This post may contain affiliate links and CorporetteMoms may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
When the Apple Watch first came out, my first thought was that there was no way it would ever be seen as professional for a work environment. I am a late and reluctant adopter of technology, and I thought I would never ever give up my analog watch, which I picked out as a college graduation present. Fast forward to the present day, and there’s an Apple Watch on my wrist right now, and I find it’s extremely common in all professional settings. However, I still don’t think it’s necessarily a fashion-forward look. When I saw that Movado jumped into the smartwatch game, I thought it was a great compromise of the technology and the beautiful simplicity of the Movado design. Most of the functions I would appreciate are there: notifications of phone calls, texts, emails. I also like the activity tracking feature as well as Google Pay. The watch is $550 at Bloomingdale’s. Connect II Smartwatch
A more affordable but still sleek-looking smartwatch is from Skagen, also at Bloomingdale’s, for $295.
This post contains affiliate links and CorporetteMoms may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. For more details see here. Thank you so much for your support!
Sales of note for 3.28.24
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Ann Taylor – Up to 40% off your full-price purchase; extra 50% off sale
- Banana Republic Factory – 50-70% off everything plus extra 20% off purchase
- Eloquii – 50% off 2+ items; 40% off 1
- J.Crew – 50% off select styles
- Lands’ End – 10% off your order
- Loft – 50% off everything
- Nordstrom: Give $150 in gift cards, earn a $25 promo card (ends 3/31)
- Talbots – 40% off 1 item; 25% off everything else
- Zappos – 37,000+ 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 – 50% off entire site
- Hanna Andersson – 30% off all swim; up to 30% off HannaJams
- J.Crew Crewcuts – 40% off sitewide; 50% off select swim; 50% off kids’ styles
- Old Navy – 50% off Easter deals
- Target – 20% off Easter styles for all; up to 30% off kitchen & dining; BOGO 50% off shoes & slippers for the family;
See some of our latest articles on CorporetteMoms:
Click here to see our top posts!
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?
Cb says
Any recommendations on helping my son overcome his fear of dogs? He had two tough incidents in quick succession – a little yapping dog pushing him off a scooter and a big dog running into a cafe, jumping onto his seat, and licking him – and now he’s super nervous. He’ll cling to me and sob that he doesn’t like dogs. The problem is that he’ll stop in the middle of crossing the road or sidewalk because he’s afraid. We see quite a few dogs out on our walk and lots of them aren’t on leads, which makes it worse. He can normally tolerate a dog on a lead but an off-lead dog that gets near him is really upsetting.
Also, a plea, if your dog isn’t impeccably behaved, put them on a lead when you’re walking in a greenspace with children, other people, and other dogs.
Anonymous says
What helped my kids most was having them spend time with a friend’s dog who was friendly and well behaved. Harder — like everything — do do during lockdown…
NYCer says
This was going to be my suggestion as well. Do you have any friends with kid-friendly, well behaved dogs? Start with short meetings, even just sitting and watching the dog play with another toddler (or you!), and then go from there.
lawsuited says
+1 My toddler spent the weekend at a family friend’s house and they have a dog. We were worried because my toddler was “try to climb up mummy’s body while shrieking” afraid of dogs. The initial introduction was very controlled – our friends held the dog and I held our toddler and we asked toddler to say wave hello while the dog smelled and licked my hand and I petted the dogs ears and belly. Then the dog went and sat elsewhere in the room while toddler next to me on the couch glancing over at the dog periodically. Over the course of the weekend the dog went from sitting in the corner of the room to sitting on top of my son on the couch sharing a bowl of crackers. It turns out exposure is all that was needed and my toddler now considers that particular dog a friend (during lockdown he’s asked me to take photos of him and X to send to the dog) and he no longer considers strange dogs enemies.
Eek says
I actually think fear of an off-leash dog is totally rational and appropriate. And I say that as a dog lover with big dogs of my own. People think they have everything under “voice control” and know how their dogs will react to unexpected situations — and usually they do, until they don’t.
As far as his general fear of dogs, I think the best thing is to slowly expose him to well-behaved dogs that you know and trust in a controlled environment, teaching him the best way to interact with dogs and when to just stay away. That’s not helpful advice now when you can’t really go over to a friend or family member’s house, though.
Eek says
Also, who lets their dog run into a cafe and jump into a kids lap? What is wrong with people?
Cb says
It was awful, the dog ran in off the promenade, ran back behind the cafe counter and then ran up to my son. He screamed and everyone in the cafe stopped to see if he was okay, the server brought him a chocolate. I feel like it’s a British thing…they really are all over the place with their dogs. And I say this as someone who loves dogs.
Anonymous says
I’m actually shocked this happened in Britain! When I lived there, my husband and I were always so impressed with how well-behaved everyone’s off leash dogs were. We still joke that we’re going to get a British dog since they’re clearly smarter.
Sorry this happened to your son, how frightening for him! My oldest had a fear of dogs for a while, but he grew out of it as he was exposed to more calm, friendly dogs. We never pushed it, but my youngest absolutely loves dogs, so as we would walk around the neighborhood in the before times, he’d ask to pet everyone’s dog. Eventually the oldest started joining in.
Cb says
Yes, we need to find some well-behaved dogs when lockdown eases. I have an acquaintance with a super chill greyhound who I may reach out to. The neighbour dogs are all too bouncy, he doesn’t mind them from a distance as he sees them everyday, but doesn’t want to get anywhere near them.
Anonymous says
Maybe a different spin but for now I’d let him be afraid. Dogs are scary to him for good reason and clinging to you for safety is a legit move. Reassuring him they won’t hurt him is kinda a lie since two just violated his boundaries.
Cb says
Thanks Anon, that actually helped me reframe it in my mind. I think I was being a bit impatient because him crying ‘I do not like that dog!!’ is a bit embarrassing, but dogs are unpredictable and I’d rather have him be cautious than be one of those kids that who tries to cuddle every dog they come across.
Anonymous says
Oh I’m glad it helped! I was very afraid of dogs as a kid and as an adult have zero problem being visibly afraid of off leash dogs and making their owners uncomfortable.
Anon says
My only concern with that advice is the unfortunate reality that dogs are more aggressive with someone fearful versus someone confident. My own dog gets weird and barky when people are nervous around him. He is totally fine when people are confident with him.
Anon says
i like this response. i was scared of dogs as a kid. my sister was bit by dogs twice, yet it made her want one more…lol. Perhaps you can talk about how there are different kinds of dogs that know how to behave in different ways (just like people!). And from a safety perspective, obviously stopping in the middle of a crosswalk is dangerous, so maybe come up with a strategy for when you see one there, but for a sidewalk, can you move aside and let the dog pass
Anonanonanon says
I agree. I understand that crying and clinging to you and refusing to budge is an unfortunate reaction, but maybe if you calmly say “I understand, you do not want to be close to that dog. We will stand right here (step aside from the sidewalk) until the dog passes, and you can hold my hand.” and after the dog goes by maybe a lighthearted “OK, let’s wave goodbye to the dog. Bye bye dog!” before you resume the walk? So you’re not telling him there is nothing to be scared of, but are teaching him he has the option to just step aside. I did something similar with my daughter and the garbage truck and it seems to have worked. I didn’t give in to holding her and hugging her and acting like it was something she needed to be protected from, but I’d say “I understand, the truck is loud and you do not want to be close to it. Will you hold my hand and stand by this tree until it passes? Thank you!” and usually pat her on the back or something, and then I’d narrate like “Wow, that truck has a lot of garbage! It’s so nice of that truck to take away all of the garbage! And it has very big tires, I like big tires, do you like big tires? It makes a beep sound, can you go ‘beep, beep’ like the truck?” as it was close and then would go “bye bye garbage truck! Thank you for getting the garbage!” and continue on with our activity.
avocado says
+1. My daughter used to be terrified of bugs, to the point where she’d have a hysterical breakdown in her car seat if there was a gnat in the car. After approximately one thousand rounds of “Yes, you do not like that bug! Let’s open the window so he flies out,” the intensity of the freakouts subsided somewhat and she started problem-solving.
We generally try to separate the feeling from the reaction. Cb’s son is entitled to feel afraid of dogs if that’s how he feels. He is not, however, entitled to react to that feeling in a way that is unsafe, such as running away or stopping in the middle of the street. He should hold mummy’s hand, tell mummy that he is afraid of the dog, and follow mummy’s instructions to avoid the dog safely.
Eek says
Yes, I agree with this. I love dogs but the fact is A) some dogs are dangerous, and B) some people are irresponsible dog-owners. So fear of an unknown dog, especially one that’s not restrained, is not a big thing.
Eek says
Not a *bad* thing.
Anon says
I agree, and I am a dog owner. I think a healthy fear of strange dogs off leash is a good thing, not a bad thing.
Anonymous says
My son was not super afraid of dogs, but I do think he gained more confidence from learning about dogs in preschool. His school did unit studies, so they read a lot of books about dogs and had a visit from a vet, visits from pet dogs owned by families in the class, etc. Maybe learning about how to stay safe around dogs — e.g., how to greet them, how to pet them appropriately, what different behaviors signal, etc. — would help him feel more in control?
avocado says
This is excellent advice. Learning about dog behavior and how to interact safely with dogs is important for all kids.
AnonATL says
Do you have any dog parks in your area? You could just sit and watch dogs outside the fenced enclosure. Could be a bit risky because, at least at my local park, some of the dogs wrestle pretty aggressively with one another. It’s normal dog behavior for some, but might be more frightening for him..
I have dogs and love dogs, but I am still apprehensive when I meet dogs off leash in the wild. You never know how a dog might react to you or their environment. At least when they are on leash, the owner could pull them off if they did start getting aggressive.
Anon153 says
I was terrified of dogs until I was into my early 20s. I had a really bad experience when i was about 4. I will tell you what did not help…. my mom shielded me from dogs for the rest of my childhood and teenage years, which 100% reinforced my fear. It truly had a very negative impact on my social life and development, especially during the challenging middle school years. I got so aware of dogs, and my active avoidance of them, that I learned what an approaching dog sounds like – a very distinct and faint jingle of tags on a collar. It was bad.
Now, at 35, I have my own dog – a big ‘ol 80 pound black lab. I got over it around 24 years old when I was on spring break at a friend’s house and they had three labs. I just had this moment of “wtf. what is my problem. I’m getting over this…” and I did, incrementally and slowly. I think what really helped – and would have helped me – was regular exposure to the same friendly ,well trained dog. I needed to see that you can say “NO” with authority and a dog will go away. I needed to see that dogs can be friendly and silly. I also think being around a dog as a puppy and watching it grow into, say, a 2 year old dog would have been huge. Some misguided but well intentioned friends’ parents in elementary and middle school used to basically force me into the face of their grown dogs and it only made things worse. I needed to see that puppies are just babies and want to play, and that they grow in size but are still just playful.
It’s so hard, I truly know that. However you can act normal and calm around dogs and deescalate will be huge. That all said, people who let their dogs off leash in non-off-leash designated areas are a special kind of terrible person. That your child does not need to be ok with because it is not ok. All you can do is teach him how to react – walk away, yell NO with authority, etc.
Anon says
I forget how old your son is? My son was SUPER randomly afraid of dogs for a few years and slowly grew out of it, there was really not much we could do in between (by the time he was 5). It was a little embarrassing at times, and caused problems at times, but it was what it was.
For what it’s worth, for us personally, while people meant well – spending time with friend’s friendly dogs did not help at all, and it was tiring when friend after friend would try to convince us that their dog was the magic dog that would cure him running screaming away, and we had enough experience by then to know that was not going to cut it and would have to just nod and smile. Clearly that worked for some here so that’s not universal, but just an fyi.
Anon says
I was attacked by a dog 3 years ago and I was afraid of dogs before and even more afraid now. He’ll be okay.
anon says
Any ideas on how to teach my kindergartner time management? She has gotten into the habit of wanted to do a long project when we have 5 minutes before a school zoom meeting and then is super disappointed when I explain that we do not have time. I have a daily schedule for her to understand what she should be doing, but when there is some down time between activities for example between lunch and her next school meeting, she will want to go play legos and is so upset when she realizes its a bad time.
Eek says
I honestly think this is just an age thing! Kindergarteners don’t have a good enough sense of time passing to have time management. (Think “are we there yet?” questions 10 minutes into a 2 hour car ride.)
Spirograph says
I think this is just being 5.
That said, Mister Rogers has an episode where he literally watches an egg timer for a minute to show kids how long a minute is. Maybe you could start using a timer as she does certain things so that she gets a better sense of how long things take, and what 5 minutes feels like, etc.
Beth @ Parent Lightly says
Mine does this too. My only possible suggestion is to ask at the beginning of the day if there’s something she really really wants to do that day. Then I tell her “We will do that at x time” based on the day’s schedule. It helps some but doesn’t totally eliminate the last minute stuff.
TheElms says
This seems like a sophisticated concept to grasp. Maybe you could break it down into “short” or gap filler activities and “long activities” and put pictures of each in a list for her? That way if she wants to do something you can tell her to pick an activity off the short list?
The only other thing I can think of is a 5 minute sand timer so she’d have a visual of how long she can do the activity.
SC says
We work on this with my 5 year old a lot because his version of “super disappointed” in not being able to complete a long project with 5 minutes left is a huge tantrum with yelling, hitting, throwing things, and running away. Sigh. But these things seem to have helped reduce the frequency from several times per day to several times per week.
We give warnings and use hourglass timers (visual timers are best). We have a set for 1, 3, 5, and 10 minutes. If an hourglass timer isn’t handy, we use timers on our phone or Alexa.
We use a daily schedule so we can tell him when he’ll have a chance to do the thing he wants to do.
We do exercises recommended by our therapist to encourage the idea that incompleteness is OK. One is to set a timer for 5 minutes and build a tower together, and when the timer goes off, we stop building the tower no matter what–not even one more block. Another is having a 30-minute block in our schedule where a parent and Kiddo take 5-minute turns choosing an activity. When the 5 minute timer goes off, you have to stop your activity and do the other person’s. Then when it’s your turn again, you can go back to your activity or choose something new.
Anonymous says
Can you designate times in the daily schedule when it is okay to do a long project? “There is not enough time to play legos now because you have school in five minutes. After school is done at 2:00, you will have time to play legos.”
Anonanonanon says
To some extent, I think this is just kids! My son is 9 and will still decide that when the rest of the family is actively walking out the door is a good time to decide he’s just going to pour and drink a glass of milk real quick, and be pouty when we explain that the time to pour a glass of milk (like… the least portable beverage!) was BEFORE we were all walking out the door!
Anon says
I think this sounds age appropriate, but I also think visual timers (such as hour glasses for different amounts of time) are really helpful!
At home hair color? says
Anyone tried at-home hair color recently? I normally highlight my hair but I’m not sure when I’ll be comfortable going to a salon again so I considering what previously seemed unthinkable. I wouldn’t try highlights – I learned my lesson on that in high school. But considering an all-over color.
Anonymous says
My daughter (5) and I are dying our hair tonight. She’s doing hot pink, I’ve got purple. Semipermanent. I’ve never done non-natural hair color before, but if not now, when?!
farrleybear says
Fun!!
anon. says
Yes – I’ve done tons of at home hair color and actually prefer it to the salon. I kind of hate to say it because it’s more expensive than the Garnier, Loreal, etc. but I switched to Madison Reed. I’ve been so happy with how it looks and it grows out better than the drugstore boxes.
Katy says
I started doing at home hair touch ups last fall because my grey needs maintenance more frequently than I can justify the > 3 hour trip to the salon (not to mention the bill). If you go with an all over colour it isn’t that hard. I had switched to all over colour at the salon too (to cut the time from 4.5 hours to 3 – I have a lot of hair). if you are just trying to cover grey / freshen up it is honestly really easy. if you are trying to replicate highlights that might be another story.
I used the box my sister uses (L’Oreal I think) – it was very very easy. Use a crap towel to dry your hair and don’t go to bed with wet hair on clean sheets (oops)… but if you do… Shout got the dye out of towel / pillow case.
Anonanonanon says
I used the golden brown Overtone recently to get closer to the color of my roots. Unfortunately, it also dyed my roots darker (DUH) so both the roots and my hair got darker which sort of defeated the purpose. It was way messier than normal box dye and I’m not sure I would recommend if you’re doing a natural color. It is semipermanent, so I think it’s a great option for a not natural color, but it seemed like more trouble than it was worth for a natural color.
Mrs. Jones says
I’ve colored my hair at home for many years. I use the Garnier boxes and it’s easy.
Realist says
I’m trying a natural hair color box that got good reviews. I looked at a few pictures and blogger reviews online before I pulled the trigger on the brand/color. I’m used to highlights, so we will see how this goes. I’m going for a bit darker than what I would normally get at the salon, but still in the medium-blonde range of my natural color.
IHeartBacon says
I just watched a video that Eva Longoria posted on Insta, dying her hair at home. It looked great.
Anon says
I’ve colored my hair at home for years with a L’Oréal dye and it works well. If your hair touches your shoulders I’d get two boxes. I tried last year to be fancy and get a nicer dye with the brush and bowl from a beauty supply store and had a much more trouble than with my usual drugstore dye.
Itchy says
My toddler has dry, itchy skin with patches of eczema on his back and behind his knees. We’ve tried many different kinds of moisturizers already- Aquaphor, Honest Company lotion and balm, Bubbsi lotion and balm, Mustela. Any recommendations?
Anon says
I am definitely not one to eschew standard treatments for coconut oil, but really, have you tried coconut oil? Have successfully treated my two kids’ baby eczema with it. Obviously anecdata, and run by your ped first.
JTM says
Aveeno Baby Eczema Therapy Nighttime Balm with Natural Oatmeal – its a really thick balm that was the only thing that healed my daughter’s eczema. Apply a generous layer after bathtime.
For daytime we swear by CereVe cream, also applied liberally and then sealed in with vaseline or Aquaphor.
Anonymous says
We like the regular Aveeno Baby Eczema, too. It is what daycare recommended when they noticed it on kiddo. As she has gotten older, being proactive with Cetaphil works well to prevent the eczema.
Anonymous says
Talk to his pediatrician
Knope says
My toddler was prescribed a compound of aquaphor, sarna anti-itch cream, and a topical steroid. You could try just the aquaphor and Sarna together and see if that works – Sarna has pramoxine, which is a very mild topical anesthetic, and that combined with the aquaphor can help ease the itch and lock in moisture. But if that doesn’t work I’d see if you can get a prescription topical steroid.
Anon says
We like Vanicream- was rec from doctor and we tried a bunch!
Pogo says
If it’s really stubborn, def ask the ped. I have good luck w/ lanolin, actually, but have to be very diligent about it.
Anon says
For the eczema you may need a steroid cream. Aquaphor, coconut oil, etc can help with dry skin and prevent eczema but once it has actually progressed the only thing that gets rid of it for us is the steroid cream.
Anon says
Ask the pedi. We had a virtual appointment and got two creams prescribed. One the eczema is under control and the spread lessens, we assault her with aquaphor as soon as she gets out of a 5 minute (short) bath. I had posted about this maybe 3-4 weeks ago, having zero previous experience with eczema. So far, so good. Also, our pedi told us to use children’s Claritin. Eczema can flare up with seasonal allergies, and we’ve definitely noticed a correlation to flare ups and time spent outside as its getting warmer.
Anonymous says
Vanicream is our daily go-to. We are also big users of coconut oil if the skin is under control, but Vanicream is better for us to help heal. Agree that if it is really flared, though, we use a steroid cream. Our ped recommended just starting with over the counter stuff, and that works for us. We like the Exederm flare control, which is basically just hydrocortisone like everything else, but is very allergy friendly. Aveeno products were terrible for my son and just made things worse; it’s all a matter of finding what works right on the skin that you are dealing with. Sadly, no magic bullet.
layered bob says
Prescription hydrocortisone. Your ped can easily diagnose and prescribe over the phone. Don’t waste time buying any more OTC moisturizers. Get it cleared up with a prescription ointment and then you can do maintenance with aquaphor or vaseline (vaseline is cheaper) on the eczema-prone spots.
Anne says
I hate to say it but have you considered that he has a mild food allergy? If you’re using those creams religiously I think they should work but for some other cause.
lsw says
Parenting a teenage girl is super, super hard and I’m having some uncharitable thoughts. I feel like a terrible person.
Anonymous says
I’m sure you’re doing the best you can, and you’re not a terrible person. I can only imagine how hard this is. DH and I were just saying the other day that it’s rough to be home with young kids, but thank goodness our daughter is not 13 and trapped home with us 24/7. She’s a strong-willed 5 year old, and I know she and I would be at each other’s throats.
FVNC says
I’ve said the same thing. Being home with younger children certainly has its challenges, but at least my 6 and 3 year olds still think their parents are the bees knees and are thrilled to be able to hang with us all day everyday!
Knope says
Sorry you are dealing with that. I can’t relate on the parenting side as I only have a toddler boy, but I had a pretty awful relationship with my parents as a teenager. Most of it was driven by an overwhelming desire on my part to have independence, which I felt was infringed upon when my parents tried to reach out to me and get involved in my life. It wasn’t fair to them at all, and I’m sure your teenage girl is not being fair to you. But it might help to reframe the issues you are having as motivated by her desire for independence vs. an attack on you (whether directly or through defiance, etc.).
Pogo says
Same, I was awful to my parents as a teenager. Can’t imagine dealing with one in lockdown, too. She’s definitely not reacting TO you, would be my guess.
Are you talking to a therapist? I feel like this is a place CBT or other re-framing would be really helpful. Because you can’t control her, only your reaction to her, etc.
Anon says
You’re not a bad person!
avocado says
Hang in there! You are an awesome stepmother. Your stepdaughter is lucky to have a bonus caring adult in her life to help guide her through this challenge.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Being a teenager is already hard enough. Being a teenager in the middle of a pandemic is extra difficult. My daughter had a massive meltdown last night over a big disappointment that happened right before we entered lockdown. She’s having a tough time moving on because her entire life is on hold, and she can’t see that life is moving on and get invested in the alternative path that should also end up being pretty great. Many pans of brownies, doggie snuggle sessions, and episodes of her favorite old TV shows have been necessary over the past couple of months.
DLC says
Oh I’m so sorry to hear! I feel like it is definitely not a statement on your abilities as a parent, though. I admit part of my trepidation of having girls is dreading the teenage years. Someone once told us, it’s like they’re a satellite and the teenage years is them going around the moon and you can’t reach them or talk to them; you just have to send them support and wait until they come back around.
avocado says
I love the satellite analogy!
Anonymous says
If it helps, I am fairly certain my mom considered murder when I was a (very difficult) teenager. She never acted on it and we always made up. But I was terrible and don’t begrudge her being “uncharitable.”
lsw says
Ahhhh, thanks everyone. This is so helpful to read. Being told, “I hate you!!” and “You told me not to eat ever again because I’m fat!” (obviously this did not happen) were just super hard after some really tough work news. I got angry and then I cried…not my finest moments. I do have a therapist, thank god, and I want to talk on Friday about how not to react so emotionally. It brings up so much stuff from my own tough teenage years, including a mom who DID always comment about my weight – which is why I never, ever bring it up in front of my SD. So I was feeling especially bitter because what I thought was, “Try feeling fat with a parent who comments on everything you eat and asks you why you wear things that make you look ‘chunky’*!”
*my mom’s favorite word for children she thought were fat
Anonymous says
I identify so much with the bitterness about your own childhood. I have often wanted to say to my child, “If I acted the way you are acting right now I would have been beaten,” or “At least you have parents who love you and don’t threaten to kill you,” or “Your life is so perfect you have no right to be unhappy about anything.” Bravo to you for not saying it out loud.
lsw says
I hear this. I’m so sorry! It is really hard.
Learning Apps says
Any iPad recommendations for a 5 year old for practicing her lowercase letters and sentence writing? She is asking for this. She really likes Khan Academy Kids and Teach a Monster to Read, so something in that vein would be good. I’ll also take any suggestions for similar apps for math, as she likes math too. Thanks!
Anon says
Not directly related to either of your requests (sorry!) but my 5yo math-inclined boy loves the app Crazy Gears.
octagon says
We got Crazy Gears on a rec here and it’s been great! We use Elephant Learning ($$) for math in addition to Khan Academy. It has a parent interface and teaching suggestions for areas where they are struggling.
Blueridge29 says
My 5 year old loves teach your monster to read and also enjoys the Moose math app.
We also have the Lightbot Jr. an early coding/math app which is hard, but we play together. I also like the stack the states app, it is silly, but playing as a family the kids have picked up some basic US geography.
EB says
So in spite of all our social distancing, our 10 month old has a double ear infection. No symptoms besides trouble sleeping and a slight fever. How on earth do babies get ear infections if they are not otherwise ill? Is this a thing? Ped says one more ear infection and we’ll talk tubes but we aren’t there yet.
Anon says
It’s a thing. Some kids are just ear infection prone and can get them without an underlying illness. It may also be a previous infection that didn’t fully clear up (eg., you got antibiotics and that killed enough of the bacteria to improve the symptoms, but didn’t kill all of them and then some of them grew out of control again).
Anonymous anonymous says
Oh no. Some babies do get them frequently with no apparent trigger. We went through this for one child and managed to avoid the ear tubes. Make sure your pediatrician is up to date on the latest AAP guidelines, apparently they somewhat recently changed and usually advocate a wait-and-see approach before giving antibiotics to babies. I also credit Garlic Mullein oil for preventing ear infections or keeping them from becoming more serious. I would start using the oil if my child had a cold or I saw other signs of an ear infection onset, and it seemed to work to keep most infections from taking hold.
AnotherAnon says
Also, it’s completely fine for your kid to need ear tubes. Mine did (3rd percentile on growth chart); 8 ear infections in six months is too many. He was 18 months when he got them. I was terrified, but he did fine. Has not had a single ear infection since. He’s 3 now – ear tubes fell out several months ago.
Anonymous anonymous says
Yes! I’m sorry if anything about my comment made it sound like ear tubes were bad. I was glad to avoid them for our child because the infections finally stopped happening every other week, but would have been just as glad to have them put in if the ear infections continued. Ear infections are terrible on everyone and their sleep.
AnotherAnon says
Sorry, I didn’t mean to attack your comment. I was terrified of my kiddo having ear tubes. I just wanted to reassure the OP that if they end up being necessary (under the guidance of a competent pedi and audiologist) it will be ok.
Anon456 says
It’s definitely a thing. DD got tubes at 11 months after visiting the pedi every other week from November to May in 2018/2019. We just went to her 2 yo appointment last week and the most recent visit before that was November 2019, so we went the same stretch a year later without a single visit. Hooray! I mean, I don’t wish you tubes because it’s just another Thing. But, also, it’ll be life changing…. good luck.
Mrs. Jones says
we got ear tubes after 3 ear infections in 3 months, I think, and then we never had a problem again.
Just Wondering says
How old do I have to be to just give up and have statement gray hair?
Anonymous says
The younger you are, the more of a statement it is!
lawsuited says
I agree! It involves some awkward grow-out lewks, so I say now is the perfect time if you’re so inclined.
Anonanonanon says
Women with beautifully-cut uniformly-gray hair always look so glamorous and for some reason, I’m always like “wow this well-dressed woman with the lovely gray bob 100% knows what she’s talking about!” I’m not quite ready to examine why, so don’t @ me.
avocado says
The beautiful cut and 100% grayness are essential. Unfortunately, the beautiful cut will be difficult to achieve under current circumstances.
blueberries says
I aspire to be super polished/stylish and fully gray eventually. For my hair, the key will be moisturizing shampoo and hair oil.
AnonATL says
My mom went grey before 30, and has fully rocked it since then. I seem to have my dad’s hair, because I’m past my mom’s age when she greyed and have only a couple mixed in pieces.
Regardless, when I was a kid, people frequently thought she was my grandmother instead of mom. She always rocked it with a fierce red lip. I think once you go fully grey, it’s your thing, just like if you went from blonde to brunette.
I always admired my mom’s hair and her embracing that level of natural beauty. I’m sure it did cause some ageism and other nonsense for her. Many of the women in my family who also went grey early, color it to a more platinum blonde color, but I love a true grey.
As others have said, I think a good cut for the new texture is pretty critical. You also probably need to adjust your makeup which won’t look the same as it did with your dyed hair.
Katy says
ditto for my mom. She has curly hair and has worn a stylish grey “pixie” since the 90s. [style changed slightly over the years with trends] She doesn’t wear a stitch of makeup and has the best skin. She got so many compliments on her hair from complete strangers that it became a family joke. They always said: “You have such lovely hair”. She noticed the compliments got a lot less frequent in the last couple of years. She figures it is because her face finally matches her hair! ha!
CPA Lady says
My best friend did it age 32. Her hair is stunning. It’s like gorgeous, lush, full princess hair. She’s one of those people who started going gray at age 18.
OP says
Thanks, everyone! I started going gray in my 20s. I’m 37 now. I don’t think I am glamorous enough to pull it off right now, lol. But I’m probably going for it when kiddo (only 4 now) graduates high school. Or earlier if I suddenly learn how to be glamorous in the meantime.
Compact SUV Recommendations says
I posted late yesterday on the main board and didn’t get any responses, so I’m trying again.
We are looking for a new (to us) SUV. We have one 9-month old and will be trying for another child in the next year or two, so we want something that fits car seats comfortably. Has anyone purchased a Honda CR-V hybrid? Or have recommendations for a compact SUV? We have ruled out the Toyota RAV4 (not enough room with an infant car seat and storage seems small), Mazda CX-5 (too small), and Subaru Forrester (didn’t like the interior). If we don’t do the hybrid, we would probably just do a used Honda CR-V (2017-2018). We also looked at (but didn’t test drive) a Kia Sorrento and Hyundai Tucson, but have read that reliability for those brands aren’t great.
Anon says
we don’t have the hybrid version, but we love our CR-V. my parents have one and 5 friends from different friend groups each purchased one shortly before we got ours, which helped confirm our decision. We have twins and we also looked at the Rav 4, CX-5 and a Nissan something. we will probably get a mini van for our next car
Em Bee says
We have a 2018 CRV. We were deciding between that, the RAV-4 and the Forrester. I honestly didn’t notice much of a difference between them size-wise, so if you think the RAV-4 is you small, you will probably feel the same way about a CR-V. Perhaps look into a larger SUV or minivan?
AnotherAnon says
This. Also a CRV owner and I love mine but if you think it’s too small, the CRV is probably going to feel the same. You might want to look at something larger.
OP says
I should clarify my comment on the RAV-4. My husband has a long torso and with the placement of the steering wheel set so high, he needed to raise the seat in order to see out the windshield and there was minimal head room left. Also, when we put our car seat in behind the driver’s seat, it butted up against the back of the driver’s seat. We didn’t have any of these issues with the Honda CR-V. And the CR-V storage space is bigger than the RAV-4.
Mrs. Jones says
We like our CR-V.
CCLA says
My dad drives a CR-V (2019 model, not hybrid), and when we visited with our two kids, our carseats (one RF and one FF) fit very comfortably. However – and this may not matter to you – there was no room for a third person to sit in the back row, as the seats had to be on the sides. I suppose it would be possible to “puzzle” them one right next to the other if you tried different combos, though one of our seats was the immi go travel one so it was already super compact, and IIRC we couldn’t attach it in the center. That said, we drove our own smaller SUV for a couple of years like that and it was fine, we just took a second car when we had visitors.
OP says
Yeah, I think this is an issue for most of the compact SUVs. We don’t want to get a third row SUV though.
Anon says
i can fit between my twins car seats in the backseat. it is not the most comfortable, but i just barely fit
Anon says
Yeah, I can fit between two carseats in the back of my Honda Fit, so I’m sure you could in a CR-V, as long as you have reasonable narrow seats.
Katarina says
I can’t speak to those particular models, but Hyundai and Kia tend to be pretty reliable overall.
Anon says
We love our used Honda CRV with two kids/seats. It has an impressive amount of trunk space!
Mazda says
If you were interested in the CX-5, we have both that and the Mazda6 with 2 kids carseats. They are both fine, but the Mazda6 actually has a ton more room and a great price point.
OP says
A friend actually mentioned the Mazda6 as well. If only it had a hatchback, then I would be sold. I am just so tired of trying to fit our stroller in the trunk of our car.
Anonymous says
Fair! We don’t often haul the stroller so I can’t speak to that experience. It does hold an absolute ton in the trunk. We had been looking at Honda Pilot or Toyota Highlander and then just sort of quickly got sucked into the Mazda6 with no regrets. This search is hard though!
AwayEmily says
We love our used Honda CR-V! Ours was 2014 when we bought it 2.5 years ago and has never given us an ounce of trouble. I love that Hondas are both reliable and also very cheap to fix.
AwayEmily says
Oh, and I can fit between my kids’ carseats in the back (a Britax Marathon and a Diono Radian), while wearing a seatbelt, but it is tight (and I’m a small-to-medium sized person).
TheElms says
I wouldn’t recommend the Honda CR-V with two kids. Because of the way the seat belts are you have very limited car seat and car seat placement options. So you are almost buying a 4 seat car even though there are 5 seats in the cars. There is a full explanation here: https://thecarseatlady.com/vehicles/suv/honda-cr-v/
Anonymous says
We really like our CR-V for a family of 3 and will likely have one as one of our cars for a many years. I’d really analyze hard whether you need/want a hybrid. My husband has for us, and it just doesn’t make sense since they’re already fuel efficient for their size. That said, we’re in a much more rural area without much true city driving. It’s my understanding that hybrids make more sense when you’re doing a lot more stop and go driving (I say with hesitancy).