I’m here to satisfy my addiction to doomscrolling. Bring on the memes.
AI. If people want to use it to help them rephrase a letter better that’s totally fine. But it’s shoved in my face at every turn and in 99 cases out of 100 it’s useless with several of those being downright dangerous.
NASA has already sent out emails to their teams and contractors about what implications this can have on their departments. Shit’s bad.
Yes, but teaching kindergarten is 24 at once. I am so thankful for my toddler’s daycare teachers because I couldn’t do it. My one is challenging enough.
My uncle landed himself in jail after getting drunk and beating up his 19 year old son. His wife has refused to leave him so while we haven’t cut her off completely it’s weird now. There was a big rift when my mom said he wasn’t invited to Christmas. Also, my grandmother (my aunt and my dad’s mom) died a few months ago and we found out that my aunt had been taking a lot of money from her over the years as well.
We live far away from family so it was just us and a doula with us in the hospital. I wasn’t even induced, just my labor (but the epidural really slowed any progress I had made). I was probably close to a C-section, I pushed for 3.5 hours and I don’t think I could’ve done much more.
I was in labor for 40 hours, so probably that. Then at the end of it I had a baby that didn’t sleep either.
Tooth fairy is actually what broke the “magical beings that are actually parents” for me too. Luckily my kid is only 2 and I don’t have to worry about any of these yet, but I’m really leaning towards not bothering with the lies as long as my kid isn’t one that would enjoy spoiling it for everyone else.
We have threat assessments at our elementary school but we go through MANY channels before police are involved. Like, is the threat credible? Is anyone fearful? Does the child have the means? Is there motive? Someone making a comment that says “because they’ll blow up” would be a freaking conversation about school appropriate language not arrest and suspensions, for ANYBODY but especially kids with documented disabilities.
I got these almost every morning when I was pregnant. Thankfully they only lasted a few minutes (besides a soreness for the rest of the day), but they sucked. I had to train myself to not move my legs in my sleep.
The trade-off was that they wanted Alan Rickman for Snape. So that meant Lily and James needed to be older too. Since we only see them in a few flashbacks I don’t think it’s that big of a deal that they’re older than written.
I thought the reveal of the witches road being an illusion was really good. His realization as he was looking around the room was fantastic. I’m also glad that Jen got her powers and was able to live. I was tired of everybody dying
I wish we got more of Agatha and Rio’s relationship and Nicky’s death. Is Agatha just unable to face him because she used his song to kill untold amount of witches? Is the only way that Rio hurt Agatha is that she took Nicky? Her job? I just feel like I was expecting a better story there. Other than that I thought it was fantastic. It felt like a short episode but it wasn’t.
The only benefit I have seen to kids wearing smartwatches is the ability for mobile payments with their watch for the bookfair or other fundraisers. Phones are not allowed at my school, but wearable tech is. Kids usually don’t care about step counting, sleep tracking, or setting alarms and reminders. Honestly, a kid wearing a watch that doesn’t know how to use it and has an alarm going off every ten minutes is frustrating. As far as communication, I feel like that should be discouraged during the school day. Smartwatches end up being a distraction more than a benefit in most cases. Personally I would be more on board to getting a basic flip phone than a watch for emergencies. If you do get a watch, I would explore different parental control features and “school mode” to see what it offers.
Schools and everywhere else need to stop accepting non-medical exemptions. The “religious” or “philosophical” reasons for not vaccinating should not permit the child to be admitted to school, daycare, playgroups, or anything else. Inconvenience the parents enough to make the right choice.
The issue is kids aren’t making phone calls in class. They’re on social media. They’re listening to music. It’s usually not obvious and disruptive to others, but still impacting their ability to focus and learn. Banning them outright causes kids to be sneaky and resentful, but allowing them can be detrimental, especially with the impacts on mental health. If you collect them before class (I’ve seen teachers use shoe holders hanging on the door) kids will bring in an old phone and turn in that. If you use the locked bags, same deal. If you scramble the service so they phones are unusable then you can run into issues in a real emergency.
When we do testing in schools to determine giftedness it is the top 95th percentile of different tests. It wasn’t just reading and math but also nonverbal tasks (like tangram type things). We used state testing and IQ scores as well. We tried to create a whole profile of a child and then determine which ones met the criteria of requiring gifted services (95th percentile and above). I don’t think there’s a federal guideline so each state (or even each district) sets their own parameters. The twice exceptional kids were the ones with ADHD or other diagnoses. But yes, it was possible that these kids were not the “smart, model student” though I’ve had plenty of those as well.
So earlier yesterday we went with no pants or anything. At one point, she stopped in the middle of the kitchen and froze. I asked her if she needed to go and she ran to the potty and went. Then later she said she peed, but when I looked it was the tiniest amount and she stopped herself and finished in the potty. Does that seem like the understanding the emergency?
Also, we’ve had times where she’s held it for a few hours, been completely dry, and peed a bigger amount on the potty. This has even happened at daycare as well.
Very very rarely. Like only at a birthday party. Juice gets her the most excited
It’s possible, but we do offer watered down juice as a reward. A cup for poop, a sip for pee (usually only when she’s really fighting it). She still needs prompting to go, though.
It’s the cheapest, safest, and most convenient to us. And they do encourage her to go potty and she goes multiple times a day there (just in addition to going in pull-ups). While changing daycares may allow for a different policy in their 3-year-old room, I still want my toddler to be potty trained for a multitude of reasons.
Potty Training, advice? Ideas? Vent?
My LO turned 2 in May. She’s been peeing on the potty since she was 18 months old (and started having accidents in the tub). We started potty training in earnest in June. We’re now in October and not doing much better. We have very little issues with getting her to go. She will pee on the potty almost every time we suggest it. But she will not hold it and she will not tell us when she needs to go. Making it through the day with no accidents requires us to make her stop every hour and go. She knows all the mantras and will tell you the right thing every time you talk to her. But she isn’t putting it to practice. We’ve tried stickers, hand stamps, screen time, juice, stickers in the potty that show dinosaurs when she pees on them. She likes all of these things and is excited for them. But she will not go of her own accord. The thing is, I know she can hold it. She'll hold it for hours in the car or when we’re out and about in public. She doesn’t fear the potty (sometimes after pooping in her pull-ups it’s sensitive and she’s afraid to pee for a time or two, but gets over it quickly). We’ve done underwear, pull-ups, no pants, leaving the door open and lights on, and us announcing loudly when we need to go to model. Is it just a waiting game? Eventually she’ll understand her body better? I’m a little apprehensive because the next room at daycare will send your child home if they have 2 accidents in a day. So we’ve got about six months to make some drastic improvements. We’ve done books and songs and get super excited when she goes. I’ve tried to make it a positive experience for her. And that’s just pee. The only way she will poop on the potty is if we catch her in the act (usually after not going for a day or two) and run her to the potty. Most weekends she’ll go both days without pooping and then go first thing at daycare in her pull-up. Is there anything I’m missing? Anything I haven’t tried? I would be fine with the occasional accident because she forgot to go while playing, but right now she will only tell us after she has gone in her pants and will only go potty if we remind her.
Busch Gardens Williamsburg platinum pass review
I’ve had my platinum pass for Seaworld parks for 11 months now, it was my first time having a non Cedar Fair or Six Flags pass. Since I’ve lived 25 minutes from Williamsburg I figured it was the time to try, especially since almost everybody I know has a pass.
First, cost. My platinum pass was over $400. I have never paid this much for a pass before, and to rub salt in the wound, I could’ve gotten the same pass for only $200 if I didn’t live in Virginia (or any other state with a Seaworld park) by purchasing the San Antonio platinum pass. Having the same pass (with some differing benefits) for such a difference in price depending on location is insane.
Now, I will say that there have been a lot of benefits that I have been able to take advantage of with this pass. My 6 free tickets became easily over 10 if you count the platinum bonus tickets or the extra Water Country USA tickets, nobody else in my family needed a pass and we were able to go together or with friends multiple times. There were also double discounts on food and drinks, $10 “Busch bucks”, extra discounts on specific stores, and other free things that could be redeemed during your visit. Most of these were once a month benefits. There’s also a one time fast pass per trip, but I honestly never used it.
However, redemption of the pass perks is difficult. First you either need to wait in line at a kiosk or at guest services for them to print out individual cards. These cannot be reprinted, so if you lose one or don’t redeem it and forget to bring it back, you’re out of luck. Then, employees are unable to make all the discounts work appropriately. I think only once was I able to get both my platinum pass discount and whatever extra discount was on the card. Every other time after examining the receipt something didn’t come off correctly. I’m not sure how their computers are set up or their employees are training but something isn’t right.
The park map and the app is confusing. Most parks I can take a lap around and have a general idea of at least where all the big rides are. Here I felt like I hit so many dead ends and main paths that look like they lead nowhere. The map on the app does not allow rotating and as soon as you toggle something “on” giant labels take up so much of the screen space. The app itself also offers no filtering. You can see an alphabetical list of rides. You cannot filter by height requirements, type of ride, wait time, or anything else. The picture that is shown of the ride is usually not very helpful in determining what type of ride it is either.
Ride operations are honestly not too bad. They’re not the most efficient I’ve seen but I have also seen much, much worse. During busier times they also have single rider lines available at Griffon, Alpengeist, and Apollo’s Chariot (though honestly the lines never seem that long anyway). It’s important to note that the entire park doesn’t always open when the park does, which is something I’ve mostly seen at SeaWorld parks. I was planning on hitting Loch Ness Monster and then DarKoaster, only to find that all paths to get to DarKoaster were blocked off.
The coaster lineup is decent, and is definitely worth the trip if you’ve never been. There’s some good credits. You’ve got your Arrow looper, launch coaster, dive coaster, inverted coaster, indoor coaster, and your B\&M hyper. Verbolten is also a fun experience.
My conclusion is that Busch Gardens Williamsburg is a perfectly fine park, but is overpriced when compared to others, especially if your reason for visiting is thrill rides. I will not be renewing my pass, opting instead for Cedar Fair passports for this next year. (My toddler is almost 36” and wants “baby rollercoasters” in the worst way, and the Busch Gardens kiddie coaster is 38”). My biggest reason in the future for getting a SeaWorld pass again would be the convenient location and the number of friends that have passes. For just me, I’ll pass (no pun intended).
Kennywood closes rollercoaster after photo appears to show cinderblocks supporting part of the ride
Kennywood closes rollercoaster after photo appears to show cinderblocks supporting part of the ride
WEST MIFFLIN, Pa. — Two days after an alarming photo from oneBURGH media blew up on Facebook, Kennywood pumped the brakes on the Racer, temporarily shutting the rollercoaster down Wednesday.
The picture appears to show part of the ride jacked up on two large cinder blocks.
“That’s not okay,” said Patrice Klimchock of Greensburg. “That’s scary to me.”
Channel 11 showed people the photo, including Justin Gambrell, a Kennywood employee.
“This doesn’t look right,” Gambrell said. “I didn’t even know about this, so this is a shocker for me. As somebody who works here, I feel like this should be stuff we know.”
A spokesperson for Kennywood said rides are inspected daily but wouldn’t say how this could’ve gone unnoticed.
“From my understanding that was inspected a few days ago, and that was how it was left to be running?” Klimchock said. “That concerns me.”
The Racer is one of Kennywood’s oldest rides, first opening in 1927.
Without going into detail about why the ride was closed, the amusement park’s communications director Lynsey Winters sent a brief statement saying, “A non-structural enhancement under the station is being made and the ride will reopen tomorrow.”
Some parkgoers are raising questions about safety protocols.
“I would want to know something like that even for the safety of others...because anything is possible,” Gambrell said.
Klimchock agreed.
“Kennywood’s a great place and we love Pittsburgh and want to support it, but they need to take better care,” she said.
When Channel 11 first inquired about the photo of the rollercoaster on Monday, Kennywood’s press team sent this statement:
“The safety of our attractions is our top priority. All rides at the park are inspected daily by Pennsylvania-certified state inspectors before opening so that they may be enjoyed safely by all guests.”
Channel 11 emailed and called the Department of Agriculture that oversees the ride’s inspectors and we have not heard back.
What breaks in a toddler's brain when they mess up a task a little bit so they purposefully mess up the rest of the task?
So I’m thinking along the lines of this (volume warning)
But my two year old just did the same thing while “helping” to feed the dogs. She spilled a few pieces, looked at the mess, and then dumped out the rest of the cup. She exclaimed, “I make a mess” then picked up the pieces, put them back in the cup, and successfully poured it into the dog’s bowl. What breaks in their brain where the task doesn’t go according to plan so they make an even bigger mess?
I need to figure out a way to get my one year old to differentiate between “put it away” and “throw it away”
This message brought to you by the milk cup and makeup bag I’ve had to fish out of the garbage.