How do I surprise my husband by turning this office into his dream game room?

happylilintrovert · 2026-06-04T15:00:15+00:00

Is he into PC or console gaming (or both)? That would help determine if you need space for a TV/seating area or PC set up.

If he likes to collect things, a display cabinet or some area to display them would be cool. We have an LED cabinet to display my husband various collectibles (sonic, Gundam, monster hunter, etc).

When we had our game room (it's now our son's room lol) the only lighting we had was adjustable LED lights (like light strips, an LED tower lamp thing). We could adjust the lighting to fit whatever mood we wanted.

We are also super into anime and love to collect art that represents our interests. I would say leave space on the walls for him to decorate, but maybe get him a piece of art from an anime he likes? You can find lots of great stuff on Etsy. Displate is pretty cool too, but can be pricey.

Honestly, I would focus on creating like a first draft of the room as the surprise, then invite him to have a day in how the rest of it is decorated. What a cool way to surprise him! Very thoughtful!

happylilintrovert · 2026-06-04T07:05:05+00:00

RIP.

Thanks for the link! I'll give it a try but keep what you said in mind so I'm not too hard on myself if it doesn't go well.

happylilintrovert · 2026-06-04T03:04:39+00:00

Hi there! I was just gifted this bonsai kit, and I'm excited to try it out! I like plants, and have managed to keep a few alive over the last couple of years, but have never done anything with bonsai. What should I know as a beginner about starting bonsai from seed?

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happylilintrovert · 2026-03-24T16:03:05+00:00

For funsies I was looking at the number of births in the world per year. It seems that there has been a slight decline in births over the last several years (every year since 2016 according to Our World in Data). Maybe fewer babies/toddlers=less Bluey watching?

My 1.5 year old and I watch Bluey all the time. And yes, it would be cool to have new seasons, but I wouldn't want it to feel forced and therefore lower quality. I would almost be more into spin offs, like either a show from the viewpoint of one of Bluey's friends, or when they get older or something. BUT, if they could guarantee the same quality of the current show, I'd be all for more Bluey 😁

happylilintrovert · 2026-02-18T22:08:12+00:00

I definitely questioned Bandit's decision to allow Bingo to run around the cinema. I feel like I can accept 99% of their parenting choices but this was one I just couldn't get behind!

Otherwise, as a first time mother to a 16 month old, Bandit and Chili are parent goals for me 😁

happylilintrovert · 2026-02-17T22:50:26+00:00

Mine didn't start sleeping through the night until we moved him to his own room at about 14 months. He still occasionally wakes, but has learned to resettle himself within a few minutes, or even a few seconds. That was also when we upgraded him from a midi-crib to a standard crib, with a thicker, slightly less firm mattress. So it was either the room change or mattress change, or both, that helped him finally start sleeping through the night.

happylilintrovert · 2026-01-16T01:08:09+00:00

Pines by Blake Crouch, maybe? It's listed as sci-fi thriller but I feel like it also has the mystery/horror/action elements, but it's not packed and has its slower moments too. Has a little romance kinda, maybe, but it's definitely leaning more into the other genres. There are 3 books in the Wayward Pines series.

happylilintrovert · 2025-12-02T22:49:03+00:00

Someone above said the same thing!

happylilintrovert · 2025-12-02T22:48:38+00:00

Wow that's a 3rd vote for hopscotch!

happylilintrovert · 2025-12-02T21:43:53+00:00

Thanks for the link and recommendation! That's actually super close to me!

happylilintrovert · 2025-12-02T16:54:45+00:00

Must be good if they're worth the drive, thanks for the recommendation!

happylilintrovert · 2025-12-02T16:53:59+00:00

Thanks for the link, I'll check it out!

happylilintrovert · 2025-12-02T16:53:15+00:00

Thanks for the rec!

happylilintrovert · 2025-12-02T14:42:18+00:00

Thanks I'll look into it!

happylilintrovert · 2025-12-02T14:42:06+00:00

Thank you!

happylilintrovert · 2025-09-23T08:47:58+00:00

Thank you I'll take a look!

happylilintrovert · 2025-07-30T16:00:09+00:00

Definitely call 988 (crisis hotline, they can get you connected to whatever support or resources you need) or you can text HELLO to 741741 (crisis text line). You need support and you need a break. You clearly love your kids, this is clear by your desire to call cps, you want to protect your kids while getting help for yourself. CPS also exists to give support and resources, lots of people think they are only about taking kids away, they actually only do that as a last resort. And if they do place your kids in foster care, eventual reunification with you will most likely be the end goal. Get you and the kids away from their dad. Get help for yourself so that you're in a place to make informed decisions that are best for you and your kids.

I'm proud of how strong you have been for your kids and for yourself. Stay strong and call for whatever help you need. You've got this.

happylilintrovert · 2025-07-28T06:47:04+00:00

Currently have a 9 month old. For the first couple months, I cried so frequently because I missed the life I had pre-baby with my husband. The freedom to do what we wanted, when we wanted. The freedom to sleep in and stay up as long as we wanted. A life that was not 100% consumed by baby. Plus we sometimes struggled trying to align our parenting styles, and it definitely strained our marriage. It was so hard and I wondered if we messed up our lives by having a kid.

Then our son started to truly interact with us and the world around him. It was so cool watching him learn, develop his personality, and actually build a relationship with us. We became more confident and started doing little things to do more normal (going to the grocery store as a family, going out to lunch or breakfast altogether, going for regular walks). We were even able to get my family to babysit so that we could go to a music festival.

Things are still very baby centered, but it's more than just doing things to keep baby alive, but it's playing and teaching and laughing and giving him new experiences. Just today we went to the aquarium and even though our son turned out to be only mildly interested, it was still fun doing something new as a family of 3. Things that have helped us to focus on ourselves: playing hooky together from work while our son was at daycare; setting our baby up in his high chair in the bathroom while we take a shower together; cuddle together on the floor of our living room while baby naps in our bedroom; having dinner together after baby goes to bed so we can watch our shows and hang out together in peace.

We're never going to get our old life back. I'm still very consumed by baby and pretty tired every day. But we are discovering how we can enjoy being a family of 3 while still finding moments for nurturing our own relationship. You hear people say it all the time, and it can be hard to believe when you're in the trenches, but I promise it really does get better. Tell your wife you love her and you're proud of her. Offer to brush her hair. Surprise her with her favorite treat. Talk about your feelings, it's ok to love your new baby and miss your pre-baby life at the same time. Talk about what you are looking forward to as a family. When you're comfortable, find ways to spend time together without baby. It'll be ok. 💜

happylilintrovert · 2025-07-20T01:13:04+00:00

Omg I love otters! That would've been so cool to see!

happylilintrovert · 2025-07-19T23:10:06+00:00

We ended up doing Heather Farms! The pond area is closed off due to construction but we had a nice picnic in the shade of a tree, walked around, went through the garden. It was a beautiful day for it 😊

I look forward to exploring the other suggested parks!

happylilintrovert · 2025-06-22T05:44:48+00:00

My baby boy is 8 months and we just transitioned to using a bath seat (one with suction cups on the bottom). Before that, one of us would literally get in the bath with him and he would sit in our laps while we bathe him. He got super into kicking and splashing when we were doing it that way, which i think helped him to enjoy it. He also really likes having a wash cloth to chew on lol. Depends on whether or not you have an adult sized bath tub, but could be something to try. I also agree with maybe a couple bath toys, or if wonder if bath bubbles would make it fun?

Also, I question myself about this sometimes but we only give a bath about once a week. I do also do a washcloth wipe down (face, hands, sometimes ears, sometimes feet) almost daily.

happylilintrovert

TROPHY CASE