Holiday Weekend Open Thread

Hello all,

I’m hoping someone can help me think out a plan for making/storing after-daycare cold beverages for my toddler. The long story is, I drive toddler (2 1/2) to daycare, park on the street (free!) then walk 10 minutes to my office. This is fantastic until summer hits and when I pick toddler up from daycare, I have to put her in a car that is basically like an oven. She didn’t complain last year, but let’s just say she’s more toddler than baby now and is already starting to complain about the heat.

I’d like to bring her a cool drink for the way home. Ice water would be easy, but I was thinking it would almost be better to do a smoothy/slushy or something that she’s more likely to drink to keep cool and happy in the car. Hoping to add water/ice for hydration and peaches/pears/prune juice for ongoing constipation issues. But I’m struggling with logistics.

First, type of bottle? I’m thinking a Thermos Foogo or similar. I have access to a fridge or freezer at my office. I’m thinking I could make some sort of juice/water/puree at the beginning of the week, put it in a Foogo at the beginning of the day and store in work fridge, then add lots of ice cubes for the 10 minute walk to daycare so it’s still chilly when toddler gets it. I’d love to add spinach or something but I think that might only go down well if it was more of a smoothie than juice, and without freezing a bottle I don’t know if that would go over well.

Any recommendations, recipes, container suggestions? Could I make this on Sundays and have it last for the week?

for those of you with 2+ kids and no local family, what childcare arrangements did you have in place for while you were in labor? our second is due soon and I’m trying to figure out how many daycare teachers, neighbors, friends, babysitters, etc. I should realistically have on call to watch kiddo #1. I only spent 1 night in the hospital with my first and will probably do the same this time, barring any unforeseen complications. I suppose dad could go home overnight if the timing works out (baby born during the day), but I’m trying to account for as many scenarios as possible.

I have been lucky to have an uneventful pregnancy, but at 8 months am finally getting the dreaded swelling. Any suggestions for dressy sandals or flats to get me through the next two months? Hoping to keep wearing both dresses with leggings and slacks so ideally something that could work with both – maybe a beige (nude for me) or a metallic? My feet were wide to start with, so need something that comes in wide and then thinking I’ll go up 1/2 a size?