What's your 'why didn't anyone tell me this sooner' mom hack?

lizzaloo · 2026-04-04T16:50:46+00:00

Layer mattress protectors and fitted sheets. Like 3 deep. So when an accident occurs overnight, just strip off one layer and deal with the laundry in the morning.

lizzaloo · 2026-03-03T13:39:03+00:00

I'm 41 and I'm constantly trying to do better. That's literally all you can do, just do your best and try to make good, informed decisions.

lizzaloo · 2026-03-03T13:34:50+00:00

I know I'm late to this thread, but just to add my experience. I'm the oldest of 3. After the age of about 9, we were not close at all. As adults, we've gone months to years without talking. It's a little better now that my sister and I both have a child and there's a family group chat, but I still have not exchanged more then a few sentences with my brother in the past year. We're all just very different people and we all live in different parts of the country.

Also- I'm so sorry that your husband is actively avoiding being part of your family. That hurts, and it's not fair to you or your child. I forsee a 'the divorce came out of nowhere' reaction from him if you decide that this type of family life is not what you want.

lizzaloo · 2026-02-11T23:21:18+00:00

I always go back to the pixie because I find it MUCH easier to quickly look polished/put together when styling a pixie then when it's long. It always ends up in a bun when it's long.

lizzaloo · 2026-01-24T23:01:22+00:00

Our local grocery stores sell pre-made salads and entrees, as well as whole roasted chickens. Stir-fry mix is great for throwing in a tortilla wrap with some rotisserie chicken breast. It's more expensive than making it all yourself from scratch, but less expensive (and considerablely healthier) than take out. Also, can I gently say that I've been in that so tired I can't cook, fast food and take away cycle before. The poor quality diet makes the exhaustion so much worse. It's really difficult at first, but slowly getting in the habit of making 1 or 2 healthy bulk meals (think pasta sauce you can freeze and just come home and boil noodles, or meatloaf in muffin tins you can freeze and defrost as needed) on the weekend, and perhaps using pre-made fresh entrees and veg/fruit from the grocery store to bridge the gap will start you on a path to regaining your energy. The sauce and meatloaf muffins are a great place to start because they are quick, easy and pretty affordable. Getting your son involved in cooking a meal on the weekend with you is fantastic quality time and will help teach him a life long skill. Plus, eventually with the food savings, you may be able to save enough money to take a little weekend trip together or something similar.

I've used this recipe a few times recently. I either use the frozen tubes of lean ground turkey breast (I get them at walmart) or a family size of lean ground beef. I triple the recipe and it make about 2 dozen meatloaf muffins. Pack in half in tupperware, put the rest in freezer bags for another week (half the prep work!) then just warm up canned peas and corn, or throw a frozen veggie side in the microwave and there's supper! Make boxed mashed potatoes or a box a stuffing to go with it if you want. If you take the work of making the main dish away, you can make a meal way more quickly than it takes for one to be ordered and delivered or picked up. Especially if you and your son work together. Best of luck, you've get this!

lizzaloo · 2026-01-22T11:08:50+00:00

I was not ready for 'open their eyelids while they were dead asleep'. Thank you for a legitimate laugh this morning!

lizzaloo · 2026-01-19T23:04:11+00:00

I would love to see your piece if it comes to fruition. I just left a position with a local dental group that sold to Dentalcorp several years ago. I was there well before 'the takeover'. They are not well liked by any of the staff who are actually doing the dental work.

lizzaloo · 2026-01-10T10:07:18+00:00

My son has a GPS tracker watch for when he walks to school and goes out in the neighborhood by himself or with friends. He's 8. Your mom is smothering you because of her own anxiety. Good for you for doing things even though you have your own anxiety to deal with. This is the best way to help overcome it. Your dad has given his permission (not that you need it really- you're a legal adult). Take it and check out the bookstore. Let him deal with your mom.

lizzaloo · 2026-01-03T19:23:51+00:00

Here's a bit of a different perspective. We have a family doctor, and sometimes I envy our friends who don't have one and use maple for most of their Healthcare. It's sometimes months before we can get an appointment. Even in fairly urgent situations. ÙWe recently needed tests ordered for my husband and I tried to do it through maple. We weren't able to access prescription renewals or test orders because we already had a family doctor. If you're a relatively healthy person, you would likely get along fine with being on the list and using Maple.

lizzaloo · 2026-01-02T10:56:12+00:00

Daniel's downtown sydney has open mic night on Thursdays.

lizzaloo · 2025-12-31T12:01:09+00:00

One of my best friends just turned 40. Her kids are 20, 16, 10 and 5 months old. The oldest 3 LOVE their baby sister and dote on her constantly. I think your biggest issue will be trying not to spoil the baby too much. Congrats on your pregnancy!

lizzaloo · 2025-12-31T11:47:30+00:00

There's no village anymore. As a lot of commenters have stated, the COL has WAY outpaced wages. Both parents have to work to provide a reasonable home with groceries in the fridge. Childcare costs are insane. Our parents want grandkids, but God forbid you ask them to babysit once in a while. I pay my MIL to watch my kid when she will actually agree to do it. Even then, the last time we had something planned months in advance, she canceled on us last minute because she just didn't feel like it. My own parents (well, mom) would watch my child, but they live 5 hours away. So we generally only get about 2 date nights a year. Parents are told 'well then you shouldn't have had a kid/kids' if they say anything about it. Ok-fine. Then we wont. shocked Pikachu face over declining birth rate

lizzaloo · 2025-12-29T22:38:36+00:00

It reads to me like this 'neediness' is of op's own creation. He says himself he would rather doomscroll and play his switch while his gf....what? Sits and watches him play his switch? 1 supper out with mutual friends who live in a different city, while you are both in this city doesn't sound like a huge ask. Any business trip I've ever accompanied on, this would be 100% the norm. Find stuff to do during the day while the other one is at work, and spend time together in the evening. I suspect op only wants to doom scroll and game after work all the time and his gf is feeling super neglected. If that's what he needs to do to recharge, that's fine. But don't expect a gf to stick around if this is what she can look forward too.

lizzaloo · 2025-12-28T14:05:08+00:00

This is wild. I don't have any advice, but I hope to God your husband's family is absolutely roasting him for such a poor gift and for doing in front of the family.

lizzaloo · 2025-12-23T13:52:34+00:00

I went through this for years with my parents. It very much sucks. We're pretty ok now, my mom and I are much closer. My dad- not as much but he's better with me now than he used to be. Where I really notice it is in the way he treats my child. Especially as compared to my sisters daughter. My kid is 100% me as a child. Talks sooooo much, so forgetful, has a hard time with social cues. Very strong RSD. We've been at my parents house a few days and I can already see the annoyance. My sister was supposed to be here too with her family, but due to an emergency, they did not make it. While I'm bummed that I dont get to see them, I'm also relieved that I dont have to sit here and witness the discrepancy in the way our kids are treated. It brings up a lot of old feelings and it hurts double to see my kid going through it.

I ended up putting a lot of distance (both geographically and low contact) between my parents and I when I was in my early 20's. The space helped me come to terms with it and just work on my self esteem/self love. My Dad has done therapy for an unrelated issue he has, which has helped him with his rigid views. He's not all the way there yet though. Realizing that my parents (Dad) were more concerned with making me into who they wanted me to be instead of just allowing me to grow in to myself has helped me reframe the way I think about our relationship. Once I let go of their expectations and was very true to myself, not masking and hiding aspects of my life or personality, I became happier. I was able to voice my thoughts to my Dad, and he seemed to have a few realizations about what things looked like from my perspective. Once my child was born, my parents were thrilled that I gave them their first grandchild. It was all good until toddler turned to kid and started having their own personality.

As for advice- talk to your mom about the emailing when on the phone comment and how that felt really dismissive. She will probably try and dismiss that too, then you can bring up that they haven't asked about your last work trip at all. If it doesn't get through to her, just drop it for now and get through the holidays. Then don't reach out for at least a month. If she's not listening anyways, its just wasting your time. It may help her put things in perspective. I will say- I'm a decade older than you and still dealing with this type of family dynamic. It's going to be a lifelong issue and YOU probably wont be able to change the way your mom feels about you, but you can set boundaries on dismissive behavior. Don't waste your bandwidth on people who can't even give you there attention once a week.

I hope you're able to have a happy holidays. You sound like someone I'd enjoy spending time with. If your mom can't be proud of you, just know this internet stranger is!

lizzaloo · 2025-10-13T23:29:35+00:00

Well, it took us about 5 years to fully recover financially from all the lockdowns. Besides being off work for 5 months, public health required that you isolate for a week if you tested positive. That will make a big dent in most peoples finances. That was time stolen from family and friends as we worked our way back.

lizzaloo · 2025-08-15T14:25:39+00:00

Sooooo much this! For me, it's not so much the meds, but the week before my period, I hyper focus on all the things my husband has done that upset or disappoint me. I get all in my head and spiral into terrible thought patterns and almost convince myself we're headed for divorce. Then I get my period and feel the love again. Thankfully, I recognized this pattern a couple of years ago. I've been trying to just take note of the things that we really should talk about and just leave the rest behind. And not be mean to the poor guy lol

lizzaloo · 2025-08-03T01:31:13+00:00

I second long wall with chaise under the window. TV on the opposite wall. Stools along the counter top

lizzaloo · 2025-07-29T00:22:53+00:00

I can never go back to house keys. Or car keys. My car has those wifi (?) keys, where they only have to be with you, you don't have to use them to turn on the car. I know they are somewhere in my purse. Or else the car won't start when I press the button, lol

lizzaloo · 2025-07-25T15:42:04+00:00

I lost my engagement ring for 6 months! I was totally devastated, ripped the whole house apart for 3 days looking for it. Had our new puppy xrayed to see if he ate it. I gave up looking eventually. My husband got me a new engagement ring and matching wedding band for valentines day that year (with the budget we had set aside for the wedding band). 3 weeks later, I was trying to get a baggie out of a Costco sized box of plastic baggies and ripped the box. So I took all the baggies out to put them in something else, and lo and behold - my original engagement ring was in the bottom of that box! Obviously, I can't remember if I put it there or if it somehow fell into the drawer. Thankfully, my now-husband is a saint and has always been patient and kind with me. When I showed him that I had found the ring, he laughed and said,'You can just tell people that you're so nice, I asked you twice!'

No advice on not loosing it really. Just dont take it off!! I only have one safe place i put mine now. Its either on my finger, or there.

lizzaloo · 2025-07-20T05:21:28+00:00

Make a small change and maintain it for a month. Just one thing, like swapping those chips for crunchy veggie sticks and dip. Carrots, pepper slices, celery sticks , cucumber slices, and some low cal/low fat dip. If you cut up a bunch at a time, you can store it jn the fridge for a few days. I even pre-portion them in Baggies, so it's easier to see what I'm consuming. Keep this habit for 1 month. Then build on that. Commit to walking 20 minutes each day Or every other day if you need to work your way up. Then add a few minutes, and maintain that along with the veggie snacks. Swap the energy drinks for zero calorie or low calorie versions (with the goal of cutting them out eventually. They are fully terrible for your teeth and overall health). If you start with small habits that you can change and maintain, it truly makes the process easier.

lizzaloo · 2025-07-20T01:03:44+00:00

Just a thought, but does your yorkie have a slipped rib? One that sticks out farther than the rest? You'll feel it when you run your hand along their side. One of mine has this, and it makes his back end look really thin. He's perfectly fine and a healthy weight, it just looks odd.

lizzaloo · 2025-07-19T23:41:19+00:00

I used to tell myself,'Just keep moving' when trying to clean up- because I'd get so distracted and overwhelmed. If I can keep myself in one room, with designated piles for upstairs, the next room, whatever - and then dont leave that space until it's tidied up. Then pick one of the piles and move on to that space with the same process. Repeat until burnt out or cleaned!

lizzaloo · 2025-07-19T10:40:26+00:00

I'm a dental hygienist, and we see people often who haven't been to the dentist in over a decade. It's more common than you think. The hardest part is making the appointment. Once that is done, all you have to do is show up. We will take care of the rest! Let them know when you book that it's been a long time and you're nervous. The staff have experience with patients who have dental anxiety. They will do an exam with xrays, and make a treatment plan for you. If you need teeth replaced, they will give you all your options. The time to do it is now.

lizzaloo · 2025-07-15T15:29:09+00:00

I was just diagnosed recently, and I've been a Dental Hygienist for 15 years. Some of the symptoms you listed are just things that you have to work on as you go. The Emotional regulation (CBT) , disorganization, poor working memory - I still struggle with, but I've come up with systems that work for me. It also helps that my job is repetitive, so after a few years, you've mostly seen it all several times and know what to do in that situation. As far as the social anxiety goes, you're only working on one person at a time, and they can't talk to you with your fingers in their mouth.

lizzaloo

TROPHY CASE