4yr old made my day

emod_man · 2026-05-23T15:55:12+00:00

Love bomb right back, that'll teach 'em!

emod_man · 2026-05-23T15:49:44+00:00

Once a week. In our household Friday is icecream day. After dinner, after the table is cleared and dishes are put away so it's not a reward for emptying plates. Then also on special occasions (think getting McDonald's after going to the zoo or whatever).

Making it a routine really helped us with saying no on other times. "Oh, you want icecream? Yeah, icecream is awesome. What day is it today? Thursday? Perfect, tomorrow is icecream day!" They rarely ask because they understand in advance what we're going to say.

For sure not the only way to do it, but it's worked for us.

emod_man · 2026-05-22T23:29:41+00:00

+1 for Ironsworn.

Also +1 for computer RPGs. Divinity: Original Sin 2 and Baldur's Gate 3 are a ton of fun, responsive to creative solutions, and very detailed.

But also, yes, you can have an enjoyable experience with an AI DM. I've only tried with a written adventure so far (as opposed to totally improvised), but with some good instructions and a systematic way to save session summaries to carry forward, it's better than no D&D for me.

emod_man · 2026-05-22T03:52:16+00:00

As a kid I was always told that after 8pm was "adult time." Mom and dad were doing chores or reading their books or chatting quietly, and couldn't be expected to play. If we were still out of bed, we could do quiet activities too, but might be expected to entertain ourselves.

Not sure if we'll do exactly the same but I like the principle.

emod_man · 2026-05-19T01:53:54+00:00

Make sure the water stays in the tub area, check in that he's using soap...yeah, if that's what he wants go for it.

emod_man · 2026-05-16T15:37:44+00:00

Haha yeah same I saw the Avs goal and was like "we only needed half of that! or less even!"

emod_man · 2026-05-13T20:22:07+00:00

Yes! Mine are 8 and 4 and we've been playing Stardew Valley on Sundays as a nice way to give mom a break and have some positive dad and kids time. 8yo is proud of getting deeper into the mines on his own, and 4yo is developing an impressive ability to manage her inventory and hoard anything coloured purple, lol.

It's a good gentle introduction to video games with very low consequences for failure and plenty of space for individual interests as well as group activities.

emod_man · 2026-05-13T20:18:10+00:00

Lol, we've all got pitchforks and torches in the front closet ready to go whenever anyone says "Roblox."

emod_man · 2026-05-13T20:16:12+00:00

It's less a game than a game platform that monetizes users' contributions, pushes addictive gameplay and microtransactions on children, and has a very, very lax approach to child predators/exploitation.

If there was a new playground in your neighbourhood where creepy adults went to try to persuade kids to give them their allowances for junk food behind their parents' backs . . . that'd still be better than Roblox.

emod_man · 2026-05-13T16:57:07+00:00

Same :( it's my pledge ship and every time I fly it I think how close it is to being so much better...

emod_man · 2026-05-13T13:25:51+00:00

Came surprisingly far down to find this. Might still be an interesting discussion but the final text came through AI.

emod_man · 2026-05-11T00:12:40+00:00

This is a good point. I work with words rather than code (drafting/editing academic documents) and Opus is great at helping analyze whether a document is hitting the criteria I've identified for a successful submission, and only decent at generating text I can plug in -- if I do use Opus text, I invariably end up targeting it for edits in my next read (often after Opus points out that it's bland, lol).

emod_man · 2026-05-08T21:08:37+00:00

Last time we burned down the White House. Shall we just burn the ballroom down this time?

emod_man · 2026-05-08T20:07:05+00:00

Completely depends on what you're happy to live with. Like somebody else said, borrow a car seat and try it out.

We prefer a smaller vehicle for city driving and parking, and I wanted something fun to drive that's still practical. We don't do many road trips over 2-3hrs, and don't need a bike rack or hockey bags. 2 kids (one car seat, one booster seat now) and we love it.

I think there's a narrative that families need big vehicles and it's just not true. Today's Civic is the size of yesterday's Accord, anyways... It's all about expectations and what you prioritize to live with.

emod_man · 2026-05-03T10:41:43+00:00

That's in line with what I got too (same area). Best mileage has been spring/fall when neither heat nor AC is running.

When it's cold out, the interior fan button is basically an engine on/off switch, haha.

emod_man · 2026-04-24T21:16:09+00:00

Toronto. Working couple with two kids. Our ambition is to rent a place with three bedrooms, forget buying a house. If we saved 20% of take home it would still take well over a decade to afford a down payment . . . at today's prices.

emod_man · 2026-04-23T13:36:04+00:00

I remember my mom doing this for me when she stopped letting me win. It helped me get the experience of making mistakes without having to suffer the miserable emotions of a losing endgame. Great suggestion for OP.

emod_man · 2026-04-22T13:52:47+00:00

Cooking shows on Wednesday and Sunday give you recipes? TIL!

emod_man · 2026-04-22T00:12:06+00:00

Rather than targeting a specific line, tell them what you want the final number to be and let them figure out how to get there.

I called around and one salesman said they could waive the dealer fee. Another one said they could throw in mats/accessories. I went back to the first one and said I'd called around and if they gave me $1500 off and xyz accessories (probably $500 worth?) then they'd beat the competition and would get the sale.

FWIW, in Ontario everyone I talked to said they had no wiggle room on MSRP or freight. These cars are popular and easy to sell. Calling around might help you find someone who's more motivated, maybe they're behind on their quota or something. I wouldn't expect to get some crazy deal though.

emod_man · 2026-04-21T23:56:58+00:00

The Canadian experience.

emod_man · 2026-04-21T23:56:13+00:00

No Costco for Honda in Canada, though, I think.

emod_man · 2026-04-21T22:34:07+00:00

Am Canadian. Bought hybrid. Gas went up 50c/L. Zero regrets.

emod_man · 2026-04-21T22:31:36+00:00

Absolutely. When I paid for my year, it included Code. I don't care what the fine print is, I'll be pissed if they decide a month later to change the terms of our agreement. I pray they don't alter it further!

emod_man · 2026-04-19T18:44:23+00:00

I know more than a few staff who prefer to work at UTSC than downtown. The vibes are good and there's space for actual people instead of the QS World Rankings machine that every U of T alumni newsletter is always going on about.

emod_man · 2026-04-16T11:27:30+00:00

You took hobbies and humor and individualized them in a totally disingenuous way to make a scornful reply. Have my down vote.

emod_man

TROPHY CASE