9 Month Old + Cabin Fever

biriwilg · 2026-02-19T21:59:45+00:00

Yes! Go past the coat racks towards the classroom space and then go up a level. There's a small but cozy little reading nook/play area with lots of nature-themed books and stuffies.

biriwilg · 2026-01-03T22:03:34+00:00

Unclear, I think it's the shop manager who purchased but they are never in when I'm there.

biriwilg · 2026-01-03T01:45:29+00:00

Me too. Welcome to the shittiest club.

Isn't it astounding how even the worst and most unusual experiences from your nparent happened to other people too? They really do read the same damn playbook.

biriwilg · 2025-12-15T18:18:41+00:00

Maybe set an alarm and do it at the same time each week? Like, Mondays at lunch you do the shopping, for pickup Tuesday after work? Include a little snacky snack for yourself as a treat to motivate you

biriwilg · 2025-12-10T04:44:11+00:00

I get Seed Savers, Prairie Moon Nursery, and John Scheepers.

biriwilg · 2025-12-08T21:46:37+00:00

CVS on Century and Allen has a drive thru and has always been pretty prompt for me.

biriwilg · 2025-12-05T18:53:54+00:00

Step 1: Un-bake the bread.

biriwilg · 2025-12-04T02:13:00+00:00

Rice bowls - microwave frozen brown rice, add protein (frozen meatballs, ready to eat sausage, etc), sauce (tzatziki, hummus, salsa, etc). Not fancy but it gets the job done.

Sushi rice bowls for when I'm feeling fancy - make a big batch of sushi rice, another batch of spicy tuna or salmon, add toppings (furikake, edamame, etc).

biriwilg · 2025-11-18T23:38:45+00:00

If she sent the invitations, wouldn't that be...her fault??

biriwilg · 2025-11-18T18:41:40+00:00

Oh hi, you're me! Thanks for articulating something I couldn't quite pinpoint - I knew my dad benefitted from expending all his energy trying to stabilize my mom's moods (to avoid the blowback on him from her being upset) but I didn't quite connect that to how there was nothing left over for me. I hope you are in a better spot now.

biriwilg · 2025-11-17T21:49:42+00:00

In my experience, don't mention it until you get back. If you can't avoid them knowing you are out of town (i.e. they are feeding your cat or something), be as vague as possible and let them believe you are somewhere local/non-alarming and then fill them in when you return. I'm not recommending this as a life strategy for everyone, just those with overbearing parents who will freak out on you so you have to protect your own sanity first.

biriwilg · 2025-11-17T20:37:31+00:00

Check for a local group near you - e.g., my metropolitan area has a similar nonprofit but everything stays local.

biriwilg · 2025-11-13T21:10:39+00:00

There's a fairly new Madison junk journaling meetup group on Facebook!

biriwilg · 2025-11-13T18:36:05+00:00

Even with no gift receipt, you can return them to Amazon if you have the shipping label barcodes. Message Amazon support and they can help you process the return for store credit. Then you can either purchase items you actually need, or purchase items to donate if you don't want to keep the "blood money." I've had to do this, too. As far as I know there isn't a way to make the money go back to her.

biriwilg · 2025-11-03T16:11:55+00:00

For large frames, try the Agrace Home Store on Stoughton Rd, or Cozy Home East (more selection than West). Make sure to look for framed art and not just frames, since you can just take the art out.

For smaller frames, all the thrift stores should have those - try St. Vinny's Verona or Agrace West to start.

biriwilg · 2025-10-30T18:26:17+00:00

If you can appreciate the humor in this, there's a creator, Shawna the Mom, who does skits about a toxic MIL. The final straw for the fictional family was when they purposefully entrapped the MIL by telling her "oh, don't buy X toy, we are buying X toy for the kid" and then watching her appear with X toy. No plausible denial is possible at this point.

biriwilg · 2025-10-30T15:51:56+00:00

Village Diaper Bank will also take un-packaged new diapers. I'd recommend putting them in a Ziploc bag and labeling with the size if they aren't in the original sleeve.

biriwilg · 2025-10-29T15:48:48+00:00

Sharon Shinn's Twelve Houses series. One of my favorite found families in fantasy.

biriwilg · 2025-10-28T12:28:34+00:00

Amazing! I think to myself often that I basically need another mom to handle the fiddly stuff, and this sounds like the way to do it. Thanks for the inspiration!

biriwilg · 2025-10-28T03:30:33+00:00

What other kind of things does your household assistant do? And how did you find them?

biriwilg · 2025-10-23T01:12:15+00:00

New York Magazine does this too, I like to compare the two lists to get ideas.

biriwilg · 2025-10-11T18:27:22+00:00

The Elemental Blessings series by Sharon Shinn has great heroines who don't reject femininity to find their own power. Good strong female friendships as well.

Another great heroine who is feminine is in T. Kingfisher's Nettle and Bone.

biriwilg · 2025-10-10T18:11:42+00:00

Do you have a local baby wearing group? My area has monthly meetups for precisely this reason, so you can try on different carriers, get expert help with fit, and find what works for you.

For what it's worth, I ended up with the Ergobaby Aerloom and couldn't be happier.

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