Weekend & Family Friday: Stainless Steel Straws
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I am here to admit I am a plastic straw addict and I hate myself for it. I don’t drink many hot beverages, so if I am drinking an iced coffee or iced tea that I’ve bought, it’s coming with a plastic straw. One of the reasons it’s been so hard for me to kick the habit is that I am also a straw biter/chewer. I found these at Amazon and am going to order them ASAP. I like stainless steel better than reusable silicone straws, but I can have the best of both worlds with these — they have a silicone tip to protect my teeth. If anyone out there has a set of reusable straws they really love, shout them out, please! These are available for $7.99 for a set of 12 and are eligible for Prime. Stainless Steel Straws
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Frivolous question, I know, but… We’re remodeling/updating our house, including the flooring in our kitchen/living/dining great room area. We’d like some sort of wood. However, my immediate reaction to most wood grain is to feel like the 1980s called and wants its oak back. I really like the look of modern, dark options. I think in large part because the darkness minimizes the look of the grain. That said, everyone I know with dark floors really regrets them because they show dirt so badly. So we’re moving towards a darker medium color as opposed to the super dark options. But they seem dated, and it is the grain that drives me nuts.
Does anyone have any advice or thoughts? Can someone more knowledgeable and hip than me explain what makes wood grain dated versus not? I really don’t want to spend a ton of money on a floor I don’t like or that will feel dated.
What are the benefits of a nanny vs. au pair? Trying to decide in between the two for a 1 year old.
I’ll ask my doctor as well, but do you all have any recommendations for sunscreen suitable for pregnant women? Thanks!
I am planning a trip to Maui for Christmas (!!) and just realized that the flight is 9.5 hours (and with food for purchase only – seriously?? Thanks United).
Also, getting nervous about keeping a 6 year-old and 3 year-old entertained in regular economy for that long. It’ll be our first big plane trip/vacation since having kids. We do 5-6 hour road trips to see family regularly, but this is another league. I figure iPad movies/TV will be good for 2-3 hours, maybe they will sleep if we’re lucky for 45 mins – 1 hour. Eating lunch/snacks will take up maybe another 45 mins total. Maybe we can play games like Uno, read books to them for another 2 hours total at best. But that leaves us THREE. MORE. HOURS. to fill.
At some point in the next year, give or take, my family will be looking to buy a house in Northern Virginia. I love (and hate!) casually looking at Zillow and other apps for houses in this area. I usually set the search parameters for houses with 4+ bedrooms with assigned schools in “green” ranked school districts, preferably on about an acre or more of land. My searches have been skewing towards McLean and Great Falls. My husband and I work in Arlington and Tysons-area (for now – that could obviously change at any time!). My preference would be to live as close to DC/Arlington as possible. Am I right that house prices will be around $1M+? Any recommended neighborhoods/towns/school districts/etc.? Any advice on how to more seriously consider a house search here would be very much appreciated!
We recently moved into a new house and have a huuuge backyard. My toddlers have birthdays coming up next month (2 and 3) and so their grandparents have offered to buy them some sort of outdoor play structure as a big joint present. Any recommendations for what we should get?
I think we want something they can climb, but I don’t know if that should be one of those jungle domes or a swing set (because then we get a slide and swings) or something else! I remember loving my swingset as a kid, but anyone have experience with them as a parent?
Any food allergy moms here? My 14-month old was just diagnosed with a severe egg allergy (we’ve known she was allergic for awhile, but we just saw the allergist and now have a better understanding of how severe her allergy really is). We now have epi-pens and blood work and in-office “food challenges” and lots of other fun stuff in front of us.
While I realize food allergies aren’t a huge deal, I found myself pretty freaked out by this news. We have no family history of food allergies and the thought of having to be constantly vigilant about everything she eats terrifies me. It’s fine now, when we can control all of her food intake, but I worry about birthday parties or school events as she grows up and I won’t always be there to watch out for her.
Any advice from more experienced allergy moms?
I am starting to wean my 18-month old. He nurses in the morning and before bed. I didn’t nurse him this morning and I am so full and uncomfortable. To make matters worse, the fullness is only on one side, so I am super lopp-sided. Do I pump that out a bit or maybe express a tiny bit in the shower till I am more comfortable?
Has anyone ever taken their kids to Sesame Place in Pennsylvania? Is there enough to do there for a 2.5 year old who is Sesame-obsessed but likely too small for the rides? The park is within driving distance for us, so I’m not worried about needing to “make the most” of the trip, but I do want to make sure there’s a good day’s worth of activities to entertain my kid.
What are the best “bigger” toy purchases for a almost 2 year old girl? I was thinking of investing in a play kitchen or activity table. Also, would she be too young for magna tiles? They say 3 and up but so d lots of things that shes fine playing with when supervised. Any other ideas would be greatly appreciated.
I really hate clutter and expecting a little boy now, so would like to find gender neutral toys they can both use. Thanks in advance!
Venting: Another ice/snowstorm is headed our way, and OMG I am dreading being trapped in the house for yet another weekend. I am running out of tricks to keep the kids occupied and happy. I am a homebody at heart, and yet even I’m getting tired of staring at the walls in my house.
I’m going to start planning a tropical vacay for February 2020. A change of scenery would help so much right now!
+1. She’s 7 and has years to pursue theater as an interest.
Pumping question – I keep my pump parts in the fridge during the day between sessions. I’ve been shoving them into my cooler bag inside a ziplock, but the cooler bag doesn’t fit the parts assembled. Can anyone recommend a storage bag that can fit the pump parts (flange + half of backflow protector + bottle)? I have a spectra.
My MIL is entering hospice at home today. Tuesday we heard that thought they had narrowed down the diagnosis and had a new treatment to try, Thursday morning at 7 am we got the call she wasn’t going to make it. It feels so sudden despite her being in and out of the hospital recently – she seemed on the road to recovery and it never felt like this was the end until, suddenly, it was.
I’ve supported a close friend through losing her mother, but that was a very long process, and not nearly so sudden. I haven’t lost either of my own parents. I’m just struggling with how best to support my husband. He’s not a person to talk out problems (I am) and I tend to be a very “fix it! take charge!” person. I’m trying to turn that off and trying to just “be there”, but I’m worried it’s not enough. Yesterday we sat with her in the hospital for about three hours, and we were mostly silent. I wasn’t sure whether I should be talking to her (she was in and out of it, talking seemed difficult) or encouraging my husband to talk to her, but I felt like, if it was silent, they needed it to be silent. But of course I was worried I wasn’t handling it right.
I feel like I need to “dump out”, and my aforementioned best friend is dealing with her dad’s health problems right now, so I don’t want to burden her. I thought maybe this group would have experienced something like this before and could give me some suggestions for how best to be there for my husband and his family.
Happy Friday all! Anyone have a kids’ activity table you love? Ideally, I’d like something that could grow with the kids (now 1 and 3), but that would also work for legos/trains. TIA!