Weekend & Family Friday: Tree Dashers

Those are nice, I really like to be able to throwers have a hole in them and my shoes in the washing machine. I need something with a bit more grip for cycling – realising my Merrill trail runn my Converse are too slippy.

I like those. I cannot justify them, however, because I have several retired pairs of running shoes that I use for knocking around the neighborhood. They are getting used so much more these days; I do not know how I’m going to go back to regular work shoes.

A daycare update: Now we’re looking at a June 1 opening at the earliest. Masks will be required for staff and anyone ages 3+. There will be daily health checks at the door. If any child or staff member gets COVID, the entire class would have to self-quarantine for 14 days. I’m not opposed to any of these measures in a group setting, but it does make me want to throw my hands up in the air and start looking for a sitter.

Is anyone sending elementary school-aged kids to outdoor day camps this summer. Our state currently isn’t allowing sleep-away camps yet (so the go/no-go decision has been made now to cancel those at least in June). It looks like outdoor daycamps in my state / neighboring state (we are on the literal border) will happen! I am so hopeful for my kids — sites have been vacant for two months and counselors are largely college kids. I think they may be under-filled (understandable), but my kids need to be outside and roaming around / swimming in lakes / biking on trails / roaming the woods.

I had planned a mix of sitter / outdoor day / museum-based inside camps. Third item currently isn’t allowed. I guess we are doubling down on the outdoor day camps. Sitter will be a bit of a miss — she would usually take them to the library, pool, and a lot of other things not currently allowed.

I was the person who asked a couple days ago about what to tell my new boss who was scheduling a ton of meetings about my home situation (toddler and no daycare). The decision was kind of made for me because he sent an email to his direct reports yesterday telling us that we need to be at our computers and available to respond immediately during normal business hours (9-5). This seems onerous and micromanage-y even for people with no kids (we are all salaried, exempt employees) and there’s absolutely no way I can do that with a toddler at home and a husband also working full time, so I emailed him and explained my home situation, and that I check email regularly during normal business hours but do a large portion of my work, especially work requiring intense focus, after toddler bedtime. He basically told me that’s completely unacceptable so now we’re instituting the process of me going on paid leave. I’m not sure what I will do if daycare hasn’t reopened by the time my leave runs out, which seems quite likely. A nanny would be really difficult for our family to swing financially and I’m not sure I want to continue working for this guy anyway, but I generally enjoy my job and hate to be forced out of the workforce like this. Anyway, I appreciate the advice, I wish I had a better update. :/

Long story short, our couch has a perfect tiny child’s handprint of bacon grease. I have tried carpet stain cleaner and it did not work. On clothes I use blue Dawn, but not sure how to do that on something I can’t wash. The cover is removable, but I’m worried it would shrink or change color or something. Other suggestions? Something with baking soda? I’m assuming I won’t be able to get it professionally cleaned for at least a month due to our stay at home order.