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CorporetteMoms

05/12/2022 103 Comments · by Ann

Organizing Thursday: Portable Desk Organizer

Recent Recs

A black standing desk organizer with several pockets on each side

Finally, a desk organizer for those of us still working from home.

MoMA always has such well-designed and practical items, like this organizer. It has 12 pockets to keep all your office supplies handy. It folds up like an easel, so when you need a change of scenery, it moves easily from room to room. When the organizer is open, the spacious interior compartment fits larger items like headphones.

I could see using this if your office has moved to a hoteling or hot-desk setup, as well.

This organizer is $58.50 for MOMA members or $65 for non-members.

Sales of Note…

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

  • Ann Taylor – 40% off everything
  • Banana Republic Factory – 40% off everything; extra 15% off purchase
  • Eloquii – $19 and up select spring styles; up to 40% off everything
  • J.Crew -25% off your purchase; up to 50% off special-occasion styles
  • J.Crew Factory – Up to 50% off everything; extra 15% off 3 styles; extra 20% off 4 styles; extra 50% off clearance
  • Lands’ End – 30% off full-price styles
  • Talbots – 25% off select styles; 25% off markdowns
  • Zappos – 23,000+ sale items (for women)! Check out these reader-favorite workwear brands on sale, and some of our favorite kid shoe brands on sale.

Kid/Family Sales

  • J.Crew – 25% off your purchase; up to 50% off special-occasion styles
  • Lands’ End – 30% off full-price styles
  • Hanna Andersson – Up to 30% off Easter and spring to summer styles
  • Carter’s – Extra 20% off spring sets = up to 60% off
  • buybuyBaby – Spring sale: Up to 40% off
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About Ann

Ann is a working mom, a longtime reader of Corporette and CorporetteMoms, and has been writing our morning fashion advice for working moms since November 2020! She has a daughter (born winter 2014) and a son (born fall 2019) and is a public interest lawyer in Washington, D.C.

« Washable Workwear Wednesday: Cobble Hill Skirt in Washable Wool Twill
How to Share the Mental Load with Household Duties »

Comments

  1. Anony says

    05/12/2022 at 9:23 am

    How would you spend a staycation with a toddler as a solo parent? Planning on a daily park walk and maybe a more structured activity or two, but I have no idea what the week will actually feel like as this is my first time doing this.

    Reply
    • Anon says

      05/12/2022 at 9:34 am

      When I have solo time with my 18 month old, we do things that are more time consuming for a normal weeknight. Ex: baking muffins, finger painting (the clean-up alone takes 20 minutes!), etc.

      Reply
      • More Sleep Would Be Nice says

        05/12/2022 at 11:32 am

        I LOLed when reading this at the idea of baking with my almost 17-month-old, and it would have had the same reaction with my older son at that age. No shade, just funny how different kids/families are!

        Reply
        • Anon says

          05/12/2022 at 11:49 am

          Not the person you’re responding to, but at that age, baking “with” my kid meant putting her in her high chair with a bowl with a tiny amount of flour in it for her to “stir” while I actually baked. It could easily keep her contained and entertained for a half hour or more, which is a win when you’re solo parenting, and the mess is pretty minimal if you limit what the kiddo has their hands on. Very different than baking with an old kid who is actually helping with everything.

          Reply
          • Anon says

            05/12/2022 at 12:06 pm

            Actually thinking back, at 18 months, it was probably just an empty bowl and spoon that I gave her, so there wasn’t any mess at all. I enjoy baking with my 4 year old but it’s actually a lot messier now because she wants to do it all herself.

      • Anon says

        05/12/2022 at 12:25 pm

        I bake with my 18 month old. He stands in his learning tower at the counter and helps me measure out the ingredients (we hold the spoon/cup together), helps me mix (will even help me hold the electric mixer). I usually give him an empty bowl/spoon to play with on the side and a snack to keep him somewhat occupied. He also helps me take out and put away all the ingredients.

        Reply
        • EDAnon says

          05/12/2022 at 2:03 pm

          I have baked with both my kids since that age. It’s a mess but it is so fun. I pre-measure and they dump. At 3 and 5, they are awesome bakers!

          Reply
    • Anon says

      05/12/2022 at 9:41 am

      If this is supposed to be at all relaxing for you, I would keep the kid in at least part time childcare, and just do early pickups for park time/pool time/ice cream etc.

      Reply
      • AwayEmily says

        05/12/2022 at 9:53 am

        Yes! We’ve done this before and it’s been lovely…taking them in a bit later, and then picking them up at 3:30 and taking a picnic to the park, etc. They still get the structure of school (and we get alone time), but they feel like they’re getting a huge treat by getting picked up early. And generally our daycare just has free play once nap/afternoon snack is over so it’s easy to do.

        Reply
      • Boston Legal Eagle says

        05/12/2022 at 10:18 am

        This is what I would do if I’m trying to get a vacation for myself too. Otherwise it’s just childcare work all day for you (even if it’s “fun” like going to the zoo). Do something special in the afternoon and avoid the evening rush.

        Reply
    • Anon says

      05/12/2022 at 9:42 am

      I love having playdates with a friend and their toddler. We chat and drink coffee while the kids parallel play.

      Reply
    • NYCer says

      05/12/2022 at 9:53 am

      I would definitely try to book a couple activities that will take a few hours / half day… zoo, botanical gardens, children’s museum, etc. Maybe go out to an early dinner once or twice. Go for ice cream one afternoon (or more).

      Reply
      • anono says

        05/12/2022 at 10:53 am

        I agree with this. I would try at least one activity out of the house each day, even if it’s just visiting a new playground, or going to the library. It also helps to meet up with a friend or family member. I might also think about places you enjoy – like maybe a certain cute town nearby where you can get ice cream together, or a short easy hike near a pretty lake, or a farm with a petting zoo where you can enjoy being near other families having a nice time. Also, check out your local recreation center. Many have drop-in passes and childcare you can reserve, if you need a break to just work out and sit in the hot tub while your kid is being watched by their staff.

        Reply
    • Anon says

      05/12/2022 at 9:57 am

      My advice may be specific to me, but on a staycation, I get out of the house as much as possible. With a toddler, I find that doing activities when we are staying home absolutely destroys the house, which stresses me out. On the other hand, I love being able to spend the morning at a park or a museum, feed her out of the house in a picnic lunch, then straight home to a nap. Same with dinner. If I try to stay home, I’m burned out and the house is a mess by like 11AM.

      Reply
      • Anon says

        05/12/2022 at 10:06 am

        Same approach!
        If it’s nice out, I also love to meet a friend and their kids at a playground and order delivery pizza and have a picnic dinner there. Kid will be nice and tired for bedtime, you get some adult time, plus no cooking or cleanup from dinner for you!

        Reply
      • Spirograph says

        05/12/2022 at 10:20 am

        I agree with all of this. Definitely get out of the house in the morning –at least for me, if I don’t get up and get moving, it gets too close to lunch to justify leaving before eating, and then before I know it the house is kid-destroyed and I’ve wasted the day.

        I like to use staycations to do all the touristy things that I never do in my daily grind. Depending on what your current nap situation is and how well your toddler does with routine disruptions, I also like stroller-naps. I’d let the kid wear himself out doing something exciting like going to the zoo or a new playground, then walk around til he falls asleep in the stroller and park myself at a cafe with a book.

        Reply
    • Anon says

      05/12/2022 at 9:59 am

      All the restaurant patios, at off hours and in nice weather, so that you aren’t stressed even if your kid isn’t the best at restaurant dining yet and you can linger if your kid will permit it (DD thinks it is fun).

      Granted my kid is 4, but I also love ending the after dinner pre bath hour on (work quiet) summer days sitting on my front porch rocking chair basking in the fading sunlight with a glass of wine in shatterproof tumbler while DD draws with chalk or rides her bike or just runs around in the front yard with minimal involvement from me other than watching for cars.

      I would also lean into making “fancy” weekday breakfasts once or twice with kiddo’s “help”. I am thinking something like waffles or pancakes or muffins or biscuits, etc. where even a young toddler can help stir or pour. It will be messy and take longer, just embrace that is part of the memory making. Recommend your coffee be in a covered tumbler so that you do not have flour sprinkles in it (speaking from experience).

      Reply
    • buffybot says

      05/12/2022 at 10:31 am

      It’s kid-specific as to what routines you can mix up without reaping the consequences, but for me, it’s always worked well when we do something unexpected — like a special mommy-kid date where we walk to a nearby cafe that has a back patio for breakfast, or a picnic dinner at the park. Also consider where some downtime like a movie or cartoons snuggling in bed would be helpful. We take trips to playgrounds we haven’t been to before and try to combine it with a meal. High tea was a huuuuuuge hit if there’s a fun place near you.

      Reply
    • Sunscreen says

      05/12/2022 at 10:32 am

      The children’s area at our local library is fantastic and not busy at all on weekdays. I’d check that out.

      Reply
      • FP says

        05/12/2022 at 12:44 pm

        Same. Not sure where you are located but it’s also fun to visit the main flagship library in our city, instead of the neighborhood branch location we usually frequent. We don’t usually take the bus but have made a whole day out of packing a lunch, taking the city bus to the main library, poking around their enormous children’s section with a climbing wall and a puppet show, and then taking the bus home. My 5 year old loves those days.

        Reply
    • Anon says

      05/12/2022 at 10:59 am

      I had a toddler staycation imposed upon my last year when her older brother got Covid and left home with dad to stay at the inlaws (empty) house during the quarantine period. I kept her out of daycare and had her tested before engaging in any out of house stuff, but once she was in the clear we went to the
      zoo
      splashpads / played at the park
      toured most of the local libraries .
      went to the second-hand kids clothing store
      went the garden store and came home to play in the dirt
      put her in an empty huge amazon box and let her go to town with fingerpaints
      decorated sugar cookies
      dog park (little dog side)

      Reply
    • Katniss says

      05/12/2022 at 11:10 am

      I have sort of done this with my maternity leaves (no child care during covid, Canadian so 18 month leaves). I like to make a list of interesting nature areas in my city that I haven’t been to and check some off the list. Always bringing picnic. Every day, I like to have a loose schedule and meal plan, so I’m not scrambling. I also keep of list of activities that the kids like (e.g. sensory bin, draw with chalk, painting, popsicle bath) for those moments when I’m totally going for broke on what to do. I also plan fun things for me in the evening – I start a new series on Netflix or a great book. I always have good ice cream in the freezer. I go to bed early too. If you can access a gym with child care, that was one of my favourite things too – an hour workout while the kids play with new toys.

      Reply
    • DLC says

      05/12/2022 at 12:17 pm

      I like taking longer hikes at the child’s pace with lots of snacks, maybe even a picnic. And also I think of things that I want to do that my Husband doesn’t and do those. Going to the pool, for one. Meeting up with my childless best friend or playdates with friends with kids. Museums. It’s kind of things I want to do but at a toddler’s pace.

      Reply
    • Anonymous says

      05/12/2022 at 3:18 pm

      We did this for spring break and picked 3 fun/bigger activities (petting zoo, etc..) and then library or playgrounds in the morning on other days. If they nap at home then relax, read a book, or watch the during that time! Also a lot of breweries are a great place to take kids for lunch, especially during the week, and my area even has a few with playgrounds!

      Reply
  2. Nose blowing says

    05/12/2022 at 9:41 am

    Any tried and true tips for teaching a young stubborn 4 year old to blow her nose? I found a you tube video about having them blow to move a tissue first with mouth and then with nose and then holding the tissue up to nose – so will be trying that. Any other advice?

    Signed,
    Sick of the snot noises and wiping on sleeve (who said only boys are gross ?)

    Reply
    • Anon says

      05/12/2022 at 9:42 am

      Even if she can’t b l ow, she could wipe her nose with a tissue rather than a sleeve, right? Maybe that’s a good intermediate step.

      Reply
    • Anon says

      05/12/2022 at 10:02 am

      Dragons Love Tacos is a favorite, so we have told DD (since 3 or so) to “snort sparks” like the dragon. The pictures show the sparks coming out of the nose and somehow that helped her connect it in her mind. I do still (at 4) have to remind her to close her mouth from time to time so that it is effective, but once she made that connection, so much easier.

      Reply
    • CCLA says

      05/12/2022 at 12:29 pm

      We’ve had good success with repeating over and over, and demonstrating in an exaggerated manner, “breathe in through your mouth, out through your nose”. 3.5 yo still doesn’t do the best job of wiping it away so i often end up holding the tissue up for her, but way better to have her able to expel the snot and not just wipe away as it drips. if I feel like she’s not using enough force, i ask her to first do a (her name) size b low, then mommy size, then uncle size (her uncle is the tallest person she knows), etc., and she gets really into the differentiation.

      Reply
  3. Anonymous says

    05/12/2022 at 9:43 am

    My newly minted 4 year old just told me I looked “totes adorbs.” While I feel like that’s a huge compliment, I think it’s time to stop letting her watch YouTube with her big sisters ;).

    Reply
    • anon says

      05/12/2022 at 10:04 am

      LOL, I love this.

      Reply
    • Spirograph says

      05/12/2022 at 10:09 am

      hahaha My “stop watching youtube” moment came recently when I was going through my photos and realized that my kids were recording influencer-esque videos of themselves. “Don’t forget to like, subscribe, hit the bell!” omg

      Reply
    • buffybot says

      05/12/2022 at 10:18 am

      That is so much better than what my 4 year old said to me the other day, which was a rare day I was dressed to go to the office: Mommy, take off that dress. It’s gross. I’m worried that if you wear that dress to work, other people won’t like you.

      What. The. F. (I’m going to choose to read that reaction as him not liking it when I go in to work).

      We had a conversation about how he could have whatever opinion he wanted about other people’s clothes but he needs to keep those opinions to himself, since people get to choose what clothes they like for themselves.

      Reply
      • Anonymous says

        05/12/2022 at 10:22 am

        lol this is amazing, and I’m sorry.

        Reply
      • SC says

        05/12/2022 at 11:52 am

        I recently started wearing my hair curly instead of straight (it’s naturally wavy and can be styled straight, wavy, or curly). My 6 year old told me he doesn’t like my hair curly, then said, “You don’t look like a mommy. You look like a rock star.” I think he meant the male rock stars in the 80s glam rock bands.

        Reply
        • Anon says

          05/12/2022 at 12:02 pm

          HAHAHA this is great. I’m sure you look awesome but your kid’s comment is so funny.

          Reply
    • DLC says

      05/12/2022 at 12:19 pm

      Oh my. My “too much YouTube” moment was when my kids started saying, “Bye! Thanks for watching!” whenever we took our leave of anyone.

      Reply
  4. Anon says

    05/12/2022 at 9:55 am

    What do you do when you are nervous about the outcome of a case? I am waiting for a decision to be issued in a matter where I provided counsel to one of the parties. My advice was such that in 9 out of 10 cases, it would have been the correct course of action, but we ended up in the 1 out of 10 cases. Litigation counsel completed oral argument last week, and now we are waiting on the judge to issue his decision. I feel like I’ve got a low level of anxiety constantly waiting for the judge to decide the matter, and it’s at the point where it’s impacting me in all areas of my life. I know it’s tied to this particular issue, so I’ve been hesitant to take any long-term steps, but I’m also miserable. Any suggestions? Or commiseration?

    Reply
    • Anon says

      05/12/2022 at 10:08 am

      Get busy with something else to keep your mind off it — there’s nothing you can do now. If you have a mentor who will tell you you gave good advice even if it turned out differently than you expect that is also helpful.

      Reply
    • Anonymous says

      05/12/2022 at 10:13 am

      I drink and shop online.

      Reply
      • Anonymous says

        05/12/2022 at 11:16 am

        You can come sit by me.

        Reply
    • Anon says

      05/12/2022 at 10:15 am

      My brain does this. If there’s literally nothing that can be done, I start listening to a good audio book whenever I’m not working or parenting. It distracts my brain from spiraling.

      The other option that helps is to determine the worst case outcome and decide what you’ll do and make peace with it. Assume it’s going to happen.

      Reply
      • Anonymous says

        05/12/2022 at 10:33 am

        Not a lawyer, but contingency planning is what I do in similar situations. This is sometimes called “constructive pessimism.”

        Reply
    • IHeartBacon says

      05/12/2022 at 11:14 am

      I tell myself, “well, that’s why I have malpractice insurance.”

      Reply
      • Anonymous says

        05/12/2022 at 4:10 pm

        This. And find some kind of rabbit hole to occupy my frenetic mind (random research, home decor planning, etc).

        Reply
  5. Anon says

    05/12/2022 at 10:04 am

    Unexpected WFH perk: when you’re leaving on vacation the next day and have finished all the stuff you have to do before you leave, you can take an unofficial day off. Of course I’m using it for extremely glamorous things like errands and laundry, but it’s still better than sitting in an office all day doing nothing.

    Reply
    • Anon says

      05/12/2022 at 10:25 am

      Ha, it’s funny you said unexpected because I was WFH for Covid and am now in the office and I consider that the most expected (and valuable) perk! I’m jealous.

      Reply
    • Anonymous says

      05/12/2022 at 10:39 am

      That only works if you don’t have to bill all your hours to a project.

      Reply
      • Anon says

        05/12/2022 at 11:56 am

        Very true. I used to be in a billable hour profession and don’t miss it at all. Post-kid and especially post-Covid, I mainly get my substantive work done in short focused spurts so I would really struggle to bill the appropriate amount of time.

        Reply
  6. Summer Vacation says

    05/12/2022 at 10:26 am

    Hi All. I think I know the answer to this, but I thought I’d seek some hive wisdom. I’m in the midst of planning a family vacation in August (I’m behind, I know…it’s been a busy year). I haven’t planned a resort vacation since pre-Covid. It seems very expensive compared to previous vacations. It could be the timining or being a bit last minute. Previous vacations I have for comparison are an all-inclusive in Mexico and Disney. Can I assume this is right and travel is just costing more with everything costing more right now? I’m working with a travel agent (who is a cousin’s wife), and I just want to make sure that I’m not making bad decisions.

    Reply
    • Anon says

      05/12/2022 at 10:41 am

      Travel in general is much more costly now. Inflation is crazy and everyone wants to do all the things and go to all the places.

      Reply
    • Anon says

      05/12/2022 at 10:44 am

      Travel costs are insane right now. Simply insane. We had our eye on a high end resort pre-Covid for a milestone. It was $1,000 a night which is a lot for us but doable as a splurge for a special occasion. We checked a few months ago (same general time of year) and it’s now over $2,500 (!) a night. All our domestic flights this year have been over $500 per person, many $700+. Most European cities were $1,500 from our major US city this summer. Using miles isn’t a great solution either, because the redemption rates for those are sky high too.

      There are still some affordable options out there – we’re staying at an all inclusive in Cancun with rooms under $400/night in August because we’re going with my in-laws who have a strict budget – but you will definitely have to compromise if you don’t want to pat a fortune.

      Reply
      • Anne-on says

        05/12/2022 at 1:30 pm

        We found the best bang for our buck by using the Chase Sapphire platform for hotel rooms/flights OR (if you have it for work) the AmEx Platinum fine hotels and resorts program booking platform – it gets you $100 night in free food/an upgrade on your room/etc. The points guy website has also been a super helpful guide on where there are good values to be found in terms of deals/credit card points/free night redemptions/how to stack points and cash/etc.
        But yes, things are more expensive AND booking out super fast. We’re already looking at next year’s spring break and summer trips to guarantee I get the room types I want (Disney vacation, the villas sell out quickly and an all-inclusive resort where they fully sell out 12-15 months in advance). I am jealous of pre-kids me who could see a last minute flight deal and hop on it without months and months of planning.

        Reply
        • Anon says

          05/12/2022 at 1:51 pm

          Yep. We booked an all-inclusive resort for December (early December, before the Christmas holiday rush) and there was already seriously limited availability. I fully plan to start planning summer 2023 travel when I get back from the vacation I’m going on next week.

          Reply
        • Anon says

          05/12/2022 at 2:20 pm

          I have a United card I want to use to get miles and status, so I don’t normally play the credit card game. But I did notice Mastercard has a “stay for 4, pay for 3” promotion at certain hotels and I saved a good chunk of change on a nice hotel (The Woodstock Inn in Vermont) that way.

          Reply
    • Melm12 says

      05/12/2022 at 10:50 am

      Air travel is up 30-50%

      Reply
    • Anonymous says

      05/12/2022 at 10:52 am

      Travel is extremely expensive now across the board.

      Reply
    • Anon says

      05/12/2022 at 10:54 am

      Yes – everything costs more right now – flights, gas, hotels, food, service. Have fun on your vacation though – we were recently at a resort in Mexico and as long as I didn’t think about my bank account, it was great:)

      Reply
  7. First Close Contact says

    05/12/2022 at 10:36 am

    Welp, over two years in we finally had our first close contact yesterday. DD can’t be vaccinated until later this summer so here goes a 5 day quarantine and I canceled our trip for this weekend (thankfully all refundable before last night’s deadline). She is also sick with a non-covid cold (we think; symptoms started within hours of her exposure which seems too soon to be Covid and her rapidtest was negative last night), so now I am worried about a potential dual infection. Now we’re all trying to mask around the house since I am immunocompromised and hoping and praying it is just a near miss (and thankful school will be over in a few weeks).

    Reply
    • Anon says

      05/12/2022 at 11:40 am

      Fingers crossed for you! I posted last week about my daughter being exposed at school, and none of us got it. Her school still has masking but I don’t know how much good it does when the infected person is a kid, since the kids are maskless for half the day eating and resting.
      I actually read something about how you’re less likely to get Covid during or immediately after an infection with another virus. Basically your immune system revving up to fight another virus can make you less susceptible to catching anything, including Covid.

      Reply
    • Anon says

      05/12/2022 at 11:46 am

      I’m sorry you have to quarantine and miss your trip, that’s so frustrating. I am impressed that you made it this long without a close contact (in reality, it’s probably happened a bunch of times and this is probably the only time you’ve found out.).

      Reply
      • Anon says

        05/12/2022 at 11:52 am

        We had our first known exposure last week, although we had a couple near misses before that. If you’re being cautious and not doing much in-person except school/work, it’s possible.

        Reply
        • Anon says

          05/12/2022 at 12:06 pm

          Maybe it depends on definition of exposure? My kids were exposed at school at least 15 times each (meaning, a positive classmate or kid on the bus), but the kids wore masks and kept *some* distance and we never caught it. I don’t know how you could’ve avoided any contact if your kid is in school, unless you mean maskless/for a long duration

          Reply
          • Anon says

            05/12/2022 at 12:14 pm

            We’re in daycare like OP, so last year’s classroom was only 8 kids and this year 16 kids and no buses or mingling of classes. But a lot of staff (it’s a university daycare with a lot of undergrad volunteers and student workers, in addition to the fulltime teaching staff). They tell us about every case in our classroom. There were zero cases in kid’s classroom in the ’20-21 school year, and this year, until last week, there were only cases the week after Thanksgiving and the week after Christmas break when we’d previously decided to keep kiddo home (that’s what I meant about near misses). High vaccination rates in our daycare community and teachers got vaccinated early in our state, so it’s not a surprise to me that there were zero cases between Feb ’21 and Nov ’21 because the vaccines worked very well in that time period and almost all staff and parents were vaxxed. Otherwise, it was just good luck.

        • First Close Contact says

          05/12/2022 at 12:54 pm

          Correct. DD is in a small preschool class (9 kids) and they notify us of every case. Community vax rates are in the upper 80s. There have been no cases in her class last year (only open for spring session last year) and this year the only cases were right before winter break when she was out sick anyways with a different cold. The only other indoor activity we do is work (in a private office and only 2 days a week) and doctor’s visits (always masked) and swim (obviously not masked, but a class of 3 and last class of the day so limited interaction with other kids and they do a decent job of spacing them out). We see family (indoors, unmasked) about once every other month but they are also immunocompromised and similarly cautious. All other activities are outside (or delivery or curbside pickup) and then we still avoid crowded outdoor places. I don’t even remember the last time we had an indoor playdate (thankfully, my kid loves being outside).

          Reply
    • Anonymous says

      05/12/2022 at 11:55 am

      my kids are older but both caught this variant — their only symptoms were sniffles (clear, runny snot) and sneezing. my eldest only had a positive for 1-2 days. (negative sunday, positive tuesday, negative wednesday.) where i am i honestly don’t know anyone who’s still doing 5 day quarantines – most people aren’t testing either, and we’re the only ones still in masks, ever.

      build a corsi-rosenthal DIY filter if you’re immunocompromised.

      Reply
      • Anon says

        05/12/2022 at 12:00 pm

        A lot of daycares and preschools still require 5-10 day quarantines for unvaccinated children who were exposed. It doesn’t sound like she’s doing a quarantine voluntarily. This is a huge reason we need an under 5 vaccine ASAP. Most kids don’t get severely ill, but the massive disruption to working parents won’t end until kids of all ages can get vaccinated.

        Reply
        • Anon says

          05/12/2022 at 12:09 pm

          Absolutely. Our daycare still requires a 5-day quarantine for masked classrooms and a 10-day quarantine for unmasked (kids under 2). Meanwhile, I’ve been sick for two weeks with a daycare cold that turned into bronchitis. Negative repeatedly for Covid… and multiple healthcare providers told me that I was too sick to have the current strain of Covid going around…

          Reply
        • Anon says

          05/12/2022 at 12:12 pm

          I’d argue that what we need is to end the quarantines. The vaccines don’t do much for spread. I don’t understand how schools can get rid of masks (indicating that covid is not a big deal) and yet still keep quarantines in place (indicating that it’s a very serious deal). There no reason for different quarantine policies at this stage other than hygiene theater (I’m fully vaxxed, etc etc)

          Reply
          • Anon says

            05/12/2022 at 12:16 pm

            I agree, but until quarantines are ended everywhere (which is not the case yet) there’s an urgent need for vaccines for all.

          • Anon says

            05/12/2022 at 12:30 pm

            +1

          • Anon says

            05/12/2022 at 12:59 pm

            well at our preschool a class of kids too young to mask got shutdown last week because both teachers and 3 kids got covid. i can see a reason to quarantine so it doesn’t spread to the entire class and then to their siblings, etc.

          • Anon says

            05/12/2022 at 1:48 pm

            ^^ Ok… but what were the kids’ symptoms? I don’t think anyone is suggesting kids with a fever go to school, but at least at our daycare, kids have to be fever-free for 24 hours to go to daycare anyway. We don’t quarantine for croup, HFM, or any other childhood illness, even though they tend to spread through the entire classroom and get families sick. Why are we quarantining for what is (now) indistinguishable from any other daycare illness?

            *I fully believe quarantines were warranted and necessary pre-vaccine and when the strain was more virulent but now… not so much. Not to say that we couldn’t have another bad strain come through that may require quarantines, but the current one appears to be no big deal.

          • Boston Legal Eagle says

            05/12/2022 at 2:12 pm

            I’m with Anon 1:48 – why are we still quarantining daycare kids for this? Of all of the cases in our daycare (we’ve had many many emails this year), I don’t know of any kid who got a serious case. I know someone will say long Covid, etc., but it really does seem to be mild in little kids, especially this latest variant. I think our health guidelines are a little outdated when it comes to daycares.

          • Anon says

            05/12/2022 at 2:28 pm

            I’m not denying that Covid is disruptive. I’m saying “so we don’t have to quarantine” is a bad argument for needing a vaccine when the vaccines are doing nothing to stop spread right now anyway. The issue is the quarantine policy! Either everyone vaccinated or not should quarantine (if Covid is deemed that serious – and there is an argument that this is the way to go) or no one should and we need to treat it more like the flu now.

          • Anonymous says

            05/12/2022 at 4:02 pm

            I mean, vaccines and quarantine are related in my mind because we should have measures in place so kids who do not have the opportunity yet to be vaccinated can be protected, and we’ve been treating quarantine as one such measure for 2+ years. But as you say what the f are we doing getting rid of masks if we actually care about protecting unvaxxed kids??! Seems like air purifiers and ventilation would be an actual good thing to do versus quarantine, but that is a line item (versus all of us parents just absorbing the physical, mental, and emotional tolls of the quarantine — and our kids suffering from quarantine as well much more than wearing a mask, IMO). Sigh.

        • Anonymous says

          05/12/2022 at 2:18 pm

          for a lot of parents there has been a “don’t ask don’t tell” policy since 2020. it’s why all of the “it doesn’t spread in school!!” arguments are total bunk.

          my kids (older) have been out for 30+ days each this school year, primarily due to covid exposures or quarantine periods. no one else has been out for that long, and we’re extremely covid cautious beyond sending the kids to school. i know some parents are even sending their kids still on days they have a (+).

          Reply
      • First Close Contact says

        05/12/2022 at 12:57 pm

        Thanks. My house is littered with purifiers due to allergies, and I cranked them all up to high yesterday. Hopefully that will help too even if it sounds like I’m living in a perpetual white noise machine (they are nearly silent on low, where we usually keep them unless we are cleaning or the windows and doors have been open a lot).

        Reply
      • EDAnon says

        05/12/2022 at 3:20 pm

        I wonder if my son had it last week. Clear in your nose and sneezing. We didn’t test because we assumed it was allergies.

        Reply
  8. anon in brooklyn says

    05/12/2022 at 11:05 am

    Any tips for seasonal allergies in kids? My daughter (6) has a bad week or so every spring and there doesn’t seem to be much I can do to help. She’s really resistant to taking any kind of medicine. I get them myself, and take all the Claritin.

    Reply
    • Anonymous says

      05/12/2022 at 11:17 am

      She’s 6, make her take the medication.

      Reply
    • Anon says

      05/12/2022 at 11:37 am

      Pediatrician recommended washing hands and face after being outside (and especially before bed) for us. Also washing hair before bed if possible.

      Reply
    • Anonymous says

      05/12/2022 at 11:38 am

      Since I put a BlueAir purifier in every room of our house, all the allergy sufferers have experienced fewer symptoms.

      Reply
    • Anon says

      05/12/2022 at 11:44 am

      Blue air purifiers make such a difference in my own allergies (although I still require zyrtec). We have two on the main level and a smaller one in each bedroom. I also make a point to shower (including washing my hair) and change clothes after spending meaningful time outside to wash away the pollen. Frequent vacuuming with a hepa vacuum will help indoors too, and make sure sheets and pillowcases are being washed at least weekly in hot water. I keep the windows closed and use AC unless it has just rained (including in the car), and I limit my time outside on the highest of pollen days. If you have a dog, remember the dog also carries all sorts of pollen in each time (which is my theory as to why my allergies are so much worse at my parents’ house but since adding a purifier to the bedroom there and banning the dog from the bedroom, it has made such a difference!).

      Reply
    • Anon says

      05/12/2022 at 11:54 am

      I think you can make a 6 year old take medication.

      Reply
      • Anonymous says

        05/12/2022 at 12:45 pm

        Not unless you are willing to do what basically amounts to waterboarding, and then they can still spit it out.

        Reply
        • Anon says

          05/12/2022 at 1:55 pm

          Take away privileges like screen time until she cooperates? What do you do with other medicines? If your kid needs antibiotics for an ear infection and doesn’t want to take it, do you just give up? If you can find a way to take other medicines, I’m not sure why this one would be different. Saying your kid doesn’t “want” to take a medicine isn’t a very good reason for them not to take it, especially when you’re talking about a 6 year old. If there are extreme sensory issues such that your child literally won’t swallow liquid medicines without spitting them out, then that’s a bigger issue that’s not about Claritin and you should ask your ped for an OT referral.

          Reply
    • Spirograph says

      05/12/2022 at 12:03 pm

      Is she resistant to taking medication because she doesn’t like swallowing pills, or because she doesn’t like the way it makes her feel? One of my kids has bad seasonal allergies and takes little claritin pills (“sneeze medicine”) now, but previously we did chewables or he drank a suspension. There are lots of options if she just doesn’t like the delivery method.

      Reply
      • anon in brooklyn says

        05/12/2022 at 12:12 pm

        We’ve tried liquid medicine and chewables. She doesn’t like the taste and spits it out. If we push her, she cries and we get nowhere.

        Reply
        • Anonymous says

          05/12/2022 at 12:24 pm

          I’d try having her swallow the pills.

          Reply
        • Anon says

          05/12/2022 at 12:39 pm

          My kid (the one who won’t blow her nose) will weirdly use Flonase but won’t take liquid Zyrtec without a battle. Maybe try that.

          Reply
      • Anonymous says

        05/12/2022 at 12:24 pm

        What about steroid nasal sprays?

        Reply
    • Anonymous says

      05/12/2022 at 1:12 pm

      Reactine quick dissolve pills. They dissolve on the tongue and taste fine. Claritin injected under the tongue is my backup.

      Wear hats and sunglasses outdoors – this is a thing, I can’t remember the science but you can search it.

      Don’t dry clothes outside.

      Reply
    • Anon says

      05/12/2022 at 2:17 pm

      My family has a hereditary issue that requires pills starting very young. I always took pills with a spoon of jelly followed by a sip of water, and by 10 years old I could swallow a pill straight with no water. I started that same method with both of my kids, and at 7 and 9 they both are now already at the “swallow straight” stage. My youngest also needs a daily Claritin/Zyrtec in the spring and fall for seasonal allergies, and the same method worked even quicker this time.

      Start with a spoon of jelly, stick the pill in the middle so it’s fully coated with the jelly, and have them swallow the whole thing in one gulp. Follow with a sip of water in case any taste lingers, although it rarely does.

      Once that gets easy, then you can wean off the jelly by trying with water first, then using jelly as the backup. Sit the pill on your tongue, sip some water into your mouth, float the pill in the water, and then swallow. Take a quick spoon of jelly to rinse any taste out of your mouth.

      Reply
      • Anon says

        05/12/2022 at 2:23 pm

        I learned how to take them in chocolate pudding around age 6. If the pill is moderately sized, you can basically swallow a spoonful of pudding with the pill inside and you don’t even know the pill is there.

        Reply
      • Anon says

        05/12/2022 at 2:23 pm

        You shouldn’t take pills without water! It’s terrible for your esophagus.

        Reply
        • Anon says

          05/12/2022 at 3:19 pm

          Thanks, I should have clarified. This is right after eating breakfast and brushing our teeth in the morning, so stomach is already full and mouth is already wet from rinsing. We also drink lots of water throughout the day, including a water bottle on the way to school and work during the week, which greatly reduces any risks to the esophagus.

          Reply
      • Anon says

        05/12/2022 at 2:30 pm

        My mother had us practice with mini m&ms so we could learn how to swallow pills.

        Reply
        • Anon says

          05/12/2022 at 3:28 pm

          I learned with regular M&Ms

          Reply
  9. Anonymous says

    05/12/2022 at 3:07 pm

    Ugh I just had my annual review and it was BRUTAL. My manager is new this year and we get along well on a personal level and he’s always been very positive about my work product. But he requests feedback from my internal customers, including the head of the organization, who has been extremely negative about me both this year and last (but was fine with me pre-Covid). I have a very individual role, basically my job is to produce X product for the organization that no one else is really involved in. Last year, the head of the org said I was not productive enough and I needed to be producing 2X per month. I *barely* missed it this past year, but if you exclude Nov-Jan when I had basically no childcare due to Covid quarantines, I was producing 2.7X per month, and for the last three months I’ve produced 3-4X every month (but still get criticized a ton for not getting Xs out the door fast enough). Is it fair to write a response to this review noting that I met the target when you exclude the childcare disruptions and have been way above the target recently? Also fwiw pre-Covid I did not produce 2X per month and no one cared, although I had a great manager back then who was probably insulating me from criticism from the head of the org.

    Another issue is that they say I’m not proactive enough about creating projects, but I’m not sure how I can be when I have a waiting list of projects with dozens of items on it, and they’re mad at me for not finishing their projects fast enough. I don’t plan to say anything about that in the written review response (I did mention it to manager and he didn’t really have a great response) but I would love advice anyone has.

    Reply
    • EDAnon says

      05/12/2022 at 3:23 pm

      Are your more recent months the ones with the highest productivity? If so, I would point to that. I don’t know how referencing childcare will be received in your organization. In mine, you would likely get some slack, but it is pretty manager dependent.

      Reply
    • Anon says

      05/12/2022 at 3:28 pm

      I wouldn’t mention childcare, but I would say something like “Excluding year end holiday timing, I average 2.7X monthly, a 170% increase in the last 24 months even in the midst of a global pandemic. This was made possible by advancements/ efficiencies/ reprioritizing X and Y. Additional efficiencies are leading to a current rolling three month average of 3X.”

      Then talk with your manager about how you’re nearing the end of being able to increase productivity further with your current processes. Be explicit about how your project waitlist is growing and that is part of the reprioritization that has allowed you to produce 3X recently – is this the tradeoff he prefers, or does he want to walk back closer to 2X so you can get more projects done? Does he want to bring on another role to help increase further, or does he want to reprioritize other job responsibilities? Or what other ideas does he have on being able to meet escalating requests in both projects and products?

      Reply
      • OP says

        05/12/2022 at 3:31 pm

        Sorry, my wording was bad. I was using the words projects and products interchangeably. The waiting list is all Xs, so doing more Xs per month does not lengthen the waiting list. But a lot of the criticism was about wanting me to be generating my own ideas for Xs, and I don’t understand how to do that when I have a long waiting list of other people’s Xs to do.

        Reply
        • Anon says

          05/12/2022 at 5:21 pm

          I think the concept still stands. You’ve held back from making your own ideas for X a reality because you’ve been focused on working through other X needs. You’ve made several advancements in how many Xs you can produce each month, but you’re at the limit of possible advancements on your own, and now you’re limited in how many new ideas you can generate given the backlog. What ideas can your Manager suggest to help reprioritize, or if he willing to allow tradeoffs where you only achieve 2x but one of those is your own idea, or whatever? But get him to understand that you can’t do both, which is what your business partner seems to want.

          Reply
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