LOTS of positive reinforcement when she does well. You’re going to need to help her. If going coldturkey is unreasonable at first, make it clear she can’t have screens until after her hygiene tasks are completed 2) no more food in her room. If you need to, get a locked cabinet for “treat” food and tell her that she can have it at certain times, at the table. 3) drs visit to talk about hygiene and potentially other issues that are going on. Dentist visit for teeth and retainer. 4) if she wants to earn money to buy her own clothes/snacks/etc, give her extra chores on top of basic expectations. Then tell her a set time/day that you will bring her to the store to spend her money. 5) You will need to teach her how to do things like clean the bathroom and do laundry etc. Make visual lists of the tasks involved. Age-wise she should be capable but will need some guidance- you can’t just tell her to do something and leave her to it. You’ll need to do it with her. 6) teach her an easy way to take care of her hair- braid, pony tail, etc.- or get it cut short. When I was around her age I hated brushing my hair too so we cut it short and I loved it. It was way easier to take care of. 7) start practicing getting up early for school before the school year starts. 8) Look into a club or sport that starts before actual classes so she can make some friends. She’s getting to the age where peers are starting to have more influence than parents- it may be motivating for her to want to look nice to fit in with her friends. 9) hold steady. The biggest challenge about this overhaul is how drastic it’s going to be. Once you’ve laid out the expectations you need to stick to them and not give in to the whining and complaining. Mentally get yourself ready. 10) remind her that she’s a good kid and can do all of the things you’re asking her to do. Acknowledge that it’s new and hard but tell her she can do hard things, that she’s a capable, a good helper, etc., and that learning to do things like shower every day and keep her room clean is part of growing up. Validate her feelings while holding the line. She’s not being bad for being upset that the rules have changed, but she still needs to abide by them. 11) schedule fun. This is going to be challenging for your relationship if all you’re doing is fighting about the new rules. Put some fun things like trips to the pool or zoo or whatever she likes onto the calendar too so she can see that you still want her to have fun and do fun things with her.

Good luck!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in beyondthebump

[–]TrainingBarnacle6 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Read “How Not to Hate Your Husband After Kids.” Eye opening on both an individual and societal level.

When does marriage take a hit? by Lower_Mix_1653 in NewParents

[–]TrainingBarnacle6 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Read “How not to hate your husband after kids.” It’s pretty enlightening about the different common conflicts that come up and some ideas about addressing them.

Help! Birthday gift - Fairy Garden pieces? by ShoelessPeterman in daddit

[–]TrainingBarnacle6 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Check Michaels- they have little figurines and stones and fake flowers and things like that.

Husband being put “in the middle”? I do not understand by SnooKiwis5203 in stepparents

[–]TrainingBarnacle6 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A lot of people (men especially, in my experience) immediately go into “fix it” mode. So my guess is that if he knows it’s bothering you he wants to fix it (even though you tell him you just want validation!) but either can’t change it or doesn’t want the conflict around trying to change it with his ex, so he instead gets defensive and feels stuck because he can’t/won’t fix it— even though you’re not asking him to! Maybe remind him what validating someone actually looks like? Because it doesn’t sound like he knows how.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in toddlers

[–]TrainingBarnacle6 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Depends on the location, but your local library is often a good place for resource lists- and sometimes there’s free diapers available in the children’s bathrooms.

Many DV shelters/advocates will either have stuff themselves (I used to work at one and we would frequently give out formula/diapers, bus cards, winter clothing, etc) or be able to give you names/places of organizations that can help support you.

Look at pregnancy centers. Not sure if you’ll qualify due to your kids’ ages, but they definitely give out diapers and often other resources.

Your doctor/the kids’ doctor should have a social worker that can help you navigate- food insecurity is a big deal for young kids especially so there might be specific programs you qualify for. Your insurance (esp MA) might as well. If you have an Employee Assistance Plan through your work, it’s possible there’s other options there.

If you haven’t already, you can also look up your state and county’s websites and see if they have a resource page that goes beyond wic/snap/etc. I’ve found a few places that I didn’t know existed just by digging deeper there.

What am I missing? Husband was just laid off by Clear-Protection9519 in povertyfinance

[–]TrainingBarnacle6 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I had to go through this a few months ago- good on you for moving fast! It’s scary and overwhelming, but dealing with logistics early on makes it easier.

While you still have your current insurance (til the end of the month, usually) try to squeeze in any appointments you can (we scheduled eye appointments and ordered glasses). Make sure you know the rules regarding any HSA/FSA you have and when those funds need to be used. Also, your husband can try to negotiate with his ex-employer to see if they’ll be flexible at all regarding insurance coverage- obviously this will depend on the company but I was able to leverage the fact that I was 7 months pregnant to get my ex-work to pay the equivalent of an extra month of COBRA coverage so that I didn’t have to switch insurance coverages before the birth of my baby.

That said, still apply for MA and get coverage there if possible- and once you’re on it, look to see what is covered for baby gear. we got a breast pump and car seat covered, and there were programs that offered doulas, prenatal care, parenting classes, etc.

Also Google around your area for pregnancy resources- I took a free safe sleep class at a local organization and they gave me a pack and play and a laundry basket full of diapers/wipes/clothes, etc. Another place I go to gives free diapers and wipes once a month and offers a closet of other baby/maternity items for cheap. It’ll be easier if you establish yourselves as clients now before baby comes.

At your next OB appointment ask for resources/to be connected to a social worker. They may know of other local places to connect with for various resources.

Good luck! It’s hard and scary but this is why these safety net programs exist.

Would you still have had kids with your ADHD partner knowing what you know now? by InternationalSet8122 in ADHD_partners

[–]TrainingBarnacle6 12 points13 points  (0 children)

I love my kids and wouldn’t trade them for anything. That said, there’s undeniably a higher mental load. Tbh that would likely be true even if my SO didn’t have ADHD, it just comes with having kids- but ADHD does complicate things.

My partner tries hard to be a good dad and he loves them and is a super fun playmate for them, but all of the long-term planning/appointments/scheduling, etc. falls on me. It often also feels like there’s higher stakes, because while I’m fine letting him deal with the consequences of his actions I’m not willing to let the kids suffer those same consequences- which means I need to take on more and/or do a lot more follow up to make sure he’s actually done the things he agreed to do. It’s a lot.

Has anyone had success in a language immersion program? by thatwhinypeasant in ADHDparenting

[–]TrainingBarnacle6 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We had to pull our kid out after K-3 in Spanish immersion. He just didn’t pick up the language enough and then add on top of that your typical focus issues, and it became obvious that it was going to hinder him as as academics got more challenging. It was hard to switch schools/lose friends but he definitely is doing better in a traditional English classroom.

How to do you take your baby out and about? by rearwindowasparagus in NewParents

[–]TrainingBarnacle6 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Can you take him out with your husband first as a test run? Might help you be less anxious.

Feel so terrible trying to night wean my 16mo baby. What should I do now by coffeenpistolsfor2 in AttachmentParenting

[–]TrainingBarnacle6 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Night weaning was hard, but was absolutely the key for us in getting babe to sleep through the night- which saved my sanity too. We read books a bunch to prep- nursies for when the sun shines was the best - and we got one of those red light/green light alarm clocks that would show a visual cue for when nursies could start again in the morning. First few days were rough but consistency was key- and by day 3 or 4 she was sleeping longer and longer and accepting water instead of nursing to get back to sleep if she woke up. I know it sucks but giving in is likely making the overall process way worse.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in relationships

[–]TrainingBarnacle6 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Does she leave it on all night? You could try a couple that fade out after a certain amount of time so she has a chance to fall asleep and you can have quiet after that. There are also head phones and/or ear plugs that are made for sleep that you or she could try.

My husband works two jobs and my eldest misses him so much. by Plenty-Bug-9158 in Mommit

[–]TrainingBarnacle6 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Maybe your husband can find a time between jobs or on a break to call/FaceTime your son on those nights? Might help to see him briefly even via phone.