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I like this top both for relaxation and for work. The way it is styled on the site, it looks like a great casual look paired with jeans and a white denim jacket, but I could easily see it under a navy blue suit. I love how the straps in the front are ruched, but the back is cut generously — it almost gives the illusion of cap sleeves. The top is currently on sale for $12, down from $26.99, at Old Navy and comes in sizes XS–XXL. Sleeveless Ruched V-Neck Top
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Sales of note for 4.18.24
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Ann Taylor – 50% off full-price dresses, jackets & shoes; $30 off pants & skirts; extra 50% off sale styles
- Banana Republic Factory – Up to 50% off everything; extra 20% off purchase
- Eloquii – 50% off select styles; 60% off swim; up to 40% off everything else
- J.Crew – Mid-Season Sale: Extra 60% off sale styles; up to 50% off spring-to-summer styles
- Lands’ End – 30% off full-price styles
- Loft – Spring Mid-Season Sale: Up to 50% off 100s of styles
- Nordstrom: Free 2-day shipping for a limited time (eligible items)
- Talbots – Spring Sale: 40% off + extra 15% off all markdowns; 30% off new T by Talbots
- Zappos – 29,000+ women’s sale items! (check out these reader-favorite workwear brands on sale, and some of our favorite kids’ shoe brands on sale)
Kid/Family Sales
- Carter’s – Up to 70% off baby items; 50% off toddler & kid deals & 40% off everything else
- Hanna Andersson – Up to 50% off spring faves; 25% off new arrivals; up to 30% off spring
- J.Crew Crewcuts – Up to 60% off sale styles; up to 50% off kids’ spring-to-summer styles
- Old Navy – 30% off your purchase; up to 75% off clearance
- Target – Car Seat Trade-In Event (ends 4/27); BOGO 25% off select skincare products; up to 40% off indoor furniture; up to 20% off laptops & printers
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And — here are some of our latest threadjacks of interest – working mom questions asked by the commenters!
- If you’re a working parent of an infant with low sleep needs, how do you function at work when you’re in the throes of baby’s sleep regression?
- Should I cut my childcare down to 12 hours a month if I work from home?
- Will my baby have speech delays if we raise her bilingual?
- Has anyone given birth in a teaching hospital?
- My child eats everything, and my friends’ kids do not – how should I handle? In general, what is the best way to handle when your child has some skill/ability and your friend’s child doesn’t have that skill/ability?
- ADHD moms, give me your tips to help with things like behavior in the classroom, attention to detail, etc?
- I think I suffer from mom rage…
- My husband and kids are gone this weekend – how should I enjoy my free time?
- I’m struggling to be compassionate with a SAHM friend who complains she doesn’t have enough hours of childcare.
- If you exclusively formula fed, what tips do you have for in the hospital and coming home?
- Could I take my 4-yo and 8-yo on a 7-8 day trip to Paris, Lyon, and Madrid?
Anonymous says
This is super cute for the playground but not work wear and not under a suit.
Anonymous says
At first I thought it was maternity pajamas.
Anonanonanon says
Yes 100% would not be OK with a suit. MAYBE tucked into something with a grey blazer for a casual-ish day if you were like “oh shoot this is all I can find that’s clean”. Definitely reads weekend wear to me! I guess every day is weekend wear now….
Anonymous says
Super agree. I don’t really like smocking in general, which is is what the shoulders look like?
AnotherAnon says
I normally like or am neutral about the picks, but I think this is hideous.
Kara says
So maybe it’s good for now!
anne-on says
This….looks like something I would have tried to pass off as a work top as a clueless first year employee who didn’t understand ‘work’ clothing yet….
Anon says
Yes, this exactly!
GCA says
Ha, I definitely made some of those mistakes as a clueless intern/ first-year employee!
anonn says
Also after one wash the side seams would be diagonal. because Old Navy.
lsw says
I’m not typically one to complain about the clothes featured here but this looks ugly and dated to me.
Anonymous says
I live in Wisconsin where there is a lot of headlines about dairy farmers needing to throw out milk. Every time I see a headline about “milk dumping” though, I think of breast milk and am momentarily confused.
Anonymous says
I’ve read some articles about why this is happening…but it still makes zero sense to me. My Midwest grocery store is still limiting the amount of milk we can buy. Really isn’t consistent with dumping.
Anonymous says
The argument is that demand from restaurants, schools, etc. for butter and cheese has tanked. It looks like another instance of the supply chain’s inability to rapidly shift production and distribution from the institutional market to the retail market. The same thing has happened with toilet paper.
PSA for NYC parents of school age kids says
Brooklyn Robot Foundry is offering a remote spring break camp next week for ages 6-10 for about $350 if you purchase today (price is slightly higher tomorrow). It provides 4 hours of live interactive remote programming from 10-3 daily next week, with a lunch break. My son has loved their summer camps, although they are pricey. It is only open to NYC residents as they are delivering materials this weekend. They are also doing some kind of afterschool program.
anon says
Vent: Any introverted moms on here who are on the struggle bus, being around your people all the time? I guess I never realized how much I relied on my 25-minute commute for a quiet boundary between work and home. Even when I lock myself in a room alone, I CAN STILL HEAR THEM. I feel like I am ‘on’ all the time and have started staying up too late and/or waking up early just to get some solitude in my own house. Walks around the neighborhood help some, but I feel like I’m on edge from dodging people on the sidewalks. So, yeah, introverts with families are not exactly thriving during this time.
Jessamyn says
Yes, it is not easy. The only peace and quiet is when everyone else (including DH) is asleep.
Anonymous says
Solidarity. My husband is driving me nuts. He has no hobbies or interests outside of work, so he always wants to be in the same room with me, watching the news or sitting silently and brooding. I have one million things I need to do and another million things I’d like to do, and I feel like I’m rejecting him if I do my own thing.
Anon says
It’s not that I’m tired of being around people. I’m tired of hearing my child whine throughout the day while I’m also getting urgent work requests. Constant demands on all sides. Few moments of peace. So much uncertainty.
Anon says
Yes. I had an early morning work call yesterday and was up abysmally early, but the 3 hours before everyone else was up was blessedly peaceful.
Marshmallow says
I am an extrovert and it’s still too much. Same re staying up too late just to get some time in my own head.
lsw says
I don’t consider myself an introvert but I am a person who needs “me” time and I have totally been staying up stupidly late to get it, and it’s hurting me by not getting enough sleep.
Realist says
YES. And it is not just me. My dog is super stressed out from being around the energetic kindergartner all day. I put him in his crate this morning, which normally makes him whine if he can see or hear us, but I think he has been grateful for the break and has not made a peep.
Anon says
My older dog is so stressed out and exhausted from not being able to sleep all day. I’m amused by all the “dogs love this” memes. My dog does not!
avocado says
My dog is acting wild and crazy, like a toddler who has missed her nap.
Pogo says
The elderly cat has taken to hiding in the basement all day and only emerging when LO is asleep. He REALLY needs his alone time, lol.
ALC says
Our poor cat is really fed up with the baby — she needs a long quiet afternoon for napping!
Anonymous says
Yes! And it is amazing to me how incapable I am of blocking out my son’s noise/chatter – I’m really good at tuning out coworkers at work. Earphones with music help, but I have to hide in our bedroom to really avoid interruptions. Even then I listen to the baby elephants who live upstairs (apartment building).
Boston Legal Eagle says
My husband and I switch off working and childcare but even when I’m “at work” and especially when the weather is bad, I still hear the kids and it feels like way too much of a mix of home life and work life. I definitely appreciated my train commute for alone time and now there is basically none of that during the week, and maybe an hour or two on the weekend days. Not enough.
Spirograph says
At the start of this thing, my company put out some tips about how to stay sane while working from home, and I don’t remember most of them but one that has been REALLY helpful for me is to create a “commute” to mentally separate home from work time. For me, this is going for a quick walk around the block (or if I’m pressed for time, at least going outside for a minute or two), which is multipurpose: fresh air! exercise! quiet! mental reset!
But yes, I am going crazy being trapped at home and also having no time to myself. My husband is furloughed and doing nearly all childcare, so is really craving adult conversation, but I need to be alone. Same as others, I’m staying up way too late to get my alone time
Redux says
That is a GREAT idea. I normally have a long and terrible car commute. Time to start a new commute that I love. Thanks for this idea, seemingly-cool employer!
EP-er says
I am going for lots of walks to replace that commute break. I start my day with a solo walk when the sun is up. Then I take a lunch time walk, usually with my husband. And then another walk after work/before cooking dinner. I’ll even go out in a light rain, just to get out of the house. I am definitely getting my steps in during the pandemic…
Anonymous says
Yes. I am a social introvert so I’m suffering from lack of socializing plus no time to myself. My solutions so far have been taking a daily 45 min stroller walk with the kids while I listen to podcasts. DD is a nonstop tAlker (like talks 90% of her waking hours) and it’s a LOT. But if we’re on a stroller walk I essentially just let her talk and can tune it out. Some nights I’ve been taking solo walks after kids bedtime (they go to bed early) just to get time away from DH, who I love of course, but you know. So the upside is I’m getting in shape?
Pogo says
omg yes to the 90% of waking hours. I think part of it is his age – 2yr8mos, getting more into recognizing letters, numbers, language explosion, etc. But it’s a constant narration of his life/play and made-up songs. Adorable, but tiring. He’s also of course used to being at daycare with his buddies who I am sure appreciate Wheels on the Bus remixes way more than I do. I don’t blame him.
anne-on says
Yup. I literally RUN out of the door for my walk around the neighborhood at night. I love my family, but they are ALL extroverts (plus a dog!) and there is so much touching, and questions, and LOUD talking and GAHHHH
Headphones blasting white noise helps….
Anonanonanon says
I’m an extrovert and am experiencing a lot of the same feelings. I have always struggled with the transition from work “on” to home “on” and not having a commute to just listen to a podcast or call someone at chat has been a lot. I have always appreciated being out and about in busy places and feel like I feed off the energy of seeing other people out and about having a good time. There is obviously none of that anymore. Even as an extrovert I find my family very draining. I don’t know the last time I was alone. Same with staying up late. The only time I feel “alone” is when the kinds and my husband pass out and I watch something mindless on netflix.
I want to be alone says
My extrovert 5 year old and husband are driving me nuts. There are times that I can’t take a step without physically running into either of them or our dog (who is my introvert soulmate in the house). I used to LOVE working from home because it was the only time that I had without people 10-15 feet from me. NO LONGER.
Walks without our dog help (she’s sweet, but leash agressive, so it can be tiring walking with her), as does working out. My husband had to go into his office the other evening, and ended up being there for a few hours. I sat on the couch, watched a few episodes of Little Fires Everywhere and ate Minieggs and cheese (not together). It was glorious.
I need to figure out how to get some evenings (after the LOs bedtime) to myself without hurting my husband’s feelings.
anne-on says
I stress bought a rower on Monday (yes, I realize, this is a privileged thing to do). My gym is closed, I’m not able to run (yay cr@p knees!) and I need SOME hard physical activity as an outlet. I cannot wait to throw in my earbuds and row hard for a while tonight.
I’d strongly recommend some yoga in your bedroom alone, or meditation perhaps? Solo exercise time is way easier for my husband to get than solo vegging out time (‘if you’re just watching TV why can’t we do it together?!?’)
GCA says
Extrovert 5yos are amazing but also so, so hard. Signed, half of an introvert parent team. (We also have a 1yo who I think is an an introvert.)
Beth @ Parent Lightly says
Agree that it isn’t easy. I have taken to getting up at 5:30 which buys me a 45 minute run with my podcasts and about 15 minutes of silence on the porch while I enjoy the sunrise. 1000000% worthwhile. I’m also trying to do a super short 5 min yoga/meditation routine at night.
octagon says
YES. The only time I have to myself is in the morning, because I get up an hour before everyone else in the house.
RR says
100% yes. I’m staying up until midnight (my husband goes to bed much later than me and is not bothering me between 10-midnight) just to get some alone time. Or waking up earlier than everyone. Lots of use of noise-cancelling headphones.
Anon says
My employer is offering 12 weeks of paid FMLA leave to people who need to take time off to care for a child due to the current situation and I’m trying to decide whether or not to use it. My husband is working but has a lighter workload than normal, and we thought we could swing it by trading off working and childcare shifts, but I’m completely miserable. I’m exhausted, burned out, and not working nearly enough hours or doing good quality work. The idea of taking leave so I can focus on being a mom and use my limited free time for “me time” instead of work is very appealing.
My big hesitations with taking the time off are
1) it seems like I’d be making an admission that I can’t effectively work from home, and assuming the current situation isn’t resolved by late June when my FMLA expires, would I be forced to take unpaid time off at that point?
2) Would this make me first in line for layoffs, which were being discussed in my unit even before the pandemic and now seem practically guaranteed? On the other hand, I feel like from a discrimination standpoint, laying off the only mother on the team right after she uses FMLA is maybe not the best look…
My husband’s job is more important than mine (both in the sense that he’s the financial breadwinner and that he cares more about his career than I do), but his job is also substantially more secure.
Any thoughts or advice welcome.
Anonymous says
What are your employer’s productivity expectations? Most people I know who are able to take shifts with a spouse are operating at about 75-80% productivity and most (not all) employers are fine with that. Not to threadjack, but I’d be totally interested in other people’s thoughts in this regard.
Anon says
So far, no official reduced productivity expectations. I’m the only person on my team with minor children, so everyone else is pretty much working as normal, just from a different location.
I’m not operating anywhere near 80% and would have to dramatically change my working situation (working every weekend, etc.) to get there. Theoretically, I should be working about 50% (since I now have ~20 hours of workday childcare in addiction to my typical home and family responsibilities), but I am not even doing that. I struggle to focus when I can hear my kid screaming or laughing. My insomnia has gotten worse since this situation began and I’m tired all the time which is interfering with my ability to focus and be productive. We have a lot more household chores than normal (no cleaning service, no eating out, more clutter due to many more hours spent in the house) and I feel like a fair amount of my time is getting sucked into that. I definitely think most people are better at this juggle than I am, which is part of why I feel like I need to take the leave.
Anon says
You may officially have the same job responsibilities, but are there some things you can let slide without people noticing? What would the bare minimum look like for you? I know it’s really hard right now but maybe lowering your own expectations would help (in case you are a type A perfectionist like many on this board.)
Anonymous says
Keep in mind your childless coworkers are also likely less productive than normal for all the reasons you mention – anxiety, depression, stress, different household needs. Mine are certainly talking about this.
Anonymous says
What age(s) are your kid(s)?
Anon says
Only one but she just turned 2, and does not really have any ability to play independently, and the current situation has made her clingier and more in need of physical touch. Even with screens she cries unless one of us is holding her or at least sitting right near her, and she wants us to be interacting with her and talking about what’s going on. She also suddenly decided to stop napping, I assume because of the change in routine. We still enforce a mid-day alone time in her room but it’s not the same.
Anonymous says
I agree with others that it sounds like you’re done with this job, and that is fine. If that is the case, I guess I agree with “why bother with leave?”. Is the premise that you can only work during typical hours (8-5?) your attitude or a requirement of your employer? DH and I look at all waking hours as possible time to fit in all aspects of our life to try to multi task. On childcare duty from 9-11 am? That’s when kiddo gets her bath, and she can help with chores and prepping dinner, etc. I get up at 5 am to work. DH works 9-11 a lot of evenings after I’m in bed.
Anon says
An employment lawyer commented on a similar question last week saying that people who take furlough will likely be the first to be fired. It’s easier to let go of people who have already left.
If you still think the benefits outweigh the risks, consider it. But I wouldn’t want to lose my job when the economy is in shambles. Maybe you are comfortable depending on your husband’s income for months to come? Depends on what you want.
Anonymous says
That was me and I stand by it! Is it discriminatory to only lay off moms who took leave? Absolutely. But if a company has to do lay-offs I think there is going to be an inclination to try not to lay off people who have been working. If you want to keep this job, and totally fair to decide that isn’t your priority, I would try to keep working. Do you have vacation days to use? Could you start taking Fridays off using PTO days to buy yourself some relief?
Anon says
Thanks for your perspective. I sort of feel like I’d be first in line for layoffs anyway due to my reduced productivity?And maybe having the threat of a discrimination suit would at least help me get some decent severance? I’m not a lawyer though, so you know more. It also seems pretty likely our entire team is getting cut due to a re-org that was planned even before the crisis, so I don’t really know that the order of layoffs matters much. Pre-pandemic the idea was to find other places in the org for at least some of us, but there’s an official hiring freeze now so I don’t see that happening.
Anon says
It sounds like you want to give up on this job. I don’t blame you but keep in mind that all companies are considering layoffs now. Few places are secure.
Anon says
I don’t know that’s it that I *want* to give up on my job, but more that I was told in February (before Covid was on anyone’s radar) that I shouldn’t expect to have my current job past the summer. I was actively applying and got an interview in March but that search was frozen due to the virus. I’m well aware that I wouldn’t find another job quickly, but I also think a lot of people are going to have employment gaps in this year, and it hopefully wouldn’t derail my career forever.
Anonymous says
If you know you’re going to be laid off, why bother?
Anon says
If taking leave were determinative for job retention (i.e. if you take the leave, you’ll likely be laid off; if not, you likely keep your job), then I would say to keep struggling through.
But if you’re going to be laid off anyway, you could be completely miserable for 12 weeks or get paid for 12 weeks.
Pogo says
Agree. I’d advocate for and have thought for myself of taking some random PTO to allow myself to not feel the pressure to be productive every single day. My company was mentioning how they are actually concerned about the dip in productivity if we all are allowed out of quarantine in July and EVERYONE takes their PTO at the same time. So if you do it now, more spread out, I think that’s a positive to your employer.
It’s great that they’re offering some paid leave, but I would be so nervous to take it in the current climate.
Spirograph says
My company is concerned about that, too, and actively encouraging everyone to take at least 5 days of PTO in the next couple months. I literally should be on my Spring Break vacation right now, and it feels awful to “waste” vacation days on something that is so far from actual vacation/relaxation, but I’m still taking tomorrow off as an investment in mental health.
I agree with using vacation days to give yourself some space. I daydream about asking for a straight up leave of absense, but I am too risk averse to seriously jeopardize my employment at the start of what could be a serious economic downturn.
Anon says
I’m a different employment lawyer and advising my clients that they have to be VERY CAREFUL laying off anyone who took leave. If they decide to layoff all teapot makers and that includes some people on leave, fine. If they have to lay off 5 employees in general and pick the 3 that are on leave as part of that 5 it is not okay and I wouldn’t allow it.
Anon says
And your clients always heed your advice?
Anonymous says
Not the person you’re responding to and not an employment law specialist, but I’m in-house and deal with employment stuff occasionally. Employers are terrified of getting sued. Like the poster at 11:04, I would also advise my internal clients not to lay off someone who took FMLA unless every similarly-situated person who didn’t take leave was also being laid off. I don’t think management would ignore that advice. I’m surprised so many people here think taking FMLA leave will put you at the top of the list for layoffs. I really feel like it would be the opposite at my employer. They would be very scared to terminate someone who had recently taken FMLA.
Realist says
I think it is hard to lower your bar, but I would try not to go on leave (so you aren’t on the list to be fired if they cut people), but slack off as much as you can to give yourself a break. I think that is easier said than done. Slacking off usually creates guilt and fear and a whole load of negative emotions, so you have to try to manage those too. But what is your goal? To just keep the job and not go insane and meet the minimal needs of yourself, your spouse, and your child? Then what is the minimal you must do to hit the goal? Do that and re-center and remind yourself of your goal as frequently as needed. I don’t know how open your boss would be to a hybrid schedule. Maybe you can take one or more half days off a week. Good luck. So many people are in this boat right now. I work for myself and my spouse’s job has taken priority and I hate trying to find time to work while also watching the kid, taking care of the neverending messes being made, logging on to twice daily remote classes for kid, etc.
Anonymous says
I agree with the above commenters. I know many working moms (myself included) that are struggling mightily right now, and some are considering taking the newly expanded leave under FFCRA. But to me it just seems so risky with the serious threat of layoffs at most companies. It’s not a good time to show your employer that you’re expendable.
I’m sorry you’re struggling, OP. Me too. It stinks.
Anonymous says
I think you have a good point on the optics of furloughing you. I would look into the protections you are entitled to under the new FMLA law. Also, was your employer guaranteeing full pay? I thought a portion of the FMLA time for child care was at a reduced rate.
Anonymommy says
2/3, and there are caps
CHL says
I’ll come at it from a slightly different angle, it may be totally wrong. But I think all the advice above is best if it is 100% the most important thing to you to stay employed. But I heard you also say your husband likes his career more than you like yours, that you would probably be financially okay if you weren’t working and that your area might end up being cut anyway. If you went into this, kept your sanity and some pay for 12 weeks and then got laid off, would you be terribly worse off? Anyone not working during this time will have no trouble explaining the gap in employment. I don’t know anything about your field but I give you permission to at least consider it.
Boston Legal Eagle says
This is really hard. If you did take leave, would you then be expected to be the sole full-time caretaker/house manager? For me, that would still be exhausting, probably more exhausting than more or less keeping up with work and watching the kids for a few hours per day (including TV time). Perhaps a part time schedule might be better?
Anon says
That wouldn’t be the plan, no. DH and I have talked about it and obviously I would do more childcare if I took leave, but I wouldn’t be doing 100% of it – he’s a very involved dad and it would be sad for him not to spend a lot of time with our toddler. Neither of us sees a parent on leave as a housekeeper or household manager. When we were on our respective mat/pat leaves, the person on leave was the primary caregiver 9-5 M-F but parenting duties were shared at least equally outside of that and we kept the normal distribution of household chores, and would do the same in this situation. If I quit to become a SAHM permanently, I can see us falling into more traditional gender roles, but neither of us wants that and we both view temporary leave (or involuntary unemployment) differently than long-term, intentional stay-at-home-parenting. His workload is also lighter than normal currently, so there isn’t any pressure to give him the opportunity to put in 70 hour weeks, which is a relief.
SC says
This sounds right to me. DH is a SAHD, and when Kiddo is in school, DH handles 80% of the childcare outside of school hours and is the day-to-day household manager.
Now, DH is handling 100% of the childcare 9-5. In the mornings and evenings, and on weekends, I handle 50% of the childcare. I do 100% of the dishes, which is a lot in my family. I also collaborate on meal planning (improvised at 3 or 4 pm each day) and help with acquiring groceries, laundry, and yard work. Overall, I’m doing a lot more household chores than usual. DH is a lot more tired and stressed than usual and misses his alone time.
AnotherAnon says
You are literally me: also the only mother on the team, DH is the breadwinner/cares more about his career, and I work in an industry that’s pretty volatile. I got the extended FMLA note from my employer last week. I debated taking the leave, but ultimately decided that would move me to the front of the line for layoffs (two team members were laid off last week), and my income is nice to have as long as possible. I had a chat with my boss and he said to reduce my hours as much as I need (I’m hourly, so I only bill the hours I work – this may not be an option for you). Honestly, we’re so busy now that I’m struggling to get everything done and haven’t reduced my hours yet, but will soon. I’m not sure how long I can manage this. DH does most of the child care, but he has work responsibilities too so we’re trying to balance it all. Honestly, I’m just kind of hanging on doing the best work I can until they lay me off. I think/hope that will be soon. Sorry; hugs. This is really hard. Let us know what you decide!
CPA Lady says
I am also in the same situation, where I’m the only person in my department with a minor child. I am billing like 15-20 hours a week. Which is beyond bananas given that it’s the second week of April. But people have stopped sending in their stuff. Everything that I have I am keeping moving, but things have really slowed down with the extension of the deadline.
The head space is really weird. Because I’m aware of how little I’m doing, but I’m still trying to be a responsible, good employee. Being furloughed or laid off would be a relief to my sense of responsibility and because I wouldn’t be caught in this weird in-between of working badly “full time” and parenting badly “full time” but it would otherwise be difficult. So my solution isn’t to put myself into a place where I’m more likely to be laid off, but to try to become more comfortable with the head space and some of the stories I’m telling myself– stuff like “everyone else is working beautifully and turning out top notch work while I’m limping along turning out junk.” Plenty of childless people are struggling too. I know my childless boss is. It’s not like this is a vacation for anyone. It’s mentally exhausting.
Anonymous says
I get that your husband’s job is “more important,” but what are his leave options? Can he take a few hours a day, or a day or two a week off?
TBH my husband makes all the money right now. But we are in this together, and he has 6 weeks of PTO and his employer is also offering paid time off to care for kids as well. He’s a VP with a fairly large and mostly female team. He’s taking time off. The first few weeks it was a few hours a day, so he ended up working 30-35 hours/week. Last week he took Weds and Friday off.
Anonanonanon says
If your income is largely a “nice to have”, there may still be ways to pump a bit of money into this situation to help.
How old are your children? Could you buy a roomba (call it the “robot vacuum” for the kids) and would they be excited to throw their stuff in baskets so they could watch the robot clean the floors while you work? If you don’t have baskets, can you order some for the kids or you to just chuck things into to at least clear up some floor space? They even make mopping robots but I have not ever tried one or known anyone who did.
Not environmentally friendly and I know our area is asking people to reduce their trash output, but paper plates and plastic cups? Those aluminum disposable casserole dishes? Fewer dishes to clean.
Could you get a chest freezer and fill it with easy frozen meals? (chest freezers are very back-ordered in my area so don’t get hopes up). It is OK to give your kids chicken nuggets and easy mac right now. Guess what? you can get both organic and preservative-free. See? you’re winning. Trader Joe’s even has organic spaghetti o’s! (called Joes O’s).
I hear grocery delivery is a stressful process right now for people, and I’m sure planning the lists and logging on to snag a spot is largely falling to women. I’ve had luck arranging produce, meat, and egg deliveries through farmers who used to serve our local farmers market. They’re allowing people to place orders over the phone and they’ll pick a day of the week to deliver in the area. It also makes me feel like I’m supporting small local businesses. Look up who the vendors were at your local farmers market and check out their facebook pages! Some of them make pies, cheesecakes, ice cream, and other goodies too!
anon says
Long before all this quarantine stuff happened, I requested vacation time for Good Friday and the Monday after Easter, thinking I’d use those days to spend extra time with my kids and unwind after a long weekend of extended family activities. Well … what now? Part of me wonders if there’s even a point to using those vacation days, but maybe it would be good to unplug from the work stuff, even if family life is continuing? I am totally at a loss. Weather is supposed to be crummy, unfortunately.
Cb says
We don’t normally get those days off but the uni I work for has granted them as a mental health thing. I’d take them and have a rest.
anne-on says
I’d take at least one day. Even though we’re at home anyway NOT having to manage home schooling on the weekends plus work is such a blessed relief! I’d take them as a hang out around the house and chill with the family day – stay in pjs/cuddle/etc.
Anonanonanon says
If you will truly get to unplug and your job respects days off (won’t be calling/emailing you expecting you to respond) then I would absolutely take at least one of the days. If they’re going to bug you anyway or it’s the type of job where you will check your email and feel like you need to respond, then I wouldn’t waste the PTO.
IHeartBacon says
+1
lsw says
School is closed for the remainder of the year. Laugh/cry emoji.
Looks like we’re going to have to cancel my husband and my trip for our 40th birthdays. Also, my 40th is on a Saturday this year, and I was so excited to go out with my friends.
I know all of this is minor in the face of a global pandemic but I still feel pretty sad.
Anon says
you are allowed to feel sad. DH and I were supposed to have our first weekend away sans kids (we have soon to be 2 year old twins) in late May for our birthdays. I am definitely disappointed, but part of our reason for going away was to attend a wedding and I feel worse for my friend whose wedding is canceled/postponed. in a first world problem, i am going to have probably 10 vacation days to use between now and August. who knows what i am going to do with them
Anon says
Same, except ours was supposed to be in March. I know it will happen eventually but still sad.
Realist says
There is space for you to be sad. Even if other people would gladly trade their troubles for yours. troubles are troubles. They suck. I’m sorry.
SC says
It’s OK to be sad. DH and I had to cancel our first getaway without our kid–we were going to go to Hawaii for our 10-year anniversary. We postponed until Thanksgiving, but I’m trying not to be too optimistic about going then because everyone is saying there will be a second wave in the fall. But our plane tickets (the only non-refundable items) had to be used by the end of 2020, and my parents weren’t available to watch Kiddo in August, September or October because their spring travel plans were postponed.
I’m also sad because all 3 members of my family have birthdays in the next month, and we’ll probably still be quarantined for our anniversary. It’s hard to imagine how each event is going to feel different or special.
Anonymous says
You’re definitely allowed to be sad. DH and I were going to Mexico in December. First time away after having our second kid. I sincerely doubt it will happen now.
Anonymous says
Anyone dealt with death of a pet with young toddlers? One of our cats passed yesterday. This cat was very shy and almost-2yo rarely saw her, but always called out her mealtime when we brought her food and said goodnight to her as part of the bedtime routine. We have other pets so last night she said goodnight to all of them and I didn’t correct her, but DH thinks we should.
Anonymous says
I’m so sorry. I wouldn’t “correct” your daughter for including Kitty in the bedtime routine. That seems pointless and cruel. If your husband insists on highlighting Kitty’s passing, I’d have him do it at mealtimes instead. “We are not going to feed Kitty today because she died.”
Anonymous says
My dog died when my child was the same age. We had to explain it several times, but he ultimately got it. There were a few instances where he asked for the dog or saw a similar dog that we had to address, but those situations were more traumatic to me than the child.
Anonymous says
My daughter had to accompany me to put our dog down when she was just two because it was sudden. We stayed with my dog during it. She cried and understood. We explained that the dog was sick and had to stay at the vet and wasn’t coming home. She talked about it extensively for about 6 months but now rarely brings it up unless she sees a picture of the dog.
Pronouns for toddlers says
My toddler (2.5 years) does not use pronouns correctly – is that normal developmentally or something to keep and eye on? Specifically, she always uses “her” and never “she,” like she will say, “what is her doing?” She also never uses male pronoun him (including for her dad or grandpa).
She is bilingual so maybe that’s part of it? We just repeat back with the correct pronoun but not sure if there is more we should be doing.
Anon says
I think it’s normal. My monolingual child is 28 months and still does this.
Pogo says
+1 my kid (2.7) uses gender correctly, but says him and her, never he and she. He only rarely started using I vs me vs my correctly, and not all the time. If I recall from a linguistics class a million years ago it is a normal part of language development.
Anonanonanon says
I think that is very very normal, even for monolingual children. I hear preschoolers do that all the time “is her going home now?” “her hurt her foot today” “her won’t share” etc.
AnonATL says
I think this is normal. When my niece was 4 she did this all the time. Now that shes 5 and in kindergarten, her language skills are much better, and I rarely hear it. I’m sure continuing to hear the proper use and eventually structured schooling will knock it out quickly.
Lyssa says
I think that’s really normal. One of my nephews did that for a long time; he eventually got over it.
BTW, when my son was a little younger than that, he didn’t understand the difference between “you” and “me” – that is, we referred to him as “you,” so he thought that was the way to refer to himself. When he wanted to be picked up, he would say “Mama, carry you.” It was the best.
Anonymous says
This is my favorite. My 20 month old is in this phase now – “mommy help you!” “Mommy hold you!”
lsw says
My son goes to a multilingual daycare (or, used to…) and he also has this issue. I don’t correct if he uses the wrong gender for someone but recently I have been correcting “she” instead of “her” and “I” instead of “me.” I’ve been curious if it’s because all the languages they speak at his daycare are romance languages with very different uses of gender in language than English. But I’m not too worried about it, he’s not going to be 10 and saying “me want a snack.”
Anon says
English is hard! My (adult, educated) friend used the wrong pronoun in a text the other day. And I can’t tell you how many times I see “I” as the object in a sentence.
Anon says
Ugh yes. “Thanks for the gift, it means so much to John and I.” No.
Anon says
And I’s, as in “Here is Bob and I’s new house!” Nooooo. I see a lot of my teacher friends doing this, actually…maybe they get too inside their head on grammar.
Anon says
Yeah, one of my friends is a high school English teacher and misuses “___ and I” all the time. I judge her hard (in my head).
Anonymous says
Normal. One of my kids did this intermittently till he was about 4. My husband, for whom English is a second language, does it pretty frequently too… like if an object would have a masculine gender but it belongs to a female person, he will often say “his [object]”.
AnotherAnon says
My tiny montessori (15 kids) was supposed to open next week, but I point-blank asked the director yesterday and she said she wouldn’t open because…the governor said no? We had multiple conversations before this where she explicitly stated that she was exempt from the rules because she’s technically a day care. FWIW, a chain day care (franchise) in my neighborhood is still open. This is totally not her fault but I thought I could hang on by a thread until school reopened. Now I will need to reduce my working hours to care for kiddo – boss has said this is fine but work is super busy (of course I’m the only mom on the team). DH has been caring for kiddo FT AND working FT for the last six weeks so I feel like it’s my turn – plus I want to engage with kiddo more. I paid full tuition for the month of April, but I am going to tell the director I cannot pay for May. I’m just not going to work before kiddo wakes up and after he goes to bed so I can subsidize school – sorry but my career is just not that important to me and layoffs are impending. Am I totally overreacting about school? WWYD?
Anon says
No, you’re not overreacting. I wouldn’t pay either.
Pogo says
A month ago I would have been with you, but now I’m amazed there is a place in this country where daycares are still open. Our extra-tiny (4 kids) in-home has been closed per government order for weeks now. There will come a point when community transmission comes to your area and the government will dictate closures.
Anon says
Maybe, maybe not. My state is in the top 10 for per capita cases, and daycares in our state are exempt from our state’s stay-at-home order. Most seem to be closed or open only to provide care for the children of essential employees, but it appears to be an entirely voluntary thing and it’s legal for a daycare to be operating as normal and I don’t expect that to change since we’ve had a stay at home order for almost 4 weeks now and the models say cases will peak in our state in less than a week.
Pogo says
Wow, that’s really surprising to me. Certainly all of my IRL friends in NY, California, Seattle, etc have everything closed and it seemed like everyone on here was dealing with daycare closures. I assumed it was widespread, but guess not!
Anon says
For sure the closures are widespread. My daycare is closed, and so are a lot of other ones in my state, especially in the cities which tend to have Democratic mayors and public health executives. I was just saying it may not be legally required to close, as technically daycares are exempt from my state’s stay at home order. We’re a rural state with a Republican governor, although he’s been more proactive than some. I think we had a stay at home order on March 20 or thereabouts, and there are some Midwest states that still don’t have stay at home orders.
Nelly Yuki says
This is my state as well – daycares are open but my sister is keeping her kids home because she and her husband are not essential workers and don’t want to contribute to community spread. Daycares are open to provide care for parents whose children are essential workers.
octagon says
Yeah, that’s no good and I wouldn’t pay either. Ours stopped collecting tuition as soon as it closed (3 weeks ago), fwiw. And they furloughed the teachers and staff this week, which is awful but everyone expects they will reopen at full strength when safe to do so.
Anonymous says
Day care should be closed, and you shouldn’t pay.
Anonymous says
I’m shocked you seem to have expected it to open. Obviously it isn’t.
Anonanonanon says
Daycares are still technically open for the most part where I am. We pulled my daughter from her in-home daycare but it’s still open. The guidance in our state is that they should remain open because they’re a vital service, but you should keep your kids home if you’re not an essential employee. We had to pull our kid even though we’re both COVID responders because too many people were still going. We’re still paying the in-home provider and are now paying a temporary nanny, and it’s a pinch but not causing us to tap into savings, but we probably would have had to leave her in daycare if financial circumstances were different (if one of us was a cop and the other a nurse, for example).
Anonanonanon says
That being said I would 100% not pay for May in your shoes if they aren’t even open, and I’d probably not be paying my younger one’s daycare except that she’s a small in home provider who means the world to us
Runner says
So um how often do toddlers cry/scream? I now wfh and husband takes care of our b/g twins, 17 months. I am sure some of it is that I hear them more (and I am involved in disaster response so I am definitely more stressed out) but it seems like they are always screaming? Screaming for food? Screaming when I leave? Screaming when the other takes their toy? DS is smaller and less physically confident than DD, and I am wondering if our efforts to “protect” him from DD stealing toys have led him to think that screaming is the way to get what he wants? We haven’t taught sign language and while they have words they don’t really use them to get things.
Anonymous says
All day, every day.
Runner says
Ha ha I was hoping for at least one reply like this to assure me. Aren’t they supposed to be generally happy though?
Boston Legal Eagle says
They are generally happy for one minute, then very upset for one minute, then happy again, etc. The good thing is none of this is personal and they’ll forget everything. The bad thing is they have very very limited ability to self regulate all of those emotions.
Anon says
A lot. That was peak meltdown age for us because they have opinions but don’t know have the words to express them. DD is almost 3 now and there are new challenges all the time (so. much. arguing.) but she has never screamed and cried as much or as often as she did at that age.
Anonymous says
This is totally normal for that age until they get more words. Unfortunately!
Runner says
Oh man all the thanks. Any strategies to cope?
Clementine says
For the kids: working on words, modeling calm communication, verifying their needs and talking to them using simple but clear sentences. A lot of people like Janet Landsbury, but I sometimes just think ‘how would Mr. Rogers say this.’
For the adults: Long runs by yourself. Those orange earplugs are good to take the edge off too. Death metal to drown them out.
Anon says
I know a lot of folks like Daniel Tiger for modeling emotions and calming strategies, but my kid isn’t that into DT. Esme and Roy though, she loves, and they do a lot of calming strategies. But, more importantly, noise-cancelling headphones.
Anonymous says
Many or most toddlers scream nonstop during all waking hours. People like to blame it on the fact that they don’t yet have the linguistic skills to express themselves, but I think it’s more than that. Toddlers just have a lot of overwhelming feelings and wants. It’s not possible to give them everything they want, so they scream.
There is very little correlation between parenting quality and screaming. If the genetic lottery dealt you a screamer, even the most perfect parenting in the world won’t change that.
SC says
A lot. I’m not sure why, but we were somewhat resistant to teach sign language. When Kiddo started daycare around 18 months, they taught him a few basics–please, more, milk, up. It made a HUGE difference in frustration levels and amount of screaming, and I wish we’d taught him earlier.
Our good friends used sign language videos to teach their toddler starting from a pretty young age. It was her 20 minutes of screen time in the mornings while her dad got ready for work/to drop her off at daycare. She knew a LOT of sign language, and it really seemed to help avoid the whole screaming thing. Or maybe she’s just chill.
Clementine says
We do a good amount of sign. At 18/19 months we get lots of shrieking and frantic signing.
It does cut down on biting though…
Anonymous says
I have observed that kids with siblings scream way more than kids without siblings. Probably because there is more competition for attention. If this theory is correct, twins would be even worse.
Anon says
I have an only and she screams all day every day. I think it’s just a personality. Lately she’s gotten to high pitched shrieking and I’m pretty sure she is going to break some glass soon.
Boston Legal Eagle says
I have a 17 month old (my second). He screams and cries throughout the day because he’s either trying to communicate something we can’t understand, he wanted to do something he couldn’t do or his brother took his toys away, among other things. It’s a tough age and not much you can do to prevent it. Being outside helps sometimes, if anything, at least that way you won’t hear them as much! Also, headphones.
Anonymous says
Twins that age scream all the time. mine are almost 5 and it is still loud AF over here.
ArtShow says
+1. 14 month old twin boys here. When they’re awake, at least one is almost always shrieking/screaming. Often it isn’t even out of anger or frustration. Sometimes they’re just experimenting with their voices — different sounds, tones, volumes….
I find it incredibly grating/distracting when trying to WFH. Headphones with loud music is the only thing that (sort of) helps…
Pogo says
I think you are definitely at peak shrieking age, but at almost 3 ours still yells fairly often. Even though he has words he still might start crying/loudly whining when he wants something and he’s even remotely tired or hungry. All his little daycare buddies are exactly the same way – tho one is more of a yeller, one is more of a crier. I think it’s very normal and not much to do at that age if you’re not the hands on parent at the moment – just headphones lol. As they get older you can remind them to use their words and it does start to sink in.
Anon says
Totally normal, like everyone else said, but then with twins you’re doubling the chances that one is screaming at any given time and (unlike with singletons) there’s always another kid in their space potentially doing something they feel to need to scream about.
Clementine says
For the kids: working on words, modeling calm communication, verifying their needs and talking to them using simple but clear sentences. A lot of people like Janet Landsbury, but I sometimes just think ‘how would Mr. Rogers say this.’
For the adults: Long runs by yourself. Those orange earplugs are good to take the edge off too. Death metal to drown them out.
Pogo says
“verifying their needs with simple but clear sentences” this is the only way. Just today at nap mine starting crying about what I thought was “my monkey” (we have no monkey toys, only monkey books) and I was like, “You want to read five little monkeys?” and he kept repeating “no my mewkyyyy” which I finally realized was his milk. “Oh you want your milk” Crying stops.
Boston Legal Eagle says
This may be premature but a lot of us are probably thinking ahead to summer. In the event that businesses are able to reopen in the summer timeframe, while camps/daycares do not, is anyone thinking of hiring a temporary nanny? Assuming some restrictions are lifted but not all, this may be an option to prevent having to work while doing childcare. Even if we continue to WFH, it might be good to bring another person in at least part of the day for childcare. What is everyone else thinking for summer?
anon says
I don’t even know how I’d go about finding such a person in this current environment. For summer, I am really hoping daycare is open by then. I highly doubt my older kid’s camps will still be in session but he’s more able to entertain himself than the younger kiddo.
Emily S. says
Hoping and praying that daycare will re-open for at least part of the summer, honestly. I guess that if it doesn’t, I will still be teleworking and we’ll just keep doing what we’re doing. Sigh.
We’ve kept our kids out since March 13, but daycare only officially closed this past Monday, and only for one month. Our state is under stay home orders until June 10. DH and I decided that even if daycare does open in early May, we’ll probably wait until June 10 to send them back. I’m just hoping we’ll be able to send them back then.
Anon says
Fauci said today that summer could involve some level of normalcy. this assumes there is widespread testing available – which at least in my state we don’t have. it also seems like he is feeling the pressure from the federal government to open things up sooner for the sake of the economy. i honestly am start to think that things might reopen before it is really safe. the speed at which this has spread through some nursing homes and jails is indicative to me of the speed with which it could spread through a daycare or camp or school. i know most kids are ok from it, but i still find that to be very scary to wrap my head around.
Anon says
Although it may be morbid, I don’t think the goal is preventing all COVID illnesses or deaths. The flu kills tens of thousands each year and we don’t shut anything down. The goal in shutting down was to prevent an overload of the hospital system, which is what would have happened if everyone had gotten in COVID in March/April when we still had very limited testing capability and no idea what treatments work. From the perspective of overwhelming hospitals, schools and daycares are actually relatively low-risk, because a very small percentage of children get seriously ill from this. Theoretically at least, we will have much better testing procedures and some known treatments by the summer, which will also help with hospital overwhelm. My understanding is that the experts believe most of us will eventually get this disease, we just don’t want older populations to all get it at once.
Anon says
except adults work with kids at those schools and kids have parents, who are not necessarily low risk. we still seem to have very little idea as to what treatments work and i dont really want my kid or myself ending up in the hospital being treated by medical professionals who have literally been working 24/7 for months on end. the more society reopens, there will be more of a need for hospital beds for other reasons as well – like broken bones, car accidents, etc. one of my best friends is a pediatrician and her practice is still open for well-check visits for young kids involving vaccines and for some sick/emergency visits. she said sick visits are way down because kids are not around other kids as much, bringing germs everywhere. so many people on this site vent all the time about not just their kid getting sick at day care, but themselves too
Anon says
Exactly. This is about preventing system overload, not about getting to a place of zero risk for the entire population. I will have a strong desire to use daycare as soon as it seems reasonable to do so. I would also consider hiring a babysitter for four hours a day. But if this shelter in place lasts many months, my job may no longer exist.
CPA Lady says
Yeah. I think there’s also the mental toll this is taking on everyone– they have to say something hopeful to keep us all from losing our marbles. They can walk it back later. Maybe that’s me being cynical though.
Anonymous says
I already have a temporary nanny, who is also social distancing outside of our family. She comes for 6 hours a day. It is not the same as sending them to school/camp, but it does buy more focused work time. Note, this is not prohibited by my area’s shelter in place restriction.
Anon says
I think daycares would open before/simultaneous with businesses? At least in my state, daycare seems to be near the top of the priority list for re-opening, which is how it should be because no one can go into an office if they don’t have childcare. Even if things open too early and we eventually have to do another round of shutdowns, I would prefer that to 6+ months straight with no school.
Anonymous says
I am objectively in a good place. I live in a big house in the suburbs with a yard. My mom is 62 and healthy and lives in town, and has agreed to help out with the kids on occasion (and only our kids). I work part time and DH can work fully remotely. We’ve been taking things in stride, learning as we go. My kids are young and having daycare and preschool closed is hard. Having elementary school closed is hard. We’ve been getting through things.
Our schools are technically closed until early May. School should run through mid-June. We are hoping they re-open, but looking across the country I think we know deep down they won’t.
I just lost it today when my cell phone alarm went off to indicate that it’s time to go get my elementary schooler off the bus. The alarm has been going off every day since she stopped going to school in mid March, and today I finally just deleted the alarm. I don’t know how we are going to keep going until June. And then what? No summer camp? I suppose we can hire a nanny, but that’s just more of the same home-bound situation we have now. My kids aren’t particularly extroverted, but they are losing their marbles unable to do activities or see friends or socialize with peers. They aren’t really old enough to socialize at a distance (nor is that what we are supposed to be doing anyway). My heart breaks for them, and even more so because I know they don’t have it so bad. What of all the kids that are worse off? It’s just so hard, you guys. :(
Anon says
Yep. My toddler is devastated about not going to school and I absolutely believe it’s doing long-term damage to her mental health and development to not have any interaction with other children and to be isolated from the grandparents she used to see regularly. I also believe she has it better off than at least 95% of the kids in the US due to our family’s affluence and education level. This situation is 50 shades of f*cked up.
Extra anon for this says
We have a temp nanny right now (two responder household but neither does direct patient care, don’t @ me) and she was very easy to find. She’s a currently-out-of-work school system employee that used to also serve as an after-school nanny for someone who let her go when this all started. My husband wrote the job posting but my understanding is that he made it very clear that we take social distancing, hand washing, etc. very seriously and he interviewed the candidates on those topics and it definitely weighed into our selection. For example, one lady had teenage sons and we did not hire her because I don’t trust that teenagers would stay home and obey the rules all day while mom is at our house working, meaning they could bring it home to her. Our selection has a husband who is teleworking full-time, no kids, and he does their grocery runs once a week.
As someone who spent a good portion of yesterday working out how many bodies could fit in different sizes of refrigerated trucks based on which rack system was purchased, I obviously understand the gravity of this situation. I’m also immunocompromised so I don’t discount the people who are dying from this. However, some businesses and sectors have to keep going, and by this summer some people are going to have to do things like get a regular part-time sitter to keep their jobs. That’s still far fewer direct/extended contacts than summer camp would be.
Extra anon for this says
I should clarify that, where I am, those who are “providing care to others” or “working in essential fields” (which includes childcare in my state) are free to move about within reason. Our governor has been pretty adamant that childcare providers need to stay open and continue to serve the children of essential workers, while doing so within guidance provided by the department of health.
Emily S. says
That you spent part of your day thinking about that makes me want to give you a hug — socially distant hug, of course!
Anon says
First, fully agree re: some businesses and sectors have to keep going… etc. and your predictions for the summer.
Second, sending you so much love. What a thankless job. Know that you’re appreciated for all that you are doing to fight this.
lawsuited says
I’m hiring a college student to watch my kids during the day so my husband and I can work from home effectively. My sister is having her in-laws move in so they can watch the kids while she works from home. If everyone agrees on the extent of the shared social circle, I think this is a reasonable approach. Not an ideal approach, but a reasonable balance of the need to reduce the spread of the virus and juggle full-time childcare and 2 full-time jobs during months of physical distancing measures.
Anonymous says
Any idea if there is a certain amount of time after which it is too long for a tooth to be loose? My 7-year-old has had two teeth that have been very loose for over a month but haven’t fallen out. It seems sort of extreme but I have no idea if this is a problem.
Anonanonanon says
Can you see the adult tooth coming in behind it? My older one tends to grow multiple rows like a shark, it’ll be loose forever and the you look and there is an adult tooth halfway in behind it! The dentist usually takes note and says if it hasn’t fallen out within X weeks come in and have it pulled. I think we’ve only had to actually have one pulled once.
Anon says
My kids are younger, but when I was a child I was pathologically scared of my teeth falling out, so they would be loose for months because I would do everything I could to avoid them falling out (like chewing on the other side of my mouth from where the loose tooth was, etc.). I didn’t have any baby teeth when I went to college :) I wouldn’t worry.
SC says
I am disappointed about not being able to take our planned camping trip this weekend. At lunch today, I was extra discouraged because it’s going to rain this weekend, with severe thunderstorms Sunday.
Kiddo wanted to cheer me up. He said, “That’s OK, Mommy. I have a good idea! Let’s dye Easter eggs!” It’s a good reminder that kids really want simple things. He was happy to go camping, but he’s just as happy to dye Easter eggs. Also on the agenda–sugar cookies and (now indoor) Easter egg hunt. Oh, and he also told me, “I have some good news. There are more hiding places inside than outside.”
Anonanonanon says
That is so sweet! Especially “I have some good news”
I was a broke single mom in an area with no family when my first was young. He has always just appreciated things FEELING festive, and I think that’s true for most kids at the end of the day! All about traditions and excitement.
Anon says
that is so sweet! it is good in life to be able to appreciate the small things. as an aside – i have a friend who recently put up a fairly large tent insider her home for a ‘camping trip’ social distancing style
Anon says
That is so nice, thank you