Make My Life Easier Thursday: Runnen Outdoor Decking
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My condo has a very blah, standard-issue concrete balcony. Right now, I have an outdoor rug covering it up, but I’m thinking about taking things a little further with this instant outdoor decking.
The lightweight pieces simply click together in any configuration you need — you can even cut them to fit corners, or around a pole. To clean underneath, just take the flooring apart and reassemble when you’re done. Reglaze once or twice a year to keep the finish fresh.
Ikea’s Runnen decking is $29.99 for nearly nine square feet.
Sales of note for 8/6/25
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Ann Taylor – Semi-annual sale, 8/6 ONLY: Extra 60% off sale and style steals starting at $25
- Banana Republic Factory – Up to 50% off everything + extra 20% off
- Eloquii – Extra 45% off all sale
- J.Crew – 30% off wear-now styles & up to 60% off all sale styles
- J.Crew Factory – Up to 60% off everything and extra 60% off clearance
- M.M.LaFleur – 25% off all previous flash sale items! Try code CORPORETTE15 for 15% off.
- Nordstrom – 9,800+ new women’s markdowns
- Spanx – Free shipping on everything
- Talbots – $15 & up all markdown tops & 50% off all other markdowns
My very small 18 month old asked to sit in the potty today. I don’t think it’ll go anywhere any time soon, but I also don’t want to discourage him. Recommendations for a potty seat for really little kids so he can sit on the potty without worrying he’ll fall in? Do you just get whatever is cheapest, are the ones with steps worth the extra space they take up? I have 0 interest in the independent potties that you have to empty out and clean.
Teacher assignments are out! My 7 year old’s bestie of the last two years is in a different class but she has a couple of other decently close friends in her class. I think this is actually ideal – the bestie relationship is strong enough at this point to sustain different classes and I hope she will get closer to some of the girls she was friendly with last year but didn’t become super close with because she was attached at the hip to her bestie. But she is apoplectic.
Follow up to my stress vent regarding my Kindergartener’s lack of class assignment.
Called the school again this morning and they confirmed she is assigned to a teacher. Hopefully the teacher will reach out today….or we will just meet them at Meet the Teacher tomorrow. We don’t know her start day for next week until we talk to the teacher.
So my anxiety over worrying about her actual spot at the school is gone, but now replaced with stress over planning for childcare next week!
Small potatoes, I realize. Just a major inconvenience. And I’m sure I’m quickly earning a spot on some sort of parent watch list in the front office (I’m always friendly and polite, I swear!).
How do people job-hunt now? I have always gotten jobs through networking. My last two jobs were created for me. I need to switch fields and have no idea where to start. LinkedIn is a scammy incomprehensible mess.
My shoulder and neck are killing me after a couple weeks of activities where I have to carry my wriggling baby for hours. He will only sit on my left, because [mysterious baby reasons]. I’ve got a few more days to get through :(.
Advice on how to stretch it out? The rest of my time is just a desk job with a lousy office chair. And a couple of short walks each day.
Idk if anyone on here knew the Blackstone exec who was shot in NYC. I personally did not, but have friends who did and she sounds like she was amazing – both professionally and personally. She did nothing wrong that day other than get up and go to work. My heart breaks for her husband and kids. The other woman who was shot who was about 5 years out of college so easily could’ve been me or any of my friends during our nyc days. Yesterday the main page said some cruel things about their tragic deaths, so I wanted to post here in case any reader lost a friend. I may not know you, but I’m very sorry for your loss
Has anyone taught Montessori style math at home without school support? I love conceptual math but I didn’t discover that until college. So I’m mostly thinking this would actually be fun, but I don’t quite know where to start.
Help me plan a deeply needed vacation? DH, me, 7 year old and 21 month old. Sometime soon-ish, I think…. would consider other timeframes (over the holidays?). We want it to feel splurge-y and don’t have a set budget at the moment but also don’t want to spend like $25k…
We’re in the northeast and all of us have passports. We’re thinking kid friendly beach vacation.. Hurricane season is upon us and so I’m kind of nervous about that. Will travel insurance protect us? Never bought it before…
We’ve done Beaches T&C when we had only one kiddo (she was 4). Totally loved it. Would prefer something else/new/different but that’s in the back of my brain. Hawaii? What’s the minimum trip length to make it worth it from the northeast?
Basically I’m about to accept a job that gets me out of my current, deeply toxic environment. Been at this company for 15 years and it’s gotten worse and worse over the years. We’ve been in mega save mode for a while, trying to build enough of a reserve so I could exit if I had to without something lined up. But, as it would turn out I’m suddenly the finalist for incredible jobs and companies, and expect an offer from one for sure next week. We are so past due celebrating some mega milestones – both turned 40 last year, 10 year wedding anniversary, we had a baby in Nov 2023 so have somewhat hunkered down with that, too., given increased child care costs, etc.
Timing is a little tricky. DD1 starts 2nd grade the last week of August. I didn’t think I was someone to pull their kid out of school for a week for a beach vacation but …. this is a one time deal due to extraordinary circumstances (job change, etc.). Sorry I’m not sorry? We’d ideally like to do it during the roughly month I’ll have off between jobs, which I estimate to be sometime between mid august and end of September. Should we just go for it? Or, maybe plan it for the week after Christmas and skip hurricane season + pulling out of school? WWYD?
Also – yes, I know I don’t have the offer in hand yet. The majority of my brain is very grounded in that fact (fwiw I’ve been told I have one more “check the box meeting” and then we’re talking comp and offer so I’m dang close).. But…let me dream? TY!
Anyone have a rec for straw cups for a 15-month-old that are easy to clean, won’t spill when flung across the room, and where a determined toddler can’t pull the straw out?
We’ve been using the Munchkin weighted straw cups which are great and don’t leak, but the straws are just such a pain to get totally clean. He’s happy to use the cheap Take&Toss cups which are super simple to clean, but when he’s done drinking he’ll pull out the straw and dump the milk or water out through the hole in the top.