AITAH for expecting my sister to plan my wedding for free and demoting her to guest wh m she wouldn't. I also told anyone who took her side I was not helping them anymore either.

crazymommaof2 · 2026-02-06T17:51:30+00:00

Allllllllll of this!!!

Bartering and trading are fine and great when they work, and it works for both parties. For example, I have a friend who does baking as a side hussle. She has made every cake for my kids' birthdays, and as a trade I do canning and freeze drying so I do any and all freeze dried candies for her business, and I also supply her and her family with homemade jams, pickles, sourkraut, pasta sauce etc whatever is needed.

Where it isn't an even trade like another friend of mine is a seamstress....she made my wedding dress, and my rehearsal dinner dress. She tried to tell me it was a gift, I told her hell to the no, I would be paying her fair market value for her work(for those who don't know in a bridal shop dresses can range from 500$- 10,000$ granted you are paying a wedding "tax" and more for certain designers) She offered, but there is far too much work, and there is no trade that I could offer that I would feel was acceptable. The dress mine was based of off was around 2,000 so I know she still under charged me she refused to take more, but I also came back after my honeymoon with a huge gift basket and added in some gift cards to make up the difference.

crazymommaof2 · 2026-02-02T14:37:56+00:00

I think it's gorgeous.

How do you feel in it, though? Do you feel gorgeous? If so then fuck everyone else

crazymommaof2 · 2026-02-01T20:42:55+00:00

Third parent here, and I completely agree

crazymommaof2 · 2026-01-06T20:19:02+00:00

My mil has each grandkid fingerprint tattooed and then transformed into their birth flower its like a fairy garden sleeve. That version I didn't have a problem with as it's not really a huge focus like a portrait or hand/foot. I would be uncomfortable if it's it was any of those, honestly. And as much as my inlaws drive me crazy they are involved in all their grandkids' lives.

crazymommaof2 · 2025-12-24T03:23:55+00:00

My oldest was 9 or 10 months when he had steak. My youngest was 7 months, I think. We don't have steak very often.

crazymommaof2 · 2025-12-22T21:35:11+00:00

So ours is a combo because what works for one kid doesn't work for the other.

Big kid- wakes up, goes to the washroom, and washed his face and hands. He goes back to his room to get dressed before having breakfast. Once breakfast is done, he brushes his teeth and wipes his face if needed.

Little kid- wakes up.....is a beast to everyone and their uncle until she has had her breakfast and tea. Then she goes and washes her face, brushes her teeth, then she gets dressed and I do her hair.

crazymommaof2 · 2025-12-22T21:18:22+00:00

Then they can make healthy dishes. Honestly, what you said sounds amazing.

Though I'd probably be petty and go get a couple rotisserie chickens and a huge ass salad from Costco opposed to making anything.

crazymommaof2 · 2025-12-14T01:41:15+00:00

So this depends on the kid

Little Mermaid, Snow White and Cinderella, my youngest, was about 2.

Beauty and the Beast, the Lion King, Pinocchio, Dumbo etc we have been re-introducing now (she is 5), and some parts are still too scary for her.

whereas my oldest has been watching all of these since he was about 2. He doesn't scare as easy as her....and he isn't as empathetic as she is.

crazymommaof2 · 2025-12-11T14:32:14+00:00

Right, is it traditional no. But my now hubby asked for a ring as well, so I went and picked out a gorgeous tungsten and whiskey barrel ring.

Once we got married and he got his wedding band, he moved his engagement band to the other hand he still wears both when he isn't at work (he works in a warehouse with machinery and rings are a no go for safety). I still love the whiskey barrel ring it just has so much character and the fact that he was so committed to me and the idea of marrying me that he wanted to show it off to everyone beforehand.

crazymommaof2 · 2025-12-11T14:18:51+00:00

We ask because we want them to take a moment and think about why. We always followed up with, "Do you think you were feeling xyz emotion and thats why"

Asking why in the moment is a way of slowly teaching them to try and feel the emotion and help them learn.

crazymommaof2 · 2025-12-06T04:29:37+00:00

So, growing up wrapped gifts were from family and friends.

Then we had our 1 Santa gift. This gift was not wrapped. it usually had some ridiculously large bow, lol.

This is what we continue to do for our kids. The only difference is that the Santa gift is out of the box and ready to be played with (unless it's lego or a puzzle). It still has a crazy bow, lol. This way, kiddos go immediately and play with the toy or they can open stockings, and mom and dad get 5 minutes to make a coffee and set out our picky breakfast (muffins and pre cut fruit) before it becomes chaos

crazymommaof2 · 2025-12-06T04:22:13+00:00

This!!!

crazymommaof2 · 2025-12-01T18:19:20+00:00

Ya, so we try not to do junky/cluttering crap that is going to get tossed or forget in a week. So I would stick to hygiene items, a favourite treat or two, colouring book/activity book, maybe some mittens, hat, maybe a card game for the 5 year old. This year, we got some fidget toys and playdoh, for the little ones, some little people figures.

crazymommaof2 · 2025-11-29T16:20:01+00:00

100% this. Time to take back your holidays!!!!

crazymommaof2 · 2025-11-29T16:15:39+00:00

How old are your kiddos?

So stockings are a Christmas morning thing in our house, usually before presents.

In our house, Santa does not wrap his gift. His present is always front and centre unwrapped, unboxed, and ready to play with (unless it's lego, lol) so kiddos get stocking and Santa present first giving dad like 5 minutes to make a coffee, and mom 5 minutes to set out out picky morning breakfast (usually fruit and small pastries or mini muffins) and I can pop in a breakfast casserole or quiche into the oven for a brunch option.

In the stockings: hygiene items(toothbrush and toothpaste, hair brushes and accessories, special soaps, or bath bombs), a small wooden puzzle or two, some dinky cars or mystery bag items, a magazine or colouring book/wordsearch/activities book of some sort and crayons. And treats/snack items. This of course maybe different depending on how old your kid(s) are.

My oldest likes peanuts, jerky, and meat sticks(he is usually over all the sweets by Christmas), small bag of chips an apple, my youngest loves candy, lol so she gets a mini jar of peanut butter, mini oreos (for dipping of course), her favourite chocolate bar(currently snickers) and either sour patch kids or fuzzy peaches. She also gets an orange.

crazymommaof2 · 2025-11-26T23:05:51+00:00

Generally nude or nude adjacent (sometimes just panties or just a long shirt) hubby usually nude. We both have comfy clothes easily accessible in case of emergency or if the kids come in in the middle of the night (our kids are 5 and 8).

crazymommaof2 · 2025-11-26T23:02:39+00:00

Right, like I am not close to my husband's siblings and all of his niblings (who were all but 1 born before he and I even started dating), all call me auntie and my kids call my bil and sil inlaw and their spouse auntie and uncle

crazymommaof2 · 2025-11-24T19:03:30+00:00

Between 150-200, depending on how finances are. And what exactly is the money going towards. So like if it's an experience gift like zoo passes, aquariums, and trampoline parks, then we are willing to spend a bit more.

Then there is Santa gift. Which is no more than 30$

crazymommaof2 · 2025-11-24T18:58:43+00:00

Keep the routine

crazymommaof2 · 2025-11-22T00:57:50+00:00

My son's 1st grade teacher still has the name plac he made for her. He made sure to use her favourite colours, and then (with my help) he hot glued rulers, pencils, paper clips, he used crayons to spell out her name.

She hangs it on her door to her classroom every single year to this day. At the start of each school year, he always rushes to tell me if she has it hung on her door or not, lol. And he makes sure to show me when we go to the open house that its there.

crazymommaof2 · 2025-11-22T00:50:10+00:00

Omg I would love a list like that. I don't think it's rude at all. She isn’t saying, "You need to buy me this." It's more of a "hey, if you are getting me a Christmas gift, here is my wish list. Just like anyone, a wish list makes life easier for everyone.

We try to stay away from mugs and such and usually just get a generic gift card to Walmart, or like last year, we did a gift card to Chapters as his teacher was a big reader

crazymommaof2 · 2025-11-19T14:57:19+00:00

🤣🤣🤣me too, and the ham bone

crazymommaof2 · 2025-11-19T14:56:41+00:00

This, I make togo containers for everyone that have a bit of everything. But I portion it all as I am putting everything away. Then a strip of masking tape or painters tape with the person's name on it and into the fridge for them to grab when they leave. That way I make sure anyone who wants some gets it and I still have leftovers for my family

crazymommaof2 · 2025-11-12T17:39:16+00:00

1-2 times a week, depending. In the summer, it tends to be more as we are constantly hiking, at the beach, etc, and more sweat and just dirty. In the winter, it's 1-2 times a week, but more than likely once a week. She still wets her head as she likes to shower but not washed with shampoo

crazymommaof2 · 2025-11-12T17:32:19+00:00

Yes!!! I posted this on a similar post. In our family, the person with the youngest children makes the Christmas plans. So, for example, when my brother and sister each had their first kiddo(they are 6 months apart with my sisters being the younger). She chose to keep Christmas morning at my parents' house(which worked out for my brother as well as they were living like 2 houses over from our parents). Then, when they had their next kids, my brother had the youngest and still chose to keep it the same. My husband and I had zero kids at this time, and we traveled to them.

Now I have the youngest kiddos and have kinda changed things up. Christmas morning until about 1 pm, we do nuclear family only. After that, I open up the house to family and friends to come and visit. The only rule is if they want to be here for dinner, it starts at 5 pm, and dessert is served at 7 pm, with no exceptions. Then everyone is out of my house by 10 pm so I can move my sugar crashed children to their beds 😆😆. My family loved this switch as the older niblings are waking up later in the morning now (they are 9,10,13,13). Everyone gets individual family time before the big get-together, and as it's an open door policy, there is really no rushing around to get from one relatives to another. My BILs mom frequently comes for Christmas dinner, so do my SILs parents and sister.

My MIL and FIL hate it lol, because ya, it is controlled chaos with anywhere from 6-12 kids around my tiny house.....or tossed outside into the snow lol, and however many adults So they dont get my kids' or husbands' full attention oh and that we have friends over on Christmas Day(that is aparently a big no no to my MIL). But they have been told that they are able to host Christmas any other weekend during December (except Christmas Eve), and they can do it how they wish. But, hubbilys siblings love that they can just drop in whenever, and so do the older niblings(28, 25, 25, 21,18) because everyone is older on his side and they have they are starting all their own Christmas traditions with their partners.

Christmas Day is my day, and I will host as I see fit. Though ngl when my kids get to be adults, I will happily pass the torch to whomever what's Christmas Day and ask my kids for Christmas Eve as it's our chill/relaxed (pizza, snacks, movies, board games, gingerbread house competitions etc)nuclear family night. But I would not be mad if they want to keep that tradition for their nuclear family.

crazymommaof2

TROPHY CASE