Weekend & Family Friday: Reusable Sandwich and Snack Bags
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Even though my son’s daycare is literally five minutes from my house, I can avoid a hunger-based tantrum by giving him a snack in the car on the way home. It also gives me some wiggle room to prepare his dinner. Since I know I am going to be bringing him a snack (veggie sticks — not actual vegetables, but the colorful-not-really-veggie snack food) every day, I can’t be using a new ziplock each time, both for my wallet and especially for the environment. I have been using reusable snack bags and haven’t looked back. I like how these are zippered, dishwasher-safe, and available in a lot of fun patterns. They are $19.97 for four reusable bags and are eligible for Prime. Reusable Sandwich and Snack Bags
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A friend posted this, and it made me think of all of you – so much of the comments rings true about how I feel about my mom, and I really hope it’s how my kiddo will feel about me.
forbes.com/sites/kateashford/2015/06/30/working-mother/
Question for everyone: What keeps you excited and motivated in life? One-on-one time with your kids? Career advancement? Romantic moments with your spouse? Your workout routine? I know working parent life can feel like a drudgery sometimes. I’m curious about what motivates you and puts a pep in your step!
I left breast milk in a hotel mini fridge, and unfortunately I noticed this morning that the fridge didn’t seem that cold – the milk was cool to the touch but not cold. Would you toss it?
I’m feeling kind of beaten down this week. I’m expecting #2 in three weeks and kid #1 is being a handful. Kid #1 is 2.5, generally a good kid, but lately it feels like everything is met with a no. I’m trying to be playful and patient but I’m really, really tired from both pregnancy and full time work. This makes me have a shorter temper than I’d like to have. Spouse is out of town about 60% of the time (week-long or more stretches). He told me that kid #1’s behavior needs to improve dramatically to ensure kid can handle transition. I just feel defeated. Comments? Commiseration?
Bummed on a Friday. Been feeling queasy the past few days, super tired all week, and negative test (yet again) this morning. Could be too early (I was a week later than usual last month), but likely just extra rough PMS. TTC (#2 for us) is such an emotional rollercoaster, bleh.
I think I’ve posted here before- but it’s a new season and our struggles with footwear continue.
My almost 3 y/o is a size 7/7.5/8 depending on the shoe. Her feet are extremely narrow and also extremely low. She isn’t flat-footed but she has tiny ankles and a very low foot arch.
She had ONE pair of shoes as an infant because nothing fit, anywhere. She does OK in winter because we find the narrowest shoes on the market and add thick socks.
She cannot wear flip flops with the stretchy back because her feet fall out. Natives stay on but are really loose. Mini Melissa’s used to work but in a size 8 the straps won’t tighten enough, and I don’t really like them for summer anyway. Any sandals we’ve tried have way too much wiggle room in the ankle strap, even if we punch new holes. Assuming we find a narrow enough foot bed. Thinking maybe Birkenstock’s and punch new holes?
For extra fun, her summer camp doesn’t like open toed shoes. But we can always do sneakers.
We have had some success at Nordstrom rack- all these oddly narrow shoes end up there because they fit NOBODY but my kid. She got some Harper Canyon boots and black dress shoes that worked with thicker socks. Her sneakers are pumas pulled all the way closed with thick socks and are still a little wide. Real laces help with the arch but not the narrowness.
Any tips on brands or where we can shop? She’s the adult equivalent of a AA. I think we need higher end as mass market shoes for Target are made for average feet. We were killing time there this weekend and she tried shoes on and NOTHING fit. Meanwhile my 6 y/o who has average feet found like 48374 pairs of shoes she wanted.
Hit me with dinners that are not Mac and cheese but are eaten with gusto in your house. Doesn’t need to be weeknight friendly, but that’s a bonus.
My kids are varied in tastes- one likes spicey food, one likes “bowl style” meals while the other prefers things separate, but they are generally not too picky.
Our winners are:
Salsa dump (easy weeknight): chicken + corn+ black beans + salsa into crock pot. Shred. Serve with rice and/or tortilla. Top with sour cream and cheese.
Smitten kitchen sausage risotto. We either do a mix of sweet and hot or just sweet sausage. Pro tip: use frozen chopped spinach and buy sausage meat (not cases sausages) for decreased prep time.
Homemade pizza – we even make the dough because I have a bread maker that has changed my world. But absent a bread maker, we like Trader Joe’s pizza dough. Weeknight hack: use storebought naan as the dough, ready in minutes and even young kids can easily DIY.
BBQ chicken, beans & cornbread (we make cornbread from scratch but it’s an easy buy or swap for Hawaiian sweet rolls. My kids don’t like this “sandwich style” though). Add hockey and a container of bbq sauce + a bit of apple cider vinegar into crock pot. Cook all day. Shred and let simmer for as long as possible but even a quick 10 min is fine.
Sheet pan porckchops with ranch dressing. Haven’t figured out what veggie to do here that my kids like. I just give raw veggies and dip.
“Dip night”- requires a lot of prep but has the bonus of many leftovers. Prepare tuna salad, egg salad, falafel balls, raw veggies, meat balls. Set out pita crackers, ranch dressing, hummus, marinara. Add tiny forks for novely. Try hard not to vomit as your 3 y/o happily dips egg salad into marinara.
So- what are winners in your house? I’m really looking to incorporate more veggies because right now the best I do is raw veggies and dip while they’re waiting /whining for dinner.
Can folks tell me what they think the appropriate age range for these shoes is? Thanks!
https://shop.nordstrom.com/s/frye-kenzie-venetian-flat-women/5153631?origin=category-personalizedsort&breadcrumb=Home%2FWomen%2FShoes%2FOxfords%20%26%20Loafers&color=black%20leather
I wish it were easier to search comments! We recently discussed introducing solids. Can anyone point me to the thread?
I wash ziplocs. My husband thinks it’s ridiculous, but I insist.
Perhaps not the usual travel discussion here, but has anyone taken kids to Wildwood, NJ? I grew up going there, but haven’t been for quite a while. My extended family (my parents, husband and I, 2-3 siblings with spouses, 5 or 7 kids aged 4-9) is planning a trip this summer. We’ll have a couple of condos a block or so from the beach in North Wildwood, and I know that at least one family is on a pretty tight budget. I’ll take any tips you’ve got!
Summer child care dilemma: who pays whom? This summer, our adult niece will be picking our 12-year-old up from sports practice. During the afternoons, kiddo will mostly serve as a mother’s helper to watch niece’s toddler while niece does grad school work. My husband has suggested that we should pay niece what we would otherwise have been paying day camp, because she will be going out of her way to pick our kid up, will be semi-supervising our kid, and will be saving us from having to hire a summer nanny/driver. Niece countered that she should actually be paying our kid to babysit. FWIW, niece and her husband are obviously on a limited budget because she is in grad school. What is right here? My thought is that perhaps we should consider the arrangement with niece a barter (she takes care of our kid, who in turn takes care of hers), and we should give our kid the money we would have spent on day camp. That would essentially make it as if our kid were getting paid to babysit, without any expense to niece. Other ideas?