I would take apart that branch and start a new pot. The main plant probably needs to be repotted. Clean out as much as the old potting mix you can, trim the roots a bit and put it in a new fast draining mix. You can search 5-1-1 mix here and repotting. There are lots of explanations. If you are on Facebook there is a group called Holiday Cactus Lovers group with lots of helpful people. Most of them prefer to repot using a fifty fifty mix of potting soil and perlite. If you repot, tale your time and read up here. I'm happy to answer specific questions if you need it. My weekend will be busy so it might take a bit before I respond. If the clades on the fallen branch are withered, sometimes they can be saved by putting them i a ziplock baggie full of water for a day or two. Just flip the bag every day. I actually forgot about one for about two weeks and it had sprouted roots. Good luck!

Been there, done that. Ultimately, there's not much you can do about SS or dad or BM. You can certainly tell them what you think, how you feel, etc. but bottom line is it is up to your husband to step up to the plate and BE THE FATHER. Once I realized both my husband and the BM were NOT being the parents and were not backing me up when I tried to do the right thing, I got out of that role. You need to decide for yourself "what's worth it", "how much is too much" and so on. My now-adult-SS continues to lie and steal from us (I've changed the locks and he can't come over unless Dad is here). Dad continues to play the role of the ever-feeling-guilty-dad for splitting up with his BM (um, over 15 years ago!!!) and keeps trying to give his son a break. SS knows what to tell dad to get what he wants, and then changes his end of the deal once he gets it. ("yes, I'll take classes this fall if you pay my rent.....oh, I've got a lot of credit card debt I want to pay off, I have to work full time and can't take classes after all") I know there are some situations out there where the kids change and get their **** together, and there are ones that don't. You and Dad and BM have different parenting styles, with obviously different results accordingly. A friend of mine from Europe once pointed out that Americans make a huge deal out of step-parenting. I remind myself of that from time to time, remember that SS is someone else's child and I am "just" the stepmom. I finally had to make it clear what I would and would not tolerate in terms of issues very directly affecting me and my daughter (the stealing, no drugs/drinking/smoking in this house, etc.). SS now basically keeps his distance and actually treats me better than he used to. Dad stays close to him but still overlooks too much, and when it crosses the line (my line) my husband and I will still get into fights about it - but at least those fights are much smaller than they used to be. My husband is eventually getting tired of continuing to support SS, and foots the bill less and less, but still provides more than I think he should -- but then I remind myself, SS is not my kid, and the impact on me and my child is very minimal. Again, I'll come back to what I said earlier, you have to decide what is best for *you*, what are you willing to tolerate? You are just as much a part of this family as anyone and have the right to establish boundaries - and be prepared to enforce them yourself, much like you would with a room-mate. Don't imagine this will all go away, it may or may not.

My father lived his teenage years in a house without electricity or running water. (They had an electric generator), but we still have things from that house. I slept for a number of years on a brass bed that we pulled out of the mud after the legs had broken through the rotten floor of the house after it was abandoned and taken over by squirrels. I think this relative lack of things, and having to move a number of times in childhood is what has made him so attached to both his house, and the things he was able to put in it. He still says that he would rather move out in a box (die in the house) than move. It will be quite a process sorting and parceling out but I don't find it an onerous job, really. I think if something happened and it all evaporated tomorrow, that would be okay too, for us--not for him. But there really hasn't been any feeling that any of us "deserved" a particular item for a particular reason, and really we haven't even been interested in the same things. None of the bickering that one hears about. My parents educated us all (grandchildren included) and that is one very important legacy in itself, and I never felt like I needed or deserved more than that, (0r even that, really).

Just remember that when you had your babies, you wanted to parent them your way, not your mothers / mother-in-law's way. That includes which items to use. The bassinet your babies slept in may in fact be unsafe with fumes you cannot detect (I think there may be a link there, between mattress fumes and SIDS), maybe lead paint, who knows. And it's probably just plain out-of-style too in her view, and for the mom to have something cute to put the baby in makes the baby all the cuter. :) It's really quite alright. I think it's important to back off and let her do things the way she feels is best, and let her be the grown up she is to make her own decisions without making her feel guilty over it. I'm just guessing you are, whether you're trying to or not, since you're still mentioning hurt feelings. I'm sure that her choice is nothing against you, it's just that she sees things in a different way than you, and that's OK! :) This is her life and her baby, she should feel free to parent her way (just like you did), and with your support and help. Let her know you think she's an excellent mother (she'll have enough self doubt as it is, we all do). Praise her. I'm preparing myself for all of the same; I'm talking to myself just as much as to you, here. I felt very strongly about how I parented my babies and kids (still do), and I'm bracing myself for when my teens are grown and have their own kids. I know I'll be tempted to say a lot of things, offer a lot of suggestions, but I'm going to have to let them be and just be the gramma smooching and spoiling. I really look forward to it, actually! Congratulations! Go do the grandma thing and love that little girl (and the big girl!) to pieces as soon as she arrives!