u/inoticeiwonder

My kid is turning six soon. I’m looking for a timeless illustrated hardcover book to gift her that she’ll enjoy as a kid and keep as an adult.

Some ideas: Shel Silverstein poetry collection, Dr. Seuss anthology, a collection of fairy tales. She would love anything with especially beautiful illustrations and/or humorous prose.

If possible, I’d love to gift her a book that has diversity of cultures, races, bodies and abilities, family structures, etc. I’d also love to discover some published in the last 20 years (not just repeating what I knew as a kid).

I’m a high school teacher going back to work on Monday. I’ll be using a Spectra to pump 2x at work and Elvie wearable to pump in the car.

The Elvie works great in nursing camis. When I use the Spectra, I pump topless at home. However, even with a private room at school, I don’t want to be topless. I can’t wear nursing camis because they don’t cover enough skin and probably show some nipple outline. A nursing cami under a shirt would be too hot. Also, I somehow didn’t think of this until now!

I need a pumping bra that I can use for both. Do I choose any bra and rush order it? Any recs on a bra that would work for both pumps? I’m a 36DD.

I’m guessing I can wear loose shirts over it, and pull the shirt up to pump - or is that annoying to have shirt material rest on the pump? I’d need shirt material to not show nipple outline (because I’m teaching in a high school).

Thank you for all your recs!!!

Edit to ask: I can just put used Spectra parts un a gallon bag in the fridge between pumping sessions 1 & 2, right? I’m nit sure why this feels complicated.

My five year old loves being read aloud to. She probably gets 1-2 hours a day of my spouse and I reading aloud to her. But we have a new baby and other responsibilities, and I can’t keep up with her appetite! I’d like to get her into listening to stories.

I’m thinking short to start (15-20 min). She prefers being read short stories over chapter books, but likes both. So short would be good to see if a new forum can engage her. I’m thinking of starting listening together while making dinner, driving, etc. so we can discuss. Ideally she could move to enjoying independent listening over time.

We have Libby, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.

Authors / books she likes are:
- Elephant and Piggie
- Kevin Henkes, especiallly Kitten’s First Moon
- Doryfantasmagory
- Mercy Watson (we’re just starting with Kate DiCamillo)
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and James and the Giant Peach (loved the centipede / earthworm duo, not the Cloudmen)
- Mr. Putter and Tabby
- Bearenstein Bears
- Catwings (LeGuinn)

She loves the Bluey and Super Kitties shows. But we want to keep limiting screen time.

She is not as enthused (yet) about books with longer-winded, old school narration: Paddington, Mr. Popper’s Penguins, Winnie the Pooh, Ramona Quimby, Amelia Bedelia, etc. We read about 30 Magic Treehouses before she said she figured out how the stories work and is done.

Edit to add: so far we have found Robert Munsch and Mo Williams reading books on Spotify. They are awesome, and she is giggling up a storm.

My kid is starting kindergarten in the fall. instruction will be 90% Spanish : 10% English. She has loved learning some German from me, but is less excited about Spanish and is nervous about speaking Spanish in Kindergarten. I am conversational in Spanish (low intermediate?) and my spouse knows a handful of words.

So far we do grocery shopping and baking in Spanish (not consistently). We’ve tried reading books in Spanish, but she doesn’t enjoy that.

I’m looking for more ways to expose her to Spanish and make it fun and low-stakes, and to help me be consistent. Ideas I have:

- grocery shopping, cooking, and breakfast in Spanish. These are fun, high context activities without English speaking friends around.
- I can speak to our dog and baby in Spanish so she overhears more without the pressure to respond.
- learn fun kid songs together in Spanish, especially any with dance moves (artist recommendations welcome!)

- label items around our house in Spanish to build our vocab and keep it top of mind. hang a paper on the wall of each room with phrases we might say often.

Any other ideas? thank you!

When you have two friends (or even your parents) who are each wonderful and are wonderful together, and you take for granted that they are one of those couples who will be together forever - and then you learn they broke up. It’s kind of like the adult version of “Santa isn’t real.” When an assumed positive constant in your universe is gone - and may have never existed in the way you thought. Shook? Grief? New normal? Reconfiguring reality?

I am sending a care package to my good friend. I searched this up for previous recommendations, but they seem to be for people who have suicidal ideation. I want to be careful about not sending books that are too preachy, dark, or therapy-based. My friend loves poetry and song-writing. However, my favorite book of poems, by Robert Service is probably too macabre and has themes of death. Do you have any other recommendations? I don’t think they read fantasy, but I might send one like Way of Kings or Terry Prachett. (Also any other recs of what to put in a care package are welcome.) Thank you!