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Readers at Corporette were recently talking about these stretch crepe pants as “magic pants” that are “more comfortable than sweats or leggings and can still pass as work pants.” Well, well! That’s definitely good to know about when you’re planning on having a long day and choosing comfortable workwear for late nights. They have an elastic waist, no pockets, and come in regular, petite, and plus sizes — and of course they are machine washable. Nice. They’re $168 full price; Nordstrom has a few options as low as $117. Straight Leg Crepe Pants Looking for other washable workwear? See all of our recent recommendations for washable clothes for work, or check out our roundup of the best brands for washable workwear. This post contains affiliate links and CorporetteMoms may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. For more details see here. Thank you so much for your support!Sales of note for 3.28.24
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And — here are some of our latest threadjacks of interest – working mom questions asked by the commenters!
- If you’re a working parent of an infant with low sleep needs, how do you function at work when you’re in the throes of baby’s sleep regression?
- Should I cut my childcare down to 12 hours a month if I work from home?
- Will my baby have speech delays if we raise her bilingual?
- Has anyone given birth in a teaching hospital?
- My child eats everything, and my friends’ kids do not – how should I handle? In general, what is the best way to handle when your child has some skill/ability and your friend’s child doesn’t have that skill/ability?
- ADHD moms, give me your tips to help with things like behavior in the classroom, attention to detail, etc?
- I think I suffer from mom rage…
- My husband and kids are gone this weekend – how should I enjoy my free time?
- I’m struggling to be compassionate with a SAHM friend who complains she doesn’t have enough hours of childcare.
- If you exclusively formula fed, what tips do you have for in the hospital and coming home?
- Could I take my 4-yo and 8-yo on a 7-8 day trip to Paris, Lyon, and Madrid?
Edna Mazur says
Shared a bowl of ice cream with my toddler last night. He started puking at about three o’clock this morning. We used the same spoon.
HSAL says
Godspeed, my friend.
But really, I share many bites and germs with my toddler, and I think adults just have better stomachs for stuff like that. She threw up a couple weeks ago out of the blue (a few times over two hours and then she was done) and I was worried it would hit me, but I escaped. Good luck though!
Anon says
Maybe it was just too much lactose for him? Your immune system is also more advanced than his. Keeping my fingers crossed for you!
Anonanonanon says
Oh nooooo! I’m so sorry! Here’s hoping you at least have time to make it home if it kicks in for you! :(
FWIW My husband NEVER catches the stomach bugs from our kid, and I do 100% of the time, where as I never catch the respiratory stuff and he does 100% of the time. Fingers crossed you don’t get it, but maybe go ahead and buy some gatorade
CLMom says
I do not understand toddler. My just turned two-year-old will cry and ask for something, like a stuffed animal or a snack. I give her the requested item. She pushes it away, and cries more. I’m sure this makes sense somehow, but not to me. Any explanations?
Anonymous says
Definitely been through this. Usually when they are just starting to get more language, so they can sort of express what they want but not entirely. Like toast – but then it’s devastating if the toast is cut into pieces instead of served as whole piece. Sometimes they are just exhausted and don’t know what they want, so they ask for something but they change their mind. This also describes me snacking in the pantry after the kids go to bed.
Anonanonanon says
Hahaha so true about the devastation if the food isn’t presented in exactly the right way. They get so distraught when life does not line up 100% with their expectations, which I guess is fair since that is a tough lesson for all of us.
Anon says
Yep it’s a language thing. My 2 year old will ask for a stuffed animal, but he means he wants it on his left side, not his right side. But he can’t tell me that. Tears.
Or ask for milk. But he really wants chocolate milk. But can’t remember the name. So asks for milk, and I give it to him and he cries and says no, COW milk. I think he’s smart and say yes, milk comes from cows! More tears. COW milk, mama! Finally his older sister interprets – remember when we went to Gramma’s house and she gave us the red juice box that had chocolate milk in it? (The Horizon box has a big cow on it.) Ohhhhhhhhhhhh. Then I have to explain that we don’t drink chocolate milk most days. More tears, plus a tantrum, plus his sister whining how it isn’t fair that they don’t get chocolate milk everyday.
Toddler hood is fun!
Redux says
Big sibs are the best interpreters!
SC says
My toddler hasn’t experienced chocolate milk yet. DH has suggested buying it as a treat a few times, and I’m just not ready to go down that path and deal with “milk” vs “chocolate milk.” I know I can’t shelter him (or myself) forever, and one day there will be chocolate milk at a grandparent’s or friend’s house or a birthday party, but I’m not buying it first :-)
Anonymous says
My DH bought some as a treat on Sunday. The last three days have involved fighting with the kids about when and how much chocolate milk they can have because they know it’s in the fridge (which they can open). I told DH that if he ever buys chocolate milk again, he has to keep in in the minifridge in his home office and not tell the kids about it.
NewMomAnon says
The first time kiddo saw chocolate milk, she announced that it was “poop milk.” I did not correct her, and she still won’t drink it. Parenting win.
Edna Mazur says
My kiddos do this when they are overtired, overstimulated, or just need to let off some emotional steam. Like they ask for the red cup and you give them the red cup and then a tantrum because you gave them the red cup.
I kind of think it is like when you are in a bad mood or stressed and you end up taking it out on or picking a fight with your spouse. With training, effort on all parts, and gaining maturity, I imagine it will pass.
PregLawyer says
My 2.5 year old is a sociopath at times. Or maybe just a psychopath – I’m not sure which one. He will play this game with me for 10-15 minutes straight. “What do you want for dinner tonight?” “Avocado.” “Oh great! Avocado toast?” “No, avocado and mac and cheese.” “Okay, I can cut up an avocado and put it on the side.” “No avocado, I want mac and cheese.” “What would you like your vegetable to be?” “Not avocado. I don’t like avocado.” “Alright, I’ll get some peas.” “NO!!! NO NO NO! Mommy, avocado toast! AVOCADO TOAST”
CLMom says
One day, mine wanted turkey and yogurt (plain greek). So I gave each to her separately. She quickly put the turkey into the yogurt, because apparently that’s how she wanted to eat it. I love them, but toddlers are so weird.
Legally Brunette says
Right there with you! This is what happened at dinner yesterday:
Me: What do you want for dinner?
2 year old: Idli! Idli! (Indian steamed dumplings)
Me (proceeds to make the idlis): Here you go.
2 year old, dissolving into tears: I don’t want idli! No no no!!
15 minutes later, after his tantrum has subsided:
2 year old: Mmmmm. This is yummy. I like idli.
Face palm.
PregLawyer says
CIO question: I’ve had a ton of success with CIO with my now 2.5 year old. Whenever we have a hiccup in the routine (travel, illness, etc.), we fall back on CIO for a couple of days and he gets right back into being a great overnight sleeper. Now that he’s 2.5, he’s both (1) more manipulative and aware of multiple ways to get us to his room at night, but also (2) he has an active imagination and nightmares.
What do I do about CIO when he is legitimately having nightmares? How do I tell if he actually IS having nightmares, versus just wanting us to come into his room in the middle of the night to sing/read/hold him? At this point I know he’s perfectly capable of getting himself back to sleep on his own in most situations, but I don’t really know how to handle the nightmare twist. Any advice?
Pogo says
I’m totally making this up, but can you Ferber a toddler? Like, have a script and go in every 10 mins after initial consolation of alleged nightmare?
“Here is [lovey], here is [nightlight device], and Daddy and I are down the hall. You had a scary dream, but its ok now, and it’s time to sleep.” Or something?
I can understand feeling awful listening to them cry MOMMMMMY after they’ve told you they had a bad dream. I think it’s fair to go in, but try not to encourage extra snuggles/reading/etc if the goal is to get back to STTN. Unless going in just turns the wailing up to 11, then maybe this is a stupid idea.
Anon in NYC says
My daughter sometimes wakes up screaming for us in the middle of the night. At first we would go in and try to pick her up and comfort her, which made it so much worse. It prolonged the whole going back to sleep process and eventually someone would give up and sleep in her glider, but that person plus her got terrible sleep that night. We’ve mostly stopped doing that. Now if she wakes up we go in, put her blanket back on her, sometimes pat her back, and then go back to bed. Of course, sometimes she wakes up screaming 3x in a night, which is just awful, but I think she just needs to know that we’re there.
SC says
I don’t think there’s any way to tell if a toddler is “really” having nightmares, but I would keep things brief and boring whenever you go back in.
When Kiddo wakes up in the middle of the night, we go into his room, but we don’t pick him up and we don’t stay long. We might rub his back, mutter some soothing words along the lines of Pogo’s script, and emphasize all the comforting things he has in his bed–his lovey, his pillow, his blankets. If we need to, we’ll tuck him back and grab his lovey for him (when he has nightmares, he seems to thrash and kick off the blankets and throw his lovey out of the bed). Then we tell him “goodnight” and leave.
We do a Ferber-type method of putting him to bed–leave and go back at 2 minutes, then 5, then 10. He’s almost always asleep before we get to 10. I wouldn’t hesitate to do the same thing in the middle of the night if Kiddo didn’t go back to sleep immediately.
anonnymommy says
I gave my daughter a spray bottle with lavender water in it (water + a couple drops of lavender oil), and told her it was Monster Spray. She is allowed to spray it one time in her room if a nightmare wakes her up. (I also use it when I’m doing her hair to get her hair wet.) I’ve read it is important to join them on the reality of their nightmare and give them tools to feel better (i.e., don’t say “oh that’s not real” but say, “oh that was really scary, how can we help you feel safe from [monsters/etc.]”).
Legally Brunette says
No personal advice but I recall that Dr. Weissbluth’s amazing sleep training book has a chapter on nightmares and how to deal with them. Might be worth a read (you can get it from the library I’m sure if you don’t have a copy at home).
Walnut says
Your kid wakes up at 7:30 and diaper is dry. You’re not surprised, because they’ve been eating/sleeping terribly. Previous diaper change was at 4:30AM Drop off at daycare at 8AM, indicating last diaper change was 4:30AM. Daycare emails at 10AM having a cow because the kid “hadn’t been changed in 3.5 hours” and makes all sorts of accusatory statements (seriously, the email went on and on.)
I’m rather cranky about an email which all but states I was neglecting my child. I quickly responded that her diaper was dry when I checked it at 7:30 and didn’t appreciate the statement that I sent my child into daycare with a completely wet diaper. I’m considering also calling, but obviously need to calm down before I do so.
How would you guys handle this??
octagon says
I would email back and ask why kid was at daycare for 2 hours without anyone checking the diaper.
PregLawyer says
This, except I’d call the director and have a conversation and explain that this is not an appropriate form of communication with parents.
rosie says
What a ridiculous communication to get from them. Also, what is the purpose of you telling them when the last diaper change was? Is it so they can keep track to see if it’s been a concerning amount of time between wet diapers? Or is it so they know when the baby was last noted as in a clean diaper? If the latter, seems like you would tell them 7:30 in this situation, no? But either way, not how you communicate with parents.
mascot says
Change your reporting- If you checked the diaper at 7:30 and it was dry, write 7:30 down as the time of the last change. They don’t need to know whether you put on a new diaper or not- just the time that someone checked.
anonnymommy says
+100
Anonanonanon says
This. (not agreeing to blame you in anyway, but agreeing it’s none of their business and it was entirely inappropriate for them to contact you that way)
avocado says
I find it odd that the day care is asking you when the diaper was last changed in the first place. Shouldn’t they be checking the diaper when you hand the kid off? I also find it odd that the day care is e-mailing or otherwise contacting you during the day for any reason other than a request for an emergency pickup.
In the future, I would report the time of the last diaper change as the time you last checked it: “it was dry at 7:30.”
Pogo says
Most daycares have you fill out a form so they know when it was the last time kid was wet/had a BM, I think so they know what to expect. Or if OP’s kid is a toddler and using the potty at all, they might be trying to ascertain when kiddo needs to be prompted for potty next.
I agree it’s really weird that they emailed about it. What purpose does that even serve? Other than to make OP feel judged.
avocado says
Our day care was small and not a chain, so dropoff was pretty much just hang up the kid’s bag, chuck the kid into the room, and run away as fast as possible. I guess I am lucky I never had to fill out a form!
Walnut says
This is my dream. I’m certain they all think I’m a b!tch because I don’t hang out and chat. Look, guys, its a contractual arrangement. If I had time to hang out and chat, I’d rather spend that time hanging out and chatting with my kid in my own house. Not chatting it up with y’all.
Wow says
Walnut, I get where you’re coming from but it’s in your best interest to be chatty with the teachers. after all, they’re taking care of your kids and you want them to like you. this shouldn’t happen but in one of the daycares my son was in I felt that some children got extra special treatment because the parents were all so friendly, gave generous holiday gifts, brought in cookies periodically, etc. Not saying that is right but it is common.
Walnut says
Wow – you’re probably right. I likely should be more chatty and maybe it wouldn’t have brought on this email situation. I know for a fact that my daughter isn’t a teachers pet already. She’s the one who doesn’t sleep and gets overtired as a result.
Going forward, I’m definitely taking all of your advice on writing in the last time the diaper was checked. Tonight I think I’ll just emphasize if something comes up that they’re very concerned about, they should call me about it directly. We could have cleared this up very quickly over the phone.
Pogo says
This would make me feel sh!tty. In the future I’d just lie and say 7:30 was the last diaper change bc if it was dry, that’s essentially what you mean. Is that what they want parents to do?
You responded in the right way and I would try to calm down before addressing it further. Are any of the morning teachers there at pickup? It might go over better in person – tone is so hard to read in an email.
Walnut says
Normal morning teacher is out this week, which is likely not helping the situation. Email came from the director, who was in the classroom and noticed the very wet diaper at 10AM. FWIW, my kid hates being wet. She also pees in huge bursts, so goes from dry to wet in a nano-second and ensures the entire neighborhood knows about it when it happens.
I’ll probably try to leave work early to discuss my daughter’s peeing habits with the director before she goes home for the evening.
avocado says
The director should have been criticizing the teachers for not noticing the wet diaper, not you! Even if you had dropped her off with a wet diaper, it shouldn’t have gone until 10:00.
We had a long commute and my kid sometimes arrived at day care with a wet diaper. The teachers would shoo me away if I tried to change it myself.
Walnut says
I was instructed in the email to change my kid’s diaper at the center if they arrived with a wet diaper. Definitely not thrilled to add more time to the daycare dropoff routine.
HSAL says
They want you to change it at dropoff? That’s insane. We’ve had a couple of car p00ps where I’m pretty apologetic at dropoff, but that’s…their job? At my daycare, infants are changed whenever they’re wet, but in the toddler class and the 2-3, they’re all checked/changed every two hours unless someone has a p00p, which they change as soon as they notice. Seconding all the comments that this is something the director should be taking up with the teachers, not you.
rosie says
Is that even allowed? When we toured daycares (not currently in one, went with a nanny share for now), it seemed like there was pretty strict protocol for hygiene for changing diapers. Seems like having someone untrained in their protocol could be against licensing rules (in addition to being a PITA for you).
Anonymous says
@Walnut
Should have put down last time you knew the diaper was dry (7:30). Honestly, I’d reply that you must have made a mistake and you meant to put down 7:30 and that their tone was deeply unprofessional and inappropriate. And also maybe they need training in how to communicate with clients.
Anonymous says
Please tell me how you trim/cut your baby’s fingernails. It seems like Goldilocks over here trying to figure this out. With the nail cutters, we too often accidentally cut some skin. With a file, it takes forever/doesn’t go down. With the battery-operated file, the pink file doesn’t do anything, but the orange one simultaneously doesn’t do enough and leaves the edges looking rough.
I understand that with longer nails she’s going to scratch herself, but at this point I’d rather she do that than I accidentally cut a finger trying to keep them short to daycare’s satisfaction every other day.
Pogo says
Following. I cut LO’s the other day and accidentally snagged a tiny bit of skin, I didn’t notice, and he was bleeding on his lovey. I felt SO bad.
rakma says
Nail scissors worked better for us than clippers. Also, I was able to peel my youngest’s nails rather than cutting for at least the first couple months. (my oldest has nails that were always too strong to peel. I still feel horribly guilty about the time I clipped more than just a little skin at the tip of her finger, though of course she has no recollection of this)
AIMS says
+1. Curved, small nail scissors. Put TV on, sit baby in lap and cut. She’s so used to the routine now that she actually offers to do this now and then says “foot??”
Anonymous says
I used the clippers and never caught skin, but ours were fairly good about holding still– I would try sliding the clipper in from the side so that you can see that the edge of the clipper is under the nail and not skin. My husband started off coming directly in from the “front” and it was easier to grab skin that way.
PregLawyer says
Oh yes, definitely the side slide.
PregLawyer says
I use the clippers. It just takes some practice and you need to find a time when the baby is not moving too much. My husband used to do it while my kid nursed; now that he’s 2.5, we do it while he watches TV. Just push the fingertip pad down to expose more nail while you cut. We had some early accidents, but eventually got over it!
Oh – get the special baby nail clippers. Summer Infant has a good pair in their complete baby care kit.
Anon says
+1. I use the Rhoost bamboo baby cutters (and still do on my 4yo). They’re smaller so it’s easier to only get the nail. I occasionally got the skin but it healed quickly and after a few tries I got a lot better.
Distraction is the key. Find a good video to let them watch (Baby Shark by Pink Fong is amazing, they are in a trance with that thing, or the “Do You Like Broccoli Ice Cream” ones by Super Simple Songs) and clip while they’re engrossed in the screen.
RDC says
+1 to tv. When I tell my 3yo it’s time to cut his nails, he answers with “watch Daniel tiger!”
NewMomAnon says
How old? I chewed off kiddo’s fingernails for the first several months, then switched to a nail clipper that was (a) very sharp and (b) had a little magnifying glass so I could see her nails better. It’s maybe a Safety First nail clipper? I think it’s also narrower than a usual adult clipper, which makes it easier to not accidentally clip the finger.
Anonymous says
7 mo
lsw says
We use the Piyo Piyo nail scissors and they have worked great.
BTanon says
Same – obsessed with these for infants. Now my toddler is fascinated by the nail clipper and will let me use it, but I felt like I had much more control with these scissors when his nails were really tiny.
Also agree with the suggestion to do it when baby is nursing (if someone else is willing to do the cutting) or sleeping, such as when baby falls asleep in the carseat and you’re going to be waking them up to take them out in a minute anyway.
Pogo says
hm, sounds like Nail Frida is maybe just a miss and I should try one of these other brands. They don’t seem any smaller or easier to maneuver than adult scissors, but I bought them based on the popularity of the Nose Frida. Sign.
Anonymous says
+1, and did it while son was asleep.
anne-on says
I am apparently the ‘baby nail whisperer’ in my family (seriously, I am the one that gets handed small children with, ‘can you pls cut their nails?!’). I like the american red cross small baby nail clippers, and coming in from the side to ensure you slide under the nail is the main ‘trick’ I use along with cutting them 1-2 times per nail if they kid isn’t wiggly.
I’ve also trimmed my cat’s nails since she was a kitten, so maybe I just have the ‘hold a small wriggly being’ stance down?
AwayEmily says
It gets SO much easier once you can use screen time as a distraction. So, keep trying that to see if it takes!
Knope says
Do you nurse? If so, what I’ve done since about 2 months old is latch him for his last feeding for the day, then prop his head under a pillow so I have both hands free. I then clip his nails as he’s getting drowsy. No fuss or fighting involved!
Now what I’m going to do after we wean, I have no idea…
Cornellian says
A hilarious read: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/raquel-dapice/10-month-olds-letter-to-santa_b_4427512.html
Anon says
That’s originally from The Ugly Volvo, a very hilarious parenting blog. Good find!
Cornellian says
Yeah, I clicked through and have been reading a bunch of her stuff. Hilarious.
Pregnancy Emotions says
Please tell me this is normal (I’m 21 weeks): Felt like I wanted to kill someone on Monday (everyone was annoying). Yesterday was fine and felt really productive and on top of things. Today, I can’t stop crying. For context, there are a lot of (good and bad) major changes at my work that have been quite stressful.
lsw says
In pregnancy, it seems like almost anything can be normal! Your hormones are whizzing all over the place, so it wouldn’t be surprising at all for your emotions to be up and down as well. Hang in there!
Turtle says
I’m 20+2 and am a BASKET CASE. Not a total nut job daily, but no consistency in my emotions whatsoever, which makes me even more unhinged. I haven’t slept well in, oh, about 20 weeks and 3 days, which has to be a factor. So, no advice but complete commiseration.
Anonymous says
My son is 5 and this feels normal to me.
lsw says
I have these pants in two colors and they are the greatest. I bought them in an angry panic when I was back from maternity leave and it was a great investment in my sanity and comfort.
Anon in NYC says
lol I misread this at first and thought “angry panic” was the color you purchased.
AwayEmily says
me too! I was like “awesome.”
lsw says
Would that be red?
Walnut says
Is there a color for “dirty toddler hands” also? I’d buy five pairs.
Book recs says
Can anyone recommend a minimally corny pregnancy journal? I used one last time to record milestones, dreams, things like that, but the one I used (Great Expectations Pregnancy Journal and Planner) appears to be out of print.
AIMS says
You can buy the one you like from used book sellers: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/p/great-expectations-marcie-jones/1020515169/2677230355354?st=PLA&sid=BNB_DRS_New+Marketplace+Shopping+Books_00000000&2sid=Google_&sourceId=PLGoP164951&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI5_LcqIX21wIViTaBCh37dgKwEAkYASABEgIX3PD_BwE
Stati says
I will vouch for these pants as maternity pants. If you go up a size, they will work through the 3rd tri.
They are way more comfortable than anything else I have – prepregnancy or otherwise – and I secretly kind of feel like I’m wearing pajamas every time I wear them to work. They wash great!! Cost $30 to have them taken in after delivery, so didn’t feel like a total waste of $$$
EB0220 says
Random house question, but slightly related to kids. Our downstairs living areas areas are all hardwood except for the living room, which is carpeted. The area is really high traffic, and the carpet looks TERRIBLE. As we start thinking about replacing the living room carpet, I’m trying to decide between new higher-quality carpet and hardwood. I tend to prefer carpet in the living room but the kids seem equally willing to play on hardwood or carpet. Would you put in new carpet or do hardwood and try to match the rest of the floor? Kids are 3 and 5, no pets although we may consider a dog someday.
Cornellian says
Hardwood all the way, especially with a dog. If you want to mimic carpeting, get flor tiles (they’re amazing, but there are also similar store brand products). you can take out one or two tiles at a time if kids/future dog make a mess.
Cornellian says
to clarify, you can take out one or two tiles and clean them, then pop them back in.
Anonanonanon says
hardwood. Carpet gets so nasty SO FAST and if the hardwood is an issue you can get an area rug, or use foam tiles as suggested above, but at least the hardwood ups your home value.
Anon says
hardwood and you can always get a large area rug. wait for a sale, get one that isn’t too expensive and then you can replace it when your kids get older.
anne-on says
Hardwood and then a nice indoor/outdoor rug with a thick pad on top, I’m slowly covering our hardwood floors with the Dash & Albert rugs while we’re still in the small child + dog stage.
EB0220 says
I love a good consensus! Thanks everyone!!
Stati says
Hardwood, but def seek out the hardest hardwood (? Lol) you can find. Our dog’s nails will scratch most hardwood floors if they’re not constantly kept filed/trimmed. Our current house has a prefinished oak with a thick coating of poly (mfg is Bruce), and so far they’re holding up.
incremental changes? says
I am feeling too overwhelmed to take on a weight-loss project right now, but I’m trying to make small choices that help/don’t harm, so I feel like I’m doing something. Here’s what I’m doing now, and would love any other ideas!
-thinking twice before eating free food offered in office (do I want it? will one or half of one suffice rather than multiples? am I just hungry and should I just eat my lunch?)
-taking the stairs
-getting up to refill my water bottle as soon as it is empty
-walking to the far bathroom
This is more about feeling in control than some misguided idea that all of this will help me lose ten pounds.
NewMomAnon says
I once forced myself to eat a vegetable before I could eat anything else in a sitting. It feels easier to add things (veggies, water) to a diet than it does to cut things.
Anonanonanon says
the stairs thing is no joke, I moved from an office with stairs (where I took the stairs) to one without and I slowly put on a couple of pounds with no changes to diet etc. anecdotal of course, but I’m convinced it made a difference
One thing I do is I commit to bringing a healthy lunch, but I allow myself to go through a drive-thru and get a diet beverage during lunch if I need to meet the compulsion to get out of the office and get a “treat”. My go-to is chick fil a diet lemonade (SO GOOD!). Then i take my lunch with me, enjoy my diet lemonade with it, and still feel like I got out of the office/went through the drive thru.
Good luck! Small changes do make a difference!
Anonymous says
Write down everything you eat. Eventually you can add tracking calories with that but just writing it down without numbers will help.
Pogo says
Bring healthy snacks to work (fruit, veggies, granola bar) and eat them in order of increasing preference. For example, the granola bar is my ‘treat’ so I eat it last and start with carrot sticks, then a banana second. If I did it the other way around (or didn’t force myself to eat the carrot sticks) I’d wind up at the end of the day having eaten the granola bar AND a cookie from the lunchroom but with a baggie or carrot sticks and a banana sitting on my desk.
Refilling the water is a good one.
Make oatmeal at the beginning of the week in a large batch and portion it so you have breakfast every day and can’t skip it/grab a pastry at the coffee shop. Bonus add in dried fruit, flax, etc.
IF fan says
I’m sorry for saying this ad nauseum but intermittent fasting is amazing, pretty easy, and you see results quickly. I personally hate watching every little thing I eat, creating a food log, etc. so this works really well for me. You basically just only eat from 1 – 8 pm every day, fast the rest of the time. So you’re skipping breakfast, which personally was not a big deal for me. I saw visible results after just 2 weeks and I have been doing it for a year now, and feel awesome. I see myself doing this for the rest of my life. And I’m back to my pre-pregnancy weight finally. All of these other ideas are great but just bringing this up in case you might be interested.
Anonymous says
I’ve started doing this and I find it good. I do a slight variation in that I eat between 12pm-8pm. I also do a small probiotic yoghurt (like one individual serving size) with my morning coffee. I don’t deprive myself when I do eat but I try to be sensible – like don’t go overboard. DH cleans up the supper dishes which keeps me out of the kitchen after supper. That’s key for me to resist snacking.
incremental changes? says
Thank you! I am definitely interested in trying this out. Do you exclude alcohol after 8 pm too?
anne-on says
Question for those who are good at brow/eye makeup – I DO NOT want to do the whole drawn on eyebrow thing that is apparently so popular but I do think I could use a little extra color/shaping. Is there a good drugstore product you’d recommend? I really don’t want to register for glossier to try boy brow.
anon8 says
L’Oreal brow stylist definer is my go-to drugstore brow product.
Cornellian says
I’m warm light brown/strawberry blonde and the Revlon brow fantasy product is a pretty cheap way to try brow make up out. it has a pencil on one end and gel on the other.
Anon says
Re CIO
This advice is so sad. I’m all for sleep training (did Ferber with my first and plan to do it with my second in a few months), but there’s no way I can ever get behind advice that says “don’t hug your 2 year old after he or she has had a nightmare.” I have a 2 year old, and yes he can be manipulative and yes sleep disruptions are annoying and often throw off the schedule. But he’s 2. If he wakes up crying for me from a nightmare, I’m picking him up and comforting him. I cannot imagine just shushing him and walking out without comforting him. This is the stuff anti sleep training people glom on to when they shout about the neglectful nature of CIO.
SC says
I think there’s a range between CIO and picking your kid up and snuggling, and it’s reasonable that different things will work for different kids. I just reread the comments, and I don’t think anyone advocated shushing and walking out without comforting. If my toddler has a nightmare, we go in and comfort him—we rub his back, we use soothing words, we tuck him in and give him his blankets, and we ask if he’s ready for us to leave. If we pick him up, it’s 10 times harder for him to go back to sleep. He’s also not much of a snuggler at any time, and he loves having his back rubbed. I think everyone has to find what works for them.