u/Key_Peace_2489

My mom, an anti-hoarder, used to throw away my things while I was at school because my room was "too cluttered". As a result I developed an unhealthy attachment/defensiveness of my "stuff" and have worked to un-learn that as an adult. I swore I'd never do that to my kids and teach them a healthy relationship with their possessions.

Well here I am, mother of a 3-year-old and a 9 month old. 3 keeps getting junky little trinkets like bouncy balls and plastic gemstones from various Halloween events, parades, (and even as rewards from the pediatrician!) I know freebies / "treasures" are part of the joy of childhood, but some of these things are choking hazards for 9 mo.

3 yo is of course young enough that she leaves these little things all over the house, where 9 can pick them off the floor. Currently driving myself insane constantly checking the carpet so 9 doesn't find something and put it in her mouth.

3 has a brain like a steel trap, and also a temper, so if one item is missing she will notice immediately and throw a fit until it is found.

Without painting it like " this is dangerous for your sister so it needs to go in the trash", potentially building resentment, how do I convince her that these things need to go away for little sis's safety?

Moved into a neighborhood a few years back. Next door neighbors acted nice enough (wife offering to help with my garden, husband telling my husband (DH) "we should watch football together sometime!"). A few weeks after moving in, DH was reading on the couch in front of our front window when neighbor wife drives fast into her own driveway, honks repeatedly until DH looks out the window, and proceeds to flip him off screaming "F*** YOU!!!" over and over out the car window.

Since we have kids and pets and I didn't want this escalating any further, I sent her a letter and a FB message saying "Idk what we've done to you except try to be good neighbors. Why are you angry? I'd like to sit down and talk this out like adults so we're not just on eggshells for all time."

She responded saying "Sorry I did that. It was uncalled for." No explanation.

Both she and her husband actively avoided talking or even looking at us for over a year.

Finally I reached out to inform them we (myself and DH) were paying a landscaping company to replace the dilapidated fence between our backyards (on our side of property line), as her dogs were routinely breaking holes in the fence and coming into our yard. We didn't ask them for a dime because we wanted no input on who to contract or color/material, etc.

After the new fence was put up, the wife started acting weirdly nice, like coming over uninvited to help my toddler build a snowman, talking to my baby, etc.

She offered my toddler some faux flower solar garden lights that "my dumb friend gave me and I don't want them, maybe your kids would like some?"

I thought maybe this was supposed to be an act of goodwill and told toddler she could go pick one. She placed it in one of my flowerpots to get some sun.

I thought that was the end of it. But now, I keep finding new and different solar flowers in various places. Neighbor wife has taken free license to move around, add and replace the solar flowers around my yard whenever she wants. If I move or take out a flower, she lets me know "I saw that you took that flower away... what did you decide to do with it?"

DH says "Just throw all the flowers away and put an end to it."

I just don't want to start another freaking cold war with neighbor wife over these dumbass flowers. The nonconfrontational part of me is like "just take them out for winter and next spring say I 'lost them'."

I'm used to having amazing and sweet neighbors and I just freaking hate how erratic and unpredictable this one couple is. Sometimes it makes me not want to go outside.

I'm a SAHM of 3yo and 9mo. My days are filled with head-butting, hair-pulling, yelling, crying, tantrumming, etc.

Hubs is in the office all morning and WFH in the afternoon. So at noon nap time, (maybe if I'm lucky and the kids stay down) I FINALLY get a chance to breathe, sit down, enjoy silence and pretend to be human again. I LIVE for this rare time.

Hubs is a very physical guy. We have sex once a week on average, though I know he wishes for more.

I can't EXIST in the kitchen or bedroom without him groping my butt or rubbing my nipples, while using me as a soundboard for all his thoughts and ideas. I have told him repeatedly how I need this nap time hour to be totally alone, but he doesn't listen. He says he "doesn't understand" when I say I'm touched out and crawling out of my own skin. Today I had such a visceral reaction to him groping my tits I started to cry. It felt like I was being violated by a stranger.

Finally I told him to leave the room and he acted like I was being an asshole.

Sometimes I fantasize that I can bury myself alive in the backyard just so nobody can find me and I can escape the noise and grabbing.

Anyone else have this conflict with their partner?

I always hated chucking old mascara bottles and am looking into buying Aer Cosmetics re-fillable mascara bottle system. But I can't find any reviews on it--seems like the product just launched fall 2025. Has anyone tried this? If it's any good, I'd love to support a more sustainable mascara option.

In June of 2024 I had an emergency surgery. As a grad student at the time, I was insured by United Healthcare student insurance. I ended up paying around $800 in bills.

Just today (May 2026) I received ANOTHER bill from the hospital for $250. I called to say WTF? and they said "blame your insurance, they just denied these line items in April 2026."

Do I have any legal recourse for this? Are there any laws for how long health insurance companies can take to process? In the last 2 years, I have moved states, changed employer and insurance company, and this is a surprise expensive pain-in-the-rear.

For context, the hospital was in-network, and the services billed include the surgery itself, and a "physician visit" with the surgeon.