Twin 3yo boys. Daycare is $2,800/month. $2,800!! My wife makes $58k gross annually. After taxes we're basically breaking even on her paycheck just to cover childcare. We've looked at nannies (more expensive), in-home care (sketchy options in our area), and asking parents to watch them full-time (cre...
Looking for something simple to track my mood and energy levels throughout the day. My therapist suggested it might help me see patterns in when I'm worst. Don't need anything fancy, just something I can spend 30 seconds on. Any recommendations that actually work?
For anyone struggling with the WFH + kids combo, I started hard time-blocking: - 6-9am: Deep work only - 9-12pm: Meetings/collaborative stuff - 12-1pm: Lunch break (actually stepping away) - 1-4pm: Calls/admin - 4-6pm: HARD OFF - family time only Sounds rigid but it's actually freed me up because ...
And honestly? Zero regrets. Last year I went to a conference in California and missed a similar event. She asked me about it when I got home and I could tell she was hurt even though she tried to hide it. This time there was a conference that conflicted with her 2nd grade play performance. I told my...
My 5yo asked me yesterday "Why do I have a bedroom at your house AND a bedroom at mommy's house? Other kids don't." I froze. How do you explain co-parenting to a kindergartner without making them feel like something's wrong? I just said something about how both mommy and daddy love him so much we b...
Been working on anger management stuff for a couple months and this week I actually caught myself getting frustrated at my 6yo for being slow getting ready for school, took a breath, and just... didn't yell. Just quietly said "we need to move faster" and helped him find his shoes. He didn't get upse...
Been separated 18 months, dating this amazing woman for 6 months. My kids (10M and 7F) have asked about her because they've seen Instagram stuff. I don't want to ambush them but I also don't want to hide her forever. My ex-wife is already dating (found out through the kids) so I don't feel like I'm ...
Looking to get something for my 4 and 7 year old for long car rides. Don't need anything fancy - just something that runs YouTube Kids and some basic games without lagging. iPad seems overkill and expensive. Anyone using one of those Amazon Fire tablets? Worth it or total garbage?
Tried Headspace for a month and it was okay but kinda expensive. Switched to Insight Timer (free version) and actually prefer it. The teacher voice matters more than I thought - some of them are too soothing which paradoxically makes me anxious lol. Anyway if anyone's looking for something cheaper, ...
Started freelance writing on the side about 8 months ago when I went down to 4 days/week at my job. Honestly? It's the best decision I made. I make maybe $800-1200/month which helps cover daycare, AND I work on my schedule. I can do it early mornings or after the kids sleep. Feels less soul-crushing...
She's been home for parental leave (we have a 5 month old) and now she's back full-time. I'm doing the daycare pickup/dropoff thing, making dinner, handling bedtime solo most nights. It's not even that hard objectively but I feel SO ALONE. Like genuinely depressed. I miss talking to adults. I miss h...
I feel like I'm constantly battling with this. Some days the kids are outside for like 6 hours and some days they're on tablets because I'm working or need 30 min of peace. I don't think I'm doing anything crazy but I also don't see a ton of families at parks anymore, idk. What does your week actual...
Seriously, is this normal or are we getting robbed? Looking at places for our 18mo and everything is $2k+ a month. We have two kids (3yo in pre-K), so we're looking at like $3,500/month for both. That's more than my car payment, mortgage interest, and utilities combined. How do people afford this? A...
Our 3yo has been on like a 6-month "only beige foods" diet and we were losing it. Tried everything - hiding veggies, making it fun, zero pressure - nothing worked. Then randomly last week he tried a bite of my stir fry and actually ate it? Now he'll eat like... 3 new things. It's not much but after ...
My partner tried breastfeeding for the first 6 weeks and it was incredibly hard on her physically. Cracked nipples, oversupply issues, the whole thing. We switched to formula and bottle feeding and honestly? Life got SO much better. She's less stressed, I can help more with feedings, and our 3-month...