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I haven't shopped regularly at Revolve for a while now, but when I was on their site recently I was intrigued that a number of Beis totes and weekenders were among the bestsellers.
I like that the larger bags are $78-$198, and there are a TON of work totes — north/south, puffy, expandable — as well as a bunch of great backpacks. (And diaper bags, if you're on the hunt!)
This bag measures 16.75W x 13.5Hx7D — it's nice and deep. It has a trolley sleeve, a zipper on top, a laptop compartment, and a detachable shoulder strap. Nice. It's $130 at Revolve.
(Ooh: note that the reader favorite Seville laptop tote is 40% off today – it was $578 but is now marked to $347.)
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Sales of note for 9.16.24
- Nordstrom – Summer Sale, save up to 60%
- Ann Taylor – Extra 30% off sale
- Banana Republic Factory – 50% off everything + extra 20% off
- Boden – 15% off new styles
- Eloquii – Extra 50% off sale
- J.Crew – 30% off wear-now styles
- J.Crew Factory – (ends 9/16 PM): 40% off everything + extra 70% off sale with code
- Lo & Sons – Warehouse sale, up to 70% off
- M.M.LaFleur – Save 25% sitewide
- Spanx – Lots of workwear on sale, some up to 70% off
- Talbots – Extra 25% off all tops + markdowns
- Target – Car-seat trade-in event through 9/28 — bring in an old car seat to get a 20% discount on other baby/toddler stuff.
- White House Black Market – 40% off select styles
Anon
My employer was on the ball with W-2s this year and I’ve already completed our taxes with TurboTax. Is there any downside to “filing” (i.e., submitting) it now even though the IRS doesn’t open e-filing until the 23rd? I assume Turbotax will just hold onto it and file on the 23rd? Or should I wait and file then? We’re getting a five figure refund so I’d love to have it ASAP.
Anon
TurboTax fixes “bugs” as it gets closer to the filing deadline, based on consumer feedback or glitches they find internally. I don’t think they take responsibility if you submit early with an error caused by something they later fix but I’m not positive. (In general you basically take on full responsibility even using those tools). That said, I suspect it’s rare that those errors are material.
Anon
Our tax situation is very very simple (the only reasons we can’t use the free IRS tool is because we have 1099-SAs) so I’m not too worried about that, but thanks for the heads up.
Anon
I’d be interested in hearing your ride-or-die makeup products as I’m due for a restock.
I have ride-or-dies currently in some categories but not all:
Bobbi Brown eyeshadow sticks
Nars blush in 0rgasm
Nars tinted moisturizer
Laura Mercier loose powder
I still don’t have a favorite mascara, I’m open to new brow products, and I would love a better eye pencil than the one I’m using – I don’t like a sharp line, I like an upper lid liner that is smudgy.
Anon
NARS liquid blush, if you’re using the powder. Both are amazing.
Anonymous
Almay pencil eyeliner, Maybelline concealer, Perricone No Mascara Mascara.
Clementine
L’Oréal double extend is the only mascara that doesn’t give me raccoon eyes.
Currently using NYX ‘thick it stick it’ and very happy with the tint and keep in place action. Good for my light brows which lived through the early aughts.
Anon8
L’oreal double extend is my holy grail mascara. Better than the high end mascaras IMO
Anonymous
I switched to using a very dark eyeshadow stick as an eyeliner. I think that will give you the look you’re looking for.
Anon
NARS creamy concealer.
anon
– Anastasia twist-up brown pencil
– Urban decay eyeshadow primer
– Dior addict lip glow in mahogany. I bought it when Clinique black honey was hard to find and I like the Dior version better
– Maybelline age rewind concealer in the Brightener color for under eye circles. I’m on the pale side and skin tone concealers give me a reverse-raccoon look
joan wilder
I bought Dior Addict Lip Glow (though in Pink) based on a recommendation here and it is the only thing I have ever used that gives color and not too much shine and does not dry out my already crazy dry lips.
Anonymous
Clinique chubby for lip gloss
Guerlain Meteorites for highlighter allover powder
YSL Touche Eclat for concealer touchups, IT Cosmetics for regular concealer
Benefit pink eyebrow highlighter
Upper lid liner – are you ok with pencils you have to sharpen? I love the colors for Urban Decay but sharpening is a pain and sometimes the whole color part seems to fall out. I sometimes use the eyeshadow sticks for liner, particularly Bobbi Brown and NudeStix. (Just got one of the latter in a dark black and it’s great but so waterproof it’s a pain to get off.)
pugsnbourbon
NYX Epic Ink eyeliner and Maybelline Red for Me lipstick.
Carrots
Supergoop matte sunscreen. On the days I don’t want to deal with a bunch of stuff, I put that and mascara on and I’m set.
Anon
I repurchase regularly:
*MAC StudioFix Foundation (holds full day on my pale, acne-prone skin)
*Lancome Volume-a-Porter mascara (regular & waterproof verion)
*Maybelline lipstick in 540 Hollywood red (like my lips, but better)
London (formerly NY) CPA
Bobbi Brown undereye corrector
London (formerly NY) CPA
And also Benefit Gimme Brow, which is the one and only thing I wear every single day. Even if I dont put on mascara, I need my eyebrows done!
Anon
I’m very happy with my nyx kajal. My ride or dies are max factor clump defy mascara, clinique black honey, covergirl concealer (in the lipstick tube), and ilia cosmetics super skin tint. I wear all of these plus blush on a daily basis.
Trish
No.7 is a good substitute for Estee Lauder for those of us on a stricter budget.
A
Huda and shiseido lippies
Mac lip primer
Mac and Bobbi brown face powder compact
A
Bobbi brown cream and powder blush
Anon
I’m one of the people who really identified with the comments this morning about not having friends. It has always been difficult for me to make friends (emphasis on MAKE friends and not keep them). I’m a very introverted person but the loneliness does get to me sometimes.
While assessing that is a subject for another thread, I’m looking for different advice today. My 30th birthday is coming up this spring and I want to do something special, but I’m not sure what to do. I usually just get takeout and otherwise treat it like a typical day. Obviously, doing something with friends is out. My parents live in another state. I don’t have a ton of extra cash so a big solo trip isn’t an option (overnight travel kind of stresses me out anyway). Any ideas? All I have thought of is a spa day but I’m not sure if that excites me. I’m in DC if it matters.
Senior Attorney
If I had a day in DC to myself, I would make a day of it and go to my favorite museums on the Mall (love the Natural History Museum, anxious to check out the new African American History Museum, just to name a couple), and then maybe go to a concert at the Kennedy Center in the evening.
And I know you say doing something with friends is out, but do you have a friend anywhere in the world that you can call on your birthday and have a virtual toast? Or maybe even fly them in for the weekend?
Senior Attorney
Also, paging former DTLA r e t t e — are you still lurking? Maybe you can meet our friend above for a birthday drink, like you met me for a divorce-settlement drink years ago?
Senior Attorney
I’ll even buy. ;)
DC Inhouse Counsel
I’ll meet OP for a birthday drink! Also turning 30 this year. I have a few local friends but most of my friends are scattered throughout the country so I’ve been trying (not having much success yet) to make more local friends.
Also OP, I just heard about a new spa opening in Alexandria that’s supposed to be really good if you change your mind about the spa day!
formerly DTLArette
I’m in :) can only do outdoors bc new baby, but Senior Attorney knows I’m always good for company in a pinch! Post an email and we can set something up! I love birthdays!!!
Anon
Not the OP but this is so kind of you both! I hope OP can meet up!
Anonymous Canadian
This is awesome! WTG, ladies.
Anon
Wow! I’m so flattered! I made a burner…it’s corpanon2 at the mail of g.
Anon
Get a tattoo? Get something pierced?
Anon
Do you mean a spa day specifically at SpaWorld? I feel like that would feel like more of a whole day/special day experience for me.
Anon
Do you like spending time with your parents and do you like doing touristy things in DC with them? Having them come for a visit could be nice if that sounds appealing. Otherwise, I’d also do something like Senior Attorney suggested- take the day off and visit some museums, a concert, a movie, a nice lunch, etc.
Anonymous
No idea if this is your thing but I always buy myself new perfume for milestone birthdays. Then every time I put it on it’s a reminder of a new chapter and gives me a boost
Anon
My husband wanted a big birthday party thrown for him for a big birthday he had. The only problem: he doesn’t really have friends. One friend is far away and battling a drug habit. Another is local to us and I like him/his wife a lot. Another is medium-far away. The rest of his friends are . . . my friends? Neighbors I talk to? It just got weird and I didn’t do it and he is still complaining. I don’t want to come out and say “if you had friends, I could have thrown you a party” but it seemed so strange b/c a lot of my friends don’t even really know him (like he does not know who these people are who send us Christmas cards and barely knows the names of neighbors despite living on the same street for 14 years). If he outlives me, I fear he will go into true hermit mode.
Anon
Did you ask him who he wanted to invite? Maybe he has some work people or family members he’d like to celebrate with. Or maybe he considers your friends his friends, too, and would have enjoyed a celebration with them for his birthday. This strikes me as kind of a mean reaction to someone you love?
Anon
Yeah. I’m more like the husband in this scenario, but I would be so hurt if I knew my husband were mocking me for being friendless even on an anonymous message board!
And fwiw I don’t want to be a hermit! I’m friendly and say hi to people and accept the vast majority of the few social invitations I get. I still don’t have many friends and don’t know our neighbors names (I think the neighbor thing is definitely a two way street – no one has ever approached us or introduced themselves).
Anon
You are mean wife, geez.
No Face
“I’d love to throw you a party! Send me your guest list so I know how big of a place to book” is a reaction you could have had when he asked for a party.
Maybe take a private moment to examine your feelings about your husband/marriage.
Senior Attorney
Yeah it sounds like he doesn’t have any friends, including you!
Anon
Well put.
Anon
Zing. Accurate.
It sounds like he wants to make friends, though. I’m happy that my husband, who is a good person who struggles to make friends (holdover from high school being a nightmare for a smart, bookish, shy young man), likes my friends and says that a few of them are on his “call if he needs a body buried” list. And we are relatively new to being married.
Anon
I’m confused why you couldn’t have had the local friend and his wife over for an intimate dinner party. Maybe the medium far-away friend would have wanted to come in for the occasion? You don’t 50 people to have a fun party.
Anonymous
I’m confused why you didn’t invite all the neighbors, your friends and their significant others, and any local family.
A lot of my kids’ friends’ parents are turning 40 or 50 these days; I get invited to big parties for these people every once in a while. Sometimes I go, sometimes I don’t, but I never think “oh that’s so weird that I’m invited.” I’m always flattered.
Trish
You invited your friends! If they are your friends, they will participate!
Anon
I don’t have many close friends. My husband invited people from my work, parents of our son’s friends, a neighbor, and some family for my 50th as a surprise. There were only about three people who were non-relative friends in terms of talking to them all the time and doing things together for fun, and sharing intimate information. But the others were delighted to come and help me celebrate. It was lovely.
Anon
I love this and gives me hope as someone who has a lot of friendly acquaintances but very few friends.
PolyD
In 2019 I spent my birthday by myself going to the Smithsonians and then rolled up to Succotash downtown for their very excellent happy hour. And, I bought myself their $20 manhattan, which was fabulous, and didn’t have to deal with anyone commenting that I was spending too much on a single drink.
It was a really nice day.
An.On.
What about a play/opera/musical/ballet/concert? You can do a fancier pre-show dinner too, which helps make it even more of an “event”.
Anan
What about Hiking the Billy Goat Trail? Or Shenandoah? I often do a day trip to Shenandoah from DC
anon
contemplating (fantasizing?) a move from Boston > Chicago. mid (creeping towards late) 30s, single, fine with winter, have the same general interests as everyone else, would love a dog. has anyone lived in both? pros/cons? neighborhood comparisons? very much in the hypothetical stage, but curious if anyone has any insight. thanks!
Anon
Come to chicago! People are nicer! It’s cheaper! Lots of dogs!
Both great cities!
They do seem to have vibes!
pro’s for Boston: shorter and less expensive flights to Europe make it easy for a long weekend; proximity to ocean (Great Lakes are cool but not the same) and mountains for year round outdoor activities – specifically the skiing would be hard to replicate without flying; much brighter in the city since the subway is underground – for some reason that always makes Chicago feel grimy to me
Pro’s for Chicago: much lower cost of living; things seem a little slower and people are just a bit less intense and less stressed; better restaurants; if you mostly fly domestically, relatively short flights anywhere you’re going and you’re in a big hub
Anon
I agree with all this. I’ve lived in both although I was single and in college/grad school in Boston and married with kids in Chicago, so it’s not really apples to apples.
I really miss fall in New England but I’ve started going back for a long weekend every October. It’s super easy to fly non-stop almost anywhere in the US, as the previous poster noted. Overall I’m glad I moved, my quality of life is so much higher here due to lower cost of living.
Anon
What appeals to you about Chicago? What don’t you like about Boston that has you thinking about leaving? Have you spent lots of time in Chicago in neighborhoods that interest you? (Long weekends doing boring things like visiting your future grocery store?)
Anon
Not OP but I would imagine cost of living is a significant motivator for many people. Chicago is MUCH cheaper.
Monte
I’ve lived in both. Chicago is a much bigger city and in my experience, infinitely better in every way that is meaningful to me — more creative/artistic, more diverse and less overly racist (admittedly a low bar with Boston), better restaurants, just generally more dynamic.
The only thing that was surprising to me, as someone from the northeast, is how young people typically marry in the midwest. As a single woman dating men, finding single dudes my age was a real challenge. Just throwing it out there in case that is important to you.
What is it that you like about Boston? What are you trying to avoid in a new location? Folks may have more specific ideas on neighborhood and pros/cons with that info.
Anon
It is crazy to me how big Chicago is — it is a huge city! And yet so midwestern (in the best sense of the word) that it seems friendly and approachable. I work with people in Chicago and Boston and the only hard thing (if it matters for work) is people in Chicago sometimes needing to live a life still on EST time vs CST time, which may be a plus or a minus, depending.
Anon
Wait, Boston is known for being racist? I’m not even remotely from the area so I had no idea
Anon
The Boston police had a reputation as being very very racist long before police brutality against Black folks was in the national news. A Black friend was beaten up by them in college, and this was a very polite, well-dressed young man who wouldn’t have been rude to them at all (not that rudeness merits a beating).
Boston is also staggeringly un-integrated. Like there are Black neighborhoods and white neighborhoods and no overlap. I live in a red “hick” state now, and it’s definitely not a perfect state by any means but you go to a restaurant in the burbs and it’s like 40% middle class Black families and 60% middle class white families, all eating together like nothing about that is weird. In all my years in Boston I can only recall one instance where I saw a Black family in a restaurant, and every head in the restaurant turned when they walked in.
There are a lot of great things about Boston but yeah…the race stuff is not great.
Anon
“Boston is also staggeringly un-integrated. Like there are Black neighborhoods and white neighborhoods and no overlap.”
Sounds like Long Island.
Anon
Yeah, the southern purple state where I live is also like this, very integrated and full of middle class Black people. In comparison, the blue state where I grew up is full of neighborhoods with Black Lives Matter signs… but no actual Black people. It’s very striking.
Anon
Native Bostonian here. Super racist city (and suburbs). There is a reason Charles Stuart said that a black man killed his wife – he expected people to believe him. It’s very segregated, too.
Anon
Unfortunately Boston has a reputation (whether it’s the low class Irish or the upper crust WASP variety!).
Curious
+1 re: dating. Everyone’s social life became their kids, athletics, and home brewing beer before I was ready for it. But Chicago’s great.
No Face
Chicago is wonderful. All the benefits of a giant city with friendly people and so much cheaper than the coastal cities.
Just make sure you can really handle Chicago winters. It is a different beast. The winter weather is literally the only reason I don’t live there.
Sasha
I’ve lived in Chicago my entire life so I’m biased but I really do think it’s the best city in the US. So much to do, great neighborhoods, polite people, great going out scene, affordable (both day-to-day expenses and real estate), centrally located, the list goes on.
For dating, people definitely settle down sooner here but I’ve liked that personally. It’s a great ratio of single college educated men to single college educated women (the best of the major US metro areas, I believe?) and everyone is hoping to find a committed relationship. I’m in my late 20s but have gone on plenty of dates with good guys in their mid-late 30s who are looking for LTRs
For the winter, the weather has gotten much milder here over the past few years (I’m sure due to climate change). This winter in particular has been really mild–we’ve only had one weekend of bad weather so far and that was right before Christmas along with everywhere else. I think that trend will likely continue–it does get and stay gray from November to April-ish but it’s not nearly as bad as it used to be IMO.
Cons: The social culture is predominantly focused around drinking, going out to eat, and live events at indoor venues. Not much to be done in the way of “the outdoors” besides biking, but there’s some fun hiking within a day trip distance. Another con that I have heard from transplants is that it can be hard to make friends here because there’s a lot of locals who have been here since early childhood and have “their group” from adolescence/college years already and aren’t necessarily on the lookout for new friends. Not sure how true that is but I’ve heard it more than once.
anon
I found Boston to be a very unfriendly place. Based on that alone, I’d go with Chicago.
OP anon
OP here – thank you for all the intel!
a little more background – been in boston for about 15 yrs. first for grad school, then work. was married but recently divorced. have loved the city, but without a social circle here anymore, i’m thinking about something new. it’s the first time i’ve never been geographically tied anywhere (besides obviously my current job). i like my job, but its a field that has options in other locations – really just thinking about options if i wanted to get a fresh start. the lower cost of living would be a HUGE perk, but def not the driving factor.
thanks again for sharing all!
Chicago
I grew up in Chicago, lived in Boston/Cambridge for 13 years for grad school etc…, then back in Chicago for 10yrs+ (after stints in NY/SF). So I know both very well.
Boston is tiny, lots of good stuffed packed in a small area, and a wonderful place to be a student/young person. There is no place quite like Cambridge, but as costs have skyrocketed and bookstores closed … even Cambridge isn’t like Cambridge anymore. Yes, it crazy segregated, and gets terrible marks as mentioned above, but does have a progressive feel.
Chicago is a liberal large city with more of a Midwestern / friendlier vibe with a beautiful huge downtown with wonderful orchestras/museums/architecture/theater/sports teams etc. that is just comes with a city this size. It’s cleaner than you would expect. The traffic is terrible. The food in Chicago has improved dramatically, and now there is a wonderful assortment. Lots of interesting neighborhoods. It is a healthier working environment, even in the competitive/high powered places compared to other places I have been…. and honestly, I sometimes miss being around other people who have the same drive/passion. It is the only place where my co-workers actively tried to set me up with a (senior) colleague that I actually had to report to, which pissed me off and was not the way I roll. I realized maybe this was a downside of being a 30’s something single woman in the Midwest….. It is also still filled with waste/political corruption/inequity. Most of our living ex-Governor’s have been in prison, so that gives you a sense. And the poverty and shocking segregation of HUGE swaths of the city (especially West and South sides) also dwarfs anything you see in Boston. It is shocking. And you wont hear about it from most of the folks who live in the very white North side neighborhoods.
And Chicago is an extremely good value for what you get compared with NY/Boston/SF and is so huge you can always find something. But costs here are also rising fast… but not like Boston.
What kind of neighborhood did you like in Boston? Post again tomorrow, and we can tell you what areas of Chicagoland you might like. I have to admit that after living in Boston/Cambridge for a long time, I had a hard time finding a place that fit me.
Art supplies
Are any of you amateur Artists?
I live close to a public high school that is terribly underfunded. The kind of place where… there is no paper in the copy machine. A family friend just started teaching there. We bought him a bunch of paper from Costco. He gives it out.
They have an Art club. And no art supplies. The kids bring their own pencil, and they sketch on left over scratch paper. Blue… scratch paper. Because they need to save the white for classes.
I just went over there and gave the kids all of my extra paper, sketch / white pads, art books, pencils etc.. They were so lovely and sweet and shy and showed me their sketches of faces, anime characters, and their dreams.
I want to buy each of the kids in this club their own, new, sketch pad and some sort of appropriate pencils or ???? What do you recommend? Is it better to get each a good sized pad (what size?) with lots of pages and just a few pencils (what kind?). Or one of these “sets” you can buy on Amazon that has a bunch of different grades of pencils/erasers/small sketch pad etc…? Or are there other useful things that I should give the teacher to keep for kids to share?
The public high school I went to…. 2 miles away from the high school with no paper and no art supplies…. has put in a proposal for a new, $100 million dollar re-design of their athletic fields and a new pool. And they are going to get it.
Sometimes, I hate this country…..
Anon
I would definitely ask the school/teachers what they need and the best way to go about helping.
Anne-on
I’d ask the teacher to set it up as a Donor’s Chose project and pick out exactly what he’d want. Even if you fund 98% of it you might get other folks interested if you promote it to your social network. That way you can also write this off on your taxes and (hopefully) be able to fund more supplies than you’d be able to do all by yourself.
test run
Also if they set one up share the link here!
IL
I can’t answer your larger question but in case it helps: check out “classpacks”. They are classroom sized sets of basic colors in pencils, pastels, pens, markers, etc.
Chl
I think there is an Abbott elementary episode about this. Good for you for contributing. I would ask the teacher to develop a wishlist on Amazon or similar. Random internet strangers are never going to have as good of ideas as the people closest to the situation.
Lily
Ask the art teacher to create an amazon wish list, and then publicize it here. I’m sure we can clear the list in no time. I also think it’s a nice idea to create packages for each student independently of the teacher’s wishlist. Maybe they can take home those supplies so they can draw at home, too.
Anon
Thank you everyone. I’ll think about your suggestions, and I’ll talk with the teacher again.
I did like the idea of giving them something they could take home, like a sketch book so they could draw anytime. One of the kids mentioned he used to have one….
Anonymous
I don’t live in the US, so have not links or concrete ideas. But I just wanted to say that I 100 percent love this idea. It’s a very lovely thing to give somebody the physical ability to make art with nice supplies.
I think that if you gave them each a portfolio or spiralized pad of qood quality art paper with lots of pages or just thick paper, that would be great. Everybody could have their special pad. Any additional paper is a bonuds.
For pencils, maybe a couple of cartons of B-pencils. 2-3 and 5 B-s? They will have easier access to the hard pencils than the soft.
Maybe some big boxes of fine line pens, like Staedtler or similar brand. Maybe some sets of watercolors? Some sets of just colored and regular HB pencils? A carton of metal pencil sharpeners?
I think a book/portfolio/pad of sketch paper with lots of pages, A5 or A4 or square, is the most important thing.
Art supplies
Thank you so much!
Anon
I represent teenagers charged with serious crimes. Kids at risk need art, music, drama, and sports along with the mentorship and discipline that comes from doing something they love. Sadly, there is always money for statistics, testing, police, and jails. Post your donation link, please!
Art supplies
I completely agree.
Thank you so much for doing what you do.
Anonymous
I’m watching the Dropout about Anna Holmes – the voice is such a crazy part. And I don’t understand how the tech can be secondary for these huge companies — Theranos but also Tesla, where Musk has said it’s basically worthless if they don’t get the autodriving feature. Is it all just bro culture run amok?
Anonymous
Venture investors have a lot of start up companies in their portfolio. A very few turn out great, and go on to be the next Apple. More go on to be strong small companies, often snapped up by a larger competitor. Most fail, due to poor execution or unexpected market conditions. A very few are actually fraudulent. If you could tell up front which is which, you would be running a VC fund.
Walnut Paging Curious
Survived yesterday – glad to see you did too. I haven’t been around much, so hope all is well. :)
Curious
Well enough. Thank you so much for the ping back. Relieved for you.
Anon
Maybe I spent too much time I. Leggings over the holidays but I am feeling atttacked by hard pants and rigid denim. No question, just an observation.
Anon
Ugh I know. I am back in the office 3 days a week at a new job and I can wear jeans, but they feel like leg prisons.
Anne-on
Hard same. I posted on the moms page that we are in the thick of winter illnesses and I’ve given up on hard pants/tops. I have a whole closet of nice clothes but it’s been all activewear all the time right now.
My kid’s school had an event last week and I wore a nice sweater/flares/makeup/jewelry and my son looked at me like ‘what’s going on, why are you so dressed up?’
Anon
I was wearing Ponte pants full time in place of jeans before the pandemic and people thought I was weird for it. I have the last laugh ha
Anonymous
I developed a sudden intense allergy to nickel over the past few months so anything with jean buttons or zippers is killing me. Went to the allergist and apparently also have a rubber chemical allergy now as well, which is making things with elastic bad. I’m wearing sloppy Eileen Fisher sweats now trying to get my skin to heal and weep for how I’ll ever find decent pants again now that denim and the yoga pant industry appear to be against me. If I wasn’t working from home, I don’t know what I’d do.
Anon
I’m a mid-level nursing administrator and have been wearing scrubs since the beginning of the pandemic but considering going back to “normal clothes” soon. All my former pants need to go. They still fit but the bar is now really high in terms of comfort. Would love to know what brand of ponte pants Anon above wears.
Anon
My 8yo daughter’s birthday is coming up and she would like to have a Harry Potter themed party. I am not crafty and previously have gone the route of park birthdays or party locations like an arcade or Chuck e Cheese. Basically, I’ve been willing to throw money at the problem to have the birthday activity, and to a certain extent the food, taken care of in a preset way. We had a magician at a park for a prior birthday (unconnected to Harry Potter) so that is ruled out.
I looked up Harry Potter themed parties and they mostly feature elaborate home made decorations, food items and games. I could probably outsource or with minimal work, recreate some of the food items (fake butterbeer, owl themed cupcakes) but am struggling with the location and activities. I am not too keen on having it at home due to the setup, crowd management, and cleanup required.
Any suggestions for me? Is it possible to do this at a public park, bring the Harry Potter themed food, and somehow coordinate some activities (like a horcrux quest?) that will fit the bill? There will be 20ish kids, and parents may potentially dropoff or stay.
Anon
To add: Party can be a smaller group as well if needed, could just be close friends based on the demands of the HP themed activity
Anon
If a smaller group, is there a themed escape room that may fit the bill?
Anon
Are there any businesses in your area that could host the party and coordinate the theme? Our town has an art studio that hosts parties and will do whatever theme you request. It’s very big with the 5-10 age group, and that would be my first choice for something like this. I’m also all about throwing money at the problem for kids’ parties, I’m not crafty at all.
Senior Attorney
That was going to be my suggestion as well.
Anon
Not sure about the public park because of bystanders and weather concerns. Can you rent a room in a church basement or YMCA, or similar? I’ve done this multiple times and the cost is not excessive. I’m not exactly sure about the activities – if you can’t do a scavenger hunt indoors, can you do some kind of HP trivia game?
No Face
Etsy has Harry Potter party decorations. I bet a local bakery could make a themed cake or cupcakes. I’ve only hosted summer kid birthday parties so that and a slip and slide would be the most I would do.
smurf
There are real-life quidditch leagues (mostly college, so you’ll probably want to change some rules like tackling!) that you could totally copy from for a bunch of kids running around a park. Minimal supplies required!
“potions class” like mixing flavors into soda or sparkling water to drink, or a bunch of random things to create non-edible concoctions
finding sticks to create their own wands (add glitter glue, tape, etc. for craftiness)
sorting hat activity – get a witch hat, kids can pretend it choses for them and pick a souvenir/accessory/plate color with the house colors or some kind of adult-hiding-bluetooth speaker-situation to announce their house
create your own house! Kids choose colors, key characteristics, house animal
At 8, I’m guessing many friends haven’t read the full series so I’d avoid things like horcruxes that are spoilers/come into play in the more mature books.
smurf
check later, I have a long comment in mod!
Anon
Could you do a sleepover with fewer close friends and watch one (or more?) of the movies? That plus butter beer (I’d just do birch beer) and maybe wands to play with would have been sufficiently to the theme when I was 8! If that works for her, I’d do otherwise non-themed classics like pizza for dinner and her preferred type of birthday cake. If you want to kick it up one more level, you could do evites designed to look like the hog warts admission letter.
Anon
So, I’m going to sound like a crazy person here when I promise I normally am not, but, hear me out….I loved loved loved the Harry Potter series (even as a young adult!) and was very excited to have my kids read them. I really wanted them to read them before seeing the movies for a lot of reasons (to create in their imaginations what everything looked like, not have spoilers to make the books more fun, etc). I would have been secretly a little bummed to have them go to a party and watch multiple of the movies before they read the books, and 8 is borderline for kids to have really started reading these (ie not totally expected). I would NEVER have said anything or kept them from going or anything, but just thought I’d share.
Okay, my nutso post done.
Anon
I feel like many people have read the books to their kids by 8. It’s young for independent reading of them but not for family read alouds.
Also it sounds like you recognize this but a large part of parenting is accepting that a lot is out of control. Your kids might not like the same things you like and they’re going to be introduced to TV and movies outside the home. That’s life.
Anon
“I feel like many people have read the books to their kids by 8.” That has not been my experience among people I know in real life at all. For starters, to read all 7 books out loud to a kid chapter by chapter takes a really, really long time. It would honestly take us probably years to do that. Along those lines, my late 6 year old had little interest in getting thru even the first one. Finally, starting in books 4 or 5 there are actually some scary and mature themes that start to come out that I think a lot of younger kids wouldn’t be super into or ready for.
I know there are for sure people who have done this this early, but I think that is the exception not the rule.
Anon
My daughter learned about Harry Potter in the 3s room at daycare, although granted that was mostly from kids with older siblings. But I would say by first grade most kids had been read at least one book and many had seen a movie. I don’t think it takes “years” to read aloud the whole series, several of my friends did it with their kids and finished in under a year, but I wasn’t saying everyone has finished the whole series by age 8. I just think generally by age 8 most kids are pretty familiar with at least the early books and it wouldn’t be weird at all to show one of the early movies at a sleepover. But I think the broader point is that it doesn’t make sense to put so many expectations on sharing one specific thing with your kids. I love reading and loved Harry Potter as a kid but I have a kid who isn’t into reading at all. You just don’t know what their personalities are going to be like, and so much of who they are is shaped by their experiences at school and other things out of your control.
Anon
Oooh I just came up with some ideas:
– look into renting a room (VFW hall? Volunteer fire hall? Ymca?) to make it easy for you.
Split kids into houses (their teams for later activities). Maybe you can print out each house’s crest and make an easy pin or name tag with it. Have the sorting hat “sort” kids (sit on stool, put on hat, you theatrically pull a crest pin out of a bag and give it to kid).
Set up 4 tables like the tables in the great hall (just folding tables will do) and when kids are sorted they go sit at their house table. (Get paper table cloths in each house’s color).
Kids can play minute to win it type games for house points and compete for the house cup (maybe even find small trophies to give out?).
You can do normal party food but maybe name it something in theme? Also try to find some snacks that are in theme: make fake butter beer, get jellybeans for Bernie bots beans. Pumpkin hand pies as pumpkin pasties. Order cake pops decorated like the golden snitch?
I know some people play quidditch. Maybe look up the rules and the kids can play that?
Play the soundtrack as your background music.
Cora
You can buy all types of harry potter decorations, don’t ahve to make elaborate ones. A lot of the fancy stuff is by adults who like harry potter, not necessarily kids parties. I like the idea of a trivia game.
anon
How deep do you need to go into the theme? If it were me, I would pick a party venue that I like, make sure the decorations and food are in line with the theme, and not knock myself out to make every activity HP-themed. I have a friend who does that and loves it, but I am not that person. Do you have a local YMCA that allows party hosting? Ours is pretty cost effective, and there are several options (swimming vs. gym/playtime vs. party room with self-guided activities).
Anonymous
NOOOO! Don’t make a HORCRUX quest for 8 year olds!!
For the non-HP savvy people, horcruxes are bits of your soul that are chopped off when you murder people. In the books, the horcruxes are an 18 year old activity in the books, not for 8 year olds!
Anonymous
I already commented once (OMG no horcrux party!), but maybe just ask you daugher what “Harry Potter” means.
At eight years old it’s probably very much simpler than what you’re googling. Ask her.
Lots to Learn
If you’re still reading, check out birthdaypartyideas DOT com. They’ll have a million ideas for a HP themed party and you can pick and choose what works for you. I used that to do all my kids’ parties and their friends’ parents still talk about how cool they were. I give that site all the credit.
JD
Are you in a warm weather area? People throw park birthday parties all the time, and you just have to make a paid reserveration at the parks dept online site. You have a playground, get a bouncy house rental if you want to splurge, and order a pizza delivery :).
You could order Harry Potter cupcakes from a bakery and maybe put out a lot of different candy as that’s a book element. As party favors, look online for super cheap capes/wands/HP glasses that the kids can wear. Maybe lightning mark temporary tatoos.
Decorations: https://www.orientaltrading.com/harry-potter-party-favor-kit-for-8-guests-a2-14192543.fltr?sku=14192543&BP=PS544&ms=search&source=google&cm_mmc=GooglePLA-_-17376747105-_-136513357919-_-14192543&cm_mmca1=OTC%2BPLAs&cm_mmca2=GooglePLAs&gclid=Cj0KCQiAlKmeBhCkARIsAHy7WVv6OT2rE2qOS-JAYDWtHcSGrkDvN17GsEvDs8W5J-8Zji42knvKkw4aAgmlEALw_wcB
https://www.amazon.com/Jelly-Belly-Harry-Potter-Beans/dp/B09SM7TPT8/ref=sr_1_7?keywords=harry%2Bpotter%2Bcandy&qid=1674233093&sr=8-7&th=1
anon
It’s been a WEEK. Day off for MLK Day, a snow day for my kids yesterday, but more importantly, a work colleague was involved in a tragedy and many of us are having a hard time with it. My concentration is shot. As a result, I haven’t gotten anything of substance done. Any ideas on how to power through and have a productive Friday? There are several things that actually need to get done and I can’t procrastinate any longer.
Anon
I’m sorry about your work colleague. My worst few weeks at my prior organization involved a day when 7 longtime colleagues were let go (with barely a shrug/acknowledgement from management), followed a few days later with a picnic where we were supposed to feel festive but the pall from the past week was still with us (at least me). At the picnic another colleague was injured in a volleyball game (it looked really bad at the time but he ended up being ok) and was taken to the ER. I had a lot of difficulty being productive around that time. It sounds like you can’t give yourself a breather at work, but can you get some yummy takeout and just collapse at home with a book or movie?
Anonymous
Sometimes you just have to compartmentalize things. I honestly think to myself, ok I am going to put this terrible topic/feelings away for now in a box and I can think about/feel those things later. I work on cases that are very difficult and emotional and it is the only way through.
Anon
Is anyone else really disappointed to see Jacinda Ardern step down instead of just not run again?
Anon
No? She’s done an incredibly hard job for 6 years. Let her be done if that’s what she wants!
anon for this
YES! She is great. You’d never see a man do this.
Anon
Literally her male predecessor did this.
Anon
One, if she wants to be done she gets to be done. No doubt she’s burned out from covid AND also probably she has to deal with sexist garbage men don’t. Second, it is different in a parliamentary system. Her party is not doing as well as it did before and there’s no guarantee they would win again with her leading, so I think there’s political motivation to this move as well.
Seventh Sister
Why don’t they do a repeat and have another woman as their next PM? We seem to do that with guys pretty much all the time in every country!
Anon
Who’s to say they won’t?
Anonymous
No. Stepping down is normal in a parliamentary system.