Visiting in-laws

My in-laws live an hour and a half away. The church we like to go to is about an hour away (in-laws place is 20-30 minutes past the church). Hubby and I both work full time and we have a 7 month old and a 22 month old. Hubby often gets upset when we don’t get to church or visit his parents as often as he likes.
I’m exhausted at the end of the week, I rarely get to meal prep, and we struggle to clean during the week. I want to stay home if we can’t get on top of things during the week. And I’d like him home to help too. Often his solution is to take our older kid with him so I get a break from two kids, but it’s still hard to get anything done with a baby who eats every two hours and prefers to contact nap.

What would be reasonable for how often we should drag ourselves out and drive to church and/or to the grandparents??

in our community

What does rhis look like?

My child has been at a nursery and has higher care needs than some of the children in there and is non verbal and 3 and a half years old. She isn't agressive and screams when people go too close to her alot in general. Never had any issues with nursrery and all the staff have always been great. Then twins started a few days ago and never thought much of it on day one she screamed when one come near her on pick up. The same day she had an unusual two very small rounded bruises on the top of her foot. Then today the staff said a boy scratched her and they had to move him away. I was very calm and fine as it was made to sound minor like more over excited and more like an accident in that type of way. I come home shes crying alot so i start running a bath as she loves water and waterplay put all the toys in and I see this mark on her. I'm not sure what it is but its more than a little scratch. I'm actually really upset as this must have really hurt her and she cant explain whats happened. It's actually made me scared now. I understand accidents happen and staff cant be at every child all at once but this is horrible. I also dont want to cause problems with the nursery as they have honestly bren so good with her. Also my younger child due to start there september and she has additional needs in a different way but cant talk and more physical/muscle and swallowing problems. What does it look like? A bite? An object ? What would you do next?

Almost two year old playing with poop

I just need to to if this normal life little boys playing with their diapers, especially when it’s poopy he wears clothes where he cant get to his diaper but he ends up getting in there, and it not just his poop he like to play in the cat littler as well. I don’t know why but he does, and I don’t know how to stop it.

Would you give your 5 year old baby food pouches, teething wafers, and yogurt melts?

I'm genuinely confused and kinda concerned why a parent would choose to do this when their child that has no special needs or dietary restrictions.

What excuse would you give work?

I’m 25 weeks pregnant and going through a mid life crisis 😅 I’m balls deep in sorting through baby clothes, nesting, organising, cleaning. I’ve got work on Saturday (tomorrow), Sunday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. All 12 hour shifts, 2 of which need to be in office, the rest wfh.

Theres so many things on my to do list and I feel like I’m drowning. I’m hot im sweaty and I’ve had enough. My parents are visiting for a week next Saturday and getting the house in order in my 2 days off while getting my toddler in and out of nursey on the bus just feels impossible. I feel like I’m about to lose it.

I’ve had a week like this back in May, I called in sick for a week, did some life admin, relaxed, spent some lovely quality time with my toddler and had some lovely days out I really recovered mentally. I feel like I need another one of those weeks ASAP.

Last time I told work I had a kidney infection, what excuse would you give now?

Feeling dumb and alone

I’m 7 months pregnant today. My child’s father and I just can’t seem to work. I’m feeling so guilty for bringing a child into a broken home, and feeling so alone. I know it sounds dumb but I’m missing intimacy which I haven’t had in so long. I also can’t get over the fact that I’ll have to share custody with him, I can’t imagine handing my baby over to him and not being able to keep him with me. I can’t believe this is how my first pregnancy is going. I don’t think I will ever forgive myself for doing this and will never forgive my child’s father for not doing what he needs to for us.
I have never felt so dumb, so alone, and just shameful.

Is my sentimental lawn decoration racist?? Very upset and not sure how to handle this situation!

Hi! So for context… when my daughter was 3, her dad/my husband died in a motorcycle accident. I was pregnant at the time, and shortly after I miscarried (Dr said probably due to stress from everything happening at the time). Anyways, a week after I miscarried, my friend convinced me to bring my daughter to this fall fest with her and her kids, where the children got to make scarecrows but stuffing donated clothes with hay, and a drawing a face on a stuffed pillow case for the head. My daughter told me that day she was naming her scarecrow “brother” so she could still hug the baby I lost. We have has this scare crow for several years now, and it just kind of sits in our yard, proper up on our porch railing… she goes out there and talks to him, and she hugs him every day and tell him she loves him. He’s pretty old, and the weather has not been kind so his face is completely gone now and his clothes are all faded. But she doesn’t care. He’s become a part of our daily routine, and he’s a very sentimental part of our lives. I also want to add we live in rowhomes with main roads on both our front and back yards, meaning he’s visible where ever we put him.

My neighbor knocked on my door recently and said my “white hooded scarecrow” is racist and they would like it removed. I tried to explain its significance and that it’s just weather worn and not meant to be offensive at all, but they didn’t care and made a huge scene. I tucked him in our shed for the night so the neighbor would leave, but was very rattled by the interpretation. I don’t want to throw him away, but I don’t want to make anyone uncomfortable and now I just feel helpless and not sure what to do…. I’m scared if I bring him inside incase he has bugs. I don’t really want my daughter sneaking into our shed, where I keep my yard tools that are dangerous….if i need to get rid of him, how do I explain this to a 6 year old?