u/DisastrousAnomaly

My three-almost-four-year-old daughter is Level 1 autistic. She’s currently in OT and speech therapy and is on a waitlist for an ABA day program. She’s come a very long way since starting therapy, and I’m incredibly proud of the progress she’s made.

But one thing has remained incredibly consistent: the crying.

She cries over seemingly everything, all day long. A small bump on the arm or stumbling in the kitchen results in immediate tears and sobbing. If we’re in the car and she drops a toy where she can’t reach it, she becomes inconsolable. If a commercial interrupts the music on the radio, she cries. Something doesn’t happen exactly as she expected? Tears.

This happens from the time she wakes up until she goes to bed. Some days it genuinely feels like every 10 minutes we’re dealing with another crying episode.

And I need to admit something that makes me feel pretty shitty as a parent: I am so burnt out by it. The constant crying grates on my nerves to the point that I sometimes feel angry the second it starts, even though I know she’s only three and isn’t trying to make my life difficult. I feel like I spend my entire day regulating and consoling her, only to do it all over again a few minutes later.

What I’m struggling to understand is why her reaction is so intense. Is this emotional dysregulation? Sensory sensitivity? Difficulty coping with unexpected changes or frustration? Does she genuinely experience these small things as being that upsetting in the moment? Or could some of the crying have become her default way of communicating that she needs help, comfort, or attention?

How do I respond appropriately without reinforcing the crying or completely exhausting myself?

I don't want to dismiss genuine distress just because the trigger seems insignificant to me. At the same time, I don't think I can realistically stop everything and provide a full comforting/consoling routine every single time she cries throughout the day.

Parents who have dealt with this, especially with kids around her age, what helped? Did your child eventually develop other ways to handle these little frustrations? And how did you keep yourself sane in the meantime?

Hello! I’m looking for recommendations for a pen/vape, as well as strains that might be a good fit for what I’m looking for.

I’m not exactly new to weed. I’ve dabbled here and there over the years, but as I’ve gotten older and put more work into my mental health, I’ve found that cannabis and its derivatives have been really helpful for me personally in managing some of my anxiety, depression, and PTSD symptoms.

I’ve been taking gummies occasionally, and recently I’ve gotten really into THC drinks. The problem is, they’re pretty pricey in my area, and I’m thinking that investing in a pen might make more sense financially in the long run.

As far as the effects I’ve really enjoyed lately: music sounds incredible, I feel more relaxed and patient, I’m more motivated and productive when it comes to getting housework done, and my sense of humor gets turned up about ten notches. Basically, I’m looking for something that gives me that relaxed, happy, functional feeling without completely gluing me to the couch.

The problem is, I have absolutely no idea where to start when it comes to pens, cartridges, strains, terpenes, etc., and I’m perfectly willing to admit that I don’t know enough yet to make a decision blindly.

So if you’ve got recommendations, advice, or even some Cannabis 101 wisdom for me, I’d genuinely appreciate the help as I start exploring a little more!

Links to reputable websites or articles are appreciated as well. Thank you!

I am struggling. This past month has probably been the worst month I've had all year, and I'm at a breaking point. I'm going to try to make this make sense without rambling.

I have PMDD (premenstrual dysphoric disorder), and July was absolute hell on me emotionally and mentally. I was angry, depressed, and exhausted. I could barely get off the couch some days, and chores rapidly piled up around me.

Then, on July 30, I found out I was pregnant. I knew I didn't want another child, and I had an abortion on August 4. I'm still processing all of that physically and emotionally. Over the last couple of days, I've felt myself getting increasingly tense and overwhelmed, and today I finally broke.

I have three kids: 6, 4, and 10 months. They all have different schedules and different needs throughout the week. My 4-year-old is autistic, so I'm constantly navigating her needs while simultaneously trying to keep the baby from finding new and creative ways to injure herself and making sure my 6-year-old gets the attention and stimulation he needs. I love my children more than anything, but the constant demand on me is incredibly draining.

And then there's the house.

Somehow I feel like I do three or four loads of dishes every single day. How? Fuck if I know. Yet we either have half the dishes we need or none at all.

There is shit everywhere at any given moment. Toys. Stray socks. Empty or unopened snack packages. Books. Cutlery. Random objects that apparently reproduce when I'm not looking. My husband's dirty clothes get piled under his desk. Trash gets left in places I've just cleaned. The kids' rooms are a constant battle. I can spend forever getting them clean, only to watch them get destroyed again within an hour.

My husband works full time and has a crazy swing-shift schedule. I genuinely try to be understanding of the fact that he's tired and deserves downtime.

But so do I.

Instead, I feel like a damn maid half the time.

I've always believed that regardless of who works outside the home, if you both live in the house and contribute to the mess, you both have a responsibility to maintain it. Right now, nearly all of the cleaning, organizing, cooking, and general household management falls on my shoulders.

Sure, he does the dishes. But that's one task on a very, very long list of tasks, and sometimes it feels like he thinks he's done me a favor by loading the dishwasher.

He's never scrubbed a toilet in our five years of marriage. This man would apparently rather piss and shit in a biohazardous toilet than wipe his own shit stains off the bowl. He's never mopped the floors. He doesn't wipe down the counters. Clear them off? Maybe. Sometimes. Actually grab cleaner and a rag and clean them? Forget about it.

He can cook a very limited number of things, so cooking falls primarily on me too.

He got a computer with our tax return this year, and it now occupies probably 99% of his free time when he's not working. He does his own laundry, but then lives out of two or three laundry baskets at a time, which means we never have any empty baskets and everyone else's laundry ends up in piles around the house.

I feel disrespected and unappreciated in my own home.

Today I'm trying to clean and organize our extremely cluttered laundry room because it desperately needs to be functional again, and I'm having a fucking mental breakdown over it. Every time I lift a finger to accomplish something, somebody needs me. Someone is crying. Someone is hungry. Someone is overtired. Someone needs help. Something spills. Something gets dragged back out.

I cannot finish one goddamn thing without being interrupted by another thing.

And I am at my breaking point.

Yes, I take medication to manage my symptoms. Yes, I'm in therapy. Yes, I have expressed these feelings to my husband more times than I can count.

Things might change temporarily, but they never change long-term.

Half the time, I feel like I'm raising four children instead of living in a healthy, supportive marriage. And now my kids are on edge because I'm on edge, which makes me feel even worse.

There's this part of me that thinks I should have a better handle on everything. That this is the life I'm supposedly so "blessed" to have, so why can't I manage it better?

But I'm wearing so many fucking hats.

I'm a mother. I'm the cook. I'm the cleaner. I'm the organizer. I'm the scheduler. I'm the person who knows what everyone needs, where everything is, what's running out, what needs washing, what needs cleaning, what appointment is coming up, who's hungry, who's tired, and what needs to happen next.

And I am tired.

What makes it even more frustrating is the contradiction. One day my husband will tell me, "Take it easy today. You're working hard. Go relax."

Then the next day, he'll complain because something isn't done or the house is a mess.

I don't need someone to give me permission to rest while the work waits for me.

I need someone to help carry the fucking work.

If I could clean something and have someone help me maintain it, I'd be grateful. If I could organize a room without being the only person responsible for keeping it that way, I'd be grateful. If I didn't feel like every mess in this house eventually becomes my problem, I'd be grateful.

I don't expect a spotless house. We have three young children. That's not realistic.

I just don't want to feel like I'm drowning in a home full of people I love while I'm the only one desperately trying to keep everybody afloat.

I'm just so fucking overwhelmed that I want to scream.

Season 22 has been a massive, embarrassing letdown for a lot of reasons that I’m sure we can all agree on. But my biggest grievance has to be the judges.

I genuinely don’t know what they were thinking bringing Tyra on, especially after how hard she was slammed when that Netflix documentary dropped. What exactly is her role supposed to be? Comic relief? Because she contributes almost nothing of substance to the actual critiques. Half the time she seems like she’s just there to collect a check and maybe fluff up her image after all the ANTM tea finally spilled.

Then there’s Law, who is an asinine BITCH of epic proportions. He went on and on about Joseph McRae turning Project Runway into “The Joseph McRae Show,” meanwhile Law wastes absolutely no opportunity to shove himself into the spotlight and play diva/mean girl. The irony is incredible. And some of the things he says to the designers aren’t even constructive criticism. They’re just downright cruel. God, I would pay MONEY to see the unedited critiques because I desperately need to know if anyone ever popped off right back at him.

And then there’s Heidi, who has the energy of a golden retriever who wandered onto the set and is just thrilled everyone invited her to stay. I love Heidi, but she mostly just seems happy to be there.

The bigger problem, though, is that the show feels like it’s completely lost sight of what made Project Runway good in the first place: fashion and fashion design. It used to feel like a competition between genuinely talented designers who were passionate about their craft. Now it feels like every other overproduced reality show, except this one happens to have a little fashion sprinkled on top.

Everything feels rushed. The challenges feel rushed. The judging feels shallow. The whole season has the energy of a school project everyone forgot about until the night before it was due.

I genuinely miss the passion that used to be put into this show. Project Runway had a personality. It had substance. It felt like it actually cared about design and the creative process. Now it just feels cheap. The designers with actual talent deserve so much better, and we as the viewers deserve better, too.

I want to share my experience because writing it out is helping me process this ordeal, and I also hope it can help someone else who has questions or concerns about having a medication abortion.

I'm 31. I found out on 7/30 that I was pregnant, approximately 6 weeks and 1 day according to my period tracking app. The decision to terminate was an easy one for me because my physical and mental health took a nosedive during my last pregnancy. This would have been my fifth pregnancy overall, and the first one I chose not to continue.

I live in a state where abortion is still legal, but my options were limited. My OB doesn't provide abortion care, and the two crisis pregnancy centers in my area only offered adoption resources, which I declined. Planned Parenthood would have cost around $650 between two visits, which simply wasn't affordable. I ultimately decided to order the medication online.

I went through two different organizations: one offered the medication at no cost, and the other operated on a "pay what you can" basis. I paid $5. Both packages arrived on 8/3. The no cost medication came in a plastic bag sealed inside a yellow padded envelope with no instructions whatsoever. The $5 medication, on the other hand, included clear instructions along with additional educational resources and support information.

I was given one dose of Mifepristone followed by two doses of Misoprostol (8 pills total).

Timeline

8/3 – 4:20 PM

I took the Mifepristone. I experienced no painful or negative side effects. That night I slept for nearly 13 hours.

8/4

Before taking the Misoprostol, I got everything set up to be as comfortable as possible. I got out my heating pad and laid an absorbent bed pad on the mattress.

11:50 AM

I took the first dose of Misoprostol, two pills tucked between my left cheek and gums, and two between my right cheek and gums. They didn't dissolve completely, had very little taste, and were chalky when I swallowed the remaining pieces after 30 minutes.

Around 12:00 PM, I noticed very mild cramping along with light bleeding. I took 600 mg of ibuprofen and was able to doze off without any problems.

Around 2:00 PM, I woke up with very sharp stomach pain. It wasn't uterine or pelvic cramping, it was definitely my stomach. I got into the shower hoping for some relief, and while I was there I passed my first large blood clot. Afterward, the bleeding slowed enough that I felt comfortable putting on an overnight pad. I quickly bled through it and went back to lying on an absorbent bed pad without underwear.

3:20 PM

The cramps intensified to about a 5/10. I sat on the toilet and passed another clot, although I'm not sure how large it was because there was quite a bit of blood. I then took the second dose of Misoprostol (the remaining four pills) as directed.

I rested until around 5:00 PM. I managed to eat a few bites of dinner and kept them down. After that, I decided to take a warm bath. By this point the uterine cramping had mostly subsided, but I was experiencing intense stomach pain, which I later learned can be a side effect of Misoprostol. I also noticed just how bloated my abdomen had become.

The bath was incredibly soothing, but it absolutely drained me. I became extremely lethargic, and it took everything I had just to drain the tub and rinse off. While showering afterward, I passed another large clot followed by many smaller ones.

7:30 PM

I'm now a little over seven hours in, and my biggest complaint is...gas.

I had no idea Misoprostol could cause severe gas pains. Honestly, they have been some of the most painful symptoms so far. My entire abdomen feels bloated, tight, and sore. Every time I have to pass gas, I also end up passing more blood, which isn't exactly pleasant. That said, it does seem like the worst of the experience is beginning to taper off.

I'm still bleeding bright red. I'm wearing an overnight maxi pad, comfortable shorts, and I'm lying on an absorbent bed pad because I'm fairly certain I'll have more leaks overnight.

I also feel like I may need to have a bowel movement, but for now I'm waiting to see if that feeling passes.

I'm absolutely exhausted. Thankfully my husband was home to help with the kids today, but I still had to handle a few mom responsibilities from bed. If I could offer one piece of advice, it would be this: take these medications only when you know you'll be able to rest uninterrupted and have someone available to help if possible.

I'll continue updating this post if anything significant changes, and I'll post another update tomorrow to let everyone know how the night goes.

One thing that genuinely surprised me was how quickly everything started after taking the first dose of Misoprostol. I expected it to take much longer before anything happened.

***Update

8:00 pm - almost immediately after posting this I had to run to the bathroom. I passed a small clot and had a successful bowel movement. I took tramadol for the pain I was experiencing.

10:30 pm - woke up in a cold sweat with intense cramps. Bleeding has slowed down by this point. Went to the bathroom, sat on the toilet for a while just letting my body expel whatever it needed to, which wasn't much.

11:15 pm - woke up again with extreme cramps but very, very little bleeding. The pain is making me so nauseated, but I really don't want to throw up. Currently sitting on the toilet again, waiting to see if anything happens. More cramps, BM, vomit, etc. I'm freezing, I'm sure from all of the blood I've lost since early afternoon.

I feel like I've exhausted all of the great content on the play store.

So far I've played everything from the following creators:

​Apartment Bacon

​Bamgru

​Cottongame

​DarkDome

​Friendly Fox

​Glitch Games

​Kiari Games

​Kotorinosu

​Labeledman

​Rusty Lake

​Second Maze

​And as far as individual games:

​Adventure Hunters

​Agent A

​Artless Room

​Dexter Stardust

​Down in Bermuda

​Duck Detective

​Escape from (Patrick's, Benjamin's, Caleb's) Room

​Faceless Room

​Find Joe (1, 2, & 3)

​Gear Enigmas

​Leaving Home

​Lumino City

​Luna the Shadow Dust

​Monument Valley (1, 2, & 3)

​My Child Lebensborn

​NOX

​Occulto

​Pilgrims

​Please Touch the Artwork (1 & 2)

​Qube Stories

​Replay Room

​Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley

​Tangle Tower

​The Abandoned Planet

​The Frostrune

​Tiny Bang Story

​Toem

​Toy House

​Voodoo Detective

​Games I tried, but couldn't get into:

​Forgotten Hill (all titles)

​Jekyll & Hyde

​Last Winter

​Love You To Bits

​Mind Cop

​Mystic Eye

​Underworld Office

Games I'm currently playing but am unsure if I like or not:

Broken Sword: Reforged

Jenny Leclue

Slender Threads

I really need some advice because I am at my wits' end. My soon to be 6 year old son refuses to wipe after going poop. He is constantly leaving skid marks in his underwear, and I frequently have to check behind him only to find poop caked on his skin. It’s gotten to the point where he actually developed a UTI last year because of this.

I honestly don't know what to do anymore. Nothing we've tried seems to get through to him. We bought flushable wipes, tried a positive reward system, and even tried taking away toys and privileges. Nothing is working. What am I supposed to do here? I am completely overwhelmed and appreciate any insight or tips.

Some families have the bowl that doubles as a popcorn bowl and puke bowl. Or that random lid that fits *nothing* that anyone owns, and yet it remains just sort of *there.* The wooden spoon used for cooking and reaching things under the couch. The step stool that migrates from one room to the next because someone needed it to reach the top shelf or needed a footrest.

What's your family's *thing*?

I am not interested in earning a degree. I just want to find some online workshops, either paid or free. Thank you!

I'm on a mission to help my mom (53) find a great bra that actually works for her needs. She is a stroke survivor, and her right arm is paralyzed.

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Her band size measures around 37, and she's approximately a C cup, possibly a small D. We're looking for recommendations that meet the following criteria:

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• Front closure only. This is non negotiable. She can dress herself independently, but she can't fasten a bra behind her back or pull one comfortably over her head.

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• No hook and eye closures. She's currently wearing a bra with a standard front clasp, but we're open to other accessibility friendly options. We recently saw some magnetic front closure bras that she liked, and I've also seen Velcro closures. If you've had experience with either, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

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• Wireless preferred. Not an absolute requirement, but comfort is definitely a priority.

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• Comfortable fit. She'll be wearing it daily, so soft fabrics and all day comfort are important.

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• Good support and lift. She doesn't need her boobs sitting under her chin, but she also doesn't want them hanging loose. Feeling feminine and put-together is important to her.

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So far we've looked at or tried:

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Belk

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JCPenney

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Maidenform

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Bali

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Lane Bryant

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Torrid

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I'd love to hear any recommendations, especially from anyone with experience finding bras for someone with limited mobility, one handed dressing, or adaptive clothing. Thank you!

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The TV is only 2 years old, so this is incredibly frustrating. Usually the reboot happens when selecting an app from the home screen. The TV screen will go black, then the red TCL Roku TV screen pops up before eventually loading the home screen. Sometimes it'll reboot two times in a row. Today a reboot happened in the middle of a Netflix movie. We've tried soft and hard resets with no luck.

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We do not have any warranty or a protection plan on the TV as it was a gift.

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TCL model: 43S310R

Serial: X02000M4D5HE