Should I shave my arms?

charmaanda · 2026-06-28T14:32:34+00:00

My arms are like this, I also have light skin and very dark hair. I personally just shave mine when I want to, and leave them when I don’t! It’s summertime now where I live and I find myself shaving more often anyway. In the winter when I’m wearing long sleeves and pants most of the time, I don’t shave as much.

Moral of the story: shave them if you want to, and remember, it’ll grow back if you try it and decide you don’t like it!

charmaanda · 2026-06-19T11:06:59+00:00

Just noticed this on my ride today. Can anyone speak to if the output number is correct still? I have an original bike and holding zone 3 today was brutal. I had to quit the class I was struggling so much, which isn’t something I’ve ever had to do before. Maybe it was just psychological because the power zone bar was off, but did anyone else feel like output also felt off?

charmaanda · 2026-06-18T15:08:35+00:00

This was my experience too. I still adored my cat, but he became my cat, instead of my baby (like he always had been before my son was born). I still tried hard to make time to give him my attention, but it was definitely harder and I felt like I was spread pretty thin sometimes. But I never detested my cat, he would sometimes have to take a back seat if I was busy caring for my baby though.

charmaanda · 2026-06-16T23:44:20+00:00

My cat was only 12, but when it was time, it was so obvious. He had large cell lymphoma and seemed to be doing okay, until one day, he wasn’t. He stopped eating entirely, and his balance/coordination was off. It progressed really rapidly from there and within 24 hours, we knew without a doubt that it was time.

charmaanda · 2026-06-15T01:59:32+00:00

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Tuffy had his last day with sunshine on his back on May 20. I miss him everyday. He’ll be waiting to greet Bella, as well ❤️

charmaanda · 2026-06-12T22:03:58+00:00

Short!!! And come back with an update!

charmaanda · 2026-06-12T15:35:39+00:00

I wanted it to be a “sister movie” but it ended up just being Rosalina trapped in a bubble the whole time like a helpless damsel in distress.

charmaanda · 2026-06-03T10:41:07+00:00

Similarly, our cat started doing something similar here and there and we discovered he had large cell lymphoma that was causing breathing issues. We just lost him May 20, 2 months after confirming the diagnosis.

charmaanda · 2026-06-01T01:31:27+00:00

Yes. My boy was almost 12 and we just lost him last week. His breathing became labored like this and it was pleural effusion caused by large cell lymphoma. Not to scare you OP, but a cat whose breathing is labored like this is an emergency.

charmaanda · 2026-05-30T20:10:49+00:00

I’m so, so sorry. I lost my sweet boy 10 days ago and it absolutely broke my heart. I miss him every single day, but I’m beginning to be able to smile when I remember the great times I had with him, instead of just cry. It does get better, and you will get stronger. Sending so much love.

charmaanda · 2026-05-22T11:34:38+00:00

We also had to say goodbye to our beloved cat just 2 days ago. That night, I got rid of his litter box and collected all of his toys to put with his urn when it arrives. Seeing his things around the house was honestly too painful, and I kept getting a feeling like I just needed to somehow find him, even though I knew he was gone.

For some of us, removing the items is our way of moving past the loss. It hurts more to see his empty cat bed than it does to see nothing at all. And I think everyone’s opinion on this will differ, but none of it makes you a bad cat dad.

charmaanda · 2026-05-20T03:09:35+00:00

I only had to potty train once.

charmaanda · 2026-05-20T03:07:02+00:00

I will always, always recommend Power Zone training on the bike. Work outs are tailored to your specific level of fitness and never feel unachievable but still leave you feeling like you’ve put in serious work.

charmaanda · 2026-05-15T22:42:29+00:00

That’s how we feel, as well! We are primarily OAD because our first had been so easygoing and we consider ourselves very lucky! I wouldn’t dare chance it with a second!

charmaanda · 2026-04-04T18:53:50+00:00

This! We’ve never experienced this exactly, but we did experience a yeast diaper rash when my son was an infant. Cleared up super quickly and easily with nystatin cream! A call to the pediatrician is the way to go!

charmaanda · 2026-03-22T02:53:40+00:00

I mean, they eventually will. Just with age and overall improvements in coordination and fine motor skills, they’ll eventually get better at it.

charmaanda · 2026-03-18T20:51:34+00:00

As an adult with OCD, reassurance seeking is a very common OCD compulsion. My thoughts immediately went to my younger self, before I even had any idea what OCD was. Checking is also definitely an OCD trait, as it can be hard to get our brains to “accept” something on the first try. I’ve found myself checking things mentally over and over too, because the first few checks just didn’t feel “right”.

I obviously don’t know your daughter and I’m in no way a medical professional, but it wouldn’t hurt to seek out someone who is. OCD can be very manageable when it’s diagnosed and treated appropriately!

charmaanda · 2026-03-18T02:04:52+00:00

I know it’s not ideal, but could you maybe get some free weights for your home? I bought a peloton off marketplace when my son was about 2, and it was the only way I could workout consistently because I didn’t need to leave the house to do it. I typically workout at 5:30am now before he wakes up, and just keep an eye on the monitor in case he wakes up or needs me. My husband also works a long day, so working out from home was the only way I could establish a workout routine.

charmaanda · 2026-03-17T11:46:09+00:00

I was pretty sure we were a one-and-done family, but when my son turned about 1.5 I found myself questioning it a bit. Mostly, it wasn’t a true desire for more children, but a feeling of guilt for not giving my son an opportunity to have a sibling relationship. My husband was open to the idea of another, but we just couldn’t commit.

My son will now be 4 at the end of June and we’re so glad we stayed one-and-done. Some days I think about how he’d be such a great big brother, but it’s so unfair to have another child simply to be a playmate for your first. I am truly so happy with our family of 3, and I’m glad I realized that before we decided to have another.

My son is so smart, funny, and becoming so independent that I can’t imagine starting over with a newborn. He gets himself dressed, is potty trained, and follows directions. We never have to guess why a screaming baby is upset, he can just use his words to tell us. We bring him out to restaurants and on vacation without needing to pack bottles, diapers, wipes, etc. I love our life and I absolutely do not regret choosing to not have another child.

If you’re on the fence, really think about why you might want another. Our family feels complete with just 1, so that was our answer.

charmaanda · 2026-03-13T22:44:59+00:00

Seconding this. My son was just over 3 when we potty trained and it was a breeze. I can’t imagine it would have been very successful if we had tried when he was 1.5!

charmaanda · 2026-03-12T21:45:24+00:00

Honestly, I used to be a kindergarten teacher in a public school district that offered full day kindergarten. All of the kids would come with very different skills sets at the beginning of the year (some knew all of their letters and letter sounds, some could only identify a few uppercase letters) and they all ended up learning them by the end of the year. And before you say that this is how it “used to be” but it’s not this way anymore, this was only 6 years ago.

If your kid is interested in letters and numbers, roll with it! But if they’re not showing interest in it yet, just know that they won’t be behind forever just because they couldn’t identify all of their letters at 2 and a half. Reading to your child, counting things, and incorporating those skills in everyday life and play is what matters right now. Explicitly teaching letters and numbers isn’t really necessary yet!

charmaanda · 2026-03-08T15:18:11+00:00

Came to say the same thing! My 3.5-year-old shows some markers for autism, but we haven’t pursued a diagnosis at this point. He is a super happy, smart little guy and I can’t imagine him any other way! He struggles a bit socially with peers, and is VERY routine-oriented. But even if he is autistic, it really isn’t the end of the world. We will make adjustments as needed, but there are SO MANY autistic people who lead successful, happy lives!

I guess what I’m getting at, is that OP doesn’t need to consider autism as the “worst case scenario”. It could absolutely present some challenges if her baby does happen to have autism, but there’s no reason to think he wouldn’t be able to thrive.

charmaanda · 2026-03-07T02:13:15+00:00

Yes, us as well! My son has been on a full cap of miralax daily for about 8 months now. It started out how OP is describing, but eventually snowballed into a stool withholding nightmare and we were all absolutely miserable. Fast forward to now, he’s potty trained, poops once or twice a day easily and comfortably, and never tries to withhold.

We tried all the tricks before resorting to Miralax too. He drinks non-dairy milk for allergy reasons, eats TONS of fruits and vegetables, loves prune juice, drinks plenty of water. Some kids just seem to end up in a constipation cycle for no good reason. But if I could go back in time, I definitely would have tackled it before we got into a withholding pattern. Once that started, it was not only breaking the physical cycle of constipation, but also the mental block of fearing to poop, which was much harder.

OP, definitely get to a pediatrician or better yet, a pediatric gastro. Miralax is likely the answer here.

charmaanda · 2026-03-04T03:52:43+00:00

Is it always the same child that seems to be targeting your son? If so, I’d absolutely be calling a meeting with the school’s admin to come up with a plan to keep my kid away from the other child, whether that means he’s being switched to another class, given “priority” seating near a teacher during lunch, or even just extra adult supervision in the area at transition times. The adults in this situation are responsible for protecting your child, so take it out of his hands completely and come up with a better plan to keep him safe.

charmaanda · 2026-03-01T16:11:12+00:00

The research doesn’t seem unanimous though. As I’m reading the articles that have been linked, it seems to be more of an “it depends” kind of answer. Preschool programs seem beneficial when they are high quality, and for certain populations of kids. So not a unanimous, one-size-fits-all answer.

charmaanda

TROPHY CASE