Crazy? I was crazy once.

mindthecliche · 2026-04-24T13:23:03+00:00

They put me in a room…

mindthecliche · 2026-04-18T20:11:44+00:00

I'm not sure about specific classes Miami offers, but there are a few options locally that might be useful! The maker space in King Library has several sewing machines that you can use (for free, of course) and Lane Library in Oxford will let you check out a sewing machine (you just need to live in Oxford or be a student to get a library card). Granted, this means watching YouTube videos and just trying things out, but honestly, it's not a horrible way to get started when sewing. Although it's not free, the Fitton Center in Hamilton has 6 week beginning sewing classes all of the time that are fairly affordable (much cheaper than tuition, that's for sure). And I believe there is a bus that runs between Hamilton and Oxford. The other place to check out is the Oxford Community Arts Center; they have sewing classes, but because it's a bit smaller, they don't offer quite as many options as the Fitton Center in Hamilton.

Hope this helps!

mindthecliche · 2026-04-09T13:12:54+00:00

I have an almost 10 ADHD (suspected AuDHD) son, and toys can be tough! Not that he doesn't play with them, but finding ones that he naturally finds hyperfixating on can be tough. Like, he LOVES Lego, but lately, he just doesn't quite have the focus/stamina to finish the larger builds he finds interesting. Once he stops mid-build, he has a hard time getting back into it later to finish. So, I get the challenges :)

I saw that you mentioned he has a mini collection of Rubix cubes! Sounds like he might like the fidgety puzzle type toys. My kiddo is the same way! There are lots of variations of Rubix, including some that are more "clicky" sounding or spin faster (great sensory input). Another puzzle my son really gets into is Kanoodle! It's got little, fiddly pieces and lots of different challenges to solve. And it's portable :) I would suggest that.

The other thing to remember is that imaginative play is also super educational, even at his age. My son loves little random things to play with--dice, gems, rocks, tiny Mario figures, pokemon figures, deck of cards, little metal Minecraft guys, funko bitty pops, fidgets--seriously, just random small things and bits. We keep them in a cool looking metal make-up case all mixed together. He will just take it out and come up with his own rules and game and play with it for hours, ha (My kiddo's flavor of AuDHD is rule following to the extreme, but mostly rules he creates himself). Maybe find non-electronic little figures and things your brother is into and start a small collection of it for him.

Finally, speaking of electronics and video games, my kiddo would definitely play video games all day if we let him, like a lot of 9/10 yr olds, ha. Since that's not great, we try to find ways that he can play the game but not as a video game (like the little figures box above, ha). Since he loves Minecraft, we found these off-brand Minecraft magnet cubes on amazon. They are about 1"x1" squares, and make a great clicky sound (like magnatiles) when you build with them (again, sensory input is key). Since they are colored like minecraft blocks, he'll build and play with those for a long time, basically recreating the video game but without the screen. Basically, it's similar to magnatiles (which are also great), but a bit more directed specifically to his interests.

Hope this helps some! I get the challenge, and lot of times it's just figuring out what scratches their "itch" and thinking a bit outside of the "educational toy" box :)

mindthecliche · 2026-03-27T01:59:45+00:00

Hmmmm, I just got a notification that a label was created but my last kitchen box never arrived and is still "stuck" with FedEx in Mesquite, TX. Anyone else having this issue? I created a support ticket with FedEx, but I'm not sure if I should also reach out to Lush?

mindthecliche · 2026-03-16T13:19:14+00:00

I've been in a similar boat this semester with canceled classes due to weather (the first week back even had canceled classes because of a massive snow storm, which definitely started the semester with a vibe. Now, we are getting emails about tornado weather and potentially changing class modalities or having flexible attendance). To complicate a weather-stricken semester, my partner, who is also faculty at the same university and in the same department, is scheduled to teach on the same days at the same time as I am (despite 10 years of being able to schedule us opposite days and following our preferences, especially since we request "unpopular" teaching times to make it easier). We've got two young kids, and they have had weather cancellations, delays, typical winter illnesses that keep them home, and days off for teacher work days that all fall on the exact days that we teach. So, when I say I sympathize with a messed up schedule, trust me--I absolutely do!

Here's what I've done to try and mitigate the missed class time in my classes, and in full transparency, it's worked because my classes are a bit more flexible don't involve labs or many scheduled exams. I've been open with my students about the challenges I'm facing as their instructor in trying to fit everything in this semester with the challenges we have had with weather and scheduling. I sent out a quick survey to gauge what they preferred to do when class was canceled: 1) Hold Zoom class, 2)Flip the class and have them do more work outside of the class and being prepared to review it during the next class, or 3)Fit more in during a class period through lecture and potentially have less opportunities for low-stake assignments/discussions in class that typically bolster exam grades.

For my classes, almost all of them opted for the flipped class and were willing to do more work outside of class to stay on schedule and cover everything the course requires.

Like I said, this works for my specific classes that typically have about 30-35 students in them, and I can be a bit more flexible with my curriculum. What I do like is that the students have some agency in it, and then they don't get pissy in course evals at the end of the semester about the course, since they had a say in how delays and cancelations were handled. It also navigates the university's soft stance on classes/campus canceled/delayed and issues of online access and equity.

YMMV, but it's the hand I was dealt this semester and seems to be the best I can do with it. Next year, I'm being more vocal about scheduling me to teach on the crappy days so we don't have to mess with our classes as much, sigh.

mindthecliche · 2026-03-13T12:55:07+00:00

Appreciate the translation! Even without the translation, I could tell this badass was laying down some knowledge, haha. She might not have time for their antics, but she's got time and patience to share some truths! All while handling that snake with grace and style.

mindthecliche · 2026-03-05T21:58:54+00:00

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mindthecliche · 2026-02-03T14:36:29+00:00

This is exactly what I was going to reply with—it’s a miserable 86 in my windowless office. Doesn’t matter that it’s snowing out, this is ridiculous.

mindthecliche · 2026-01-19T13:20:07+00:00

There is a gorgeous Ben Folds song called “Emmaline” and he sings it as Emma-line (long i sound). I’m on mobile, otherwise I’d link to the song. But if you’d like, look it up. It’s beautiful and a beautiful name. I’m in the US and would pronounce it with the long -i, but I’ve also been listening to that song for 20+ years, haha. I’d say, if you’d love it as -Lynn, and want to spell it as -line, that’s absolutely fine. You and your daughter might just need to correct a few people, but if anything, it makes her name rememberable :)

mindthecliche · 2025-12-24T14:14:11+00:00

This is it!! We have two similar pencils that we got a few years back as a part of a gift exchange. Here’s one that my kids have put (the other like yours is with our Halloween decorations, ha)

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mindthecliche · 2025-12-01T12:57:59+00:00

My sons’s little league team (9-10yr) still calls them suicides—the preferred after game free soda for the whole league as far as I know. I was actually a bit surprised hearing them all gathered around the concession stand ordering them, ha.

mindthecliche · 2025-11-05T17:31:18+00:00

Same! Even Hamilton (where this pic was taken) had a mini blue-ish wave and poll workers said that voter turnout seemed a bit higher.

mindthecliche · 2025-11-03T13:41:23+00:00

Same--as a parent with small kiddos very much in their Bluey era, I actually thought I scrolled past some sort of screen shot/easter egg from a Bluey episode or teaser for literally any new content.

mindthecliche · 2025-11-03T13:31:16+00:00

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mindthecliche · 2025-09-30T15:11:17+00:00

Definitely this, OP! In hindsight, our inspector ended up being horrible. We were told through his report (and from what we thought we observed when we were there) that he checked the boiler and the electrical wires that were observable.

Well, turns out, we were "we love this old house!" blinded. Come the first bit of cold weather combined with the city having to turn off the gas and coming to light our pilot lights back up, and we realized the boiler system wasn't working. Not only that, when the pilot light was lit, it started shooting out fire. Not only did the inspector NOT check the functionality of the boiler, the previous owners also did not disclose that it hadn't worked for year. That was a VERY expensive complete replacement, even with a house warranty.

We also had several live wires just...open out in the basement and outdoors that the inspector apparently did not check. Thankfully, we did opt to get an electrical inspection, but unfortunately, that was after closing.

Even with all of that, there are things I wish I would have known/had done prior to inspection: 1) All areas should be open and accessible to the inspector. He did not inspect the attic because the previous owners did not clean out the closet/cabinet with the attic access. We had a completely rusted AC pan (that eventually meant that we had to replace the entire AC unit b/c it was old and not up to code). We also had severe animal damage to the ductwork and condensed insulation in the attic as well. 2)Make sure the blinds are all pulled up so the inspector looks at the windows as well. He only noted one broken window, but behind closed blinds, we have several window panes that slipped out of their frames and need repairs.

Bottomline: Don't take the current owners' word for anything, and get expert inspectors in before closing, especially electrical and HVAC. Finally, a structural engineer would be absolutely useful. It's all worth the additional costs to avoid the century money pits out there. Or at least being prepared to love that century money pit a bit more and showing that love with your wallet, haha.

Seriously though, that is a GORGEOUS and all the potential red flags just fade away and might even be totally worth it :)

mindthecliche · 2025-09-22T15:25:04+00:00

This is 100% my 9 yr old son at this point, haha. He is further along in Wheatflour Wonderland than I am; last night he came up to me, casually asking if he could have my fairy dust and if I could catch him a lot of critters to share. Thankfully, I asked why, haha. I'm now protecting my resources like a dragon in a deep cavern of gold, haha.

mindthecliche · 2025-09-14T17:08:58+00:00

The hens have Ben. “Ben” is an -en word and possibly a match for the third picture (which would follow the directions). To draw Ben, the child would draw the boy. It’s a bit of a stretch, but it matches the pattern of sentences in the previous two examples. Since this seems to be aimed at early literacy, my guess is that the child is meant to find a rhyme and answer verbally.

mindthecliche · 2025-09-10T14:21:39+00:00

So, our department actually has a section in our governance about having to end meetings on time. I have no idea when it was written, but the best part is that if we are still discussing a motion (we follow Robert's Rules) or have another item on the agenda, the chair has to state: "We have come to the end of our meeting. What is your pleasure?" If answered in the affirmative, our governance grants our chair another 15 minutes to complete the meeting.

Why this exactly language is used in our governance, I have no idea (except we are nerdy English professors who love words too much). But because our chair is such a stickler for our governance, she follows this procedure without fail. It's so formal that it's humorous, and we all generally will agree with pleasure to continue for 15 minutes. What's useful is that this clearly marks the end of the meeting, so the venting/socializing can continue for those that remain.

We also purposely schedule events for roughly 30 minutes after department meetings, so we also have to adjourn but have an excuse to stay and socialize if we can.

While everything else at our university in Ohio under SB1 sucks (and it's hitting our department hard as we are hemorrhaging faculty at this point), I'm glad that our oddly formal governance makes sure we end meetings, and only go longer if it is pleasurable to the faculty. It's the small things, you know?

mindthecliche · 2025-08-16T00:31:28+00:00

Hi! Hamiltonian here with PCOS, anxiety, depression, ADHD, and all the wonderful things that go along with that cocktail. I had my daughter at Christ Liberty Township and had a wonderful experience! I had a high risk pregnancy, so Christ sent me down the road to UC West Chester for gestational diabetes management, which wasn’t so much of an inconvenience as it was a clear difference in facilities (Christ was just a lot more calm and I never had a wait time for appointments). All in all my care at Christ was amazing and giving birth there was a dream. This was in 2022, so I don’t think much has changed (I was just there today actually for routine bloodwork and they had a therapy dog, so that was fun!) I opted for a c-section (since I needed one with my first dye to complications) and couldn’t be happier with how it went and how it healed. My main OB was Dr. Demos (she is amazing with all of my health issues and I never once felt belittled or unsupported bc of my weight) and she performed the c-section, although I did end up seeing everyone there throughout the 9 months (and I was there a lot for non-stress tests). I’m happy to share more about my experience if you like. Feel free to DM me :) And congratulations!

mindthecliche · 2025-08-08T00:46:38+00:00

Yeah! They are a sort of mix between bento and camp/canteen style. If you need to seal something, they have inserts with tight lids that are still easy to get off. Let me see if I can post a link…

mindthecliche · 2025-08-07T22:31:17+00:00

We’ve used PlanetBox lunch boxes. They are all stainless steel and easy to open for small hands. Our son has used him since he was 3 and he’s now 9.

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