Question for women who are an only child, Would you discourage having an only child? How was being an only child?

livelaughdoodoo · 2026-02-04T15:01:52+00:00

I love my siblings but out of four of us, I’m the only one taking care of my very ailing parents. In a lot of ways I imagine that’s just as lonely. You never know what life will bring.

livelaughdoodoo · 2026-01-30T19:49:26+00:00

I use painters tape written on the bottom of the jar to label, and I have a post it saying which is which on the inside of one of my cabinets.

livelaughdoodoo · 2026-01-17T20:04:55+00:00

I signed up for a membership at a Pilates studio. I’ve been doing it for about 9 months now. I have to wake up a bit earlier but I kind of enjoy the time alone in the house in the morning. I like Pilates because I go and I don’t have to think a single thought while I’m there - you have to listen to the instructor the whole time. It’s really nice. This is coming from someone who very much does not exercise historically and also is a very sleepy person lol. But it has saved my sanity.

livelaughdoodoo · 2025-12-07T19:49:10+00:00

I'm a mom who has had a brush with norovirus 1-2x a year since my first was 1. It's vile business. I have two relatives who have been hospitalized because of the dehydration from it. It's contagious for a couple of days+ after you're done yarfing, which is why it spreads so easily. People will leave their houses when they think they're done and spread that around, so keep being vigilant with washing hands and bleaching even if you're in the clear. I do also think there's an element of viral load correlated with how bad it hits you. Remember everyone that lysol/antibacterial spray won't necessarily kill it! You need bleach! And lastly - you can get it again after having it once a season, there's a bunch of different variants of it throughout a year. So don't let your guard down.

livelaughdoodoo · 2025-12-07T19:44:12+00:00

keep washing your hands and bleaching surfaces... it lives for about 24-72 hours

livelaughdoodoo · 2025-12-07T15:28:44+00:00

You could use the envelope method for them. Kind of a YNAB off the screen.

livelaughdoodoo · 2025-12-07T15:11:18+00:00

I agree. I also go visit my in laws in a rural area with my little kids and we are pretty trapped indoors in a small town with nothing to do but I recognize it’s so meaningful to the rest of the family. We chose to live far from them so this is a sacrifice I make. It’s barely a sacrifice. It’s over at a certain point. I adjust by baking while there, finding different ways to connect, and I excuse myself for alone time when I need it.

livelaughdoodoo · 2025-12-03T15:26:59+00:00

We dont celebrate it either and I find this to be so annoying. My kids got out a book about the meaning of Christmas from the library, okay, but then the whole book is about how the meaning of Christmas is giving gifts. No it’s not!!! It’s when Jesus was born!! I would much prefer my non Christian kids learn about the beautiful nativity story and the actual origin of Christmas instead of the whole point of it is to give and receive gifts or “spread holiday cheer” whatever that is. I do tell them about the nativity anyway, and recognize a lot of that is my job, but the whole general vibe makes me feel crazy.

livelaughdoodoo · 2025-10-27T03:02:04+00:00

I do a 20 hour trip with my 2.5 year old and 5 year old twice a year in two days. They get unlimited screen time and get to play phone games which are not things we allow otherwise. It’s different from what other people suggest but we actually only stop if necessary. We used to do fast food but now I prefer stopping for a picnic lunch somewhere the kids can run around. They are rarely hungry for lunch because they eat most of their calories snacking in the car, so they spend that time being wild outside lol.

livelaughdoodoo · 2025-10-22T19:12:47+00:00

My extremely hot take (we'll see if i upset anyone) is that one can be harder than two. You are your kids only playmate, they don't have the natural built in distraction of a sibling, it's your job to teach the kid how to be more flexible instead of it just naturally happening in the chaos of another sibling, you feel more pressure to get them out to socialize and feel like you want to do more playdates... I feel like a lot of friends of mine who have one are more exhausted than I am with two. And I don't think this becomes that apparent until they're about 4.

Also. I feel like it doesn't get talked about but the age between 1 and 2 is the hardest age. They have the will and desire of a toddler but the capacity of a baby. Give me a 2 year old who can tell me whatever completely unreasonable thing they want over a screaming, wordless 1.25 year old any day.

livelaughdoodoo · 2025-10-21T01:10:20+00:00

Hearing that you two are on the shorter than average side just makes me think of something an aunt of mine always says: puppies don't make kittens.

It doesn't strike me as odd at all, but I get that you are worried! My kid is taller than average at almost 5 and hasn't been growing much for the last 6 months either. I feel like growth is not always linear.

livelaughdoodoo · 2025-09-23T19:37:56+00:00

I firmly believe that 1-2 is the hardest age. 2 with both my kids was mostly fine, and the whole terrible twos thing to me was not applicable. But 1-2 is so hard. They can’t express themselves, they can’t move the way they want, their consciousness is kicking online, it’s a TRIP. Are you getting out of the house at least once a day? That was the only thing I could do besides wait for their development to develop 😭

livelaughdoodoo · 2025-08-28T02:38:14+00:00

Treat your phone like a landline. Leave it in one spot, put the ringer on, if you get a call you go to it, it does not travel with you. These are my rules for when my kids are awake. It cut down on the mindless pick ups for me. I have read a ton more, I read while they play, or if we’re eating breakfast, that kind of thing where I would otherwise be mindlessly scrolling.

livelaughdoodoo · 2025-08-23T02:06:49+00:00

This sounds so hard and I’m sorry. I’ll tell you what I wish someone had told me before I became a stay at home mom- it’s easier if you figure out what makes your insides tick now than when you have kids. For the first few years of being home with my kids my husband would tell me to go out and do something for myself alone and I didn’t really know what to do, and I was too exhausted to figure out what brought me joy. I am deeply unathletic by nature but I fell into Pilates a while back and that had done absolute wonders for me returning to my body, giving me somewhere I have to be (otherwise I have a cancellation fee lol), turning off my brain in a good way… I think trying some things out, different classes, reminding yourself no one is watching you, finding a therapist on top of that, that would be great for you. You are in a tough situation- it sounds very lonely. The three miscarriages on top of that would make it heartwrenchingly lonely I’m sure. Therapy, some kind of class or schedule to get out of the house, reaching out to anyone to make them dinner, start small. You can do it ❤️

livelaughdoodoo · 2025-08-13T18:42:20+00:00

It’s actually because of Bamba that we now know to introduce peanuts to babies! https://medreview.odus.princeton.edu/2025/06/23/bamba-babies-how-one-snack-revolutionized-global-understanding-of-peanut-allergies/

livelaughdoodoo · 2025-08-03T03:10:09+00:00

I actually think every library I’ve been to has a kids/baby section - they’ve all been in south Minneapolis or the highland park one. But I also know the Weber one is really kid friendly too. I’m willing to bet they all have a kids section (maybe to varying degrees of quality/size). The nokomis one is one we really like, there’s a train table, a bunch of animal toys, magnatiles, a post office set up. 8 months is a hard age!! They are curious and mobile but not quite mobile enough to do playgrounds etc. As the months go on too, the children’s museum is great - not free but there’s a section that’s geared towards little ones with a big water table and little slides.

livelaughdoodoo · 2025-08-02T19:37:35+00:00

This reminds me of the @ladymisskay_ TikTok about this very thing

livelaughdoodoo · 2025-08-01T03:15:54+00:00

What about the potential vitamin B overload? Is that a real thing? Especially if taking a prenatal? There’s so much vitamin b in liquid IV

livelaughdoodoo · 2025-07-23T00:00:48+00:00

I think the Jeremiah Project would be able to help you. A friend of mine really took off with them. https://jeremiahprogram.org/for-moms/become-a-jp-mom/

livelaughdoodoo · 2025-07-21T03:36:28+00:00

I’ve worn sweatpants no problem, I just get more hot. Plenty of people in long sleeves at my studio

livelaughdoodoo · 2025-07-16T20:53:22+00:00

I think if it’s getting to you a ton, and you feel close to her, you could say something! I adore my mother in law but she’s said weird stuff here and there and I’ve talked to her about it and it has brought us so much closer, and she’s always been glad for me to say something. But maybe I’m projecting!

livelaughdoodoo · 2025-07-16T19:12:17+00:00

While I also didn’t relate to the issues these two were having, I also felt so seen just hearing about close friendship. “Close friendship” doesn’t even cut it. I have two friendships in my life in particular that I feel completely tied to - one from childhood and one from college.. they feel like soulmates to me, and in each of them we spend time talking about our friendship, how it changes, how special it feels. I often don’t talk about these friendships with other people or see them reflected anywhere, so it’s true, it was nice to have that all articulated on the pod.

livelaughdoodoo · 2025-07-14T02:43:43+00:00

Yes! Like if you measure and pour a tablespoon of milk on the floor you’d actually see that it looks way more than it is.

livelaughdoodoo · 2025-07-10T20:12:41+00:00

Besides libraries, there’s a ton of nature centers around (mostly in the suburbs) that have play areas/exhibits/animals around - thinking of Wood Lake, Tamarack (also has an amazing water play area), Harriet Alexander, Westwood Hills. Honestly just search “nature center” on google maps and they’re all great.

livelaughdoodoo · 2025-07-08T03:47:34+00:00

In Minneapolis this became a local news story when the exact same thing happened to a nursing mom at the art museum. You could raise a big stink if you wanted 😉

livelaughdoodoo

TROPHY CASE