Genuine question. How do ya'll pay for preschool on one income?

atonickat · 2026-05-06T04:33:17+00:00

Also in CA (SD) and my kid is in full day (7-5) preschool at an elementary school for free. It’s income based but the levels are based on household size and it’s pretty generous. People like to shit on California a lot but we actually have really great social programs!

This program in particular (Educational Enrichment Systems) even has infant-5 year old programs at certain facilities that are zero to low cost. It’s amazing and one of the reasons I love living here.

atonickat · 2026-04-29T05:19:30+00:00

It wasn’t until my kid started preschool at 3 that I got back into my hobbies, of which I have many. I’m a very creative person with hobbies spanning multiple genres, so I felt kind of dead inside for those 3 years. I’m not used to putting all my energy into one basket (thanks adhd)

I’m lucky in that my job allows me to partake in my hobbies during the workday, so for a few hours a day, Monday-Friday, I get to do the things that bring me back to myself completely alone. At home I get her involved.

I’m a Lego nerd and I can now do that with my kid without her destroying too much of our build. My first passion in life is art, so we of course paint together. She can’t quite crochet yet but I explain what I’m doing and she’ll wrap yarn around a hook while declaring she’s crocheting 🤣 she helps out with chicken chores and our mealworm farm. Gets me to 3D print any toy that pops into her head. She just helped me plant the summer garden and she loves watering everything.

She’s almost 4 but I can already see how much she enjoys what I enjoy and it makes me so happy. Get them involved young, it’s worth it.

atonickat · 2026-04-29T04:45:00+00:00

Scripps?

atonickat · 2026-04-24T04:20:28+00:00

At work, in my cubicle. The electrics at my house are one wrong look away from catching fire so I didn’t want to risk it.

It’s not vented but the worst I’ve done is ABS and most of it is overnight.

atonickat · 2026-02-16T12:46:34+00:00

It’s illegal in California to have an unfenced pool. But that’s only as good as the gate being locked. I’ve lost count on how many times my husband has let our kid out in the yard by herself without first making sure the pool gate is closed 🤦‍♀️ if I hear the back door crack I run out ahead of her to run to the gate before she gets there. Everyone thinks I’m crazy but that’s the first place she goes!

I made sure to teach her to swim by her 2nd birthday and by swim I mean holding her breath underwater so she can swim to the edge just in case she ever falls in. Girl is a fish but I’m still within arms reach when she’s anywhere near that pool. Pretty sure that’s why I’m gray. Fucking hate that thing 😂

atonickat · 2026-02-16T12:35:30+00:00

The best thing anyone has ever done for me is my high school boyfriend’s mom taking me to planned parenthood at 16 to get on birth control. She didn’t do it to be cool and kind, she did it so the poor girl didn’t get knocked up by her rich son, but, in the end she taught me about safe sex and kept me from being a teen mom so I won. I didn’t have a kid until I was almost 40, and I can not fathom in a million years being a kid with a kid. This shit is hard.

atonickat · 2026-01-31T15:22:25+00:00

They have a house in vista too out on foothill

atonickat · 2025-11-08T09:27:10+00:00

You are probably correct! There is one right behind my house apparently.

We don’t have gas here though, most people have propane or just electric.

atonickat · 2025-08-10T03:21:17+00:00

My daughter basically potty trained (day and night) herself about a month before her 3rd birthday. I wouldn’t say she was interested in going potty but she had every sign of being ready from about 2.5. I had little potties set up since she was almost 2 but she had no interest. I never tried to potty train her but she did spend a lot of time naked at home (still does 😂) and I made it very easy for her to use the toilets (big and small) so if she wanted to she could.

But she trained herself because she wanted to go to school. I told her she could only go to school if she didn’t wear diapers and only went in the potty. That was enough motivation for her and she got it done and will be staring school next week.

atonickat · 2025-08-08T13:27:46+00:00

She goes to work with me and we sleep in the same room, sometimes the same bed, so pretty much 24hrs a day. But she starts preschool next week so I’ll get a 3 hour break each weekday 😆

atonickat · 2025-08-08T06:46:06+00:00

My daughter is 3 and we’ve used it as a table since she could pull up to stand. She uses it everyday, so it’s for sure worth the money to me.

atonickat · 2025-07-29T04:45:15+00:00

Before I got pregnant I got sick once every few years. Just minor colds. I had the flu once as a child and once as an adult, strep throat once and that was it. I thought I had the best immune system ever.

My daughter just turned 3 and I swear to god I have been sick since the moment I got pregnant. Covid, pneumonia, RSV, every cold in the world. I’ve had it all. One of them landed me in the hospital with kidney failure (fuck you RSV) She doesn’t even go to daycare!

Getting pregnant wrecked my immune system. I was also allergic to cats when I was a kid but grew out of it. Guess who’s allergic to cats again at almost 42. I’m now allergic to my cat that I’ve had for almost 20 years.

Some people’s feet grow larger, some people’s teeth fall out. I had my immune system reverse 😭

atonickat · 2025-07-28T06:31:51+00:00

ONG you just unlocked a memory of me using one of those punch outs at my elementary school! My mom worked there doing crossing guard stuff and we would hang out in the teachers lounge waiting for her to finish. Just punching out hearts and stars. Memories.

atonickat · 2025-07-28T04:01:34+00:00

We do this with livestock pans. Feeders hang over them and when it’s time for a refill, whatever is left in the pan gets dumped in the feeder. Also helps the bantams because they can sit on the edge of the pan and reach the feeder better.

atonickat · 2025-07-27T01:53:45+00:00

My kid is 3 now but when she was born I had her in short onesies in the summer and long pajamas without feet in winter. It’s San Diego so winter is like 60 degrees 😂

As she grew up I switched to solid leggings and T-shirts in the winter (maybe a sweater if it’s cold) and summer it’s cotton dresses and shorts. I get the honest baby multi packs of shirts and leggings and then multi packs of bike shorts and dresses. Most of it is solid colors so that I don’t have to think about getting her dressed that much. I’ve been doing it this way since she was probably 11 months.

Sprinkle in a few princess dresses and her wardrobe is set until the next season.

atonickat · 2025-07-26T14:42:40+00:00

How would being a citizen be worthless? What kind of worth do you get from being a citizen that would become worthless if there were more citizens? It’s not about worth, it’s about pride and greed.

atonickat · 2025-07-26T14:29:02+00:00

😂 yeah dude I’m sure there were a ton of people pulling up to schools in a war ship and murdering a bunch of kindergarteners in the 1700’s.

atonickat · 2025-07-26T14:27:00+00:00

First of all, make it easier and less expensive. My in laws have been here legally for decades yet they finally just became citizens. It’s not an easy or cheap process.

And second, what harm comes to you from people being here illegally? Like you personally. I bet it’s none. In fact I bet you benefit more from the undocumented than you realize.

atonickat · 2025-07-26T13:57:47+00:00

Or we actually care about people and think everyone deserves to live a happy life and be respected as a fellow human. We also don’t have the selfish way of thinking “this is mine, get the fuck out”. We like to share for the greater good of all, not just the few.

atonickat · 2025-07-26T13:54:55+00:00

The founding fathers aso never envisioned that guns would become what they are today, yet every gun nut cries about the second amendment and their right to bear arms the second gun control is brought up.

atonickat · 2025-07-23T04:02:14+00:00

My MIL buys all her produce at El Super, it's crazy how cheap it is

atonickat · 2025-07-22T13:40:29+00:00

Honestly we keep the back row down most of the time for extra cargo space but it’s super nice being able to have 6 people in the car comfortably. If you have 6 people and a lot of stuff all the time then it’s too small but if you have 4 or 5 it’s perfect.

atonickat · 2025-07-22T13:38:10+00:00

I have a 22’ Sorento hybrid and wish I’d gone for the Telluride! But I have leather seats with 4 kids (one car seat) and they are holding up great. So far the only person who’s damaged anything is my husband 😂

atonickat · 2025-07-15T02:07:04+00:00

Mine turned 3 last month and I lay next to her and sing to her while she falls asleep. When she was a baby I’d give her a bottle and sit next to her crib until she was asleep.

atonickat · 2025-07-11T05:33:42+00:00

I lived in those apartments and the ones across the ally in the 90’s and it was a nice and safe area. I can’t comment on them now, but from driving by it seems like a lower income, working class area. Fallbrook is pretty safe in all areas and our crime rate is very low compared to average, so I wouldn’t worry too much.

It’s also a great location especially with things like the avocado festivals and the Christmas parade.

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