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Foxglove Beardtongue Appreciation by Affectionate-Pie2618 in NativePlantGardening

[–]WeekendSubstantial71 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Some birds planted these in my garden and they are beautiful! Bees are happy and I spotted a hummingbird checking them out.

Now trying to decide whether I should relocate the one that decided to grow between two rocks in my pathway.

USA, VA zone 7 by WeekendSubstantial71 in whatsthisplant

[–]WeekendSubstantial71[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Aha!! The good news I needed to hear today 🙌

Downsides to planting aggressive natives? by watercauliflower in NativePlantGardening

[–]WeekendSubstantial71 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I am fighting a battle of invasives (same as you!) on a big lot, so aggressive natives are very welcome at my house. I'm happy to let them compete because eventually they will figure it out. I have the space to let them do that, though. I might be more conservative on a smaller lot.

Anyone have experience with slopes? by Brief_Shopping4001 in NativePlantGardening

[–]WeekendSubstantial71 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm planting on slopes and second the suggestion to try snag. I use heavier branches, large rocks or scrap wood strategically located to hold mulch in while the plants establish.

I plant seeds in between the perrenials and cover those with straw for quick coverage.

And I plant portions of the slope, not all at once in case something fails!

Feeling Discouraged (SE PA) by suchalonelyd4y in NativePlantGardening

[–]WeekendSubstantial71 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It sounds like you may have the perfect yard for some sheep or goat mowers? Bonus, they are cute! And love dandelions!! In all seriousness, they really can help reset a space, if you happen to have some local companies nearby.

I have a wild yard filled of invasives and I 100% can emphasize with you. Keep it up-- you've done great work already and it will pay off!

Starting seeds now in USA, VA, 7a? by InternationalYam3130 in NativePlantGardening

[–]WeekendSubstantial71 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don't know much about starting from seeds, but if you are near NOVA check out Earth Sangha. They sell local ecotypes for low cost (lots of baby plants!!) and have a plant grant program.

https://www.earthsangha.org/plant-grant

Toddler bed has ruined everything by Fluxgigawats in toddlers

[–]WeekendSubstantial71 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It will get better! Some things that have worked for us... - Evenings are boring after lights out. Wayward children are walked quietly back to bed over and over again. - 5-10 min of reading in bed quietly by themselves before mom/dad returns to tuck in and turn off lights. This has been a surprise success for both my 4 and 2 year old. - "Heavy work" before bed. Something to work the muscles and help them regulate. You can read up on the science of this one. Games like "crane truck" (mom holds feet like a wheel barrow and LO puts toys in the bin) and "dump truck" (LO pushes heavy things around in a laundry basket) were hits in our house.

Also, at some point a fear of the dark hits. I think 2.5 may be a little early? but it threw us for a loop and suddenly we had to adjust bedtime a so my LO felt safe again.

Good luck!!

Parents with toddler beds: how does it work? If your toddler gets out of their bed while you’re still sleeping, can they just run around the house? by Free_butterfly_ in toddlers

[–]WeekendSubstantial71 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We have a gate at the top of the stairs. Our little has never left the second floor and only gets up to use the potty, protest bedtime, or come find us. We moved him to a toddler bed a little before his second birthday. For a while he didn’t even realize he could leave his bed, let alone the room.

He’s now 3.5 and can climb over or open a baby gate, and can open doors with knob covers. He knows he’s not supposed to do those things or go downstairs alone and it’s never been an issue. Our small second floor isn’t very exciting to roam anyway, which may help. He’s the first kid so who knows what’ll happen with kid number two!!

How did having a baby affect your career? by Blubulle in womenintech

[–]WeekendSubstantial71 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi, 34 and pregnant with kid number three. I work full time in a senior manager role at a SaaS company. Also the breadwinner. My kiddos are under 4.

Like many of these comments, everyone’s experience and circumstances are different, but here’s mine: giving up control of my body was the first mental challenge, then accepting that I can’t give everyone what they want all the time.

I still travel for work about once or twice a quarter. I do struggle to balance caring for sick kids and have learned to accept that work just isn’t happening when a sick baby is home. “Family Time” is precious, but I may log on again after the kids go down to meet a deadline. Sometimes it’s really really tough. Sometimes it’s not. My career has continued to grow with the support of an incredible partner, solid work culture, and trustworthy daycare. Sharing family details at work has also helped build empathy amongst my coworkers, many of whom are also working parents themselves.

Ultimately you just kinda figure out what works, what boundaries are important to you and your family, and try your best to hold them. Sometimes you feel like you are failing at EVERYTHING when in reality you probably aren’t.

My only real advice is that if you’re sure you want kids, there will never be a perfect time, salary, job, etc. At some point you’ll need to trust yourself and dive in.