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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 3.28.24
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Ann Taylor – Up to 40% off your full-price purchase; extra 50% off sale
- Banana Republic Factory – 50-70% off everything plus extra 20% off purchase
- Eloquii – 50% off 2+ items; 40% off 1
- J.Crew – 50% off select styles
- Lands’ End – 10% off your order
- Loft – 50% off everything
- Nordstrom: Give $150 in gift cards, earn a $25 promo card (ends 3/31)
- Talbots – 40% off 1 item; 25% off everything else
- Zappos – 37,000+ 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 entire site
- Hanna Andersson – 30% off all swim; up to 30% off HannaJams
- J.Crew Crewcuts – 40% off sitewide; 50% off select swim; 50% off kids’ styles
- Old Navy – 50% off Easter deals
- Target – 20% off Easter styles for all; up to 30% off kitchen & dining; BOGO 50% off shoes & slippers for the family;
Anon says
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 Outdated bathrooms and kitchen and hideous paint colors, but we will deal.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!!!
Cb says
Good luck! Walking distance from your parents sounds amazing and paint and bathrooms can be changed.
Anonymous says
Crossing fingers for you!
Spirograph says
Good luck!!
anon says
Fingers crossed!
Boston Legal Eagle says
Best of luck to you!!
EDAnon says
Good luck!
Mary Moo Cow says
Good luck! I sold my house last year and I still have pangs when I think about the letters people wrote to say, “we’ve been outbid three times..” So stressful for buyers!
Anon says
Good luck! My parents are a mile and a half from us, and being able to walk or scooter there in nice weather has been really great.
avocado says
Husband to teenager: What should we give your mom for Mother’s Day?
Teenager: A clean house and silence.
She gets me.
Anonymous says
haha yup! My kids know “sleep” and “nice kids” are my favorite things.
Cb says
My husband asked my son what they should do for my birthday “flowers, vegan chocolate cake, and a pile of books…”
After 8 years of marriage, my husband struggles with presents but my 4 year old has got the knack (add sushi dinner).
Anon says
I not-so-accidentally scheduled out cleaned for today so the house would be nice this weekend.
Anonymous says
I got a very carefully crafted booklet of coupons for naps and quiet time last year. Possibly the best gift ever.
Anon. says
My husband just sent me and for a Convenience store chain here that has a deal for delivery of a large breakfast pizza and dozen donuts that they are advertising with “Treat her to the brunch she actually wants.” Confirmed, that is the Brunch I want.
Spirograph says
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!
Anon says
Counterpoint – a friend got us Little Passports during the pandemic and I appreciated the thought very much, but was very unimpressed with the Early Explorer boxes. It’s supposed to be for 3-5 year olds but a lot of the stuff they sent was too young for my very average 3 year old so I can’t imagine it entertaining a 5 year old. I was pretty shocked when I learned that my friend was paying over $20 per box. For that price you could get a Melissa and Doug toy that’s much higher quality and will get played with a lot more. The boxes (at least at that age) also had basically nothing to do with travel, except for the suitcase they sent at the beginning (which my kid does still play with, but I don’t think was worth $100+ or whatever the total was).
Anonymous says
We had the Science Junior box, which was a hit. Favorites were the “coral” growing, and the little solar-powered robot.
Amy says
Completely agree with your point that you need to be ruthless about getting rid of stuff. But isn’t this just another example of overconsumption? Every month, a box arrives at my house of, essentially, trash. Sure it keeps my kinds entertained for 2ish hours. But so would a trip to the playground, or a reminder to play with some of the 23094 toys they already have.
Anon says
Yeah I commented above about not enjoying Little Passports and the environmental aspect definitely bothered me. Shipping a box of, essentially, junk that’s entertained my kid for maybe 30 minutes seemed so wasteful. A toy can normally be handed down to another kid to use, but everything from a subscription box just goes into a landfill.
anon says
Exactly. I don’t need more clutter to clean up.
Anonymous says
+1. And I don’t need unused activity boxes sitting around giving me guilt, either.
Anonymous says
Yes. My in laws gave my kid a subscription and all I can think is “look at all this wasteful trash.” We asked them not to renew it.
Anon says
We got a similar box, the Atlas Crate from KiwiCo. I don’t tend to buy a lot of crafts so I thought it was nice to have a box ready with all the supplies to pull out and work on, with an added side of learning about various countries around the world.
I don’t keep a lot of stuff so once we made the craft and played with it a bit, it went in the garbage, but that would be true of any craft kit the kids might work on. We did keep the country cards in the book they provided and still page through it to find fun recipes to remake or relearn words if we’re visiting a friend from that country.
I think the responses above must not have crafty kids. My kids would happily sit with a perler bead set for ages, making 900 creations, and then ask me to iron them all. Yes it’s not a wooden toy that can be handed down, but the imagination and tangible creation makes them happy. To each their own!
Anon says
I actually do have a kid who’s pretty enthusiastic about art, but Little Passports isn’t mostly craft stuff. I think in the 6 early explorers boxes we got there was only one art related thing (animal finger puppets). My kid enjoyed that box more than most, but it wasn’t imaginative or open-ended crafting and once they were made (which took less than 30 minutes with adult supervision), then it was done.
Anonymous says
I have a crafty kid and I hate the craft boxes because either the craft isn’t what the kid wants to make, or the product is gigantic and the kid insists on keeping it forever.
Anonymous says
I have the same objection to non recyclable crafts. I can’t stomach all that glitter and plastic jewels being around on earth for millions of years. I know I sound smug. We don’t buy those craft supplies but I know they still have them
At school.
Anon says
I had some time to pursue the websites this weekend, and the Atlas Kiwi crate looks a lot more substantial and higher quality than Little Passports to me, fwiw.
Anon says
*peruse, ugh autocorrect
Closet purge says
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…
Anonymous says
I would hold onto them for a year. 8 weeks is no time at all
Anonymous says
If you like the pants, I’d store them until a full year PP.
Anon says
I would store them at least for a while longer. Eight weeks is still so early.
anon says
I’d keep them a little longer. You’re pretty close!
GCA says
8 weeks pp, I was still gradually phasing out my maternity pants! I would keep them for a full year.
Anonanonanon says
Don’t get rid of them yet! At 8 weeks pp I don’t even think my hip bones had moved back in place yet! It definitely takes longer than 8 weeks to know where you’ll land
Anon says
I gave myself a year, but ultimately had to buy new pants. My hips (and rib cage) just stayed permanently wider.
Pogo says
Echo others. It could really go either way, too soon to tell.
Anonymous says
Definitely store. I was back in my pre-pregnancy pants around 9 months post partum. I had donated almost all of them around 6 months and then regretted it.
anon says
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.
Anon says
Essentially none, other than wiping up something that spills. But based on previous threads here I think I have very low housekeeping standards.
Anon says
Ooh I love this idea, but it says sold out on the website?
Anon says
Meant for Redux’s post about book gifts.
Anonymous says
I just ordered a subscription gift card with no issues. There is a code at the top of the page for 20% off.
Cb says
Switch to weekly. We have 1x weekly cleaners and we run the roomba, wipe down countertops, and steam mop for the tiled entryway and kitchen, and that’s about it? Cleaners come on Wednesday and we do the steam mop on Sunday night as the floor typically gets grubby over the weekend when we’re cooking more and in and out of the garden, tracking in a bit of dirt before we take our shoes off.
Anne-on says
I think that’s just daily life? My kid is 10 and still leaves a trail of crumbs/sticky fingers/spills on the counter every time he eats something. Add in a cat/dog, and the fact that I cook most nights and the kitchen gets a full wipe down at least 2x/day. Daily chores look like what you’ve outlined above: wipe down counters/table/sink faucets/fridge handles/microwave after breakfast and dinner. Clean stove/counters around stove/sink if I’ve cooked dinner. Wipe down bathroom countertops/sink to remove spit/toothpaste. Spray shower cleaner on glass shower doors daily, and sometimes spray toilet bowl cleaner if needed. I’ll vacuum on the weekends to get rid of pet hair/leaves/my hair. It doesn’t feel like a huge amount to me though – frankly it’s maybe 15 minutes am/pm, plus another 20 on the day I vacuum on the weekend? I also split daily cleaning/food prep with my husband – he does all dishwasher loading and unloading, coffee making, pet feeding, and child breakfasts. I cook most dinners and handle post-meal clean ups.
Cleaners come weekly and are for the big stuff – full house dusting, mopping, scrubbing out showers/toilets/etc. During lockdown I found out I STILL had to do the daily stuff and the ‘big’ clean took me either a full weekend day or 2-3 hours on Friday night (downstairs but not kitchen) plus 3-4 hours on a Saturday (upstairs and kitchen).
Anoon says
Yeah I agree with this. Of course you have to wipe down your counters every day. Bi-weekly cleaners (or even weekly cleaners) are not going to absolve you of the need to do the daily clean/mess clearing. You need a housekeeper if you don’t want to have to do this stuff every day. I don’t think that’s having high standards, it’s just life.
anon says
Ok, this seems pretty similar to our house. Idk. I like things clean.
Anonymous says
I am glad to know I am not the only one who needs a full day to clean the house. So many posts here and Internet guides to cleaning say that you should be able to clean a bathroom in 20 minutes and the whole house in 2 hours.
Anne-on says
It likely depends on the size of your house, but we have a 4 bed, 3.5 bath house. It probably takes me 30-40 minutes per bathroom, but I also do (admittedly) fiddly things like polish the metal (faucets/shower head/doorknobs), bleach the shower grout, and dust the insides of our open shelving.
anon says
OP here, and I don’t know how you’re doing it in 15 minutes a day! I feel like the kitchen alone takes at least 20 minutes to clean up.
Anonymous says
How much are you cleaning as you go when you cook? I’ve gotten much more deliberate about doing that and it’s made the post-dinner cleanup easier. (I also have a small kitchen so I couldn’t spend more than 60 seconds wiping counters if I tried).
Anne-on says
This. I was taught to clean as you cook. So when we’re done eating about the only thing left to clean is wiping down the stove, washing any pots/knives that don’t go in the dishwasher, and then washing down the sink. There is more ‘down time’ in cooking than you think. Chicken needs to sear for 5 minutes per side? Use those 5 minutes to load the cutting board into the dishwasher, spray the counter with disinfecting spray and wash your knife. Veggies need to roast for 20 minutes? Same as above, plus time to wash any bowls/pots that don’t go in the dishwasher. I also use the time in between cooking tasks to move laundry from washer to dryer or even start to fold (our mudroom is off the kitchen).
Spirograph says
My kids are gross, so we have to a quick wipe-clean of the mirror, sink and toilet in our main bathroom every couple of days. We have shedding pets, so the robot vacuum runs every day that I’m working from home, and we also a stick vacuum that we use to spot clean as needed (needed frequently under the dining table and in the kitchen). Otherwise we only clean the kitchen and obviously any egregious spills or messes that develop elsewhere.
Anne-on says
Glad to know my kid isn’t the only gross one. He’s gotten better but the fingerprints, toothpaste gunk, mud/grass, and sticky food residue is still everywhere in our kitchen and his bathroom.
anono says
Do you expect to have to clean nothing yourself? Life does take some level of day-to-day maintenance, like crumbs on the floor….
anon says
No — just trying to gauge how much mess is normal.
Amy says
Biweekly cleaners here as well. I do nothing with the floors. Yep, there’s a lot of dead grass and hairballs around the baseboards – don’t care. I do nothing with the bathrooms. I do wipe down the kitchen counters if something spills, or every few days if I remember and feel like it. I pick up clutter, but I do almost no “cleaning.”
Anon says
I’m close to this, with biweekly cleaners. I do nothing with floors or bathrooms, even though we have a dog and kids. The kids wipe down kitchen counters basically after every two meals – sometimes that’s every few days, sometimes that’s every night if we’re all home all weekend. We keep things picked up, empty garbage cans if they fill up in between cleaners, and will obviously vacuum or swiffer if something messy happens, but otherwise don’t do “cleaning”. That’s why we have the cleaners.
However, we are relatively clean. Other than hairballs/ dust we don’t tend to create a lot of mess. If we do something like say, a painting project, we keep it to a confined area and pick it all up when we’re done. When a kid comes home from a muddy soccer game, she knows to keep her cleats on the entry rug and put her uniform straight into the washer. We we make a giant blanket fort, it stays up for two days but then everything goes back to its original place. I don’t really consider that to be cleaning so much as I consider it picking up after ourselves.
Anon says
I have weekly cleaners. Even so, I still vacuum downstairs on Friday or Saturday (they come on Tuesdays) and wipe down counters if I cooked and it was unduly messy. Other than that, not a lot of maintenance unless there is a spill or I let DD do her own toothpaste. TBH, I only cook 2-3x a week and only maybe once does it result in splatter that can’t wait.
Anonymous says
We clean the kitchen pretty much daily. I don’t see any way around that. We don’t do any cleaning in the bathroom between biweekly visits. We don’t really vacuum either. We have a dog but she’s a chihuahua mix who doesn’t really shed and I’m pretty good about immediately wiping up any dirt that gets tracked in. The dog helps a lot with keeping the floor free of food crumbs. I like the idea of a robot vacuum in theory, but we bought one during lockdown and it got stuck so frequently that it was way more effort to use it than to just use a regular vacuum.
Pogo says
In an ideal world, I’d run the robot vacuum every night, wipe down the counters, etc. Reality: I clean up spills and wipe down the baby’s eating area, and not much else. I actually did clean up ‘fully’ one night this week and by the time I was done it was 10pm and I had to jump on my call with Asia. I just can’t. It’s a season. A messy season.
It was better when our nanny was coming every day and did all of the maintenance to get the kitchen back to normal pre-dinner (meaning, clean up any of the breakfast/lunch stuff in the sink, empty the day’s lunchboxes and wash them, deal with errant sippy cups, etc). But now one of us spends time doing that and prepping the next days lunches while the other one does bath/bedtime.
Mary Moo Cow says
We also have biweekly cleaners and I don’t do much in between. I run the robot vacuum on each floor at least twice a week. I sometimes have to clean the toilets after DH uses them. I wipe down the counters in the kitchen about once a week, though goodness knows it should be done more often. I just bought compostable wipes for the bathrooms because the pink toothpaste stains were driving me crazy and I was too lazy to go get a cloth towel and cleaner every day.
I see it as a difference between messy and dirty. Mess is untidy but clean; dirty is food, pet hair, etc.
Anonymous says
Same as you. After dinner, my whole family (me, partner, 6 year old) spend about 10-15 minutes cleaning up the dinner dishes, kitchen, table, sweeping floors. Either my partner or I spend about 5-10 minutes a day making sure all the stuff that piles up in the entryway is put away, taking out the trash, and wiping down the bathroom if needed. I don’t vacuum unless absolutely necessary. Sounds like you could benefit from switching to weekly cleaning, but also there’s no way to not have these everyday messes except by spending time every day dealing with them.
Anon says
Honestly, this is exactly why I gave up having biweekly housecleaners. We have a large shedding dog and a toddler and so I vacuum every 2-3 days anyway, wipe down the kitchen every night, bathrooms get at least weekly cleaning, etc. It just felt like they weren’t saving me that much time/money.
When I am flush with cash I will do what my friend does and get a housekeeper 4 hours/day on Mondays and Fridays. That would be amazing.
Anonanonanon says
Same re: giving them up. Did not feel like it improved my life enough to be worth the money. I’d rather pay for a seasonal full-house deep clean four times a year.
Anonymous says
That moment of calm I get when I come home on housecleaner day and the whole house is clean and tidy all at the same time is absolutely worth the money to me. :)
anon says
OP here, and yes, this is one reason why I keep the housecleaning service. It’s all done at the same time!
Anonymous says
We haven’t hired regular cleaners because we tried out two different services and they just don’t do a great job. They do the easy obvious stuff like cleaning toilets pretty well, but the time-consuming, annoying, icky stuff like blinds and dusting and baseboards and wiping off the stuff on the bathroom counter they do poorly or not at all so you have to redo it yourself. I can do a halfhearted job of waving a Swiffer duster at the blinds myself for a lot less money.
So Anon says
I have biweekly cleaners (comes on a Tuesday), and I also have two kids, two cats and a giant dog (Newfoundland). I run the Roomba every other day or so, and do an actual vacuum on the weekends. I clean up the kitchen pretty much every night and wipe down the bathroom sinks with whatever washcloth is lying around when I think of it. As far as actual cleaning, that’s it. I leave the deep cleaning to the cleaners, but I organize and put stuff back where it goes on an almost continual basis.
Anonanonanon says
Sounds normal.
I ended up getting rid of cleaners because it didn’t feel worth it, but what worked/works for me in terms of maintenance cleaning is:
Have cleaning supplies EVERYWHERE. Have clorox wipes and windex and paper towels and toilet bowl cleaner in every bathroom. It’s so much easier to just grab a wipe and wipe down the toilet a few times a week when you think about it than wait for it to build up and have to scrub. I usually wipe down the kids’ bathroom while my daughter is in the bath, the guest half-bath when I use it (not more than once a day, though), and the master bath every couple of days.
A robotic vacuum for each floor. I have a not-smart one upstairs and honestly, I think it does a much better job than my stupid Roomba. Also, my kids are motivated to pick up for the robot vacuum but not for me. I also have a cordless dyson which is much less dreadful than plugging in a vacuum.
Wipe down the kitchen counters a couple of times a day with wipes. You can even just brush the crumbs onto the floor then run the robot vacuum if you’re feeling lazy.
Things I would have cleaners focus on: The inside of the oven, inside of the microwave, inside of the refrigerator, deep cleaning bathrooms, vacuuming baseboards, vacuuming stairs.
Clementine says
I have a monthly cleaner and I do a lot in between and still feel like my house is messy. (I know logically, it’s fine.)
I clean my kitchen daily, including a vacuum. Vacuum well 1x/week and do kitchen + one other room every day. I wipe down bathrooms once or twice a week but don’t scrub showers or tubs. I mop my kitchen floor about once a week, but that’s also because it’s an entryway and my toddler somehow gets yogurt EVERYWHERE.
I try and tackle basic house tidy + 1 thing every night. Somehow that seems to help me make a dent. But yeah, a huge amount of my time is spent on basic household chores (cooking, dishes, cleaning, laundry)… like probably 2 hours a day on average? Plus more on the weekends (or Friday night when I sometimes have a big glass of wine, put on a true crime podcast, and go on a cleaning spree.)
As a note, I’m not naturally a tidy person, I have to work at it. I’ve learned as an adult how to keep house.
Anonymous says
You have three kids and your husband is never home right? Why are you killing yourself to be a maid on top of it all instead of getting weekly cleaners?
Clementine says
Only 2 kids now. One moved.
I have tried more frequently when my cleaner’s schedule allows, but the marginal improvement just… isn’t worth the hassle of finding a new cleaner. The things I hate are more things a true housekeeper would do… putting away laundry, doing dishes, etc. Even weekly cleaning doesn’t take away the things I really hate – the dishes and wiping the counters and picking up dirty socks.
Working on getting the kids to do more as they get older.
More Sleep Would Be Nice says
Way harsh, Tai.
Anonanonanon says
YES to noise-canceling headphones, a podcast, and cleaning.
Anon says
Bathrooms: No cleaning except biweekly cleaners and that seems perfectly fine to me.
Carpeted floors: Could probably stand for occasional vacuuming between cleaners, but we don’t do it and it seems mostly fine.
Hardwood floors in kitchen and dining area: Kept pretty clean by our dog and our no shoes indoor policy.
Kitchen: I clean up while I cook so I don’t create big messes. Unfortunately my husband does most of the cooking and the kitchen looks like it was hit by a tornado every time he makes a meal. Our kitchen countertops and stove area should definitely be cleaned daily but we’re doing well if we do a thorough cleaning on the off weeks from the cleaners. I don’t love it, but I view it as a price of admission thing and I’m grateful I don’t have to cook.
Anon says
I really like this thread!
Biweekly cleaners only for two bathrooms and kitchen/foyer. I WFH, kiddo is in daycare full time, and DH works a lot. I somehow create a lot of dust and hair balls in our bedroom.
– I sweep the kitchen floor nearly everyday because we have a toddler and lots of crumbs.
– I rarely ever wipe down the stove. Never clean the microwave or toaster.
– I only wipe down part of the counter I use for food prep
– I vacuum the rest of our apt (living room and 2 beds) about once a week. Less bc I’m pregnant and tired.
– I clean up toys everyday
– never touch the bathrooms.
Anon says
Bi-weekly house cleaners. Two kids (2 and 4) and a messy husband who (fortunately) no longer works from home. ;)
My nanny and I wind up cleaning the kitchen table and countertops at least once a day, if not more. My kids are home a lot and pretty messy. The kitchen floor gets vacuumed at least once a day because my youngest is in a big food throwing phase. I’ll spot clean our stone floors with a damp towel but rarely break out a Swiffer or a mop in between cleanings unless it’s really bad.
I’ll vacuum our downstairs at least once in between house cleanings, but I rarely mop. I’ll quickly wipe down any mirrors, countertops, or toilets that are visibly gross or if we have guests coming over. I don’t do any big deep cleaning on my own, though. Toys get picked up and put away at least once (usually twice) daily, though sometimes it feels like screaming into the wind because my youngest is a tiny tornado. ;)
I’d love more regular housecleaning but I think what will really help is when my kids start school and are out of the house for a minimum of 5-6 hours a day. With two little kids home mostly 24/7, it’s an uphill battle. My cleanliness pre-kids was impeccable, so I’ve definitely let things slide out of necessity/sanity. I’ll get back there someday.
Redux says
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.
Pogo says
That’s so fun! I love it.
Anonymous says
You just saved me! I have been stuck for weeks on a gift for my mom and this is perfect.
Anonymous says
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.
Cb says
Oh I love the local shop card idea, great for girls and boys.
EDAnon says
I teach a bunch of 2nd and 3rd grade kids at church. They still like Pokemon. They talk about Pokemon cards and one brought a Pokemon ball toy the other week. They’re also really into Roblox and Minecraft, which don’t lend themselves to small gifts (as far as I am aware).
Anon says
There are little Roblox and Minecraft mini figures. But I personally would do ice cream :).
Anonanonanon says
I have been a “no gifts” parent in the past mostly because we had a tiny house and I did not want stuff. I would have thought a gift card- especially in the starbucks scenario you’re describing- was very cute and my kid would appreciate it.
Magic the gathering cards were a much bigger “thing” when my son was that age than pokemon cards.
I’ve given gift cards even at parties with gifts permitted starting around 9 years old, especially if my son couldn’t give me any intel on what the kid is into. Boys are gravitating away from birthday-party-affordable toys at that age and might be saving up for a special video game, huge lego set, etc. and a gift card could help them get to their goal.
Spirograph says
To me, small gift card for ice cream and starbucks would be lovely, but something like a Target gift card that implies purchasing a toy violates the “no gifts” spirit.
Re pokemon: My 3rd grade boy has gone through both Pokemon and Magic phases over the last few years, and even though their grasp of the games are questionable at best, all my kids like to look at cards and talk about them. You could definitely give some Pokemon cards and expect the average 8 year old to get at least 10 minutes of enjoyment out of them.
NYCer says
Receiving a $5-10 gift card for Starbucks or ice cream would be fine with me at a “no gifts” party. Agreed that a toy store or Target type card would be less appropriate.
Anonymous says
To me “no gifts” includes no gift cards. You can sometimes find really fancy pop-up cards or cards that include activities that seem like a little more than just a card. Or attach a full-sized candy bar to the card–my kid always gets really excited about that.
Anon says
+1 I think this depends on your circles, but in mine “no gifts” means no gifts and that includes gift cards. We usually just do a fun card, but I think the candy bar idea is a good one if you feel you have to give more than a card.
Cornellian says
+1
AwayEmily says
Agree with this. I sometimes put in a sheet of stickers if I have one around.
Anon says
+1. To me no gifts means no gifts. If someone secretly means their kid will be excited about a gift card, they shouldn’t say no gifts. Please accept the mental break this party organizer is giving you and don’t raise the bar for everyone else!
(Is my grinch response).
Anon says
I usually do no gift parties and yes a gift card is too much. (And yes my 9 year old LOVES starbucks too!) Although weirdly I’m okay when someone adds say, a mystery Lego figure pack to a homemade card, so ymmv.
My 7 year old is still somewhat into Pokemon but it’s fading. Fidgets are really big in both kids’ classes so something like a spinner or a snap-click or a shaped pop it might be a good non-gift gift idea. Key rings are also really popular to hang on backpacks – try to figure out what is cool now at the school, like a Minecraft figure or AmongUs or Roblox.
Anonymous says
Honestly this is ridiculous a gift card is “too much”?!?!
Anon says
If the host has requested no gifts, yes. It’s disrespectful to ignore the host’s wishes and it’s also rude to other guests who will then be embarrassed for following the host’s request and not bringing a gift.
Anonymous says
This is what I was trying to weigh. I know the drill for younger kids: no gifts = card + balloon or sheet of stickers max. But I’m finding with older kids, “no gifts” is “for the love of god don’t bring another $20 craft kid into my house.” for her closer friends, they either are “yes gifts” or i know them well enough to ask in advance. This is a boy in my daughter’s class that I don’t know the parents at all. I’m looking for the 8 year old boy equivalent of “sheet of stickers”.
Anon says
I think the full size candy bar suggestion is the older kid equivalent of sheet of stickers. A gift card, even one for $10, is a much bigger gift than stickers or candy.
Walnut says
Take it at face value. No gifts means no gifts.
Anonymous says
To me “no gifts” means nothing except for a handmade card, if that. I literally don’t want you to buy ANYTHING. But if your kid really wants to make my kid a drawing that says “happy birthday,” that’s cute and totally fine.
EDAnon says
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.
Anonanonanon says
My kids are very far apart in age, so I do have a middle-schooler and preschooler!
Kindergarten was great. The only stressor was childcare considerations for snow days, teacher workdays, summer, etc. We used a local daycare’s before/after school service and they covered all of that!
Is your son in preschool? If so, he’ll be a star in Kindergarten! Kindergarten is really more about learning to take turns speaking, being patient, sitting at your desk, etc. which he’ll already know how to do! Also, if your kid is going to public school, saving the money sure was nice :-) Two drop-offs and pickups was a bit of a pain but even one is a pain to me!
What specifically are you worried about with the school schedule? Are you doing before/after school care?
EDAnon says
He is in preschool, and generally does very well. But still gets in some preschool antics.
He is in after care (there is no before care – school starts at 7:45). The 7:45 start time is stressful (he is not a morning kid. We usually dropoff around 8:30). I also feel like I miss a lot of work now, so how can I manage missing more when I have to do both drops/pickups?
Snow days are less of an issue because I work for a college in the same city and we generally close the same days.I think our after school providers care on teacher planning days, but I should check.
avocado says
In my long experience, happiness as a parent of school-aged children depends upon two things: 1. Being as uninvolved with school and schoolwork as possible. 2. Excellent after-school childcare with transportation. The very few years when we had good child care that included transportation to activities were so much less stressful and more enjoyable.
There are so many awesome things about school. It’s a lot of fun to watch kids go off and do their own thing in a place that belongs entirely to them.
EDAnon says
That’s good to hear. I have heard great things about the aftercare (which is on-site/close to our house).
Anon says
My only is 4 and not going to K until next year but I’m already low key anxious about it. Logically, I know she’ll be ready and do great, but it’s a big change for both kid and you and I think it’s pretty normal to be a little stressed about it! One tip I’ve heard from mom friends is to not schedule after school activities in K, at least not in the fall. Once they’re adjusted to school you can add activities back in, but the transition can be a little hard even for kids who were in all-day daycare previously.
anon says
I agree with this advice. (Although I think kids who are already used to daycare are less shocked by having full days.)
anon says
I have five years between my kids, so I had the situation of having a young toddler plus a kindegartener. In all honesty, we eventually switched daycares for the younger kid because I wanted them in the same neighborhood for ease of, well, everything. But that took two years to happen, and it was still fine. Particularly if you can divide and conquer pickup with your spouse. Having reliable before/after care is KEY. If that’s in place, your schedule really won’t change that much from the daycare years to kindergarten. I have been fortunate that the school schedule hasn’t been a big sticking point because there are group care options for elementary kids on those no-school days. The YMCA offers one, and many of the daycares offer elementary care options for their alumni and siblings of current daycare kiddos.
But also, kindergarten is a big change for you emotionally. I was a wreck when my oldest started school, so I’m giving you all this advice with zero judgment. When my younger kid went to K, I was OVERJOYED. No more daycare payments, and I was very over the preschool/daycare scene at that point.
Mary Moo Cow says
I had one in K and one in daycare and it wasn’t always easy, but it was only for 9 months, so it was bearable. The biggest difference for us would have been having afterschool child care for the K so we didn’t have to get the toddler out of daycare right at the end of naptime. The school breaks are a learning curve. But you asked about how great it was, so: I love our school, and so do our kids! DD made friends on Day 1, she understood from preschool what the expectations for behavior were, and she learned to read! I cried on her last day at our beloved preschool, but our whole family found a new community in the school and we volunteer, have made new friends, etc. You can feel two feelings at the same time, anxiety and excitement at the prospect of the growth and new school family.
AwayEmily says
Mine started K in this fall with a 4yo brother still in daycare. Honestly, it’s been wonderful. She’s made new friends in the neighborhood, she has learned to read (which is so cool to watch), and even though it is lots of sitting/worksheets/etc, she has done fine. She’s happy to go to school each day and I have taken a super hands-off approach…I figure the school will alert me if there are any problems. Her school starts at 9 and so we drop off the preschooler first, then her, in a single trip. The dropoff is easy (takes exactly a half hour total), but the late start means mornings are sooooo long (kids are up at 6:30).
For various reasons we opted out of after-care this year and made do with a combination of babysitter and family but next year we plan on sending her to after-care. Because kindergarten is pretty structured we prioritize unstructured play/relaxing in the 3pm – 5pm hours — either she plays at a park with her friends or if she’s had a long day she just colors while listening to audiobooks.
In sum: kindergarten is awesome! And fwiw she is not going to a particularly fancy kindergarten; the school is in the bottom 20% in our state — but the teachers are great and yeah, maybe they lean a little more heavily on worksheets than I’d like but as long as she’s happy and learning, I’m fine with it.
Anon says
I can’t speak to the younger sibling issue, but my daughter is in kindergarten this year and it’s been great. Kindergarten in our public schools is still pretty play-based and there’s no homework except daily reading with family members. I’m a little nervous about the transition to first grade, which is reportedly a lot more academic around here.
We didn’t use aftercare this year either, mainly because the only option around here is through the school system and it’s terrible. My husband and I both have pretty flexible jobs and we often have grandparents around to help at least a couple days a week. It’s actually gone a lot better than I expected. Kiddo does a better job entertaining herself than I thought she would, and it’s been good for my mental health to work more efficiently from 9-3 and then go to the park after school, which I try to do at least a couple times a week in nice weather. We don’t plan to use an aftercare program next year either.
anon says
When my older went to Kindergarten, we got an au pair and moved the younger to a half day preschool. It worked out better for us because it meant we had childcare for afternoons, school closures, holidays and half days. It also put the younger one on the same school schedule as the kindergartner. It was a great year for us with both kids learning a lot and us having great childcare coverage.
If daycare + public school is going to be stressful for you, there are other options.
Anne-on says
The biggest piece of logisitical advice is to get a copy of the vacation calendar ASAP and book camps/sitters as soon as you can. Our private school doesn’t do after care so we had to switch to an au pair in pre-k to cover the early dismissal (2pm does not a ‘full day’ of school make) and all the random school holidays and closures that mean you won’t have school coverage. Almost all of our local kid gyms/rec centers offer ‘holiday’ camps, but teacher development days/snow days are just tough – that’s when the au pair was a godsend.
Spirograph says
TL/DR: You might have a bumpy couple of months, but I promise your kid will be fine, and you’ll be fine. People adapt, and kids adapt way faster than grown-ups. It’s their superpower!
First, I want to validate your concerns: The school calendar can be annoying. I had underestimated how limiting school vacations are, especially since I hate crowds and had been spoiled by traveling at more off-peak times. Also, there are a lot of random days off or half days. Finding an aftercare program that covers them is crucial to protect your sanity and PTO.
Brace yourself for the first couple months to be difficult. If they’re not, it will be a pleasant surprise, but my oldest had a tough adjustment to K even after being in full time daycare/preschool his whole life.
How hard it is to have kids in 2 different places depends a lot on the logistics involved. Depending on how much longer the younger one has in preK, consider making a change for convenience if you have other good options. We switched to a preK equidistant to our house but closer to the elementary school when my oldest was going into K, to align on hours of after-care availability and shave 5-10 min off the drop-off/pick-up loop.
But all together, it wasn’t as bad as I imagined it might be. My oldest son didn’t care for the school part, but really thrived with activities and bigger kids in aftercare; he was so happy there that it all balanced out. And he was so proud to be a Big Kid! Also, not what you asked, but IME it’s easier with the younger kid(s). Partly personality, but largely because we’d already locked in the parts of our routine that included elementary, my younger kids took to K like fish to water.
Babysitter says
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?
Anon says
Let the baby sitter put the kids to bed! She will figure it out. You deserve a break.
Also, I worried more about putting them to bed first but then if they wake up for any reason them being more freaked out that all of a sudden there’s a random person there that wasn’t before.
Anon says
How critical is it that the kids go to bed on time? If it’s not (because they aren’t super routine driven, or they can sleep in a bit the next morning or you think you can slip in a nap the next day), then I’d say let the babysitter do it. If it is, then you should do it and have the sitter come after.
My kid (4) does not get a babysitter very often (we just take our date nights when family visits or we visit them), but on the rare occasions she does, she is super excited about it and there is no universe where she would go to be peacefully without having gotten to play with the sitter.
Cornellian says
+1. If the kid can just sleep in an hour the next morning if bedtime goes poorly, I’d let the sitter figure it out. I’ve only left my kid with a sitter/friend maybe 4 evenings in his life, and every time it’s been fine. I think easier than it is for me or my husband, honestly!
GCA says
Trust the babysitter to put the kids to bed — my kids always behave completely differently for their grandparents and sitters! And go out and enjoy your evening.
Spirograph says
This. For me, when my kids were that age, the fact that I didn’t have to do bedtime routine was like… 80% of the enjoyment of a date night. It’s even better if they come early enough to do dinner!
Anonymous says
The preschooler will not likely cooperate and it might be a disaster. That said, it’s your night out! If you will enjoy your night knowing you might wake up to a grumpy monster tomorrow AM, then let the sitter do bedtime!
If you place a higher value on a peaceful tomorrow, then do bedtime tonight.
FWIW generally the sitters eventually get my kids to bed, about an hour or so past when I’d do it. THey are fine.
Mary Moo Cow says
When my kids were younger, I fell in the opposite camp: put the kids to bed and then I could really relax and enjoy my night out. Now that they don’t go to bed at 7 p.m., however, and I’ve gotten used to eating at 6:30 p.m., we usually have the grandparents come over around 5:30, leave by 6, and are home by 10. Grandparents put them to bed and kids are used to it now and cooperate-ish.
SC says
My thought is that the whole point of getting a babysitter is to get a night off from bedtime. Any time we have a babysitter, I make sure we’re out of the house for the entire evening routine.
Anonymous says
Same. But my kiddo also goes to bed for the babysister and behaves normal the next day. I can see taking a different approch with kids who are less into bedtime.
More Sleep Would Be Nice says
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.
anon says
Yes, we kept up afternoon rest time for our older one until the younger one stopped napping. The older one would play quietly or read a book in her room for quiet time. Then it faded away as the kids got older and our weekends got busier.
Spirograph says
exactly this. We called it “quiet time” because that triggered less resistance than “rest.”
Anon says
Yeah I think it’s completely fine to do one thing at home and a different thing at school. That applies to many things besides naps. My 4 year old hasn’t napped at school since she was 2 (and honestly napped very inconsistently at school even as a baby and toddler), but still took a nap most weekend days until recently and probably would still take a nap if it were up to her. Just FYI that at this age naps may soon interfere with night time sleep though. We had to cut my daughter off from weekend naps because we couldn’t get her in bed before midnight on days she napped. I miss the mid-day break, but the crazy late bedtime was worse than not having the nap break.
OP says
Definitely something I’m keeping in mind re nighttime sleep – this is why I think even if it’s quiet/rest time, it’s critical.
Anon says
Yeah, we do alone time (she doesn’t have to be quiet, but she has to play alone in her room) from 1-3 pm most weekends now, although we’re more flexible than we were when she needed naps and will skip it in favor of an activity or party or something like that.
Anon says
Weekend quiet time is crucial for my family! My twins are in public preK so no naps, but any weekend/holiday/school break they have ~2 hours of quiet time in their rooms where they can play, read, draw, etc but need to be occupying themselves without a parent. This is probably pretty kid dependent, but my kids really benefit for the alone time and complain when we cut it short for one reason or another. Also, unlike nap time, we can skip it when traveling or for an event or whatnot without throwing off the whole routine.
FWIW, they were still napping at 4.5 until we stopped letting them nap a couple weeks before school started in preparation for the new schedule. It took us a couple weeks to transition from naps to full quiet time because we couldn’t leave them alone for 2 hours without them falling asleep, so we did some shorter quiet times or with a parent coming in every 30 minutes to make sure they weren’t sleeping.
Anonymous says
Quit time is non negotiable in our house. DD is 5, DS is 2.9 and just transitioning out of naps/into quiet time. DD has puzzles, barbies, American girl dolls. She can bring other toys up to her room. I can get an hour out of DD, and DS is up to 15 mins (which is good for not even 3!).