It was a Christmas gift, but thanks for the heads up!

I have a soda stream and then several flavoring options. I have mio and other brands, then soda syrups, and cocktail mixers. That way I can control the amount of sweet. I personally don’t like the flavor of artificial sweeteners or stevia so I try to find ones that use real sugar and real fruit extract. There’s some with caffeine too.

Which is why my mother homeschooled me. Couldn’t let the indoctrination happen. Just gotta pray away the self harm and eating disorder.

My American Express card was compromised a few weeks ago and while they sent me a new card I was still able to use the old one at stores, use mobile payments, and recurring payments could process. The only thing I couldn’t do was use it online. Even after I received the new card, recurring transactions were able to occur.

Unless I need something recent whenever I search I update the results to dates from like 1999 to 2021. Filters out a lot of unnecessary crap.

When my sister was a toddler we went on a trip to the Grand Canyon. Immediately after arriving she started climbing over a small barrier that had a steep drop on the other side. Her harness stopped from what could’ve been a terrible accident.

That sounds like our thanksgiving! 10/10 would recommend.

We live out of town (8 hours away) so we visit for a week over Christmas every year. My in-laws live an hour away from my parents so we attempt to split the time as best as we can. We are not allowed to stay at my in-laws because we have a dog that isn’t friendly. My family is super understanding and has worked really hard to gain her trust. My in-laws refuse to do anything except talk bad about her and complain that we don’t visit enough. The worst this year has been that my sister’s (24) boyfriend just broke up with her like 3 weeks ago (by dropping off her belongings and blocking her) so she’s going through it. She had a perfectly fine time for a day or two, went out with us, would have conversations, but then started locking herself in her room (she still lives with my parents). But there’s been a few uncalled for moments in my opinion, breakup or not, like telling my mom “I had a list for a reason” while opening presents because my mom got her something else she might like (especially since her entire list was hunting and fishing stuff, activities she did with her ex). Also my two year old was sobbing outside her locked door, begging to see her, and was ignored. We always do a sibling activity together (go out to a fancy restaurant, escape room, axe throwing) and this year she was hot and cold with it. We would discuss doing something and she wouldn’t say anything but only text us later that she was never planning on going. Finally last night I went off on her a bit. Told her I never get to see her and I wanted to go out and to spend some time with her. That I’m sorry she was having a shitty time but it wasn’t my fault. I’ve never had a great time visiting for holidays but I’ve never been more excited to go home that I am this year.

When I moved out at 18 I was sitting on my parents front porch waiting for my ride and my mom came out and started rooting through all my stuff. Destroyed the dried flowers my boyfriend gave me for prom, took anything she decided I wasn’t allowed to have because she paid for, broke a few other sentimental things while screaming. I just sat back and let her. Didn’t say a word. I had an eerie calm about me because I was leaving and she wouldn’t have any power over me anymore.

I work in an elementary school and my kid goes to daycare. We will have weeks of themed days at the same time but with different dress-ups. I’ll be wearing red and she’ll be having a silly sock day. I’ll have a grinch day and she’ll have a Santa hat day. I get what they’re going for but the 2 year olds don’t really care and even the elementary kids get burnt out of dressing up all the time.

Some things for my daughter’s room (a nightstand, a bedding set, and a table lamp) to help her transition to a “big girl bed” from her crib. But they’re not “fun” gifts or toys so I’m not expecting to get them even though they’d be the most helpful. She has enough toys.

I struggled with this a few years ago when my mother told me over text that she had an incurable disease and had a year to live. I struggled with how I should feel and how I would feel if it happened. She ended up being “healed” by going on a camping trip and praying (though I’d bet money her not-a-real-doctor gave her a false diagnosis). So while I don’t have the conclusion to how I will feel when my mother passes, I will say that my grandmother passed earlier this year and we weren’t that close but it hit me harder than I would’ve thought. I think when my mom does pass I’ll be upset. Either because of the loss or because I’m upset that I don’t feel more from the loss or I’m mourning what we relationship we never had

The small testing for mastery isn’t the issue and is really all that should be done. It’s the hours and hours of state testing that we require of nine year olds that’s the killer. We do quarterly testing starting in third grade with a major test at the end of the year in both reading and math (plus history for 4th and science for 5th). So leaving elementary school kids have completed 30 state assessments that each take several hours to complete (not every kid needs over an hour but you’re still in the testing environment until everyone is finished). Then, there’s no consequences for failing. You still get promoted to the next grade and you’re invited to summer school but not required to attend. If I recall correctly, the data shows that testing is effective and beneficial if its short term, like a unit test, and not long term like a midterm or final.

I was in a sign language class (ASL) around Halloween and the instructor asked if we had ever encountered a ghost. We thought he signed tornado so we signed about times we were near tornadoes while he’s looking on with disbelief and shock and awe about all of our supernatural encounters. We had a good laugh when we figured out the confusion.

We live far away from family so it was just us and a doula with us in the hospital. I wasn’t even induced, just my labor (but the epidural really slowed any progress I had made). I was probably close to a C-section, I pushed for 3.5 hours and I don’t think I could’ve done much more.

I was in labor for 40 hours, so probably that. Then at the end of it I had a baby that didn’t sleep either.

We have threat assessments at our elementary school but we go through MANY channels before police are involved. Like, is the threat credible? Is anyone fearful? Does the child have the means? Is there motive? Someone making a comment that says “because they’ll blow up” would be a freaking conversation about school appropriate language not arrest and suspensions, for ANYBODY but especially kids with documented disabilities.

Our division does DARE with 4th graders still. Officers come in and spew that shit for a few weeks and kids get a bunch of swag and cupcakes for signing a pledge. I’m not a fan of any of it, but it’s above my pay grade.

From the article: “Anyone who lived within 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) of the derailment can get up to $70,000 per household for property damage plus up to $25,000 per person for health problems. The payments drop off the farther people lived from the derailment down to as little as a few hundred dollars at the outer edges.”

My parents and my brother live in the 2-4 mile range and when they got their paperwork it was up to $45,000 per household.

So the money isn’t divided equally between the 55,000 claims.

When my parents and my brother received their paperwork it was a different amount depending on how close you are to the wreckage site. 2-4 miles away was initially listed as $45,000.