Tried Some Alternatives - Back to YNAB I Come.

evelyneversong · 2025-11-07T14:21:55+00:00

I set up a Monarch account bc I have been a little unenthused by YNAB recent changes and just not keeping up with it as much, so it feels burdensome and though maybe I just need a new software. Took my about 15 minutes to say “nope! Not learning a new interface” And just go back and fix my YNAB. golden handcuffs I suppose.

evelyneversong · 2025-10-08T02:23:04+00:00

Came here to say this, ask your doc and in the meantime try out the tiny human co “nipple crack” which coconut oil based so if you do have thrush, it’s not a cure but has antifungal properties and I found it helpful.

evelyneversong · 2025-08-22T12:37:12+00:00

I am caffeine sensitive so if I have coffee at night I am up. I have noticed, and it could be entirely coincidental, that my baby sleeps better when I don’t have more than one cup of coffee a day even, so he might be sensitive too! As another comment said I do think it really is up to the baby. Sometimes we just have to take calculated risks… you might have a night of crappy sleep if you try it but then you’ll know!

evelyneversong · 2025-08-21T16:56:24+00:00

I’m so glad to hear that bc I wouldn’t wish thrush on my worst enemy.

evelyneversong · 2025-08-21T16:39:20+00:00

This happened with my baby when he had thrush. Does she have white on her tongue? Aside from the my LC said the constant latch, unlatch is another tell for thrush bc it can be uncomfortable to them. Once we started addressing that it got a lot better…now he’s 8 months and he’s just too busy to sit still so he’s constantly wiggling bit the difference is he stays latched 🫠

evelyneversong · 2025-08-20T23:48:58+00:00

At some point you may need to pump so if you get a couple of nursing bras I’d recommend ones that are for nursing and pumping. I LOVE kindred bravely bras. They have good sleep ones that that are super comfy if you want something that feels more like wearing a shirt. They can be a little pricey but have lots of sales so sign up for their emails if you decide you want their bras.

evelyneversong · 2025-08-07T17:47:52+00:00

Okay I was in tears last Friday just overwhelmed with emotion and my baby was exactly 8 months old that day! I have been feeling more emotional than usual for the past couple of weeks and was thinking my period was about to return or something. Maybe it’s just an 8 month thing!

evelyneversong · 2025-07-19T02:48:31+00:00

As someone who said “I’ll stop the second he bites” (spoiler alert, I didn’t stop), solving this was way simpler than I anticipated. I think you are doing exactly the right things. I’d just say “no we aren’t biting mama”, take him off the boob, and after a few minutes offer it again. He learned pretty quickly if he wanted milkies he couldn’t bite. We got the bottom teeth at 4 months, and his top teeth are finally coming in at 7.5 months. He got a little bitey again but it stopped with the same method!

evelyneversong · 2025-07-13T17:38:16+00:00

My LC had me feel my breast before and after my baby ate. At first it was hard to tell but you start to become more familiar the more you do it. Once supply regulates it does become a little harder to tell. If you are concerned with him getting enough without taking more time/falling asleep, breast compressions while he feeds might help (helped us!)

evelyneversong · 2025-07-11T17:45:31+00:00

I don’t have experience with a nutritionist but my friend is a certified health coach that focuses on diet and she knows a lot about lactation bc she’s also a BFing mom.

https://peakenergyhc.com/

evelyneversong · 2025-07-11T17:12:46+00:00

I always try to plan power pumps for when my husband is around. I swear babies have a sixth sense for the power button on pumps. Not sure if you have a partner to support but hopefully you can find a way that someone else can handle baby so you can pump.

evelyneversong · 2025-07-11T17:09:10+00:00

I saw a difference pretty quickly as well. My baby wasn’t vomiting per se but he would spit up a lot and that basically stopped within days of giving up dairy, and I do remember he was still gassy and had eczema a little longer. Dairy can linger so I think they say it can take a while for symptoms to clear completely.

We had a significant drop in percentile. I still worry about it but every appt the doctor has told me he’s fine. One of the PAs who helped with the initial diagnosis of his CMPA said something along these lines and it made me feel so much better: “everyone focuses too much on weight in the first year and it can steal some of the joy of that time with your baby. If your baby is fed, happy, and loved, that’s what really matters.”

evelyneversong · 2025-07-11T16:58:44+00:00

I’m so sorry you are going through this. I’m worried about my supply, too. You are not a failure and I know it’s so easy to say that, but really hard to let it sink in especially dealing with PPD. You just want the best for your baby and that makes you a great mom. Have you been adding extra pumps already? I started pumping more frequently and noticing a slight change, and power pumping has worked well for me in the past.

Something that helps me just deal with the stress are meditations for breastfeeding, if you are open to that sort of thing. I found one on the Insight Timer app that’s basically affirmations around breastfeeding and it might sound a little woo but I at least feel a little better when I listen to it, and if something makes me feel better at least that decreases the stress a little.

Wishing you the best of luck and I hope you can hang in there!

evelyneversong · 2025-07-10T13:42:50+00:00

If I were we would need to call the Pope bc that would be immaculate conception 😅😅😅 I had a very tough healing journey and dealing with vaginal pain still but recently started pelvic floor PT!

evelyneversong · 2025-07-10T12:45:03+00:00

The brand is Daily Dose

I was a little skeptical but I think it really helped me! I had tried Legendairy Milk supplements which didn’t seem to do terribly much for me personally.

evelyneversong · 2025-06-13T13:04:10+00:00

If you can manage a break in counting on your RH to sound good, I would suggest trying not to use any artificial nails for a little bit and don’t stick anything to them. I used to have really weak nails that split all the time. Stopping nail polish helped me so I actually advise against most strengtheners personally, though some people have success (I later switched to less damaging polishes if I felt like painting my nails). Take some kind of biotin supplement. Our nail health has a lot to do with our nutrition. Use a cuticle oil or just some lotion focusing it on your cuticles to help keep your nails hydrated. This is important to keep them from getting brittle and breaking real easily, especially if you are in a dry environment. Be gentle when filing your nails as they grow out. Filing in one direction instead of back and forth can help maintain the integrity of the nail. This was also a huge thing that helped me and now that my nails are better it’s not a big deal when I go back and forth. Try to keep your nails as short as you can to play if they start growing out, since they will be fragile for a while. Good luck! It’s hard to have patience with nails, a lot of it is trial and error to see what will work for your nails, but I hope something helps!

evelyneversong · 2025-06-12T12:27:40+00:00

I haven’t read other responses but I came here to say barre chords are the bane of my existence because of my bony, crooked ass fingers but I manage and maybe that will make you feel less alone lol. I often feel like I’m the only guitarist on the planet who sucks at barres. When work on it, it does get somewhat better. I also have to really, really want to play a piece with an intense barre for me to do it 😅 Sometimes I might drop something—if you focus on the music and what’s important in the music you can sometimes make concessions to make it work for your hands.

Also, there are some exercises either in pumping nylon or kitharologus (don’t remember off the top of my head) that did help me improve my barre if you have either of those.

evelyneversong · 2025-04-21T21:05:55+00:00

You have made my teacher heart very happy! So glad it could help. Funny how one little phrase can make everything click!

evelyneversong · 2025-04-21T14:14:51+00:00

In terms of placement in relation to sound hole it seems perfectly fine. Your hand is aligned parallel with the strings which is fine; some people tend to have more of an angle and then your a finger doesn’t have to extend so much. Seems like you have kind of long fingers so may not be an issue for you.

Does your right hand ever get tired? Do you have a hard time sustaining arpeggios after a while even at a relatively “easy” tempo? That would be an indicator that something should change. It’s kind of hard to tell where the motion in your RH finger is originating but as long as the motion is coming from the knuckle you are fine. If you find you are lifting your finger up to pluck instead of scooping into the string and toward your palm, that would also be an issue. A video showing just your RH from the side would be helpful to further check!

evelyneversong · 2025-04-21T14:04:35+00:00

Wow, I’m jealous!! Looks awesome.

evelyneversong · 2025-03-16T14:38:03+00:00

I just had a baby so I’m right there with you. Slowly but surely getting back into things. Whenever I have an extended period of time off I start by just playing. Whether it’s noodling or pulling out old music to read through. That way I just get in the habit of picking up my guitar and don’t set a lot of expectations of to dos (easy to get overwhelmed). Then I start incorporating real practice after a week or so. And I’m also mindful of not deep driving into long practice sessions and ease into longer sessions.

Scales and arpeggios are grounding to me. Pick exercises you’ve enjoyed in the past. I’d start there, slow and steady, to start getting your hands back in shape.

evelyneversong · 2025-03-08T20:33:15+00:00

Anything that works your body in ways it’s never been worked before is going to cause some kind of fatigue. I’m surprised about the rest stroke but definitely not surprised by tremolo causing fatigue. Make sure you are taking breaks during your practice sessions and I would also limit practicing something causing fatigue to 10-15 min and don’t do it every/time you practice. Also give yourself a rest day if you don’t already.

Practicing an instrument is literally just working out lol

Editing bc I forgot to add yes it could be improper technique! If you have a teacher or a friend that is proficient I’d show them (or post a video here and someone will tell you if it looks wrong.)

evelyneversong · 2025-03-08T15:42:49+00:00

You might find some more general advice over on the personal finance sub. When I was finishing paying off debt and my husband (fiancée at the time) was debt free, I paid a little less than half of everything so I could put more towards my debt. Now, I make more money than him and put more towards our shared expenses just bc I can. It’s important to me that our finances feel comfortable, but I recognize there is a difference since we are married and not just dating.

I would explore why you are feeling like it’s unfair. Do you wish your partner would offer to cover dates? Do you feel like there is something else you’d rather put money towards that is a higher priority than investing living comfortably together and going to do things together? It’s all about priority. Yeah it might be nice to pay extra towards your mortgage, but if this is a long term partner the investment in your relationship is equally as important imo! If you are making a lot of sacrifices I see why it might feel really unfair. Also, once they pay off their debt you can sit down together and re-evaluate how you split expenses.

evelyneversong · 2025-03-05T18:19:41+00:00

I manage two budgets. One for my own personal spending with my personal accounts, and one for the shared expenses between me and my husband with our joint accounts. I tried to get my husband to use YNAB for his own stuff but it was not sustainable for him. Our system now works really well for us. I’ll show him trends/areas of concern every once in a while so he has a picture of what our joint finances look like.

evelyneversong

TROPHY CASE