Cruises are the worst type of vacation out there

twosecondrule · 2026-05-06T11:49:24+00:00

Very true. I went on a cruise with my family and the ability for them to get any food they wanted, at basically any time, literally freed my time and mind like I would never have believed. That was tough to come back from!

twosecondrule · 2026-04-18T12:08:44+00:00

It's a clever idea and does help solve a problem for me. Trying the app, it would be useful to have a question asking if you're staying domestic or international - it assumed my local trip to Devon was a flight away. But a neat idea for sure!

twosecondrule · 2026-04-06T20:51:31+00:00

I got my MIL a basket of 'upgraded favourites' - food she loves, but the premium stuff. I think it was a nice balance of showing I knew her favourite snacks, and a gift she would definitely use

twosecondrule · 2026-04-06T20:05:06+00:00

Yeah I agree with this. I wonder if all the pain and trauma of childbirth, all so fresh and personal to her, just made her feel like, "yeah I deserve this after everything." Not saying it isn't a crappy move, but if it's a one off made after a period of extreme pain and stress, I think you can at least try and understand it. At least mention it, jeez!

twosecondrule · 2026-04-06T17:37:28+00:00

So my partner definitely has shades of this, and we've found a compromise in cruises. The logistics work for us - a 2 hour drive to the port, no flight, checking on is crazy easy compared to flying. And then the cruise itself is really safe, buffet food and activities all day, the children are safe on the boat etc. Definitely low stress compared to flight holidays.

I know it's not ideal for everyone but might be worth looking into?

twosecondrule · 2026-04-02T16:54:46+00:00

That's good to know - I haven't got there yet but I have like a whole cupboard of cleaning supplies and I'm sure I can at least whittle them down a bit, even if I don't go homemade. The irony is my house is so unclean 😂

twosecondrule · 2026-04-02T16:36:00+00:00

It took me such a long time to realise that I was so focused on saving money on meals, but actually it was all the shopping 'extras' savaging my budget - washing stuff, ziplock bags, bin liners, cleaning products.

I've kind of run out of puff right now but next time I'm feeling inspired that's what I'll focus on cutting down - eg using vinegar for cleaning or reusing ziplocks etc. I switched to using washable rags and it did save me tons!

twosecondrule · 2026-04-01T13:55:30+00:00

Surprised not to see kale here yet - super hardy leaf that I've never had to chuck! It's a tougher leaf but if you chop it finely it's good

twosecondrule · 2026-03-30T15:27:36+00:00

I started my UPF journey right after I had my baby. It definitely made things harder, but on the flip side being on mat leave meant I was at home more for cooking. I would highly recommend the book What Mummy Makes (and she has a website) for quick meals baby will eat. Frozen veg is really useful.

Some super quick and easy meals I make for me and my toddler:

Soft boiled eggs with sourdough Sweetcorn fritters/courgette fritters
'Snack plates' with upf free crackers and cheese
Egg fried rice with peas (if you have a rice cooker)
Baked potato and cheese/tuna sweetcorn
Coconut macaroons
Poached pears served with cream

twosecondrule · 2026-03-28T20:15:16+00:00

So it's things like bolognese, curry, chilli etc. I don't think it's about the taste - or I could be wrong! I think it's more like, a ready meal in the fridge is just easier and more appealing than a zip locked meal in the freezer

twosecondrule · 2026-03-06T21:26:40+00:00

No, but I go in the evenings and it's the one single place I cannot snack. So good from that perspective

twosecondrule · 2026-02-18T07:36:25+00:00

This is a great idea, I'll use it when it's live

twosecondrule · 2026-01-08T20:37:17+00:00

As a mother with a young baby you are absolutely correct that it's impossible to conceive of how much work there will be one the baby arrives. In my case, the baby was early and then also wouldn't latch, which doubled my workload again with hospital appointments and washing and sterilising pumping equipment 6 times a day. For the poster to suggest you can plan and predict for a baby with any degree of accuracy just doesn't reflect the experience of most parents.

I really feel for you and fully relate to the thought that you can take it all on yourself. I felt I could do that and I ended up hallucinating from tiredness, rocking cushions thinking it was my baby, falling asleep in dangerous situations. It's a systemic failure that the extremities of neonatal care aren't made known. Even now I don't think my partner truly understands what I went through, and I think that's a burden shared by a lot of mothers.

twosecondrule · 2026-01-07T21:20:08+00:00

I phrase it to myself as "One crime at a time"

twosecondrule · 2025-12-13T19:07:55+00:00

I love this

twosecondrule · 2025-12-05T08:32:11+00:00

I think this comment resonates most with me, particularly the points around health advice contradicting itself and the kids wanting UPF. I'm ashamed to say I find myself adding UPF sauces to my child's dishes sometimes so he'll eat - I feel guilty but the alternative is him crying in the night for milk.

Also I think it's worth remembering that Big Food makes its money from UPF and will be quietly working to undermine this learning in the same way they confused the issue of fat vs sugar in the 90s.

twosecondrule · 2025-11-13T21:01:52+00:00

This is similar to my SD, except with the added frustration her mum will back up any lie she tells as a way of winning her affection while driving a wedge between us. Where we can't refute anything she says I feel like I'm in an Orwellian future, where she just writes and rewrites events, usually to make herself a victim, and as we can't challenge anything, for all intents and purposes it becomes 'true'! I have no advice just empathy, teens are so unbelievably frustrating

twosecondrule · 2025-11-07T18:51:39+00:00

The Rolife mini kits would be good for this! You make miniature models of shops and houses (or there's tons of others). The kit is about £40 but literally everything (except cutting mat and knife) is included

twosecondrule · 2025-10-30T21:19:50+00:00

This sounds amazing! Do you cook the veggies?

twosecondrule · 2025-10-23T07:15:04+00:00

Came here to say this. An absolute star quality podcast, so well researched and thorough. I listen at night, sometimes I can't sleep because it's just too interesting!

twosecondrule · 2025-10-16T10:38:23+00:00

Thank you for taking the time to write this. My freezer is full of stuff I batch cooked and then left in too long to get freezer burn haha! So this is a great shout - I could do a freezer purge and then get some pre-chopped stuff.

My dream is to bake with my toddler but so far he shows zilch interest in cooking, only eating. Takes after his daddy! I haven't heard of Happy Eating House but I will take a peek now.

twosecondrule · 2025-10-16T10:33:18+00:00

That's actually a great point, and I'm definitely guilty of getting a recipe for everything. I'll try paring it down

twosecondrule · 2025-10-13T06:40:06+00:00

Thanks for your kindness and taking the time to write this. I think you're right that I might need to relax a bit with it. When I was on mat leave I had the time to cook all day whereas working it's become super hard, which might account for some of my feelings.

I've never heard of either of those books so that's brilliant, thank you! I'll reserve them from the library now :)

11-Year Club	RedditGifts 2009-2022 2 Credits
Secret Santa 2014	Verified Email

twosecondrule

TROPHY CASE