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Cb says
WFH perk, my husband and I just did a lunchtime calendar summit, making sure we’re on the same page from now til Christmas. The big kitchen calendar is colour-coded and now I get to go and send 4 million calendar invites.
Curious says
Nice!! That’s impressive knowledge of the future, though I know you have an academic calendar you are planning with.
Cb says
Yes, it helps when I’ve got a teaching schedule, although one missed/cancelled flight will cause my carefully constructed house of cards to collapse. Things will move around a bit but at least having the broad strokes of the term is helpful.
Lacey says
Funny, my husband and I also did a fall-calendar-summit for 90 minutes this morning. Clearly the end of summer coming up has us all in planning mode!
EDAnon says
My husband and I did ours yesterday. It was stressful! So many closed days now that our kids are in two schools. But I am glad we did it.
AwayEmily says
Anyone have a lifting routine they really like that’s available online? I have been working with a trainer 2x a week for the past few months but am going to switch to solo workouts. Looking for mostly powerlifting-adjacent plus maybe some dumbell moves. Preferably no machines, and I don’t need any cardio.
GCA says
Might be more work than you want, but could The New Rules of Lifting for Women book help you put together a routine based on your current baseline and objectives? (Also, very impressed that you’re able to work with a trainer at all in the baby year. I was not able to get my life together sufficiently for any sort of routine, unless you count ‘go out and run for 20 minutes at lunch’ as a routine, till each kid was a year old!)
anon says
FitnessBlender has lots of strength videos if you are using dumbells.
Anonymous says
5×5 Stronglifts app.
Mary Moo Cow says
Starting Strong is a good book and has online content. Barbell Medicine also has online content. I recycle 12 week workout blocks, so I would copy down everything the trainer has done for you, and come back to that in a few months, with adjusted weights: it will feel fresh, but you don’t have to do much mental work.
Curious says
I like BigFitGirl a lot.
AwayEmily says
Thanks so much — going to research all of these.
Seafinch says
I love the Sweat App. Lots of options.
Anonymous says
@MegSquats on Insta, particularly her @beforethebarbell workout.
anon says
6 year old started 1st grade last week and its like a whole different world. She has nightly homework now–reading and math practice with other assignments thrown in as well. If we did all of it, it would likely take at least 30 min a night. She has basically thrown a fit every night that we’ve tried to work on it. And this is a kid who loves reading. But at the end of a long school day, homework is the last thing she (or we!) want to do. How did you introduce homework into your routines without nightly fights? I really don’t want to get in a fight about this every night but I also don’t want her to feel unprepared for the next day in class. Thoughts or advice welcome!
Anonymous says
Absolutely anything that is labeled “practice” is completely optional just totally ignore it. Yes reading 15 minutes a day is great but you can gradually reintroduce that in a few months when she is settled. For us it is all about a routine. We get home, I put snack on the table, she sits and does homework while I cook dinner. And truly at that age homework is toxic so I also set a timer. We try for 15 minutes and then done or not we stop.
Anon says
Is the homework due each day? My son got a math packet at the beginning of the week that was due Friday, and a monthly reading log, for which I had to initial each night that he read for 15 min and he’d turn in the completed log at the end of the month.
If there was an evening he was really a mess OR was playing nicely outside/with his brother (aka activities that matter more than homework at age 6!) I let him skip it. I also didn’t initial the page, and it was never a problem.
I did make him complete the math each week, even if it meant a super session on Thursday night, but at the beginning of the year the reading log didn’t always get finished. I talked to the teacher about it – saying I didn’t want to make reading a battle, etc – and he was good with that approach. As long as some progress was being made.
By second semester, he was reading so much the log was no longer a problem. A lot of it happened on weekends and I would just apply it to the week…might that be an option?
Mary Moo Cow says
Ugh, this was me in Kindergarten. DD and I are oil and water with homework, so I make DH do it. They make a better team. We had nightly assignments that were supposed to take 10 minutes — and they would have, if she hadn’t dawdled and sulked and I wasn’t yelling to come back and finish. We got to a happier place by setting aside the same time every night for homework, the 30 minutes before dinner. It is far enough out from end of day that she’s had a brain break but not too close to bedtime that she’s sleepy and exhausted. Trial and error over what time of day works best, whether to do reading or math first, whether to let her choose her assignments, and fun “homework only” pencils helped us, and maybe would help you, too. Finally, I was too chicken to opt out of homework, but an honest conversation with her teacher about scaling back could be the answer.
Cb says
Oof, homework in kindergarten! We’re day 4 and I’m not sure my son’s learned anything yet… information is patchy though, I get a thorough report on what he had in the dinner hall but less about what he did in class.
anon says
So we encountered the same issue with our first grader, who also enjoys learning. As it turns out, she was often too worn out from the day to do homework in the evening without it becoming a whole thing. I know mornings can be crazy, but she could whip through homework in 5-10 minutes in the morning compared to the long, drawn-out process of doing it at the end of the day. You also could clarify with the teacher what the purpose of homework is. In our elementary, at least, it’s not really to prepare for the next day. It’s simply to practice the skills learned already. Kiddo’s teacher was adamant that she did NOT want homework to be a source of stress and it would be OK to do it in batches of 2-3 days’ worth at a time. That may/may not work for your kid, but something to consider. Also, if your kid is doing an afterschool program, most of them have homework time set aside. We’ve had mixed success with this, but you may dangle the carrot that “do your homework at the program, and you’ll have more time to play at home!”
anon says
Also, our school does not do reading homework, just math, which seems to be an anomaly. But I wouldn’t hesitate to push back on the daily reading practice and communicate what you’re already doing to support reading at home. Or just set some boundaries around it: like we’re going to do 10 minutes of reading practice a day, and what gets done, gets done. You can always pick it up the next day, or over the weekend when you have more time and energy.
Lacey says
Wow, that is brutal. My #1 recommendation is to confirm with the teacher whether the homework is required or optional. I think often teachers at that grade level send home optional enrichment activities for kids/families who want it, but by NO means is it required and certainly shouldn’t be done if you child is throwing a fit.
If it is “required,” I still wouldn’t do it if your kid hates it and it’s causing stress. Just ignore it (maybe give the teacher a heads up that it doesn’t work for your family), and revisit if your child starts to struggle in class as a result of not doing it. My guess is she will be fine.
Anon says
30 minutes of homework is crazy for a first grader. It should be more like 10 minutes at that age. I would talk to the teacher and tell her that you’re going to make your kid work on homework every night, but you’re not going to make her finish it if it’s taking too long. And then make your kid spend ~10 minutes on it.
Anonymous says
Our elementary school has a rule that if homework takes more than 10 minutes/night/grade, you are supposed to have the kid stop working and notify the teacher.
Anon says
Yes ours does too, that’s where I came up with that number.
Anon says
Ugh. I don’t think 30 mins is too terribly much (maybe on the high side but not oppressive) but undermining the teacher like this is not the way to go.
Also, even if the teacher doesn’t single the kid out for not doing their work, the kid will likely feel left out (like when they go over the homework answers in class and your kid hasn’t done it), which will only reinforce negative views on homework.
Anon says
Assuming any of that is done and the other kids are doing the homework themselves, which I’m guessing is maybe a 50/50 chance.
The research does not support homework in first grade. I wouldn’t want to undermine the teacher either but that doesn’t mean you mindlessly force your exhausted kid to do math problems just because it was assigned.
Anon says
I think telling the kid to ignore their homework completely is undermining the teacher, but meeting with the teacher to talk about the time it’s taking and set reasonable limits for your family isn’t. Teachers aren’t infallible. Not everything they ask for is reasonable and IMO 30 minutes of homework in first grade isn’t reasonable. Kids should respect authority figures, but respect isn’t synonymous with just blindly doing everything they ask. TBH, I think there’s a very good chance the teacher doesn’t intend the homework to take 30 minutes and will tell you that your kid doesn’t have to do a full 30 minutes.
As to whether it will be an issue in the classroom, I think that depends a lot on your school. At ours homework is really just an at-home thing. It’s not really discussed in the classroom. But if the child is feeling embarrassed about being the only one who doesn’t do it, maybe that will motivate them to do the homework? I don’t think anyone here is suggesting preventing your child from working on homework for longer than 10 minutes if they want to do it.
Like someone said below, homework in early elementary is way more about teaching your child to get into good habits with doing homework rather than academic content. There’s no need to have such a large amount of homework to get your child in the practice of doing homework, and if a shorter amount of homework can make the experience more positive for the child I’m all for that, because I think the attitudes toward homework that are developed early can last for a long time. If cutting the homework short was impacting actual learning, my attitude would be different. But I think that’s very unlikely to be the case in first grade.
Anon says
I strongly believe that homework in lower grades is way more about learning to do homework, building good habits, etc rather than the actual content which always made me a HW stickler.
Our school’s HW schedule is 20 mins in 1st, 30 in 2nd and 3rd and an hour in 4th and 5th. Our rule was always snack + HW first thing a when you get home and then you can play when it’s done. That being said, we usually would stay and play at the school playground for 20ish minutes right after pickup/before going home so kids got time to get rid of energy before coming home for homework.
Because homework was part of the routine we presented it as just something we do (like we always set the table before dinner, we always ride bikes or take a walk after dinner, we always do homework right when we get home). If I tell my kids to do something they’ll fight it but if I present it as this is what we’re doing they’re generally more receptive.
Anonymous says
Do they have homework time at after-school?
Anonymous says
Oh my gosh / please opt out of homework!! This is insane. You absolutely have the option of telling the teacher “we don’t do homework”. Your kid is in school for 6-7hrs a day.
anonamama says
thanks everyone for your input last week on business travel and bringing family! going solo and I feel good about it. Now for another Q. DS (almost 3) is about 3 weeks into his new daycare center and has been adjusting as expected, but he’s having a really tough time with naptime. It makes him sad, he doesn’t like to ‘rest’, and sometimes wakes the other kids up (ughhh). He has his preferred blanket, a stuffed animal he likes and today, sent a favorite book with a note. What else can I do?? thanks as always :)
Anonymous says
Nothing. That’s now daycares job.
Anon says
Yup, daycare teachers love to put weekday nap issues on parents, but it’s really their problem to solve. But also if they want him to stay quiet and not wake other kids, they should be allowing him basically unlimited access to books (and ideally toys) for quiet play. One book will obviously not entertain a 3 year old for a 2 hour nap period.
OP says
thank you both. YES, they put this on us *big time* last week, pulling us aside and making it a big deal. appreciate these takes.
Anon says
i think sending a book is smart. what about (and i guess ask if it is allowed) sending some kind of fidget toy, like a pop it to play with during rest time? or one of those small reusable coloring boards. thats what my kids keep under their beds at home in case they can’t fall asleep. and my twins share a room, so they are supposed to be quiet if they can’t sleep and having something quiet to do helps. there is also a great daniel tiger episode on this topic!
anonamama says
looking up this daniel tiger ep! thank you!
Anon says
Can you tell me how often daycare sends you pictures? Our previous in home daycare uploaded pictures and videos daily of our kid and classmates onto Dropbox. New daycare is affiliated with a local university and seems to send a few photos once every two weeks in an update email to each family. There are no videos and no photos of kiddo interacting with other kids (maybe a privacy thing, in which case that’s fine). Do I just ask for more photos? Or is this normal? They do not use an app. I don’t need a play by play each moment of the day (I know some daycares will upload photos constantly in real time), but not sure if I’m reasonable to want more photos and more frequently than every two weeks.
Anonymous says
Honestly, my preference would be no communication from day care during the day unless there is an emergency, and just a handful of photos in a newsletter about once a month. It’s a lot easier to concentrate at work without the distraction of constant kid updates.
anon says
Agree completely.
Anon says
+100
There’s no need for me to see pictures of the usual day to day at daycare (but if they do something special like a field trip, I’d be cool to see pics!).
I want daycare to be communicative about what matters (not just emergencies but also anything about my kid that would need attention, if my kid seems off, recommendations for changing how we do something at home, etc). But I have zero need to see my kid sitting at circle time or something.
Anonymous says
+a million to this. I want the teachers interacting with my kids, not taking pictures. Also I find it totally gross that it’s teaching SUCH young kids the insta culture of documenting and sharing mundane aspects of your life with a broader audience. I’m old and hate social media, though.
Anon says
so i think there is no ‘normal’ and that it varies from teacher to teacher and class to class. i have twins in two separate classes this year and one teacher seems to do more pics than the other. sometimes i think it was better before daycares even did these things. id rather the teachers be interacting with and watching my kids than spending all of their time taking and uploading pictures
Cb says
Ours was info-lite and we’d get a learning journal with a story and a photo/video every month or two, and the occasional photo in the newsletter. I always wanted more but figured I’d rather have teachers interacting with the kids rather than their phones.
I feel like it helped prepare me for school where we haven’t even said hello to the teacher!
Anon says
We have had a lot of variety even at the same daycare. DS is currently in the young toddler room, so all of the kids are on one nap at the same time. In this room, we get pictures uploaded during nap time on most days. In the baby room, it was much more sporadic– the teachers would typically upload during their off hours maybe once a week because the kids were never really napping at the same time, etc.
Anon says
Our university daycare uses Tadpoles and sends photos every day. The number varies by class. The 2s teacher sent 10+ photos almost every day. Some days we got 20+. It was truly ridiculous (in my opinion). In the preschool classroom we’ve been in for the last year, it’s usually only a couple photos per day. I agree with others who say their preference would be for fewer photos. For me it’s less because I find the photos distracting and more because I think teachers should not always have the iPads in the kids’ faces. When my daughter was in the 2s room she went through a phase where she’d cry and say “no!” whenever we tried to take a photo of her and I think it was because she was getting photographed so much at school. It got better when she moved to the older classroom where the photos are much less frequent.
HSAL says
It varies so wildly but if they don’t use an app, I’m guessing the director just goes around and takes pictures every once in awhile. You could get in good with the teacher and ask them if they mind texting you a few pics a week, but keep in mind that’d be their personal phone, and the center might have policies against that.
Anon says
I’ve been in the same daycare since 2014 (multiple kids, obviously) and I’ve received zero photos emailed to me during that time. They will take photos, print, and put them up on the wall in the kids’ rooms – or send home hard copies during annual review time or for special projects – but I didn’t know daily or weekly photo sharing was a thing. Granted, I’m an Old and don’t use social media, so I don’t expect (or like) constant updates from anyone in my life. I would l find these kind of frequent updates pretty disruptive, personally. I prefer a pretty strict boundary between work time and out-of-work time (again, I’m an Old. WFH is killing me).
anon says
My daycare doesn’t do photos. It made me sad until I got a case where I viewed the classroom surveillance camera and the daycare worker spent about half an hour on the iPad taking photos and paid no attention to the toddlers in her class.
anon says
+1 I’d rather have educators focused on the children than taking, reviewing, and sending photos. That can take a lot of time that would be better spent in other ways.
Anon says
My comment went to m0d so trying again:
Our university daycare uses Tadpoles and sends photos every day. The number varies by class. The 2s teacher sent 10+ photos almost every day. Some days we got 20+. In the preschool classroom we’ve been in for the last year, it’s usually only a couple photos per day. I agree with others who say their preference would be for fewer photos. For me it’s less because I find the photos distracting and more because I think teachers should not always have the screens in the kids’ faces. When my daughter was in the 2s room she went through a phase where she’d cry and say “no!” whenever we tried to take a photo of her and I think it was because she was getting photographed so much at school. It got better when she moved to the older classroom where the photos are much less frequent.
Anon says
What word is sending this to m0d!?! I’m so confused.
anonM says
I’ve had a range, seems largely teacher-dependent. One con to a lot of photos — this means teachers are taking pictures instead of interacting/resting/whatever else! On the flip side, no app can be a challenge with communication. Can you email the class teacher directly? With covid protocol, can you go in the class for pick-up and talk to the teacher briefly to check in? I’d be much more concerned with that aspect than with photos, because you want a sense of any issues/problems before you’re two weeks or more into some Problem.
Lacey says
Never. When we were in daycare a few years ago, we would get monthly classroom newsletters that would have random photos of kids that sometimes included ours. But there was never “here’s a photo of Jane playing today.” I have no opinion on if it’s reasonable or not, but I never had an issue with not getting photos of my kid during the day. I assumed they were busy actually caring for the children.
Anon says
We get one every month or two. They’re wonderful teachers who are great at communicating during pick up and drop offs so I don’t worry about it (even though I love it when we get a picture).
Anonymous says
Varies greatly, but the number of pictures definitely went up when kiddo moved up to the toddler room. Her cohort of 4 plays together really well, so the teacher can usually get a couple good playtime shots each week (uploaded to the app during naptime). When she was in the infant room, the teacher presumably had her hands full with all the different nap and feeding schedules, so we only got pictures maybe once every couple of weeks. We had to affirmatively opt in to allowing parents of other kids in her class to see pictures of her on the app.
Honolulu with Elementary Aged Kids? says
Any thoughts, recommendations, or experiences on visiting Honolulu with kids? My sister and I have thought about a big family trip to HI, and we have friends who moved there, so even more reason to go before our parents are too elderly to travel. Anyone done it? Recommendations? Kids would be around 11/10, 9/8, and 6/5.
Anon says
Hawaii is perfect for elementary age kids. I went to Oahu with a preschooler last summer. Obviously your kids can do a lot more than a 3.5 year old can, but some highlights for us besides the obvious swimming/beaching/tidepooling were the Byodo-In temple (great scenery and my kid loved feeding the koi), Makapu’u Lighthouse Trail (my kid didn’t make it to the top, but we still got great views), and a glass bottom boat tour. Your kids can probably also do Diamond Head and snorkeling at Hanauma Bay. Honolulu has lots of excellent restaurants. You’ll want to rent a car since Oahu has a lot of great stuff that’s not in Honolulu. There’s a Disney resort on Oahu that I think would be a lot of fun for elementary age kids, since it’s got waterslides and stuff like that. It’s set on a man made lagoon that is extremely calm and has surprisingly decent snorkeling. It would be a great place for kids to try snorkeling for the first time. We stayed in a condo right near Wakiki Beach and loved it. We were two blocks from the beach and on the 36th floor with amazing views of Waikiki and Diamond Head. The sunsets were phenomenal.
Anon says
Oh and if you go to Laniakea Beach in the afternoon you’re almost guaranteed to see sea turtles on the beach and in the water. My 3 year old was scared of the turtle and burst into tears when we showed it to her, which is why it didn’t immediately come to mind as a highlight :) but older kids would love it I’m sure.
Mary Moo Cow says
Wow! This would be amazing. We just got back from an east coast beach trip and saw sea turtles hatching and making their way into the water — it was so moving.
Thanks for all the tips! I’m sold!
Anon says
Oh fun! I’ve been to Hawaii and the Caribbean a bunch but have never seen hatchlings and have always wanted to do that.
I think you’ll have a great time! Re; the comment below about a closer beach resort being just as good, that’s definitely true for toddlers and preschoolers. But for adults and older kids Hawaii is very worth the long flight IMO, even if you mostly just want to be at the beach.
Anonymous says
Yeah Hawaii is great with kids. Honolulu is the least good part though. I wouldn’t go and stay there.
Anon says
I’m biased because we stayed in Honolulu on our Oahu trip, but I don’t think it’s bad to stay there as long as you rent a car and explore the rest of the island too. With kids, there’s an advantage to being in a city with dozens of great restaurants within walking distance, plus easy access to convenience and grocery stores. If you’re at a resort in the middle of nowhere (which is most resorts in Hawaii) you either have to get in the car and drive every time you want to eat, or you eat mediocre and overpriced resort food. I’m really not a city person but with young kids there are big advantages to being in a city. And Waikiki Beach is not a bad beach these days. It’s been cleaned up a lot since I went there as a kid in the 1990s. Also I think most VRBOs on Oahu are in Honolulu, and lots of people prefer those with kids.
Lacey says
I’d just consider what you’re hoping to get from it. Are you going to be doing things that can specifically only be done in Hawaii, like visiting Volcanoes? If the plan is to just hang out on the beach or at a resort, you can probably find a comparable beach/resort in CA or FL (depending which is more convenient) and save yourselves a long flight.
Mary Moo Cow says
Good point. Definitely Hawaii only things, as we already go to the beach within driving distance every year.
Curious says
We are on week 4 (well, 9 days completed) of daycare and our second fever. First was COVID. This appears to just be a bad cold. I know I was told to be ready for this but zomg. Give me all your tips, med and tea and sleep suggestions for me (because I get whatever she does), comfort tips for babe, please!
Anon says
We went through our first year of daycare pre-Covid, so masks weren’t on our or anyone else’s radar, but if we were doing it again I’d wear a mask around kiddo when she’s sick. It might not prevent you from catching everything, but it could make it milder at least.
Anonymous says
That’s a good point and silly of me not to have done it sooner. Thank you.
Curious says
Smart and obvious in retrospect. Thank you!
Anonymous says
We had a rough year of daycare illnesses after starting our baby in daycare a little over a year ago, but we are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. It does get better!
Things that help us:
– Know your daycare’s Covid policies and figure out any prep work (e.g., do they accept at-home tests, if so keep some on hand, if not figure out how to get a PCR test on short notice)
– We keep a box of saltines, Gatorade, and Pedialyte on hand for when stomach bugs run through the family
– If you’re breastfeeding, call the pediatrician and your PCP to figure out what meds you can take, and find ways to stay hydrated. I found Afrin helpful for congestion and Zofran helpful for the stomach viruses.
– We haven’t found many good ways to keep our daughter comfortable when she’s sick, other than Tylenol and Pedialyte (once she was old enough for that).
Good luck!
Curious says
I cannot believe it takes a year. But okay, what a year this will be. I had to wean her around 15 weeks for (my) chemo, and she’s almost one now, so lots more solids, but I love the idea of having Zofran in the house.
Anon says
It might not take a year since she’s already almost one. One year olds have very different immune systems than newborns. We started at 15 months and although we had constant colds that turned into ear infections, which was horrible for our kid and disruptive for us due to missed sleep and repeated doctor’s appointments, we didn’t get slammed with a ton of other random viruses. She had croup and RSV within ~6 months of starting (and I had the croup virus and got SUPER sick) but otherwise just colds and secondary infections and even the RSV wasn’t too bad. It was a bad cold for her, a mild cold for me. My husband was a daycare kid himself and didn’t catch any of it.
Curious says
Thank you. How did you get croup and RSV diagnosed?
Anon says
I am not this poster, but RSV can be diagnosed with a test. During a particularly bad double ear infection, our pediatrician tested DS for RSV to make sure there wasn’t something else going on, especially since we had dehydration concerns already and were expecting winter weather.
We ended up in the ED with croup. Croup is also pretty obvious when you hear it. I didn’t really understand that until DS had it. We ended up in the ED because DS had “stridor at rest.” They gave him medication in the ED, and he was pretty much well in two hours. (ED bill was awful, but we still feel like we made the right call.)
Anon says
Both basically just intuition. Croup has a signature barking cough that’s incredibly unique. You’ll know it when you hear it. Croup can be pretty dangerous, so our ped wanted to see my daughter, and she confirmed the croup diagnosis (by observation) and gave her a steroid that helped a lot. (I didn’t have the cough because adults have a much bigger larynx than toddlers, but the croup virus really took me out in a way that nothing has since swine flu in ‘09).
For RSV we never got an official diagnosis but it was pretty obvious. We left for a vacation with a kid who was feeling fine and by the time we arrived she had the runniest nose we’d ever seen. We thought it was just a cold (this was all pre Covid), but it didn’t improve and turned into an unusually bad cough that woke her up at night and made her cry :( When we got back to school the following week, the teachers said “oh did you guys escape the RSV that went around the room?” Apparently 7 of the 8 kids in the room had confirmed positives on diagnostic tests. So we figured it had to be that. Profuse runny nose is apparently a telltale sign.
Curious says
Oh she probably has RSV then. The runny nose is extraordinary. It soaks a teething bib in 1 hour. Doctor confirmed her oxygen and breathing etc are okay today but hey, maybe we’re checking that off.
Curious says
And the cough is definitely waking her up.
Curious says
Thank you so much and I’m sorry for that six months for you.
Anon says
Oh no I’m sorry about your babe! Hope she feels better soon! For the cough, a humidifier helps somewhat (especially at night) and once they turn one you can give honey.
anonM says
not so much for colds but for stomach bugs – keep some spare sheets to throw over your couch/pillows. Just so much easier to clean up.
Anonymous says
+1, and also spread a sheet next to the crib once you know kiddo has a stomach bug.
Anonymous says
+1. I use beach towels to line the couch/bed/floor and serve as blankets while kids are puking. Much easier to put those in the wash!
Anon says
Strongly suggest keeping Pedialyte at all times. Also, you can find a powdered version that makes like 8 oz at a time, which I highly recommend as you are supposed to throw the big containers away if they’ve been opened for more than three days.
Anon says
The powdered version is great for travel too.
FP says
Can someone talk me through how I get decent meals into my kids who are new to big kid elementary school? We have to leave our house at 7:20 am to get to school on time. This is week two of school and it’s been hard to get them breakfast and out the door on time without fights about taking too long to eat. They go to aftercare after school and then they have a sports league on Monday and Thursday evenings from 5:30 – 6:45. Is it completely horrible to have them do breakfast in the car five days a week, and dinners (sandwiches / etc) in the car on the way home from sports twice a week? That feels like a lot but I can’t figure out a better solution.
Anon says
Can you have them start breakfast at home and then take the leftovers in the car if they’re eating too slowly? That’s what we do with my preschooler. That way you’re not forcing them to have breakfast in the car but you’re also not letting them dawdle over breakfast and make you late.
Anon says
i don’t think that is horrible at all. i’d rather feed my kids in the car than tell them to eat faster. and sleep is also important. or they eat part I of breakfast at home and part II in the car. and same thing with sports, i don’t think it is terrible at all, and they will probably need a snack between aftercare and sports as well. maybe in an ideal world it wouldn’t happen, but in an ideal world you’d never drive more than 5 minutes to go anywhere, school might start later, etc. elementary school around here starts at 7:30 and while i still have another year i’m already worried, given that my prek kids currently eat breakfast at 7:30 am
Lacey says
Nothing wrong at all with eating in the car IMO, particularly for breakfast. Better to use the car-time efficiently than, for example, wake them up earlier to get in more eating time. Also consider whether they are taking a long time to eat because they are not all that hungry in the morning, which is perfectly fine.
Anonymous says
Car breakfast is great. I might do car dinner on the way from afterschool to sports and then a substantial snack or second dinner on the way home. At that age mine always needed serious protein before practice and then a thermos of milk handed to her the second practice ended or she would end up a hangry sobbing mess.
Anon says
I think I ate every school day breakfast from pre school to senior year of high school in the car and the kids do this most days too. I think prioritizing sleep > breakfast at home is a worthwhile tradeoff. Lots of granola bars, yogurt, toast, eggo waffles, oatmeal and fruit (yogurt and oatmeal are obviously better for older kids). Occasionally we stop on the way for donuts as a treat. You could do those egg muffins or breakfast burritos too.
We’re huge on family dinner, so I’d prioritize that (but do something very quick on Mondays and Thursdays) and do a hefty snack either before sports or on the way home. Or pickup something on the way at eat together at home.
Anon says
My husband normally cooks dinner for our family but now his schedule has changed and I have to cook three nights/week. Suggestions for easy recipes that are actually tasty? I’m a competent cook but I don’t enjoy cooking. I have a preference for vegetarian recipes (I eat meat, but I really hate handling raw poultry and am not looking to add more beef into my diet for health/climate reasons). Carb heavy is ok, we’re big pasta eaters in this house. Unfortunately no Trader Joe’s or specialty grocery stores near us.
anonM says
I find using meatless crumbles for tacos great – kids love it and have no clue it is any different.
Mary Moo Cow says
Two of my favorites are Ellie Krieger’s Chicken Fried Rice for Cooking Light and Pesto Chicken Sandwiches, both of which use rotisserie chicken (which I found less repulsive than raw) and can easily be made vegetarian (rotisserie chicken tossed with pesto, roasted red pepper strips, mozzarella cheese, pesto spread on good sandwich bread, and heated in a sandwich press or in a pan with weights.) You might also occasionally try a meal service (long enough to get the discounted or free boxes and then suspend.) That helps me get out of a rut or through an especially busy period of life.
Anon says
Thanks, these both sound great! Rotisserie chicken is fine and I can also make shredded chicken in the slow cooker since you just dump it in there and don’t have to handle it or see it again until it’s cooked.
Anon says
– Frozen stuffed shells topped with sauce and baked (mine are just grocery store brand and then I use jarred sauce) (you can tuck frozen meatballs in the same pan in the sauce if you need to add for a meat-eater)
– Crispy sheet pan gnocchi: https://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-crispy-sheet-pan-gnocchi-and-veggies-247360
– Sweet Potato tacos: https://smittenkitchen.com/2018/03/sweet-potato-tacos/
– What I call garbage pasta where I saute peppers, onions, broccoli, cherry tomatoes and or whatever leftover veggies are hiding in the fridge with garlic and olive oil then mix with rotini (I add splashes of pasta water to the veggies to make a light sauce but DH prefers actually jarred pasta sauce on top).
– Crispy Tortellini (I use bacon instead of prosciutto): https://smittenkitchen.com/2016/05/crispy-tortellini-with-peas-and-prosciutto/
– Breakfast for Dinner
– Hot Dogs wrapped in crescent rolls and stuffed with cheese and sprinkled with everything seasoning baked at 400 for about 20-25 minutes
– zucchini and tomato flatbreads: https://www.hellofresh.com/recipes/zucchini-and-tomato-flatbreads-5e67d93735c3537f181f43c8
– Pineapple BBQ flatbreads: https://www.hellofresh.com/recipes/bbq-pineapple-flatbreads-620c20eaaf420111a021e19a
Anon says
Thanks!
Anonymous says
I hate handling raw poultry but have a kid whose preferred diet is at least 50% chicken, so I do a lot with ground chicken. You can dump it straight from the package into the pan without touching it. You can brown the meat with onions and/or peppers and do tacos, pasta sauce, and stir-fries. There are stir-fry recipes written specifically for ground chicken or you can sub ground chicken and adjust the quantity of sauce if necessary.
The Cooking Light Let’s Cook! curriculum has some easy, tasty dinner recipes. Link in reply.
Anonymous says
https://www.cookinglight.com/cooking-101/lets-cook
Anon says
skinnytaste baked ziti. you can prep the night before if you want to, and it is all one dish.
Anonymous says
Are you opposed to moving raw boneless skinless chicken breasts from a package to a slow cooker? Yes it is handling, but it is minimal. If that works, I have some suggestions for you.
Anon says
I just commented above! That works since it’s very hands off.
Anonymous says
I like boneless skinless thighs better in the slow cooker. They come out moister.
DLC says
Our go to easy tasty meals:
– eggs/breakfast for dinner
-stir fry with tofu
– Bahn mi bowls – I use this recipe as a template, but use tofu “ground beef” and eat it over noodles rather than rice.
https://thealmondeater.com/banh-mi-bowl-paleo-whole30/
-taco nights – Big pot of beans (usually the Milk Street instant Pot Black Beans). Quick cabbage slaw (literally cabbage/coleslaw mix, salt, lime juice. cilantro if I’m feeling fancy), avocado and store bought salsa. on corn tortillas.
Also my secret weapon for tasty and easy is frozen puff pastry. Saute veggies (peppers, onions, zucchini, asparagus, etc.) then layer it in puffed pastry with cheese of choice and a beaten egg. Bake for 15-20 mins and serve with bagged salad.
Anon says
Ahh yes I love puff pastry! We had some “beef empanadas” on a boat trip that I’m pretty sure was just ground beef wrapped in puff pastry and they were amazing. Need to recreate that at home. Thanks for the reminder, and the other ideas!
OP says
Thanks for all the great ideas!
Anon says
My weeknight easy 3-ingredient go-to is pasta with chicken sausage and bell pepper. My ratio is one pound pasta, two chicken sausages and one bell pepper for ~4-5 servings. I will sometimes saute the meat & veggies first, then use the same pot to cook the pasta, to minimize dishes, but if you cook it at the same time in two different pans, it takes about 15 minutes from start to finish (30 if you do it back to back). Doubles easily and keeps in fridge just fine. Lends itself well to adjustments, like different flavors of chicken sausage, seasonings, cheese add-ins, etc. Another good variation is pasta with broccoli and sundried tomatoes, which you can also add chicken to very easily.
Anon says
I have a spinach pesto lasagna recipe that I love, and I always get compliments on when I serve it to guests (even meat eaters). The recipe is originally from Chowhound (minus the pesto, which is my addition) but it’s no longer listed there so I’ll try to summarize it. The ingredients are two 14 oz jars of tomato or marinara sauce, spinach (thawed and drained or sauteed until just wilted if fresh), 12 oven ready lasagna noodles, one 16 oz container of ricotta cheese, pesto to taste (I use most of a container), 1 egg, lots of shredded mozzarella cheese and 1 cup of parmesan cheese.
You mix the ricotta, egg, pesto, 1/2 cup parm and spinach together. You can also add garlic powder or garlic cloves to this mix if you like garlic (I don’t). In a big pan you spread out 1/5th of the tomato sauce, put down three lasagna noodles, spread another fifth of the tomato sauce, add 1/3rd of the ricotta mixture in big dollops (can flatten with a spoon, but it will spread in the oven) and cover generously with mozarella cheese. Repeat that noodles-ricotta-tomato sauce-mozzarella process twice more until all the ricotta is used up, then top with the remaining noodles and tomato sauce and cover generously with mozzarella and remaining parm. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes covered, then remove the cover and bake for an additional 15 minutes, then let rest for 10-15 minutes before serving. You can make the lasagna on the weekend when you have more time and just pull it out of the fridge to bake on a weeknight.
I also like Iowa Girl Eat’s One Pot Gnocchi Chicken Pot Pie: https://iowagirleats.com/one-pot-gnocchi-chicken-pot-pie. You could use rotisserie chicken.
Anon says
I make a super easy shrimp and grits at least once a month. Follow cooking instructions on Quaker Quick Grits for four servings except instead of water use 1 cup of milk or heavy cream, and 3 cups of chicken broth (low sodium is fine). For the kids, I just pan sauté the shrimp with salt, pepper, and olive oil. For the adults, I marinate in two parts Worcestershire sauce to one part hot sauce then cook them in the marinade. Takes probably 15 minutes total. Serve with bagged salad.
Anonymous says
My kids are in uniforms for the first time this year and I need to label all their clothes. What’s the best option for that? Just a permanent marker? Or should I get some kind of label maker?
Lacey says
I was always skeptical of labels, but we got these from Amazon and I’ve been very happy to have them:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DT74541/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Since I have multiple kids, I made sure the one label worked for both, i.e., it says, “Jane/Joan Smith”.
Anon says
These have gone through my dishwasher hundreds of times unscathed. Miracle labels.
anon says
Name Bubbles or similar work well.
Mary Moo Cow says
I like TagPals from InchBug. I use just our last name and my phone number since I’m hoping for hand-me-downs. They have always peeled off pretty easily for giving to friends to use, too.
Anonymous says
Mabel’s Labels
anon says
We like Teddy Labels
OP says
Thanks all for the suggestions!
anonM says
Wondering about housekeeping/chores and how very clean/tidy people handle this. We have a bi-weekly house cleaner which is awesome. DH and I really prefer the house to be pretty tidy. DH and I didn’t come from extremely tidy/organized houses, so we are trying to do better on that front, so could use ideas/tips. I’ve heard of people following a “chore day,” like Thursday evenings, where the whole family cleans up. Fly Lady schedule was too intense for me, but thinking of smaller clean/tidy tips that can be incorporated into our routine I think would help. And for clutter – do you randomly organize, or do it on some schedule? I love “hacks” that seem obvious to some but are new to me!
Mary Moo Cow says
DH is much more tidy than I am and here are his tricks: 80% is good enough, and maintaining 80% is easier than trying to go from 40% to 100% every week. He cleans as he goes when he cooks; only does as much laundry in one day as he can actually wash, dry, fold, and put away; and sets aside 10 minutes at the end of each day to tidy. We tackle kid playroom clutter once a week, and do toy and closet purges somewhere between once a month and 4 times a year.
Anne-on says
+1 – I’m a clean as you cook person and it makes a HUGE difference in end of meal clean up. I think we’ve covered this before but you need to build in time to wipe down counters/load the dishwasher/put away food and leftovers after every meal or the mess snowballs. I swear my kid grows 3 extra sticky hands during every meal based on the spills/crumbs/sticky fingerprints all over my tables/island. We also have ‘homes’ for things based on where they are used – coats are never going to be hung in the closet so we have coat hooks and shoe cubbies to contain the clutter. Ditto with a bowl for charger in the kitchen so the cords don’t proliferate on the table. Mail is shredded/recycled/or filed for action as soon as it comes in. Clothes either go into the hamper or rehung/folded as soon as you take them off. Basically if it takes 5 minutes or less do it then and don’t wait.
Anonymous says
I find that the only way to keep up with it is to tidy every day. The kitchen gets completely tidied and counters wiped after each meal. I tidy my bedroom and bathroom before starting work and before going to bed. Common areas downstairs are tidied before parents go upstairs for the night. Kids tidy their spaces before the bedtime routine begins. If you tidy daily, it takes very little time and is much less overwhelming than a big weekly tidying session.
It’s easiest to minimize the need to tidy at all. My strategies for this are “touch it once” and “path of least resistance.” My entire house and routine are set up to make putting things away easy. For example, there is a recycling bin by the door from the garage to the house. When I get the mail, I drop junk mail and catalogues straight into the bin and they never even enter the house. I open the rest of the mail standing over the bin and recycle the envelopes and useless inserts, then take the contents straight to the shredder or “deal with this” basket as appropriate as soon as I enter the house. Shoes and coats live in the coat closet right near the door. The dog’s leash lives on a hook by the door. Keys go in a bin by the door. Kids have hampers right where they prefer to change their clothes. Etc., etc., etc.
Anonymous says
During the school year, we have a good routine of tidying for about 10 minutes after dinner in our main living spaces. Everyone puts their own stuff away. It helps a lot. It doesn’t replace typical after-dinner cleaning or some additional mail organizing. But toys, random dishes, shoes, etc. are put away. And it makes a huge different. About 10 minutes of everyone pitching in is all you ned to stay tidy. I consider “tidying” putting stuff away. I consider cleaning the mopping/dusting/scrubbing/wiping that tidying enables.
Not as New Here says
I’m not a “very clean/tidy” person by nature, but I am trying. This is what is working for me.
Bi-Weekly Cleaner – I make sure the clutter is always picked up the night before she comes. She does the heavy lifting (surfaces, floors, bathrooms). I don’t want to pay her to move our junk around.
On the weeks she doesn’t come, I’m attempting to do cleaning on Thursdays or Fridays (I primarily WFH, which makes this easy). That way I don’t feel like I”m spending my weekend cleaning. I will say, these aren’t deep cleans, but a quick bathroom wipe down, a swiffer to surfaces, vacuum (we have dogs).
I try and pick up every evening and clean as I cook.
Make the bed in the morning.
Just tiny habits through the day/week.
Tea/Coffee says
Am guessing that you have kids? If so, my biggest tip is to involve them from an early age and make it automatic.
My kids know what goes in paper vs plastic recycling and where it is (easily accessible bins). They know our expectations for picking up (and they have accepted that if they don’t do it, i will, and theres a high likelihood you will never see you XYZ again). They are responsible for putting away their own laundry (are they frequently wrinkly? Yes).
Do we still have to have mass cleanup moments, yes, but i don’t always feel like the only person shoveling it against the tide!
anonM says
What do you recommend for ages 4 and 2? They clear their own plates after meals (most of the time), sometimes help me “fold” laundry, sometimes pick up toys. Help take trash to the curb, “help” pull weeds sometimes.
Anonymous says
If I could get a 4-year-old and a 2-year-old to pick up toys consistently I’d be over the moon. Also putting dirty clothes in the laundry basket.
anonM says
Ok, that makes me feel better haha! One thing I did start that saves me on laundry is getting them to put their PJs in their “pajama basket” to re-wear, usually at least for a few nights now.
Anon. says
My 2 & 5 year olds are always required to help pick up toys. Every night before bed. They also put dirty clothes in the hamper and put away their clean clothes after I fold them. 5 year old just became responsible for pulling trash bin to the garage after garbage pickup.
Anon says
A few things:
– Get everyone on board with the “touch once” style. Bringing in mail from the outside? Process it immediately and recycle envelopes in one go – don’t set it down and come back to it later. Bringing water glasses from the living room into the kitchen? They go straight into the dishwasher, not the counter.
– Don’t clean on weekends. Weekends are for family time and trips, not for chores.
– I can get a shocking amount done in the time waiting for other things to happen. I’ll set the water to boil for coffee and in that time, I can easily get all the counters wiped down. While I’m waiting for everyone else to join the Zoom call, I can get my desktop straightened out and a few papers shredded.
– Pick a non-weekend day of the week for any big chores, like cleaning bathrooms. I like to do this on a day when work is busy or frustrating – then I can cram all the frustrating stuff into one day and leave the other six for enjoyment. Sounds counterintuitive, but it works.
80% is definitely good enough. Striving for 100% means you’ll take away from more valuable, fun activities. I know a few families that do “Saturday is chore day” and it looks freaking miserable, especially on sunny summer days.
Anon says
One other tip I forgot to add – cram cleaning/chores into the time that’s left in the day, but don’t make time for it specifically. For example, plan your summer Saturday at the beach visiting friends and then see what cleaning you can fit in just before you leave or when you get home. Don’t plan your Saturday cleaning and then try to fit in the beach.
Anonymous says
If you really want to be very clean and tidy, you aggressively minimize and declutter and you tidy every single day. Every day!
Anonymous says
And you minimize the amount of stuff you buy. Less stuff = less clutter. Even necessities like food and extra TP lead to clutter unless you have oodles of storage space.
anonM says
Yes. I agree on that! Our new(ish) house has a pantry, and it’s so great. But even with storage space, I hate when it gets overfilled because then you can’t even find the 10 mustard bottles that you know must be in there somewhereeeeee. Good reminder.
DLC says
I just read How To keep House while Drowning (I take it the author has a very big social media following…?) But one idea that really stuck with me was to re-frame “cleaning” as “resetting” and then figure out what is the minimum you can do at the end of the night to re-set your space to be functional the next day. So for me, I know it’s the foyer needs to be tidy and the counter in front of the coffee maker clear and the kitchen sink clear, and a clear path through the living room.
We also have biweekly cleaners and honestly the toys/playroom only really gets put back in order on the eve of cleaning days. Otherwise, I keep the door shut and let the kids do what they want.
Anon says
Part of our evening routine is tidying and prepping for the next day. So the kids pack lunches while DH cleans up the kitchen. They pick up their rooms and entry area while they pick out their clothes and shoes for the morning. They pick up the playroom before they get in the shower. I run the vacuum or clean mirrors downstairs while my oldest showers, and upstairs while my youngest does. It usually takes about 30 min after dinner to get through all the picking up, prepping, and showers, and then we’re completely ready for the next morning.
Our house stays around 80-90% tidy on Sun-Thurs, and then weekends fall off a bit. Sundays we do a heavier tidy up (our cleaners come every other Monday, and it’s just easier to do it each week) so DH and I will hit a few of the messier or stubborn spots at that point.
Anon says
I don’t consider myself a tidy person but I think the tip about never leaving a room without taking something that belongs in a different room is useful.
AwayEmily says
My “hack” is to let things get progressively messier until someone comes to visit, and then frantically clean the night before they arrive.
Also, a robot vacuum.
Anon says
Ha, mine too. There are currently like 3 loads of clean laundry on the chair in my bedroom.
Anon says
Mine too. The housekeepers come weekly, but they mostly clean around the piles of neatly stacked things that really only get moved when “outsiders” come by. Haven’t thrown indoor events since pre-Covid, so we look like quasi-hoarders. My goal for the fall with kiddo back in school (i.e., the house is no longer the primary playspace all day long) is to start getting our home back into presentable shape. One day we will be comfortable holding indoor events again, and I need to start making progress somewhere.
CCLA says
Talk to me about hiring characters (princesses, superheroes, etc) for a birthday party. Is age 5-6 too old for that to be fun? We are doing an outdoor park party as usual this year so we expect the kids to use the park equipment for a fair amount of the time, but I feel like at this age some more structure may be helpful too. We have a reserved area at the park and were kicking around the idea of hiring some encanto actresses to come (they do face painting, balloon animals, singing etc. and can tailor the activities, so while they could “direct” the kids in singing, it would also leave time for kids to come and go to the playground while they’re doing face painting for others). If 5-6 is too old, any other ideas (maybe just a non-character face painter/bubble artist)?
Anon says
I haven’t done it, but 5-6 seems like the perfect age for this. I would think at 3-4 some of the kids might get scared of the character and cry.
Anonymous says
I’m not sure I’d do this at a public park. Even if you have reserved a picnic shelter, other kids will come up and want to interact with the characters and do the activities and it could get awkward. I do agree that 5-6 is the perfect age, though.
Mary Moo Cow says
I think this is a great addition to a park party for this age, when, from what I’ve observed, kids are starting to get bored with just playing on equipment for two hours. If you have decorations and are clearly a party, some kids might wander close, but most parents will know this is a private party and keep them away.
Anon says
I agree. I think it would be very weird for random kids to try to join party. Kids who are old enough to be at the park unsupervised won’t care about a little kid’s party, and kids who are young enough to be interested will have parents there who tell them not to go over.
CCLA says
Yeah that was my thinking re: boredom. Fair point from the prior poster about the public area, but we know this park well and the area is well delineated and have seen other events that stay separate. Thanks for the validation, I’m going to stop overthinking and just book someone!
Anon says
we went to a bday party where they had a face painter and they did a great job taking a list of who wanted their face painted so the kids could still run aorund and play while waiting their turn, rather than standing in line the whole time
Anonymous says
Just venting. Management is so tone-deaf. Our org is now permanent WFH but we are being summoned to a multi-day in-person meeting. There will be mandatory indoor dining. Several people are still masking in public at all times for whatever reasons. I am senior, so junior staff are confiding to me that they feel pressured to compromise their safety to please management. Management doesn’t listen to me. How hard is it really to book a covered patio so your staff can be safe? Or to just let people do their own thing for dinner? And have these people learned nothing since the executive retreat that turned into a superspreader event a few months back? We can’t exactly afford to have the whole department down with covid at the same time.
Anon says
Yeah that’s pretty gross. Expecting employees to meet in person is pretty reasonable at this stage of the pandemic, but it’s not hard to do outdoor dining or let people be on their own for dinner.