Sorry to be a poopypants but I am so grateful for this thunderstorm so all the stupid fireworks will end early instead of going on until 3am. my kids and dog sleep through them so I’m just a hater for the love of the game.
My boys are about to turn two and we’ve come a long way to finding a schedule and routine that finally works. We have a nanny to get us through the summer before they start daycare in the fall. Now that it’s summer they’re outside all the time.
So will I ever just get a normal day with them on my own, where they sleep through the night, nap well, and actually eat real meals? I bust my ass to get them to library story time, take them to the splashpad, try different sensory activities. I try every kind of feeding technique and recipe and snack. I take them on so many walks, to every park, try to put together crafts. It just feels like when it’s days where it’s just me trying to take care of them on my own (like today when childcare falls through and my husband can’t step away from work) it’s never enough, they won’t eat, they don’t nap, they get bored with everything, they take an hour to fall asleep at night.
And then I think about how I work full time and have childcare every weekday normally. Why do I get so frustrated and impatient when I spend so little time with them as it is? I feel so guilty for getting so frustrated. Do I just have to wait until they’re 5-10 to feel like I‘ll be able to have one normal day where things go like they’re supposed to?
I know there are a lot of threads here about summer camps but my buckaroos are still too little for those (and I know it's way past the deadline for signups anyway.)
Wondering what everyone's favorite things to do with their littles in the summer are - I'd love to compile a master list of great parks and activities. Aside from the usual recs (museum center, city pools, zoo, aquarium) what are your go-to's? So far I have:
I just wrapped up a week in Glacier and thought I’d share what I did so anyone arriving pre-peak during rainier days may have a good idea of what to do. Whitefish was our home base:
Day 1: (late start) Buffalo Cafe, Trail of the Cedars, Avalanche Lake, Sweet Peaks for ice cream
Day 2: Drove to Two Medicine to do Scenic Point, Aster Park, and Running Eagle. Sacred Waters Brewery
Day 3: All of the McDonald Trail starting at Cedars and crossing the road to Sacred Cascade and back again. Jeremiah Johnson Brewery (they played Kid Rock and there was a weirdo libertarian loudly bragging about guns and shutting down a nonprofit that helped recovering addicts so it was not really our vibe. Beer was fine.)
Day 4: Rest day, Polebridge Mercantile, Rocky Point trail on the west side, Backslope Brewing.
Day 5: Drove to St. Mary to do the waterfall trails, Three Forks Grille for dinner.
We had a couple 70/80 degree days and a couple 40/50 degree days but we didn’t mind the cold and rain on our hikes. Saw a lot of bear/cub and moose tracks/skat but not who made them, which is probably for the best. My only regret is not getting ebikes to do GTTSR.
Hope this helps!
My husband and I are going on a trip together for the first time since before I was pregnant and leaving our twin 20 month olds with my parents who very generously offered to watch them for a week. We’re lucky we have the support available to us. Care guide has been meticulously created, snacks and food prepped, but so anxious and guilty about leaving them for so long. I know it’s good for us and them and my parents but it feels hard. For those that have done it, how did you handle it? Will they think we abandoned them :(
I’ve got new 2‘ deep raised beds using Hügelkultur with a bunch of veg and herb starts/sown seeds. We’ve had half a week of pouring rain without much warm sun with another week to go in the forecast here in the very southern part of zone 6b. I’m new to raised bed gardening and I’m so scared mine is going to drown and everything’s going to get blight. Am I just being anxious and is this excessive spring rain fine for it, or is there something I should be doing?
Wondering when anyone started doing one-on-one time with each twin - I'd like to make it a regular practice where I hang with one twin while my husband hangs with the other in an effort to give each of them some undivided parent time, but unsure when the best age is to start doing that. Mine are 19 months, should we start now? Or does it matter more later?