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When dining “al desko,” nothing beats a hot lunch on a cold winter day. For those wishing to avoid the communal office microwave, the Crock Pot Little Dipper might be the solution.
In the Before Times, I usually saw Little Dippers at parties for (gasp!) group dipping. Now, they’re the perfect size for heating up your lunch without leaving your desk. Just put your soup or stew in when you arrive at the office, and by noon, you’ll be the envy of your coworkers. There are no buttons or dials — just plug it in and go!
Beyond lunch, commenters have used it for countless other foods (overnight oats, for example) and non-foods (as a scent diffuser).
The Crock Pot Little Dipper is available at many retailers, including Amazon for $26.50 and up, depending on the seller, and Target for $14.99.
Sales of note for 8.30.24
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Ann Taylor – 30% off full-price purchase; $99 jackets, dresses & shoes; extra 50% off sale
- Banana Republic Factory – 50-70% off everything + extra 20% off
- Boden – 20% off
- Eloquii – Up to 60% off everything; extra 60% off all sale
- J.Crew – 40% off sitewide; extra 60% off sale styles
- J.Crew Factory – Extra 20% off orders $125+; extra 60% off clearance; 60%-70% off 100s of styles
- Lands’ End – 40% off sitewide; 50% off backpacks, 40% off kids’ apparel
- Loft – Summer sale, 30% off new arrivals; up to 50% off much more
- Talbots – 25% off regular-price purchase; 70% off clearance
- Zappos – 28,000+ 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 everything
- Hanna Andersson – Up to 40% off everything
- J.Crew Crewcuts – 40% off sitewide; extra 50% off sale styles
- Old Navy – 50-60% off; 50% off pants for the family
- Target – 20% off select clothing for all; up to 50% off home; up to 30% off select nursery furniture; up to 30% off kitchen & dining
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And — here are some of our latest threadjacks of interest – working mom questions asked by the commenters!
- The concept of “backup care” is so stupid…
- I need tips on managing employees in BigLaw who have to leave for daycare pickup…
- I’m thinking of leaning out to spend more time with my family – how can I find the perfect job for that?
- I’m now a SAHM and my husband needs to step up…
- How can I change my thinking to better recognize some of my husband’s contributions as important, like organizing the shed?
- What are your tips to having a good weekend with kids, especially with little kids? Do you have a set routine or plan?
strollerstrike says
“al desko” made me laugh.
Question because my back is killing me: How do I teach my 18 months old to fall asleep in his bed without us rocking him and then putting him down, stroking his back for 20 mins or so… I do not want to CIO because he sleeps through the night and I don’t think he needs “sleep training” just “going to sleep”training. I am not opposed to staying in his room while he falls asleep, I just cannot handle the rocking and leaning into the crib to give him a back rub anymore.
Anon says
Oooh, following this with interest. My 15 week old is the same – she’s a great sleeper, but not a great going-to-sleeper. Drowsy-but-awake works well for her first nap of the day in the morning, but we have about a 5% success rate for the afternoon naps and maybe 30% at bedtime. We do a sleeptime routine.
AnonATL says
There’s something called the Chair method of sleep training. You basically sit in a chair and each night move it further away from the crib.
We ferbered my little guy at about 12w, and he puts himself to sleep every night now. Before that, we were rocking to sleep and the moment we set him down, the screaming would start. It was rough.
Leatty says
Honestly, I think you need to sleep train him. With my oldest, we spent FOREVER trying to get her to sleep as a baby. Some nights we would spend hours rocking her, walking around with her, feeding her, etc. If we put her down before she was soundly sleeping, she would cry until we picked her up again. When we started sleep training her around 5 months, it only made her more upset to check in on her. Finally, we broke down and did CIO. The first few nights were really rough, but within a week she was falling asleep on her own. It was so easy to put her to bed for naps and bedtime – we’d read her a story, maybe sing her a song, put her in her crib, and she’d happily talk to herself until she fell asleep. It was a magical time. Of course, now that she’s no longer in a crib, it’s a huge PITA to get her to bed, but that’s a different story…
All that is to say, I’d give sleep training a try.
Anon says
I agree. Sleep training teaches babies to fall asleep (and stay asleep). That’s one of the reasons people do it.
Anon says
For us, sleep training basically was “going to sleep” training. Once my kid figured out that he could just lay down and go to sleep it was a game changer.
AwayEmily says
+1 on the sleep training. If you don’t want to do it because you don’t want your baby to cry, then that is totally fine and there are lots of great alternatives. But as some of the previous commenters said, sleep training is often just “going to sleep” training (my kids were sleeping through the night pretty early on but still needed sleep training for that initial going-to-sleep part).
Anonymous says
This discussion puzzles me–I always thought that sleep training was just going-to-sleep training. You train them to go to sleep whenever they need to, whether that’s just at the beginning of the night or periodically throughout the night when they wake up. Is there a sleep training program that actually teaches them to remain asleep, as opposed to going back to sleep when they wake up?
AwayEmily says
I agree it’s confusing. I think people use the term differently because different babies struggle with different parts of sleep — some babies are naturally great at going back to sleep after their (normal) middle-of-the-night wakeups, while others have trouble. Others have a hard time going to sleep initially, but then are fine at putting themselves back down during the night. Some babies struggle with everything! And so people use the term to refer to solving whatever aspect of the problem they are dealing with. But yes, in theory it’s the same skill for both.
Anonymous says
Agree. for me sleep training was to avoid walking the halls at 2 AM for 45 mins. It did absolutely nothing to keep the guy asleep. He still woke up every few hours for months, but he could just put himself back to sleep unless it was feeding time (that i had predetermined). So while i still woke up, I didn’t have to get out of bed. This was much younger than 18 months though, by that time he mostly slept through the night.
(at three every few months he starts waking up in the middle of the night for a week or two)
H13 says
Can anyone recommend heavy sweatpants for an 8 yo boy? It is cold where we live and we need more pairs of heavy sweats… but I don’t want to go to stores to actually feel them.
So Anon says
Carter’s had (hopefully still has because my 9YO son also needs more) fleece pants, which are our go-to for warm pants in northern New England. He has a pair of fleece sweatpants that are warm and toast but a bit bulkier, and he also has a pair of fleece joggers that are also warm and fit easily under snowpants.
Anonymous says
The Cat and Jack sweatpants are fairly heavy.
Anonymous says
I got some Carter’s fleece (like polarfleece) sweat pants this year for my 8 year old, and they are really thick and seem warm.
Anonymous says
These specifically: https://www.carters.com/carters-kid-boy-pants/V_3J099310.html
Anon says
Hanna Andersson Bright Basics Sweat Pants
anne-on says
Gap had/has lined sweats, as did JCrew. You may need to hunt though – I just had to buy some and there was low/no stock at 3-4 different retailers for size 8-9/M
Katala says
Primary has a version of sweatpants that are heavier. They seem pretty heavy to me, but I’m in TX so my “heavy” might be different than yours.
CHL says
uniqlo has amazing fleece lined pants
Anonymous says
Not sure about that age range but we like H&M basics sweats (in 4-6 size now). They are thicker than gap for sure.
CrowTRobot says
Thirding the Carter’s fleece. Just got them…. They might even be too warm for our CA winter.
Cb says
My 3.5 year old declared himself “bored of being stuck at home with mummy and daddy, bored of his toys, bored of everything!” He’s a mellow little guy and has handled the pandemic and disruption super well but even he is done. He’s a big fan of being outside but after weeks of crap weather and a few tumbles, he won’t even do that.
Anonymous says
Aw poor kiddo.
Anonymous says
Right there with you, little dude.
Boston Legal Eagle says
Yep – while I wouldn’t call it bored, I’m tired of all of this and just want some kind of normalcy or a change from the Groundhog Day feeling.
Anonymous says
Groundhog Day is exactly what it is. I feel bad complaining because my days are not actually *that* bad and I know I’m really fortunate to have daycare right now. But it’s just that every day is literally the exact same as the day before it. Nothing ever changes. There’s nothing on the calendar to look forward to except warmer weather and being able to get outside more. It’s so bizarre.
Clementine says
I think you need to throw a party. Happy Birthday to the Cat! It’s the Teddy Bears’ Anniversary! It’s your stuffed llama’s bris!
I think you need candles and a cake and drinks in fancy glasses (we do seltzer with a splash of juice) and party music.
(Also, SAME kiddo. SAME.)
Cb says
Haha, that sounds like a great idea!
TheElms says
I think a toddler disco could be fun. Turn out the lights, use flashlights or glowsticks, silly music and maybe zoom a nursery friend to have a 5 minute dance party and then maybe something you wouldn’t have often for dinner after wards.
Pogo says
We bake a cake and do a Zoom birthday for everyone. Mommy’s best friend in California. Cousin in Connecticut. Daddy’s roommate from college in New Jersey. I’m not kidding.
Anon says
That sounds so fun!
Anon says
we are going to do valentines day or as my kids call it from daniel tiger “love day” with a bit more than i might usually do. i know you aren’t in the U.S. and valentines day is basically the same time this year, but could also go wild for president’s day.
i’m jewish and reading ‘stuffed llama’s bris’ made me lol. and i’m reading this while on a work call…
back in the day, when kids didn’t travel as much, people lived far from their neighbors, etc. – were people just better at entertaining themselves? or they had more work to do on the farm?
cbackson says
I think about this question a lot – like, some of my ancestors homesteaded in the Dakotas and *maybe* saw other people every few weeks or month when they traveled many miles to town for church and supplies. They obviously dealt with a massive amount of isolation. I do think they didn’t have nearly the amount of leisure time that we do, but yeah – I think they were also really good at entertaining themselves.
Anon says
If you were on a farm kids were expected to work from a young age, concept of leisure was totally different. Plus most people had multiple kids so they entertained and cared for each other.
Anonanonanon says
I think they just worked on the homestead all day and then dropped dead? Looked forward to the barn raising and quilting bee? Grew up and married the first person they weren’t that related to they met?
Anonymous says
Pa played the fiddle at night and everyone sang along. They read books and played checkers. They went for bobsled and buggy rides.
anon says
For kids, I think it was a combination of factors–they were expected to work, there were usually multiple kids around because families were larger, and there was a great deal less supervision and more risk taking in children’s play (often leading to severe injury or death, which was a more accepted part of life). I’ve spent time in rural villages in poor countries, and you see the same things among children there.
Anonymous says
Apropos of the above comments, how about celebrating Groundhog Day?
FVNC says
This reminded me — my bday is Feb 2 (groundhog day) and my older brother’s bday is July 4, obviously a big and (real) holiday. Growing up, my parents tried to make me feel like my birthday was on a special holiday too (“both of you were born on a holiday! how amazing!”). It was an embarrassingly long time before I realized Groundhog Day was not of the same significance as July 4. Clearly, I very much support the idea of celebrating Groundhog Day!
SC says
Oh, we did that over the summer! Kiddo and I were making a popsicle stick house one weekend, and he decided he’d give it to his Lambie for her birthday. Her birthday was the following Sunday, and we needed to have a birthday party. I figured, why not, there’s nothing else to do. I bought paper plates, hats, and noisemakers from the dollar store. I made an ice-cream-sandwich cake, which takes about as much effort as I’m willing to put into a stuffed animal’s birthday party (about 10 minutes). We celebrated after dinner that night, had cake, and gave Lambie her gift.
another idea says
we threw a half birthday with a half cake this week because we needed something to celebrate
Anonanonanon says
One day my daughter declared it was a stuffed animal’s birthday so we baked a cake and had candles on it and sang and it was a fun impromptu treat. Of course now, about three times a week, she tries to declare it is a stuffed animal’s birthday and we need cake and gets upset when I don’t bake a cake.
Anonymous says
You need a toy cake! Bake cake in play kitchen, wrap presents in old blankets, decorate the playroom, hold the party. Elaborate multi-step imaginative play can use up lots of time.
anon says
My 4 yo came to me recently and said, “I love my sister, but I’m sick of playing with her. Can I play with another kid?”
anon says
Hahaha it has not occurred to my 4yo twins to voice this yet, but they totally feel the same way.
Anon says
at least the sentence started with “I love my sister” – that’s a parenting win!
anonamama says
We’re having a “made it through January” party this weekend. It’s always a tough month between post-holidays, weather, insanity at work (Jan always the busiest month for our jobs); added pandemic and isolation and we are in the same boat. Getting delivery for dinner, fresh flowers for the table (for my own satisfaction), multiple dance parties and will bust out a new toy I socked away after Christmas. In writing this, this is more for me, but the happiness will be contagious. Will probably repeat this every month until we get our vaccines and/or leave the damn state.
SC says
Mardi Gras is coming up, and there will be several virtual events from New Orleans! Nola.com will be streaming performances for 3 nights (and recordings may be available later). Bacchus is somehow hosting a virtual parade. There are videos and photos of houses people have decorated to look like floats. There are countless YouTube channels with Mardi Gras music if you want to throw your own party. Traditional foods include jambalaya, fried chicken, and king cake (you can cheat with cinnamon rolls + colored sugar).
Anon. says
Biting advice – My older kid never had this issue and I’m at a loss. My 15 MO daughter has been bitten 3 times in 2 weeks at school, always the same biter. The school seems to be doing everything right in the aftermath, trying to keep them separate, giving her the attention, calling me immediately, etc. Is there anything I should do at this point in terms of communicating more with the head of the school or just chalk it up to part of daycare? I’d appreciate any advice from personal experience. Note that I’m inclined to let it go but my husband wants to say something…
Anonymous says
What would be the point of saying something? I’m not trying to be snarky, I’m just not sure what they could/should be doing.
anon. says
Right, I agree – that’s my point to my husband. I was just wondering if other people had ideas of what the point could be :)
Anonymous says
I think the way to get him to back off is to press him to answer that question. What else, dear husband, do you think the school can possibly do? Short of expelling the other kid or completely separating him/her from the other kids, he will be hard pressed to come up with an answer.
Anonymous says
If the school is handling it appropriately, I’d just be grateful that my kid was the bitee and not the biter.
anon. says
Thanks – That’s what I told the school director and my husband. I agree.
Anonymous says
My son got bitten a few times, and I didn’t worry about it at all. (Our cat was a much bigger biting concern). Unless it is causing real problems for your daughter, I would let it go.
Mary Moo Cow says
I had the biter and the bitee. Our center did everything yours is doing, and the problem did not resolve until the instigator biter left the center. This child started a chain reaction, apparently, and the teachers were playing whack-a-mole with the kids trying to teach them not to bite in retaliation (even against an innocent!) It was horrible at the time, but a few years later, I give it a rueful SMH.
I don’t think there is much more you can do, just make sure the center is taking those steps every time.
Realist says
My college friend worked at a daycare and they ended up putting the nonbiters in one room and the biters in another room because the chain reactions got so bad.
Katala says
My son was a little older, 2.5 or 3, when biting went around his class. There was one instigator in particular and he targeted my son especially. We let the center handle it until the kid started drawing blood. I’m still traumatized by the worst bite he came home with. The instigator was about to be asked to leave daycare because they couldn’t get it under control. We did a playground meetup with that kid and my son and they actually played really well and it helped to hear how sorry the parents were and that they were trying too. It was too late, I assume, the kid left shortly thereafter. But if it’s one particular kid, you could try having them play one-on-one to maybe work on communicating better with each other? 15 mo might be young for that, and pandemic, but just a thought.
Anonymous says
Then let your husband say something. I don’t see any issue with “I’m disturbed this has now happened three times. What are you going to do differently to stop this going forward?”
Bento box and water bottle rec says
Recommendations for a stainless steel or silicone bento box and water bottle for toddler son? I prefer no plastic.
Anon says
I have both LunchBots and PlanetBox boxes. I actually prefer packing the LunchBots, but my kid can’t open them by herself (she’s 5). She can open the Planet Box.
I just cannot figure out how to reasonably pack the PlanetBox though. It has unused space between the compartments which is annoying. And the lid is raised so I’m always trying to figure out what fits and what doesn’t. We rarely use it. But it’s really well made and dishwasher safe, so if they look good to you I’d try them!
We actually use mostly plastic, which I dislike. But for usability and my kid being able to open it, we’ve liked Bentgo and the new box with moveable dividers by PackIt.
CCLA says
We like the planetbox rover for our 2 and 4 yo kids. We use the middle space for a small dessert (like five m and ms or something), We have two each so we can pack lunch the night before while that day’s goes in the dishwasher overnight.
Team LunchBots says
I love LunchBots. As another data point, my kindergartener had no trouble opening the smallest bento box from them.
anon says
We use plastic but love the Bentgo boxes, so maybe look at their new stainless ones.
Pogo says
Humblebrag: yesterday in the snow I did double drop off in 16 minutes flat and made it to my 8:30 on time. I also pumped 17 oz because my kid can EAT.
Anon says
Aww yeah! High five Pogo!
Boston Legal Eagle says
Woo! We got a decent amount of snow by yesterday morning too so doubly impressive!
GCA says
Dang, that’s impressive! Go you!
anonamama says
Damn Pogo! That is impressive.
Pogo says
And then today I didnt get lunch until 3pm sooo… you win some, you lose some.
So Anon says
Searching for advice/a service/consultant – I am struggling to determine the best type of educational system for my 4th grade son. I live in a district with good public schools, and there are some amazing private schools locally as well (one Waldorf-based, another that is inclusive and self-driven, another that is outdoor education focused). My son is a complex kid – ASD 1/2 with a high intellect, has his obsessions (currently WWII planes), struggles with certain social cues, loves individual athletics and loathes group anything. He does “fine” in his public school setting. I have the means to send him to private school. I need someone to help me navigate the options in light of my son’s needs. Does this service or these people exist?
Anonymous says
At the big educational psychology practice in our city that does all the IQ testing for private school admissions, there is one psychologist who specializes in school placement for students like your son. You need someone with subject matter expertise who also has the inside scoop on the local schools. Not all private schools will be a good fit, and in some cases public school may be more suited to meet the child’s needs.
anonamommy says
Has your son had formal intelligence testing? If he has a demonstrated high intellect but ASD, you should specifically seek out 2e schools or ask about school capabilities for 2e students. As mentioned below, a local psychologist that does testing should be able to help. There are some message boards and FB groups for 2e parents as well that might help, depending on where you are.
Erin Brokovich says
Yesterday a couple people mentioned their 5-mo olds were up in the middle of the night talking. My almost-5-mo old does this too. What should I do, if anything? She’s still in a bassinet next to my bed so I wake up. Along with the talking she is also flapping her arms and moving around, but is content. It’s like she thinks it’s 7am instead of 3:30am. I have been picking her up and bringing her in to bed with me. Usually a few minutes of snuggling and she is back to sleep and put her back in her bassinet after half an hour or so and she is good for the rest of the night. Should I be ignoring her and letting her talk it out? I want to move her to her crib in another room but we haven’t done it yet.
cbackson says
My kiddo is 7 months and quite a talker. I just let him talk, and he either falls back asleep on his own or decides that now he is an AWAKE BABY and it’s time to go. That being said, he typically gets chatty around 5 AM and 6-6:30 is his normal wake-up time, so it’s less disruptive than the middle of the night. He’s also in a crib in a separate room so it’s easier to ignore although I do have to turn off the baby monitor audio (it has a sound alarm so even with the audio off I get an alarm every 5-10 minutes if he is chatting…that’s easier to live with then getting the full HELLO THESE ARE MY BABY THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS narration).
Pogo says
Same. But he does randomly do the talking in the middle of the night. He also flaps his arms and legs around. I always leave him be. My theory on this stuff is that years ago, people shut their baby in its own room and didn’t go in unless there was screaming, so who knows, we probably all did this as babies but our moms didn’t have a live feed of us to witness it. I have a Nest and was initially shocked at how much my oldest would wake up and do whatever (as he got older, he’d pull toys or books into the crib, rock his ‘baby’ to sleep, etc) at random hours.
Move baby to her own room and for the most part, don’t leave the monitor on. I just pull it up if I hear something and want a visual on what the situation is (stuck in bars of crib, can’t find paci, etc). Mine eats pretty predictably and I know the “I need my milk” cry and just go in for that. Anything else, you can talk it out yourself kiddo.
anonymommy says
Honestly, if she’s not crying I’d let her be. Half an hour in bed with you can easily slide into her doing this for cuddles the rest of the night — so do as I say not as I did! (We ended up having to do some more difficult sleep training because we let things slide with our second.) Also, moving her out of your room will make it easier to ignore so you don’t intervene unnecessarily (or even detrimentally as she’s learning to self-soothe).
AnonATL says
My 6mo is in a crib in his room and when he does this, we just leave him be. It’s still disruptive and wakes us up, but he just chills for a little and then I assume goes back to sleep. As I mentioned in the thread above, he is sleep trained, so if he full on cries we will come check on him. Usually that means he has gone poo or his diaper leaked.
(Btw, thanks to all who suggested sizing up last week. Worked like a charm!)
I would worry that if you constantly pick her up when she wakes up, she might start thinking 3:30 is play with mama time not sleep time.
Anonymous says
Evict her to her own room she a bad roommate
No Face says
This was my attitude! In her own room, and I only enter the room at night for upset crying. Happy babbling means that I fall back asleep.
Anon Lawyer says
Yeah, I feel like this was the point where I felt like the American Association of Pediatrics was out to get me, personally, with their “at least six months, preferably a year” recommendation. Anyway, I kicked her out and it was good for everyone.
AwayEmily says
SAME. I was all set to keep mine in our room for six months and then a few weeks in realized she was the noisiest sleeper in the world. Heavy breathing, gurgling, snuffling, whistling, sighing, the works. We were all much happier when I moved her to her own room.
Anonymous says
Lol! That is exactly the language my dad used when I said that the AAP recommends that babies sleep in the same room for at least 6 months – “What, are they out to get parents?!”
Anonymous says
Yes, actually, I believe they are.
Mrs. Jones says
+1. Time for baby’s own room!
AnotherAnon says
We moved ours to his own room (in a crib) at 5 months, and I was shocked that HE started sleeping better. Feel free to keep doing what you’re doing, but I don’t think ignoring middle of the night talking does any harm at all. And if you’re just jonesing for extra snuggles, that is perfectly fine too.
Anon says
I have a 15 week old and she does the same thing. I ignore (but smile to myself bc she is adorable) and let her babble herself back to sleep. She sleeps in a bassinet in our room.
I distinguish between happy babbling, unhappy babbling, and crying. I never intervene if she’d just happy babbling.
Anonymous says
This is why we moved our almost-5-mo old to her crib in her own room. We all sleep much better this way. She’s right next door, and we have the monitor on, so we can easily tell if she’s unhappy vs. just sharing her thoughts about world events. When she was in our room, she could hear one of us reach for the monitor to see what was going on, and she figured that if mom or dad is up, it must be party time.
TheElms says
My kiddo was evicted at about 4 months for basically this. It was keeping me up at night even with ear plugs and white noise. I nearly crashed my car twice in the span of a week and did drive through a parking lot with the door open because I was basically delirious from lack of sleep.
Anon says
yesterday was Holocaust remembrance day and it had me thinking at what age do kids learn about this? my grandparents were Holocaust survivors and so I can’t ever recall not knowing, though I’m sure at age 3 no one told me that 6 million people were killed, etc. as the generation of survivors dies off, I was wondering when do kids start learning about this in school?
Boston Legal Eagle says
I think sometime in mid elementary school? In a similar vein, I distinctly remember being in elementary school and watching the miniseries “Roots.” I do wonder whether elementary schools nowadays take a critical look at the founding of this country beyond just the “let’s celebrate our founding fathers, weren’t they great” (I don’t know if that’s the case, but they certainly don’t get into the specifics in preschool).
anne-on says
Around 4th/5th grade? I recall reading Number the Stars and the Devils Arithmetic around that age, and doing units on WW2 around that time in history class.
Anonymous says
I grew up in an NYC suburb (like westchester). A good 5-10% of kids in the public schools were at least culturally Jewish if not religious. We read Number the Stars in 6th grade and progressed from there. On our 8th grade trip to DC we went to the Holocaust museum. I think it was mostly middle school curriculum but it came back when we did WW2 in high school. We read Night, Anne Frank, and many, many short stories and poems.
I went to catholic school prior to middle school so I’m not sure what if anything was taught then.
Anonymous says
In my state, kindergarten. Holocaust education is required by law. It’s done gradually and age-appropriately
Anon says
what state are you in?
Anonymous says
NJ
avocado says
My daughter’s elementary school started mentioning it in second or third grade. By fourth grade it seemed like half the books on the reading list were Holocaust novels. Even in 10th-grade honors history, though, the focus was really just on the nature of the atrocities and on stories of individual heroism. The N@zis’ rise to power was presented as the tragic, anomalous triumph of some very bad people, and there is no analysis of the deeper forces that made it possible, or of the lessons that should be taken from history. I’m hoping that IB or AP history (depends on what courses the school decides to offer next year) will delve deeper.
Anonymous says
Yes this is interesting. With the recent 1776 Project, and the much better 1619 Project, I’ve been thinking a lot about how I was taught history. I graduated in 2001 and I basically learned, “The end of WWI was the beginning of WWII, Hitler came to power, and BOOM, Holocaust.” There wasn’t much examination of extreme nationalism or fascism, though I remember “#not all Germans.” There was similarly superficial treatment of the Black experience in America from slavery through the civil rights era with nothing to reference that racism isn’t actually dead; and as far as my history curriculum was concerned, after the First Thanksgiving, all of the Native Americans signed treaties, got smallpox from blankets, or were marched along the Trail of Tears (presented without comment).
In high school, I took AP World History I and II, and AP US History, and I’m certain my classmates and I could have thought much more critically about all of this and the present-day parallels/implications if only the material had been presented. What a miss! I’ve learned so, so much in the last 5-10 years that I’m ashamed I didn’t know or think to consider before.
anon says
My recollection is that our teachers were terrified of getting angry emails from parents if they waded into anything about the Vietnam war. As a result, my historical education cut off with VJ day, leaving a big hole until my personal recollections of current events start in the mid 1990s.
I do recall studying the roots of extreme nationalism and fascism that led to the Nazi party in great detail. We did a ton of European history, but every little ex-European history. I also spent 3 solid years studying our Civil War.
SC says
Same. History basically ended with WWII, except maybe one day of, “Oh, and there was the civil rights movement. Yay, Martin Luther King, Jr.” My college’s core education requirements required one history class, and I took History of the Vietnam War because I realized everything I knew about it came from Forrest Gump (sheesh). Fortunately, it was a great class taught by an amazing professor. Unfortunately, I waited until my last semester to take a single history class, and it was too late to switch my major.
Anonymous says
Yes, we stopped after WWII, too, as far as going in chronological order. We did study the Vietnam War, though, because Kent State was basically in my back yard and we marked May 4th each year. That may have been a greater-Akron-area Ohio thing. Side note though, I went to the national history museum in Hanoi a few years ago and wow was it fascinating to see how history is presented differently by different sides.
Anonymous says
I also remember Number the Stars in elementary school, maybe in 4th or 5th grade? I think I’d seen references to it before then, and there was a lot more on it in middle school.
My in laws are Eastern European immigrants (FIL is one of those “suddenly Jewish” people who found out from a distant relative that his long-deceased mother was Jewish) and their respective families left the old country for reasons directly related to WWII and the Iron Curtain. I’m certain my kids – oldest of whom is 8 – couldn’t tell you much beyond Hitler was bad and a lot of Jewish people were killed, but they know the basics just as part of family history.
Anonymous says
I learned about it when we read Number the Stars in 5th grade. School curriculum is same but my kids learned in first grade because DH is Austrian and feels it is very important for kids to know early.
This is also why they hate Trump et al so much. We have watched videos with them of Holocaust survivors talking about how the rhetoric is similar to what they experienced in the 1930s when Germany was still a democracy.
It was important to us that they 1)learn what happened, 2) understood that it did not happen overnight, 3) know that it can happen again if we are not vigilant.
Anonymous says
Public schools vary a lot – some in later elementary, some not till high school. My poor kiddo learned at age 3 or 4 because he started asking why his great grandmother speaks German…
Pogo says
I believe we learned in 3rd grade. I also learned about Hiroshima that same year. I think that’s an appropriate time, I remember being horrified but not traumatized, if that makes sense.
cbackson says
We didn’t study it in school until 4th grade but I had always had some degree of knowledge about it. I knew what anti-Semitism was from when I was super young and by the time I started school I definitely knew that we fought a big war because a Very Bad Man started killing Jewish people and trying to conquer the world. I’m not Jewish although my parents had many Jewish friends.
Anon says
When I was in elementary school there was always a holocaust survivor speaker that week. So we were aware beginning in kinder.
Anonanonanon says
Oh wow. I got one of these for my first wedding. I can’t remember if I registered for it or not. It was awesome but if I remember correctly it was a PITA to clean, maybe at the time the insert didn’t come out? It’s vague.
Also, I’d 100% eat a little dipper full of queso myself I have no shame.
Anonymous says
The insert on this one is not removable. There’s a “lunch crock” with a removable insert, but it seems to be sold out most everywhere.
Anonanonanon says
Ah OK I guess I didn’t make it up after all!
AnotherAnon says
The crock pot we had growing up did not have a removable insert, and my mom (understandably) very rarely used it. We also had a grill/griddle thingy that plugged directly into the wall and she would wash it so I (the designated dishwasher) did not accidentally submerge the electric part. We also had an ancient Oster blender that I swear worked as well as my Vitamix, and an electric can opener! My mom’s late 90s kitchen was basically straight out of 1975.
anonamama says
Ha! My mom’s kitchen was about the same – I can remember the Oster Blender and can opener well. I have her old Oster hand mixer (I rarely bake) and electric knife. I think they were all wedding presents. (Cue ‘they don’t make them like they used to’ commentary).
Anon says
Hah, yes. We’re on our second electric carving knife and my parents still use the one from their early 80s wedding!
Anonymous says
This is why I resisted getting a crock pot for many years–I didn’t realize that now they have removable inserts.
Anonanonanon says
They also make crockpot liners now that you can throw out when you’re done
Mrs. Jones says
The liners are a lifesaver!
Anon. says
We got one for our wedding too. It got used a couple times but purged in a move because of the lack of removable insert. An item has to be pretty special to live in my kitchen if it isn’t dishwasher safe.
DLC says
I thought this was a brilliant idea to.
Along those lines…. I walked into my husband’s Home office/baby’s room yesterday and said, “It smells like toast in here!” Turns out he had a panini press under his desk and was making lunch. It made me laugh so hard!
Anon says
My 3.5 year old is waking up multiple times a night with bad dreams, not napping, and having one pee accident a day the last few days. No discernable reason why this could be happening but it’s concerning. I’ll call the ped, but anything similar happen to you all?
AnotherAnon says
This happened to us near the beginning of pandemic: accidents, not sleeping well (all of us, not just kiddo), bad dreams. I think he was just sad. I guess I don’t mean “just” sad – justifiably sad and wasn’t experienced in exploring those feelings. We had a lot of crying chats on his bed. I really leaned into my feelings are ok dialog – “You are sad. I’m sorry you’re sad. You miss your friends. It’s ok to be sad sometimes. This is really hard isn’t it? What is something we could do that would help you feel better?” That seemed to at least let him know he could cry or just have a blah day. We actually started skipping nap, and that helped with wake ups and bad dreams. I insist on his using the potty right before bed each night, amid a chorus of “But I don’t need to!” Good luck
Anonymous says
Late reply but our 3 year old had a similar episode a couple months ago where he wet his pants at school every day (hadn’t done so since the first week) and also peed the bed EVERY night, ending up crying in our bed (and peeing one night). Prior to this mystery week he had peed his bed twice in the 9 months he was potty trained. After about 1 week (the day we got into see DR – i was wondering about urinary track infection?) it miraculously stopped. It started when he had different teachers for a week (but persisted afterwards). Not helpful, but maybe hopeful?
Runner says
Suggestions for potty inserts for toilets?
CCLA says
We like the mayfair one – it has a small seat that attaches with a magnet to the main lid so very unobtrusive. We had a couple and one failed after a year so we replaced it. The other is still going strong 2 years later as we start training for kiddo #2 (older kid only needed it for about a year but we just left it on knowing we’d be back here in short order for the younger one).
Anon says
The fisher price perfect fit one is the only one my daughter has taken to (and we now have it at the grandparents’ houses too). I like that it has a hook for the side of the tank, and it’s fairly easy to clean. I just spray it down in the tub once a week (or every other) with some disinfectant, let it sit the required time and wipe it off.
Anonymous says
We have a different brand of this type of device (from a regional home improvement store). I really recommend the concept:
https://www.target.com/p/topseat-tinyhiney-round-potty-seat-with-hinges/-/A-75668197?ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=google_pla_df&fndsrc=tgtao&DFA=71700000012510679&CPNG=PLA_Baby%2BShopping&adgroup=SC_Baby_High%2BMargin&LID=700000001170770pgs&LNM=PRODUCT_GROUP&network=g&device=c&location=9018682&targetid=pla-925932371436&ds_rl=1242884&ds_rl=1246978&ds_rl=1248099&gclid=Cj0KCQiA3smABhCjARIsAKtrg6LWyJRzQoeY1L2Ot7-lucwLbtB2PhkeFOVccNBacC3F_Hgk8FpGgs8aAmM9EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
Anon says
Will the Kohler transitions toilet seat work? The one that is a regular seat with an integrated child seat.
Anon says
We’ve had both the integrated kind like posted above and the Munchkin sturdy potty seat and both have pros and cons. The integrated one blends in to the bathroom more and is easier to clean, but requires the kid touching the actual toilet seat, is less good for boys who pee sitting down because it doesn’t have a raised part in front, and even my girls sometimes squirt forwards so the adult seat underneath gets covered in pee so you don’t notice. The Munchkin one has handles for the kid to hold on to, to hang up the seat on the wall and so you don’t touch the actual seat, but the crevices were a royal pain to clean.
Follow up on your helpful ideas! says
Following up on my question about a kinder valentines game – I think we’re going to do Bingo! Do you all think the kids would like it if we used their pictures in the squares? Otherwise could just do valentines themed, but I thought they might think that was fun? Don’t know why this is making me nervous :)
Any other recommendations for leading a bingo game (especially over zoom) very welcome!
anon says
they might get a kick out of it, but seems like more work for you? especially since you will have to make the cards and know the names of the kids you are calling. i think you said the kids will be in the classroom, so not entirely sure of their computer set up, but maybe in addition to saying whatever the thing is that you call, you also show a picture of it?
SC says
I think most kids would get a kick out of it, but my neuro-atypical kid would probably feel very overwhelmed by having his picture on the cards, having his name called out, etc. He also might be confused about the object of the game–filling up the card vs. having your name called out, and get upset if his name wasn’t first. Add to that, he does really poorly recognizing faces in a photo–the game Guess Who is a disaster at our house–even though he’s capable of facial recognition in person. Anyways, if you don’t know the kids well, I’d probably go with Valentine’s Day themed pictures.
Potty Training SOS says
I’m looking for a low-pressure potty training guide. I don’t have the bandwidth to read a long book. Surely people have potty trained for years without reading chapters upon chapters, right? What’s my best resource for a quick-hit guide to a basic framework we should follow?
DD is 2 yrs 9 mos. She pees and poops when we put her on there (most of the time) but we’re not consistent with it and need to be. I’m in the depths of fertility treatments and it’s absolutely brutal. Work is hard for both of us, both WFH. I know we need to do this once and for all – she is ready – but it’s overwhelming given everything else. Any suggestions to make this not a HUGE THING, which is what all of my friends seem to make it? (good for them, not for me). FYI we’re home with a wonderful nanny who is willing and wanting to help. TIA.
OP says
Sigh. This posted at like 6pm. I’ll try again tomorrow.
Anon says
I vaguely followed the oh crap method as summarized on Lucie’s List.
https://www.lucieslist.com/guides/introduction-to-potty-training/the-two-day-method-potty-training/
My son was 3.5 though so it was pretty easy. He was one of the last in his class to potty train and was ready to do it.
Anon says
For round 2 we went with a firm but not intense approach around that age. Basically we told her we were taking away her diapers, put her in pretty pink undies she liked, and then reminded her that potty goes in the potty. We sat her on the potty once an hour or so (she has good control) and kept her to mostly hardwood floors. Originally an M&M for each sit on the potty, then transitioned to ones for successful goes, then just one for successful no. 2s, and now only when she demands them (for like going no. 2 hours ago – really she’s just a chocolate fiend). A couple of accidents the first week which we cleaned and changed matter of factly and she got it. I would say prompting was required for the first month or so; it’s been 6 months or so and now we only prompt before leaving the house or if it’s been a while or she is doing the potty dance while trying to stay and keep doing something fun. Good luck!
Anonymous says
I did not read any books (although probably read some online articles?). Kiddo was almost 3. We took a long weekend, put him in underwear, gave a ton of juice and milk, and went to the bathroom every 20-30 minutes. Gave a small treat every time he went (raisins, which may not be as exciting to other children as they were to mine). Every X number of raisins, we did a bigger prize (finger painting, sticker, etc). Previous to this he had pooped many times on the toilet but to my recollection had never peed, or maybe a few times only. That’s literally all we did. Had it mostly down by the second day, left the house on the third day, and then just a few more accidents in the following 1-2 weeks. We did use diapers for nap for the short while naps continued (and another year or so at night).