u/SeaSpur

My little girl starts her first season of softball in a couple of weeks. I got her a used broke in glove and we’ve been tossing in the backyard the last month or so. Visited a batting cage a few times, I purchased a batting helmet and some batting gloves.

My goal is to set her up to enjoy the sport as much as possible.

I’m looking for recommendations on the following and consider her “newness” in terms of price point while also wanting her to be comfortable and feel good with going into a new sport.

- Fielder’s Mask
- Bat (what drop is recommended? Pretty strong & tall for her age), should I buy used?
- Equipment Bag
- anything else she will eventually need, accessories, etc

I have a net and some whiffle balls in the backyard to do soft toss with also.

We have a local chain of “Play It Again Sports” in my area that has lots of used equipment but I don’t mind buying new at all for the right gear.

I'm trying to get my kind into playing and it's become harder than I thought to find a batting cage like when I grew up...you pay for 15-20 or so pitches at a time. Instead, everywhere around here is a "training facility" that offers batting cages as part of their repertoire along with weight training, pitching, and mainly trying to get one on one sessions with a trainer. They are all on a membership basis and/or charge by 30 or 1 hour intervals.

I don't need all that- my kid is 7 and needs to take some cuts, I'm capable of showing her what she needs at this level. The time constraint also isn't conducive to instruction during the process.

The only place we have been to is D-Bats, which is exactly what we were looking for and they run a great business...but their two locations are on north side of Wesley Chapel and down in Sun City Center which mind as well be a state over.

Anyone know of a place within 15-20 min drive of South Tampa? If not, I may actually be better off buying a machine and building a cage in the yard.

My 12 year old budget model Frigidaire Gallery just died.

I’ve looked at lots of reviews, Consumer Reports, Reddit posts, been into HD, Lowe’s, and Best Buy.

This KitchenAid KDTM604KPS unit is $679 at BestBuy. $99 for 3 year warranty, it sure if that is on top of manufacturer warranty or not.

Stainless tub, pull bar (wife preference) a large 3rd rack in comparison to competition with a dedicated sprayer, reviews are overwhelmingly positive in a world where it seems everyone hates their dishwasher, it dries well according to reviews, and it’s only 48db. The buttons are touch which is better than my old that had flush but push button style that would eventually wear out and crack open.

My budget was around $500 but I decided to increase that a bit since my last one ran for 12 years and I didn’t want to push my luck. However, I don’t want to drop $1200+ on a Bosch or Miele unit.

There isn’t a lot of mention on this unit on Reddit though. Thoughts? Is there a better deal at that price on a different unit? Anything I’m missing?

I used this flair because I wasn’t sure since our son hasn’t been diagnosed. Pediatrician hasn’t suggested anything but as a parent, I know he’s unique.

My main question is that we have him in home speech therapy and have since January of this year…what else are we supposed to be doing at this point? I feel kind of helpless to be honest- beyond all the research I’ve done online, not sure if I’m supposed to wait on doctors to pick up or be more proactive as a parent?

He starts preschool in September and I think my wife is hoping that helps him, but I’m worried it could make things more difficult and bring new challenges.

Background on our boy:

He seemed fine up until around 18 months. Said his first word around 10 months, babbled a lot, walked around 13 months, slept very well. He did scream a LOT during infancy, very high pitched and often angry/upset. Napped well also. Eats very well.

Since 18 months, it seems like a lot changed. He never took to more talking aside a few barely understandable words (yes, more, mom, and pronounces some letters). Lots of pointing and leading with hands with some noises from then on until this day. He still sleeps very well. He has a very large receptive vocabulary and understands a lot. Can point out all letters, numbers, colors, shapes, animals, and many objects when asked. I can ask him to take something to trash or sink and he usually does. Lot of this depends on his focus, which seems entirely upon him- very difficult to redirect or make him focus.

He doesn’t really respond to his name (unless I startle him) and seems in his own world often, almost like there is a “cloud” around him. He signs “more”, “pick me up”, “up”, and shakes his head no. He examines lots of objects closely. He has stacked objects like blocks very carefully since he was little also. I haven’t noticed any real stimming. He does like to spin around at times but it isn’t consistent or any different than what I’d expect from an almost 3 year old. When he gets upset, he gets angry…very angry. Flexes/tightens his little muscles, screams until he’s red in face, and will strike or throw items.

He’s also very calm at times, observant, obsessed with/loves his mom (she stays at home with him), he makes us laugh a ton, he loves to play with us and his big sis, and he loves playing outside.

In summary, I guess I don’t “need” a diagnosis to cope as a parent- I almost know. But are we supposed to ask our pediatrician or are they supposed to pick up on these things and relay us to further evaluation? I feel like we should be giving him more help even though I know this isn’t something to get cured of.

Our largest struggle as parents is he requires so much attention and neediness that it takes a lot away from our 7 year old daughter- we are often both gassed as parents and attention is pulled away from her. Definitely a struggle.

Our second largest struggle is that he’s a very big kid since birth. He’s 2.5 and weighs 50lbs and is tall (has been 99 percentile or close since birth) and the older he gets the harder it can be to control him, he’s strong as hell. My wife struggles with him alone in a public setting if he throws a fit or refuses to leave, etc.

I guess this was a vent also but I would love some guidance on what we should be doing as parents. Supplements? We have some folonic acid powder but never used it. Change his diet? Get certain tests done?

First time with MSC. We did online check in a few weeks ago with approval for biometric, my wife and I are taking our 7 year old daughter. I just noticed that only my wife has a green stamp at the top of her online boarding pass that says “MSC Cruise Ready”. What does that mean and why only hers? I filled everything out same way when checking in.

We rarely cruise and booked our first time on Seaside in a week. My wife is asking me what the daily schedule is for on board activities and entertainment, like what day the white attire party is, etc.

Where can I find that?

So unfortunately I dont have a photo showing the exact material, but I have a lot of experience working with small vinyl cutters and using Oracal products like 651, 751, and 951. I have to cut a lot of decals to place on machinery like unit numbers, logos, replacement model numbers, signage, etc. When something is larger than I can cut, I outsource the cut to FastSigns and apply myself.

The vinyl they give me seems a little thicker and has a metallic/silver backing to it. It seems to hold up to the elements longer and is easier to remove (but still very permanent) years down the road versus my Oracal material that almost bakes into the surface.

Any suggestions would be helpful to me!

Okay, wife has asked me to look for extreme measures for our situation.

I’ve applied 4 rounds of Bifin IT at 1oz per gallon, hitting 4 gallon each time in a small area where they seem contained to…the concentration area is about 500 sq ft although some have made it to other areas and even into the home. I spray the entire backyard but really focus on the bad area.

I have also spread diatomaceous earth two times in that area.

I went out this morning and had about 30-40 fleas on my legs within a few seconds.

These are likely coming from stray cats a neighbor keeps feeding and they get into our yard and make it home for awhile.

What else can I try? Kids can’t go outside to play, dog can’t go relieve herself, and my wife can’t go out to enjoy coffee in morning.