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We recently bought this toy for my son, and it is a hit. Since being at home, my husband has been doing more home projects, and my son is super into it. He is calling a screwdriver a “screwver,” and it kills me how cute it sounds. To avoid my son messing with the real tools, we bought him his own screwver set. This set has a battery operated drill, a screwdriver, and a little wrench. So far we’ve just gotten to screwing the screws in, but you can build upwards with the colorful shapes. The nice part also is that the board you screw into is also part of the carrying case where all of the pieces fit inside. Yes, there are a lot of small pieces, but the overall footprint is small. The set is $27.99 at Amazon. Toy Drill and and Screwdriver Tool Set
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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?
Cb says
Oh that’s very neat. We’ve gotten a lot of mileage this week out of a shoebox, wooden hammer, and golf tees. My son can hammer the nails. All things we have around the house as I’m getting a bit nervous about buying extra things and then have to store then when nursery starts again.
Anonymous says
Styrofoam works well for hammering experiments too. We used screws with it.
Katy says
COOL!
Cb says
Cute kid tales as we head into the weekend? My mom made my son a sling for his baby and he’s such a little hipster daddy with it. Looks like he’s going to head out for a flat white and a cardamon bun.
Pigpen's Mama says
My 5-year old saw a picture of King Tut (or something similar) and very confidentially told my husband all about King Tucky.
Boston Legal Eagle says
My little one has been tapping his foot and pointing to our Alexa whenever he wants to hear music.
Doodles says
My almost 2 year old cannot be in any room without music. We have 5 Alexas in almost every room. We speak a second language at home but he mixes English and that language. “Music” is pronounced “musica” in that language. So he walks into every room, points at Alexa, and screams “more kaka!” And “kaka” means poop in this second language.
Anon says
I was on a conference call and kept hearing cries of “help me”. But kiddo wasn’t looking at me for help. I finally determined that each of her little people were “stuck” on “high” bookshelves and little person Buzz Lightyear was flying each of them down to safety (all 9 of them). It’s the first time I’ve heard her narrating her play in something that is intelligible to adult ears. Speech therapy seems to be working, day by day.
Anonymous says
Oh my gosh…the other day we were walking with 3yo and she just randomly started screaming “HELP ME!!” For fun. Like she didn’t need any help, we had to tell her to stop lest someone thought she was getting abducted lol
aelle says
My toddler has started saying “I love you very hard” and “I’m happy you’re home and I’m home too!!” At least someone is living her best pandemic life.
AIMS says
That’s awesome. My two year old turns to me after breakfast every morning and says ‘ok, go do work mama, love you, good luck, see you later!’
IHeartBacon says
?
Anonymous says
My 3yo also keeps saying he’s never going back to school and loves being home.
Pogo says
Whenever I tell LO that his baby brother is kicking, he runs to find a toy, then demands I lift my shirt up so he can “show baby brudder dis toy! I share wid him!” I love that he thinks when my shirt is up the baby can “see” somehow.
Anon says
Oh so sweet
FVNC says
Ahhh, this is precious!
Em says
I got a text from our WFH sitter that my 4-year-old told her he loved me and insisted that she text me IMMEDIATELY to let me know. On a more humorous note….he asked me yesterday if our male dog had a pen*s and I said yes, so he asked if he could see his pen*s and I replied “no, we don’t ask to see other people’s pen*”, and he replied “He isn’t a people!” You are right, dude. But still “no”.
layered bob says
My 21 month old only wants to wear clothing with bears (“BAAAAHS”), which I have decided is a very cute quirk I am going to indulge, so if anyone has seen cute shirts with bears on (size 85 or 18-24 months) let me know.
Anonymouse says
Carters usually has lots of coordinates with bears! We’ve found them in the boys section, as that’s where we default shop, but they’d totally work for a girl too.
Bean74 says
After tucking in my three-year-old son last night, he looked at me and said, “Good night, Mom! Dream about butts!”
When he’s ticked at me he says, indignantly, “You are not the one in the house!” I have no idea what it means.
uhhh says
would guess – you are not the [only] one in the house? or you are not the one [in charge] of the house? maybe from school – you are not the only one in the class who needs ____. Mine brought home from daycare “foopsie daisy” “goo-nes-gra-sis” “
Anonanonanon says
Well, did you dream about butts?
Bean74 says
Hahaha- no dreams about butts that I remember!
And it probably is “You’re not the one in charge of this house.” It cracks me up (internally and later, externally) when he says it.
Patricia Gardiner says
Good morning! Non-covid question: how do I begin to choose a double stroller? I’m due in October and kids will be 2 years apart. Our favorite stroller now is a cheap baby trends jogger. I think we would prioritize maneuverability and ability to handle rough surfaces like the terrible sidewalks in our neighborhood.
Looks like there are so many configurations (tandem, side by side, facing each other, etc)… how do you begin to choose?
Thank you!
Boston Legal Eagle says
I like our City Mini Double Jogger (it’s not actually a jogging stroller) a lot. It fits through doorways and isn’t too heavy to push, even with 65lbs+ worth of kids in it. I’ve heard good things about the Double BOB if you’re more active and the UppaBaby Vista is good for narrow sidewalks and has tons of underneath storage (ours doesn’t have as much storage). The tandem seat only goes up to like 35lbs so it wouldn’t have worked for our older one.
Anonymous says
+1 love this (and I did a ton of research). The weight and fitting through all accessible doorways was huge to me. We take it everywhere.
If it helps, my kids are also two years apart and we’ve used it extensively since the little one was about 6 months (so a year or so). My older one likes riding in a stroller though. I know some kids don’t.
Anon says
Stroller choices are all about your lifestyle. Do you need something that fits in your car’s trunk? Do you walk everywhere in a city with wide sidewalks? Do you walk everywhere and shop in super narrow Brooklyn grocery stores? (I once couldn’t get my single stroller through a particular aisle of my local store.) Do you only use a stroller for weekends at the zoo?
The best way to choose is to look at your neighbors and see who has a lifestyle similar to yours and ask them what they love and hate about their stroller.
Cb says
Yes, the trendy stroller in your neighbourhood is trendy for a reason. We see loads of CityMinis, Uppababys, Mountain Buggys, and Phil&Teds because we have cobbled, uneven sidewalks and people get on buses. London has loads of Yoyo because of the tube. I desperately wanted a Yoyo or a Bugaboo but so glad I went with the CityMini GT and it’s offroading wheels.
Anon says
Yup. I love our Uppababy Vista because we live in a city, walk everywhere, the basket capacity at the bottom is lifesaving, getting over uneven sidewalks, etc. We don’t have a car but the easy install with an infant with the Mesa for taxis was super helpful. That said, for suburban moms who are taking their strollers in and out of cars a lot, I probably wouldn’t recommend it because the basket capacity is less important, being able to handle bumpy sidewalks is probably less of an issue and it’s big/heavy for getting in and out of a car frequently.
Clementine says
FWIW, with double strollers I’m a ‘go big or go home’ believer. I have a giant double jogging stroller – double Bob. It’s amazing for big expeditions and I regularly run with 2 kids in it.
There was only one issue I’ve ever had with its enormousness and that involved an early morning Christmas trip to the mall, Best Buy’s ridiculous displays of on-sale TV’s literally stacked upright like dominos, and a kid throwing a shoe…
We considered a tandem stroller; however, I realized that it actually works better to wear one and push the other in a single stroller if you’re in a situation where you need to be getting through small doorways. As a single stroller I have a CityMiniGT and that thing has been STURDY. Big fan, would highly recommend.
Anonymous says
We have a side by side (double Thule for jogging) and a tandem (Vista). I really like both for different times. For reference, we’re in a close-in suburb and have a heavy walking lifestyle: We almost never drive, but walk both kids several miles a day in the stroller. Thule is a huge pain IMO to fit through doors and around stores. Yes, it *technically* fits through almost everything, but with almost no wiggle room and G-d forbid someone have an elbow or knee sticking out of the stroller when we go through, because it WILL hit the wall/other door. I also hate that the kids (also 2 years apart, but now 2 and 4) can physically fight much more easily with this setup. Kids also really don’t like being reclined constantly, which I think is a jogging stroller issue, not a side-by-side issue. They prefer sitting straight up in down in the Vista.
The Vista is definitely harder to push, especially when the 4 year old is up front (which I don’t think he’s technically supposed to do, but not worth the fighting over the top seat, so we do one kid gets it in the AM and one in the afternoon). But I love how narrow it is for stores and doorways, and the kids physically can’t touch each other– the worst they can do is angrily slam each other’s sun shades down. It also has a TON of storage. The Thule I think is better than the BOB for storage (comparing to our single Bob, yes we have too many strollers…), but it’s still pretty height-limited.
The Vista was our go-to for daycare commuting, because of the door situation (and it folds up much smaller in the daycare’s stroller storage room; we take the second seat off and put it in a cubby). Now that we’re not doing daycare, the Thule is our go-to since we’re just walking around sidewalks and not really dealing with doors.
Pogo says
How is the Thule as far as a jogging stroller in particular? I have a single Thule right now and love it. Use it constantly both before and after daycare closure situation. I’m debating biting the bullet on a double Thule simply because the times that I use my current jogger for jogging in particular I really would need both kids in it (no other childcare option for whatever reason – if there is an adult available to watch my child while I run, they’re watching him; I don’t take him jogging for fun lol). Pre-COVID for example, I would jog with an empty stroller to daycare, pick kiddo up, jog home via the park and get some miles in, all before DH got home from his hour-long commute. Now I use it at lunch if LO demands to accompany me on a run or on the weekend if DH is working (either actual work or yard work etc).
The price tag is what is making me hesitate – it feels so extravagant I guess?
Anonymous says
It’s fantastic; I love it. It’s very smooth and (I know this is silly but..) very sleek looking for a stroller! Since you have a single already, you know it’s not as rugged as a BOB would be, but I don’t run off-road, so that doesn’t bother me. I like the storage area a lot too, it has a nice zipper top so everything stays contained.
I will say we ended up paying a little less than $200 out of pocket. We managed to find it on sale for $560 from REI, then converted a bunch of credit card points to REI gift cards to drop it down another $400.
Both jogging and quiet alone time are really important to both me and DH, and it just lets us do both more often. I’ll take kids on weekends so he can log extra hours at work while I fit in a workout. He’ll push the kids on a 10 mile run in it, which is above my capabilities, but works for him, and I’m thankful for the couple hours of peace :)
GCA says
So I lucked out and got a secondhand double Thule for <$300, and its usefulness really depends on the age gap and size of your kids. I love the push, the basket size and its zip top, and the huge canopy. But the Thule, admittedly, is not great for tall kids. My first was 3 years 3 months when his sister was born, and by the time she was ready to ride in it for runs, he was almost too tall. At 5 he's nearly too big for any jogger, yet he still loves to ride. And it's a little lopsided with their height and weight difference, but I think that would be an issue with any side-by-side double.
Anon says
Yes, all about your lifestyle. I live in a semi-walkable suburb and solo parent quite a bit. I loved my Bob single stroller but the side by side was massive and I couldn’t open doors with it. I went with the Joovy Caboose and loved it. The front and back meant I could get through even the smallest doors by myself, and the adaptable back seat meant my oldest could sit/stand all the way to age 5.
Pogo says
Did your toddler actually stand on it? I’m debating getting the Chicco Bravo4Two for when new baby is still in bucket seat bc it’ll just snap right in and theoretically big bro can sit/stand on the back part. Hypothetically if society even reopens and we go to a zoo or a street festival or something ever again. But he is so active and I sorta can’t imagine him actually standing on it? Is there it’s just better to wear baby and put big kid in existing single stroller?
sorry for all the threadjacks, double strollers on my mind too :)
Anon says
Yes mine did stand on it, especially for festivals and zoos and the like, not so much for regular neighborhood use as she wanted to be “big” and walk on her own. But then I could use that section to hold our shopping.
Coraq says
My three year old happily stands on the Joovy caboose. She sometimes sits but standing is nicer because she can get and and off. My 18 month old now also tries to stand and ride in that spot and ghostride down the driveway if the stroller is unattended, so thats safe haha.
Anonymous says
We had the same issue. We got the britax double. It’s a city mini double knockoff for $200 less. I may have even bought it as a warehouse deal on amazon. Thing is perfect for us and I put the difference in the kids’ college accounts.
Anon says
We have a double CityMini GT and love that it handles rough sidewalks, folds up easily (without having to take out a seat), fits in the back of our small car, is easier to steer than an inline stroller, and the kids can’t fight over who gets to sit where. Negatives are the small basket and using it in crowds, though for the majority of our walks on suburban streets to/from daycare or for things like the zoo, the double-wide hasn’t been an issue at all.
Anonymous says
I love mine as well. For more narrow situations I use our single stroller plus a glider board.
Ifiknew says
My kids are exactly 24 months and I got the bugaboo donkey. Bought it very slightly used for 50% off and it’s been the best. Fits all doorways and folds in our trunk and is the only stroller I have. I live in south but in a pseudo urban area where we use it daily. Could not recommend enough. Also they have great resale value.
Patricia Gardiner says
Thank you so much for all the replies! We mostly will use it for walking around the neighborhood, not as much in/out of cars. Appreciate all the feedback.
AwayEmily says
We ended up not getting one (22 months apart). When the baby was little we’d put him in the Ergo and the toddler in the stroller if we were taking them both out. Then when he turned 1 or so we started using one of those fold-up wagons (we got it from Costco). It is honestly one of the best purchases I ever made and it was only $40.
I will say this was possible because our kids were in daycare so our walks were in evening/weekends, and with the purpose of fun, not “needing to get somewhere quickly.” If we had a nanny who was walking the kids around all day i suspect she’d want a double stroller.
Anne says
Same. We just baby wore or made our 2 1/2 year old walk and got by with the stroller skateboard attachment, but we also mostly stayed in our small neighborhood.
Doodles says
I have a 23 month old and have absolutely loved the Vista up to now. We’re in the suburbs and our nanny walks him around the neighborhood every day for hours and packs a bunch of activities/stuff in the underneath storage. Everywhere else, we drive and I haven’t found it that hard to fit the stroller in our SUVs. We’ve never taken public transport. However, I’m also having another baby in 2 months and am considering buying a side by side double stroller, which I’m really disappointed about given the $$ for the Vista. My 23 month old barely fits in the Vista now! He’s 99% for height (a couple inches over 3 ft) and I cannot get the straps to close when he’s wearing anything but a t-shirt. I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong. I watched a bunch of Youtube videos and think I expanded the straps all the way.
For those with a Vista? How do your older kids fit?
Anonymouse says
Similar boat – expecting #2 this summer and they will be just over two years apart.
We are in a small apartment so used to use strollers multiple times a weekend as well as for most daycare pickup if nice weather. We currently have the City Mini and an umbrella for when we take public transport. Our local sidewalks are hilly and bumpy, so wheels/maneuverability is huge, not as concerned about weight as we’ll be taking the car if anything further than walking. My husband has generally rejected any side-by-side options.
Current top 3 contenders are:
-Vista (very common here, but so $$, and I dislike that you have to take (at least one? both?) seats off to collapse.
-Joovy Qool – we did try this one in the store just before everything shut down. Liked it *much* better than the City Mini Double which I found hard to maneuver with just one kid in it (yes, we plopped our toddler in the store model to try). Current problem is that our car seat adapter is out of stock everywhere.
-Contours Curve Double Stroller – this one I’ve never seen in person, but looks interesting from research. I think it’s more marketed to twins. Again, we’re frustrated that the car seat adapters are currently out of stock.
Anon says
The Qool Graco/Chicco car seat adapter just came back in stock on amazon for pre-orders, shipping May 12!
(can you tell I was worried and have been stalking it?)
Anon says
Ooh, thanks! How did you decide on the Joovy?
Ms B says
Well past the stroller stage here, but definitely would go with the City Select with the glider board in your shoes. My BFF has three spaced 4 years apart each and swears by it; she says it was a lifesaver with her bunch, especially because two out of three were over 90th percentile in height. That said, if money and space are not an option, I also would pick up a gently used double Bob for fairs and festivals because those wheels are amazing.
(Former) Clueless Summer says
Can anyone give me advice on Isabella Oliver maternity dress sizing? Looking at the tighter ruched styles. 10ish pre-pregnancy but I’m pretty hippy and I’m worried the size 4 will feel too small…although going to a 12-14 seems like a big jump, and there’s no way I’ll fill out the top.
Emily S. says
I was a 10ish pre-pregnancy and went with the 12 in all dresses and shirts. The wrap/ruching is stretchy but I felt more comfortable and like I would get longer wear out of the 12. I loved those dresses!
mom guilt says
Would anyone like to share their daily parenting/working/schooling schedules with their spouse/partner? My husband and I are failing at this. Most days I don’t end up doing school stuff with my son until 4 p.m., which is clearly not ideal. He’s also getting WAY too much screen time, and we’re not doing enough fun and non-school educational things with him during the weekdays or weekends. My productive time for work is from about 8 a.m. to noon, so I want to preserve some of that. I’m working part time, at least, so that helps… And my husband says he’s available to take a break from work for an hour or two after lunch, so we’ve got that.
Pogo says
I know it’s still screentime, but Khan Academy is great.
Cb says
We’re not doing formal schooling as my son is young but I could see how it could be accommodated into our schedule. I think having quite a strict structure to the day really helps. We’re both working halftime these days, with a bit extra thrown in when we can.
8-12 – Husband works, son and I read in bed until 8:45, make breakfast, join the nursery zoom call or do letter practice / something vaguely educational, and then head outside until lunchtime
12-1 – Family lunch
1-5:30 – Me work, kiddo rests/naps, has some screentime, and then heads outside to work in the garden or has a bath.
5:30 – I make dinner, we eat, and then alternate on bedtime.
I do really like the schedule that Dan on Mom and Dad are fighting outlined for older kids, where their kids had to select certain activities, which included schoolwork, reading, things that used their brain but weren’t school – art, listening to a new album, exploring a virtual museum and physical activity.
Realist says
This is not helpful, but I have reached the conclusion that there is no good schedule. It is not possible in our house with two working parents and a young child. Either the child is getting too much screen time or the parents are not getting enough work time and no one is getting fun time. It is what it is and we just make trade offs day by day and it sucks.
AwayEmily says
Two kids, 2 and 4. We each work for 3 solid hours during the day (one parent takes the kids outdoors somewhere while the other parent works, we have been doing a LOT of hiking despite the snow that just will not stop). Then we work another 3 hours at night (8 – 11). We do this on weekends as well as weekdays, so we make up some of the missed time then. We’re lucky our jobs are flexible enough that we don’t need to get a full 8 hours in between 9 and 5.
AwayEmily says
And I meant to say, to Realist’s point about not being able to have everything — we made the decision to sacrifice alone-fun time, basically. By pushing so much of our work to the evening it means we don’t watch TV, don’t cook anything nice, don’t do fun Zoom calls with our friends, etc. Also my kids do get screen time; about an hour and a half a day.
Anonymous says
Yep, we have two 3-year-olds who are not getting a ton of screen time (they’re just not interested in watching anything for more than 20 minutes) but the tradeoff is that we adults are not each getting 40 hours of work in. Luckily our jobs are okay with this (at least for the short-term), but it’s not ideal.
Boston Legal Eagle says
My husband is working a part time schedule (his request). I’m still doing full time but I don’t expect myself to work 40 hours exactly. I don’t bill and I put in the time I need for projects, and I like to think that I bring a lot of value in the hours I can give due to my experience and technical skills. I work weekends as needed for deadlines, so that gives me some flexibility during the week. We trade off childcare and work times during the weekdays. Our kids are 4 and 1.5 and don’t do any worksheets or other “formal” learning.
I personally think you have no reason to feel guilty. You didn’t ask for this/sign up for this, this situation is a mess due to a bad virus and questionable reaction times from leaders. If your kid watches lots of TV and doesn’t do much online learning (not sure how old he is), it’s not your fault and he’ll be ok. Lots of kids are in the same boat.
Anon says
Agree it’s very challenging. We have a 2 year so we don’t need to do any formal schooling, but she also has basically no ability to play independently.
We roughly do:
8-10 Husband on duty; I wake up gradually and work (I am not a morning person)
10-12 Me on duty, husband exercises or works
12-1:30 Theoretically nap time although she has been refusing naps more often than not lately
1:30-3 Me on duty; husband works
3-4:30 Husband on duty, I work
4:30 onward is family/household time where we are all together or one parent is childcare duty while the other parent does chores like cooking dinner.
Toddler gets in bed around 7:30 and then we have personal time or work as needed. We should be working more after bed time but we’re both too exhausted to do much. We are lucky in that our jobs don’t require us to put in 40 hours (husband is a professor with no teaching due to the current situation; I have a normal 9-5 job but I’ve already been told I’m being let go in the summer so I don’t feel the need to work that hard). But even so I feel like a terrible mom, wife and employee pretty much all the time. My toddler talks all the time about how much she misses her dad when I’m with her and my husband says she does the same to him. She’s starting crying and refusing to be handed off when we do the switch. I know this isn’t scarring her for life and she probably won’t even remember it, but it’s really, really hard on me. Our daycare teachers are in paid status through June 30 so they can’t accept alternate work until then, but if school hasn’t opened by then I’ll be trying to hire one of them to babysit (ideally with another kid in her class for socialization).
SC says
How old is your son? How much school does he need? Why is starting at 4 pm bad?
Here are my thoughts.
– Doing real homeschool during this time is unrealistic.
– For young children not already struggling in school, a lack of formal instruction until September won’t matter long-term. A lot of academic programs in other parts of the world don’t even start formal instruction until first grade.
– For elementary school (grades 1-5), kids do not get 7 hours of academic instruction in a 7-hour school day. Probably closer to 1-2 hours of language arts and math, which are the only subjects I’d even think about worrying about. Science, cultural studies, foreign language, art, music, physical education, etc. are all valuable, but right now, overworked parents don’t need to be teaching them to young kids in any formal way. Basically, I’d probably cap out at 1-1.5 hours of “home school” each day for any kid under 10 right now.
– Screen time is OK. It’s a pandemic. Unless it’s causing behavioral problems or disrupting sleep, let it go.
Anon says
I don’t understand what you mean by “my productive time for work is”. Just you’re more productive in the morning or you have to be on calls at meetings?
If the former, try moving up your start time to 6 and wrapping that four hours at 10. If your husband works starting at 9, your kid is down to one hour of screens instead of four. Go for a walk/outside time to reset at ten, homeschool until lunch (12/12:30). Have dad take kid outside again after lunch, work another hour. Do something fun with kid from 2:30-3:30 and then let him watch TV for an hour while you shower, reply to emails. Have kid “help” with dinner.
(This would not work for us — my kid screams like a banshee if I turn off the TV, so I try to load TV time into the afternoon.)
Anne says
Sure
6AM – we wake up get ourselves ready for the day
6:45-7 – girls wake up
7:30-9:30 – parent 1 works, parent 2 does breakfast/home school etc.
9:30-11:45 parent 2 work, parent 1 plays with the girls
lunch prep – both parents
Parent 1 works during lunch, parent 2 parents
Naptime – both parents work
3:45-4 – both parents get the girls out of the house for a walk
4-5:15 – parent 1 takes the kids on a walk, parent 2 works in an empty apt
8PM – both parents catch up on work as needed
we alter parent 1 and parent 2 roles
Anon says
My kid gets about 4-5 hours of screen time a day, mostly educational. I have no regrets.
drpepperesq says
same. my mental health greatly increased when i stopped stressing over screen time. my son is learning from bubble guppies, sesame street, daniel tiger, dora, etc. we talk about what he watches and reinforce what he sees. i get to actually focus on my work instead of half my mind being taken up with guilt or ways to entertain him that in reality only entertain him for two minutes then he wants to do something else.
Anon says
+1, and half of it is Disney movies (which are arguably not educational).
lawsuited says
We have a 1 and 3 year old, so no home-schooling but it’s very full-on supervision for short attention spans and destructive ten dances. We have family help now, but before that my husband and I were each watching the kids for a half day and working a half day, then getting a couple more hours of work in after bedtime. General schedule was:
7am: I get up and take the kids downstairs for breakfast, husband showers then takes over breakfast clean up while I brush my teeth and pull on leggings
8am-noon: first work/childcare shift
Noon-1pm: family lunch
1-4pm: second work/childcare shift
4-6pm: family walk, or one of us goes to the grocery store while the other watches the kids, or one of us plays with the kids while the other cooks dinner (if it’s more complicated – we’re eating a lot of 15 minute meals because we’re so d@mn tired)
6-8pm: dinner, bath (sometimes), bedtime routine
8pm: husband and I eat dinner if we didn’t eat with the kids and try work but also frequently abandon work in favour of self-righteously informing the other of Covid-19 updates devolving into manic hand-wringing punctuated with exclamations of “but how much longer can we DO this?!?”
10-11pm: attempt to tidy/clean up our house made filthy from another day of everyone at home
11pm: bed
OP says
Late reply, but thanks, all!
TheElms says
I’d like to get myself some kind of treat, except that I’m out of mental energy to figure out what. Normally I’d go get a manicure/pedicure. Does anyone have anything that they’ve bought recently that feels indulgent and made you smile? Budget is around $50. No food allergies, somewhat sensitive skin but most stuff is generally fine.
Realist says
Just throwing ideas out there:
-Origins rose clay face mask
-Purely Northwest foot soak salts (plus soak bucket or foot spa)
-A candle from your favorite place
-A craft kit or baking mix or new baking pan if you are in to that
-A new piece of art
-A new lamp
-Fancy tea
-A fun hair thing
-Wine
-Fleece lined leggings
-Cozy slippers or socks
-New pens or pretty office supplies
KatieWolf says
My sister recently sent me Milk Bar truffles and they are soooo awesome!! Very indulgent! I’m pregnant so I can’t have wine and this makes me feel special at the end of the day.
Anonymous says
I bought fancy soap and body scrub from a local company (that is still shipping) and it felt indulgent and great. Combined it with eating ice cream in bed that night.
Anonymous says
Yesterday I drove to get a bubble tea I used to get at work as a treat. Felt like I was supporting a local shop, got a treat, got out of the house, and didn’t take too long because there is no traffic!
Pogo says
I signed up for FabFitFun w/ a discount code so it was $50 and figured if I didn’t like it I’d cancel (there are tons of these subscription boxes out there tho). It was a fun treat to have someone else pick out the stuff for me, and then a nice surprise when it came, it was like opening a present. There were a couple things I was like meh don’t know that I’ll really use this, but the rest of the stuff I really like and use. The beauty stuff in particular was really treat-esque, like fancy leave-in conditioner and aromatherapy lotion. I would never buy that stuff for myself but I’ve been using it a ton since I got it!
Clementine says
Yeah, I also got one of those with a discount code and am actually shocked at how happy I am with what I got.
Mine came with packing cubes (which is 100% why I got it), nice tea towels, then like you – a nice leave in conditioner and some lotion and some anti wrinkle device that somehow actually helps my angry ’11’ lines between my eyebrows.
Pogo says
yes that anti-wrinkle thing really works! I think I read somewhere it’s totally just a short term thing – like it plumps it up just for a few hours but whatever I’ll take it.
TheElms says
Which box is this? This sounds like the sort of box I would like!
Pogo says
FabFitFun – if you g00gle you can find coupon codes pretty easily.
Butter says
I splurged on a silk eye mask to take to the hospital when I gave birth a few weeks ago (since they often leave the lights on in the rooms all night), and it is sooo awesome. It’s the Slip Pure Silk Sleep Mask, purchased from Nordstrom. I thought it would be ridiculous but every time I put it on it feels very luxurious. Going to be my new go to gift for new mamas.
IHeartBacon says
I bought some lavender Epsom Salt that was delivered yesterday. I also bought a scented candle that is being delivered today. Earlier this week at the grocery store, I bought a box of my favorite ice cream bars. It’s husband’s turn to give kiddo a bath tonight so my plan for tonight is to eat 2 ice cream bars while I’m soaking in the tub with my candle nearby.
IHeartBacon says
Also, I cleaned that bathroom yesterday so when I’m ready for my bath tonight, it’s read for me.
Anon says
My birthday is coming up and I ordered myself a Cheesecake Factory cheesecake, since I love it and don’t live near a restaurant. The pricing is absurd, even for cakes that are expensive to begin with (it’s like $70 for a tiny cake) but whatever. I’m saving a sh!tload of money this year by not being able to buy plane tickets.
Emily S. says
A bouquet of fancy flowers! I just spent about $50 for a tropical bouquet from The Bouqs Co. — something I couldn’t get at the grocery store, where I normally buy flowers. They lasted about a week and I smiled every day when I looked at them.
Anon says
I’m obsessed with Glow Recipe Watermelon Mask. I also like their entire line, esp their Banana Souffle Lotion. Maybe try a sample pack? (Their website is the best, but I think they’re also at Sephora and Ulta.)
Anonymous says
Apparently pre-K is exhausting- kiddo is going to sleep 60-90 minutes later than when in school. I think she’s getting a *little* less exercise than at school (less motivated to run without her friends, stuck inside during sibling’s nap) but we are definitely getting a decent amount of exercise so I assume it’s just less emotionally tiring at home. Needless to say this is having a big impact on us since whoever does her bedtime now has way less “free” time in the evening for working, chores or exercising. We stay in her bed till she’s asleep, which used to be 10 minutes but is now longer. She’s not getting much 1:1 attention from us during the day right now so I’m not dying to stop lying down with her and take that away from her right now but … Is that our only option? Is there something else that would just tire her out more? Even if we take a 4 mile walk and play outside for two hours she’s still up past her old bedtime.
Anon says
I think this is very normal. Daycare/preschool is so exhausting for the little ones, and for my kid at least I think it has more to do with the socialization and the lack of quality nap time at school than physical exercise. My 2 year old used to take 3 hour naps every Saturday because she was so exhausted from the school week, and now she doesn’t even want to take her normal 1-1.5 hour nap.
Pogo says
Hi friend. Livin the same life over here. I have no solution only commiseration. Mine has starting skipping naps on ‘fun’ days (like when it’s nice out and he knows he is missing some serious playing) which leads to 5pm meltdowns but faster bedtimes. If he naps (like today where it’s gross out and he’s like, zero fomo), he will be up until 8:30-9:00 realistically. It is the hardest part of all this for me – no “me” time and a kid who clearly is not as engaged/socialized/etc during the day (for the most part – like I said, when we have good weather and can get him out, I think he’s pretty happy). And at pre-k/daycare they have the peer pressure of other kids so I think that’s why they nap so well on schedule (on a day like today where it’s gloomy, he’ll prob nap even longer, which means even later bedtime… but if I get him up early, he’s inconsolable. Unlike at daycare where it’s snacktime! friends! art projects! when they wake up).
Boston Legal Eagle says
Agree on nap making a difference – is she napping at home now vs. no naps at daycare? We dropped our 4 year old’s nap because bedtime was getting to be really late, and now he’s going to bed by around 8. It’s more screentime during the day but we decided that we prefer the easier bedtime and he’s getting a bit more sleep overall this way.
Anonymous says
OP – kiddo is five and hasn’t napped in two years, sadly! When she dropped nap stated going to sleep more like 7:15, which was awesome. Until now she’s always needed a solid 12 hours of sleep.
Annonn says
well, i confirmed (with the finger test) that I have Diastasis Recti. Didn’t have this with my first pregnancy so it took me a while to realize. Anyone have experience with this and can recommend most effective exercises? How long did it take for it to resolve?
Anonymous says
My PT had me do this exercise where you do a normal little crunch up but squeeze your mid-section together by wrapping it with a towel, and it sort of re-trains the muscles to close up. I think I did the exercises for like a minute or two several times a day. It was super effective, as in it was mostly cured within about a month. (Mine wasn’t a bad case, but still). You can probably find an instructional video on this online since I’m not sure I would go to PT about diastasis at this particular time (notwithstanding my normal rah-rah-ness for pelvic floor and postpartum PT in general)
Anonymous says
I also only had it with my second and read an article about the effectiveness of that exercise. I did it and it helped! Mine is almost totally gone (running helped too) and I am 18 months out. I wish it had been faster, but I am confident it will resolve given how much it’s improved.
K. says
It is pricey, but the Restore Your Core online program is amazing for helping with this.
DR says
Tupler technique is a full on program that includes a binder. The full program is 18 weeks but I saw progress after a month.
make em say uh.... anon-anon says
Summer dreaming in the age of COVID19. What kind of backyard pool/toys would you recommend for baby, 7-10 mos over the course of summer. Janky dollar store? Here for it all.
Anon says
Water table. Or just a dish pan from Target (the fancy Joseph Joseph one with a drain if you want to flex). A couple of balls (not ping pong, they’re a choking hazard) and a bottle of bubbles.
Not a wading pool until baby can reliably walk and stand from sitting.
Spirograph says
My old daycare did “water play” for this age with a bunch of little bath toys and some dishpans / low-side rubbermaid containers. At that age you just need enough for the kids to splash and scoop up + pour out water.
IHeartBacon says
If anyone is looking for something heartwarming from the Duke of Cambridge: https://www.instagram.com/p/B_VhLyVFwro/?hl=en
In the meantime, I’m going to go find some Lysol because apparently I’m supposed to DRINK IT now. !?!?!??!?!?!?
avocado says
I thought we were supposed to inject it and then stand out in the sun.
IHeartBacon says
Ha! My mistake. Thanks for the clarification. Phew! That could’ve been dangerous!
Spirograph says
no no no, we’re supposed to put the UV light INSIDE our bodies. And the disinfectant needs to get to our lungs, so I can only assume we’re supposed to inhale it?
Anonanonanon says
Get in a tanning bed with your mouth wide open
GCA says
I think you’re supposed to huff the disinfectant and inject the bleach.
Anonymous says
That’s a great thing to look at.
avocado says
Fun Friday afternoon question. I just realized that my family has been on an unintentional Tom Hanks movie binge. We couldn’t think of a movie to watch tonight, and it’s probably because we’ve run out of Tom Hanks movies. Any suggestions for character-driven, uplifting movies that would be enjoyable for adults as well as a 13-year-old?
Anne says
Princess bride?
Realist says
I rewatched Big last year and it was so fun. Ideas that might fit for you:
-The Princess Diaries
-Ferris Bueller
-Romy & Michele’s High School Reunion
-Clueless
-Bring it On
-Juno
-Napolean Dynamite
-13 Going on 30
-Shawshank Redemption
-Groundhog Day
-Erin Brockovich
-Dead Poets Society
-Back to the Future
-Legally Blonde
-School of Rock
-My Girl
Can you tell I have been making lists of movies for when my kid is older, lol.
Anonymous says
I feel like I will get judged for this, but National Treasure is a guilty pleasure at my house. Or if you are my husband, there is no guilt involved. It is so cheesy, but I love that era of history.