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Weekend & Family Friday: Tree Dashers

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A pair of Tree Dashers

I have a pair of Allbirds that I bought when they only had one style: the Wool Runners. I love them and think they’re incredibly comfortable, except I would have liked the option of ordering a 7.5. (They only make that style in whole sizes). I saw an ad for their new style, Tree Dashers, and since they are an athletic shoe, they are offering them in half sizes, too. I’m actually in the market for new athletic shoes, as I’ve been walking/jogging (wogging, as my sister would say) with the jogging stroller on nice days, and I’m tempted to get these. They’re a little more than I’d like to spend considering I’m not a distance runner or elite athlete, but I like their sustainability and ability to be machine washed. They are $125 and available in several color combos. Tree Dashers

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Sales of Note…

(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)

Kid/Family Sales

  • J.Crew – 25-40% off kids’ styles; extra 50% off select sale
  • Lands’ End – Up to 40% off your order
  • Hanna Andersson – 30% off all kids’ & baby clothing; PJs on sale from $25; up to 75% off clearance
  • Carter’s – Rule the School Sale: Up to 50% off; up to 40% off baby essentials
  • Old Navy – 50% off back-to-school styles; 30% off your order, even clearance
  • Target – Backpacks from $7.99; toddler & kids’ uniforms on sale from $5
  • Pottery Barn Baby – Summer sale: up to 50% off
  • Nordstrom – Limited time sales on brands like Maxi-Cosi and Bugaboo.
  • Strolleria – Free infant seat car adapter with any Thule stroller; 30% off all Peg-Perego gear in our exclusive Incanto Collection

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About April

April is a working mom, a longtime reader of CorporetteMoms, and wrote our morning fashion advice for working moms from April 2018 to October 2020. She has one child (born 2/17!) and she’s a public interest lawyer in NYC.

Comments

  1. Cb says

    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.

  2. Pogo says

    Something about the footbed on Allbirds hits me at the wrong place, which is a bummer bc for people that love them, supposedly they are super duper comfortable.

    Can we do happy kid things, since it’s Friday? My toddler has taken to re-discovering his old baby toys (he found a bin in the basement) and selecting the ones he thinks the baby will like. “My give dis one to the baby. Baby like it when him’s bigger!” He will also “show” the baby his toys and explain them to my belly: “Baby brudder, dis my digger. It has a shovel, and it digs the dirt!”

    He’s also still going strong with his conviction that he has a baby in his belly, so he will do my PT exercises with me and say, “I need to my my exercises, too, Mommy for my baby.”

    • Cb says

      Aww, that’s adorable. Everyone at nursery thought I was pregnant because he insisted on wearing bunny under his top and patting his baby.

      He is currently belting out Yellow Submarine in his cot. ‘In the town where I was boooornnnn….’, no nap but at least he’s resting his body? We were cycling yesterday and he got going too fast on his balance bike and mom instincts kicked in and I picked him up by the front of his shirt before he went head over handlebars. We sat down in the woods for a snack and a chat and he just leaned up against me and after awhile said ‘I was really scared but mummy came to the rescue!’

      • Anonymous says

        My mom instincts were not as strong — my little guy followed his big brothers down a hill on his balance bike and got all scraped up! But he was so brave! And he looked like he got into a toddler boxing match complete with a black eye and everything, which was sad and cute at the same time.

    • Anon456 says

      Walked into 2 y/o DD’s room this morning to find her sitting up in her crib with her baby dall in her lap, having wrapped it up in a blanket and trying to put her pacifier in baby’s mouth. She locked eyes with me as soon as I got near her and said, with a hand up in a “stop” position… “shhh. baby sleeping” and made me sit in silence with her in the room for five minutes until baby was ready to wake up.

      • anonn says

        aww that so sweet. my DD is 2 also and has really been into carrying for her babies lately too. It’s the best thing ever, also makes me rethink everything I ever say to her, because I always here her say it to Dolly the next day.

    • anon says

      My 5yo is making nonstop Mother’s Day gifts for me. They mostly consist of art projects and self-portraits of us on Post-it notes. It’s pretty adorable.

      10yo badly needs a haircut. I would never tell him this, but he has all these floppy pieces and shagginess that’s making him look little-boyish, and I’m finding it so freaking cute. During his time at home, he’s become super nurturing to our elderly cat, which melts my heart.

    • Anonymous says

      Yesterday, I was with kiddo (4.5) for most of the morning. After breakfast, we were coloring and I was having really bad gas pains, as I sometimes get. She asked me what was wrong because I was clearly struggling. After a bit, she got down from her chair, came over and started rubbing my back, hugged me, and kissed my side. She just stood there rubbing my back until I felt better and then went back to coloring.

    • Realist says

      My 5yo is obsessed with college. She made her father print out a map of the campus where we attended school, and in the afternoon everyday she wants to play “college princesses.” She keeps talking about all the things she will do at college, like have a roommate, prepare her own snacks, and sit on the grass and read books. She says she has to go to our college because she will need a college map and she only has one map. It is hilarious.

    • GCA says

      Ahh, toddlerisms of the week: 21mo has taken to saying ‘I farted!’ and giggling hysterically. I also caught her singing ‘A, B, C, D, SDGs…’ as she wandered around the house and I am sooo loath to correct her. And yesterday my husband, who has been on weekday childcare duty, leaned back in his chair exhausted after dinner and she chirped ‘Daddy tired!’ which cracked him up.

      5yo let slip to me that ‘on Mother’s Day you’re going to find all the things we make for you’ and now I am bursting with anticipation.

    • Pigpen's Mama says

      I had trouble sleeping last night, so slept on the couch in the basement, and my husband went to bed really late as well, so neither of us slept well and were sleeping in this morning.

      Our 5.5 yr old got up, made herself breakfast (milk, cereal, water), ate, put her dishes on the counter, then came down and snuggled with me. It was lovely, and it was the first morning she had been in a good mood in a LONG time.

    • Anne says

      We were on a 100+ person community zoom event and my 3.5 year old made me text my friends who were also on the event to let them know that she was not just a little girl (as they may assume by seeing her on zoom) but also a mom to four dolls.

    • Katarina says

      My 6 year old is writing me a Mother’s Day poem. I got a sneak peek, and it is amazing. Among other things, he thanked me for making so much money, which made me laugh hard.

      Also, my 12 month old loves to hide behind a scarf to play peek-a-boo, it is very cute.

    • Anonymous says

      5 year old and 20 month old have been playing a several-days-long game of Bus on the couch – alllll the stuffies are on the couch and they’re constantly driving it. First thing 20 month old said this morning after morning diaper change was “blankies on bus!!” and ran to deposit his blankies on the couch :).

    • FVNC says

      Conversation with my 3 year old this week:
      Me: You’re a silly boy!
      Him: No, I not.
      Me: Oh, so you’re a serious boy?
      Him: No, I just so happy!
      Also, he and my 6 year old are playing together so much more and better than they did before stay-at-home. I realize this is because they’re each other’s only option, but it’s so amazing to hear them happily play together for long stretches rather than short bursts of cooperation followed by yells and tears which was our previous pattern.

    • lsw says

      My son has gotten much more verbal while at home, which is its own win, but my favorite iteration of this is he says, “I love you so much, Mommy!” and I will say, “I love you too, [son]!” and then he says, “I love you too, too!”

      Everyone’s are so good, I love this.

    • Anon says

      Our Eastern European nanny has been dancing Polka with my almost two year old. Now he walks into every room and demands that Alexa plays “poka”. No matter what other music we try, he screams for “poka” and then gets so excited. Alexa plays the same “Octoberfest” playlist when you ask for polka. No other options. So basically we have German drinking songs playing all day long.

    • Anon says

      Speech-delayed toddler was having a post-nap, pre-dinner meltdown – she typically responds well to problem solving, and she’s usually hungry at this point.
      Me: “Do you want yogurt?”
      Toddler: “No.”
      Me: “Do you want chicken nuggets?”
      Toddler: “No.” Flops on floor and continues sobbing
      Me: “Do you just need to lay on the floor and cry?”
      Toddler: “Yes”.

      Me too, kid, me too – way to be self aware.

  3. anon says

    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.

    • Anonymous says

      I am a runner and I LOVE my regular Allbirds. I am not, however, enough of a runner to know if these would be healthy for me to run in. If they were, I’d buy them in a flash. I’m a little tempted to get them and then have a gait analysis in them.

    • GCA says

      Yeah, what I would really want is to have the biodegradable and machine-washable components in a running shoe I know and love! I’m suddenly running quite a bit more because of lockdown – it’s the only way the toddler will nap some days.

  4. anon says

    What little things are you doing to break up your kids’ routine and/or make life feel more special right now? I am relying heavily on baking cookies and quick breads. Treats are disappearing quickly in our house! Other than baking up a storm, I’m kind of stuck. We’re definitely in a rut.

    • Anon says

      A local ice cream truck allows you to pre-order online and they’ll stop at your driveway. We did that this week for a special after-work/school treat.

      We’re going to do a backwards day next week – wear clothes backwards, eat dinner for breakfast and breakfast for dinner, call each other by our backwards names (like John becomes Naj), and all around be silly.

    • Cb says

      We’ve had lovely weather so have been having picnics in the garden. This makes everyday meals feel more special.

    • Anonymous says

      We do Friday night pizza and movie nights that we all look forward to. Usually it is frozen pizza, but we did doorstep delivery once. Tonight kiddo and DH are making the pizza. Then there is usually a special dessert. Tonight I am making oreo/cookies and cream milkshakes for dessert.

      Otherwise, not too much. Kiddo is already loving this time and thinks it is a huge treat to be at home with us. She’s going to be kind of sad to go back to daycare. We’ll probably transition at a reduced schedule for a few weeks. Kiddo is 4.5 for reference.

      And, yes, treats are way too plentiful in our house. My waistline is showing the effects of it…

    • Pogo says

      Doing treats as well – when it was really warm and summer-like the other day, I gave him a popsicle outside and let him wandering around eating it (inside popsicles are heavily monitored at the table because…mess). He really enjoyed that.

      I also have been picking up new activity/coloring books from Target (especially since their curbside pickup is so easy).

      We also go for a run 2-3x a week to visit a farm nearby so he can see the animals. Total #suburbanprivilege on that one. We just stand near the fence on the side of the road and he waves to the horse or cow.

    • Anonymous says

      Can you find some living/growing thing in the neighborhood to keep track of? We found a bunch of newly hatched tadpoles in a nearby pond and the kids are always excited to see what they are up to (heck, so am I. I want to see some little tadpole legs).
      Plant a garden?
      We’ve had a steady string of birthdays and other special days so a banner, a special meal, etc.

    • SC says

      We also have pizza and movie nights on Friday nights.
      We have a pergola covered in jasmine, which blooms throughout April. It’s beautiful, and the weather has been nice, so we’ve had a few dinners outside. Kiddo appreciates the novelty–honestly, I think we all do.
      We definitely have more treats than usual, partly because of a string of birthdays, but also to do/have something fun. We had cinnamon rolls this morning, and I’m baking a cake this
      Kiddo picked out a few recipes in a cookbook, and DH is making them, sometimes with Kiddo’s help. Kiddo has tried everything and liked at least parts of most meals. We’ve all appreciated having some new, interesting meals as a form of evening entertainment. (But omg, the dishes!)
      We’ve been going on walks and long-ish bike rides. DH also takes Kiddo on errands that only involve curbside pickup or drive-through.
      Sometimes, it’s just the small stuff because we have more time (I realize many people have less time.) Last night, I played hide-and-seek with Kiddo after dinner for 10 minutes, and he was over the moon. I usually handle bedtime, but a couple of nights last week, DH cuddled up with us for reading time, and we all learned about space.

    • Katarina says

      New art supplies and new books. Sidewalk chalk. Movies. Hide and seek. Baths with all three kids in the big bathtub. Swimming in our pool. Wagon rides. Popcorn (air popped with flavoring)

      • Anon says

        I have been keeping a “rainy day” stash of new books, new toys, stickers, etc. On the locked inside and kiddo is totally driving me crazy days, I break out something from the stash to provide new interest.

    • Anonymous says

      We did to go ice cream pints and took them to a park yesterday. It was really fun!

    • Anonymous says

      We’ve been doing a lot of family bike rides. We even rode bikes to an ice cream shop last weekend – one parent went in to grab a couple of sundaes to share while everyone else waited in the park nearby.

      I didn’t stop the kids from having a mud bath yesterday. It was a lost cause by the time I noticed what they were doing, so they kept wallowing for another hour+ and had so. much. fun.

    • Anon says

      one of my friends just did a ‘beach day’ with her kids, even though it is still pretty chilly where they live. they put out beach towels, put on bathing suits, stood on a boogy board inside, made some tropical drinks, and brought their dolls to the beach. they seemed to have a blast

  5. anon says

    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.

    • anonn says

      curious as to why a sitter would be better/different? or what about this set up makes you consider a sitter instead? Just less people? Our daycare never closed and is basically following these same measures. not a hotspot, but a medium sized city in the midwest.

      • Pogo says

        Just a numbers game – lower risk % because fewer potential points of exposure (at least in my mind).

        • anonn says

          ah gotcha. Yes that is super hard. In hindsight we probably were risking more than we should have. But when everything else in our state shutdown, about 60-70% of the kids stayed home too. I feel like its becoming riskier as things open back up, people go back to work and kids start coming back. Maybe call and see how many are planning to come back? Also our daycare stopped combining classes for gym/recess, didn’t rotate teachers around to different rooms to cover lunches and breaks. Maybe see if they are doing something like that?

      • TheElms says

        For me it would be about predictability/ lessening the chances of needing to WFH and watch kiddo. I’m in DC, so a hotspot. If your daycare class “closes” to self-quarantine due to an exposure, that means your kid is exposed and you are too. That would mean me having to work from home for 14 days based on the policies my office is considering and doing that without a sitter (how could you find one if you knew you had been exposed). If I’m exposed, my husband would be too, so he’d also be working from home based on the return to work policies his work is considering. We managed 14 days working from home and watching kiddo (11 months), but it was a disaster. The likelihood that daycare has to close more than once over the course of the winter seems high. So rather than managing multiple WFH / no childcare situations when it is cold and no one can go out, I think hiring a nanny/sitter to start seems like a better (albeit much more expensive option). That said I think my kid would be a lot happier at daycare, so no final decisions have been made.

        • Anon says

          Yeah, this. 14 days at home any time anyone in the class gets sick will be rough.

          • Anon says

            14 days at home any time any kid gets a positive COVID-19 test (but presumably a lot of kids would also get it at the same time). I don’t think any daycare is suggested kids need to stay home 14 days for any illness. I’ve heard the normal 24 hour fever-free rule might be extended to 48 hours at our center, but that’s far short of 14 days.

      • Anonymous says

        Well also, if you have kids 3+, having a sitter to your home wouldn’t require your kids to wear a mask. it would be up to the family/sitter to determine what they are or are not comfortable with.

        I have a very compliant 4 y/o and I would be SHOCKED to find an entire class of 4 y/os in masks.

        • anonn says

          I missed the masks for kids part. I didn’t think they were recommended for kids under 6, because they actually make little kids touch their faces more.

        • Anon says

          Our principal has asked us to get the K and PK kids used to masks before this fall. They’re expecting NYC schools to open with masks. I flat out told my 4 yo she had to wear a mask if she wants to go to school and now she’ll wear it whenever I ask.

    • Pogo says

      Those sound pretty reasonable to me, too, and a nanny or sitter would be a good alternative.

      The whole 14-day quarantine if anyone gets COVID is going to be interesting as things open up. I think my company is so worried about this (needing to shut down a site if one person gets it), and that’s why they’re being super cautious on re-opening regardless of what the local government says.

      • Anonymous says

        Right…I mean how long are 14 day quarantines for groups of people like that realistic? For one household, yes. But for everyone in an office building, class, etc.

          • 10:03 Anon says

            I wish I knew what that even meant anymore…

            To be clear, this is not directed at you, it is directed at the general uncertainty in life right now.

        • Pogo says

          Exactly, that’s why I’m kind of glad we’re not pushing to return to our office too quickly. You’re just going to have to keep shutting down every time there’s one new case. I only see a sustainable opening for very low #’s of people – like having a nanny or nanny share, or if your office is literally 5 people. Anything getting to 10, 20 people and above inevitably someone in the chain of contacts in that group will catch it eventually and shut everything down. Maybe I’m being too pessimistic?

          • Anono says

            Yeah you tend to err on the side of freaking out. Let’s see how this actually goes before drawing the worst conclusions.

          • IHeartBacon says

            This isn’t pessimistic at all. It’s the reality that a lot of people are ignoring. My governor declared a state of emergency when our state only had 53 confirmed cases and 1 death. He issued a statewide Shelter in Place when we had only 675 confirmed cases and 16 deaths. Now we currently have 62,546 cases and 2546. When we all return to work, and restaurants, and gyms, etc., what do people really think is going to happen? The virus is out there. All of this effort has been to flatten the curve, not eradicate the virus. Staying home, social distancing, wearing masks, etc. will only slow the spread, which was so critical for not overwhelming our healthcare system. Once we are all released to return to work and childcare, I expect the shutdowns to return in waves. We go back to work for 1-2 months, then we have to go on lockdown again for 2-3 months , rinse, repeat, until we have (a) a cure/treatment, (b) a vaccine that works, and/or (3) herd immunity. I think the struggle a lot of governments are going to have is that once folks are released, they’re not going to want to be confined again because a lot of folks are going to feel like they made this big effort the first time and it “didn’t work” so what’s the point?

          • Anon says

            I’m not disagreeing there are problems in reopening suddenly and too soon, but just the fact that there are many more cases now than we shut down doesn’t necessarily mean we’re doomed. We had basically no testing in March. When we shutdown in my state, you couldn’t get tested (even in theory) unless you had a recent history of travel to China (not Europe, which is so dumb because that was the hotspot by March) AND were over 65. In practice, I believe it was virtually impossible to get a test, even if you met both those conditions. The entire state was testing a handful of people each week. Now it’s possible to get tested in my state even if you’re asymptomatic, and we’re testing tens of thousands per day. So the fact that we are picking up way more cases now doesn’t necessarily mean the virus is way more widespread. Heck, ~20% of NYC managed to get it before the shutdown even though confirmed cases in NYC when they shut down were WAY below that, I think well under 1% of the population. We just had a huge knowledge gap because we had no tests.

          • IHeartBacon says

            I agree 100% that once testing started to become more available, the testing itself contributed significantly (maybe even most significantly) to the uptick of confirmed cases. Still, there is no question that tests or no tests, the hospitals would have been overwhelmed if states hadn’t taken action.

            As testing becomes more and more widely and easily available, I think a future lockdown will probably be easier for my household because it would be easier to have a family member, for example, come stay with us 1-2 weeks at a time to help with childcare because we could all get tested before they arrive. I know this does not guarantee that someone won’t catch it during their stay if, for example, one of us goes to the grocery store, but it is a lot better than just consolidating households not knowing whether someone is arriving with the virus already. But…that’s just a guess… maybe future lockdowns will be just as bad.

    • Anon says

      Those procedures are totally standard. Our daycare announced the same ones, plus contactless drop-off, although we don’t yet have a reopening date (Midwest, local area has very few cases, although our state has quite a few).

      • anon says

        I know these are standard procedures, but they just underscore the risk we’d be taking by having daily contact with that many people.

    • Boston Legal Eagle says

      My 4 year old actually likes wearing his mask but I wonder how they’re planning to have 20+ preschool kids keep their masks on. The quarantine for 14 days after seems like a logistical nightmare for parents, but I guess they have to do this. It’s going to be a long year. A sitter/nanny is an option but I’d really like my 4 year old to be socializing with other kids. I don’t care so much about the “learning aspects” – it’s more about being with other kids. FWIW my ped said they haven’t seen any cases in their office in kids this young, and we’re in a hotspot.

      • anon says

        I’m not sure I get the point of masks for 3 yos in the classroom if they are going to be eating and drinking together anyways. In the hallways or on the playground, sure, but I’m not sure I would try to get a 3 yo to keep a mask on all day.

        • Anonymous says

          I have to agree. I’m not sure the benefit is really worth the hassle given how much germs will spread in a daycare anyway. The kids will constantly play with/touch/move/try to take off masks, etc. and, therefore, reduce their effectiveness.

        • Anon says

          Yeah, I think for daycare (and K-12 school) we have to accept the risks that classes are germ circles. The goal is to minimize germ sharing between people who aren’t in the same class.

    • Anon says

      In PA, our daycare will open as soon as our county moves to ‘yellow’ instead of ‘red’. We have similar but less extreme guidelines: masks only for staff, temperature checks at the door, parents drop off at the front door instead of in the classrooms, any kid with symptoms has to stay home for 14 days (but not the whole class).

  6. Anon says

    My daycare is opening up next week with similar measures. I hope it works out. I loved our daycare and want to give it a chance. I am not in a hotspot. I am looking forward to actually being able to do my job again (my spouse can’t help with childcare during the day and works in healthcare.)

  7. Outdoor camps says

    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.

    • Realist says

      For our family, we canceled our camp registrations. Immune-compromised 5 year old. Not a current hot spot, but reason to think a neighboring hot spot will travel to our area this summer and bring it with them.

    • anon says

      We will send our kids if camps are open, but we will have zero contact with high risk grandparents.

      As things start to open up, but while we’ve still had zero outside contact, we are considering having meet ups with grandparents. Those contacts will stop if kids are in a group care setting.

    • Anonymous says

      Our camp got cancelled (Northern VA), so the decision was made for us. For the moment, I’m allowing myself to retain the fantasy that our pool will be open and our sitter can take the kids there…

    • Anonymous says

      Our city seemed to be seeded with NYC work plane travelers and since then has become a nursing home predominant spreading disease, so I’m not particularly worried. If anything, the summer is a more relaxed low-stakes time for kids (so if they are going to get it this year, I’d rather they start in a fewer-kids very cautious outdoor setting vs doing nothing until school starts). They have coronavirus skills to learn too and I honestly have higher hopes that the camps will get it right vs our struggling city school system. And I will probably get myself tested (if I have antibodies, I’d test my kids and that would be good to know as the inevitable spread occurs) — as a former frequent hotspot flyer, I am hopeful that I’ve got antibodies.

      Large city, hotspot in my state, cases are declining; current testing shows something like only 8% of tested people have coronavirus (not on-demand testing, limited to sick and known-exposed people right now).

      Kids are 10/11 and hardy; no older relatives locally; staying home/inside for 2 months.

    • blueberries says

      If outdoor day camps get the thumbs up from the local public health department, my kid will definitely be going. I have a lot of confidence in our local public health officer (she lead our region to have the first shelter in place order in the US, which has kept the outbreak limited in our region).

    • FVNC says

      If our outdoor day camp opens, I’d like to send our 6 year old. So far they haven’t made a decision one way or another.

    • Anonymous says

      What state? We are in MA and if the outdoor-unless-it’s-raining camps we signed our kids up for are open, they are going. One of mine is signed up for tennis camp which is technically indoor (indoor courts, outside swim) but they will likely change the setup if they are even allowed to open. We’d send her anyway, unless she’d have to play tennis in a mask. She’d hate that.

      • avocado says

        In my daughter’s sport, the consensus seems to be that masks are not appropriate for athletes during training. They are not effective when they get sweaty, and may impede oxygen intake. The clubs that do open will probably train with coaches in masks and kids spaced far apart.

    • anne-on says

      We’re planning on sending our 8-yr old to one outdoor (mostly) camp, but not the one run at the local Y. The mostly outdoor one is limiting campers 60 in total, 10 per ‘class’ and has an exhaustive list of cleaning/precautions/etc. they sent out. I’m very comfortable with it, and frankly, if we get it, I’d rather get it over the summer so we’re not missing MORE school. And summer is generally a slower time at work anyway so it would be better for us regardless.
      We’re still going to be relying heavily on our au pair, but those 6~ hours of camp daily are a HUGE help.

  8. Anonymous says

    If you could design a perfect playroom to grow with your kids, what would you include? We are remodeling our basement once it’s permitted and are intending to use part as a playroom. Kiddo is a toddler now, but I want it to be usable for a while. Flooring will be laminate, with a washable rug. We’re thinking built-in shelves for toy storage and books. Any other suggestions?

    • Anonymous says

      This might be out of scope for you, but you did say dream playroom! A sink and /or cleanup area for all the messy art projects. You want to have an “art center” where all the mess making can go, be played with, and be cleaned up (maybe). Where my kids have their area now has a ballet barre on the wall for my oldest. The younger two use the “dance studio” area for dress up and performances.

    • avocado says

      Deep storage with doors, like a closet with shelves or deep cabinets, that can hold large game boxes and doll furniture. Lots of open space to build forts, do cartwheels, and later put in a ping-pong, air hockey, or pool table. A TV and plenty of floor cushions or other seating so you can send the kids downstairs to watch movies or play video games while the grown-ups hang out upstairs during parties. If you have the space and funds, I’d look into things like the Nugget couch and the Pikler triangle that can be used for building and creative play.

      A sink is a really great idea.

    • Anonymous says

      Same-floor bathroom, even if only a half bath. Will be where the sleepovers happen later.

      • Anonymous says

        I posted above- we have a full bathroom down there and on the opposite wall a “slop sink” that comes from that plumbing stack.

    • octagon says

      Strong beams to be able to hang things from. A friend installed a small swing in her basement beam a month ago and her kid loves playing on it when it’s too cold outside. Her plan is to swap it out for one of those hanging chairs/benches when the kid outgrows the swing.

      I would dedicated at least part of the space to active play depending on your interests. A tumbling mat, maybe rock-climbing holds. Pull-up bar or fold-up jungle gym. Mirror on the wall.

  9. Anon says

    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. :/

    • GCA says

      Ugh, I’m sorry. Seems like kind of a jerk move in the midst of a pandemic. You’d hope managers would be a little more understanding and increase flexibility at this time, not decrease it.

      • Anon says

        Yeah, pandemic aside, it’s a huge culture shock for our team because our old boss was pretty much the exact opposite – he wanted the work done but didn’t care when and where we did it.

    • Cb says

      Oh my goodness, that’s ridiculous and completely unreasonable. I’m so sorry that you’re dealing with that. Are you at a big company? Is there an ally higher up that you can reach out to? Another team you might be able to move to? It feels completely unsustainable and also totally crap business practice, if you spend all your time anxiously monitoring email, how are you supposed to get substantive work done?

    • avocado says

      That is insane. Even if you were working in the office 9-5, you wouldn’t be at your computer and able to respond immediately the entire time. Presumably you’d spend time in meetings, on calls, brainstorming in a co-worker’s office, in the restroom…

    • Spirograph says

      Honestly, I would bring this up to HR. Have you gotten any exec level top-down guidance on pandemic work? I have realized from reading here that my company is handling this pandemic in a WAY more employee-friendly way than many (which I’m extremely grateful for), but our CEO and HR Chief have consistently communicated that this is a challenging time, we need to be understanding of people trying to accommodate caregiving responsibilities, etc etc. Even if your company hasn’t done the same, I would frame it as asking HR how to make sure this doesn’t impact your future and opportunities for advancement at the company — unless your job has immediate availability requirements (which it sounds like it doesn’t, since the previous manager was more results-focused), this seems discriminatory toward parents in the current climate, and they may want to have a talk with the manager.

      • Realist says

        I agree with speaking with HR but parents aren’t a protected category. It would need to be gender related. Which might be a possible argument depending on other things.

        • anon says

          If it’s not moot upon return, I would be very tempted to bring up gender discrimination because this policy has a disparate impact on women during this time and isn’t at all a business necessity (as evidenced by practice under old boss).

      • Anon says

        +1 I would also bring this up to HR. This is a completely unreasonable take & I’m sorry.

    • Realist says

      I’m so sorry Anon. You did nothing to deserve this and this sounds completely unreasonable. You did nothing wrong but anyone on this board should take this as a cautionary tale and don’t bring up childcare problems with bosses like this. Coast it out, respond quickly (got this and will get it back to you tonight), and wait and see. Anon’s situation seems so unfair because even her colleagues without kids are going to do this. No one is going to be available completely during all business hours.

      I’m so, so sorry Anon. Will your work be missed so that maybe you can negotiate a part time schedule in a week or two? You will probably get stuck on one of those stupid 50% pay for an 80% workload debacles, but that might be worth it right now to hang on to this job for the time being?

    • Pogo says

      This is awful. Unless you’re in some intense consulting gig where the client is demanding hourly updates, this type of request from a boss is completely uncalled for, pandemic times or not. You definitely don’t want to work for this guy.

      • Anon says

        Thanks everyone for your kind words. The company policy goes above and beyond the CARES act. It’s 12 weeks at full pay. On the one hand, I’m excited to be on leave and not have to do this miserable juggle anymore, but of course I’m anxious about losing my job and what will happen when the leave expires. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see how things are in July.

        • SC says

          Is your husband’s employer required to provide the leave? If so, in July, you could return to work and your husband could take the leave. Or, if your daycare is open but subject to intermittent shutdowns by July, your husband could be the one to stay home during those shutdowns.

        • Anon says

          Aside from any concern about future implications, I’m jealous. I wish I could take paid leave and enjoy this time with my child instead of sticking him in front of the TV while husband and I try to work; spending early mornings, nights and weekends catching up on work; having no personal time and just generally being exhausted from working and full time care of a 2 year old. Unfortunately I have ongoing responsibilities to client, deadlines and scheduled matters – which on the flip side I do realize it’s nice to have some job security for now, but I’m jealous of everyone getting paid to not work.

    • AnonATL says

      He sounds like a serious jerk. I agree this wouldn’t even been considered reasonable in normal times in a normal office. People have appointments and things to handle during business hours.
      I can’t remember from your original post, but are you the only parent on your team? I would suggest talking to HR regardless. This is so ridiculous given the state of the world.
      Sorry this is happening to you.

    • Boston Legal Eagle says

      Echoing everyone that is a complete unreasonable ask, even in normal times. Unfortunately, a boss tends to make or break a job, even the best of jobs. He doesn’t sound like someone you want to work for in the future anyway, so I’m not sure that talking to HR will change who he is. Any chance you could ask for an internal transfer or start brushing up your resume during the leave (obviously not ideal timing).

    • Beth @ Parent Lightly says

      I think you should speak with HR about this personally. I agree that you won’t change this person but HR should be able to provide specific guidance. Hopefully your company has a policy on this given the special circumstances.

    • Anonymous says

      Ugh. What happened so that you got a new boss? Is there a role for you with your old boss/another boss in your company?

    • AnotherAnon says

      First, this really sucks and I’m sorry you’re dealing with it. I’m sort of in the opposite situation; my company wants everyone’s butt in their seat but my boss is being more understanding. My employer is also offering covid family leave for parents who have no child care and are working full time. I opted not to take leave as I think that would precipitate my firing (regardless of whether that is legal, that is probably what would happen). I think you /could/ bring this up with HR, but it is unlikely they’re going to do anything since they have such a generous leave policy in place. I’m not trying to discourage you from having a discussion with HR, just offering my POV.

  10. avocado says

    I was excited when Allbirds first came out with the Tree upper, then disappointed when I learned there was still wool inside the shoe.

  11. lsw says

    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.

    • Anonymous says

      Can you try to cover it with saran rap with cornstarch underneath (sealed with something like painters tape)?

      Then alternating with a good spray with hairspray / wet scrubbing? Hairspray works wonders on a lot of things (pen on leather).

      You may need to let the wet part dry and repeat a couple of times.

    • Pogo says

      I’m sorry but I had to laugh at your first sentence. Sounds like something that would happen in my house.

      • lsw says

        Good to know I’m not alone!

        Thank you for the suggestions – I’m going to give them both a shot (if my first attempt doesn’t work).

    • Anon says

      I would use blue dawn on it and then try using something like the bissel green machine to wet it and vacuum it up. I debated full size carpet cleaner vs. that and I am so happy I went with the latter – it’s been great for all sorts of child messes that are usually small surface areas. Test in an inconspicuous area first – I would want to make sure the water doesn’t leave rings once it dries.

    • octagon says

      I would remove the cover and spot test blue dawn and hot water on an inconspicuous part (like at the back of a cushion). If it doesn’t affect the fabric, I would spot clean with blue dawn first and air dry.

  12. Paint says

    What color should I paint my bedroom? I’d like a light and airy feel, probably a blue with maybe gray undertones. Thanks!

    • Anonymous says

      No suggestions, but we learned about Samplize when painting our living room, and it was great- they are big stickers of paint color, so you can move them around the room, don’t have to buy tiny sample cans, etc. Search for a promo code too for $5 off.

    • anon says

      Sherwin Williams Sea Salt! I have it in my office AND laundry room, and it is so lovely and soothing. It’s one of those paint colors that can look quite different depending on lighting, though — in my house, it’s more blue; in my sister’s it had a more green cast.

    • Emily S. says

      We have most of our house — including our bedroom – painted Silver Lining by Valspar (from Lowe’s.) It is a perfect light silver gray.

    • Anonymous says

      Benjamin Moore silver cloud. Lovely pale blue or silvery gray depending on the light throughout the day.

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