We’ve had both kids in daycare the entire year that my husband has been unemployed because it’s much easier for him to look for work while they are out of the house. And they are gregarious kids that need to be around a lot of people. They are stir-crazy when we’re home on the weekends. If I was the unemployed one, it…

I don’t think so, they have completed converted to being an east coast/Midwest version of Carl’s jr.

I’m sure I’d given up on plenty of books along the way (notably Tom Sawyer because I got pneumonia while we were reading it in 6th grade and never had to take the final test). The first one that really stands out in my mind though is “A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius”. I realized about halfway through that it…

The Foundation books have a real ebb and flow to them. Some elements are great and keep you going and then they get bogged down and really boring. I’m surprised I read as much as I did and I think I stopped somewhere in book 3.

I love that book. I have a signed copy. He wrote a bunch of the good ones.

You can’t do that with California pregnancy disability leave. The four weeks before have to be before. If you work closer to the birth, you miss out on that time. Then it’s 6 weeks (or 8 if you have a c-section) for pregnancy disability leave and 6 weeks of paid family leave (bonding time) for the mom at 55% of pay.…

• What’s your favorite processed, totally craptastic food you enjoy more than homemade? I also love Blue Box Kraft Mac and Cheese but I’m going to go with sugar cereal, especially Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Berry Crunch. My 3 year old calls it “mommy” cereal. I try to only eat it once a week and I push eggs in the…

these are also only federal taxes. Most states also have income taxes, as well as some cities. And that is in addition to property taxes and sales taxes.

There was an intrepid girl scout and her dad walking around the park last Saturday with cookies in the wagon she was pulling. Now if only she could take venmo.

That’s really too bad. My old boss was a troop leader and she was adamant that the girls did all the work. They practiced making change and marketing techniques. But I know she really went above and beyond in all elements of her troop, not just cookie sales.

My mom got one just to make cornbread. Single person cornbread is sad but at least it’s yummy, right?

Nope, can’t be used for things like feminine hygiene, diapers, or laundry detergent. So that’s what I donate to local shelters.

Yours too? If they have it in their head that it must go a certain way, then I’d prefer to let that happen than deal with the ensuing tears. At least mine is pat the part where she couldn’t eat a granola bar if it had come out of the packaging or split into two pieces.

I ended up doing it on the 16 month old this weekend. It was literally like a fountain of snot that came pouring out. He hated it and screamed his head off but he was calm within 10 minutes in a way that he hadn’t been in days. I wish he was as calm as this baby.

I’m all about the pseudoephedrine. Every time I started to feel a cold coming on this season I took a dose or two and some generic honey cough drops and I never got sick enough to miss work or feel truly miserable. I even took it in very small doses when I was breastfeeding even though it’s good at drying EVERYTHING…

I’ve heard good things about that saline rinse. I really want to use it on the toddler but I’m afraid they’ll feel like I’m drowning them. But something has to be better than the combination of saline spray, nose frida, and constantly wiping snot off their upper lip.

I don’t know, i’ve had this stuff at farmer’s markets and now they have it at my local Winco. https://www.thehummusguy.com/

My obgyn does the same thing. Definitely makes me feel more comfortable.

I don’t know if I remember all my “rules” for baby names but I’ll try:

My mom was super permissive, she took me to see Temple of Doom when I was 4 and my first R-rated movie was Broadcast News when I was 8. I was the English Patient and The Piano with her in the theatre. But for some reason, she didn’t want me to watch “Prime Suspect” on PBS Mystery.