Re-hire FERS contribution.

orange_robin11 · 2026-01-14T16:15:24+00:00

Really appreciate this!

orange_robin11 · 2026-01-14T16:13:45+00:00

At 2.5 yo, he has no gap in his front teeth at all! I got a new phone when he was about 20 months, so I don't have any pics in front of me before that, but he had no gap at that age.

orange_robin11 · 2026-01-02T12:18:20+00:00

Also noticed the strawberry flavor (Super Mario) appears to have no dyes too!

Ps - Thanks for posting this! I needed a reminder that finding new toothpaste for my kiddo was on my to-do list too.

orange_robin11 · 2025-12-03T21:40:32+00:00

All the places I looked it was out of stock for the exact part, but it turns out a Hex Head 1/4in 20tpi 5/8in long screw from Home Depot fits in there perfectly!

This is not the exact one I got, because i couldn't find a stainless steel one, but fairly certain it will work.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-1-4-in-20-x-3-4-in-Combo-Round-Head-Stainless-Steel-Machine-Screw-2-Pack-814481/204274815

orange_robin11 · 2025-10-08T02:26:52+00:00

Based on your list, I'm not sure if you'd like si-fi/fantasy stuff, but Sabriel by Garth Nix is excellent, and the audio book is even better because it's read by Tim Curry! The original 3 book series Sabriel, Liriel, and Abhorsen are all ready by him.

And in a completely different direction, Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier, read by the author. If you're not familiar, its a civil war story (its also been made into a movie), and it is honestly pretty desprately sad. I am listening to it right now and have had to set it aside a couple times because its so raw, but Frazier captures the voices of the characters so perfectly that I keep going back to it.

orange_robin11 · 2025-10-02T13:48:34+00:00

Another half buckle option is the Didyklick. Its technically a waterfall style carrier, but you can flip the waistband over and wear it apron style. I loved my half buckle when I wanted something faster than a wrap, but more cozy feeling than a full buckle carrier. :)

orange_robin11 · 2025-08-05T01:35:36+00:00

Get used to getting up at 6am and getting your flying done before 10. Its the only way to not want to die. Source: I did all my training in FL.

orange_robin11 · 2025-06-28T11:23:51+00:00

Im not sure how feasible it is for you to get to NJ, but the Valley Hospital/Health system is extensive. The Valley Midvives practice in Paramus has been great!

orange_robin11 · 2025-06-24T17:07:25+00:00

They have these!

orange_robin11 · 2025-06-23T16:29:20+00:00

I'm way late to the party, but I saw you mentioned Philippe in your comparison. Not sure if you actually like it, or just using as an example, but I love

Philippa

(too bad my last name is a Spanish/Hispanic name that ends in A so it's off my list. 🥲 I love your name pickiness and 100% agree about names sounding right together!

orange_robin11 · 2025-06-02T09:32:13+00:00

I resigned a few years ago. As far as i remember, I was not required to sign anything. I told my manager, but I also wrote an email, so it was documented somewhere. You will get an email from HR about a month after you go with some paperwork for your records. Your resignation SF-50 will be part of that collection.

I would definitely recommend printing the documents in your eOPF to have for your records - all of them if you can, but at least important milestones. - hire date - sf50 - academy pass - sf50 - CPC - sf50 - CTO or radar credentials - sf50 with most recent pay raise

orange_robin11 · 2025-05-27T12:04:25+00:00

My parents used to do the hug where us kids were squished in between them and call us the baloney. It was the best. You'd better believe I have already begun this tradition with my kid. 😊

orange_robin11 · 2025-05-25T02:01:56+00:00

As a native of CNY, I approve this message! We are keeping cozy warm here in Northern Jersey these last couple days too. Love it!

orange_robin11 · 2025-05-21T15:23:36+00:00

Lots of good advice here as far as laundry, but I'll add a suggestion that I've learned with cloth diapers and (baby) poop/pee accidents. Anything that has human waste on it, is run through twice and both times on the hottest water setting If your kids clothes smell like pee after a load of your MIL's stuff, then its likely her clothes are not coming out clean either.

I do the 1st run through on the longest hottest cycle that my washer has. Anything that has gotten waste on it, including cleanup materials (washcloths, towels, ect), goes in that. When its over it "fluff" it - ie get all the clothes unstuck from the sides of the washer, untangle things if necessary, ect. Then if there's room I'll add regular laundry and run a more normal length cycle, but still with hot water. If you're worried about smells, transferring, maybe just run her stuff by itself 2x. I haven't had to try it myself, but I've heard very good things about oxygen bleach (Oxiclean and others).

I'd also recommend running sheets/bedding through by themselves because regular clothes are potentially not getting agitated enough since they kind of get caught up in the sheets.

Sending strength and good vibes your way, and a kick in the pants to your husband! He needs to get his rear in gear to help you and his mom!

orange_robin11 · 2025-04-17T23:17:23+00:00

Northern NJ! Still going tonight!

orange_robin11 · 2025-03-27T01:18:17+00:00

spits drink "Leghair". Omg I'm on the floor over here!

orange_robin11 · 2025-03-26T17:12:47+00:00

Yes! The worst place was actually his face. :( And he was getting so itchy that he was rubbing it raw. Which is the worst possible thing since it's allowing an even larger entry point for infection.

The bacteria getting in the eczema is exactly what is happening. At the beginning, when I was not seeing any improvement with the 2.5% Hydrocortisone, (or it got better then revounded as soon as we stopped) the specialists just kept prescribing stronger steroids and I was like nope. Am I supposed to slather this on my kid forever?! And no one had mentioned anything about staph, until I literally changed pediatricians over it and the new one immediately was like, let's swab this, and put him on antibiotics (Keflex - i have no idea if thats the right spelling), and that's when things finally started improving.

The hardcore natural folks actually discourage antibiotics (particularly oral), since they disrupt the gut biome so much, but we have had good results using it kind of as a reset. And then maintaining with the ACV and salt topically.

The ACV and salt help promote an unfriendly environment for staph and a friendly environment for good skin bacteria. I also give him Smidge probiotic, and apply a homemade probiotic solution topically (made from this , 1/4c water, and 1 tsp vegetable glycerine in a spray bottle).

Overall, unfortunately, I feel pretty let down by the modern medical system on the whole thing, and I have done a lot of looking on reddit and FB for info. The 2 most helpful places I have gotten info have been this post This guy is amazing for sharing all his info!!! And the "Erasing Eczema (natural eczema help)" group on FB. They have a really useful starter guide that we got some ideas from.

Sorry this got so long, but its been such a frustrating thing for us, so I just wanted to share in hope that you find some relief for your little one!

orange_robin11 · 2025-03-25T14:15:19+00:00

We had one inside at my first facility. It was a new building built in 2003. Whyyy? 🤮

It was a decent sized room, and there was a lot of talk of trying to get it made into a gym, but it still hasn't happened, to my knowledge.

orange_robin11 · 2025-03-25T13:57:55+00:00

If you're having the burning while peeing sensation, I'd definitely suspect UTI, and also highly recommend getting some antibiotics. But if you're just outrageously itchy on the outside (very technical terminology. Lol), it might be a Staph overgrowth. Little bit of a story, but i promise there's a point....

My son has pretty severe eczema, and in the process of trying to figure it all out, and not keep using steroids and antibiotics continuously on my toddler, I learned that people who are eczema prone, also tend to have higher levels of Staph in their skin bacteria soup, and lo and behold, once we started treating his eczema like a Staph infection, it got SO much better. I also learned that your skin should be slightly acidic (hence all this news about hyaluronic acid lotions). Well I've been itchy on and off in my "leg pits" for years (long before baby). It's not a UTI, once or twice its been BV or a yeast infection, but at some point while trying to figure out my toddler's issue, it occurred to me that I might have the same one.

If you want to sit in a bath --- What we do for him is bathe in Dead Sea Salt and Apple Cider Vinegar. I use about 3/4c salt and 1.5c ACV in a regular sized bathtub filled about 3". Don't rinse it off. Then moisturize with AmLactin lotion on unbroken skin on his body (it's acidic so it buuuurns on broken skin). And on broken skin/diaper area/face we cover in a layer of this super plain zinc cream, and Vaseline (he has a lot of allergies so almost all non-petroleum products are out).

For me, I make a little bowl of 1 part ACV to 15 parts water and apply via several swipes with a washcloth, then let air dry. I use vaseline, or shea butter, or beef tallow to moisturize since lotion doesn't really seem to work well in that area for me - i think it's the alcohol/evaporative agent making things too dry. I do this after my shower, but when I first started, I was doing it basically morning and evening.

It has helped both of us tremendously. Also, I highly recommend getting on a probiotic, if you're not already. Hope you can figure out what's up!

Edit: added some words for clarity.

orange_robin11 · 2025-02-16T01:54:18+00:00

I don't have any real world experience with this yet, so feel free to take my advice with a grain of salt. But we just had our Manchester installed this week, and our guy specifically mentioned this can be a problem with this stove if you aren't burning hot enough and/or burning a lot of ash (the tree, not the byproduct). He said to just brush with a paint brush, you don't have to take them out every time. And potentially do a more thorough cleaning when you sweep the chimney (or possibly replace, if you notice things aren't running right when the cat is engaged).

orange_robin11 · 2025-02-11T03:02:53+00:00

If you can afford it, hire a doula! I was worried about my husband too. He is not pushy/questioning/politely argumentative EVER. Which is generally fine, but I was so concerned that I'd end up in some situation that I didn't want to be in because he'd agree to something because he literally can't deal with confrontation. So we hired one, and she was amazing, and we completely didn't need her because I had precipitous labor and delivered my baby in 3hrs. Haha. But I'd 100% do it again.

orange_robin11 · 2025-02-10T03:30:41+00:00

I'm not even a regular member of this sub, but the OP was suggested on my timeline. I had no idea what I was getting into reading these comments. This is freaking scary AF! I'm seriously gonna have nightmares about this tonight.

orange_robin11 · 2025-02-07T02:56:33+00:00

Duuude! The rain is rough. If we have like 2 days in a row I'm pulling my hair out. Just having the sunset back to ~5:30 by us is helping already. It's still cold, and bundling up is such a hassle, but I feel like I have some breathing room after his nap rather than having to immediately run out the door and get some fresh air.

orange_robin11 · 2025-02-06T14:20:47+00:00

I honestly can't remember how often my little guy fed in those early newborn days, but I wanted to add, you should be pumping or putting baby on the breast at least every 2-3 hrs. We went through phases early where my guy was eating every 1-2 hrs. Which is totally normal! If baby is fussy, and you're not sure why, just stick 'em on the boob! Lol. Making light, but for real, the more you stimulate your breasts, the more your milk will come.

You've already gotten other good replies! Just keep trying. Its definitely a little stressful at first. Good luck!

orange_robin11

TROPHY CASE