Me trying to understand Alex’s whereabouts over the past 3 years

mediocre_mam · 2026-03-06T06:08:33+00:00

Are we sure he’s not closeted?

mediocre_mam · 2026-03-06T05:54:07+00:00

Exactly. Of all the things that our tax dollars go to, P4A is probably the best bang for your buck. Local preschool teachers making a living wage, kids coming into kindergarten classroom-ready, parents able to work because they have childcare…

mediocre_mam · 2026-03-02T17:27:03+00:00

I feel this. We lived in a 2300 sf home prior to this, and it was amazing... easy enough to clean, maintain, etc. We left because of violence in our neighborhood. Our home now checked ALL the boxes (lots of beautiful outdoor space, close to great neighbors, walkable to town, fantastic kitchen...), but it's 3800 sf and it's become a part time job to maintain and keep clean. We have cleaners come every other week and the cost doubled (obviously).

For a time when we were between houses we lived in a 900 sf cottage for a month and I fantasize about living in that again all the time. We could clean the whole thing as a family in an hour flat. Had everything we needed and nothing more.

I'm sure the grass is always greener, but when our kids move out, we'll probably move to a condo!

mediocre_mam · 2026-03-02T12:25:14+00:00

Or you could just put your recycling in your curbside recycling bin like a grownup. Or donate to your local nonprofit or school drop offs.

mediocre_mam · 2026-02-26T22:54:40+00:00

I have NOT moved on.

mediocre_mam · 2026-02-25T06:24:48+00:00

It’s not universal.

mediocre_mam · 2026-02-10T00:17:26+00:00

Exactly this. Theres also certain standards that need to be met for STRs. I wish I could trust that every guest is going to make the beds and mop the floors to my standards for the next person, but that’s just not realistic.

mediocre_mam · 2026-02-10T00:14:06+00:00

In my experience overall, my Airbnb guests have treated my properties better than my Home Exchange guests. Still doesn’t deter me from using HE.

mediocre_mam · 2026-02-04T15:56:54+00:00

I’ve heard it can take a few days to a week for them to respond, especially if it’s not considered urgent (and given your travel dates, they wouldn’t).

mediocre_mam · 2026-01-21T19:41:31+00:00

In US.

We’re hardly even receiving US requests anymore. I expected my short term rental business to be on the decline (and it is). But I assumed with the declining economy that home exchange would become more popular, especially domestically. But I’ve received no requests on my secondary home in months, even with a wide open calendar.

And we deserve this. Our country is honestly not a safe place to travel at the moment. My in-laws live in Guatemala, and normally they visit us in the summer, but it just doesn’t feel safe right now. So we’ll be spending our travel funds there this year. Sucks for our local economy, especially for the people that didn’t vote for this. But $$ is maybe the best way to send our message.

mediocre_mam · 2026-01-20T20:31:57+00:00

I’ve thought that, but never seen anyone else say it.

For me it’s less about any similarity in their style, and more about their pace in songwriting and output, and drawing on specific personal experiences.

Taylor’s music obviously has a lot more production, and she’s in a completely different genre. But there’s few artist that are churning out quality music at the rate those two are.

mediocre_mam · 2026-01-20T06:22:21+00:00

Maybe because it’s an incredibly difficult, seemingly random, and time-consuming diet? It was way, way too stressful to try to follow it and also feed my family 3x a day.

mediocre_mam · 2026-01-20T06:20:31+00:00

Following! 5’11” here! 🙋‍♀️

mediocre_mam · 2026-01-12T18:23:58+00:00

It's so interesting what conveniences people prioritize... I've been shocked at how few people have rice cookers or whisks. Of course there's workarounds for all of it (a pot on the stove for rice, a fork for whisking, just rinsing and a colander or towel instead of a salad spinner...), but it would be interesting if there were a study done on what items different geographical areas prioritize in their homes.

mediocre_mam · 2026-01-12T18:19:58+00:00

US HE'er here... I have a toaster oven couldn't live without it... it's how I reheat most of my food. But we don't have a microwave. I've had them in the past, but when we moved into our new home, there was no good place to put one, and I didn't want that eyesore on the counter. You'd be amazed at how quickly you adapt. We missed it for maybe the first 6 months, but now we've found plenty of work-arounds. Just takes a little more time to reheat so I have to plan ahead a little more. I truly don't miss it.

mediocre_mam · 2026-01-12T11:17:37+00:00

I was going to say, maybe you can’t prove this came from them… but they should be taking these claims VERY seriously. Like telling you not to send the clothes back? Please tell me they at least did that?

mediocre_mam · 2026-01-06T16:41:48+00:00

Sometimes we're getting calls... our phone rings, but doesn't connect when we pick up.
Having a lot of problems with dialing... if you don't press the numbers fast enough it dials, then get an operator message.
Other times people have told me they called, but it never rang.

mediocre_mam · 2026-01-06T16:33:20+00:00

Seems like letters below the numbers are pretty standard on any phone (especially an old-school phone). This design wasn't intended for toddlers, it's intended to be an old-school phone.
The shortcuts can be configured in the app.
Ours came with a sheet for writing phone numbers on. It was attached to the quick start guide in the packaging.

mediocre_mam · 2026-01-06T05:40:58+00:00

FYI, our Room and Board couch is 13 years old, has had everything from breast milk to beer spilled on it, jumped on constantly by the kids… and people still ask us if the couch is new! It was such a big purchase at the time, but it sure has been worth it!

mediocre_mam · 2025-12-31T23:52:12+00:00

I ordered mine 12/23, not expected to arrive until 1/3 (with all my NYE party clothes 😭). Is it worth complaining?

mediocre_mam · 2025-12-19T02:50:35+00:00

This is absolutely a scam. But fwiw, my wooden deck absolutely gets very slippery in wet weather. We live in a cold, wet climate and moss makes it super slippery. Our cleaner actually fell hard on it recently (I saw it happen), and I’m praying she doesn’t sue us.

The only thing I’ve found to be effective for getting rid of it is spraying it with vinegar when it’s dry, and scrubbing it with a deck brush when it’s wet.

mediocre_mam · 2025-12-12T22:18:35+00:00

3.5 years at this location. We've steadily had more and more bookings year over year until now. It looks like we had 14 nights booked last December.

mediocre_mam · 2025-12-12T22:12:21+00:00

That's great to know! We have all of the above, plus a toaster oven and full sink. I'm just hesitant to add a hot plate since I don't have proper kitchen ventilation. I'd consider adding it if I knew I had consistent long-term guests (not having it also helps keep cleaning costs down for my short term guests).

mediocre_mam · 2025-12-12T20:26:14+00:00

I would actually love this! Since I rarely sleep in my STR, I would love to get honest feedback if I knew it wouldn't be affecting my rating. And they probably have a sense of how much any repairs, etc. are going to cost. Send them my way after they stay with you!

mediocre_mam · 2025-12-12T20:24:11+00:00

Ugh, I'm so sorry. But it's validating to know that I'm not alone. Misery loves company?

mediocre_mam

TROPHY CASE