Organizing Thursday: Customized Gift Wrap Center

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Now that the holidays are in the rearview mirror, perhaps my resolution should be to wrangle my wrapping paper collection.

This gift wrap center from the Container Store is exactly what I need. This long under-bed box fits rolls of wrapping paper and includes several smaller boxes for ribbons, bows, tags, tape, etc. The boxes are clear so you can see what’s inside, and the locking lid keeps everything secure.

I’ll be ready for the next holiday season, as well as any celebrations in between.

This Customized Gift Wrap Center is $39.45 at The Container Store.

Sales of note for 9.10.24

(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)

Kid/Family Sales

  • Carter’s – Birthday sale, 40-50% off & extra 20% off select styles
  • Hanna Andersson – Up to 50% off all baby; up to 40% off all Halloween
  • J.Crew Crewcuts Extra 30% off sale styles
  • Old Navy – 40% off everything
  • Target – BOGO 25% off select haircare, up to 25% off floor care items; up to 30% off indoor furniture up to 20% off TVs

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Feeling extra stressed this week. I think everyone on my team at work has their kids home this week and/or next, and we’ve got deadlines we need to meet anyway so we’re trying to push through. It feels like everyone is hitting their breaking point. We even have COVID-related leave we can take, but since everyone is in the same boat it feels like I can’t take any. Just going to white-knuckle through I guess. It really feels like the first month of the pandemic again — my local grocery stores are out of stock, it’s hard to get delivery windows, and everyone is on edge.

I have posted here a couple times before about my 3 yo son. The results of his autism screening came back yesterday. He has ASD 1. I would love to hear from those of you with ASD or as a mom to a kiddo with ASD because I feel totally overwhelmed and sad right now. Can I hope for him his own family, friends, career?

What podcasts and audiobooks are your kids listening to lately? My son is having his quiet time and I think he’s getting bored with Thomas and Storytrain (and my office is right next door and the ST lady’s voice is so annoying). I’d like something a bit longer, so I didn’t have to create a queue?
Not sure I should induldge him after he told me he loved me and sushi the same last night.

Does anyone have any tips to stop night time thumbsucking? My son is five and relies on his thumb to fall asleep and probably at some points overnight. He responded well to rewards charts to stop daytime sucking but I think the night is too habitual for that to work. Thinking about something like the AeroGuard but any tips are appreciated.

And, that’s a wrap folks. COVID exposure at preschool, closed until Tuesday. Longer if my kiddo tests positive.

Also a looming snowstorm here in New England which will undoubtably result in a snow day for my older two tmw.

Any tips on if my newly 3 and newly 5 year old could share a room on a trip if they don’t normally share a room at home? My 3 year old is still in a crib at home, but would love to not have to lug the pack n play because I think he should be able to sleep in a twin bed. Will he fall off? Just trying to maximize the amount of sleep everyone gets, since nothing ruins my vacations more than repeated night wakings. What would you do?

I have an 8 year old who will turn 9 in September (current 2nd grader). We are (fingers crossed) going to a tropical vacation over April break. She needs new swimsuits. Where would you go to shop for a suit for a super athletic, medium-tall, 8-turning-9 year old? She likes one pieces or tankini-style two pieces (vs more of a bikini cut).

We’ve done Lands End in the past and while they hold up well, I’m not loving the styles/patterns this year. Hanna seems too young. Gap and Old Navy don’t have anything I like. Boden seems to have more fashion over function.

Would love any ideas!

OP here! Yes! Duh! This is where I get all her athletic gear. No idea why I didn’t think of it. All the suits are exactly her style.

I missed the SAHM discussion yesterday. I thought I would offer another option to those of you who can afford it: temporary leave of absence.

I was severely burnt out after the 2020 craziness. I did everything I could during 2021 to recover while working, feeling like I was just trying to hold on to career until the pandemic was “over.” But during the last several months I have had at least one kid at home every single week because of ordinary coughs and sniffles, and “over” isn’t happening anytime soon. So I gave notice to my firm and I’m taking an unpaid leave of absence, without a specific end date.

We are still paying for daycare, but reduced the hours, because the short term focus is my recovery from burnout.
Of course, daycare closed today because of a positive COVID case, but I am glad I am not scrambling to work during naptime. Instead, I’m going to nap during naptime. Or read a novel. Or watch a movie.

Financially this is not an option for most families, but if you are a burnt out with a lot of savings, it may be time to use those savings. Just my two cents.

Daycare question – does your school have a set temperature where they don’t let kids go outside? Ours is 30 degrees windchill even for preschool ages. So, in the midwest that is a lot of the winter. My son is getting in trouble a lot and now I’m realizing he’s getting no outdoor/unstructured time most days. But finding a new daycare in our area is hard right now, and he is very change-resistant. I’m so frustrated.

does anyone have a thermometer recommendation? i think we need a new one

Happy 2022, I tested positive yesterday for Covid. Breakthrough case. :( I feel so dumb about this, but can I be around my vaccinated kids at all, as long as I’m masked? I stayed far away last night, but I know that they’ve been exposed to me before I knew I was positive. IDK, it seems super impractical to live in the same house and stay completely isolated for 10 days. I am using a separate bathroom and will not eat with them, FWIW.

I just feel like I need to scream into the void today. I’ve been pandemic parenting almost as long as I pre-pandemic parented (my oldest had just turned two when this started) and I’m exhausted. I’m so tired. I’m so angry. We just finished a 10-day quarantine and I’ve decided to keep her out of her part-time preschool for a few weeks to avoid another one so we can still have our nanny come (and this is after we kept her out of school for the entire year last year). I’m angry that my kids are missing so out on so much. My youngest will be 2 soon and has never been in a grocery store, for crying out loud. I’m so tired of the uncertainty and waiting for another quarantine. I don’t want to be a stay at home mom but honestly, it seems so much easier right now. I’m frustrated there aren’t vaccines for under 5s yet. In a few hours I’ll pull myself together and keep moving forward but I needed to scream this into the universe for a second before I can do that again.

Today’s dispatch from the Department of Depressing News: at-home tests may fail to detect Omicron infections early on, when people are most contagious and when they are eligible for treatments. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/05/health/covid-rapid-test-omicron-detection.html

These findings line up perfectly with my extended family’s experience with breakthrough Omicron infections. Several vaxxed, boosted adults and a handful of kids <5 caught Covid from family visits over the holidays. All of the adults tested negative on home tests until day 3 – 5 of symptoms. One adult even tested negative on a PCR test on day 1 of symptoms, 3 days post-exposure. She got a positive PCR test on day 3 of symptoms. This has huge implications for anyone hoping to receive Paxlovid, which must be administered within 5 days of the onset of symptoms and requires a positive test.