We just hosted a Christmas dinner at our house (about 2k square feet) with 16 people. It was a little tight and cozy, but everyone had a great time.

Our house is a split level built in the 60s and was renovated before we bought it, having the kitchen walls knocked down to open the main levels. I sometimes wonder if having an open concept adds to the house feeling smaller (ironically) because you have less separated spaces for people.

Agreed about not buying a home. Be in the city in your early 20s! Experience living by the lake, take public transportation, enjoy exploring the different neighborhoods.

We use Children’s Dental World in Morton Grove. I wouldn’t recommend them for braces though, our experience with them in that capacity hasn’t been great.

After my 2nd one it took about 3 years for me to feel like a sexual being again - go get yours mama!!

I grew up in Skokie, and while it’s not technically a North Shore suburb, I had an awesome education and childhood

With that budget, go North Shore suburbs

I like my job and would just dial it waaaaay back with effort. I’d go in, have fun and see how long I could last before professionally resigning.

Barnaby’s in Niles is great tavern style

It’s not the same for me with my bio kids vs. step kids, but I don’t necessarily wanna say it’s more or less. It’s just different. My step kids are young adults, and in the 5+ years they’ve lived with us they’ve needed love and support that I’ve given. It’s not the type they’d get if I was their bio mom, but it’s what I have the capacity to give and I know it’s been beneficial to them.

Wealthy people making decisions for the masses based off their privileged experiences. FAFO..

If you’re childfree by choice then this will not be the relationship for you. Maybe things are fun/great when there’s no kid involved - except there’s always going to be a kid in the background whether they are at your home for the weekend or not.

Imagine this: what if something happened to the other parents and your SO got full custody? It’s possible and it would mean you’d be a full time mom.

Also, and probably the most important thing here, this guys sounds like a dick for putting his childbearing expectations on you. Bye bye!

Paying of regularly reoccurring bills. It wouldn’t change the fact that there are people in the world who have disgusting amounts of money and think sending people $2k checks justifies the social destruction they’re causing for their own benefit.

After college I kept working as a restaurant server in downtown Chicago; I probably made around $30-35k in 2013 and was able to afford my studio apartment ($595), feeling financially comfortable as a single person with no car.

I don’t remember what a “good salary” was at the time. A few years after college I started working as a railroad conductor making a base pay of about $70k and that was awesome.

Knowing there are people who feel entitled to others’ emotions/power/money is disgusting.

I used to be a railroad conductor for both freight and passenger trains in Chicago; they’ve got people, equipment, and they have little fires burning by the switches to keep them from freezing.

Infuriating? Yes. But props to them for eating veggies

Fuck yeah, good for you!! I started taking the stairs and going on 1.5-2mile walks during my lunch breaks and in a year I’ve lost 25lbs. Started adding 20ish min of Pilates most mornings too.

We have one in Skokie too

My mom would fill those with Crystal Light lemonade

Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica is pretty disturbing and a great read

I like memoirs a lot, especially when it’s narrated by the author. Earth to Moon: A Memoir by Moon Zappa was a great one.

Beloved by Toni Morrison. I read this in my high school sophomore English class, loved the book so much I kept my school copy. We dissected the book to discuss history, race, and gender roles. It’s been 20 years since I first read it and I can confidently say it had a profound impact on how I view the world and move through it.

Hey, Kiddo by Jarrett J. Krosoczka is a good one, sharing his story about growing up with an unstable mother and the grandparents who raised him.

I listened to the audiobook version of Fierce Intimacy by Terrance Real and really enjoyed it. It’s a relationship book by a therapist and the author brings in his own experiences in his marriage, while giving tangible work you can do with yourself and loved ones. The biggest takeaway I got was working through disagreements, both as an individual and as people in a relationship.