u/bigformybritches

I’m looking to lose myself in something groovy lol. Open to not-too-complex crafts, collecting, events, or outdoor activities. What are the most quintessential hippy hobbies?

I have an issue with frequently being recorded while visiting extended family. We see them a few times a year, so not close. Years ago, people would take out a clunky camera and everyone would know to look up and wave. Now, you can have an entire conversation with a person, turn around, and realize the whole interaction was recorded on someone’s phone. This has happened to me. It was intentional and focused on me and the person I was speaking to, not the room as a whole.
Most videos never see the light of day (I think!) but I know some show up on social media. This happens throughout the visit.
Should I ignore it because this is the world we live in now? Does visiting mean I agree to it? Or can I question the purpose of this or ask for videos to be deleted? I feel like we’re all supposed to be COOL with this and I’ll be a stick in the mud if I say something. I think they are being rude - so it’s not rude for me to say something, right?

I have a thing for grabbing church or community cookbooks for free or cheap at the thrift. The ones they print up as a fundraiser and note the contributor. I like to see what people are actually making or used to make in yesteryear. Classic recipes that are cheap and easy. Lots are dump recipes, like this one.

I didn’t know where this one was going but it turned out to basically be a creamy chicken noodle soup. I like knowing I can keep every ingredient in the pantry for a day I can’t or don’t want to get out. So, thank you Nellie Brown from First Baptist Church in Minnesota!

One serving (2 people) would be $6.49 at Aldi, but I doubled it for $12.98 (3 people and generous leftovers). (Not including a thin layer of breadcrumbs on top) This would make a yummy comfort meal for sickies next winter!!!

Creamy Chicken Casserole
(1) 5 ounce can of chicken (Aldi has the 12.5 oz can which worked for me since I doubled. Then I added another one because we eat a lot!)
(1) Can Cream of Chicken Soup
(1) Can Chicken noodle Soup
5 ounces evaporated milk (again I used a larger Aldi can which was good for doubling)
4 ounce Chow Mein noodles (near the Ramen) Skip the seasoning packet.
Breadcrumbs on top, if you want.

Pour everything into a glass baking dish. Break the Chow Mein noodles up with your hands as you throw it in baking pan. If you double it, use a 9 x 13. Mix it all up, making sure to break up the chicken and noodles. Sprinkle top with breadcrumbs if you want.

Like I said, I added much more chicken than it called for. Use whatever amount of chicken and noodles as you like. It just needs to fit in the pan!

Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes. Breadsticks on the side are especially comforting! We all enjoyed it!

I have a thing for grabbing church or community cookbooks for free or cheap at the thrift. The ones they print up as a fundraiser and note the contributor. I like to see what people are actually making or used to make in yesteryear. Classic recipes that are cheap and easy. Lots are dump recipes, like this one.

I didn’t know where this one was going but it turned out to basically be a creamy chicken noodle soup. I like knowing I can keep every ingredient in the pantry for a day I can’t or don’t want to get out. So, thank you Nellie Brown from First Baptist Church in Minnesota!

One serving (2 people) would be $6.49 at Aldi, but I doubled it for $12.98 (3 people and generous leftovers). (Not including a thin layer of breadcrumbs on top) This would make a yummy comfort meal for sickies next winter!!!

Creamy Chicken Casserole
(1) 5 ounce can of chicken (Aldi has the 12.5 oz can which worked for me since I doubled. Then I added another one because we eat a lot!)
(1) Can Cream of Chicken Soup
(1) Can Chicken noodle Soup
5 ounces evaporated milk (again I used a larger Aldi can which was good for doubling)
4 ounce Chow Mein noodles (near the Ramen) Skip the seasoning packet.
Breadcrumbs on top, if you want.

Pour everything into a glass baking dish. Break the Chow Mein noodles up with your hands as you throw it in baking pan. If you double it, use a 9 x 13. Mix it all up, making sure to break up the chicken and noodles. Sprinkle top with breadcrumbs if you want.

Like I said, I added much more chicken than it called for. Use whatever amount of chicken and noodles as you like. It just needs to fit in the pan!

Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes. Breadsticks on the side are especially comforting! We all enjoyed it!

Planning ahead! For parents of OLDER teens, up to age 20: how many gifts do you have them open on Christmas morning? Gifts are more expensive and there will be less of them in comparison to their younger years.

Also, how involved do you get them with the gift buying for others? Do siblings buy for siblings? Do they contribute to stockings? Do they spend their own money?

I’m open to any insight on how you do Christmas with older teens and how to make it manageable as our lives get more complicated.

Signed, a mom who wants to keep the spirit alive but is very, very tired…

For those of us who have been at this for about 20 years…it’s getting to be a lot, right? The days of toys sprawled around the tree are behind us. But now the gifts are smaller and more expensive.

I will always love getting gifts for my kids but it’s getting harder (impossible) for the Christmas sprawl to look anything like it did when they were little. You can get them bubbles, crayons, and other cheap stuff to beef up what’s under the tree when they are little but that doesn’t fly anymore! I also don’t want to get them junk they don’t need and will just donate in 6 months.

I still do stockings which is getting HARD. The wrapping of the little things is so time consuming too lol ( I’m so lame! lol)

These are good problems to have - I get it! And my kids are the type to be grateful. I just want to change how the holiday looks for us as a family of adults.

How do you manage it? Do your kids open 3 things, finish doing gifts in 10 minutes and it still feels Christmasy?

Do you do gift cards, cash? I’d love to hear gift suggestions for late teens, early 20’s, both boys and girls. And most importantly how MANY individual gifts they get. Thank you!

I received a lot of good suggestions about managing a neighbor that walks by the house each evening who will talk until the sun sets if we let him.

Well, my husband and child think that I am a champ because I managed to politely and kindly excuse us from a night long visit recently. My husband had continued to run into the house to avoid the situation, but a few nights ago, we were all distracted, and he didn’t hear the neighbor coming.

I gave our conversation about 15 minutes during which we were able to do thorough catch-up. Again, I like this person. However, we feel cornered when he approaches the porch and keeps us for over an hour. I then shared with the gentleman that we were still recovering from a family member returning from a trip and that we would be heading inside to watch the news and relax. The three of us stood up, gathered our things and everyone wished each other a nice evening. The neighbor was probably a little disappointed, but I didn’t hyper focus on his reaction. I stated a fact, and followed through with our plan for the evening.

My husband and child sang my praises when we got inside. They were so relieved! I told them it’s important to simply be direct (as if I’m some seasoned expert ha ha.) I feel pretty empowered! I received a little bit of criticism on this sub for saying I was afraid to be this direct, but some people need a little extra time and practice to assert their own needs. I look forward to catching up with my neighbor now and then, without the dread that it will never end.

Thank you to those who encouraged me! This is a small thing but it felt pretty good!

My question is for parents of children in their late teens and early 20s, so very young adults. How much do you socialize with the parents of their boyfriends and girlfriends? We have cordial relationships with them and will socialize when there is a relevant event and the dating children are present. This would include proms, relevant birthdays, minor holidays.

It’s come to our attention (through the grapevine) that we are not socializing to the level that one set of parents is happy with. I think they are expecting to socialize with us even when the kids are not present. I’m not a big initiator to begin with. My husband and I are usually tired and overwhelmed. Socializing is the last thing we think about but we show up when there is a special occasion and usually have a very nice time. And yes, we have reciprocated a few times. But I definitely have sensed that there’s this pressure to make plans again immediately following hanging out.

This isn’t something I thought I would have to deal with until my kids were close to being married. I still feel like I’m raising my kids and I’m not exactly in “in law mode” yet. I don’t want to be. These are kids who are dating and MANY years away from any type of real commitment. I also never want my kids to feel like they need to continue a relationship because the families are such close friends. I foresee major complications in the case that they may want to move on from the relationship.

So am I overthinking this? Have times changed that much from when I was a kid and my parents left me to manage my own friendships and relationships? Do I just have a lousy attitude? How much do you socialize with the parents of the kids your children are dating?

This one is not a big deal but still stumped me.

There’s a thrift shop near my home. Not goodwill but similar. I walked up to the register and placed my items on the counter. The cashier was several steps away and came right over. She had a blank look on her face a moment and said “are these yours?” motioning to two floor lamps near the register. I said oh no they aren’t mine and realized there’s a woman who placed the lamps there then must’ve gotten distracted and kept shopping at a nearby rack. I apologize and move over.

It turns out the shopper did put the floor lamps there and actually had been rung up for them already, but had not paid. So the cashier must have known they were hers after ringing them up - how the transaction was interrupted, I have no idea. I don’t know why she asked if they were mine, except maybe she didn’t know how to say “I’ve already started another customer’s sale.” All of this is totally fine with me, I get distracted too, and I figure the shopper will come back now and complete the sale. Nope. She says, “those are mine!” and stays at the nearby rack she was browsing but doesn’t walk over to the register.

The three of us stand there looking at each other. Nobody moves. We’re at an impasse. The cashier quietly says to the shopper “Do you still want these?” The shopper shrugs her shoulders and says “hmmmmm I’m not sure yet.” 🤷🏻‍♀️ Still doesn’t approach the counter. Goes back to shopping! The cashier is baffled. I’m baffled. The sale is still open and she can’t ring me up until it’s closed. She sighs and heads to the back of the store to get approval to suspend the transaction.

What was the plan here? Were we all supposed to wait until she was done shopping so other customers could finally be rung up? The thing that got me the most was the full shrug gesture complete with grimace face. So inconsiderate! That and how many moments of silence transpired during this bizarre interaction.

Legend has it the shopper still isn’t sure about the floor lamps! 🤷🏻‍♀️

Thanks for the spelling correction!

We’re expecting company this weekend. We already changed the date, at the suggestion of our guests, considering that the weather was not great yesterday. OK, that’s fine. I don’t mind having guests on a rainy day. Gives you something fun to do. But
I get it, it’s nice to be outside. So we changed it to today.

Now the guests are suggesting that we move it to a day that my adult child can be there. This son is away on a work study and will return next month. I’m always sad if one of my kids cannot be present at something, but life must go on when they are living their dreams outside of the house. I’m excited to see my friends because you know, we’re friends!

As the host should I stick to the plan and say, no, I want to do it today because today is good. We have husbands, a bunch of kids, people to work around. Anything can happen in the future. I like to seize the day.

Am I being rude by not acquiescing to their suggestion? Is it weird to have a get together if every member of the families are not there? I admit it takes the wind out of my sails a bit when someone keeps trying to postpone a get together.

This year marks 40 years since the release of the film The Worst Witch! 🧙‍♀️🧹🐈‍⬛ It appeared in October 1986 in the US and the UK. To think I actually thought I discovered something no one else knew about all those years ago lol. I don’t remember ever discussing it with friends and just carried memories of it into adulthood. Now I still enjoy it time to time and will definitely be taking in a few viewings between now and Halloween 🎃 Thanks to groups like this I’m so glad to finally know that I’m not alone as I root for Mildred! Yet I have to admit a new appreciation for Agatha Cackle dancing in the woods with her besties!

I want to drag out the autumn festivities and look at back to school time as its own ‘holiday’. I don’t have small children going back to school, but everybody loves that first chill in the air that gives you that back to school feeling! Any ideas for movies, TV shows, meals, activities? I’d love to hear any silly tradition that you do around that time.

My examples are buying a new outfit even though I’m not starting anything new right now, or watching Sleepy Hollow, not just for the spooky vibes, but for the schoolhouse vibes. Any other ideas?? I’m excited to reclaim the thrill of back to school without all of the pressure!

I have a friend I genuinely enjoy talking to, but it mostly happens over texting. I’m OK with that because we’re both busy with jobs and kids. We see each other maybe a couple of times a year.

My issue is that when we do get together, I would like to sit for a while and catch up for a couple of hours. She wants to, as an example, meet for breakfast early in the morning, and in my opinion, get it out of the way in under an hour. I want to go somewhere like the beach or a park, bring some snacks and nonalcoholic beverages and just chill and truly catch up. The last two times we hung out, it did feel very rushed, and I was embarrassed to arrive home so early! I thought it would be a great night of eating and chatting like old times. I end up feeling very let down.

I’m a grown-up and I understand that communication is key. But I did communicate with her my idea what we could do, and she came back with the suggestion to meet for breakfast in between two of her appointments.

I almost don’t feel like bothering at this point. Like let’s just do texting and not bother with dropping 40 bucks in 45 minutes and heading home. She usually keeps her phone right next to her anyway, and interacts with it regularly. If I see somebody once or twice a year, I’m going to avoid touching my phone. We barely even get to cover all the topics that we need to catch up on before she has to run off.

Odd thing is it’s her idea to get together! But I can’t get over how lame it is when we do. Am I just expecting too much? Do you think she’s just outgrown me and not really interested?

ADDING MORE INFO:
We used to see each other more frequently and I preferred that. Seeing each other only a couple of times of year is something that developed over time, based on her availability, and I grew to accept it. Being a texting friend is just something I’ve had to accept.

My husband and I like to sit on our porch when it’s a beautiful evening, unwind after work and chit chat about the day.

We live on a dead end street but people use it to go for walks, walk dogs, kids ride bikes etc. One distant neighbor has been walking every evening, approaches our porch and literally talks to us until the sun sets. We don’t mind a quick hello, how are you, but would rather enjoy our peaceful street together without long unexpected visits.

My husband’s strategy is to run into the house when he sees him coming and then I feel absolutely awful. He really is a nice person. I feel like making an excuse and excusing ourselves into the house is the way to go, so that’s what I’ve done. But it stinks that we have to cut our evening short every night.

How would some of you manage this? I absolutely want to maintain a relationship with this person. This is a daily occurrence that I need to manage. This person will stay for about an hour plus if we allow it.

I can’t remember the last time I saw a paper flyer, but I’d at least like to view a digital one. Like where you turn the pages to see the ads that week. I keep googling and can’t find anything.

Is there a spot on the DT webpage I’m just not seeing?