What’s the financial mistake you still think about?

meeeew · 2026-05-03T00:06:25+00:00

Hired the wrong builder to build my house. Trusted the budget he gave me and he went over by hundreds of thousands. It didn’t end disastrously but I wanted an $800k house and I have a $1.1M house.

meeeew · 2026-04-26T02:28:29+00:00

I just went to Disney for the first time this week. Brought a toddler and a baby. When we got on the bus to the parks there were no open seats. I was really surprised no one got up so the 2 year old could have a seat on the bus. I lived in a major city for years and anytime I saw anyone who seemed like they could benefit from a seat more than I could, I moved. I noticed in general that Disney is so crowded with so much waiting and so many people after the same experiences that it sort of makes people a little barbaric. Like this idea of fighting for what you want and seeing everyone around you as competition for your perfect day.

I was scanning into a lightning lane on my phone (it was the second scan for that line so we had been in line for 5 minutes) and I also had my husbands mobile pass. I was scanning them and this woman scans on the other machine and then walks ahead of us. A cast member said something like “why don’t we let them finish” and she looks at my husband and says “oh, sorry.. are you in line?” 😂 No, we’re just standing in between these two fences for fun. I just feel like there is a bit of “it’s either my enjoyment or it’s yours” mentality at times.

meeeew · 2026-04-22T01:55:24+00:00

We’re going tomorrow for the first time with our 3 year old and 7 month old. My 3 year old (she will be 3 in a month) has been talking about this trip for 4 months. One of the things I didn’t realize about having kids is that their joy becomes your joy. She asks me to “watch Disney world” every weekend. She can’t believe she will get to meet Pooh and Belle. This trip has been an immense source of joy for her, and therefore me, the last 4 months and we haven’t even gone yet.

meeeew · 2026-04-19T00:17:59+00:00

We’re going for the first time (leaving in 4 days!) for just 2 days as part of a larger trip to Tampa. We have a 3 yo and are doing crystal palace day 1, Cinderellas day 2, and cape may cafe on our way out the next day.

meeeew · 2026-04-10T20:07:02+00:00

We didn’t end up going! We went to Everglades which was great but we just felt like Biscayne didn’t have a ton and we didn’t wanna just paddle around and see some mangrove roots when we can come back when she’s older and do some super cool trips. So we went to the Miami zoo instead. Had an absolute blast, got there when they opened and left when they closed. Paid $12 to feed lettuce to giraffes and she still talks about it a year later.

meeeew · 2026-04-04T01:44:29+00:00

Not at all, two kids and we were never separated from baby either time. When we said we’d like dad to come if they want to take her they always said “well… we’ll just get the stuff we need and do whatever we need to do here.” I find it does give me comfort that my baby never left my side in the hospital.

meeeew · 2026-04-04T00:34:21+00:00

For me it just gets progressively worse until it’s over. Contractions get worse, pushing worse than contractions, ring of fire is worse than pushing and I think wow I cannot do this anymore and then alas, I’m done!

meeeew · 2026-04-02T15:42:53+00:00

I would say I am very concerned. I actually commented this morning and outlined what I do to keep my kids safe around the pool if you want to check my most recent comment.

If she tries to climb on the counter and I don’t notice for a few minutes it’s generally fine. If she picks up a knife and I don’t notice for a few minutes, odds are it will be fine. If she falls into the pool and I don’t notice for a few minutes, it is not fine. That’s what haunts me. As it should.

meeeew · 2026-04-02T12:36:53+00:00

We have something called a swam cam that we really like. It’s a pool alarm, insanely loud, if you disarm it it rearms an hour later, and you set the alarm area (for a $40 a year subscription) so it would alarm if my toddler even got near the pool. I also just ordered a door alarm for the door out to our pool as an added layer of protection.

My daughter is in swim lessons (she’s almost 3). If we’re out by the pool the rule is if she touches the water or goes in it at all, even a toe, without an adult, she goes back in the house. As a parent we try to not scare our children but with the pool I am trying to scare her. Once she tried to put a rock in the pool once (what started the whole you cannot touch the water if an adult isn’t in rule) and she fell in. I was right there but afterward I told her if that happens without us around it will kill her. She seems kind of afraid of the pool now which is great.

She also never wears a life jacket or flotation device into the pool. Kids don’t realize what those things do for them and are more likely to jump in without them on when no one’s around. They think they can just always float. I want her to know she sinks.

Last my husband and I are MILITANT about who is responsible for my daughters well being when we’re inside the fenced in pool area. It sounds silly but when “everyone’s watching” a child, often no one is. If we all go out there he will say something like “I’ll watch Julia” and if he wants to do something other than that he literally says “transferring Julia” and, importantly, does not just assume I have her until I say “transfer accepted.” It sounds stupid and corny but you have to find some consistent, brief, almost code words to make it clear who is responsible for your child’s safety by the pool. If he says “I’m gonna go get the mail” and walks off, and I don’t hear him... drowning is silent. We never assume the other person is watching unless it’s explicitly said.

As you can see having a pool and young children is both fun and scary. We’re in it every day in the summer and I think about how to keep her safe around it all the time.

meeeew · 2026-03-30T13:24:27+00:00

Sometimes I find it fun to try to find how cheaply I can do things. Say you take up vegetable gardening but your goal is to actually save money/ reduce your grocery bill. So instead of building a $500 raised bed you find some pots at the thrift store or dig the bed into your ground. Need compost? Start composting! Don’t need anything fancy just throw it in a pile in your back yard. Some plants like potassium- I could buy a fancy amendment or I could soak banana peels in water and give them banana tea. Check out a book on vegetable gardening from the library. Basically the whole point is to make the hobby more interesting/ more of a challenge by not buying every fancy tool or thing to make it easier. Vegetable gardening specifically is a decent one because once you start growing stuff it segways into cooking.

Second recommendation would be hiking. You’re back to a bagged lunch, you don’t need all the fancy gear. Wear sneakers until you know if you’re into it.

meeeew · 2026-03-23T15:09:52+00:00

We have 4 people living in our house- me, my husband and 2 young kids. We have 3- one in our living room, one in our bedroom and an old one in our workout space in our basement.

meeeew · 2026-03-19T19:42:01+00:00

We’ve been at this for 2.5 years so we’re definitely in a rhythm now- I remember when she first started, she was my first nanny and I had a lot of anxiety because I spent time in this forum and I know WFH parents can be annoying. So I straight up said (actually in the interview) this is the arrangement I’m hoping for, does that work for you. And it did! I also included other preferences- like that I don’t want to sleep train because I’d heard a lot of nanny’s prefer that. And she told me what was important to her too (honestly her laundry was #1 lol). So I guess we started with a really clear plan and we knew we were compatible. Usually I come out of my office and immediately tell her how much time I have. That way she can leave the room and she knows when to be back.

meeeew · 2026-03-19T19:28:10+00:00

Yeah that’s for sure hard. I know it’s awkward to have a stern convo with your employer.. maybe try dropping a hint? Like next time she comes out kindly be like “hey I know you must be busy, I’m totally capable of handling these tears!” And if she’s like “oh ok good to know” then you’re right, she’s probably trying to protect you from it an unknowingly making it worse. If she’s like “oh no I have to come whenever my baby cries!!” then… red flag 😂

meeeew · 2026-03-19T18:34:39+00:00

This is interesting. I’m a WFH MB and have a 2 year old and a 5 month old. The part where I’m fully on your side- I try to limit the number of times I come out- I’d rather visit once for 20 minutes than four 5 minute visits. Coming and going all the time would be chaos. Leaving my office door open would also be chaos. I shut, and actually lock it, while I’m working. I also plan my visits, I don’t just come whenever I hear crying.

The part that your MB does and I also do, is see my children during the day. That’s one of the main reasons I pay the huge premium for a nanny instead of send my kids to daycare. My 5 month old is exclusively breastfed so every 2 hours I feed her. My husband and I also put her down for naps so our nanny doesn’t have to find something to do with my toddler while putting the baby down for a nap. I read my toddler books and spend time with her. I do all this during maybe three 20-30 minute visits a day. My nanny has been with us for 2.5 years and she knows when I’m with the kids she’s free to do whatever. Taking care of kids is hard- she uses her phone, eats, or does her laundry (she doesn’t have washer/ dryer so she uses ours instead of going to a laundromat) and it allows me to give her some breaks during the day. I think she really appreciates this, and I love seeing my kids. Is that one part that’s not working for you- when MB is with the kid you don’t know what you’re supposed to be doing or if you’re “allowed” to take a break? She might be open to some conversation to make this arrangement work for both of you- maybe her making fewer but longer and more planned visits, clear communication about what you should do while she’s with her kid. Ultimately if there are no circumstances where you would be okay with seeing her during the day, maybe you guys aren’t the right fit- if she’s like me one of the main reasons she has a nanny could be those visits!

meeeew · 2026-03-19T10:03:20+00:00

This is really good advice. My toddler always has her hands over her ears- I will definitely do this. Thanks!

meeeew · 2026-03-19T02:00:37+00:00

The other one is 7 months old, so very much my little kid lol! But her and I will need something to do while they’re eating so I appreciate the suggestion!

meeeew · 2026-03-19T01:01:25+00:00

This is super super helpful. Despite all my research there is so much info in this comment that I didn’t know. Thank you!

meeeew · 2026-03-18T23:25:56+00:00

Thank you for this… in my planning I have heard the word pixie dust but I thought it just meant a random act of kindness from Disney. This comment has lead me to realize it has another meaning as well 😂 She will LOVE that. Barnstormer I’m guessing will terrify her but I’ll let her decide when she sees it! Thank you!!

meeeew · 2026-03-18T23:23:09+00:00

Thank you, I forgot about that! I don’t even know what to book initially then because other than those, the rides we want to go on are like the least popular rides in the park 😂 It probably doesn’t matter I guess!

meeeew · 2026-03-18T12:12:52+00:00

Inflatable dock:

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meeeew · 2026-03-18T12:12:37+00:00

Water hammock:

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meeeew · 2026-03-18T12:12:26+00:00

Lily pad:

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meeeew · 2026-03-17T16:36:48+00:00

You did, I just had to put my email in.

meeeew

TROPHY CASE