Maternity Monday: Tie Short-Sleeve Maternity Shirtdress

Recommendations for merino wool pajama sets? The sets from Woolino and Chasing Windmills are currently all sold out thanks to it being end of the season and all. But we still have a few months of chilly nights here in the PNW and kiddo’s bursting out of her 2T Woolino pj’s and refusing the sleep sack now she’s moved to bed kid bed (which is a completely different story…).

Summer reading. My rising first grader is just starting to read (bob books level). I’d had a “reading chart” in the fall where when he finished a book he got a sticker then when the chart was full, a lego set – he got way too obsessed with the reward and I felt like I was turning reading into a “job” (i.e. it backfired). So, I took a break. His school sends a reading log so we’re back to doing a bit of daily reading as “homework” which he seems to understand. I don’t want him to lose progress over the summer though so looking for suggesitons of how to do a summer reading program with a little kid? I was thinking about giving him like a quarter a book or something? I don’t want to turn reading into a job but also want him to keep reading and not sure he will without an incentive. help!

I’m looking for budgeting/mindset advice: My annual bonus is 20-30% of my annual income. How do those of you in similar arrangements budget both on a monthly basis and for the bonus? I plan my spending based on my regular monthly income, and allocate much of my bonus to one-time or bigger annual expenses. For example, from my bonus I set aside an amount for Christmas, to prepay heating for the next year, summer camps, or down payment for a car. But it results in a weird internal dichotomy for me where I feel like I’m being frugal 11 months of the year and then go wild for a month. (Note that’s not what I actually do, just how it feels.) I also wait to make certain upgrades and purchases until after my bonus comes in, so that I will use a broken set of pots and pans for 3-4 months, knowing that I will upgrade at bonus time. Any approaches or mindsets that work for you?

Rain boot suggestions for young toddlers? Mine loooooves her Bogs snow boots so much that when I showed her some rain boots I’d ordered, and let her try them on, she burst into tears and went running for her snow boots. I don’t think she likes the feel of rubber boots going up to her calf.

How do I get through first trimester fatigue? I feel like it’s not even fatigue that resting or sleeping fixes, it almost feels like I’m at the bottom of a deep pool or someone is on top of my chest.

I remember it being bad last time around, but I can’t remember how I got through it. The only thing I can come up with is: be five years younger. Anything else?

My daughter’s daycare has an outdoor play area that is covered in black plastic or rubber tiles. It looks like asphalt but is softer. Her shoes are a mess immediately after playing on this surface and are clear black/worn within a few weeks of purchase. Anyone else experience this? Any recommendations for shoes that will withstand this? Some of the black comes off with washing, but most of it does not. It is also wearing through the toe of the shoes as well (maybe my kid just drags her toes a lot??).

i live in a non super cold climate. pandemic permitting, we hope to visit family in the NY and DC areas over Thanksgiving and Winter Break (yes i’m planning way ahead). Does anyone have coat recommendations that would suffice? Ideally ones that are car seat safe.

Today was off to a good start. Then at 8:30 AM, I got the call from school that the 2 year old had thrown up. (90% sure it was a mistimed cough during breakfast that caused her to toss her just consumed cookies.)

So, you know what I did? I took a sick day. And now I’m going to watch this crappy Netflix series and casually watch my work email and basically take a mental health day. Because I’m realizing that the epic hoops I’m jumping through to make sure I never need to take a sick day is setting an unreasonable expectation for my staff.