u/Secure-Alternative-7

I do actually like some of the concepts on the show, but there are several things that confuse me and seem like their own advice backfires.

1. How do phones work in the US? In Canada, I pay for my phone monthly (phone purchased in cash) but it is still considered revolving credit and shows up on a credit report. Do they assume everyone is using prepaid cards? Are phones not revolving credit in the US?

2. Today they were talking about manual underwriting which I didn't know much about. When they went through the criteria, they mentioned that you have to have the same employment for at least 2 years. Yet it seems like almost every call their first advice is go get a better paying job. Maybe they assume the benefits of a better paying job outweigh the wait for a mortgage. It just seems a little contradictory.

I have been assigned some 3 and 4 music prep classes next year. In the past these classes played recorder and sometimes ukelele. My administrator would really like this to continue and the kids loved it. I am not sure how it worked previously so I am looking for some input.

Does your school do recorders? Do you ask parents to purchase recorders or do you ask for money to purchase them? Is there a vendor and model that is the most cost effective and still sounds good?

Thanks!

After years of teaching homeroom, I am teaching primary prep next year. I have all of the Arts in grades 1-3. I normally integrate these subjects in my science, social studies. or literacy, so it is a bit of a learning curve to only focus on the arts.

Are there any resources you would suggest I use or stay away from? Any tpt units you like to use? How much focus do you place on concepts like the elements of visual art and how much do you do art just for the fun of it?

Any experience with recorders in a grade 3 or 3/4?

Most classes have me for about 200 hours a week which is exciting because we can really dig in.

With my next baby, I would like to try nursing. If it turns out like it did this time, I don't think I will EP like this time. Or if I do, I will have a very loose schedule. What I get is what I get and I will supplement the rest.

​

I say that knowing my hormones could make me a liar come baby 2.

​

I EPd as a labour of love. I thought it was what was best for her. I don't mean this to discourage anyone. I obsessed over every ounce. I cried when the journey wasn't working like I wanted.

​

Now that I am done I feel proud. But I also can't believe how amazing I feel. With each pump I dropped it felt like relief. I feel human again. I got my pink back. I get to sleep through the night. When my baby goes to bed, I get to watch TV with my husband and not be tied to a pump. I don't have to plan every outing around a pump schedule and milk expirations.

​

And I think I love her even more. I don't think I realized sometimes how resentful I was or how down I was. I remember the panic of coming home from a grocery trip knowing I needed to eat, but I needed to pump, but she needed to nap, and the groceries had to be put away. I always felt like I was failing something. I remember listening to her cry while I pumped because I couldn't pick her up and I felt pulled in two directions: love her as me, or love her with milk.

​

I know that isn't everyone's experience.

​

Knowing my experience I don't know if I would do it again. Would you? Have you?

I am looking for some tips.

​

Next year I will have 28-29 junior students.

​

I have just been told that the only room available in the school due to closing a wing of the building, will be a classroom with no storage that is very small. It was once two closets and now has a wall removed. The last time it was used was about 4 of 5 years ago. There were 21 students and there was no room for an extra desk for a teacher or anything. The suggestion is that I use the classroom in the morning and move to the library for the afternoon when the primary classes are done using it. They would like to use my room for french in the afternoon if I will move.

​

Any suggestions for how to make my classroom more transportable? There is a flight of stairs.

​

- Bins for duotangs?

- Caddies for supplies? Students only take their own supplies?

​

My baby is 11 months old.

We had an event with friends this weekend so our baby was left with a family member for about 6 hours.

She didn't cry when we left her. She does know this family member, but only sees them about once every month or so. She was happy to see my husband and I when we returned, but we didn't get a huge reaction.

I think that means she has a secure attachment and I hope it's a good sign, but I'm not sure.

I was an undersupplier turned just enougher. It was so hard and expensive. Mentally exhausting. At my max I was about 28-30oz a day. I spent most of my time around 24-28oz a day.

I finally get to be done. I am down to twice a day but I can't go lower than about 12-13oz. I got mastitis trying to shorten my times. Its like a cruel joke.

How?! How did I need to pump 8+ times a day to maintain 24oz. Now I'm trying to quit and my body thinks 2x a day should mean 12-13oz. What is this mess?!

I guess I've gotta go get some Sudafed.

I will be new to Grade 6 next year. I normally teach Kindie/1. Tell me about your organization and supplies.

Do you prefer binders, duotangs, or notebooks?

Unfortunately, these students will only have access to computers a few days a week so relying on tech to keep materials organized isn't an option.

There were many times I wished the journey looked different. I started with very low supply and latch issues. I was combo feeding. Developed some PPD.

Somewhere along the way I ended up exclusively pumping and even able to build up a little stash.

Things got really tough with pumping and a baby on the move. I kept trying to decide the right time to be done. Day by day I realized making it to a year might be possible.

I was trying to decide when to really be done/how to wean. Out of nowhere I ended up with mastitis and my supply dropped a lot. My supply is now very low so I dropped another pump. Dropping my MOTN pump has given me the first full night's sleep since I was a few months pregnant. I will give it a few more days and then drop to two and one.

I looked for advice a few months ago on when to quit. Someone told me I would know when I was ready. At the time I was very frustrated with how hard it was, but the thought of quitting made me really emotional. Today, I feel so at ease.

Hanging up the pump in a few days. My stash will get me the month and a half until my baby is a year!

I see a common solution for clogs are to latch baby more but that's not something I can do. I am 10 months pp and have a clog for the first time.

I have taken ibuprofen, I am icing every couple of hours, and pumping on a normal schedule. Anything else I should be doing?

EDIT: Be very careful about massage/vibration if you have any doubts. My friend swears by it so she came over last night and let me borrow her massager specifically for breastfeeding and showed me what she did. At the time it felt amazing. About 20 minutes later that whole side felt like it was on fire. Ibuprofen and ice are not touching it. Now getting zero output on that side. Have a call in to my doctor.

I am currently planning my last pumping day to be June 9th and I will have enough of a stash to last until her first birthday (about 2 months). I am currently at 4 ppd. When would you go down to 3 and then 2. Should I wait until that day or start transitioning in a week or two.

28 days left and I can't wait to be done!

My daughter is now 10 months old and she has transitioned to 3 meals a day. The time it takes to prep and clean feels astronomical. I still get her down to her diaper every time because we were ruining too many clothes even with smocks and a bib. I think I need to buy spot cleaner in bulk.

With that in mind, what are some easy to clean and healthy options? She loves shredded chicken and it's relatively mess free but it gets boring after a while.

How are you surviving?

It can't be just me. I would take 10 newborns over whatever this is.

I had the happiest baby. She slept decently well. I enjoyed being around her.

For the last month or so she is whining and crying from the time she wakes up until the time she goes to sleep... if she sleeps. We refuse all naps. It takes 1-2 hours to get her down at night. Against my better judgement I tried sleep training because I was exhausted and it backfired. Nothing makes her happy. She was so social and she loved "playing" with musical instruments. Now she just stares at people. She throws all of her toys and screams. She whines if we pick her up. She screams if we put her down. I could take her places and do fun things. Now she just screams in the car. She HATES going on walks now so I've had to give up my walks (which were usually social time with mom friends).

Most days I just end up crying with her.

Our baby has only ever been a contact napper or she will sleep in the car. But bedtime has never been a problem. She coslept for the first few months. Then we started cuddling her to sleep and then transferring to her crib. For about a month and a half now sleep is just out of the question altogether. At night she will not sleep. It is hours of screaming even with us holding her. If we put her in her crib she thrashes around so much and hits her head repeatedly. It seems actually dangerous. She will stand up with the bars and just let go. She never cries other than bedtime or naptime.

I have an app and I would like to start tracking things better to see if I can spot any patterns. What all should I track? Just sleep?

Please tell me your stories of non nappers that got better.

Overall my baby is a low sleep needs kid. She could go most of the day having little cat naps and she's still in a great mood. She is 9 months and only has contact naps. I can count on one hand the number of times she has napped on her own and those days are amazing.

Please spare me the whole "you will miss these days". I love her and sometimes I love contact naps but I am also human. I need to shower and do laundry and pay bills, etc.

We have tried everything. White noise, lullaby music, black out, subtle light, sleep sack, no sleep sack, play pen, crib, changing her schedule, rocking to sleep then transfer, TCB, even incidental CIO. She will only contact nap. Otherwise she could scream for 30+ minutes or just decide to play in her crib with her soother/hands.

I kept being told it would get better with age. A friend of mine said she only knows of one kid that didn't figure out naps by the time they started daycare (for us that's in just a month). I guess mine will be number two.

Overall she is such an easy, happy kid, but I need her to nap.