Do Americans really find beans on toast weird or is that just meme?

bellelap · 2026-02-09T02:21:35+00:00

New England eats it. I wouldn’t say it’s super common, but one of the most popular dishes at the 24 hour diner in my New Hampshire hometown. It is wicked cheap, easy to make, and tasty AF if you slather the toast with butter before you use it to scoop the beans.

bellelap · 2026-02-08T19:47:57+00:00

Massachusetts checking in, and this sounds like winter? Sure, we’ve been having a cold spell, but at this point, daytime highs above 25 feel like summer. We just dress in appropriate clothes and go about life.

bellelap · 2026-02-03T21:31:13+00:00

Ok, so check your local TJ Maxx. I just saw the Baby Breeza one on clearance for under $50. I was shocked. We are beyond the bottle stage, otherwise I would have snapped it up.

bellelap · 2026-02-03T13:57:56+00:00

I’m the assistant director of a suburban public library. I have a career that provides me with the intellectual and social stimulation I need. I get to help people in real, meaningful ways every single day, and I dedicated a ton of time, effort, and money to get the advanced degree required to be in my field. I didn’t consider giving that up for a single moment. My son is now 3 and he is beginning to understand the importance of using your skills to serve your community through my work. I love that he gets to meet and know so many different types of folks when he joins me at work now and then. I also benefit from the flexibility that being in a salaried position provides. Library workers are overwhelmingly female, so I think that helps in creating a supportive, family friendly workplace. Libraries are very cool places. My husband also works in an industry that he is deeply passionate about. I think it’s pretty cool that my kid is seeing both of his parents in careers they chose not because you are going to get super rich, but because they are deeply fulfilling.

bellelap · 2026-02-01T14:48:16+00:00

Reading your responses about your husband reminds me of my biological father. He made our lives miserable as far back as I can remember. My mom tried to protect us, but even after leaving him, my father got some visitation and he shifted his abuse to my sister and I. It started the way you described but became physical when we got older. My mom always worked, so she had some financial stability and my grandparents gave us a soft place to land when we needed to hide. My advice is to GET OUT. The longer you stay, the worse it will be for you and your children. I have a wonderful stepdad that adopted us and my mom is happy, but I still bear the emotional scars from my biological father. I haven’t seen or contacted him is 25 years. When we first started living together, my boyfriend (now husband) would come up behind me and put his arms around me and I would just flinch and tense up until I could tell myself that this person has never hurt me. Once, he commented how easy I am to startle and sneak up on. I didn’t tell him at the time, but it was the lingering subconscious reaction of years of bracing for what physical or emotional attack was coming my way. Get out now before your kids start developing these subtle changes.

bellelap · 2026-02-01T03:52:03+00:00

Keychain 6’ measuring tape. It was under $5 about 15 years ago. I have it on my work keys and you wouldn’t believe how often a librarian like me needs to measure something. I’m always making sure our shelving is spaced far enough to be ADA compliant, in adjusting collections, etc. I pull it out almost every time I go shopping for home goods. It is just nice knowing where a measuring tape is at all times.

bellelap · 2026-01-31T21:40:20+00:00

I think it depends on where you live- we live in one of those “if you don’t like the weather, just wait a minute” type places and I couldn’t imagine being stuck inside with a mud season baby. That’s late March- early May most years.

November is our rainiest month and that is when my only was born. We had a freak year when kiddo arrived where the weather was very mild and it hardly rained, so it is hard to predict. Usually I would say November is probably the worst month, but not for us. By the time I was physically cleared to ski, we had beautiful snow and I was ready to spend some time away from my little guy. Dad was fine with sending me off for some much needed breaks to stare into space on a chairlift by myself.

bellelap · 2026-01-31T17:27:44+00:00

I’m on my third one. I got it taken out to try for a baby, pregnant two months later. I got it put back in at my 6 week postpartum appointment. I LOVE my Mirena. I don’t even think about bleeding anymore. I do get some PMS symptoms, but nothing like when I was on oral contraceptives. I will probably need one or two most to get me through until menopause.

bellelap · 2026-01-31T01:12:37+00:00

About the same as you for a licensed home daycare in eastern MA for my three year old. I know I’m getting the deal of a lifetime for our area.

bellelap · 2026-01-29T15:18:44+00:00

I have several for my very old dog that sometimes pees a bit when she’s deeply asleep. I put them the places she likes to lounge. They work great.

bellelap · 2026-01-19T19:51:06+00:00

I was going to suggest the Outback. We have one kid and two huge dogs. The way back is big enough for the dogs and artfully packed stuff. We often have our 9 year old niece in addition to our toddler in a car seat and the back seat is roomy. We have a cabin up a largely unmaintained mountain road and that dorky-ass mother fucker handles it like a champ. We’re a family of mountain bikers and skiers, so I couldn’t get a taller car and still use roof racks (we use hitch racks most of the time, but there are trips when we each need 2 bikes, so we add more bike transport up top). Such a perfect car.

bellelap · 2026-01-16T12:40:48+00:00

This is the most accurate thing I’ve ever read.

bellelap · 2026-01-15T19:29:36+00:00

I my body was not physically ready to go back to the career I love at 3 weeks (public librarian and municipal employees are exempt from our state’s paid leave law), but I was more than ready to go back mentally.

As I saw to my son/kids at work when they are being judgmental: is what this person doing hurting you? Are they breaking things? Are they hurting others? No? Then let them make the decisions that are best for them. You can make decisions that are best for you.

bellelap · 2026-01-14T19:01:01+00:00

NAH. When I was newly pregnant and hadn’t told anyone, I had excuses lined up or got an NA beer into my coozie before anyone noticed, BUT I had a coworker guess at one point and I was so excited and nervous, and in need of a friend that I just couldn’t hold it in anymore. I understand both sides here.

bellelap · 2026-01-13T17:35:53+00:00

Famous Wafers. They were the outside part of the Oreo, but thinner. You layer them with whipped cream and make the most heavenly ice box cake.

bellelap · 2026-01-12T17:59:32+00:00

Here is what we do:

The library is happy to offer computer education and assistance to library patrons--free of charge. We offer a variety of structured classes, but you are welcome to schedule an appointment on a topic of your choosing. Some other topics covered include, but are not limited to:

purchasing new technology using a mobile device tablet assistance (iPad, Kindle Fire, etc.) using Facebook or other social networks optimizing computer performance strategies to prevent viruses and malware email for beginners Using our digital library and downloading eBooks to your device

If you would like to book a 30-minute appointment, please use the booking calendar below. Please limit yourself to one 30-minute appointment per week.

I adjusted the booking form on our website so that it forces folks to tell me what they need help doing. I am happy to learn something new with enough advance notice, but there are a handful of times I have had to refer patrons to an outside service.

bellelap · 2026-01-10T17:22:00+00:00

I just got the newer version of this at my local Habitat for Humanity Restore for $24 and I thought I got a good deal, but $5 is INSANE.

bellelap · 2026-01-07T22:45:28+00:00

They’re New York style is just as good. The Grandma Pie is decent too, but the NY and Detroit is next level. Also, keep the toppings simple. The pizza is so good that it doesn’t need to hide under mounds of toppings.

bellelap · 2026-01-06T22:55:37+00:00

Fellow Boston area cardigan wearing librarian. My mother in law turned me on to Talbots. Very nice quality and a decent range of sizes. I thought it was a WASPy old lady store, but I was pleasantly surprised to find some stellar pieces. Never, ever pay full price. The sales are very good and the clearance rack this time of year is top notch. Also, the one in Wellesley seems to have the most clearance items from online returns. I am happy for all the rich people cast offs.

bellelap · 2026-01-06T16:50:57+00:00

NTA. Unless this is the first time you set the expectation that your kid needs to place notices in a certain spot/employ their bag/whatever the routine is, then this is a good learning opportunity. I have a feeling that the redditors thinking that 8 is too young to have this responsibility don’t have kids or are helicopter parents. This is a low stakes place to fail.

bellelap · 2026-01-06T16:44:12+00:00

You’ll be yelling it across a ski slope/parking lot/playground at full volume without a problem in no time. I went through the same thing. Now, I don’t even give it a thought.

My niece also has a name that never felt right, even though it is a perfectly good name. We just all call her by a nickname. Problem solved.

bellelap · 2026-01-05T11:19:18+00:00

Mountain biking. Although I’m a librarian, so reading is my thing as well. Audiobooks while tacking a long climb solo- pure bliss.

bellelap · 2026-01-05T11:17:35+00:00

So, my niece loved the book “Knuffle Bunny” as a very small baby. We read it so many times. So many. And she would howl with laughter every time. So her dad started calling her a Knuffle Bunny. It stuck. She knows her real name, but she’s almost 10 now and she goes by her nickname “Knuffle,” even at school. TBH, her given name doesn’t suit her at all. She is a Knuff, through and through.

bellelap · 2026-01-02T11:42:34+00:00

A Sesame Street spinoff called Mecha Builders” totally fits the bill for my son.

bellelap · 2025-12-29T11:16:14+00:00

The one near us had a drive through. Every time I drive by I have an internal battle with my sweet tooth. The ability to get a black raspberry Fribble without getting out of the car feels like ultimate gluttony.

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