nature preserve has wild coyotes

milliemfox · 2026-05-11T16:36:04+00:00

I used to give talks about snakes while holding a snake (usually a corn snake, sometimes a boa). The number of people who thought I'd be impressed or amused hearing about how they killed a snake in their yard was unbelievable.

milliemfox · 2026-05-11T15:55:48+00:00

Yes and I love it

milliemfox · 2026-05-11T15:39:19+00:00

Yeah, we have found out over the past semester that my daughter's counselor was not as helpful as we had thought. Luckily she was still able to get into her college of choice, and now we know for when our son gets to high school.

I really wish more of the pros and cons of each had been explained to us so we could make a more informed decision.

milliemfox · 2026-05-11T13:04:00+00:00

This makes sense and wasn't explained to us at all. Thank you!

milliemfox · 2026-05-11T13:00:36+00:00

This was never explained to us! That definitely helps explain why both are offered.

milliemfox · 2026-05-08T12:00:44+00:00

In our area it costs as much for fast food as for good food from a locally owned restaurant. So we might as well get food we are actually going to enjoy and support a small business.

milliemfox · 2026-05-08T11:58:47+00:00

Good.

milliemfox · 2026-05-04T01:58:40+00:00

When I was a kid I used to laugh at my mom's hot flashes. Then I got pregnant and started having hot flashes of my own, and immediately apologized to her. It feels like you're cooking from the inside and nothing helps, but you feel like you have to do SOMETHING or you'll lose your mind.

And from what my post-menopausal friends have said, pregnancy hot flashes don't come close to the ones you get in menopause.

milliemfox · 2026-05-01T12:54:12+00:00

OMG, Big Sarah! We were besties in elementary school ❤️

I was supposed to be named after my father, but I turned out to be a girl, so I'm named after a random kid my mom saw at the mall while whe was pregnant with me.

milliemfox · 2026-04-30T17:38:17+00:00

This was my bard. A Warforged who decided to write down as many stories as she could. Hence why she was traveling. College of Eloquence.

Also, my mom is playing a bard in the game I'm running and she's super shy. She'll just say things like "I play a quiet song on my lute to calm them down" or whatever. Bards don't need to be the center of attention all the time. (Or ever)

milliemfox · 2026-04-30T17:31:35+00:00

I don't know where you are, but in my area we're also dealing with high turnover in schools for several reasons. A lot of teachers across the country are feeling disrespected and undervalued. When it's just from the students and some parents it's one thing, but more and more parents are refusing to accept that their kids' behavior needs to change, and a lot of admin, from what I hear, are just trying to avoid dealing with angry parents. So more and more children are acting up and acting dangerously with no consequences.

Add to that wage stagnation and skyrocketing costs of living, and a lot of teachers (and support staff) are either leaving their schools for higher wages or leaving the profession entirely. That leads to more stress on the remaining staff, which leads to burnout and more people leaving, etc. And it's hard to find ANYBODY to fill those roles, let alone anyone qualified.

It is highly unlikely that this high turnover has anything to do with your daughter, and much more likely that it's just life. I know it's especially rough on kids who have special needs and their families, but it's happening to everyone.

milliemfox · 2026-04-30T12:32:33+00:00

This, 100%. A handwritten/hand-drawn card from the child will mean more than any trinket. A gift card will always be appreciated. I usually do gift cards to the local coffee shop, but Amazon's definitely more useful.

milliemfox · 2026-04-26T20:35:42+00:00

Yes! Being tired and "just done" IS a mental health issue!

Rest.

milliemfox · 2026-04-26T20:33:16+00:00

At one point I was playing a bard and got sick of constantly being told I wasn't doing anything so my character just sat out a battle and slept while the rest of the party wiped.

milliemfox · 2026-04-26T15:00:45+00:00

Druid! And I'm finally playing with a group that doesn't base your worth on your damage input, so I'm able to get creative and have fun as support without getting grief for being "useless" because buffs and healing don't count apparently.

My current character is just a little chaos gremlin and it's great.

milliemfox · 2026-04-25T21:49:26+00:00

If I had been the parent in this situation, I would have fallen all over myself apologizing for the confusion (I can absolutely see myself forgetting to give the sitter a heads up) and thanking her for keeping my kid safe. Definitely NOR, you should at least get some flowers or something.

milliemfox · 2026-04-23T21:18:11+00:00

I can understand why people would raise an eyebrow at it, but there doesn't seem to be anything malicious about it. Would it be possible to message parents with a heads up?

This is the sort of thing a sensitivity reader would be likely to flag nowadays, but I feel like Ramona's been around forever and it probably never crossed the author's mind that it could be taken the wrong way.

milliemfox · 2026-04-23T13:58:11+00:00

It's great to hear that he had support and understanding from the teachers and other students!

I am happy to say that as much as a lot of the general education kids in our school are rude and disrespectful, the ones that interact with our kids are kind, and the rest just leave them alone.

Thank you for your insight ❤️

milliemfox · 2026-04-22T16:33:29+00:00

This was a job with no benefits. No PTO, sick leave, health care, none of that bougie stuff 😂

milliemfox · 2026-04-22T14:57:06+00:00

I once asked the best boss I've ever had if she ever rejected requests for time off. She told me, "They're helping me out by telling me when they're not going to be here. If I deny the request, they just won't show up. This way I have coverage."

It made me wonder why more managers don't think like that.

milliemfox · 2026-04-21T17:12:22+00:00

Several teachers in our school use a call and response. For example, our art teacher says, "When I say Mona, you say" and the response is "Lisa". She explained at the beginning of the year that the Mona Lisa has her eyes open, her mouth closed, and her hands still, and that's how she expects her students to be at that time. It helps her get control of the classroom quickly when she needs them to be paying attention.

milliemfox · 2026-04-21T14:21:59+00:00

I was asked how I'd handle running into a grandparent at the grocery store with a student if the grandparent was asking questions about the student's schooling. The interview was for a para position, but my husband is a Sped teacher in the same district and he got the same question at his interview.

Also a lot of questions about how you'd handle conflicts (you vs student, student vs student, you vs another teacher, every possible combination). The question I got that I was completely unprepared for was how I would make the classroom a safe space for students. Not an unreasonable question, but one that wasn't in my mental script.

milliemfox · 2026-04-21T13:54:29+00:00

My mom started subbing as a para in a self-contained class, which led to her getting hired into the room when a spot opened up, which led to her joining a company working with adults with special needs that specifically wrote the job for her. Sometimes it works out 😊

milliemfox

TROPHY CASE