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We've featured USB-heated gloves in the past (I had a pair that I loved when I was doing hours of doc review!) and we've talked about wraps more acceptable than a Snuggie when your office is freezing… but I don't think we've ever featured an electric foot warmer. I'm one of those people who HATES when my feet are cold because I can't focus or sleep — so I totally get it. I like that this one can also be used as a lap warmer (with pockets!), as well as for your abdomen and back.
(But please make sure you're using heat right as therapy — if your pain is due to inflammation icing it may be better!) Heated Foot Warmer
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TECH UPDATE: We've changed the spacing, font size, and color of the time stamp in the comments — you may have to clear your browser cache if it isn't showing for you. (Here's a screenshot from Chrome incognito for what it should look like.)
Sales of note for 11.5.24
- Nordstrom – Fall sale, up to 50% off!
- Ann Taylor – Extra 40% off sale
- Banana Republic Factory – 50% off everything + extra 25% off with your GAP Inc. credit card
- Bloomingdales is offering gift cards ($20-$1200) when you spend between $100-$4000+. The promotion ends 11/10, and the gift cards expire 12/24.
- Boden – 10% off new styles with code; free shipping over $75
- Eloquii – Fall clearance event, up to 85% off
- J.Crew – 40% off fall favorites; prices as marked
- J.Crew Factory – Up to 60% off everything + 60% off clearance
- Lo & Sons – Fall Sale, up to 35% off
- M.M.LaFleur – Save 25% sitewide
- Neiman Marcus – New sale, up to 50% off
- Spanx – Lots of workwear on sale, some up to 70% off
- Talbots – Buy one, get one – 50% off everything!
- White House Black Market – Holiday style event, take 25% off your entire purchase
And some of our latest threadjacks here at Corporette (reader questions and commentary) — see more here!
Some of our latest threadjacks include:
- What to say to friends and family who threaten to not vote?
- What boots do you expect to wear this fall and winter?
- What beauty treatments do you do on a regular basis to look polished?
- Can I skip the annual family event my workplace holds, even if I'm a manager?
- What small steps can I take today to get myself a little more “together” and not feel so frazzled all of the time?
- The oldest daughter is America's social safety net — change my mind…
- What have you lost your taste for as you've aged?
- Tell me about your favorite adventure travels…
Ellen
Kat, this is the PERFECT gift for my Grandma Trudy! She is always telling us she has cold feet, and that I thought was b/c she had bunions years ago, but mom said no. Evidently, her father had poor circulation and some of it rubbed off on her and mom. Fortunately, I have very good circulation, dad says it is b/c of his genes. He has very good circulation, and mom agrees. But THANK you for pointing this out. This will make a great Thanksgiving gift from me to Grandma Trudy. I may get a second one for mom! YAY!!
Anon
oooooh
I may need this
I don’t know if my husband can adapt to me not putting my feet (which he calls popsicles) between his knees in bed, but he’d probably be willing to give it a shot.
basic b.
Fashion question. I am a lawyer in a small firm in the PNW who frequently attends industry events/conferences where I may be generating business. I don’t wear suits to these events, but I like to look dressier than if it were just a day at the office. I have a dress similar to this (same style but the print is black/white geometric): https://www.whitehouseblackmarket.com/store/product/3-f4-sleeve-paisley-print-knit-shift-dress/570219419. Can I wear it with these boots: https://www.amazon.com/FRYE-Lindsay-Plate-Knee-High-Leather/dp/B006NYOSZA/ref=sr_1_1?s=apparel&ie=UTF8&qid=1541443653&sr=1-1&nodeID=11721155011&psd=1&keywords=frye%2Bwomens%2Blindsay%2Bplate%2Bknee%2Bhigh&th=1?
Vicky Austin
I would feel a touch frumpy in that outfit, just because knee high boots and knee length skirt is hard to do well. But if the dress cuts off a little higher on your leg like it does on the model, and you draw the eye up with accessories/jacket, I think you should be fine. :)
Anon
Could we please stop using the term frumpy? It either means “old,” which is ageist, or “unsexy,” and sexy is not something we should be aiming for in workwear.
To OP, knee length skirt and knee high boots are fine, particularly in the PNW. Rock on.
Anon
No, it doesn’t. It just means frumpy. Dowdy. Unfashionable. Neither of the things you think it means.
FWIW, I don’t think OP’s combo is bad at all, particularly if she’s in a place with cold or inclement weather. I wear boots like that with dresses and skirts a lot, because it’s cold and wet where I am and they’re just more practical.
Anon
“Fashion” is currently showing narrow midi length skirts with orthopedic looking sandals and socks, or with distressed sneakers, so i don’t think you can call your defense of the word as trying to keep the OP within the bounds of current fashion. Undoubtedly you would call the runway look frumpy too, except that it’s worn by models Anna Wintour is fighting tooth and nail to keep below voting age.
Anonymous
I kinda think it’s ageist to think frumpy means old. I know a lot of senior women who are definitely not frumpy!
Anon
According to the dictionary, “frumpy” means “dowdy, drab, or unattractive.” Unless you are one of those people who think women ought to be wearing potato sacks lest their alluring feminine figures lay waste to men by overcoming them with unconstrained thoughts of lust, there is no way that avoiding frump means you’re trying to be quite the little sex kitten.
Also confused about ageist. I wore plenty of frumpy clothes in my 20s because I just didn’t know how to find things that fit me and flattered me.
LaurenB
Could we please use words properly? I can find plenty of fundamentalist Christian bloggers who are frumpy, and they aren’t old at all. Frumpy doesn’t mean old.
Anonymous
I don’t think it means what you think it means….
Torin
My problem with styling this look is the width of the boots at the top. I’ve tried knee high flat riding boots and a knee length skirt, and I find that if the boots are wide at the top like these the look is just off. It creates a wide spot at the top of the boots, a weird gap, and then another wide spot where the skirt begins. It just doesn’t feel like it works to me. I find a style of boot that fits more closely around the calf works much better for knee length skirts.
OP
I see your point. On me, the dress fits slightly above the knee and the boots fit slightly below the knee. The boots also fit pretty close to my calves (thanks, bike) so there is not much of a gape. I’m already wearing this today (hi if you see me!) so I’m just going to rock it and know I’m not winning any fashion awards (would it help to add a fitted red blazer? or would that be too much?).
The boots are super comfortable for the cold, wet PNW and I love not having to lug around a second pair of shoes. I guess I’m asking for forgiveness rather than permission at this point… thanks to all who chimed in!
Anonymous
I love the sound of the blazer, but I am weak for red no matter what!
Torin
More power to you! I am Team Sensible Shoes so I support you.
Anonymous
No, those boots are very casual. You would wear them with jeans or leggings, not with work wear.
I’m not sure any riding boot would be business casual. I disagree with the above poster about the boot height though – I wear knee high heeled boots with just-above-the knee length sheath dresses. It’s kind of a 60s/70s look.
Anon
Off topic,
My neighbor’s house has a window at the turn in their staircase that overlooks my driveway. She has two little dogs, and she’s had the same dogs for at least 8 years.
For eight years, the little dogs have lost their sh*t barking at me every single morning when I get into my car. It doesn’t bother me – I think it’s kind of funny and the dogs are cute, SO FIERCE scratching their little claws on the window like they’re going to rip me to shreds – but I think it kind of bothers my neighbor, their owner, and even our other neighbor because yes, they are that loud.
Dog people, do you have any idea why these dogs haven’t gotten used to me getting into my car for eight years? Why, when they know me, and when I see them out on a walk, and I get down to pet them, they roll onto their backs and practically wag their butts off wanting to be pet by me? Are dogs really that dim that I’m a threat when I’m getting into my car but not on the sidewalk in front of their house when they’re on leash?
I don’t know. I had a dog a long time ago and he was an idiot around squirrels, but pretty sane and smart around people (except, overly excited to see them most of the time.)
I have two brother cats now, and my cats would helpfully ignore everyone, up to and including home invasion robbers, I’m guessing.
Anon
Dogs rely much more on scent and sound to identify individuals, so they literally aren’t connecting the “you” they meet on walks with the “you” who is a threat every morning. The reason they haven’t just gotten used to the routine is because they win every time you get in your car and leave. From a dog perspective, some stranger is trespassing on their territory and when they sound the alert that stranger goes away. They would only get used to it if you waited for them to stop barking before you left.
Regardless, it’s on your neighbor to fix it if it’s a legitimate annoyance and I wouldn’t worry about it.
Anon
Thanks. This explanation helps. I know it’s not necessarily my problem to fix, but i was trying to understand why they did it so that I could possibly help get them to stop.
I didn’t mention this but I often come home late at night from business travel and they do the same. My neighbor has mentioned very obliquely that she would like it if I didn’t park in the driveway those nights so that her dogs didn’t wake her up, but I’m not going to accommodate her because I feel personally safer parking as close as possible to my front door when it’s dark out.
It would be nice if I could whisper “JoJo, Sadie, it’s me,”to get them to stop barking but that doesn’t seem to work.
Anon
That is 100% your neighbor’s problem to deal with. Sorry she’s trying to make it yours.
Anonymous
I hope you laughed in her face when she asked you to park somewhere else when you come home late at night. I mean what did she expect you to say? Why yes, I so enjoy coming home late at night that I would love to park as far away as possible – since all the street parking will be taken by that hour – so I can enjoy a long dark walk in the wee hours. Bonus – then I have the joy of forgetting where I parked the next morning when I’m already tired and jet lagged! It’s not as if I paid more for my home specifically so I would be able to park close to my door when I work late. I will happily do all this so you don’t have to properly train your yappy dogs!
Torin
I definitely wouldn’t accommodate that request either.
Good fences
Would covering that window with blinds be a solution for your neighbor? 100% agree that this is her problem, not yours, and she is being ridiculous.
Torin
Dogs don’t necessarily just bark because they feel threatened. Sometimes they do it because they’re excited. Also, they don’t have very good vision and rely on both sight and smell together to identify people and places. If they can’t smell you they might not know it’s you.
Anonymous
This is not a problem. Move on
eertmeert
Doesn’t seem like she thinks it is a problem, more that she is looking to understand why. Which, last time I checked, is a valid question.
MagicUnicorn
Sounds like the dog’s owner hasn’t done anything to train the neurotic window barking out of them (which is entirely possible, but so much easier when said dogs aren’t 8+ years old), and that is where the angst of your others neighbors should be directed.
Mrs. Jones
My dogs bark at everyone they see walking by our house. They would also try to be petted by all of the same people if they were face to face. That’s just what some dogs do.
Kat in VA
My own dog (admittedly, he’s dim. A good boy, but dim) barks at ME, in the front yard, even after he has seen me literally go out the front door not moments before.
Some dogs are dimmer than others. He loves me beyond reason, I just cease to exist as a person he knows when I am outside.
Anonymous
If I were you, I’d be annoyed that the dog-owning neighbor has done nothing to remedy the situation after all this time. They are her dogs and it’s her window. I’m sorry she tried to put that on you! Not yours to fix at all but I can see why you’d want to help if you can. I think the best solution is blocking the window, which, from your description, could be done by your neighbor with blinds, a piece of furniture, or window film so the dogs can’t see you. Perhaps even a plant (outside) could help.
Anon
Some dog psychology here: They bark. You go away. They think they’re winning the battle. It’s positively reinforcing their behavior.
Anon
Does anyone have experience with The Wing in NYC? I’m thinking about getting a membership there for networking and making more female friends who are also successful professionals in their early 30s. The membership cost is about $2300/year however.
...
Everyone i know who does their work at the wing has the cost of membership paid by their parents. They seem to have really cool events though and a nice rooftop in the summer. I would join if i could WFH and stomach the membership fee.
KS IT Chick
I’m taking another leap outside my comfort zone tomorrow. I’ve volunteered to provide rides for people who want to vote so that they can get to their polling location. I’d already planned to take the day off, so I’ll dress in blue & white and make my little Subaru station wagon available. And maybe we can make inroads in this very red state.
Cookbooks
That’s awesome!
Anonymous
I was thinking about doing the same – are you doing it through an organized program? I was thinking about posting on my local FB group, but also concerned, as that can get ugly.
KS IT Chick
I’m a precinct committee person with the local Democratic party, so I volunteered through them. Most of the local offices have numbers to call if you need a ride; you could probably call that number and offer to provide rides. The local office asked that all volunteers be able to provide their own vehicle and have a clean driving record (speeding tickets were okay; moving violations were iffy).
Some of the campaigns in larger cities are also organizing drivers, so if you live somewhere with a really active campaign going, they are probably accepting volunteers, as well.
Anonymous
Thanks!
What day is it?
Those of you with workplaces that have shared calendars: how much do you share with your team? Organization at large?
I do not put personal stuff on my calendar, but I have my work calendar open to viewing by my team. Everyone at my organization can see free/busy, but not the details (team can see details).
Friday, Boss and I and our spouses had a work dinner with two high-profile, potential investor couples. Several people commented on the dinner to him today (“How was your dinner on Friday?”), which surprised him. He essentially warned me to be careful and that some people — who report to me — are trolling my calendar. I don’t put anything on there that isn’t work-related but now I’m wondering if I should be more careful about what’s on there. Should I make everything private? Be cagey about descriptions? I do think an open calendar engineers a sense of trust, but I could be misguided on that. I do not have an assistant to manage my calendar (Boss does).
It is not inherently bad that they knew we had this dinner, but I do find it weird that they commented on it to him. Like…it’s none of their business…?
Anonymous
I would follow up with your team letting them know the appropriate boundaries around viewing the shared calendar.
Anon
And what exactly are those? Look but never say anything? If it’s not weird that they know about the dinner, why is it weird that they ask how it went?
What day is it?
@ 3:33 Anon: because I don’t know that it’s their place to ask him. His calendar is on lock; only his assistant has access. If you see it on my calendar and ask me, that’s one thing — but it does feel weird that they asked him when it was on my calendar. I am pretty wide open with my team but this feels like a boundary invasion and I’m not exactly sure why.
anon
I keep most of my calendar descriptions vague, if there’s even a hint of my personal life being involved. But, it sounds like this was a work event for you, it was described as such, and I don’t find it that weird that people would comment on it.
Torin
+1
My office outlook calendar only has personal events on it when they’re happening during the work day, and they’re very bare bones. When I have a doctor appointment, it just says “doctor” for that block of time, and not which doctor or the office address. The appointment lets people know I’m both busy and out of the office/possibly unable to check email, and that’s all they need to know. But for law firm holiday parties I’ve been invited to the entry has all of the details even though it’s after work hours, because I don’t consider that a personal event.
Anon
Team can see details, and it really drives me crazy when the people I work with closely don’t do that. This is the norm in my office. (I get it’s not the norm everywhere.) I do put personal events on my calendar, because I need to have everything in one place or I’m going to forget things. But I make personal events private. Again, that’s the norm in my office, so people don’t think it’s strange or suspicious.
I’m guessing people are just commenting to make small talk. I would not assume bad intentions based on just this. I think it would be an overreaction to lock down your calendar because of it.
Anonymous
People are not commenting to make small talk. The dinner was with potential investors — the people commenting are trying to get the scoop on the funding status of the company. The OP should definitely be more careful about what she includes in her calendar descriptions– why on earth did she need to include the investors’ names or indicate that her boss was in attendance? As for whether the OP should lock down her calendar altogether, it depends — once teams get past a certain number of people, some members do start trolling calendars to snoop about who’s getting what work/being invited to important meetings/etc.
What day is it?
OP here. I included those details so my boss would have them (I sent him the calendar invite to hold the time on his schedule). Our team is about 8 people and fairly close-knit — i.e. we get along and work v. collaboratively. This is my first time I’ve ever considered putting my calendar on lock, and I do think it would send a message.
Anonymous
I think your team has shown that they can’t be fully trusted with as much calendar detail as you are providing. I would start making certain high-level or sensitive appointments private. Make sure to do it often enough that your team gets used to seeing private appointments and doesn’t panic when one suddenly shows up (e.g., OMG! She has a private appointment! We’re all getting fired!/The company is going under!/Who did something bad?!). Also, as a general matter, I think it is fully appropriate and even advisable for managers to block certain calendar information from subordinates, peers, and even bosses. Only share what is helpful, not everything for the sake of being fully transparent.
Anonymous
I keep shared calendar appointments vague, especially for personal items, but even for work ones. At work, I subscribe to the theory that if 3 people know something, everyone knows. And for most things I do, I don’t need everyone in the office knowing. Also, once you give detailed descriptions, you can’t make vague ones without everyone noticing. However, if someone sends me an invitation for a routine call or meeting, I accept that/add it to my calendar as-is, and people can see those details.
Anonymous
I don’t think it’s that weird that your team would be interested in hearing how a dinner with potential investors went. Nor do I think it is weird for team members to ask how a pitch to potential client went. You don’t have to go into great detail as to who said what.
Anon
+1
Anon
Haha my calendar has things like “mammogram” and “husband’s colonoscopy” on it so if people wanted to be nosy they’re going to see a lot more than they wanted to.
anon
I agree it is weird they commented on it and shows poor judgment by the people who commented. However, if your boss wanted it secret, he should have specifically told you that so you would have known not to put it on your calendar.
Anon
I think whether you should share the details of your calendar depends on how reachable you are to your team.
I worked with super-busy senior people whose guidance I had to get to do my job properly when I was starting out in my career. I really appreciated being able to see their calendar details so I could figure out when was the best time to catch them/the chances of the meeting an assistant put on calendar getting held.
Lots of meetings with folks in our department? They’d have time for me. Lots of meetings with super important people miles away? I better figure out a back up plan because they likely weren’t going to have time for me that day.
I’ve also worked with a super-busy senior person who was awesome at replying to emails and keeping to scheduled meetings. I think she didn’t share details of her calendar, though I don’t really remember. The details weren’t relevant to me because I knew I could reliably get a meeting with her/get a response back on an email within the timeframe I needed to do my job as expected.
Anonymous
Mark those entries private. The end.
Rainbow Hair
Here’s a survey-type question!
(without judging anyone else who posts, please!) How much do you spend on Xmas/holiday gifts for your kids? Do you do like One Big Gift and that’s it? Does Santa come? Do you ever only want Santa to give socks-type-gifts because “damnit I want credit for the great stuff” or is that just me?
Seafinch
Very little. Or as little as possible. I don’t want any more stuff. They basically get one present from Santa and a stocking. Last year I spent less than $30 on each of them. I survey them (8,5,2) and ask for insight into what they want and set expectations accordingly (i.e. no $100 lego sets). If it is a thing they will get genuine use out of, I will spend more. This year, my 8 year old wants inline skates, so I will probably buy those. My son will request some lego/transformer thing and I splurged a bit on the baby already and bought her a doll stroller for $60 since she has basically never had anything new and is obsessed with the stroller and got an $8 wooden puzzle last year. I could spend a hundred bucks alone on the big girl’s stocking because she loves stationary and LUSH bath products. I will reign it in, however. They get a decent haul from family and won’t appreciate any more.
Anon
I’ll bite… We’ve banished Xmas gifts altogether. My 3 yo doesn’t know she’s supposed to get gifts. Keeping it that way for as long as possible – I don’t want needless consumerism circulating through her thoughts at this age and she has EVERYTHING she actually needs. My inlaws still buy some gifts but thankfully we’ve moved to very inexpensive gag gifts for adults. It makes Christmas SO much happier for us all. Seriously!
Anonymous
When are you going to teach her how to give to others?
Anonymous
Oh, come on. This is unnecessary nastiness. Go away.
Anon
Yup, Christmas is definitely the only opportunity parents have to teach that lesson!
Away Game
One present from Santa, one from the parents. Stocking stuffers are almost entirely consumables (we give them toothpaste and toothbrushes every year, and often soaps, loofahs, sometimes some chocolates, socks for school, etc). Always stuff they will use. Present from Santa might be something like a bike or a new video game. Present from parents might be those track pants Son wanted, or new sneakers. We probably spend $200 per kid, but it varies. Santa present might be $150 and parent present might be that Thing we’d buy you in April regardless because you outgrew Thing, but since it’s December I’ll wrap it in pretty paper.
Anonymous
Kids are allowed to ask Santa for three things – reasonable sized – think like doll/ board game. Santa usually also brings a few small surprises and fills stockings. We do a present for us plus a larger present for all three kids. I grew up with a mom who went way way overboard with the presents at Christmas and I didn’t want that for my kids.
We play up the Christmas season as a whole – Advent Calendar, Santa Claus Parade, Cookie making, cookie decorating party for kids and a few friends, Nutcracker Ballet, church on Christmas eve, Family dinner on Dec 25, Dec 26 host brunch with friends.
We also opt out on the Elf thing. Kids are 7, 5,4.
Anonymous
present FROM us not FOR us
SC
I have one child (3.5 years old), and the amount I’ve spent has gone way up each year. When Kiddo was 8 months old, I spent about $50. The next year, it was about $130. Last year, it was almost $300. This year, it’ll probably be about $300 again. We don’t buy many toys outside of birthday and Christmas (maybe $20/month on toys and/or books), and I make a bigger deal of Christmas than birthdays.
We do One Big Gift from Santa. This year, I bought a (used) train table plus trains, tracks, etc. Kiddo also wants to ask Santa for a toy lawnmower, so he’ll bring that too. We also have an elf who brings books every day during Advent (this is my alternative to Elf on the Shelf, and I buy the books used from a large book sale that supports our library for about $2/book). DH and I give a few smaller items from us.
Rainbow Hair
We have similarly aged kids and similar spend. Definitely when Kiddo was less than a year she just got like… IDK, wrapping paper? I’m sure we got her something nice but I’m also sure she didn’t *get* it.
We are also really conservative on non-holiday/birthday spending… I bring her back a gift (usually a book, sometimes a dress-up-thing or like a magnifying glass) if I’m out of town for a while, and sometimes she convinces dad to get her a stuffed animal because he’s a sucker (love that guy) but generally she just doesn’t get us to buy her toys, so Xmas and birthday is pretty much it for making wishes come true.
Anon
$100 to $200 and that usually includes necessities like clothes, winter gear, shoes. Santa is a fairy tale built around a guy who lived & died nearly 2000 years ago, but humor grandma ’cause she doesn’t know that yet.
Anon
I don’t love the thing about trying to hoard the big gifts to be from the parents for “credit” – that seems weird and unnecessary to me.
Our thing when our kids were little was the big, most wished for present would be under the tree in the morning with just a bow on it. That was from Santa. Santa also filled the stockings overnight.
The wrapped presents under the tree were from mom and dad because i didn’t want to spend hours wrapping gifts on the 24th (I mean, I still did, but that wasn’t part of the plan, it was just procrastination).
Also the f*cking ad is covering the lines I’m typing as i type them so if this has errors I apologize. I can’t install an ad blocker as this is my work phone.
KAT THERE MUST BE A BETTER WAY.
Anonymous
Santa fills the stocking with things like chapstick, candy, toothbrush, crayons, and other small gifts and brings three small gifts (e.g., ornament, winter gloves, etc.) that are wrapped and hidden in a color assigned to the child. Then, we get our kids Christmas pjs that they open on Christmas Eve to wear that night. On Christmas Day, we give them (i) something they want, (ii) something they need, (iii) something they can wear, and (iv) something they can read- so four gifts. I probably spend about $100 to $150 per kid (unless the something they need is a winter coat or something like that). We have three kids- 1, 4, and 6.
Greensleeves
I think the amount varies from year to year, but we adopted the “one thing you want, one thing you need, one thing to wear, one thing to read” several years ago to put some structure in place and pull back on the craziness. Before that I would pick up gifts here and there over a few months, then suddenly realize we had more than we really wanted. So our kids get one big (or two smaller) gift from Santa, and the items listed above from Mom and Dad. We fill stockings with small, inexpensive items, a portion of which is candy and fruit because that’s what my mom did! The Santa gift and “want” gift from us are still usually pretty reasonable – my youngest has already asked for a OneWheel and I told her that even the cheapest version is significantly more than we would spend. Examples would be a video game or an American Girl doll accessory. Now that my kids are older and no longer believe in Santa, and as their requests are getting more expensive, we may sometimes combine the Santa and “want” gifts to allow for larger items (but she still isn’t getting a OneWheel!).
Rainbow Hair
Oh I guess it’s only fair that I answer too.
The past two years Kiddo has got One Big Present from us. Part of why I hoard the credit is that it’s usually significantly hand-made or personalized (and I show my love by making things, so I want her to know I/we made the things because we love her). I also like the opportunity to make one BIG wish come true.
So like, when she was almost 2 she got a play kitchen. I bought an IKEA one ($100ish) and then tricked it out/remodeled it to be more fun and more in keeping with her style. Her favorite color was “lellow” so I went with a kind of mediterranean look — there’s a lot of yellow and fun contrasting colors and a “tile” backsplash and the like. So probably $150 or more once I’d done all that fun stuff. She still plays in it most days.
Last year, husband and I made her a dollhouse with working lights! It was based on an IKEA bookshelf (so IDK, $50) but then we did a LOT of work with other wood, roofing, painting, the lights, dollhouse furniture, etc. So I wouldn’t be surprised if it cost $150-ish or more, plus hours and hours of time.
This year she wants (arguably needs?) a Big Girl Bed so we are getting her one for Xmas. I am trying to tone down my DIY-ing (on this particular front) because I’m stretched a little thin, so we are not making it from scratch. I think I can get the bed itself for $100, but she really wants it to have flowers and unicorns (“on the bed mommy, not on the sheets”) so I’m scheming on that front. I’ll do something crafty and magical.
Santa does a stocking with like, plastic bracelets and craft supplies.
I’m interested at the folks with the “has everything she needs” comments. Of course my Kiddo does too – we are so lucky that she wants for nothing…. but I try to make the big things we buy her into xmas or bday gifts. Do yours not have like Big Toys (like dollhouses or train tables or bikes or easels or whatever — I know we wouldn’t have nearly as many big things if we lived in a smaller house/in the city), or do they come at other times of the year (birthdays?) or from other family members?
anon
Can I be your kid and get sweet DIY’d gifts?!
Anon
I think what people mean, based on this thread, is that they are going for quality over quantity. My dad very much had a fixation on making sure that we had a large number of gifts– and making sure that me and my brother had an equal number of gifts, not just an equal amount of money spent. So, my brother has always been really into baseball cards, so if he were to get a bunch of packs of baseball cards, my dad would count each pack as a “gift.” This meant that if all I wanted (especially as I got older) was a new coat and a pair of boots, I would get those things plus like 50 thrift store DVDs and pairs of weird socks. Or during the recession, I think I got about 30 small gifts but none were what I had actually asked for (which cost as much as the one big gift). My closet at my parents’ house is still full of Christmas presents that either I didn’t want or played with one time when I was younger and never again. (I normally felt bad getting rid of these things at a garage sale, so now they are just in that closet forever.)
Anon
I’m the “EVERYTHING she needs” commenter above – you hit the nail on the head: we live in a tiny place, so we don’t have big things. Everything fits into an ikea bookshelf at the end of the night. Her room doubles as a guest room when grandparents come to stay.
Mrs. Jones
Santa brings one big gift and a stocking. We go by this guideline for Xmas and birthday: something you want, something you need, something to wear, and something to read, so child gets 4 gifts from us.
Anon
Kids are 6 and 3. Santa brings one gift and they get just a few from us. Amount varies depending on what they ask for – this year will be around $150/kid because they’re getting the Target version of American Girl dolls, with a bunk bed and a couple changes of clothes. Plus a few new outfits (for the actual kids) and new Christmas pajamas.
Santa not bringing the best thing – we say they can ask Santa for one thing when they see him in early December. But usually we have already planned to get the big thing they really want, so we say that’s too big for Santa and they can think of something else. They usually have a long list of what they want, so they haven’t pouted about it yet. We’ll see how it goes as they get older.
We also adopt a family through a local org, which asks people to spend close to $100/kid. We adopt families with kids the same age as our own, and we take the kids to help us shop. We explain that we’re helping Santa since he can’t get big gifts for every kid, and some kids wouldn’t get much from moms or dads or grandparents, so he asks us to help. While it reinforces the “no big gifts from Santa” thing, we’re mainly hoping it will be another tangible way of teaching our kids gratitude and giving back, even way past the Santa years.
Aggie
Santa brings one gift each and fills their stockings (ages 6 and 8.) We will give them other gifts from Mom and Dad, but I try to reign in on “things” and strive for more experiences. This year we purchased season tickets for the Zoo and a local amusement park (not something Santa can really bring.) They would also be very happy with Amazon gift cards for their Kindles.
I do not worry to much on things being balanced because at this age, it all goes in the same toy pile after the first day.
Anonymous
I have three kids–age 17, 10, and 7. It is tricky because I want to be fair about it, but for a long time for the little ones it meant roughly the same amount of gifts and fewer, more expensive gifts for the older one. I usually ask them what they want and will have Santa bring one big gift (one year it was new bikes, another it was an Xbox to share), plus a book and stocking stuffers. Then my husband and I get them an ornament every year, plus a few other things. Santa usually brings at least one new game for the family. Some years we do a big trip after Christmas instead and so gifts are small things to represent the trip (we did Disney one year, so everyone got Disney Christmas pajamas plus a disney autograph book, the year we did the beach in Mexico everyone got a new swimsuit plus a book in Spanish). I’m not well organized about it and usually end up ordering as much as I can off Amazon sometime in November….
How to Dress?
I’m going to DC this week from a very warm climate and I’m not used to fall dressing. I need to wear a suit and my best fitting one is a medium-light shade of gray. Do I need black (or nude) tights or am I fine with bare legs? Do I need a jacket other than my suit jacket in 40+ degree weather? Usually I don’t bother with a coat, but I know people are outside more in DC than I’m used to.
Torin
Yes, I would wear black tights and bring a light coat.
Anonymous
You might appreciate a pair of tights (black or nude) if you are coming from a very warm spot. Cool mornings, warm afternoons, and if it’s raining–it will feel cooler generally. Raincoat over suit should work. If you are not used to it, 40 feels cold…especially coming from Summer.
Kat G
For those of you who are seeing the revised comment section (datestamp in navy, smaller font, less space between lines) is this substantially better? Do we need more tweaks? Trying to let the designer know… thanks! (Refresh your browser cache or check it in Incognito if you’re still seeing the datestamp in pink)… Thank you for your feedback!
Torin
I think so yes!
Anonymous
Yes, but it helped substantially in the previous iteration for usernames to be a different color from the text. The Usernames and text look exactly the same and is very confusing, especially for people that use a long post title as their username.
Kat G.
Asking to put the shading or box around the commenter name also – that might help with reading as well.
Anon
When scrolling downward the page blanks out (a huge white square in the middle) and doesn’t return for a few seconds. This doesn’t happen when scrolling up. Super weird. And makes it incredibly difficult to post a comment because the post comment box and name and comment area are so far apart, scrolling down to find the post comment box makes everything disappear
Anonymous
Still needs to be tightened up a lot!
Anonymous
I totally agree.
Anonymous
Better, yes, but I don’t love that paragraphs within a single post/response are so squished. Overall, the comments are still significantly harder to read than they were before the update. I don’t have any other concrete suggestions, though :/.
Anonymous
Better, yes! I’d suggest that on comments with several paragraphs, the first line of the paragraph be indented, or the space between paragraphs be increased.
Anon
Yes!
Anon
When you collapse comments for the whole post, and then expand for just an individual thread, it only expands for the first level comments. There is no way to get to the second level comments, or even know that they exist based on what you see.
Kat G
Gotcha. Asking my tech guy about that (it had to be coded separately from the redesign)…
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Anonymous
Agree. I replied to myself to correct a typo yesterday and that second level comment showed yesterday but doesn’t show today.
Anonymous
Ask again in the morning… I bet there are at least a few web-designer readers who would have helpful suggestions. My two cents is that it (the comments section) still needs work.
Anonymous
I’m finding that I have to click twice on the expand/collapse links to get them to do their things, is this happening for anyone else? (I’m using Chrome…)
Anon
Ditto (in IE & Firefox, on Windows).
Kat Lee Dune
Way better, but see other replies.
Anonn
Kat – the main landing page is a huge mess – pictures on top of each other, titles on top of each other etc.
Viewing in Chrome on Windows. Looks the same in my main browser or in Incognito window.
Kat G
I’m not seeing that at all! What version of windows and chrome? Thank you!