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Between all the hand washing and sanitizing, my hands could really use a little TLC. Sometimes in a pinch, I’ll just use regular body lotion to moisturize my hands, but there’s such a difference when I use a cream made especially for hands.
Ahava’s Dead Sea Mineral Hand Cream is one of the best hand creams I’ve ever used — I’ve tried several others and always find myself coming back to this one.
This rich lotion absorbs quickly (its ingredients include aloe vera, witch hazel, and “nutrient-rich Dead Sea water”), keeps my hands feeling smooth and silky even after washing, and has a pleasant clean scent. While a splurge, a dime-sized amount goes a long way.
A 5.1 oz. tube is $36 at Ulta, and 3.4 oz. is $24. Want to try before you commit? A 1.3 oz. bottle is only $8 and perfect for on-the-go.
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
I’m a fan of “udderly smooth” hand cream (claims to have been originally developed for dairy cows which, it has lanolin in it, so makes sense). I definitely need a travel-sized option, though, to keep in the pouch with all my little sanitizers, travel-sized lysol spray, hand wipes, etc. I never notice I need lotion until I’m in my car or somewhere else inconvenient!
Cara says
I’ve used O’Keefe’s foot cream and it seems similar. THey have a hand cream, but I’m not sure what size it is – the foot cream is definitely travel-sized
Anon says
Kiehl’s Ultra-Strength Hand Salve is my go-to. I keep it stashed everywhere. Lately I’ve been putting straight vaseline on my dry cracked hands at night.
Anonymous says
I use Burts Bees hand cream plus Aquafor on top at night. Lush Handy Guru Gu is the best if my knuckles are bleeding (usually every November when it gets cold/heat comes on)
Hands says
My kid’s hands got super dry last month. What finally worked was adding a layer of vaseline or lanolin once the cream was absorbed and then add cotton gloves before bed. It resolved in a week or two.
Pogo says
We do lanolin on the really bad spots at night, especially because he sucks his thumb. I like that the lanolin is safe for them to ingest.
I’m also newly obsessed with Tubby Todd. It’s bougie and expensive but it’s soooo nice, non-greasy, not a strong smell, and so moisturizing. My youngest has moderate eczema so he gets slathered in it every night.
Play kitchen says
Recommendations for a play kitchen that will grow with my 2.5 year old? There are so many choices out there! Interested in something that isn’t a total eye sore because our home is small and it will be in the living room.
avocado says
We had a small play kitchen from PB Kids that was very attractive and didn’t take up too much room. We kept it until kiddo was around 10, and even at that age it got some use during play dates because it was a novelty for the other kids. It still looked nearly new when we finally sold it.
AwayEmily says
We have the Hape one and it’s small and pretty nice. And once the kids started to play with it less, we moved it to the porch.
Anon says
We have the KidKraft Farm to Table Kitchen. It’s on the larger side but pretty cute imo (I’m probably biased because it resembles our real kitchen). I will say that my 3 year old seems to be losing interest in it already, but I don’t think that has anything to do with the specific model of kitchen we have. And who knows, maybe she will circle back and get interested in it again at some point.
Boston Legal Eagle says
We have this one too and it is adorable! Much nicer than a lot of kitchens I’ve had in my previous homes! The kids like the water and stove sounds, and there are a lot of compartments to put play food in there. They also like the chalk board. I don’t think it’s an eyesore at all.
Anonymous says
IKEA!! I love that it’s a simple design, small footprint, and the risers on the bottom can make it taller/shorter. We’ve had ours over 2 years looks like new.
LifeScienceMBA says
This. The IKEA Kitchen matches our own, and has a small enough footprint to tuck it into a corner, or even against an island if you have one.
Anonymous says
How about using an Ikea kallax, like this? https://nl.pinterest.com/pin/206180489171925200/
That way you can reclaim the storage.
Anonymous says
Third this! My very tall 6 year old still uses it almost daily along with 2 year old.
Anon says
Hape! Small footprint, my giant-sized almost 4 year old still plays comfortably, good build quality and it took me and my dad maybe 30 minutes to put together one evening. All in all a win!
Anon says
we have the kid kraft uptown white play kitchen that sits in a corner of our living room and totally blends in. i’ve been very happy with it. we’ve had it for almost 2 years. i’m sure my kids would love the one that makes sounds, but i love not having sounds. i will say, that much of the play happens around the play kitchen rather than directly on it. maybe that will change as my kids get older (currently 2.75 yr old twins), but i’ve heard others say the same. if you don’t want to actually get a play kitchen, you could get a play shopping cart, and the melissa and doug ice cream kit, pizza kit, etc. which will probably get as much use
katy says
Our kitchen has not got as much play i expected. (Grandma was looking for a single “big” xmas present). You might get just as much play out of fake food and some dishes. We still have it in basement (because i was sick at looking at in in our main space) and will likely keep it a couple more years because we have the space.
Ours is an eyesore (plastic) but small and easy to move around (it has had 4 homes in our home so far)
Anon says
Agreed – it’s the play food that was the big hit for my kid. The kitchen has never actually really been used except as a way to store the food or when we directly prompt her to make us something. It was a grandparent gift for us too, but I sort of feel it was a waste of money and would really hesitate to get one if it was going to take up prime real estate in my house. Our is at least out of the way in a basement playroom.
anonymommy says
We got a wooden Melissa & Doug one used and in great condition. My kids play with it constantly. But it is pretty beat up now- my son enjoys taking things apart (aka destroying them), so it no longer has a shelf or faucet, but it still looks pretty good so I can vouch for it being pretty hardy.
Anon says
You guys, I am about to lose it. My kids are SO MEAN to each other and to me and my husband and it is awful and stressful and I feel like a terrible mother for not having skills or capacity to make it better. So much bickering and yelling, and crying and I HATE IT and I am sitting on a conference call about to cry.
Anonymous says
I have no wisdom but SAME
Artemis says
OMG, I’m so sorry, but also thank you for saying this. I was crying in the car on the way to work this morning because two of my three kids were SO AWFUL to each other this morning, like hitting and calling each other names awful (these two are 11 and 8). Their emotional regulation seems to be getting worse in some ways and not better. BTW, they have been in in-person school since September so while they certainly have stress in their lives, definitely not the same as other kids have been experiencing.
I mean they are capable of being nice to each other, but we rarely get through a full day without one or multiple blowups between the three of them or between two of the three of them, always switching who’s involved.
Honestly? I can’t figure out what to do anymore. Sometimes I just tell them I’m disgusted with their behavior and they’re making poor choices about how they want to live together, because most of the time they’ve all done something terrible and I’m not about to convene a trial everytime there is an issue. I don’t have any wisdom either. Any other moms out there who made it through a stage like this that can help us?
Anon says
Thanks for making me feel seen 9:29 and 10:21 (and others for sympathy!). I believe that at some point they will turn out not to be psychopaths but it is so hard when you’re in the thick of it!
Spirograph says
Same. To make matters worse, my daughter’s new favorite thing is asking, “why does no one except you love me? [brothers] don’t love me,” and I just cannot. (This is at least partly her being dramatic, and I’m kind of afraid I’m reinforcing the behavior because I give her so much attention when she says it.) For every time they’re mean to each other there are 5 more times that they are incredibly sweet, and they definitely have each other’s backs vs me, DH, or anyone outside our family. But when they’re mean, they’re awful.
I briefly talked to a school therapist on a similar topic and she recommended pointing out when things are going well. Like, “hey, didn’t we all have such a great time playing that game together? That was fun!” or “I saw you and [sibling] talking about your days and it looked like you both really enjoyed that conversation and spending time with each other” or whatever. I dunno if this works, but I’m trying?
ifiknew says
I am so sorry. My kids are tiny, so I have no wisdom. Other than to read siblings without rivalry, I found that book helpful but not relevant too much yet as my kids are only 3 and 1. Sad that this may be awaiting us as they get older.
Anon says
No experience from the parenting side, just from the child side (3 sisters, all pre-teens or teens at the same time (so many hormones!), it was years of mean! but we all get along great now as adults!). I cannot tell you how many times I heard “if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all” from my mother. We often got sent to our rooms for being mean. And when my parents got particularly fed up, we would have to go around the table at dinner each night and say nice, constructive things about each other (as a counterweight to the negativity I guess?).
Anonymous says
Yeh my brother and sister used to fight like crazy through high school. It got physical a bunch of times during childhood. They lived together as adults and are really good friends. I was a bonus baby so they left me alone due to the age difference.
Anonymous says
Oh I am sorry. I was super mean to my mom as a child/teenager. I am well aware I have a mean streak (inherited from my dad, saw it in action which wasn’t exactly great modeling!). In the words of my aunt, who also had one, “sometimes mean stuff just comes out.” As an adult, because I like having friends and functioning relationships, I have curbed that tendency and am MUCH better at biting my tongue. My now husband stopped me in my tracks when we first started dating and I said something nasty for a laugh in front of other people by saying something super simple like “we should be building each other up” instead of just brushing it off. For me what was most effective was seeing the impact I had on others- don’t hesitate to tell your kids they are hurting your feelings or they have crossed a line. For me, as a kid, if I thought someone could take what I was dishing out, I kept going and only ramped it up. Truly one of the worst memories of my childhood was my brother and I teasing our mom about something at the beach and her finally letting us see the impact it had on her- I still feel like a monster thinking back on that. Good luck!
Go for it says
Ouch it’s hard!
When I was going through a divorce my kids were verbally awful to each other, a lot.
the only thing that worked was I made them say one nice thing to each other every day about each other. Initially it was “I like that (Name) breathes”, said thru gritted teeth. It turned into genuine appreciation quickly ie;
“I like that (name) always turns the lights on for me”
Hitting wasn’t an option~ period, if they put their hands on each other they went to bed instantly no matter what else was planned for the day.
Good luck !
Boston Legal Eagle says
We’ve been discussing this a lot here lately so I wanted to provide a link that came in my NYTimes morning newsletter regarding how both parties have been misperceiving risks from Covid lately. Most relevant for me and for most of us is the risks to young kids – the data shows that people are perceiving risks to young people as being higher than the risks actually are, leading to lots of unnecessary school closures. I don’t want to start a partisan fight, but I’m hoping that the data included gives people a better estimation of actual risks v. what may be in the media (or frankly, on the main ‘rette site).
Boston Legal Eagle says
https://www.brookings.edu/research/how-misinformation-is-distorting-covid-policies-and-behaviors/?campaign_id=9&emc=edit_nn_20210318&instance_id=28184&nl=the-morning®i_id=62469099&segment_id=53661&te=1&user_id=434c84ced217fce015c1c7c5db68849b
Boston Legal Eagle says
Sorry – I don’t know why this came as a standalone. My other comment was in moderation.
We’ve been discussing this a lot here lately so I wanted to provide a link that came in my morning newsletter regarding how both parties have been misperceiving risks from Covid lately. Most relevant for me and for most of us is the risks to young kids – the data shows that people are perceiving risks to young people as being higher than the risks actually are, leading to lots of unnecessary school closures. I don’t want to start a partisan fight, but I’m hoping that the data included gives people a better estimation of actual risks v. what may be in the media (or frankly, on the main site).
Anonanonanon says
I’m never going to forgive opening gyms and bars before schools. Never.
Anonymous says
But forgive who? Like yeh it’s AWFUL but holding onto that grudge doesn’t change anything. But yeh schools should be open
Anon says
I’m never going to forgive keeping schools closed. Full stop. Gyms and bars are not an excuse. It’s shameful.
Anonymous says
No one is saying the opening of gyms and bars is an excuse to open schools. It’s an example of how the handling of the pandemic was based on lobbying power instead of science.
Anon says
Sure, no one specifically says it’s an excuse, but everyone has to throw it out there when the discussion comes up, as if it was a trade off. It wasn’t. They are completely irrelevant. Schools should be open, and anyone keeping them closed should be shamed. (Schools in my area have been open all year; I’m very proud of my area on that but horrified about others.)
Anon says
I agree with you that schools should be open, period, full stop. But it is a trade-off, because opening bars and gyms leads to higher community spread and higher community spread translates into higher risk in schools and teachers refusing to teach. Every state that has schools closed has reopened businesses that contribute to the economy and the leaders of those states should be ashamed. If you believe the virus is so dangerous that you can’t have both schools and businesses open, you choose schools.
Anonymous says
Same.
Anonymous says
Same. I support lockdowns to save lives, but schools have to be the last to close and first to open, especially given what we know about children not spreading it as well. Anything else is unconscionable.
a researcher says
Thanks for sharing! Upon a quick read, I think I like the study design, especially the randomized exposure to information. I do think the researchers oversimplified the risk analysis. It doesn’t appear that they asked participants about the risk of long-term complications, which affect 30% of infected people even if their initial symptoms were not severe. That is the risk that’s driving my family’s decision-making, not the small risk of hospitalization or death. It also appears that they ignored the risk of children spreading the virus to other members of the family.
Anon says
I know a lot of people who had Covid, and there’s no way 30% of them are debilitated. Look at how the long term complications are classified. For example, anxiety counts as a long term complication. It’s perfectly normal to be anxious when recovering during a global pandemic. It’s hard to say this is a debilitating result of having the virus.
Anonymous says
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/17/opinion/long-covid.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage
If you look at the abstract of the cited study, it does not appear that “anxiety” was defined as a long-term complication.
Anonymous says
Anon, the plural of anecdote is not data.
Anon says
non peer reviewed study
Anonymous says
Yeah I know like 50 people who had Covid and they are all fine, including a couple who had to be hospitalized. I’m not saying long Covid is not a risk but 30% seems like a massive overestimate.
Anonymous says
It was a peer-reviewed JAMA research letter.
Anon says
I am usually not a fan of anecdata, but I have to agree with Anon at 9:58. I’ve known quite a few people that have COVID at this point, and none that I’m aware of that have long term complications. I’m not saying it’s not happening, but I don’t think there is any way it is 31% unless there are some CRAZY demographic skews relative to who I know that would explain it.
And posting an fully labeled “Opinion” piece, that references a paper from September, when we have SO much more data at this point is not any better than anecdata.
Ironic that this is a post originated about how harmful misinformation is, and here we are slinging around potential misinformation to sway each other.
Anon says
Re: long Covid, I suspect a lot of the the complications are things that people already had a predisposition to and they might have shown up eventually anyway. My pregnancy “gave” me an autoimmune disease, by which I mean immune system changes in pregnancy activated an autoimmune condition I clearly had a genetic predisposition to (multiple people in my family have it). My doctor said that if I’d never become pregnant there’s a good chance the disease would have remained dormant for my entire life, but there’s also a good chance that it would have appeared at some point, either on its own or triggered by some other event. He specifically mentioned viral infections as a potential triggering event (this was before anyone had heard of Covid). So while I understand the frustration of people who have Covid and then suddenly develop diabetes or rheumatoid arthritis or something like that – chronic illness is not fun, even if you have a relatively manageable one like I do – this isn’t really a phenomenon that’s unique to Covid and I suspect a lot of these people might have developed these illnesses eventually anyway.
Anon says
This suggests 10%: https://health.ucdavis.edu/coronavirus/covid-19-information/covid-19-long-haulers.html
But the studies it references are also from August/September.
I’m only posting to make the 30% poster feel maybe better about it the situation. Not that you want to take a 10% chance of this happening (if that 10% is even accurate and applies to your particular demographic), but at a certain point at what cost.
Anonymous says
Due to the nature of my job, my anecdata shows the complete opposite – I know a lot of people who had COVID, and many who are likely going to be long haulers. Maybe we should stick to peer-reviewed research, no?
Anon says
What does “likely to be long haulers” mean? That sounds pretty subjective. Are they, or aren’t they?
Anonymous says
What’s the solution though? There was a study recently that even people who are asymptomatic during initial infection have reasonably high rates of “long Covid” so it seems like even vaccines won’t prevent this since they prevent symptomatic illness, not infection. Do you think we should all just stay inside forever with no contact with loved ones outside our household and no school for our kids? I’m not enthusiastic about potentially having chronic headaches or fatigue but I tend to think a life in lockdown is worse, especially given that the effects of lockdown happen to everyone and the effects of long Covid only happen to some smaller percentage of people.
Anonymous says
10:38, there is no evidence that the vaccines don’t prevent infection. It’s possible that they do, and we need more time and research.
Fully containing the virus is the answer. That involves vaccines plus actual lockdowns.
Anon says
Anonymous at 10:31, I agree it would be best if we had peer reviewed research. However, unfortunately it seems like there maybe just isn’t recent, accurate peer reviewed research on this topic available, no? Which is unfortunate because we are all being tasked with making high stakes risk/reward choices in real time.
Anonymous says
Multiple experts have said (publicly, and to me personally) that fully containing the virus is an impossibility at this point. It’s spread everywhere in the world and even with outstanding vaccines and slow mutation rates viruses take decades to eradicate. It took the US about a decade to really control measles, and those vaccines are 98% effective and confer lifelong sterilizing immunity, which is not the case for the Covid vaccines and will likely never be the case since the virus mutates more than the measles virus. Short of dying, I can’t imagine anything worse than spending a decade in lockdown. One year was awful enough, I’m ready to get my life back even if I have to take some chance of getting Covid and resulting long term complications.
Anonymous says
Anon at 10:35 – We obviously don’t have a definition of how long someone has to be dealing with the effects of COVID before they’re long haulers. Our knowledge is still evolving on this. For context, I work with people applying for public benefits programs, including SSDI. SSDI requires someone to have a condition that will last at least 12 months or result in death. When people who’ve had COVID come to my office for assistance, they’ve been dealing with the effects of COVID for months and their health is preventing them from working, but they’re nowhere near 12 months out from COVID, and their doctors are still trying to figure out a treatment plan.
Anon says
I fully agree that at this point it’s difficult to separate out true post-Covid effects from pandemic effects in general. Anxiety, depression, brain fog, headache, fatigue are all incredibly common right now regardless of whether or not you’ve had a recent Covid infection, and people who’ve recovered from Covid may be grasping onto what appears to be an easy explanation for symptoms they would have had anyway. To really ascertain what percentage of people with Covid are long haulers, you need a control group.
Anonymous says
Many of the long-haul symptoms are physical, including circulatory, respiratory, and digestive problems. That’s not just “COVID anxiety.”
Anon says
But not everyone in the 30% group has one or more of those physical symptoms, presumably?
Anon says
I believe you that the people you know aren’t debilitated, but it doesn’t sound like they know the state of their lungs, hearts, or blood vessels. If it turns out that surviving the virus triples my chance of a cardiovascular event, I’ll consider that a long term complication even if I feel okay. There’s a lot we don’t know yet, but there are also reasons why we are concerned about these kinds of complications.
Anon says
+1 I think shutting schools had as much or more to do with risks to the teachers and staff as to the kids. And spreading to their families or broader community is a valid concern; my niece caught it at daycare and spread it to both her parents.
Anonymous says
Yes. And even if you don’t care about what happens to teachers and school staff, in many places it’s been difficult to keep schools open because of teacher quarantines and sub shortages.
Anonymous says
I wish the authors hadn’t referred to Emily Oster. It was unnecessary and really undermines their own message, which appears to be based in solid evidence. I have been disappointed in Oster’s rhetoric about the pandemic, which has been mostly hysteria about how difficult it was for her to have her kids at home and isn’t a good example of the rational risk-balancing she claims to advocate.
Anonymous says
Really? Because Emily Oster’s the one saying an unvaccinated child is the same as vaccinated adult, which sounds EXACTLY like what this board wants to hear.
Oh, my kid is sooo low risk. I would nevvvver sign my baby up for a vaccine trial. Oh we’ve book a trip to Bora BORA, I hope my MIL isn’t dead, oh too bad about yours.
Gah.
Anonymous says
My point exactly. Emily Oster is all about what she wants, not rational risk-balancing based on science.
Anonymous says
LOL I guess this is calling me out since I’m the one who booked a trip to Bora Bora but 1) we aren’t taking our kid and 2) we’re not going until after every adult who wants a vaccine can get one. I agree that an unvaccinated child is a greater transmission risk than a vaccinated adult, but once every adult has the chance to get vaccinated, those who have chosen not to bear significant responsibility for that choice.
I’m sorry about your MIL, truly, but requiring people to stay locked down until we get to zero death or eradicate the virus is not feasible or reasonable to ask of people, and not what we do for other viruses or other risks in general. We mitigate risks as best we can and then live with them, e.g., we wear seatbelts in cars instead of giving up driving even though the latter would prevent more car accidents. We collectively gave up a year of our lives to wait for vaccines and now we have vaccines that are 100% protective against severe illness, reduce transmission significantly and will prevent our hospitals from getting overwhelmed, and there’s nothing else left to wait for. Gently, please seek out help for your grief and anxiety. Do you really want to spend the rest of your life this bitter and angry? It doesn’t seem like a happy way to live and all the anger in the world won’t bring your MIL back.
Realist says
Thanks Boston Legal Eagle. I appreciate the way you framed your comments. With a high risk kid, I definitely read the data and reports with two eyes, first, what does this information mean for my family and two, what does this information mean overall. Such as when the CDC encouraged visits with vaccinated elderly family members if the younger family members were not at risk. I was so elated and happy for what this means for many of our friends and their kids can finally see grandparents, but sadly it confirmed my hesitancy to see vaccinated family members until I know that they can’t spread the virus to my at-risk kid. Similarly, the lurching schools debate has been so frustrating to watch since it would take a lot for me to be comfortable with in person school for my kid, but it seems that they could have been doing so much more for the different groups that were at risk in other ways (socialization, in families with two working parents and no safe place to be during the day, etc).
It looks like my family is stuck needing a community mindset to control the virus that is just completely beyond American culture and our leaders, so I’ll be sitting here waiting for a vaccine for my child or herd immunity so that my kid could finally, finally, finally go back to school and see other kids. It would help a lot if a legitimate study would show that vaccinated adults can’t spread it because then we could do family visits and I’m hoping that news like that might come sooner than kater. That would help so much. It has been a year since I have been inside a building with other people for more than 10 minutes, and with the weather not being conducive to outdoor masked visits, my child has not seen another child not on a screen in months. My business had been growing and poised for more growth before this pandemic, and now I just feel lucky that I still even have it. This has been so hard on everyone in so many different ways. No matter what your situation is as a mom, it just feels like the pandemic tried to create a personal hell for you.
Boston Legal Eagle says
Thank you for this response, Realist. Yes, I agree, that the risk calculus is different for your at-risk child. I hope that she can go back to school and see family sooner rather than later!
Anon says
I believe there was a study based on Israeli population data recently that the Pfizer vaccine demonstrated pretty amazing reduction in asymptomatic infection and (they inferred I believe) transmission. I think it was based on analysis of population data, not sure if it was peer reviewed, but that would definitely be something to look into. Came out a week or two ago.
AIMS says
I read something about how during prior health emergencies the protocol has always been for the president to not talk about it much to avoid it becoming political. Obviously the last POTUS didn’t do that and made it all super political. But I agree – there is bad information on both sides. I think we will look back on what happened to kids in this pandemic with horror.
Anon says
I just got an email from La Maison du Chocolat about Easter. I’m Jewish so I’ve never had their Easter eggs but I can vouch that their chocolate is really good in general, for anyone looking for chocolate eggs.
Anonymous says
My kiddo got to see a truck crane, police car and skidsteer on his way to school this morning AND his teacher got her first dose! I’ve been in a good mood all morning now.
Exciting! says
Yay! As the mom of two little boys, I now personally get excited when I see any truck, emergency vehicles, or construction work. This is coming from someone who could not have identified an excavator from a crane truck two years ago.
Anonymous says
Same, except mom of a little girl. Girls like construction vehicles too!
Exciting! says
Yes, I didn’t mean that they didn’t! I just happen to have two boys.
long timelurker says
My daughter gets so excited to see buses. She loves them. Right before the pandemic I was planning on taking her on a bus as a big adventure but alas, pandemic.
AwayEmily says
This comment makes me very happy. Hurrah!
Anon says
neither of my children seem to care much about the vehicles they see – whenever i read this blog i feel like there is something wrong with them bc everyone else’s kids seem to be super into vehicles…lol
Anon says
Everyone is different! Just like adults all have unique personalities and interests, kids do too. One of my friends is always asking me for tips on how she can get her kids into vehicles because my daughter is obsessed and my answer is always just ‘accept that your kids don’t like vehicles’. It’s ok!
AwayEmily says
My kids (a boy and a girl) have never been into cars and trucks either. I can’t even get them to play with toy cars. Honestly the only interest they have consistently had is pretending to be and/or take care of animals.
Anon says
Skid steers are the best. If you aren’t familiar with the YouTube channel TwentyTrucks, you should definitely check it out (the video for skid steer in particular!)
OP says
oh we watch it daily. I know all the words. I am not allowed to sing over the music (we listen to it in the car too). Skid steer is the catchiest song imo and I love blasting it at 7am (as does kiddo).
EDAnon says
Us too (also not allowed to sing). We’ve been doing a lot of tow truck lately.
Paging Realist and other high risk individuals says
just wanted to send lots of virtual hugs to people with high risk children, or those who are high risk themselves and for whatever reason have a condition that prevents them from getting the vaccine. your lives are already much more complicated during non-vaccine times, and i cannot imagine the anxiety, stress and honestly judgment you’ve faced and continue to face since covid entered our lives. the other day a bunch of people jumped on a mom whose family is losing their pod to daycare and saying that people are destroying their kids’ lives by keeping them home etc. while i know that most people were making their comments thinking of low risk children and adults, try to remember that isn’t everyone. ( and i’m saying this as someone who is fortunately low risk and has low risk children).
Realist says
Thank you!
anon says
The health department where I live is regularly sending out emails announcing hundreds of open vaccine slots and posted on their facebook page that they aren’t checking for proof that you qualify for the current phase. I checked last night at 10:30 and there were still over a hundred open slots for today with a midnight cut off for sign up. I in no way qualify for the current phase. But I’m so tempted because they have so many open slots (400+ for tomorrow are still open). I’m normally a huge rule follower. What would you do?
Anonymous says
Where are you located? The more shots in arms the better. I’d totally get it.
Anon says
Do it. Getting the vaccine lowers your risk of transmission to others as well as protects yourself.
Ashley says
I may get flamed for this but… I would sign up. If the available slots aren’t being used, that doesn’t do anyone any good. Each vaccine that is given gets us one step closer to “normal.” I would not refresh the page every minute if you’re not eligible and appointments were hard to get. But if hundreds of appointments are going unused, I’d go for it.
TheElms says
Get the vaccine. Bonus if you want to reach out to eligible people who might not be as technically savvy and help them sign up.
Anonymous says
Your health department is literally asking anyone and everyone to get a shot. That’s you. Fauci says if you’re offered one, get it. If you’re a rule follower, listen to Fauci and take the shot.
ANon says
Get it.
EDAnon says
Do it. If people don’t want it, you should get it.
Anonymous says
I’ve been critical of people jumping the line by being shady about health status or profession, but your health department is telling you that they can’t fill these appointments and they’re now open to non-eligible people, so you should take one. If there are still hundreds of open appointment times, you’re not taking anyone’s spot, you’re preventing vaccine from going to waste. I don’t view this any differently than getting an expiring dose which I think people pretty much universally agree is ethical.
kids road trip says
Recommendations for car travel? I have two kids (almost 7 and 3.5 at time of travel – planned for August) and want to make a 12 hour road trip. The likely place to stop at approx. the middle would turn the trip into 5 and 7 hour legs (day 1, day 2). I’m leaning toward stopping on the way in and trying to push a 12 hour day on the way back. I have *no* idea how my kids travel as we haven’t done it before and I will be single parenting for the trip. Considering leaving on a Friday for the 5 hour leg (~1 pm to ~6pm) and then traveling Sat (~8 am – mid-afternoon, depending on stops). Is this reasonable? On the way back, I was thinking 7/8 am – whenever we are home, with a possibility of stopping in the same city after 7 hours. Would you just plan two days for the drive back anyway? Should I evaluate after I do the two days out?
Anon says
kudos to you. i personally couldn’t do this as i hate driving and can’t drive on the highway for more than like an hour at a time. does it actually take 12 hours to get from point A to point B, or does the 12 hours include stops?
kids road trip says
12 hours is only driving and does not include inevitable food or bathroom stops. Road tripping isn’t necessarily my thing, but we moved just before COVID and we are visiting some friends while my partner is headed out of town on their own.
Anonymous says
I’m doing a 13 hour drive with my kids, who will be 3,5 and 7.5. We are doing day 1- 6 hours, stop, sleep in a hotel, spend the day doing a Fun Thing, then get in the car and do another 4 hours (inc dinner). Sleep at hotel, do last 3-4 hours in the morning and eat lunch at destination.
I may push harder on the way home, or maybe not.
kids road trip says
Interesting. There’s a zoo in city I thought about going to, especially if we end up stopping on the way back, and it’s a midsized city, but there’s not much else between city and destination (traveling in the west). (Or maybe I’m just ignorant of the fun stuff!)
Anon says
I would also rather push through at the end of the trip – by that point you just want to be home and not unpack again at a hotel. But you are smart to be flexible; you will definitely need to include at least a few longer stops that could make it a long day. I’d probably push the Friday leg earlier so as not to hit traffic.
In the before times I have often done 5+ hour trips with my kids (with no screens, even) and they have not been bad. Cue up a good audio book and some music and hope the little one naps. If they don’t get car sick, sticker books are another good car activity
katy says
are you suggesting that you have never done road trips or just not multi-day?
I think testing to see if they get car sick / can handle watching movies etc. during the drive would be good to know before you leave. Audio books would be good too – especially for the older one. Disney playlist. Small foam ball to toss around. Small toys (dinosaurs). Pray for sleeping. Lots of chatting.
For road tripping my preference is to eat while we drive and stop to “exercise”. On our annual summer roadtrip route we know where there are playgrounds or tiny “hikes” (like 1 km walk off side of the road in the national park we pass through). We never do sit down restaurants and then get back in the car – if we eat stopped, it is on a blanket in the park. If you are passing through smaller towns generally you can get a sense of where a park might be on google maps pretty easily.
We regularly do an ~13-14 hour driving time trip in the summer – we have only done it in two days – but i would be interested in people’s takes on going 12 hours+ in 1 day (thinking of packing up work from home next month to visit grandparents – with 3.5 YO).
Finally – given that you are solo, expect that it will take longer and make eating in the car less practical. I would recommend planning for 2 days. (We have only driven with both parents – if i go to grandparents solo we have always flown). During the drive described above i spend quite a bit of time in back seat with LO. If i were to drive solo, i would probably plan to either leave SUPER early (like 5 AM) or later so that more driving time was post 8 pm and hope for more sleep.
Anonymous says
Follow up: i would book a hotel for the way back now. Presumably you are going to be at the destination for a little bit if you driving that far. Cancel the hotel for the way back when you get to your destination, if you don’t think you will need it. :)
Anonymous says
It depends on the kid, but mine is fine for basically an indefinite amount of time with screens. That might not be true for a 3.5 year old though. When I drove alone last summer with him (he was 8), I planned to stop about every 2 hours to pee and stretch our legs; this was for me as much as him. Due to COVID I had a route with rest stops planned out in advance since I wasn’t sure what would be open.
Anonymous says
PS – he gets carsick if he looks down, so a tablet holder that mounts to the back of the seat in front of him, closer to eye level, is key.
Anonanonanon says
Thank you for adding this PS! My older one gets carsick with certain things and I couldn’t figure out why he could watch a tablet strapped to the back of a seat, but couldn’t do interactive things. The looking down is clearly the key here!! Wonder if he can play his Nintendo switch if it’s in a pocket at eye level (I think it has little controllers or something? I clearly don’t pay attention to the video game department)
Anon says
I (and my child) get carsick even with straight ahead screens (or no screens, we’re SUPER FUN), so YMMV!
Anonanonanon says
This is personal but, in my experience, I prefer to keep going rather than stop. It’s a 14-15 hour drive to see my parents and I’d rather have one long miserable day instead of two. Other times, I’ve done 11 hours the first day then the last 3 or so the next morning (this was a choice made on the road) and it was nice to call it quits when I needed to but not have wasted an entire second day.
Look up some hotels and reviews ahead of time in case you change your mind about doing it in one shot on the way back. You can decide when you’re on the road and pull over and reserve a room on your phone, It’s ok to play it by ear. If google maps says 12, it will be 14, IME.
My biggest advice- save the tablets/movies for the last 2 or 3 hours. You’ll be glad you did.
I rented a minivan last time I did a long drive, it made a HUGE difference. Having more room to strategically place things, plug things in, move around inside the vehicle, etc. was totally worth it. I also got a cooler that could plug in the car and go in between the captain seats. It was totally worth it and made it easier to give my kids fruit, milk, cheese sticks, etc if they wanted snacks. Also, over-the-seat organizers were a huge help. I also filled up one of those big construction worker thermoses of coffee (it holds a whole pot) for myself. Also, a picnic blanket you can easily reach is nice to have for rest-stop picnics.
My schedule is usually:
-Leave around 430 AM. Kids are full of excitement! It’s dark outside! hand them some glowsticks, it’s all excitement. They watch the sunrise and get a kick out of it.
-Around 7 AM they pass out. Keep driving as long as this lasts
-Around 9 AM or so they’ll wake up. I’ll pull over at a rest stop and give them breakfast I packed ahead (gogurt, fruit, cheese sticks, muffins, etc) and let them stretch their legs. Get some gas somewhere, hit the road.
-After that, I try to make it around 4 hours between each stop. Personally, I find driving through somewhere wastes a lot of time, so I try to make stops at truck stops where I can get gas, kids can use the bathroom, we can find a corner of the parking lot for them to stretch their legs, and I can buy food.
-The last 2 or 3 hours kids get movies with headphones so I can listen to a podcast or audiobook I want to for the last couple of hours to keep myself going. It’s a nice break by then.
Activities for kids in the car:
-cookie sheet with magnets
-water wow books or color wonder markers/paper (use the cookie sheet as something hard to color on)
-glow sticks
-kid audiobooks
-snacks
-One of those claw grabber things for the older kid to pick up sippy cups and toys dropped by the younger kid
Anonymous says
You’re a goddess.
Pogo says
That last one is GOLD. I might have to implement that today.
Anonymous says
+1 to cookie sheets (with higher rim). I learned that here.
We have lots of car sickness issues so i limit all “looking down” activities to about 10 mins.
Also – pre-packing healthy but substantial snacks is very important. (yogurt, cheese, nuts etc). Fast food does not improve car sickness.
Anon says
When we were 10, 6 and 4, my mother decided to drive us solo cross-country (via 4 ten hour (driving time) days) for an extended visit. The van looked like a barbie explosion, lots of vomit bags because we are all prone to carsickness, lots of paper maps and a TripTik and the old school DC plug in TV with attached VCR were the the MVPs of that trip.
I only have one kid, but we did a 10 hour driving trip with her at age 2 (albeit with both parents). I think 12 hours of driving will be too much for one day, one parent (although I have done 12 hours of driving by myself multiple times in college). My suggestion is to leave at o dark thirty to get a large chunk in while they sleep in the car. After that, we have to stop every two to three hours or so for gas, potty breaks, snacks, stretching and running, etc. New toys, screen time, playing i spy, audio books, and all the snacks (preferably ones that are eaten slowly one by one) are critical. We have also left after dinner and driven overnight while the kid sleeps in the car the whole time, but I would not recommend that as a solo driver (it’s so easy to drift off driving alone at night). Our 10 hour drive time trip took about 12 hours with all of the stops.
Anonymous says
If it’s 12 hours of driving time, it is going to be more like 15 hours door to door when you factor in stops. That is a long day.
My physical and mental tolerance for being the driver, with or without passengers, is 8 hours of actual driving plus stops per day. For me, it becomes exponentially more difficult after that point. My husband can drive for 12 hours, but he also thinks running marathons is fun.
Anon says
I could barely do the 8 hour drive between home and college on my own, as a chipper young thing, with no passengers and only one or two stops. I would 100% not try to do a road trip with kids and all the stops/issues/fighting/etc. by myself that would take more than maybe 5 hours of driving (meaning possibly 8 hours on the road for a particularly bad trip). I think it’s a know yourself situation as to what your limit might be, but definitely door to door with kids is going to be an extra 20-50% on top of the estimated driving time. I know some families can power through better, but that’s been my experience.
Anonymous says
Maybe, maybe not. We did 12 hours of drive time according to Google Maps to Florida this winter and it took about 14 hours on the way down and 12.5 on the way back. My kid is still in diapers and adults were fine with one stop for bathroom, gas and food all at once. On the way down we had to stop more than that because my kid kept pooping, but on the way back we got away with the planned one stop. It was way better than I anticipated and for us it was better to just get the drive over with and have more time at the destination. We would have cut our time there almost in half if we spent four days driving instead of two.
Anon says
Wow 7 hours without a bathroom stop, I’m impressed with y’alls bladder control! I can go maybe 3, but only if I’m not drinking water and then I’ll feel like crap the next day.
Anonymous says
Yeah, we have big bladders. But even if you have to stop twice for bathrooms, I don’t think a 12 hour drive has to take 15 hours. I know a lot of people who like to stop and let their kids run around on road trips or who want to do at least one leisurely meal at a restaurant (in before times) or at a park, but to me that just seems counterproductive – I would rather just stop for essentials only, eat in the car, and get there faster.
AwayEmily says
If you had someone else with you and could trade off driving, I would definitely say go for it, but I’d have some safety concerns about driving for 12 hours straight. Caveat that I am super risk-averse when it comes to driving.
kids road trip says
I can’t respond to everyone right now, but you all are amazing, thank you for all the recommendations for what to do (including, I think importantly, taking a longer pre-trip to check if my kids get carsick…)
Anonymous says
Make sure you try screens, reading, etc. during the shakedown cruise.
Anonymous says
PS. if they get carsick it won’t take too long to figure that out…. when “testing” if IPAD was OK we got vomit before leaving the city limits!
I should have known better…. as a grown up i will feel sick if i look at those weird add TVs in the back of a cab on a 10 – 15 min drive!!
Anon says
while i’m very grateful that there is a covid vaccine and people are getting it, i feel like the judgment olympics is reemerging where people are judging each other and arguing over what they are comfortable doing post vaccine. my sister is mad at me that I am not comfortable attending a 150 person wedding (that is not even her wedding!) the wedding isn’t until the summer, so maybe things will change, but as of right now i cannot imagine attended un-masked large events with strangers (obviously i know the bride, but idk whether the other guests are vaccinated)
Anonymous says
Right there with you. Our vaccines haven’t even had time to take effect yet and our family is already pressuring us to have unmasked indoor get-togethers. IME it’s the risk-takers who are judgy about everyone else’s choices, which is kind of ironic. What does it hurt them if other people choose to stay home?
Anonymous says
I’m one of the people who has said here I’m basically returning to normal life after vaccines for adults, and I would not attend a 150 person indoor wedding unless it was an immediate family member and even then I’m not sure. That’s about the riskiest thing you can do. But yes, these conversations are tricky. We’re traveling with my sister-in-law and brother-in-law soon (all adults are vaccinated, and we’re driving) and it’s involved a lot of awkward conversations about what we’re comfortable with and not comfortable with as far as dining and sightseeing. I think this is unfortunately our new normal.
AnotherAnon says
Help. I’m taking placement of two (5 lb) infants today. I own a Honda CRV (2015). We’re currently using a Graco Extend2Fit for our four year old, would like to keep that, if possible. What infant car seats should I buy? I have to pick them up today but I live in an urban area – could go to Target or Walmart. Thanks so much hive.
Anon says
Chicco Keyfit is among the slimmest and is good for very small babies. Unfortunately, the Extend2Fit is very wide and rarely (never?) works three across. I also have a CRV and there was no way to make it work. The new Graco SlimFit3 LX (not to be confused with the regular SlimFit) is very narrow and a good option; we are using two of those plus a KeyFit for our kids.
(Also, good luck and best wishes for those sweet babies!)
Anon says
Adding, the Chicco MyFit is another slim option for FF and would probably last your older one a while. We had some trouble with the armrests overlapping the baby seat, but maybe you could make it work
People recommend Dionos a lot as slim seats, too, but kids tend to outgrow them sooner than the official limits state
Anon says
no car seat suggestions, but you are a saint. i have twins and you’re in for a super exhausting and super cute time.
Clementine says
AHHH. If this is foster care (which is what it sounds like) – I have so many thoughts and suggestions – post a burner email if you’d like.
If not, I would probably go to the store and grab 2 of the narrowest infant bucket seats. They’re all fine. It looks like Chicco KeyFit 30 might be a good choice?
This link shows guaranteed 3 across installs in your model car.
https://www.thecarcrashdetective.com/3-across-installations-crv/#:~:text=120%20(x3).-,Maxi%2DCosi%20RodiFix%20(x3).,RXT%2C%20Safety%201st%20Complete%20Air.
AnotherAnon says
Yes, foster. I think they’re legal risk. Need to confirm with the case worker. can i give you some advice at gmail dot com is still active. Thanks!
anon says
Car Seat Lady doesn’t have this year CR-V covered, but this site has some ideas: https://www.thecarcrashdetective.com/3-across-installations-crv/. In addition to Chicco Keyfit 30/35, what about Graco SnugRide SnugLock 35?
OP says
Thanks everyone!
RR says
I fell in love with this hand cream 20+ years ago when a partner at the firm I clerked for in law school brought some back from a trip to Israel. I still love it.
Anonymous says
I visited the Ahava factory on a trip to the Dead Sea! I was with my dad and neither of us cares about skincare so we were pretty bored by that part of the trip, but it’s fun to see it here.
Infant flying says
I haven’t flown with a baby since the Before Times. Back then, I’d always pay for a seat so I’d be sure to have space to bring on a carseat. But now – are flights still leaving the middle seat open? Do I really need to pay for a seat, or will DH and I be guaranteed an empty seat in the middle for the baby if I book a window / aisle for the adults?
Anon says
most airlines are not leaving seats open, but will alert you if your flight is going to be so full that most middle seats won’t be empty. in the before times when we flew with our twins, we never paid for an extra seat and most times there was at least one empty seat (which was nice for us since then we could sit in the same row, which you can’t normally do with 2 adults and 2 lap children)
Anonymous says
Only Delta is still blocking middle seats and it expires April 30 unless they extend it.
Pogo says
I think even Delta is only committed to blocking middle seats til April. I would probably buy the seat just to be sure. In the BeforeTimes I did as previous poster mentioned and was able to finagle a free seat for my kiddo about 80% of the time but I don’t think I’d want that stress right now if my plan was to get him his own seat (which I would recommend for any age after about 8 mos when they’re mobile/nap less/etc). If you are cool doing lap infant if you have to, then don’t worry about buying it.