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Years ago, I was at an amusement park in the summertime with my mom friend June, and even though we were sweaty and gross, her eyeliner looked great. I said, “My God, your eyeliner is perfect — I need to know what it is,” and she said Chanel.
I have tried a lot of less expensive eyeliners, and Chanel Waterproof Long-Lasting Eyeliner is my hands-down fave because of the way it wears and how it’s waterproof and has a large selection of colors.
If, like a lot of moms, you stopped wearing mascara on an everyday basis ever since you went on maternity leave, this is a great option.
Nordstrom has a ton of colors in stock, and at $33 each, they’re expensive, but I really do love these. (Nordstrom has a great makeup return policy as well.) Chanel Eyeliner
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Sales of note for 4.18.24
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Ann Taylor – 50% off full-price dresses, jackets & shoes; $30 off pants & skirts; extra 50% off sale styles
- Banana Republic Factory – Up to 50% off everything; extra 20% off purchase
- Eloquii – 50% off select styles; 60% off swim; up to 40% off everything else
- J.Crew – Mid-Season Sale: Extra 60% off sale styles; up to 50% off spring-to-summer styles
- Lands’ End – 30% off full-price styles
- Loft – Spring Mid-Season Sale: Up to 50% off 100s of styles
- Nordstrom: Free 2-day shipping for a limited time (eligible items)
- Talbots – Spring Sale: 40% off + extra 15% off all markdowns; 30% off new T by Talbots
- Zappos – 29,000+ women’s sale items! (check out these reader-favorite workwear brands on sale, and some of our favorite kids’ shoe brands on sale)
Kid/Family Sales
- Carter’s – Up to 70% off baby items; 50% off toddler & kid deals & 40% off everything else
- Hanna Andersson – Up to 50% off spring faves; 25% off new arrivals; up to 30% off spring
- J.Crew Crewcuts – Up to 60% off sale styles; up to 50% off kids’ spring-to-summer styles
- Old Navy – 30% off your purchase; up to 75% off clearance
- Target – Car Seat Trade-In Event (ends 4/27); BOGO 25% off select skincare products; up to 40% off indoor furniture; up to 20% off laptops & printers
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And — here are some of our latest threadjacks of interest – working mom questions asked by the commenters!
- If you’re a working parent of an infant with low sleep needs, how do you function at work when you’re in the throes of baby’s sleep regression?
- Should I cut my childcare down to 12 hours a month if I work from home?
- Will my baby have speech delays if we raise her bilingual?
- Has anyone given birth in a teaching hospital?
- My child eats everything, and my friends’ kids do not – how should I handle? In general, what is the best way to handle when your child has some skill/ability and your friend’s child doesn’t have that skill/ability?
- ADHD moms, give me your tips to help with things like behavior in the classroom, attention to detail, etc?
- I think I suffer from mom rage…
- My husband and kids are gone this weekend – how should I enjoy my free time?
- I’m struggling to be compassionate with a SAHM friend who complains she doesn’t have enough hours of childcare.
- If you exclusively formula fed, what tips do you have for in the hospital and coming home?
- Could I take my 4-yo and 8-yo on a 7-8 day trip to Paris, Lyon, and Madrid?
Anonanonanon says
Speaking of return policies, I ordered some Bose noise cancelling headphones, which was a bit of a splurge, and I’m so disappointed in them! They are Bluetooth, and when I did a test phonecall with them, the mic seems to amplify my background noise on a call. I’m trying to avoid people hearing background noise- not amplify it!
Anyway, I’m returning them, which is a thing I’m normally too lazy to do but they were pretty expensive and I expected better. Anyone have any good recs?
Anon says
Were they the quiet comfort ones? I have the 700 ones, and they do an excellent job of masking background noise (including toddler jabberings), but DH’s quiet comfort ones were terrible from that perspective.
Anonanonanon says
Yes they were! Maybe I need to try the 700 ones, then. I did a test call with myself between my personal phone and work phone because I didn’t believe my husband when he told me how bad it was, and it truly had Daniel Tiger in the background, the robotic vacuum (which is quiet), and my voice at the same volume.
Anon says
The voice isolating microphone is one of the main upgrades to the 700 from the QC, and the primary reason DH convinced me to get them after 2 weeks of borrowing his QC to test out if I was comfortable with an over the ear style.
Realist says
I’m really enjoying my AirPods Pro, but mostly because they are a good balance of good phone quality (not great) and super easy to wear while doing chores so I can zone out to music or podcasts. I chose them over the Bose because I wanted to be able to wear them while doing laundry, cooking, etc. Very happy with them. They also work with my non-Mac laptop for video calls.
Anonanonanon says
Ugh I wish I could use those, my boss uses them and has a bunch of pets and she’s always apologizing for them making noise but I NEVER hear them, so they must filter out background noise well! Things in my ears make me gag, though. I gagged thinking about it while typing this. What a dumb problem to have.
Redux says
This made me lol. Unfinished wood makes me gag. Like the balsa wood used for popsicle sticks or cheap little model airplanes, or our outdoor rocking chairs that were once finished but are now so weathered I cannot even think of refinishing them and certainly cannot sit in one.
Anonanonanon says
HAHAHA! That’s an interesting one! It all kind of smells like tongue depressers, maybe there’s some connection there
Redux says
Ugh, tongue depressers– now I have the chills!
Anon says
I’ve been loving my Beats Studio 3.
Anonanonanon says
Do you use them for phone calls? If so, do you feel like they filter out the background noise well?
Leatty says
I had the same problem with my Bose headphones. For work calls, I now use the Jabra evolve 75, and it is so much better! The noise cancelling isn’t as great as it is on the Bose, but it works well enough to drown out my toddler in the background, and the microphone is very good.
Anonanonanon says
I ordered the Bose 700s. Will share if they are amazing. They better be, it is VERY unlike me to spend that much on an electronic so they better be good!
Anon says
I love mine, so can’t wait to hear how they work for you!
Conversations around figuring out fall says
I’m going to be supervising virtual kindergarten for at least three weeks (hopefully only that). I’m clearly going to only be able to be part time for that period but I’m also slow at work and it should be fine. Wondering if I should proactively address with my boss (and how). What would a guy do?
Anonymous says
Absolutely not. Say nothing.
Spirograph says
This. Although somewhat depends on your job. If you’re meeting-heavy, you might need to be proactive, but if you can shift your productive hours to the evening and still get your work done on time, no need to mention it. I would say something only if you have a direct conflict with a scheduled meeting. Even then, I would be oblique about the reason for the conflict. 10am doesn’t work for me, is it OK if we shift this meeting to the afternoon?
Anonanonanon says
And, honestly, a Kindergartener is old enough to manage alone for 10 or 15 minutes if you run off and hide in a closet to answer a phone call from your boss or a client without child noise in the background so it seems like you’re available. Especially for an external person, you can say “Great! I’m tied up until about noon but I should be able to send it over to you then!”
Even if your kid accidentally closes Zoom or something while you’re gone, you can always just tell the teacher you had to reset the router and sorry it took so long.
Anonymous says
100% say nothing.
NYCer says
Does your boss know you have a child in Kindergarten? Does your boss know that schools in your area are virtual? Assuming the answer to both is yes, I would assume that your boss knows/suspects that you will be supervising the schooling at least part of the time. This is a crazy time, we are all making do.
YMMV, but I would 100% tell my boss. I have a great relationship with my boss, and we talk about our kids all the time (he has two high school aged kids, mine are obviously younger), so it would almost feel weird not to tell him. My firm is also being *extremely* flexible with parents who have school aged kids though.
Boston Legal Eagle says
In my house, I did the “guy” move of just getting my work done when needed and not taking a paycut and my husband officially moved to part-time back when daycares were closed and we had two small kids at home. I think it does depend on your job, how much seniority/goodwill you have, and your relationship with your boss. Do you have billables that would be hard to meet with fewer hours? Or lots of meetings throughout the day? If your work is more project-based, I think you can manage both, especially if it’s only for a few weeks.
Anonymous says
I have been using the male strategy this whole time and I am surprised how well it works. I do have a job where people aren’t upset if my kids do pop up on a call sometimes. But I just try to manage my calendar and get my work done. It’s been amazing.
Anon says
Tip: If you need to keep your status active on messaging platforms, buy a “mouse jiggler.” Amazing little device.
Anonymous says
I wouldn’t say anything, but using the “know your office” standard, it wouldn’t be expected as long as I got my work done/met deadlines.
CPA Lady says
There is no reason to bring any potentially negative attention to yourself at a time like this. Do you tell your boss every time you’re not 100% productive when you’re in the office? I’m hoping no. Same applies here.
Only possible exception would be if you’re not capable of getting your work done, which doesn’t sound like it’ll be an issue.
Anonymous says
A guy would handle it in one of two ways:
1. Arrange for accommodations at work, take credit with his colleagues for being a great dad, and then expect his wife to handle 100% of the remote schooling.
2. Say nothing to his boss, not stress about getting work done, and not stress if the kid missed half of Zoom kindergarten.
Anonanonanon says
A guy wouldn’t say anything and would not feel guilty about it. Worry about it when you get caught.
I’m saying this as a manager myself, I’d much rather people just not tell me. If I notice a problem with performance and outputs, we’ll discuss it then, but if someone’s workload is low, I’m just going to turn a blind eye.
Anon says
Why would you rather someone not tell you?
Anonanonanon says
Because we’re a non-profit accountable to a Board of Directors who have no sympathy for the current situation and I don’t want to be put in the position of knowing for a fact someone did less than 8 hours one day because their daycare is closed because of a COVID case etc. If they’re not missing a hard deadline or something externally visible, I’m fine. We’re salaried exempt so it shouldn’t be an issue, “shouldn’t” being the operative word, but like many government/non-profit salaried exempt jobs, it seems to matter if you do 38 hours in a week but not if you do 52.
Anonymous says
I manage a lot of people and would be fine if they told me, but I agree that it’s better they don’t. We are a good employer with lots of leave. But our HR is all hung up about work schedules. Don’t tell me and I don’t have to do anything or risk that I am supposed to tell you to do something differently. COVID is weird and hard for so many people. I want them to just do what they need to and not hold up any mission-critical work.
Anonymous says
My 13-month old chewed the zipper off his sleep sack last night, and I’m wondering if it’s time to transition to a blanket? Any advice? I’d rather not buy another sleep sack if he’s just going to break it again.
Anonymous says
Omg lol I love this
Anonanonanon says
HAHAHHAHAHHAHA! I’m sorry but this tickled me pink for some reason. Parent problems are hilarious sometimes.
I mean, I guess it is time to transition? If you’re worried about him being cold, pajamas (separate top and bottom combo so there are no zippers or snaps to eat) and socks?
Clementine says
We just do double pajamas if warmth is a concern. I don’t add a blanket until a little after 18 months, but that’s more because they just can’t figure out how to cover themselves at night.
In winter, I’ll do cotton 2 piece pajamas under fleece footed pajamas. Works great and I can often use the fleece pajamas for a couple nights in a row.
Anon says
We did the zipadee zip backwards so she couldn’t chew the zipper after that became a thing.
anon says
If you want to keep using one, you can put the sleepsack on backwards so the zipper isn’t accessible.
Scilady says
We like Baby Deedee sleep sacks – and they zip from top to bottom so it’s unlikely your 13 month old would chew off a zipper near their feet!
A. says
I need to buy a twin mattress (two, actually) for my tween daughter. I’d ideally like to keep this purchase inexpensive but not cr@ppy…so, no more than $250 per mattress? Would love your recommendations!
Anonanonanon says
We have one we got on overstock that we actually love. My husband (a very large man) even says it’s comfortable. Guests always complimented it as well, and now it’s my daughter’s bed.
The brand appears to be “linenspa” and it is the 8-inch Twin-size Memory Foam and Hybrid Innerspring Mattress. I’m sure a thicker one is even more comfortable, I got a thin one so the bed wouldn’t be so high when my daughter inevitably rolls out. It was around $120
FVNC says
Earlier this summer I stayed at an Airbnb for a couple weeks with Ikea mattresses. They were surprisingly comfortable (not sure of the exact model unfortunately), and we’re thinking of buying one when our 3 year old moves out of his crib/toddler bed. ! I’m not sure of the cost, but I imagine they’re about as cheap as you’ll be able to find.
octagon says
We have been really happy with the Ikea memory foam one for kiddo. I’m not sure I would buy it for myself — it doesn’t seem like it will hold up without sagging more than a few years — but it would be perfect for a few years before college.
SC says
We bought Modway Aveline mattresses from Amazon for our son’s bunk beds. We bought an 8″ double and a 6″ twin (the twins come in 6″, 8″, and 10″. They are very inexpensive, get delivered in a box, and seem perfectly fine. I read to Kiddo in the full bed every night for 30-45 minutes, and it’s comfortable during that time. Kiddo alternates between the top and bottom bunk and sleeps fine on the twin and the double. I haven’t personally slept overnight on either one, but DH has slept in the double a few times when Kiddo is having a hard time sleeping and hasn’t complained about the mattress.
Anonymous says
Linenspa 10” mattres on amazon. It’s $160.
Mary Moo Cow says
We just bought an Allswell and are pleased with it. It arrived in about a week, which was also nice. Check out tuck dot com for a discount.
Disposable kids masks? says
Has anyone found any good disposable kids’ masks? We have lots of the reusable ones, but the disposable seem much more breathable. I have two little guys (4 and 2) who will need to wear them at daycare so I’d like to find the most comfortable possible. TIA!
Anon says
My cotton ones (mom-made and Old Navy) are much more breathable than the disposable adult masks we have, FWIW.
Anon says
+1 I think cotton is more breathable than surgical mask fabric.
Anonymous says
This is not my experience at all, I find the disposable masks much more breathable and comfortable for long time wear. They are also considerably more effective. I was hoping someone would have a suggestion, because I was considering them for when (if?) school starts.
Anon says
Real surgical masks are approved by the FDA and made for surgeons. They don’t come in children’s sizes. I wouldn’t trust a disposable or paper mask that is made by an amateur. I think we have reasonably good data about the effectiveness of homemade cloth masks, but zero data about homemade paper masks. If a mask is going to be homemade (not a surgical mask, KN95, N95, etc.) it should be a multilayer cloth mask as the CDC recommends, for the sake of your kids and others.
Anonymous says
Real disposable medical masks do come in children’s sizes. My daughter was hospitalized with pneumonia prior to the pandemic, and she was expected to wear a tiny surgical mask whenever she was outside her room to avoid spreading her germs.
Anonymous says
The ones that I liked were issued by my workplace. My children’s school also gave out a few disposable masks in a welcome pack, although I have not used them yet. They are all made of three layers of cloth, not paper.
Pogo says
My 3yo has been wearing cotton at daycare and has no complaints.
Anonymous says
+1 same for my 2 year old and all her friends. I’m actually surprised how well the kids keep masks on without any complaints or face touching even though it’s HOT and humid in our area at the moment. I work on a college campus and I see so many undergrads pulling their masks down to talk to friends and I want to yell at them “You’re failing at something that literal toddlers can do!” But I restrain myself.
OP, I wouldn’t borrow trouble, I think they’ll be totally fine in cotton.
anon says
My three year old is fighting nap time and we are all losing our minds. We use his nap to relax a little and do reading lessons with his older sibling. Up until two weeks age, we would easily and happily nap for a couple of hours, not sure what caused the change. Older sibling napped until age 5 (when kindergarten started). He seems like he still needs the nap, he is tired and a mess. Any ideas on how to make naps fun or do a big reset?
Anon says
My kiddo stopped napping at just before 3, so it may just be that your kid is done. Signs for us included that on days she napped (even short – like 30 minutes) meant a 2-3 hour delay on bedtime, which was just not workable. For the transition (took about 3 weeks to fully drop the nap), we sent her up to bed with her tablet and had her chill for an hour. She didn’t have to sleep but she had to stay in bed. Some days she napped, some days she didn’t, and eventually we got to a no-nap day where she goes to bed at a reasonable time. She still has to have quiet time if she’s being crabby or seems sleepy, but we’re doing much better with powering through and pushing an earlier bedtime those days than caving for the nap which makes bedtime a nightmare.
AnotherAnon says
I’ve just come out the other side of this with my 3 y/o. Here are some things that worked for us: moving nap time 30 minutes later, letting him have books in bed (usually fell asleep), telling him he must stay in his bed for 30 minutes, then he can come out (usually fell asleep). When I was desperate, I simply tried a nap every other day and enforced 30 mins quiet time in his room on non-nap days. A few adjustments that seemed to help: making it darker (blackout shades), making it cooler (fan), giving him a water bottle (he can potty by himself). I am not proud but I also tried bribing him with a Blippi video if he stayed in his room the entire naptime – I was desperate. My kid is not the kind to play with play doh for hours or listen to a podcast, but some moms have success with letting kids listen to something or do an activity so you could try that. Good luck!
octagon says
We do a 90 minute-2 hour quiet time. Our rule is you don’t have to sleep, but you have to be in your room and be quiet. There was a very challenging week when we implemented but since then it’s been great. Kiddo gets lots of books and if it’s clear he’s not going to nap, we sometimes let him take crayons and a coloring book up. Half the time he falls asleep anyway, but it seemed to make a difference when he didn’t feel forced to nap.
Anon says
+1 you can’t force sleep but you can enforce a quiet/rest time.
Some 3 year olds are definitely ready to drop their nap, but if he’s tired in the evenings that’s a good sign he’s not ready to give it up for good. This is probably just a phase. For some kids, naps get really inconsistent for months or years before they drop it for good. My 2.5 year old has skipped naps fairly regularly since turning 2 but I don’t think she’s ready to give it up for good because at least once a week she will take a 3 hour nap.
Spirograph says
We do this, too. Kids get sleep-friendly music or an audiobook to listen to, and can look at books, do activity books/coloring, or play quietly with stuffed animals. The youngest almost always falls asleep, the older two almost never do, but all of us are much more pleasant in the evening if there was a break in the middle of the day.
Anon. says
Same. Quiet time is as much for my sanity as it is for his.
Pogo says
With you on this. Mine will still nap for daycare, but not at home; and yes, he will not fall asleep until 9pm (though lights out are 8:30). Yesterday I did the whole nap routine (books, songs, snuggles) and then he still really didn’t want to nap. I told him that was fine and he just needed to do quiet rest time for 30min and I’d set an alarm. The only thing that still trips me up is he wants me IN the room with him, which defeats the purpose of having any alone/free time. But since I always lie and tell him I’m napping too, his response was “Mommy you can sleep in my room while I play.” and he did! He didn’t bother me and I just lay there with my eyes closed for a half hour while I was treated to various renditions of Twinkle Twinkle with the words changed to describe what he was playing with.
He then fell asleep mid-sentence right before dinner (which was actually so hilarious because we were having a whole conversation and then he just stopped responding and I looked over and he was passed out). He definitely still needs the nap, but I’m not about to go through heroics (driving him around, rocking him, etc) to get him to nap at this point. I just move bedtime up waaay early.
AnotherAnon says
This whole story is adorable.
Anonymous says
Nope. My two older kiddos stopped napping around 2.5. My 26 month-er (only presenting in months bc she’s just newly two!) will now only nap if driven or strollered around. She’s also trying to self potty train. Fun times.
Indoor jungle gym says
Has anyone bought an indoor play structure that is great for little kids? We are looking at a long Midwest winter with most likely nowhere to go inside and I think this could help….
Anon says
We don’t have room for a play structure but these are on the list I am considering for this winter indoors (I like that they are stackable when not in use). I also see mini trampolines as a popular item, or if you have the space, a blow-up bouncy castle. https://www.amazon.com/Houseables-Stepping-Multicolor-Riverstones-Coordination/dp/B07TLDLTFF/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=toddler+stepping+stones&qid=1597072097&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFHSEhQTUhSRk00WjkmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTA5OTUwNzgzOFdKN1gzQU9ZWE5IJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTAyODA2MjUzRVNDRkFWQjBYU1BXJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==
Anon says
I finally invested in a Pickler Triangle for my 2 year old monkey and she loves it. We opted for that over a more traditional jungle gym because she currently has access to jungle gyms at school and the playground. Not sure about school, but I expect we’ll be at the playground pretty regularly through at least December.
Anon says
I have not but really want a nugget for this reason. Do you already have an inflatable bounce house? The one that fills up a living room basically? Depending on age of kids I’d go for that – stows away great and gets out a lot of energy!
Anonymous says
We just got the nugget couch, and my kids love it. Hoping to get more bang for our buck in the winter, though.
sg says
We ended up buying a 2nd nugget because my husband suggested “it would be more fun” I’d get on their mailing list now so you know when they are on sale again. I was able to get one last time by buying on my phone.
HSAL says
We have the Little Tikes Castle Climber. We’re on our second summer with it in our screened porch and I think it’ll last one more summer for us. We have a (small) nearly 5 year old and (tall) 2 year old twins and all three of them can play on it at the same time. I’ve been intrigued by the EZ Play indoor jungle gyms but we don’t have the space for them. We also have and love the Little Tikes bounce house with slide. Game.Changer.
Anon says
My cotton ones (mom-made and Old Navy) are much more breathable than the disposable adult masks we have, FWIW.
Anon says
Threading fail, meant for disposable kids masks above.
June says
My kid started a new daycare about a month ago and I saw on the newsletter that the teacher’s aide’s birthday is coming up. I would like to send in a card w/ money for her birthday, but then I wouldn’t want the main teacher to feel left out (I have no idea if her birthday is coming up) so was thinking maybe I send in a Thank you card for her. Would this be weird? We don’t get to interact with the teachers at drop off or pick up but I want to let them know we appreciate all that they’re doing and for helping kiddo adjust to his new school.
Anon says
It wouldn’t be weird, but if it helps to know mom of two here that has gone through two daycares, a preschool and started an elementary school. I consider us to be OVERLY generous when it comes to monetary gifts. And I don’t think I have ever monetarily recognized a teacher’s birthday.
I go big for the holidays, teacher’s week, and parting bonuses. Those are obvious events in the year I can easily keep track of. Birthdays for every caregiver and teacher would just put me over the edge i think – just bc you don’t always know about it etc etc so you run into exactly the fairness conundrum you are describing. When I know about the birthday I acknowledge it with a card or what have you but that’s it.
If we had ever had a nanny my answer would probably be different, but we haven’t.
Anon says
I think it’s weird. I’ve never heard of anyone recognizing a daycare teacher’s birthday with anything other than a “happy birthday.” Monetary gifts at the holidays, teacher appreciation week and end of school year are common, but not birthdays.
Anon2 says
+1 This is weird.
AnotherAnon says
You are being very kind, but I think giving the aide money before you’ve gifted his teacher anything has the potential to make things awkward. I’d plan to get them individual gifts (cash is fine) around the holidays, provided that day care is still open then. Is there a room mom you could ask? This seems to vary with the location.
IHeartBacon says
My house is a mess. A real mess. Hubs and I pick up at the end of the day so it’s not so much clutter as it is just problems with the house. Baseboards are bad, hardwood floor is really beaten up, walls have markers and nail polish all over them, etc. Things weren’t so bad earlier this year, but with kiddo unsupervised for so much of the day while hubs and I work, our house is getting the worst of it. I want to hire someone to come in for a few days to paint and refinish the floors, but I know in a couple months it’s all going to look the same. At the same time, the state of the house is really starting to make me hate being home. I think the walls are just closing in on me. No question, I guess. Just a vent.
SC says
I hear you. I would do what you can now by cleaning and wait until your kid is older and back in school to repaint and do the floors. Or pick one room, like your master bedroom or an office, and repaint that room and make it a grown-up space.
rakma says
I completely feel you. My house has been in such bad shape, and it feels so dispiriting to look at the same things day in and day out, but also not have the time or bandwidth to deal with it.
We have tackled some smaller outstanding projects in the past few weeks, and while they’re not the full project we’d like to have done, having something that we can point to and say ‘wow, that afternoon we spent clearing out this corner of the garage so the kids outdoor toys don’t avalanche everyday has really paid off’ has been a huge mood lifter. It’s also helped us to identify which projects we’re still willing to take on ourselves and which we need to throw more money at (DH would rather DIY more, but we will never finish anything if we wait to have the time to do it).
IHeartBacon says
“[I]t feels so dispiriting to look at the same things day in and day out, but also not have the time or bandwidth to deal with it.” This sums it up perfectly! I think we just have to commit to one small project per week.
Anon says
Normally I’d say wait until you can do it right and keep it nice, but really, that may be over a year from now. I like the previous idea of just doing one room that’s “yours,” but I also think you could have the walls painted and wait on the floors, which will require more prep and time.
Anon says
Oh god, refinishing hardwood floors is not a couple day thing where you’re done. I’ve done it twice, even in the best case you’re out commission for a week. It’s the worst. I totally feel you on the state of the house though – mine is perpetually under construction.
Pogo says
+1, I think we’re only doing ours every 10 years because the last time was intense. And you need to be out of the house while the top coat dries because it’s super nasty smelling and probably toxic, so we did it before a vacation.
I feel you on the beat-up baseboards though. No matter how nice the wall paint job is, the baseboards being grimy and banged up makes everything look worse.
Anonymous says
I would do it and institute some new rules and house systems. Nail polish is in a locked bathroom cabinet (we babyproof everything). We only buy washable Crayola markers and have a strict rule that markers/crayons are ONLY to be used on paper. It requires a lot of repetition but drawing on the walls means no access to craft supplies and time out. But if it does happen it comes off easily because it’s Crayola washable.
Anon says
+1. I know these are extraordinary times, but if your kids are drawing all over your walls you have a discipline problem, not a house cleaning problem. If the children are young enough that they really can’t be expected to follow the rules, then those art supplies should be taken away or only used with supervision.
Anonymous says
I’m the poster above and I agree. Everytime DD has drawn on the walls (which has been twice ever because we remind her once a day it’s only for paper) it’s treated as a big deal.
Anon says
Refinishing floors is at least a week, likely 2, plus all the prep before to move furniture and all the dust after. So much dust, even when your contractor is good about it. Not a project I would be excited to take on in good times, and certainly not now. I would instead pick up some new rugs so you don’t see as much of the floors, and take a magic eraser (or a bucket full) and go to town on the baseboards and walls. I would not repaint until you are sure you are out of this stage – age and COVID (we keep craft supplies locked up, and kiddo still managed to sneak out some crayons and hide them which I discovered when I found flowers on the wall the the other day), but I think you will be surprised by what a magic eraser will do. When our youngest turns 10, I already told DH we are repainting the entire interior but until then I view it as lighting money on fire.
Realist says
I agree that refinishing floors is not a project that I would want to take on right now. So difficult to move everything, deal with the dust, etc. I would go for cheap rugs and call it a day. Painting can be done on the walls and possibly the baseboards and that is much easier than refinishing the floors. I agree that getting one room into shape might help and just keep the kids out of that room to keep it as a nice grown up space.
IHeartBacon says
Thanks for the input on the floors. I’ve never had them refinished before so I had no idea it was such an ordeal. It sounds like there is no way we can do the floors now.
“. . . but if your kids are drawing all over your walls you have a discipline problem, not a house cleaning problem.” So. Much. This. (Sigh.)
Anonymous says
Oof, my 2 year old has made the connection between going back to school and no longer seeing her grandparents and has started asking to stay home from school so she can see them (even though she loves school). I know I’m very privileged in that I currently have full time childcare and we were able to see a lot of my parents this summer while daycare was closed because they live driving distance from us. And even in normal times we would frequently go several months without seeing them. It’s just hard because now my kiddo knows what it’s like having her grandparents visit every month, and now she won’t see them for half a year. And she hasn’t seen my husband’s parents in over a year (we had a planned visit this spring canceled) and is starting to forget them completely. She found a photo of them with her as a baby and said “who are these people holding Baby [Her name]?” It broke my heart. Everything about this whole situation is so sad and hard and I know everyone is struggling, but some days I just want to cry.
Anonymous says
Hugs – Can you Facetime with them? We often mail pictures the kids make to the grandparents and then the grandparents show the kids what they received in the mail on Facetime.
anon says
Hugs, that’s hard. Can you zoom with the grandparents periodically so she can see them? Not that you can expect a full on conversation and attention from a 2 year old for long, but at least she and your parents can see each other every now and then. Maybe they can read her a book? She could do show and tell?
Anon says
Aww, that is so sad. I have 2 year old twins and both sets of grandparents are flying distance so we haven’t seen any in 6+ months but we FaceTime almost daily and talk about them, so my kids def know who they are and often pretend to call them
Pogo says
Unsolicited Zenni optical review: Just bought two pairs from them, spent a total of $110. I do think they feel ‘cheap’ compared to designer glasses. However, I can see totally fine, and for super trendy glasses (think AOC’s hipster-y looking ones) I feel good about spending $50 on them. It was also nice during COVID not to have to bother trying on glasses in the store and stressing about touching things a million other people touched.
I think Warby Parker are better quality, as a comparison.
AwayEmily says
thanks! I’d been considering ordering from them.
PSA to all Moms--Stop the Screaming says
Please, please, please do not let your children scream while playing outside past 8:30 p.m. This is a constant issue in my neighborhood. I understand kids have more energy since they aren’t in school and due to quarantine and all, but if these children were being abducted I’d never know the difference from the constant screeching outside (not yells of joy, but high pitched, top of the lungs screeching). It is also inconsiderate for those with smaller kids who have earlier bedtimes.