All the Tea

Go Fish and Uno are big hits at our house. I like things they can play on their own/with siblings bc that’s typically when I’m cleaning up the kitchen.

Nancy Drew

Anything and everything Kristin Hannah for good historical fiction! The Women is AMAZING.

I LOVE Embody by Jonathan Van Ness // https://jvnhair.com/products/embody-volumizing-shampoo

I truly wash my hair once a week because it's so great! I just double wash it the day I wash it with this JVN, affordable shampoo and conditioner!

I LOVE doing flying to London (4 days), taking the Eurostar to Paris (3 days), train from Paris to Amsterdam (3 days)! This would be a perfect 10 day trip in my opinion 🙂

Also, Bruges Belgium is one of the cutest storybook + medieval places!

However, Ireland is one of my favorite countries ever and could have rented a car and driven all around Ireland for 10 days and never run out of things to do!

If high school, I typically go with age, then an additional dollar for more than 1 child. So, if $16 and I have 3 kids, I add two additional dollars= $18 per hour for three kids. I’m honestly so happy to have good babysitters I always add a little extra in the Venmo and just round up. Date nights are so freaking expensive with this mindset, but I do it’s just cause I want them to come back 🫣

If it’s someone where this is their livelihood- such as a nanny or someone older, then typically they negotiate rates from $20-$25+.

Could it be DMER? From the Cleveland clinic: What is dysphoric milk ejection reflex (D-MER)? Dysphoric milk ejection reflex, or D-MER, is a condition that affects people who breastfeed (chest feed) or pump milk. It causes sudden and intense negative emotions just before you “let down” or release milk. It's quick and lasts just a minute or two

I went gf 8 years ago and it was a long process. Give yourself lots of grace and evolve into it. Chicken and rice dishes are great dinner options. Have things like gf muffins, waffles, cookies on hand so your younger kids don’t feel like they are missing out. Also always have a cupcake in the freezer you can send to school for bday parties. I think the key is having a well stocked fridge and pantry of snacks. Popcorn and chips are easy, Milton’s gf crackers are good too!

Definitely kid dependent. Some need extra time and some don’t 🤷🏻‍♀️ I was held back without a reason and elementary school was such a breeze but it caught up to me late high school/college

Check out the book Siblings Without Rivalry. It was helpful with me managing 3 kids all very close in age. Also, not sure if this is helpful, but I always tried to include and not separate them when caring for the baby so she didn’t feel left out, if she wanted to join in bath, putting to sleep or whatever, I would say we had to take care of “our baby”. Hopefully that hasn’t put too much responsibility on my oldest 🫣They are now 4, 7 and 9 and really have a great bond.

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My therapist told me an immediate consequence that makes sense for the behavior and is age appropriate. Apparently time outs are real controversial but they seem to work with us, mainly bc it gives my kids time to breathe and regulate.
Exp: using a toy to hit a sibling. Toy goes away or time out from playing for 3 minutes

A friend of mine is a preschool teacher and she gave me the tip that "potty talk" stays in the bathroom. When my kids get into saying bad words, I tell them they have to go to the bathroom if they want to use those words. Kinda ridiculous, but they somehow think its funny and run to the bathroom and yell things, and then I tell them they can come out with it's out of their system.

I’m in the same boat but my son is a year younger than yours. We plan to send in august 2025 and will have him repeat kinder if necessary! He is academically and socially ready though a bit emotional.

We have a fridge list for morning chores: backpack packed, lunch, unload dishwasher, etc!

Get a flashlight and make shadow puppets on the wall and read Bear Shadow!