This post may contain affiliate links and CorporetteMoms may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
I wanted to hate this essence, I truly did — who needs a water that costs $95? And yet… not only do I like it, I prefer it to the other essences I’ve tried. And I’m almost on the verge of buying a new bottle!
My trick to stretching it is to primarily use it as part of my winter routine — not my summer one. So I’m reaching for it now, as the days get colder and my skin gets drier (yaay) and looking for it to boost all the other good stuff I feed my skin.
The video sold me on it — if you’re interested at all in what essences do (prime your skin for the other ingredients), do take a look.
The essence is $95 at Sephora; it has won the Allure Best Of Beauty award (for several years now, I believe); the brand is part of the “Clean at Sephora” program and is cruelty free.
PetiteMom says
Happy Monday!
I have been having a hard time with finding the right pillow for me. I’m petite and easily suffer from neck and upper back pain. My current pillow is too tall and sturdy but I don’t like too much fluff either. Where do I start searching for the right pillow? There are so many choices.
Thanks!
Cb says
Could you use a kids pillow? Or one of those adjustable pillows I see instagram ads for?
Anonymous says
I like the pillows from Garnet Hill.
AwayEmily says
I feel you. I use an ancient pillow that has basically been flattened over decades of use. I can never sleep well in hotels because the pillows are too tall. I would just order a couple of cheap pillows from Ikea.
Anon says
As a workaround until you find something better, you might try opening it up a little at the seam and removing some of the fluff.
CPA Lady says
There is a pillow I got from amzn called the uttu sandwich pillow and it is a memory foam pillow that has a middle section that you can take out to adjust the height. It might work for you.
Anon says
The Coop pillow lets you adjust the amount of stuffing inside. My husband really likes his. I have a Brooklinen down one – I actually find that one too flat and unfluffy, but maybe it’d be what you’re looking for.
ElisaR says
yes i was just going to recommend the Coop pillow from amazon. I have bought 3 now and I really like it. The only draw back is that it smells at first. But follow the instructions to put it in the dryer and wait a day or two and the smell goes away.
Anon says
I’m partial to down pillows marketed for stomach sleepers – I find they are fairly thin.
Anon says
I have similar pillow height issues, and have really liked the Cool Touch Memory Foam Bed Pillow by Target’s Made By Design brand. It’s the right level of smushiness for me.
Anonymous says
So, we have a very small apartment, and we have been using the dining table as a diaper changing station since our baby was born (now 14 months). I’d really like to change this and get our dining table back, but I’m not sure what to do about diapers. Our kid strongly resists lying down for them now anyway, so I’m wondering what others do with toddlers? Thanks!
Anonymous says
We just used a changing pad on the floor.
Pogo says
+1, we’ve been doing floor for our toddler since he was around a year old and very mobile.
Anon says
I leg lock mine and do it on the floor – lay him down and throw my left leg over his abdomen so that it gently rests right above. If yours will stand still you could have him or her hold on to the sofa or something and do it standing.
ElisaR says
+1
Anonymous says
I’d just use a bamboo changing table liner (you can get them cheap on amazon, they wear like iron) on your bed. That way if she rolls/resists, she’s on a safe surface, and if you do need to wrangle her, it’ll be more comfortable for you than kneeling on the floor. Just make sure you have something under her that’s waterproof.
Downside is that since the bed is lower than a counter/table, your back might not like it.
No Face says
A bed works. Baby blanket, diapers, and wipes at the foot of the bed. Easy to wrap up and put on the floor when you go to bed.
Anon says
Standing diaper changes worked at that age – ideally if you have a window that kid can peek out of, they stand there while you change.
Anon says
My toddler (16m) does not want me to brush his teeth. I have every toothbrush, many flavors of toothpaste, books, songs, etc. He knows what tooth brushing is and will brush my teeth and his animals’ teeth but he will not open his mouth so I can get in there. Do I hold him down and pry open his mouth to do it? That seems like a terrible idea yet I don’t understand how I can possibly really brush his teeth otherwise. It’s not a phase, it’s been months now. He doesn’t seem to be teething at the moment so it’s not that. Any advice?
Anonymous says
I learned this trick on this site – have you tried telling him he has bunnies (or unicorns or monkeys) in his mouth and you need to get them out? It worked like a charm for my daughter. She still loves it even now that she’s older. We make a game out of it – asking her what color bunnies are in there, what their names are, counting them, etc.
ElisaR says
this trick still works for us…. when nothing else did! (I learned it on this site!)
Anon says
When DD was that young, I would give her an option of the easy way or the hard way (take the lay her on the floor, hold down and brush approach – no prying necessary because she would usually cry). I viewed it as something like going to the doctor, taking medicine, etc., unpleasant but necessary, and it wasn’t every night. On the nights she was “willing” we looked for dinosaurs as mentioned above. Or, per the dentist’s recommendation, took turns – she got a turn to brush and then I got a turn to brush (our primary MO at 3 now). I would also sometimes have DH hold her upside down (she thought it was fun) while I got in there to brush.
Anonymous says
At that age I definitely held a mouth open a couple times. Generally sang a song to distract and did not brush for the full minutes. Clear language like ‘first tooth brush, the read books’ helped as they got older.
Anon says
I tried all the tricks and they didn’t work, so I eventually held my toddler down on the floor and pried open her mouth and brushed each time. Now she lets me brush willingly and it’s no big deal.
It’s our job as parents to protect our child’s health and some thing are non-negotiable even if the child doesn’t want to comply. As long as you don’t get overly emotional and try to be quick, it will just be a blip in their day, not a scaring incident.
anon says
We tried the “bunnies” trick with varying success and now we just let her watch a cocomelon video while her teeth get brushed. We go first, she follows directions to open or go “cheese” – if she stops doing that, the video stops until she complies. If you want to go with themed, there are a ton of toddler tooth brushing videos, including one with Elmo. I just go with it. I felt bad about it for a while and now I’m just happy that she’s excited to brush every night. If you aren’t doing screentime yet, you can try playing a special song on your phone or Alexa. But honestly, I think between holding them down and physically restraining them, I chose screentime for the good of our relationship and her relationship to tooth brushing.
Anon says
Do you let him have a turn brushing? My 2.5 year old lets us brush her teeth if we let her take a turn first. I doubt her brushing accomplishes much, but it isn’t harmful.
SC says
I know you said you have songs, but I highly recommend the Elmo Brush Your Teeth song. My kid loved it, and it actually made him excited to brush his teeth. Ultimately, you may have to hold his mouth open and brush, but keep looking for ways to make it fun/ gain compliance as well.
CCLA says
Check out the brilliant baby buddy toothbrush (I think that’s what it is called). It is a 360 degree brush so as long as you can push it in even if they clamp down I’ve found it easier to still get some brushing in because of the all-around brush head.
Pogo says
At 16m we didn’t have a lot of resistance, so not sure my tip works. At that point I’d probably just pry mouth open and do it. Closer to 2.5 when we started to get a lot of resistance we broke out the YouTube tooth brushing videos (Elmo etc). There are a bunch of videos that have a timer component as well so that helps. Now I usually let him pick whatever video, and he gets to watch it for the duration of the brushing. We do it as the last step in both morning and evening routine, he knows it’s coming, he hates the brushing but loves the video so it works.
Highly recommend an electric toothbrush if you don’t use one already – I feel like it makes it so much easier.
Anonymous says
We were pretty opposed to screens at that age but cracked and used a toothbrush timer app that worked.
Anon says
I’m looking for girls’ leggings that run shorter or are petite/ankle length. My 8 year old daughter can’t stand leggings that are too long and bunch at the ankles. She’s a medium and the leggings we’ve tried are too long for her ( old navy, gap). Any recommendations would be appreciated!
Anonymous says
No thoughts on the actual question. I have some leggings that are pretty long on me, too, and I just roll the cuff under a bit to shorten them up. Not a perfect solution, but it might help until you find some that work better.
high water pants says
How do they fit on the waist? My 6 yr old daughter is skinny for her height and therefore will keep wearing her too small leggings until they become capri length (and will yell at me if i try to retire them). So if they are not getting to snug at the waist, you might also want to try a smaller size.
Otherwise, maybe some athletic brands will have the 7/8ths length that is popular in women’s workout pants, but I haven’t searched
Anonymous says
The flip of this is that Tea makes a capri length. Depending on her dimensions, that might also work for her.
anon says
Lands End Kids has some ankle-length leggings. The quality is solid, too.
Anon says
Just ordered these! Thank you all for the advice.
Anon says
favorite first games/board games? are there games that a 2.5 year old can play?
Anon says
The Orchard game by Haba is a very sweet cooperative game perfect for that age – you take turns rolling the dice and pick various fruits from trees before the raven gets them!
Mary Moo Cow says
We’ve had some luck with Cootie and Don’t Break the Ice. Candy Land (the cheapest, most basic version, without the frost queen) was a semi-success. I just bought Popcorn Pop! to play on Thanksgiving Day, so I’ll report back.
Anonymous says
Candy land without Queen Frostine?!?!
I must be old says
Who is Queen Frostine?
Anonymous says
https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/311735/i-am-outraged-continued-shafting-queen-frostine
anon says
Snail’s Pace race game started to intrigue my daughter around that age.
AwayEmily says
My (very average) 2.5yo can handle Sneaky Snacky Squirrels and Zingo. By “handle” I mean he understands game play and turn taking and sometimes plays normally, but he’s 2.5 and so often just decides to play his own version of the game (which usually involves making a mess and/or driving my 4.5yo crazy).
Spirograph says
2.5 is really on the young side for board games imho, but first games in our house have been:
Candyland (ugh)
Chutes and Ladder
Go Fish (cards)
any Memory-like matching game
Monopoly Jr, but give that another year or two. My youngest could kind of hang when he was 3.5, but we wouldn’t have tried it without the older kids.
Anon says
I think it depends on the kid. My almost 3 year old doesn’t have the interest in or attention span for board games yet.
Anon says
Unless you as the parent love games, don’t torture yourself ;) I really hate playing games with toddlers. It gets much better at age 4/5. That said, cooperative games like those from Peaceable Kingdom are good for little ones.
Anonymous says
+1 to cooperative games. At 2.5, my kid could not really handle taking turns so I wouldn’t pick a true game like that. We did Bunny Bedtime around that age with I’d say moderate success. But it at least got her used to the idea. Now at 3, we can play Sneaky Snacky Squirrel and actually follow the rules.
Pogo says
+1 to cooperative games and not really caring if they follow the rules. We have Diggin Doggies, Count your Chickens and First Orchard. LO plays his own version of the game sometimes, and often dictates to me when it is my turn and not and how many spaces I can go, etc – I don’t fight it. He’s only 3. I think they need to be a bit older to ‘get’ the concept of a game and following rules.
Anonymous says
+ 1 to ignoring the rules with little kids. My 4 year old likes to play “Checkers.” He pulls out the checker board, sets up more-or-less correctly, but after that it’s a free for all. I tried to nudge with the rules, but he is not here for that. As long as both parties narrate what they’re doing (and he wins), basically anything goes. He knows games are A Thing, and he just likes to feel like a big kid.
“OK then *I’m* going to go like this [move piece in a zigzag pattern ending with jumping over another piece], and that means I get to take your piece! muahahaha!”
“But then I can do THIS! [hops in random pattern over several pieces] and that means I get all THREE of these pieces! BOOM!”
GCA says
Ha. We’ve had family boardgame days that involve ‘playing’ Dixit with the 2yo on one side of the living room floor — she calls it ‘the bunny boardgame’ and wants to hop the pieces all over the board and cards — and actually playing My Little Scythe with the 5yo, who beats us handily a third of the time. (My Little Scythe is *great* for the older kid set and still fun for parents. Would recommend for 5-8. Works best if they can read the cards.)
The rules of any game are, shall we say, mostly flexible till kids are 5 or so. Agree with other posters about cooperative games – IIRC kid 1 understood the rules of Hoot Owl Hoot when he was about 3.5.
Anonymous says
Memory was the only thing my daughter liked at that age. My MIL had a photo set done up that she loves.
ElisaR says
whoah this is a genius gift idea. do you have a “memory” of where she bought it?? sorry i couldn’t resist. But it was a serious question.
Anon says
shutterfly has one
Anonymous says
This IS a genius gift idea. Thank you!!
Anon says
My kids love My First Orchard and Spot It Junior at that age, and very very simple Memory. There’s also a “game” called Think Fun Roll and Play with a soft stuffed “dice” and some cards to give you an activity that got a LOT of play around that age.
Anon says
Pick a Memory version that ties into something they love – we have a Toy Story version that my 3yr old gets very excited to play. I’ll also put a plug in for Uno Moo, it’s like Uno with farm animal figures instead of cards. It’s not-so-secretly my favorite.
Boston Legal Eagle says
Informal poll: For those in the U.S. and have kids in daycare/school, what are you doing for Thanksgiving? We’re keeping the kids home the few days before as we’re still planning to host my parents for Thanksgiving (we’ve all been WFH this whole time, parents have seen the kids mostly outside also thus far). I think the kids will go back to daycare the following week, even though they’ll be at higher risk then, presumably, if other families travel. But I don’t think we can lose that childcare for another whole week. I know there are risks to even doing this small Thanksgiving celebration – I’m so worn out from trying to evaluate risks of the virus vs. risks to our sanity from not seeing family.
Anonymous says
One kiddo in pre-K. Our HS went virtual last week to give high school students a solid two weeks before Thanksgiving. Everyone else goes virtual this week. Technically, at this point, they’re supposed to all go back to “normal” (100% in-person for pk-6 and 50% hybrid for 7-12) on November 30. However, that’s mostly because that is technically how long the state has approved our all-virtual waiver at this time. They’ll likely be home at least another week or two. I’d be super grateful for one week of in-person between now and Christmas. But I’m not holding my breath.
Anonymous says
They should be going all virtual after Thanksgiving, not just before. It’s not fair to the families that are doing the right thing and avoiding Thanksgiving gatherings to require their kids to return to the classroom right after Thanksgiving with all the kids who were exposed over the holidays.
Anonymous says
I don’t disagree and that would be a good fit for my family. Three comments: (1) kiddo’s teacher has indicated that they’ll likely be out longer, but our state has strict requirements on allowing totally virtual, so they’re only guaranteed two week increments at a time, and this isn’t the district’s fault; (2) I live in a much different area than many of the folks on this site. It is a town of 23,000 where many kids have parents whose jobs don’t allow them to work from home (factories, retail, etc.). So if they’re not in school, the parents have to decide betweeen a daycare option or losing a paycheck. Daycare is typically group care that isn’t that much better than school (sometimes fewer kids, but typically also fewer precautions); and (3) our county public health department is doing an excellent job of contact tracing, and spread isn’t happening in the schools, especially in pk-8. The spread is in the community.
Anonymous says
Unfortunately we are not traveling to see the grandparents for Thanksgiving this year. We both work from home, but toddler is in day care. The grandparents live in a state with a surge in cases, so daycare would require a 2-week quarantine once we got back, and we can’t lose that many days of childcare right now. We got Portals and are going to do as much FaceTime as the toddler can do.
AwayEmily says
Ugh, I’m glad you asked, I’ve been thinking about this a lot. We are not seeing any family for Thanksgiving (saving it for Christmas), so our kids will be in daycare through Wednesday. But I am thinking about keeping them home for a few days the following week out of concerns about other people traveling/seeing family and then bringing COVID back to daycare. So, maybe we will send them back the Thursday after Thanksgiving? Is that enough time?
AwayEmily says
Adding to say that here is our plan for seeing family (ie my mom) at Christmas. We will pull the kids out of daycare, get them and us tested 3-4 days later (since tests are most accurate a few days after exposure), get results back 48 hours after that, and then see family (assuming we are all negative). So basically we are building in a week of time between pulling them out of daycare and seeing family.
Anon says
No, I don’t think that’s really enough time if your concern is the holiday gatherings. The incubation period is up to 2 weeks, plus there’s the fact that a lot of people will be indirectly infected (eg., teacher’s spouse gets it at Thanksgiving dinner, gets sick a week later, then teacher get sicks a week after spouse). Add in the fact that some reasonably large portion of infected people are asymptomatic and we’re going to be seeing cases linked to Thanksgiving probably well into December or even January.
Eek says
Yes but my understanding is the majority of people get sick within 5 days. It’s not perfect- someone in their class could get sick two weeks later – but I think it’s reasonable to keep them out a few days if you can.
Anon says
i think it is more like 5-7 days. one set of guidelines i read said to minimize risk (obviously this will not eliminate), is to quarantine (meaning go nowhere, no supermarket, etc.) for 7 days, then get a test and keep quarantining until you receive results, and then if negative go see your family. this implies everyone who will be seeing each other is following those same rules. again, this will not eliminate risk since some people can take up to 14 days to test positive, but does minimize significantly
Anon says
5 days is the median incubation period, which by definition means 50% of people have symptom onset after 5 days, so no, it’s not true that the vast majority of cases appear within 5 days. There was the one study out of China that the vast majority of cases appear within 11 days but I don’t know how well that study’s held up and I kind of take anything out of China with a grain of salt (I don’t know of anything that’s contradicted that study though).
AwayEmily, wasn’t trying to shame you, of course you should keep them home if that’s what you feel like. I’m just not sure I personally see a lot of benefit to keeping them home through Thursday, given the significant burden of working without childcare and the fact that the exposure risk is still pretty high later in the week. I don’t feel like the risk drops significantly until 10 days after the last potential exposure (which is the Sunday of that weekend, if people are traveling) so that would be the middle of the following week.
AwayEmily says
Anon at 10:16, I don’t disagree with you. I guess my question for myself is not how to get risk to zero (obviously that ship has sailed since we are sending our kids to daycare in the first place), but where I can get the biggest reduction in risk. As per Eek’s point, given that the vast majority of symptomatic cases show up within 5 days, it seems like that first week is going to be the most critical point. But yes, you’re definitely right that cases are going to increase throughout the holiday season.
AwayEmily says
And I definitely didn’t read it as you trying to shame me! It is super helpful to hear other perspectives — we are all trying to make decisions based on spotty data and our own risk preferences, and I really value the different perspectives on here. i think what you are saying makes a lot of sense and I will definitely factor it in — we are lucky in that while keeping the kids home is hard, it’s not impossible (not the case for all families), so perhaps it is worth keeping them out for the longer period. Also, I wish that everyone understood what median means as well as you! I get very frustrated with journalistic mix-ups between median and mean (where you can have a long tail that substantially distorts things). But yes, you are totally right –in the general population, median is 5 days — I was referring to some sub-analyses of younger people (incubation is longer for older patients), but your stat is more correct.
Anonymous says
Keeping your kids home for a few days is not enough — if you insist on seeing your parents (who presumably are high risk even if just because of their age), you should keep your kid home for at least a week before Thanksgiving. Assuming your parents have been quarantined, you should then be ok to send her back to school after the holiday (though that does not account for the risk from other people).
Anon says
+1. A week is the absolute minimum I would feel comfortable with, assuming your parents are over 60.
Anon says
Thanksgiving dinner will just be our household.
We were supposed to keep our 3 year old home from daycare post-Thanksgiving so we could quarantine and see my parents in December, but they decided not to come as they feel even that’s too risky (I’m not really sure why since, they can drive here without stopping and we were literally not going to go anywhere, even the grocery store, during the 2 week quarantine). I’m crushed and my kid is too. Knowing we would see them at the holidays had been basically the only thing getting me through the last few months. So I guess now we’re going back to daycare post-Thanksgiving? It makes me super nervous, as the vast majority of people I know are traveling or hosting over the holiday weekend and even though I’m “low risk” I don’t want to get Covid. But we just can’t work for a month or without daycare or help from my parents. It was going to be a real stretch just to do it for the 2 week quarantine period.
Anon says
i’m so sorry that your parents aren’t coming. if you were to literally quarantine for 2 weeks, including no grocery store, it seems like it would be impossible for you to give them covid.
Anon says
Thanks <3. I agree, I think the risk is so low as to be functionally zero. They say it's because hospitals are overwhelmed (which is true in their city, but not mine) but if we're not going to give them Covid, why are the hospitals even relevant? I'm sick of not getting to see people responsibly in the name of public health when at least half this country is being wildly irresponsible – it feels like I have to get an A+ on the paper when most people can't even be bothered to get a C, you know? Due to the nature of our jobs, the winter holidays are the only time we can do this kind of 2 week working-with-no-childcare quarantine, so I guess that means we won't be seeing them until next Christmas? Or possibly next fall if the vaccine is widely available by then, I guess. I'm gutted. It was terrible timing – I had a really stressful weekend (nothing to do with my parents, but they knew about the stress) and then they dropped this bomb on me in a terse email at 8 pm on a Sunday night and I burst into tears.
Anon says
all the hugs. they probably emailed instead of called because they felt badly. i don’t know if you feel like their mind is made up, but maybe if you were to point out that this is the only time you can do this kind of 2 week quarantine until next Christmas, and that maybe it is better for them to be at your house bc g-d forbid they need medical care for something not Covid related, they are better off in your city than in theirs and maybe you can still convince them? OR, do you think they are just illogically anxious about driving on the road, so maybe you could offer to go to their house? i’m dealing with the opposite – my inlaws are mad that we won’t let them come visit us and they are the ones gathering with people indoors, eating indoors at restaurants, etc.
anon says
That’s why I’m not going to visit my parents – worried about hospital capacity.
FVNC says
Our state just prohibited social gatherings with anyone outside the household…so, there’s our answer. I realize this restriction is likely not enforceable but I hope enough people comply that it’ll lesson the risk for returning to school after the holiday.
Anon says
I am sending my kindergartener next week. Schools (in the Northeast where we take serious precautions) have not been shown to be spreaders. Other than school we will be staying home. We are seeing my parents and sister. My son will not go to school the following week because of our cohort system.
Anon says
I will add, my son has only been in-person 8 days this whole year because of all the caution and I’m loathe to take another two days away from him. My parents are comfortable with the plan, and our numbers are relatively low. There is more of a chance we won’t see them for Xmas if cases continue to increase, so we are seeing them while we can
anne-on says
We’re not having anyone for Thanksgiving, just our immediate family. We normally host both sides (anywhere from 15-20~ ppl) and it was just too big of a risk this year. Both sets of grandparents are not really socially distancing (ARGH) and we weren’t willing to take the risk. It stinks but keeping my kid physically in school is our #1 priority and we aren’t willing to risk it.
Anonymous says
My parents live about a 7 hour drive away and have been super cautious – they are still disinfecting groceries. My husband is a high school teacher and is in-person, so we are not sure we will see them before next spring. When we went to see my parents over the summer, we quarantined for 2 weeks before. I am used to not seeing them at Thanksgiving though; due to distances involved and proximity to Christmas, we often stay home and celebrate alone or with friends. This year, we are planning to get together with one other family. This is frankly risky as they are not the 1 family we have been spending time with, but that is the plan for now. I’m in NYC. If we weren’t doing this we would be going to an AirBnB in the Catskills; that is our plan for Christmas.
GCA says
Seeing one aunt nearby (40min drive) on Thanksgiving Day – coincidentally, we’ve been true-quarantining (aka stay-home-order) and remote-schooling for almost two weeks now because kid’s teacher was diagnosed with Covid during contact tracing. So up to Thanksgiving itself, we have no issues. It’s the weeks after that when I think cases will spike. I wish our school system would just switch to virtual from hybrid learning (the youngest grades are hybrid) for another two weeks.
JTM says
We’re staying home – no guests. Our families are a flight away and high risk, so for everyone’s safety we’re all staying put and getting together on Zoom.
anon says
We have two kids in daycare and we are not seeing family for Thanksgiving. It was very hard making the call not to see my husband’s family (less so with my family) and not letting kids see their cousins, but we didn’t want to bring the risk and also we know that our families are not social distancing. There are college aged kids in both families who I saw in photos on social media this weekend at large gatherings – reaffirmed our decision.
Also I’m seeing a lot of posts of “we’ll quarantine for a week or two before seeing family” but people have to quarantine after too. You can’t assume others are taking the same precautions. People are human and screw up but so many people I know claim they’re cautious but they are still going to church, eating indoors, etc because they assume if those places are open they’re fine.
Anonymous says
DD has preschool the Monday the week of thanksgiving. Will be seeing in-laws and SILs family. We are keeping her home the full week after.
anon says
We are staying home with our immediate family. The caseload in our state is atrocious, and I cannot, in good conscience, attempt doing anything different. Our school district made a last-minute decision to cancel classes on the 23rd, 24th, and 30th, so I guess my kids will be getting an extended break while we attempt to work.
Anonymous says
You need to quarantine for two weeks before and two weeks after to avoid spreading. I’m in a part of Canada without community spread and the only reason we don’t have spread is the 14 day quarantine that’s been in place since the start. If you can’t do 14 days, definitely do at least 7-10. Five days is not enough.
Anon says
This discussion is the only “bright side” to having our preschool closed for the fall semester (spring is TBD). Our parents are high risk for multiple reasons, but also at the age/stage where not seeing their grandchildren is acceptable to them because they may not have much time left. Had we been in preschool, I would have pulled DD out for 2 weeks beforehand (minimum 1 week if I had to push it), but I probably would have sent her back after because we are all staying at home for a week before the holiday so I would be pretty comfortable we are not infected. As it is for the past how many months, we wait at least a full week (preferably two, but depends on schedules) between seeing each set of parents to decrease the risk (since most infections show up within the first 5 days). We are being more conservative than either set of parents are (e.g., they still go in-person to stores, we are delivery only; they eat at restaurants (outside only) occasionally, we do not), so mostly I’m worried about cross-contaminating them, rather than us being the vector from the outside.
Anonymous says
We are not doing Thanksgiving with our family (all out-of-state) this year, just with one other household of close friends already in our bubble. My grandparents usually host and are not this year, for obvious reasons. My mom, siblings and I considered getting together, but ultimately decided against it. My mom is a teacher, so we are tentatively planning to see her over the 2.5 week Christmas break, instead, but all depends on cases in our respective locations.
Our school and daycare have not altered schedules, and my kids will go when they are open. School requires (on the honor system) quarantine and negative test after travel, and allows in-person students to go virtual as needed. My sense is that people have been overly cautious and I’m not worried about it. Our daycare is YMCA and has been caring for essential workers’ kids since the summer with no outbreaks, so while I don’t trust the parents as much to err on the side of caution (some simply don’t have other good options), I feel pretty good that the protocols will continue to be effective at preventing any spread within the center.
Anon says
The 2.5 year old will be in daycare through Wednesday and go back on Monday. The daycare is asking anyone who travels out of state to quarantine for 2 weeks. We have been continually seeing our parents for the last few months (they provide childcare for the baby until nanny starts next month) and will likely have them over for thanksgiving. We don’t celebrate Christmas, so if we need to based on numbers in our area, we will quarantine from them again in December once childcare for baby is not an issue.
Pogo says
We’re still up in the air but I’m leaning towards not seeing anyone, but still sending him back. I know the other families well and they’re staying in their “bubbles” (local grandparents only), which is the max we would do too. I’m just concerned with the surge that even your bubble is dangerous. Everyone thinks they are not the problem and their particular activities are OK for whatever reason (church, library, pedicure, golf, whatever). I am leaning towards “the governor said no gatherings, we’re not seeing anyone”. I have talked to one other mom and she is feeling similar. None of us would travel (our state has a mandate for quarantine now anyway).
It is just hard to get by with no local family help. I hope all the local grandparents involved in daycare kiddos’ lives are being safe, but I know my own family are still doing things (listed above) that they feel are “safe” that I find questionable. Like do you really need a pedicure? Do you really need to golf, to go to church?
Ugh. I am so sick of this all.
Anonymous says
I hear you, but at the same time, if I’m not going to see my family over the holidays then maybe I’m going to go get a massage to make myself feel better about that fact (hypothetically speaking of course…). For most of us, it’s not a straight line between giving up the fun but non-essential activities in exchange for getting to see family and keep kids in school, because the latter relies on the actions of other people, many of whom aren’t even attempting to follow the rules or take the easy precautions like wearing a mask.
Realist says
Our private school is requiring that anyone who hosts visitors or visits anyone out of state must quarantine for 5 days and then get a negative COVID test before returning to school. Which is a bit silly because numbers are going up in our state. But it also seems like a good rule re: test timing and community risk reduction, and likely will be enforced because the community is small and people really know each other.
I remain angry that we have no national strategy and everything is left up to individual families for the most part. All this quarantining does very little to stop asymptomatic spreaders and enforcement mechanisms are mostly weak, forcing many into risks they never agreed to or are even given info to be aware of.
Anonymous says
We are staying put. My mom, who lives fairly locally and often visits and provides childcare for us, will be joining us.
It’s POSSIBLE my sister will be joining us from out of state. If she does, she will take a COVID test before she leaves home, spend 1 day driving here and 2 days in full quarantine in my mom’s basement (mom has a bedroom/bath down there and a separate entrance) while my mom stays with us. Then she’ll test again and join us. We have offered to all get tested if she joins us and while she said it’s not necessary, we may go ahead and do it anyway since testing is free and accessible around here.
Sister is a clinician and has already had COVID (it was a pretty rough case, but no hospitalization). She’s tested all the time.
Eek says
Cases are blowing up in our area, so we aren’t able to get together with our family, even the ones who are local – it will just be our immediate household. I’m expecting the same for Christmas. It really really stinks and I’m bummed but I don’t see a way around it.
I’m also frustrated because I don’t have the capability to keep my kids out of daycare – so not only can they not see their grandparents, but we’re more likely to be exposed because people in our daycare will be gathering, many like nothing is happening. But I can’t control that so trying to let go and just do the best we can. It’s hard though.
Eek says
I should have clarified that we are technically *choosing* to follow the recommendations of doctors and other experts in our area and not to get together with anyone outside our household – it’s not a mandate or anything, people here can go out to sporting events and concerts if they want (and they are).
Anonymous says
Ugh I’m sorry, and props to you for following the recommendations even when you know that others in your area aren’t. It sucks to have to accept the risk of family visits indirectly via daycare, but not to get the benefits of taking that risk that would come from seeing your own family.
This is where we landed, too. My kids go to daycare and in-person school. My husband works in an office. My brother runs in social and professional circles that are not as cautious as they should be. My mom teaches in person and my dad works in an ER in an area where cases are skyrocketing. My in-laws are covid deniers in Florida. None of those is great in isolation, but overlapping them is just plain irresponsible, so we are sitting out of any family celebrations. I’m sad, but at least I’ll have a clear conscience.
Anonymous says
Our kids are in a small daycare that has sent out numerous messages imploring people to “consider our bubble” when it comes to Thanksgiving planning. I just made the call last week to my parents to tell them we are not coming. They were bummed but understood (thank you Dr. Fauci for providing some social cover!). I’m actually kind of looking forward to making our own dishes of interesting stuff my extended family would never eat and doing a practice run to see if we can pull off the whole dinner on our own. Also, I know if we miss Thanksgiving, my parents will take Christmas, and any restrictions we set in place, much more seriously.
anne-on says
My bright side of not having anyone outside of our immediate family is the break from all of the hassle. This will be only the second time in roughly 15 years I have not spent days making the full dinner for a large group. Including the year I came down with the flu Thanksgiving afternoon with a house full of guests from out of town who expected to be shown all the local sights. I’m looking forward to only making the ‘fun’ stuff (pies! and a big breakfast to be eaten in our jammies!) and ordering in the rest from a local restaurant that could use the money.
AwayEmily says
I wish our daycare was sending similar emails!
Anon says
Same! Although I’m more concerned about the teachers than the families, since the families generally seem to be taking things a lot more seriously. My daughter’s teacher went to a huge wedding last month. Fortunately nothing came of it, but argh.
Thanksgiving Movies says
Can anyone recommend some kids’ Thanksgiving movies/shows? We have Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime. I’ve done some searching but can’t find anything other than Charlie Brown (and I’m not sure if that was even free – I didn’t try to start it). It seems like Thanksgiving movies or shows don’t exist. Thanks!
Why Not says
Because of course… The second time in my career this has happened. I was seriously considering leaving my job for a few years to be a SAHM and the opportunity to apply to a promotion basically just.. fell in front of me.
And here’s the thing: I really am genuinely excited about this. It’s a challenging position but still has work life balance.
Wish me luck!
Spirograph says
Congratulations, and good luck!!
AnotherAnon says
What’s your favorite hand lotion?
Cb says
Not strictly hand lotion but the most effective one I’ve found for Scottish winters and lots of hand washing – Weleda skin food. It also works on super dry winter skin, although feels gross going on.
Aunt Jamesina says
Love this one and the fact that it’s in a metal tube instead of plastic. Along those lines, I also like Burt’s Bees hand salve that comes in a tin.
Anon says
Kiehls ultimate strength hand salve. As in gave me new hands after the kind of handwashing required for caring for my mom as a chemo patient with no immune system left them cracked and bleeding, or, you know, an average day in public these days.
Anon says
O’Keefe’s – not glamorous but it works well.
Anon says
We have an Aveeno baby one with oatmeal that works well for my eczema prone kid.
Help! Older Kids Toy Storage says
Hive mind . . . does anyone have any good suggestions for toy storage in the following circumstances?
I have three kids, ages 10, 8, and 5, so not really any more “big” toys like big toddler toys or play kitchens or whatnot. My kids are mostly Legos, board games, dress up, army men, matchbox cars, various sizes of dolls at this point.
What should be my formal dining room, in the middle of my first floor, is the play room for various reasons. It has a nice rug and a decent-looking train table that has been converted to a LEGO table. There is also a decent-looking trunk (old Pier 1) for dress up. The rest of our toy storage is a mish-mash of toddler daycare-type open bin shelving in rainbow colors and random baskets and old shelving units. I hate it and am over it, and my kids are old enough to use nicer stuff with drawers. But it’s still toy storage so I don’t want to spend a fortune. I’m also thinking one or two corner units would be nice to give them more floor room.
I promised them that if they got their act together and REALLY got rid of toys they don’t use anymore, we could get a second LEGO table, but in order to get there, I need to get new storage first.
I’m really having trouble finding toy storage that hides toys away, looks mostly like grown-up furniture, but isn’t very expensive.
Help please! (Also taking reccs for large LEGO tables that are not too toddlerish . . . )
Anonymous says
https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/trofast-storage-combination-with-boxes-black-white-s59033838/
Anon says
Seconding this. Trofast is great for some things, but not for making a space look more adult.
Anonymous says
I prefer Ikea IVAR over the Trofast for this kind of thing. You can paint the cupboards to match your decor and when closed, it’s not obvious that they are filled with toys.
Anon says
I would get one of those cheap 9-cube organizer shelving systems and then add fabric cubes to it. The plastic bins look so preschool-ish to me.
anne-on says
We priced out built ins in our toy room for this very issue (shockingly, a build in window seat and two flanking bookcases were a LOT more than we wanted to spend). I think we’re going to go with Billy’s or Hauga’s for now until we can justify spending the $$ for proper built ins.
Anon says
Young house love just added ikea Besta cabinets in their family room and bedroom – I imagine that you could use bins or baskets inside to cover up the toys and have them be more “adult” looking: https://www.ikea.com/us/en/cat/besta-storage-system-46053
Anon says
+1 We used an Ikea set of shelves with doors to create a “U” of cabinets on a wall. (Two taller bookshelves with a lower height “bridge” across the bottom.) The doors hide the various mis-matched bins and shelf heights to accommodate the toys. It looks pretty good and hides the clutter, and has also changed through the years from the bigger play-kitchen type items to the smaller Legos and LOL dolls.
We hung a TV in the middle of the U since it’s also our family room, but you could make the bridge lower and turn it into a reading bench, or make it counter height and display Lego builds, or whatever works with your use for the space.
Help! Older Kids Toy Storage says
Thank you, but i should have specified . . . I am looking to specifically avoid the cube shelves with fabric bins look if possible, and will absolutely consider Ikea if I can find something that isn’t obviously for toys, like the stair-step shelf.
Anon says
The Besta above is a media cabinet – definitely not designed for toy storage but I thought it looked really nice and I was impressed by the way you can put two together and they give you the bracket to make one middle leg.
Anon says
Search “ikea hemnes tv storage combination” – I’m the Anon at 3:01 above and we did that on our wall in a U shape (we didn’t do the top bridge connecting the two side bookshelves) and will doors covering all the shelves. Gets rid of all cube-plus-fabric-bin looks and nicely grows if you want to someday turn it into regular bookshelves.
Anon says
Here is the link I’m referencing:
https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/besta-tv-storage-combination-glass-doors-white-selsviken-high-gloss-white-frosted-glass-s19194705/
Anonymous says
It’s not cheap, but we have a row of Elfa drawers from the Container Store.
https://www.containerstore.com/s/elfa/best-selling-solutions/drawer-units/elfa-white-mesh-start_a_stack/123d?productId=10014825
You can pick from a variety of widths, the drawers are easy for kids to slide in and out, and the clutter is *mostly* hidden behind the mesh. (And you may be able to use their opaque tubs if you want to; I haven’t looked.)
Then, when your kids are out of toy land, they can be repurposed for whatever kind of storage you need.
Gifting Q says
Can anyone offer feedback on the AirFort? Thinking it might be a good gift for boisterous 6 & 4 y.o nieces. I like to give them one bigger thing for both and the price looks about right for that. If it sucks, any other suggestions?
Anonymous says
We had one, and I didn’t think it was great. It had pretty good wow factor, but we got more long term use out of a regular pop-up tent. The fan keeps in the entrance is annoying. The only reason we got it is because we had an extra box fan lying around, but it would be annoying if you don’t have a fan available.
Pesh says
Our office “adopted” several foster children to buy holidays gifts for through a local organization, and since I’m not a mom, hoping you ladies can guide me on age appropriate gifts for the child I’m buying for! He’s 5 years old and the form says he likes Legos, cars and trucks, games, and action figures. Any recommendations? Spend is $50 and would like do a Lego set as part of the gift, but there are so many options, and not sure which are right for his age! Thanks for your help!
Anonymous says
My 6 year old loves the LEGO City Ice Cream Truck. Not too hard to build and fun to play with when built.