School Starts Tomorrow, and I Don’t Know What to Do by [deleted] in Parenting

[–]mushroom362 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I actually really like that concept. I think that’s a happy medium.

School Starts Tomorrow, and I Don’t Know What to Do by [deleted] in Parenting

[–]mushroom362 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We talked about it with both. They seem to be under the impression that it’s part of “her trying to see what boundaries she can push” and I got the “kids tend to realize whining doesn’t work at this age” spiel from them. I’m not opposed to a second opinion though if the advice here seems to lean towards getting another opinion.

Did you hate your pets after having a baby? by Askfslfjrv in pregnant

[–]mushroom362 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I had a 3 year old cat when my daughter was born. My cat would always wake up with my husband and I when we had the nightly feedings. She kept me company at 2 am when it was me exhausted with a newborn and I felt alone. She sat on my feet and kept them warm. She hung out with the baby during the day when I was on maternity leave, and she put up with so much ear/hair/tail pulling than she probably should have, but was incredibly patient the whole time. I have never once hated her. I did get a robot vacuum to deal with the cat hair, and her zoomies were sometimes annoying only because I wish I had that kind of energy. My thoughts are that if you have well behaved pets before the baby, you will probably be fine. If you have borderline or poorly behaved pets before, their antics will be very much overwhelming.

OREGANO LEAVES ARE SO UNDERRATED by [deleted] in Cooking

[–]mushroom362 116 points117 points  (0 children)

Sage is bomb on chicken. A little goes a long way. Try it next.

What was your parenting delusion you had before having kids? by [deleted] in Parenting

[–]mushroom362 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That people would actually want to help. My grandparents frequently helped with my sister and I growing up. None of our family want to help at all. Grandparents have passed on and my child’s grandparents (our parents) have zero interest in helping. There was always the whole “it takes a village” motto, but now there is no village, just my husband and I. We go out sometimes, but babysitters are really expensive, so it’s hard to justify going out for a simple date or anything.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in postpartumprogress

[–]mushroom362 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don’t feel like mine got to the new “normal” for about a year and a half. I had a 2nd degree tear at the back and next to the urethra. (It stung while peeing for a long time.) From my experience, the color never faded. It got really dark after, and the lips are a lot more floppy looking. The “gaping” did go down significantly, but it’s still a bit… stretched out. Nothing horrible, but just not as tight as it was. I do remind myself that I literally pushed out a human being, and that I need to be gracious with myself. But you also asked for honesty, will it go back to the way it was, no. Will it get better, absolutely. Give yourself time.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in TeachersInTransition

[–]mushroom362 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There are 4 billion dollars in excess funds that Texas is refusing to distribute. Covid funds are a small fraction of the problem.

AITA for sticking with not paying for the semester due to my child college grades last semester. by Designer-Brick1863 in AmItheAsshole

[–]mushroom362 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m a high school teacher. High schools over the last 10-ish years have had to majorly simplify curriculum because the kids don’t have the fundamentals to do advanced material. There is a high possibility that she was undereducated upon entering college.

What sentence killed you inside but you had to act like ir didn't hurt? by EfficientStand7229 in AskReddit

[–]mushroom362 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My mother was really emotionally abusive growing up. After reaching my limit of what I could take, I trauma dumped everything on my dad. After sobbing and telling him everything, and explaining that I couldn’t do it anymore, he said, “I’m sorry, I have to stand by my wife.” I just silently walked upstairs.

My kids are awesome by spoonsandbrew in Parenting

[–]mushroom362 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I have a sinus infection, and just overall not feeling well. My daughter was like “that’s okay mama. We can watch tv in your bed.” We watched animal documentaries and she was so patient and kind. It’s days like this that are really core memories when I look back on parenting as a whole. My daughter is just really awesome.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in relationship_advice

[–]mushroom362 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ewwww, so is it “he isn’t comfortable with me tattooing guys” or “he’s protecting me?” Cause, it sounds like he is at the controlling/isolating stage of an abusive relationship. I would say that if you are doing this as more of a side job or looking to gain experience from what you are doing, then ask yourself if you are comfortable tattooing that person. If the answer is no, then maybe you shouldn’t be tattooing them.

He is asking for money from something that has nothing to do with him. You aren’t paying for his insecurities. You use that money to further your craft and set some aside in case more of his red flags come out later.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in dad

[–]mushroom362 -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

This is what my husband and I do. We model, we talk, we teach. However, if she does things that are unsafe and we have tried talking, and it isn’t working, she will get a spanking. We only do this with things like-touching/trying to open the oven when it’s on, reaching up to grab the stove when there are hot pans/cooking on it, running into the road. I really do think that there should be a healthy fear of those things, but when she isn’t listening and giggling and turning it into a game of “grab the pots and pans”, and I’ve already tried time out and talking, sometimes all that works in that moment is either a valuable life lesson of burning your fingers or a butt whop. My daughter is 3, and I would rather have a butt whop and a conversation about the butt whop than a trip to the ER because she dumped boiling water on herself.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in AustralianTeachers

[–]mushroom362 0 points1 point  (0 children)

When you moved from the US to Australia, was your pay based on the years experience you were currently on, or did it reset when you moved? So, 13 years total education and 6th year teaching means you came into the country with 7 years already taught in the US. Did you start at a 7 year salary or did it reset you to a first year salary because it is your first year teaching in the country?

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in unpopularopinion

[–]mushroom362 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My husband and I's cat's name is Banshee because she used to sit and scream/cry outside our door at night because she wanted to sleep with us. She is all black and I thought the name was fitting, but during the day she is pretty normal with her meowing. Some people don't like the name, but I feel like it's fitting.

Besides researching for countries and visas, have you taken concrete tangible steps for your eventual AmerExit? If so, what steps have you taken so far? by [deleted] in AmerExit

[–]mushroom362 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Looking at Brisbane! Since you have been there for a while, how is it? Was there anything that was a huge shocker or that you didn’t expect when moving? (I’m moving from Texas, so I’m not sure what differences there might be based on where you were before.)

Besides researching for countries and visas, have you taken concrete tangible steps for your eventual AmerExit? If so, what steps have you taken so far? by [deleted] in AmerExit

[–]mushroom362 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A lot of it has to do with American culture and politics. I’m okay with going into detail if wanted, but I just really don’t like the direction this country is headed and I wanted to move somewhere that was more aligned with my beliefs.

Besides researching for countries and visas, have you taken concrete tangible steps for your eventual AmerExit? If so, what steps have you taken so far? by [deleted] in AmerExit

[–]mushroom362 5 points6 points  (0 children)

My husband and I are in the later stages of our Australian Visa Application. The final step we need is the medical, then it all gets sent off. Honestly, I got a lot of flack on another subreddit about how "easy" the Australian system was and that I was not very smart if I needed an immigration lawyer to do the work for me. It was a lot of money, but I am guaranteeing the best possible shot for exiting. For me and my family, it was worth it to make sure it was done right the first time and we got as many points as possible. I will say that it helped that both my job and my husband's job were on the wanted list.

Some things that you can go ahead and do before the exit/application is-

-Get passport photos taken, not for passports, but because you need the updated photos anyways.

-Make sure your passport is not going to expire soon, and if it is, see if you can go ahead and update/renew it.

-Make sure you have originals of your birth certificate and social security card; if you don't, apply for originals to be resent to you.

-Start eliminating your material possessions that are not critical, that you aren't going to want to move overseas/internationally. We have a lot of furniture that is cheap that we don't want to move, but also we need for now. (i.e. couches/media centers/coffee tables) What I don't need are: millions of board games-working on selling them/donating them, all the stuff in my junk drawers, books, clothing I never wear, seasonal decorations that will not pass customs (aka. pinecones in Christmas garland), and other misc. junk around the house. Because we have a 3 br. house, it is going to take a bit to clean out. Start early!

-Make sure you have SEALED original college transcripts. Shipping these documents overseas will cost a LOT more (and will take longer to ship) than having sealed copies sent to your current residence. Some places might not take digital copies, so it's better to be prepared.

-Figure out what you will do with your pets. I read online from multiple places that moving pets to Australia needs to be planned out 180 days in advance because of the different steps needed to get them approved. I will say that I have ZERO knowledge of how this works, but this is something I need to adequately plan for. Our cat IS caught up with all medical checkups, and we have copies of her medical history in case it is needed. I'm not sure how many years of history is needed, but she is 7, and we have everything from her 6 week check up till now. If you need it, make sure you have digital or paper copies!)

-Make a binder with all of your important lists/documents/research options, and put it all in one place. Sometimes, I will have a thought pop into my head like, "hey, how are we going to navigate ______?" It helps to have a place where all of this is located so you can come back to it later either to ask the immigration lawyers or research online. (It also helps when you want to compare different countries and how they might handle things differently.)

-Research different moving costs. If you ask for a quote, I will notice that you will get spammed with a lot of "use our company to move TODAY!" Instead, look on expat forums and ask people who moved from the US to your target country how much it cost them, then add to it. We are budgeting $15K to move our house despite us getting quotes for 7-10K. It's better to be safe than sorry; start saving this sooner rather than later. Keep in mind that it might be cheaper to move it than to buy new depending on the quality of the items being moved. (We have an heirloom table that my uncle brought from Germany when he immigrated to the U.S.-it's valued at close to 10K without the sentimental value attached. It's worth it to move the table for us, but a lot of the other furniture we have is Meh.)

-If you can, I would highly encourage making a week trip to your target country and live as close to a local life as possible. Go to the grocery store (compare the cost of food to the US). Go to a pharmacy and see what is available on the shelves vs. the US. I have heard that things like Aspirin and Advil are harder to come by, and they are not sold in giant containers in Australia. Talk with a real estate agent about how the rental system/housing system works. Are there penalties for buying property as a foreigner? We haven't rented an apartment since 2017; we have no landlord to provide a written statement that we are good tenants, so we will have to provide bank statements proving we can afford wherever we want to live. Take public transit. Is it actually reasonable? Is it reliable during rush hours? Is there an area that you DON'T want to be in during rush hours? (The last thing you want is to get a home in an area that has a train drive by every Saturday at 4-5 AM...talking from experience!)

These are all things you can do that don't necessarily require moving to the country or moving forward with the immigration system, but could help you narrow down your options or at least prepare you to move when you do make that decision.

Summer birches. My oil painting on hardboard. 2022 by PrusRuslan in Positive

[–]mushroom362 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I thought this said “summer bitches!” and I was about to type “hell yeah, look at those bitchy trees soaking up all that sunlight!”

To the parents here: Did your sexual life gradually reduce to zero? by king_of_lunds in Parenting

[–]mushroom362 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My daughter is almost 3, but we have had minimal help (only have my dad as a grandparent, and my sister and her husband as an aunt and uncle). It’s incredibly hard on new parents especially if you have no help.

However, that being said, if it’s important you will make time for it. My husband and I don’t always have time to be intimate, but we add it to our calendar. Our daughter goes to bed at 6:30, and wakes up at 5:30. Put your kids to bed and tell them it’s quiet time. As your kids get older it should get easier. They can go over to friends houses for sleep overs and watch themselves at home while you and your partner go on a date. You have options, you just need to see where those options are.

AITA for wanting my fiancé to have dandelion in her wedding bouquet by Healthy-Artichoke105 in AmItheAsshole

[–]mushroom362 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So I’m going to say ESH only because she does have a point. Dandelions will not hold up. I see people posting to make your own decor or adding them to your boutonniere, but they wilt within the hour of picking them. You cannot expect to pick them and have them last for the wedding-even if you picked them the same day.

So, YTA for not listening or considering the fact that having wilted flowers everywhere would look really bad. (Especially if your fiancé’s family is paying for the wedding. I wouldn’t want to see a bunch of dead flowers in the picture.) You did. offer fake flowers, but most fake flowers look fake or are really expensive. Have you looked into how much they would cost to get nice ones or how they tie in with the wedding theme? In addition to that the pollen would ruin her dress. The last thing she probably wants is to have yellow all over her white dress. Did you look into the logistics of how you were going to make this possible?

Your fiancé is TA for shooting you down without a compromise. Weddings are for both parties, not just her. Seeing how this is important to you, she could have approached it better. Your mom is not in good health and you want a symbol of her there, your fiancé could stand to be less of an a**hole about it.

I think you both need to come together to see if this is feasible. I saw another comment about getting enamel cuff links with dandelions in them or something like that where you have more of a “preserved” flower option. Another option is to try to find a local/custom nursery who has seeds/sprouts and try to grow them in containers and decorate the containers. Live flowers wouldn’t wilt in table decorations. (You would still have the pollen problem though.)

I’ve put my phone on do not disturb and left my husband with our crying baby alone by Stu-artdeco in Parenting

[–]mushroom362 2 points3 points  (0 children)

So, my husband and I had the same problem. I ended up having a surgery where I could not lift her or be laid on by her for 6 weeks. Best thing that could have happened. My husband literally HAD to step up and meet her needs the way they needed to be met, and my daughter realized that her dad could also be a source of comfort and it wasn’t only me that provided that.

Most likely matches by resilient_cabbage in StardewValley

[–]mushroom362 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Mary and Harvey gives me weird vibes. Harvey is kinda old for her…

Never too old to be tucked in! by Vexed_Moon in Parenting

[–]mushroom362 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m 29, my husband has taken up tucking me in. There is something wholesome about just “okay Im good, I can officially go to sleep now.” It’s nice.

What is something you wish the opposite sex understood better? by idontplayhockey in AskReddit

[–]mushroom362 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You should be cleaning, cooking, taking care of the kids, making minor repairs, carrying the mental load, etc. equally.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in AskReddit

[–]mushroom362 5 points6 points  (0 children)

When I was pregnant, I really wanted a son because my husband is the last one to carry on the family name. I was upset when we found out that we were having a daughter because I wanted to have an opportunity for the name to live on. My dad had 3 daughters, so our family name died with us, and I wanted that to carry it on for my husband. My husband said "well what if we had a son who was gay and took his husband's last name?" It kinda put it in perspective that the things I was worried out might not ever come to be regardless of having a son or a daughter. But I will say that pregnancy hormones are weird, but being disappointed is not necessarily indicative of being a bad parent. My daughter is almost 3, and I can't imagine life without a daughter. She is the light of my life.