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For my kids, I used boxes to organize diapering supplies, but an actual diaper caddy might be better suited to the task.
This simple caddy features a removable center panel, three compartments, and several exterior pockets. It’ll fit everything you need for your baby: diapers, wipes, cream, and much more! If you have a two story house, keep one upstairs and one downstairs so you don’t have to schlep your kid up and down every time they need a change. You can even keep one in your car for long road trips where a diaper bag isn’t enough. Once your baby is out of diapers, use it to organize toys, craft supplies, or other little things that will otherwise get lost.
This diaper caddy is on sale for $25.50 with the given code. This one is a gray circle pattern, but it comes in several others as well.
Sales of note for 11.30.23…
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Nordstrom – Limited-Time Sale of 11,000+ items; up to 25% off select women’s coats & jackets (ends 12/6); Nike up to 25% off (ends 12/2); markdowns include big deals on UGG, Natori, Marc Fisher LTD, Vionic and more!
- Ann Taylor – Up to 40% off sale styles
- Banana Republic – 40% off your purchase, including cashmere; up to 60% off sale styles
- Banana Republic Factory – Up to 50% off everything; extra 25% off $125+
- J.Crew – 50% off women’s styles; extra 30% off sale styles
- Lands’ End – Up to 70% off everything; free shipping (readers love the cashmere)
- Summersalt – 30% off everything; up to 60% off select styles (this reader-favorite sweater blazer is down to $75)
- Talbots – 30% off entire purchase, including all markdowns — readers love this cashmere boatneck and this cashmere cardigan, as well as their sweater blazers in general
- Zappos – 35,000+ women’s sale items! Check out these reader-favorite workwear brands on sale, and some of our favorite kid shoe brands on sale.
Kid/Family Sales
- BabyJogger – 25% off 3 items
- Crate & Kids – Toy & gift event: up to 50% off everything; save 10% off full price items
- J.Crew Crewcuts – 50% off everything; extra 30% off sale styles
- Ergobaby – 40% off Omni Breeze Carrier, 25% off Evolve 3-in-1 bouncer, $100 off Metro+ Strollers
- Graco – Up to 30% off car seats
- Strolleria – 25% off Wonderfold wagons, and additional deals on dadada, Cybex, and Peg Perego
- Walmart – Savings on Maxi-Cosi car seats, adventure wagons, rocker recliners, security cameras and more!
Thanks! says
Ladies – I asked for tips for a family beach vacation and just wanted to circle back and say your recommendations were fantastic! We had a great week and were so much more comfortable and prepared than I would have been without your tips. Thank you.
WWYD says
WWYD? Would you move? DH and I have one kid and another due in December. We’re crunchy-granola types who own a condo in a very dense neighborhood of a major city, which we love for its social, economic, and linguistic diversity. We’ve done a lot of updates to the condo and it suits us well now with two bed plus office. We both WFH. The major downsides are no yard or personal patio (we’re outdoorsy types) and we’re over an hour away from family, who we enjoy and depend on for occasional childcare. We have an opportunity to move to a beautiful house with a dream yard at the top of our price range and within walking distance to grandparents in suburbs, and to send kiddo to an outdoor preschool. Neither DH or I ever imagined living in a suburb, let alone one with many wealthy families who have SAHM and banker or lawyer dads who commute into the city. I feel like I’ve set up a false dichotomy in my head of proximity to family versus diversity, and I can’t decide which wins. What would you do?
Cb says
More questions than answers – I let my husband convince me to move to the country and am now finding it tricky as a 2 working parent household – but…
Are your jobs permanently work from home or is there a possibility you’d be commuting?
What other costs would increase? Would you need a second car, etc? Would this be a stretch with a top of your price range house?
Given the housing market, I assume there is some sort of family connection/private sale. Are there emotional strings attached?
OP says
The suburbs may be easier as a two working parent household because the grandparents would gladly watch kiddo several days a week after preschool if we need to work extra. (When he a baby and didn’t have a daycare spot yet, grandma drove to us and watched him 3 days a week from 7 am to 5 pm.) The other grandparents have already considered moving to the same suburb, which would become a serious offer if we actually moved.
We’d both commute into the city one or two days a week after January 1. There’s a commuter train that takes about an hour plus a ten minute walk. Current city commute with walking and subway is 45 minutes.
Yes, this would be a stretch financially. We are meticulous budgeters, and I think it could work. The house is objectively a great price in this market with motivated sellers, but there are no family ties or emotional strings to the house itself.
anon says
Proximity to family, hands down. Not only is being close to family a huge benefit, your kids will love a yard, and outdoor preschool sounds amazing
So Anon says
I would think beyond the preschool years to elementary to high school. What are the elementary and middle schools like in the suburbs? If the predominant population is SAHM, there may not be many aftercare activities, back-up for professional development days or opportunities for summer camps for childcare during the elementary years. If you stay in the city, will your kids be able to take advantage of the city opportunities in middle to high school age, including being more independent for transportation? Is a car required to get around in the suburb — because you will then need to drive the kids everywhere from middle to high school? I would also think very hard about what it will be like to be walking distance to grandparents – the good and bad. What is your relationship like with these grandparents? Are you ok with them dropping by or vice versa? Are you planning on them providing more consistent childcare and is that realistic? I’m sure this comes across as me being negative on leaving the city, which is not my intent. I live in the suburbs and love it, but I can see from my own experience what I have sacrificed by moving from a major city into the suburbs.
Anon says
Yep, Proximity to family hands down.
Mary Moo Cow says
I would seriously consider moving. I am biased because I live 10 minutes from my in-laws, in the suburbs, but since moving to a new neighborhood, our family quality of life has drastically improved, thanks to small changes. Your comment about the false dichotomy really struck me as insightful: our suburban neighborhood has diversity (mixed race couples, immigrants, non-Christians, etc.) and a higher median income/home value. We have a big yard, true, but I found our county’s smart lawn program and have plans to plant native plants and trees, don’t use pesticides and chemical fertilizer, etc. Our neighborhood includes a walking trail along a creek so the whole family is getting outside in nature more frequently than in our old suburban neighborhood. So, in my experience, being crunchy and a fulfilling life in the suburbs can peacefully coexist.
anon says
I made basically this same move when I had a kid and it was the right call for me. I very much miss my prior neighborhood, but having outdoor space for my kids and having family able to be closely involved in their lives was worth the tradeoff for me. My toddler runs out in the backyard to turn over rocks and look for snakes, we are 10 minutes from a national forest with miles of trails, and it’s easy for my aging parents to see him frequently.
EDAnon says
Caveat that I have a small house in the city, so that’s what I picked.
I get what you’re saying. I am also a never suburbs person for the reasons you describe. But in your case, I would probably move mostly due to the proximity to family (and the outdoor school!). We live very far from family and I would really like it if we were closer (we are several states away). The two things that would hold me back in your case are the top of price range comment (I am crazy frugal, so that’s your call) and concern that the neighbors are not the folks you’d want your kids to be friends with. Part of that you can balance though. We spend a lot of time in public libraries, parks, and pools (and we go to church) which keep my kids routinely engaged with non-white folks and engaged in moral education, which are both things I highly value.
I don’t know about you, but I am much more well-off than my parents ever were. I am trying to balance the best of my upbringing with some of the great things about having resources (like travel). Also, it is tragic that wealth and racial/linguistic diversity rarely coexist.
anon says
FWIW we just made the move (though from big city to the middle of a small town, which is different from burbs). Being near family is nice, having more space is an incredible relief to a painpoint I didn’t even know was so bad until it was better, and outdoor preschool was transformative for kiddo. YMMV. I have pretty mixed feelings about worrying about diversity — we are a queer couple with a mixed race child and a major disability in the family, so we are the diversity, and like. I don’t know how to get this across not snarkily, but that’s not how it’s meant — I don’t think diversity exists to enrich your children, which is how a lot of this worrying about it I see from parents comes across.
OP says
I appreciate your warning about diversity as enrichment. DH and I see diversity as a social obligation, hence why we like our current neighborhood. We feel obligated to build strong and inclusive communities, navigate shared spaces with others, and share communal resources that benefit others besides ourselves. The suburb we’re considering is where DH grew up. It’s changed since then, but it’s left him with a strong desire to not instill the same privilege and entitlement that he grew up with. (To be clear, this isn’t Rory Gilmore grandma’s level of wealth, but definitely upper middle class.)
Anon says
“I don’t think diversity exists to enrich your children” – well said. As someone who hits many “diversity” markers I feel this so hard when talking to many liberal white women (this is NOT directed at OP).
EDAnon says
There was some discussion of this on This American Life this weekend. I only caught part of it but they discussed this. It really struck me how accurate they were in describing this sentiment – that diversity should exist to make white people better. It was a framing I hadn’t thought of before, but as someone who really cares about equity because I want a better, more just society, it was eye-opening to consider it in that way and exercise caution in my actions and thinking.
Anon says
Isn’t that reasoning, that diversity supports better education, one of the most accepted legal arguments for affirmative action? It’s not like it’s some secret.
Anonymous says
So what are white people supposed to do, then? If white people look to become members of diverse communities then they are evil and self-serving. If they avoid diversity they are evil perpetuators of segregation. I think everyone would be happiest if white people just evaporated, but that’s not possible.
Anonymous says
Change laws to increase where housing can be built and decrease segregation. Better funding/structuring the education system.
Anonymous says
Again, how are white people supposed to help desegregate if they are not allowed to live in neighborhoods where there are nonwhite people?
Pogo says
anon at 10:54 specifically said they were trying not to be snarky. no one said white people can’t live in nonwhite neighborhood.
AwayEmily says
I also think there’s a difference between saying “I want to live in a diverse neighborhood because it directly benefits my kid” versus saying “I want to live in a diverse neighborhood because integrated schools benefit the entire community.”
EDAnon says
To me, the purpose of the framing isn’t casting judgement on where you live. It is highlighting the using of other people to better oneself and perpetuating the myth that white people are people and non-white people are “others” with whom white people need some special exposure. We need a society where it isn’t special to spend time with people who don’t look and think exactly like oneself.
And I don’t know the legal justification for affirmative action but my understanding has been the purpose of affirmative action is to make society more just by using public policy to support individuals who have historically been denied access to certain experience or places due to the historic mistreatment of certain people based on race or origin. That is very different from it being good to invite people of color into “white spaces” to help white prole advance.
Anonymous says
EDAnon, one of the arguments made in court for affirmative action has been that diversity improves the educational experience.
Pogo says
I always thought this as well when this discussion came up on here… there’s also a gentrification aspect that I see with some (not all) of my friends who choose to raise families in the city, pushing out people who lived their for generations because the 2-bed condos now sell for $1M.
The suburbs could be more welcoming. I do see it in the moms’ groups, PTO, informal hangouts of SAHMs… it skews very liberal white lady who means well but only hangs out w/ other white ladies. When I invited kids from my son’s class to his birthday party, the two kids whose parents specifically told me their kid was so excited, this was the first birthday party they were invited to, etc – were POC. Maybe that was a coincidence, but more than the kids, the *moms* seemed so relieved that I was including them, and chatting and hanging out and offering them canned wine in my backyard while the kids played. There have explicitly been discussions on my local moms’ group about specific ethnic groups “keeping to themselves” or “being rude” and like… wow, what do you expect. Can you imagine being someone from that ethnic group and trying to make friends with other moms??? Does it surprise you that they might seek out others who aren’t so hostile?
POC chiming in says
As a POC, I too am confused by your “diversity doesn’t exist to enrich your children” comment. I think diversity is an important consideration in deciding where to raise your family. I chose to raise my kid in a community where there is diversity.
Melinda Wenner Moyer’s book also has great tips on getting your kids to meet and befriend kids from other backgrounds, like summer camps, etc.
Anonymous says
Exactly. Diversity is good for everyone. It benefits individual kids and families of all backgrounds as well as society as a whole. And it needs to include everyone or it isn’t diversity.
Anonymous says
I’d move and so will you. You’ve built up a mental image of yourself as someone too good for the suburbs but you aren’t! And that is ok. Just try and treat it as a personal growth experience about not being holier-than-thou.
Anon says
This is itself a very “holier-than-thou” comment.
Some Ragrets says
And with people like this populating the suburbs, who wouldn’t want to live there!?
Boston Legal Eagle says
Agree with everyone that proximity to family is huge. It’s more than just the occasional babysitting when kids are young – grandparents who live nearby will really be able to participate in their childhoods and take them out after school and go to soccer games and be another loving adult in their lives. We live within 30 minutes of my parents and my dad watches my older kid two days a week after school and will be helping with his weekday sports lessons. They’ll be able to form a relationship that they couldn’t as much if they lived further away.
Also, we used to live in a close in suburb, basically the city, also in a 2 bed apartment, and the space constraints, as well as lack of a yard, really limited us. I’ve found everything to be so much easier in our current suburb. Yes, it’s farther from the city, but we still can drive in to museums, and we’ve also explored more in the greater Boston area.
Hmmm says
I say do it!!! I am not a suburbs person generally but I would 100% move in this specific situation. Yard + proximity to family + space for WFH + outdoor preschool all sound like they will improve your quality of life significantly. And if you aren’t commuting every day that eliminates a major downside to suburban life. I understand the city vs suburbs identity and diversity concerns, but based on what you’ve said here this will make your life better. (If it doesn’t, you can always move back to the city later on or at another stage of life.)
Anon says
I agree to the false dichotomy. Where we live, the suburbs, although not politically deep blue, tend to run very diverse in the ways you mention. Suburbs = typically more affordable/more value than the dense parts of major cities = attract all types of people.
Caveats – I live myself live a “city” neighborhood where, but our city also is “majority minority” so the suburbs here may be a reflection of that.
Anon says
I love living in the suburbs (I spent years living in DC previously). We have made friends with so many lovely neighbors. It’s great for families. Lots of trails, outdoor activities. It annoys me when people act like the suburbs are a lonely wasteland full of superficial people — so not true in my experience!
Anonymous says
+1 I live in an older neighborhood in Montgomery County, and it’s politically very blue and diverse. The neighbors are a mix of young families and older crunchy types, we’ve got a compost pick-up, and we can walk to a co-op grocery store. I know my neighbors here a lot better than I did in our condo in downtown DC.
Anon says
Tough call. I made the choice of suburbs / proximity to parents a few years back, and while the extra space was a lifesaver during the pandemic when we both worked from home, I am sad about the informal life / educational experiences my kids will miss out on by living in a suburb. There are no corner stores to walk to. Public transit is non-existent. There isn’t much economic diversity – almost all single family homes, almost everyone owns. No first generation families. Few working moms. Everything is clean and everyone is polite. It feels silly now that I’m typing it all out – but their childhood is so different than my own (wonderful) childhood – by necessity, I was much more independent and street savvy than my kids are going to be by a similar age. The Grit I developed as a kid has served me well in life, and my kids aren’t going to have it. When we go into the City now, they complain that it’s dirty, and loud, full of ‘strange’ people. It makes me sad.
GCA says
Agree that it is a false dichotomy. Are there suburbs close to your family (though perhaps not within walking distance) that offer more space but also socioeconomic diversity, and that are perhaps a little cheaper? It sounds like proximity to family is super important to you, so I would prioritize that in your shoes while also looking for other characteristics.
My own decision would be based on the following: as a WOC who *is* the diversity in many contexts and who is an outdoors-loving city kid, I’m looking for school systems where my children are not the ‘only’ anything; towns that are zoned for a mix of single-family and multi-family housing (which is how you build socioeconomic diversity into a system); and places that are accessible by public transit so that when my kids are older they can get to school, the library and friends’ houses without constantly needing a ride (which is how they, and we, can really participate in the community).
Anon says
This is a really interesting discussion re diversity and I’m going to think about it. In the meantime, I will share my perspective/what we are choosing. The TL;DR version is: is there a town in the middle that checks some boxes from each column?
We just sold our house in Westchester. It was ritzy by means of being Westchester, but also a rather diverse and more moderately priced city, and our public schools were very diverse (83% qualify for free lunch; my son was the only white boy in his class and his very best friends were children of color, etc). Yes, that maybe sounds like tokenism when written out and I do struggle with that, but we loved our schools and I loved that having friends of different races was just normal life.
We are now living with family in northern CT while we house hunt. We could afford a big wonderful house here, but I am struck by the fact that everyone everywhere we go is white! My son even asked me if this town is “whites only”… tbh the main reason we will not be settling here is because the commute would be way too long, but the lack of diversity is much more startling than I expected and I don’t think I’d stay here even if I could.
So, we are house hunting in southern CT – closer to family than before, but also a reasonable distance to work. We are only considering cities, which are “fancy” by means of being in southern CT but also have socioeconomic and racial diversity, and we are committed to using public schools.
I grew up near where my parents live now and my only experience with black people was the 15 kids being bussed in…I am really having a negative reaction to this type of environment for my kids, now that I know (a little) better.
Some Ragrets says
We made the move you are describing when our first child was born, and we regret it. We were in a walkable, quasi-urban neighborhood, and moved to big-house-big-yard closer to family suburbs. A few thoughts:
1. My husband and I met and fell in love and LOVED our life in the city. Nothing was broke, but we made a move to try to “fix” something that wasn’t a problem.
2. We were very close to the family when we lived far away and had to rely on occasional visits. When we lived in close proximity, our relationship soured because they didn’t live up to our expectations of how close we would be and how helpful they would be. You may think family is going to help, but the reality can be different. It puts a lot of pressure on the relationship when you move just to be close to them. The prevalence of SAHMs versus two-career families was a major difference we noticed.
3. Peer groups and socialization. When we were in the urban area, we were around “our people.” Similar politics, similar careers, similar priorities. The people in the suburbs were fine but too different from us for us to be very close.
4. Commuting is AWFUL. You cannot appreciate the absolute disaster for your life that a 45 minute commute can be if you’re not used to it. Plenty of people tolerate it, but that’s different from taking it on when you have a choice not to.
5. You talk about diversity, which to our family is a value in and of itself. But even if you decide you can deprioritize it, you should also consider the types of people who prefer to live in a diverse environment, versus the type of people who choose not to. Who do you want to be around? These issues are self-perpetuating.
6. Yards are overrated. For the first 5ish years of your child’s life, you have to be outside with them to watch them regardless; might as well go to the park. In many parts of the country, it’s too unpleasant to play outside for half or more of the year. Kids today spend most of the time inside on screens. We’ve had NO success getting our kids to “play in the yard.” I think it’s an outdated concept but YMMV.
Anonymous says
The yard thing is very kid-dependent. Our kid flat-out refused to play in the yard. Our neighbors’ kids are all out there all day every day.
Some Ragrets says
It definitely is kid-dependent! But for OP’s purposes, the value of the big yard is mitigated by not knowing what kind of kid she’ll end up with.
Boston Legal Eagle says
On the question of diversity and who chooses to live in a diverse area – in my suburb, everyone who chooses the public school option (which I think is most of the town?) goes to the same local schools, the same single high school, from those living in McMansions to those renting apartments. And the kids mix in the town’s sports teams and other activities. In contrast, in the city, there are so many options for private, charter and various zoned schools, that people tend to stay with their same socioeconomic class. Which is really more “diverse”?
Anon says
This is my city as well. Our public school system has a set of magnet elementary schools that are all lottery-based/word of mouth. The whitest school in our city is a magnet elementary in a majority-minority neighborhood. Charter schools tend to be the most diverse options, which was a surprise to me.
EDAnon says
I do agree that I have been surprised in my mixed income, urban neighborhood in a great public school district, many white (and Asian) families have decided to send their kids to private schools, sometimes for religious reasons but not usually. Lots of people do attend the public school, too! But it was a surprise given the values I assumed about people living in/moving to my neighborhood.
Anon says
I have an only child who prefers to be indoors. We pretty much have to drag her to the park and have never even attempted to get her outside in our yard alone. But in the suburban Midwest we see kids outside in yards with their siblings alllllllll the time. It does seem like the “run around the neighborhood with a pack of friends” thing has gone by the wayside, which is sad because that was my childhood and I loved it. But I would not write off the yard as a kid entertainment device, especially if you’re planning two or more kids. I also disagree that a child under 5 can’t be alone in a yard, assuming the yard is properly fenced and there’s no pool or the pool is gated. Certainly if you can see the yard from indoors (which is the case in many homes, including ours) it would be safe.
Anon says
Also I disagree that most parts of the country you can only be outside half the year. I’m in the Midwest so pretty harsh winters and very hot and humid summers, but January is really the only month we totally hole up inside. We usually get a few unseasonably warm days in February and from March to December it’s usually warm enough by the afternoon or still cool enough in the mornings to be outside comfortably.
Anonymous says
Upper Midwest here. We take our toddler outside if it’s >20 in the winter and not too windy and under 90 (unless really humid). Daycare does about the same (I think their upper limit is ~85 in the summer). Obviously we don’t spend a ton of time outside at once if temps are close to either limit, but we do make going outside and learning how to dress appropriately for the weather a priority, and she now loves being outside.
Anonymous says
In contrast, our kids spend tons and tons of time in the yard either playing together (no adult needed in fenced yard after age 2.5-3, no adult needed in front unfenced area after age 3.5 if big brother is there) or helping us garden. We don’t have grass but they still just play on the paths, shrubs etc.
Momofthree says
This is a tough one. I agree that it doesn’t need to be a dichotomy.
We’ve had a similar thought process on whether to move to the suburbs (we have a 3 bedroom townhouse (with three kids) in the city). My inlaws live in the suburbs, although we are lucky that we have my mom in the city with us. Having my mom nearby has certainly been helpful in that she can help out in emergency situations, she stops by frequently during the week (although not for long) and I think it’s wonderful my kids have that relationship with a grandparent. That being said, my kids also see my inlaws a ton- the older 2 normally have a sleepover once a week- we go up there for pool time, they come down here. We also go on vacations together. They are definitely a part of my kids life.
Where my husband & I have landed at this point is that
1) we really, really do not want to drive everywhere all the time. There may be suburbs that are closer in to the city that are more walkable but by and large, you’ll take your car to go everywhere. There is definitely tons of nature in the suburbs, but again, you’ll generally be driving to get to the nature. We do have to drive to get to my in-laws, but we much prefer driving 1x per week to see them rather than driving every day all the time. We walk to parks, to restaurants, can walk to the library, have an electric bike that we use to take the kids to school & sports practices & the grocery store (we do occasionally use the car).
2) Along with this- infrastructure for non-cars is not good in the suburbs. My FIL was hit by a car while biking in the suburbs (granted this happens in the city as well); sidewalks are not well maintained/not widely available; you often have to cross busy/multi-lane streets to get out of a neighborhood (making walking/biking to the store, school or library difficult/dangerous)
3) The housing we want was very expensive & bigger/not actually want we want. Ideally we’d move for a 4-5 bedroom house. The houses with this many bedrooms in the suburbs we’d want are very expensive & either gut renos or old & in need of renovation. These houses are much too big for us (I don’t need two walk in closets or his & her bathrooms or anything like that). The bedrooms are huge with ensuites in each room, the primary is its own floor, etc. We really don’t want to furnish a huge house or expand our toy selection to fill out a huge house. We just want more bedrooms! They don’t need to be the size of an apartment. We currently pay a small part of our income on housing and could afford most of these houses comfortably once we no longer have a nanny, but wouldn’t want so much of our salary tied up in housing. Also, need to keep in mind the 3% or something that you’ll need to spend in maintenance each month in addition to the mortgage payment.
4) I see others have mentioned the benefit of the yard. One person’s experience: I grew up with a yard and rarely went outside. We had to bike for 20-30 min. to get to a playground. We didn’t interact really with neighbors especially after I went to a private school. My husband does not want to maintain a yard and/or pay someone to maintain a yard. We can walk to 10 different playgrounds in the city b/w schools & public parks. We still have a small brick paved backyard that supports a small garden. We view it as outsourcing our lawn to the city.
More Sleep Would Be Nice says
19-month-old food throwing update – so, I sat next to him, and put bites on his plate 2 at a time and it was a game changer! At dinner the food itself was on the messier side (rice/curry) but it really helped overall, and this morning three was barely a speck on the floor after breakfast. Bonus this morning, I got to sit next to him and have some coffee while putting bites on his plate, which was actually nice.
I think DS #1 was just the kind of toddler that I could put a plate full of food, and he’d be fine, but DS #2 has to…ahem…express himself a bit more. Now if I only can get him to say “please” instead of his version of “more” (which also sounds like “mama”…neat)
Thank you all for the suggestions!
Anonymous says
Mine is catching on to “please” at 22 mos, but it often comes out as, “MAMA MORE PLEASE NOW….NOOOOOWWWWW. MOOORRRRE.” So, I mean, at least there’s a please in there?
She’s also sort of catching on to “No, thank you.” As in, “You can’t go to the park because there’s a thunderstorm.” Toddler: “NO THANK YOU. PARK PLEEEEEASE.” And it sounds like she’s saying, “No, Dodo.”
Anonymous says
Teach him to sign “please!” They catch on to signing it sooner than saying it, and it’s adorable.
Anon at 12:24 says
With the caveat that my kid uses signing “please” as an excuse to wipe her grubby hands all over the front of her shirt.
Anon says
Hahaha yes mine too. But it’s too cute!
Anon says
I’m trying to get my toddler to say “please” instead of “mean mama! Mean!” when she wants something. It’s a work in progress.
Hungry Pregnant Lady says
I’m back working in the office and seem to have forgotten what to eat for office snacks. I’m pregnant and trying to keep an eye on weight gain, but I’m also hungry all the time. I’ve been doing trail mix and apples and yogurt with lunch, but I still find myself hungry by 3pm. What do y’all eat during the day? I miss having my own kitchen right downstairs.
TheElms says
You need protein and some fat to feel full. For snacks, I liked apples with peanut butter, cheese and nuts and veggies, veggies with a yogurt based dip, a protein bar or shake when I was too tired to get anything else.
anon says
Hard boiled eggs, cheese sticks, edamame, Kind bars, avocado on lentil crackers, vegetables and hummus, popcorn
anonM says
if you like mustard, an easy way to improve hard-boiled eggs without the effort/transport issue of deviled eggs is to put a squirt of dijon mustard on top.
Anonymous says
ummm why had I never thought of this before? I love hard boiled eggs, but I love deviled eggs more and I’m definitely trying this tomorrow.
Anon says
Carrots and hummus, hard-boiled eggs, blueberries/strawberries/apples/clementines and almonds/walnuts, banana and cashew butter, Kind or RX bar
Anon says
When I was pregnant I would keep a giant thing of Costco bean salad at work. Weird snack maybe, but healthy and filling.
Pogo says
Cheese sticks & peanut butter-filled pretzel bites were my pregnancy go-tos.
Also all the seltzer – pregnancy is so dehydrating and sometimes you really need to drink more, not eat more. I am surprised I did not birth a can of La Croix given how much of it I drank. After a certain point water turned me off (like you can only drink so much water, right?) but I could chug seltzer all day long.
Anonymous says
Still water made me throw up. All I could drink was seltzer.
Anonymous says
And I am surprised I did not birth a wheel of cheese. That was the only food I could reliably keep down the entire time.
Anon says
Ha, I always say I’m surprised I didn’t birth an Eggo waffle! I ate them daily or twice daily for most of my pregnancy.
GCA says
I could only eat cheese and clementines for a while when I was pregnant with my second. And then she emerged, grew up, and…doesn’t like cheese?!
Weighted blanket says
Update for the person who asked on weighted blanket – I think 5 lbs was a good weight for my three year old, and the hot pink is popular with her. It’s soft and I like it! Not too big and unwieldy.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HK8T66X?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
Anonymous says
Oh good!!!! It’s helped my kid a lot and helps me a lot too!!
Anon says
that was me – thank you! i might have to order one for my kids as well
Anon says
My 10 year wedding anniversary is this Friday. My parents are going to be here and husband and I were going to have our first date night in months at a restaurant we’ve been so excited to try……aaaaaaaaand my husband just tested positive for Covid. So now I have no anniversary plans and potentially 10 days of solo parenting ahead of me. FML.
Anon says
Boo. Just my two cents, I think 10 days of isolation is overkill in many circumstances. Jumping to the most cautious approach isn’t always the best decision.
Anonymous says
I’m sorry your anniversary plans are ruined, that’s really disappointing and I hope you’re able to reschedule your celebration! Wishing your husband a mild case and a speedy recovery.
I’m not sure how old your children are or whether there are any extenuating health circumstances, but if they are at least partially vaccinated and don’t have known risk factors, I would absolutely not sign up for solo parenting for 10 days.
Signed,
We’ve had covid in our household twice in the past year, and neither time did it spread to more than one other person.
Anon says
we all had it in May, so likely not the newest variant, but me and DD#1 were positive first and DD#2 and DH were negative despite the fact that DH and I share a bed and the kids are twins and share a room, etc. Both DD#2 and DH did end up getting it as well and DD#2 was the sickest. there is anecdata that goes both ways. DD#1 and I were still positive 7 days after our initial test. my kids have been out of group childcare for like 7 weeks now and we’ve all been so healthy. i’m excited for their school year, but dreading all the illness
also – not the same anniversary date, but another 2012 bride. i hope you get to reschedule your celebration for another time
Anon says
I have autoimmune issues, so we really want to avoid me getting if possible. The plan is to end his isolation when either 1) it’s been 5 days and he’s testing negative, 2) it’s been 10 days or 3) I test positive. So 10 days is the longest it could be. Probably I’ll test positive in a few days, but if I somehow don’t, it will be well worth it to me to have a longer isolation period so we don’t take any chances. I have a friend who just gave it to his partner after leaving isolation on day 5.
Anon says
That is so disappointing. I’m sorry.
10 years in says
We are anniversary twins! Congratulations!
Anon says
Congrats to you too!! :)
Hmmmm says
Noooooo! That is the worst, I’m so sorry! I hope you can plan a rescheduled celebration at some point. That’s so frustrating and disappointing.
Pogo says
I’m sorry. Book something out a month or two to look forward to. This totally blows.
EDAnon says
That totally sucks. Covid is the worst, and I am sorry.
Some Ragrets says
Sorry about the anniversary plans, but I think you can skip the 10 days of solo parenting. My daughter got COVID, and we all just passed it around and eventually had it. It was a bad cold, it sucked, but honestly 2 days exhausted in bed was less of a hassle than trying to keep an 8 year old locked in her room for a week and a half.
Anonymous says
OP has autoimmune issues. She’s not facing a bad cold and 2 days exhausted in bed. She’s facing weeks of misery. Totally worth the hassle of trying to avoid infection.
Anon says
Yeah, I’m not worried about dying but unfortunately it appears that autoimmune diseases are a very significant risk factor for long Covid, so I’m not at all convinced this would just be a bad cold for me. I didn’t have much exposure to DH in the 24 hours before he tested positive and given that and my health issues, my doctor strongly recommended trying to do a strict quarantine. A week and a half of solo parenting isn’t fun (especially when I was looking forward to a break for our anniversary) but it’s nothing I don’t do when DH travels for work. I’m throwing money at the problem with food delivery, etc. and accepting that my house won’t be clean for a couple of weeks.
Anonymous says
Hugs to you. The “it’s just a cold! get it over with!” gaslighting is so isolating. Long Covid is worth avoiding, especially if you know you are at elevated risk.
Anon says
But fwiw I would not force a kid to be in isolation for 10 days! I think that’s totally different and could be really traumatic for the kid. If it were our kid who tested positive, we would just mask up and hope for the best.
Anon says
Thank you, Anonymous at 4:10. I agree with you. I also know people already on their third or fourth Covid infection, so I don’t think it’s something you just get over and done with. I accept that I can’t avoid it forever, but I definitely feel it’s worth minimizing how many times I get it and the viral load I’m exposed to each time.
govtattymom says
I know we have all been struggling the past few years. Whether it’s covid exposure quarantines or missing trips or health scares, everyone seems to be having a tough time. What little things are keeping you from going crazy? Trying to see how I can infuse a little happiness into my daily routine. :)
So Anon says
I know this seems counterintuitive, but about 6 weeks ago, my kids and I got a new puppy. I still work from home, so I can easily take care of him. He has been an absolute delight in my life, and I am so happy to have him. He is my snuggle and walk buddy, who is always happy to see everyone. I have taken so much joy in being with him, which I can only see increasing as my kids have their own lives and interests away from home. Side note: Dressing him in a puppy tux on the night my ex was introducing my kids to his new GF was awesome.
Anonymous says
+1 for a dog! My rescue dog and I go for what I have been calling “hot girl walk” every morning because it is actually hot. I think about my goals and how to achieve them; she also apparently thinks about how to achieve her goal, which is catching a squirrel. It is the best part of my day and the only time when no one is making demands of me.
More Sleep Would Be Nice says
Fun! I love this.
Good energy boosters: Really good coffee at home (home-ground beans with hot, steamed oat milk), a quick daily beauty routine, mid-range jewelry that can be worn daily, using my showers as true self-care (taking my time, essential oils), the Pelet*n and Sp*tify apps, and always having a book in rotation and a TV show to watch (even if it’s something I’m just reading while waiting for my number at the library to come up for another book). I’ve also started listening to podcasts again in the last few months and it’s brought me a lot of happiness. Caveat that I don’t listen to any “mom” podcasts except for Best of Both Worlds, and even then I listen to selective episodes.
What’s really helped? Getting back to “normal” even with risk – seeing family and friends, going out to eat, random days at the office where I get good interaction with my team, etc.
AwayEmily says
Yes to good books! And especially books that make you happy. Which may seem obvious but honestly since COVID I’ve pretty much stopped reading books that are downers. I think I’ll get back to them someday, but I’ve gone heavy into genre fiction (romance/mystery/scifi) and will only take on a “literary fiction” book if someone I know personally reassures me that nothing terrible happens. I think books affect me emotionally more than they do most people, though — I read Overstory (Richard Powers) about two years ago and while it was great, I was just so deeply sad for weeks afterward.
Boston Legal Eagle says
Your last paragraph – yes, getting back to some sort of normal has noticeably increased my happiness levels. Setting up playdates for the kids and chatting with the other parents fills my cup so much for the rest of the day (and I’m an introvert!) Going to dinners and movies with my husband. Chatting with my coworkers in person.
Hnmm says
Yoga! I love yoga with Adrienne but there are lots of home options out there.
Pogo says
I have been listening to Forever35 and doing all the things they suggest. Some I’m like, eh (cold showers – no thanks) but overall upping my skincare routine has been nice. I’m thinking of trying tarot, or maybe the line a day journal.
I also have gotten myself back into running and buying nice running gear has been fun.
Pogo says
oh and I found a new massage therapist who I finally clicked with. It’s a WOC-owned shop, so I like that she’s not completely appropriating cupping and reiki and gua sha. My acupuncturist had stopped practicing and I realized I really missed that part of the treatment (plus my previous massage therapist, pre-COVID, worked for one of those corporate places that felt super impersonal).
Anon says
Not sure what type of government work you’re in, but honestly, y’all, if your personal/locational circumstances allow, the occasional after-kid-bedtime edible has really done wonders for me.
Anon4This says
Zoloft. I initially sought counseling for infertility after a traumatic miscarriage, but the women’s mental health practice I found caught something more. My reoccurring anxiety/mood swings/sleepiness/intrusive thoughts amounted to depression. So if even the littlest thing is ‘off’ to you, help is out there!!!