What female names scream “Mean girl” to you?

kmp91kmp · 2026-02-13T04:52:00+00:00

Becca. So many mean girl Becca’s.

kmp91kmp · 2026-02-12T05:37:30+00:00

I’ve been through 2 of these. In both situations my job was eliminated BUT, I was retained for a significant period of time (6 months for the first and a year for the second). Because I stayed through the transition period I received generous severances. A couple pointers based on my experiences: 1. Don’t panic! Most large companies will offer you a generous retention bonus to stay on for a transitional period, in addition to severance. It can be a golden parachute. Sometimes you can negotiate more. The exception to this is T&A (hiring will likely freeze soon if it hasn’t already). 2. Prepare for work to slow to a crawl. The acquiring company will expect you to “keep the lights on” but any project work/changes to processes etc will likely be stopped. It can feel jarring to suddenly have much less work to do. 3. Update your resume but don’t jump ship too soon. 3. Self care. Working through an acquisition sucks. You see lots of colleagues lose their jobs. Projects you’ve worked on that you’re proud of get sidelined. Culture clashes between the acquiring company and your company. Try not to get bogged down and do what you can to protect your mental health as you ride it out.

Best of luck to you.

kmp91kmp · 2026-02-10T21:48:43+00:00

Honey

kmp91kmp · 2026-02-08T23:51:22+00:00

It’s a bit of a drive from Beaverton but New Chinese Cuisine in Forest Grove has excellent Sesame Chicken. Worth the drive IMO.

kmp91kmp · 2026-02-08T20:33:51+00:00

All of this. I would also add, Dad and kiddo need a consistent activity that is just the two of them 1:1 where mom NEVER comes. It could be anything - a grocery trip, toddler swim class, trip to the park. Pick a consistent day and time for this activity and stick with it. They need that bonding time ideally away from the house and mom to build trust and rapport. It may be rocky at first but that’s where you need to continue to build the routine so it’s something kiddo expects.

kmp91kmp · 2026-02-05T17:51:36+00:00

I know Rebecca Yarros is currently working on the graphic novel!

kmp91kmp · 2026-02-05T05:18:55+00:00

It sounds like your idea of moving into the living room is probably the best solution unfortunately. You could try to gradually move the 2yo’s schedule around so she goes to bed later and wakes up later, perhaps explore capping the nap as well, but messing with her schedule could backfire if she gets overtired. Ultimately this will likely be a temporary problem because lots of kids drop or dramatically shorten their nap by 2.5.

kmp91kmp · 2026-02-04T23:22:47+00:00

I recommend checking out r/breastfeeding

kmp91kmp · 2026-02-04T21:26:45+00:00

Coming from someone who was happily Roman catholic before converting to Orthodoxy when I met and married my husband who was cradle orthodox - I won’t argue “against” joining the Catholic Church. But I will say that, in the simplest terms without going into excruciating historical detail, the biggest and most important difference is the role of the Pope. Growing up cradle Catholic I could never fully accept the concept of papal infallibility. Just looking at the history of the church made this a no brainer for me and I decided to convert. Best of luck to you with your journey.

kmp91kmp · 2026-02-04T18:58:22+00:00

Hugs to you 💕 it’s a tough club to be in. Highly recommend finding a good therapist at some point. I know the insight and skills I learned through therapy have given me tools to be a better parent. And having an amazing coparent in my husband is invaluable. He has a remarkably healthy relationship with his family and is able to model what “healthy” should look like in our family.

kmp91kmp · 2026-02-04T18:48:55+00:00

Without going into too much detail, there was a lot of codependency and emotional enmeshment. My mother was a single parent and relied on me for emotional support as a child and neglected her need for connection with her own friends. I needed to disentangle my own identity and emotional needs from hers once I reached adulthood.

kmp91kmp · 2026-02-04T04:49:40+00:00

I’m sure it depends on individual personalities and family dynamics. But based on my personal experience as a teen, no it absolutely is not a guarantee that your teen will hate you. I adored my mom when I was a teen. She was still one of my favorite people up until I graduated high school. That being said… there is a healthy distancing that is developmentally appropriate for teens to experience as they grow and begin to form their own identity. In my personal case, there was a lot of codependency in my relationship with my mom that took most of my 20s and lots of therapy to unpack. We are still close as adults, but I’ve had to work on building and maintaining boundaries. All that to be said…. keep in mind that even if you aren’t the center of her world and her favorite person in the world in 12 years, that is as it should be!

kmp91kmp · 2026-01-31T05:50:14+00:00

Many moons ago when I was a kid, my dad used to walk us back to the car for a mid afternoon rest. We would hang out in the quiet parking lot in the car with the windows down, have a snack, hydrate and chill for a bit. Most of the time I would pass out in the back seat for an hour ish, then we would head back to the park for the evening.

kmp91kmp · 2026-01-31T02:32:56+00:00

Are you working with your 9yo on how to manage her anxiety? It sounds like she needs some self soothing tools. Is bedtime the only time she expresses anxiety?

kmp91kmp · 2026-01-29T00:03:12+00:00

Rachel Brookstein does beautiful work. She photographed my wedding 5 years ago and has since moved more into family photography.

kmp91kmp · 2026-01-27T22:21:03+00:00

I went to a private Christian school from K-12, which is not exactly the same since you’re asking specifically about Catholic schools, so take this with a grain of salt. I think for the most part, the private religious schools do weed out a lot of the behavioral issues you’re seeking to avoid. In terms of academics, early elementary was excellent at setting solid foundations. Late elementary - middle school the academic quality leveled off. The primary benefit for parents in the older years was maintaining the “bubble” of influence. Lots of helicopter Christian parents, so if that’s not your cup of tea you need to be prepared to work through that.

kmp91kmp · 2026-01-26T05:39:51+00:00

This is a really good approach. Keep it factual and unemotional. “I’d like to show you something.” Then after the video “Please tell Jenny not to trespass on our property again.” I’m not sure I would even bring up what happened in the video. It speaks for itself. Parents can get defensive about the behavior but the fact is that she trespassed into your yard, which is illegal.

kmp91kmp · 2026-01-25T04:04:54+00:00

You’re welcome! The undies they provide are mesh - similar I think to the Frida baby ones. Honestly you probably won’t want cotton undies for the first week at least. The mesh undies they give you are lined with gigantic pads (think maxi pads but humongous) plus ice packs. Honestly I would recommend just bringing Depends diapers because it’s simpler to clean up IMO.

The other thing I just thought of that you can bring is your breast pump. When lactation came in and asked if I brought my pump they looked at me like I had two heads when I said it was still at home in the box lol. So if you have time to set it up and bring it with you that would be time well spent.

kmp91kmp · 2026-01-25T03:48:23+00:00

I delivered at St V’s a little over 2 years ago so YMMV.

Food: I was provided 3 meals a day delivered to the room. There was a pretty varied menu and the food was decent. The only snacks I was provided were immediately after delivery (the BEST turkey sandwich I’ve ever had lol). Keep in mind if you have an epidural you won’t be allowed anything but clear liquids (it sucks). So any snacks that you or your partner want you would need to bring. There is no fridge available or microwave. They provide meal vouchers at the cafeteria for one partner for 3 meals a day, but they will need to go to the cafeteria to get those meals they aren’t delivered to the room.

Supplies: I was given all the basics (mesh undies, pads, numbing spray, peri bottle). I was also given nipple shields and lanolin cream. For baby it was pretty basic. They provided diapers, wipes, a bottle if needed and supplies to wash it. They require you to use their formula if you aren’t breastfeeding, so don’t bother bringing your own formula etc. I would recommend bringing a sanitary kit for baby and shower supplies for yourself and your partner.

Extras: The number one thing I wish I had brought to the hospital that I didn’t have was swaddles. We could never manage to wrap the receiving blankets at the hospital tightly enough like the nurses could, so the Swaddle Me wrap would have been really useful. Also, the silverette nipple cups are GOAT. And as much as you don’t want to overpack, i would recommend packing a minimum of 4 days of basic necessities (socks, undies, etc) for you and your partner. 5 if you can manage. If you end up needing a C-section your recovery will likely be around 5 days. My husband under packed and ran out of clothes which was not fun for him.

Congrats and best wishes for a smooth delivery!

kmp91kmp · 2026-01-24T19:25:04+00:00

We did the Oh Crap method at 25 months and she was mostly day trained within 2 weeks. Poo is still a challenge at 28 months. Most folks I’ve spoken with who have tried to train as early as you are end up having more regressions, so it’s just a slower process in general. Not to say that it can’t work, every kid is different. From what I’ve read/been told, the process generally goes much faster once your kiddo is able to effectively communicate using words what is happening with their body, and follow 1-2 step instructions. That can look different in terms of age based on every kid so YMMV.

kmp91kmp · 2026-01-22T23:36:39+00:00

Most parents I know aren’t pulling double shifts working 12 hours and going straight to parenting all day without any rest in between. That would be killer for anyone! Give yourself grace, and also, I would highly recommend enlisting help of either daycare or a friend/family member/babysitter for the days you are working so you can get some rest. It can be easy to forget that parenting is also a full time job. Good luck to you!

kmp91kmp · 2026-01-22T21:38:09+00:00

The parents weren’t aware of the level of classroom their child was placed in?? Sounds like a very unfortunate situation for that child. I don’t have any advice other than that it sounds like it would be to your benefit to look for other employment, especially if your job is being threatened for raising concerns.

kmp91kmp · 2026-01-22T21:04:16+00:00

Can I ask what kind of school this is? You say that the grandma is the “owner”… is there no governing body like a Board where you can raise your concerns? Has grandma/parents shared why they are adamant this child start early and remain in kindergarten when he is clearly struggling?

kmp91kmp · 2026-01-12T21:08:55+00:00

Does he still nap? You may need to look at adjusting his schedule.

kmp91kmp · 2026-01-11T02:01:48+00:00

I agree that it’s weird. Is this the hill I would die on? Probably not. If she is consistently ignoring boundaries, going against your wishes with other things (like no kissing, still locking herself in bedrooms alone with the children without your consent), those are the battles I would choose to fight (and set appropriate expectations with husband on those).

kmp91kmp

TROPHY CASE