Family Friday: Little Passports World Edition

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It seems like the world has reached subscription box saturation. But, in the pile, there are a few good ones, like this one from Little Passports.

Through this kit, you and your child can explore a new country each month through activities, stories, and even “souvenirs.” My oldest received a subscription as a gift and would get so excited when a new one would arrive in the mail. These kits got us through months of involuntary homeschooling (it’s social studies, right?), and as a family that loves to travel, it also helped us dream about our next trip.

Little Passports: World Edition starts at $27.95 per month, including shipping. You can cancel anytime.

Sales of note for 2/14/25 (Happy Valentine’s Day!):

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

  • Nordstrom – Winter Sale, up to 60% off! 7850 new markdowns for women
  • Ann Taylor – Up to 40% off your full-price purchase — and extra 60% off sale
  • Banana Republic Factory – 50% off everything + 15% off (readers love their suiting as well as their silky shirts like this one)
  • Boden – 15% off new season styles
  • Eloquii – 300+ styles $25 and up
  • J.Crew – 40% of your purchase – prices as marked
  • J.Crew Factory – 50% off entire site and storewide + extra 50% off clearance
  • Rothy’s – Final Few: Up to 40% off last-chance styles
  • Spanx – Lots of workwear on sale, some up to 70% off
  • Talbots – Flash sale ending soon – markdowns starting from $15, extra 70% off all other markdowns (final sale)
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Bouncing off the question about transition to K…we are most likely switching daycare/preschool for our kids, and DS #1 will be in a “Transitional K” class, which in many ways is perfect for him, as he’s been in a Pre-K class this year, and likes to be challenged, learn new things, etc. However, there’s no…nap or rest time in this transitional K class, which I know is going to be the same when he’s in public K. He still naps/rests on the weekends (school is hit or miss), and I just feel like he (and our household) need that rest time on weekends, and DS #2 will still be napping. Did anyone still have “rest time” at home if not offered at school? How did it go? For what it’s worth, DS #1 is a pretty good rule follower for now and I imagine if I said “at home we do rest time” it’d be fine, but would love to hear other experiences.

DS #1 is 4.5 and DS #2 is 16 months if that helps.

This is going to sound ridiculous, but my partner and I don’t get out much! Ha. We have a preschooler and a toddler and are having a babysitter come one weekend evening. It was initially for an event that ended up getting cancelled but I don’t want to cancel on her and it will be nice to get out. If that babysitter can come at any time, is is easier to put the kids to bed first or let her handle that part? It would be nice to not have to do bedtime, honestly, but I worry the preschooler will not cooperate and it was be a disaster.

Disclaimer that we do get babysitters but it’s typically not in the evening for whatever reason. The last time we’ve done this at night my oldest was a baby.

Thoughts?

I have been stressing about lots of little things and it JUST occurred to me that I am freaking out about my son starting K in the fall. I am worried that something will go wrong (for him – like new behavior expectations, less playing), that the school schedule will be a mess for work/family, that having our kids in two different places will be too hard. Folks with kids in kindergarten plus, can you tell me some stories about how great it has been? Especially if you have a littler one still in preschool/childcare.

Moms of 7-8-9 year old boys! My daughter is going to an 8th bday party with a “no gifts” request. With her girl friends, we always do a card and a little something (usually monogrammed lipgloss or similar from Claires). Any ideas for a fun tuck-in to the card that isn’t a “GIFT”? A pack of pokemon cards seems like the right size gift but i think most 2nd grade boys are not super into pokemon anymore.

Also, for kids whose parents do “no gifts because we have too much stuff” parties- is including a gift card a no-no too? I know at the preschool/toddler level it’s silly but my 8 year old LOVES starbucks and most of her friends do too. My 8 year old has been getting and giving a lot of starbucks and local ice cream shop gift cards and they have been huge hits.

PSA! If you need a last minute gift for your mom (mine lives several states away so I can’t just bring her a gift) I just ordered a gift subscription for a personalized book service from a Black woman owned independent bookstore in IL. Mom will fill out a survey about what books she likes and the bookshop will send her a personalized pick each month. Cute! Find it at Page 1 Books dot com.

If you have cleaning help, how much maintenance are you doing in between cleanings? We have biweekly cleaners. Which is great, and it definitely helps with the deep cleaning, but the house still gets so freaking messy on a daily basis. Crumbs on the counters and floors, sinks that definitely need to be wiped down because they get gross, bathroom floors that need to be swept free of hair, sometimes toilet cleaning, too. We have a cat, so I still insist on a weekly vacuum (more during shedding season). It’s very possible that my standards are too high, but I still feel like I do a lot of cleaning even though we have professional cleaners. Or maybe we’re just really messy? IDK. I don’t know that switching to weekly cleanings would solve the issue. It’s the everyday messes that drive me insane.

I started trying on my clothes to go back to work,and most of my pants are a couple inches away from buttoning.8 weeks pp and I’ve lost all but 5-10 pounds of the pregnancy weight. Would you store the pants or donate them now? Space isn’t super tight, and fashion isn’t an issue (they’re so basic), but if they’re never going to fit again I don’t want to fool myself into thinking they will…

We had a Little Passports subscription for a few years, first the Early Explorers, and then this one in this post. I second the recommendation! They’re educational with a good mix of crafts, and mini-games. Parental involvement is necessary, especially if your child is at the younger end of the age range. Be warned: unless you’re ruthless getting rid of the little cards, booklets and other trinkets that come in the boxes, the stuff can really pile up. On the plus side, my kids like to flip through the cards and play trivia games with them, so at least they learned things!

Husband to teenager: What should we give your mom for Mother’s Day?
Teenager: A clean house and silence.

She gets me.

Placing a bid on a house today that is literally the best location for us (it’s a block away from my parents, and I’m really excited about that). House has the right square footage and a fully waterproofed basement (a big deal around here!). Outdated bathrooms and kitchen and hideous paint colors, but we will deal. We’ve lost out on a few houses at this point and are being really agressive with our bid to try our best to get this one. Any and all prayers, good thoughts or juju appreciated!!! Also this is so stressful I wanna puke. Happy Friday!!!