These things are dumbed down motorcycles. My children better know better than to try to ask for one.

I bought a Skylight Frame on FB Marketplace and it started glitching, so I reached out to customer service. Easy fix the first time! The problem persisted so I reached out to them again, and explained that the touchscreen no longer worked so I couldn't reset it anymore. Without any hesitation they sent me a new one! So if you're on the fence let me just say - they very easily could have said 'good luck go buy a new one' but went above and beyond.

A friend is moving from Atlanta and asked me for Austin-based mom content creators who talk about parenting, pregnancy, or local places to go with kids. She has a toddler and one on the way!

Lately I have been on such a Brighton Butler kick- but I want to give her good local moms to follow! (Besides Kathleen Jennings obvi.)

Any favorites she should follow? Thanks y'all.

https://www.analuisa.com/

I use DeeDee from Perfectly Plated also! We LOVE her food and we always add on her extra chicken salad, desserts and breakfast tacos for the freezer. I bet we use her about 2 weeks per month, and on the off weeks we supplement with protein we can toss on the grill from Farmhouse Delivery (Austin female founder!!) paired with a grain + steamed veggies we can throw in the rice cooker.

https://farmhousedelivery.com/p/faqs?utm_source=Lapsed Customer | Austin&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Lapsed customer email 3 - Austin (VwaCAq)&utm_content=FlowEmail&_kx=NE3gcvgmeH-9kc_ELGBoEuBgqWRoRqsmHtogoHRmoI8.R4nWmZ

Can’t believe I’m writing this, but I need some advice—and this group always comes through. My youngest child, my daughter, is turning 8 this month, and my husband and I made the really hard decision not to throw her a birthday party this year.

Over the last few months, her behavior has become incredibly difficult. I’m not talking about typical “off day” stuff. I mean frequent, intense outbursts—hitting, kicking, screaming, cursing, slamming doors, refusing to follow any directions, and saying deeply hurtful things to everyone in the family. It’s not isolated to one type of trigger or situation either—it’s been happening multiple times a week, sometimes multiple times a day.

We’ve tried everything—calm-down spaces, social-emotional tools, connecting before correcting, taking time to reflect together when things are calmer. But she flat-out refuses to use the tools and often escalates further when we try to help. It’s reached the point where my older child and I have both ended up in tears after the way she’s treated us when she’s upset.

One particularly heartbreaking example: on her older sibling’s birthday last month, she refused to join us for our celebratory family dinner. Not only that, she was so nasty to her sister that she ended up sobbing. My husband and I ended up taking our older daughter out to dinner without her. It was awful for everyone.

We told her several weeks ago that if she didn’t start being more respectful and cooperative, she wouldn’t have a party this year. We even gave her a few opportunities to earn it back with better behavior—but nothing really changed. And now here we are, just days away from her birthday, and I feel completely torn.

On one hand, this is the standard in our family: birthdays are a big deal. The kids get to skip school and do something fun with just us parents, pick out a special cake and theme, and have a party with friends. Her sister had a great party recently. So yeah—I feel sad and guilty that our youngest isn’t going to get that this year. She’s only 7, after all.

On the other hand, if we go back on the boundary we set—after clearly stating it and giving her chances to change—I’m afraid we’re just reinforcing that there are no consequences for truly harmful behavior. And she knows the expectations. She just isn’t interested in meeting them.

We do believe in gentle parenting, and I absolutely believe she’s a child who is having a hard time, not a “bad kid.” (Thanks Dr. Becky + Janet Lansbury.) But the truth is—our whole family is struggling right now. The emotional toll of her behavior has made daily life really heavy.

Tonight was just another example. We asked her to get pajamas on, and she shouted “I’m not doing anything you say!” and stormed off. We calmly told her it wasn’t a choice—it’s bedtime—but she just sat in her room reading, ignoring us. This kind of standoff happens every night and bedtime stretches until 10pm.

We’ve reached out to a few child therapists in hopes of getting her support, but there’s a wait to get in. Meanwhile, her birthday is coming up fast, and I keep second-guessing this decision not to celebrate.

Am I going to scar her by skipping her party this year? Will she just spiral more out of control if she feels rejected or left out? Or are we doing the right thing by holding the boundary and following through on a consequence we clearly stated?

Feeling really stuck and really sad about this.

– A Very Tired Mama

I'm about to start doing swim lessons with my under 2 baby at Emler Swim School. They have a water babies class that my older daughter found to be fun. She is now 6 and a strong swimmer!

Y'all. I've turned this Karen Read trial into my whole personality. I listen to the podcasts while folding laundry, reading court docs in the carpool line like it's Colleen Hoover, and texting my friend group with “new theories” like we’re the FBI.

But after ALL that— I think she did it.

First, her whole “did I hit him?” spiral? That’s not normal. Like, girl. Either you hit him or you didn’t. The fact that her first instinct is to say she might’ve? OMG the guilt. That’s not how innocent brains work.

Second, the broken taillight thing. I cannot wrap my head around how people think cops snuck around during a blizzard to plant her broken taillight in the snow like it’s a Hallmark movie. That’s a stretch.

And listen—I love a good small-town cover-up story as much as the next true crime mom. But the idea that 15 cops, plus wives, plus neighbors, plus pets are all in on this massive secret? And no one’s cracked yet? Come on.

Also... her vibe? Unhinged. I know grief is messy, but she’s spiraling on a whole other level. One second she’s yelling, the next she’s Googling “how long to die in the cold.” Like... WHAT?

I’m not saying she’s evil—I think she was drunk, angry, and made a huge mistake. Then panicked. And now it’s gone way too far to turn back.

Anyway... Curious what y’all think. Tell me what makes you think she’s innocent or guilty—I’m still hooked and deep in it.

But be nice. I’m just a gal who needs to stop reading about Karen before bed.

@everythingisfine Yes! It's great and I like that they rolled out new features. There is a user-led group on Facebook you can join to learn how to maximize your use of it.

My favorite feature is that I can forward a PDF newsletter from kids school and the dates/events are loaded magically and perfectly every time.

I use our local dry cleaner and tell them "press only".

High-Protein Chocolate Greek Yogurt Mousse
Calories: ~150
Protein: ~18g

Ingredients:

½ cup plain Greek yogurt (nonfat or 2%)

1 tbsp cocoa powder

1–2 tsp honey or monk fruit sweetener

½ tsp vanilla extract

Optional: dash of espresso powder or pinch of Maldon flaky salt

Instructions:

Stir everything together until smooth.

Chill for 10–15 minutes.

Top with raspberries or a few chocolate chips

Anyone been to Marfa lately? We are going for a wedding soon and I'm looking for a nice restaurant for my husband and I and 2 friends. Staying at the Thunderbird and already have most of our "activities" planned. We've been before but it's probably been 10 years since our last trip. Thanks for the ideas!

Friends and Neighbors on Apple TV is really good!

Change of plans - Email alewis@danlyproperties.com for the scoop - he will be happy to share the #s.

An NYC mom turned me on to Zing bars y'all! Also mix some Seeq protein powder into your water. We like the yellow and blue tubs best!

Hey moms, the former Pikopye's Town space off S. Lamar is ready to be taken over. Unfortunately the business was mismanaged and closed a month-ish ago. The Lakeway location is owned independently from this one.
The opportunity is to buy the furniture, fixtures and equipment currently in the space, taking over the lease, etc.
There are business manuals + computer and POS software that were left behind so you could continue operating pretty soon. I think there is a LOT of upside to this business, though, and could be sooo fun for a local Austin fam.

• Lease Term: 36 months
• Free Rent: 2 months gross rent ($23,042)

If there's interest I'll link a Google Doc with the details for who to contact to tour the space.

2 things:

1. Focus on your skills
2. Co-create

Here's what I mean...

1. Skills- what are you really good at, and what would you like to have someone else do? Your industry switches are pretty different, so in a world where storytelling and marketing yourself isn't going anywhere, you need to learn how to weave your strengths into an elevator pitch that explains why you were good at previous jobs, and what you can do for the next company you want to work for.

2. Co-create.
   High performers don't apply for roles posted online.
   High performers are clear on what they want (you-flexibility, upward growth), what they can offer (skills), and what they won't put up with. I think you should also make a list of dream companies + why you want to work there as a north star.
   From there, you pitch, network, and you convince people why they need you. You figure out where there is white space in an org you're interested in, and how you can make an impact. Then you communicate that impact plan to the hiring manager or decision maker.
   Don't apply for jobs. Make them.

No! Never offered PTO but did a lot of little things to make our full time nanny happy like bringing her flowers, cutting her early, feeding her, etc.

VERY LOW