Coffee Break: “Wicked” Head Wrap

97 Comments

1. These are cute, but I must have an abnormal shaped head because I cannot get workout headbands like this to stay on. I’ve tried basically every type out there and the only ones that kind of stay put are the wide Under Armour ones with the grippy silicone on the inside, and even then it’s a dicey proposition. When I’m outside, I just use a visor now to keep everything off my face.

   1. Same, I have to bobby pin headbands like this into place. Even the grippy silicone ones don’t stay put if I’m moving around a lot.

      1. The grippy ones, I can do (when they’re new, before they start to stretch out)… All others are a lost cause. I usually end up just pinning my bangs back with bobby pins. So sad, because I do love the look of workout headbands, and the functionality, in theory.

   2. I have the same problem . . . . and sweaty bands are the only ones that work. I wear them to workout but also just for fun b/c they are so cute. They take my bad/dirty hair days into super cute hair days.

      1. Hmmm….that might be the subtle enabling that I needed to give these a try. This year’s NAS is really doing a number on my wallet.

      2. Oops. I commented before seeing these others. I’m with you anon-oh-no–These are the only ones that work for me.

      3. So glad to hear that! I had given up on this type of headband. I have a big pumpkin head, and they always pop off, mid-run.

   3. Have you tried the old school bandana option? Honestly its frequently the only thing I can get to stay on my head.

   4. Visors work best for my head too – these will sick for running inside (but not for boot camp) so they’re worth a try: http://www.sparklysoul.com/

      1. I bought one of these at a race expo, and it works great. You do have to wear it close to your hairline though, maybe within an inch or so.

   5. I can’t get them to stay either! Or, if they do stay, I just look weird–not cute. I’m not sure why everyone else can pull them off.

2. Sweaty Bands are the bomb. They have velvety fabric inside to grip the hair, and it’s the only kind I’ve ever gotten to stay in place. I’ve tried the kind with the silicone stuff or the ones that you tie, but those always slip off my head. My hair is thick and slightly curly, for reference. These bands are slightly tight on my head (but not painful), which also probably helps keep them in place.

   1. And for what it’s worth, my hair is thin and mostly straight, and these are also the only ones that work.

3. I have been experimenting with headbands like these for working out (so that I don’t wreck my blowout). I will add this suggestion to my list to explore!

   In case anyone is interested, so far what’s working best for me:
   – Wear hair in a bun/chignon with a sport headband to keep sweat out of the hair
   – Best headband for me so far (for keeping sweat away from the hair, and staying in place while running):
   http://athleta.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=1013846&vid=1&pid=739502312
   – Second best (stays in place, slightly less effective with the sweat, but very cute – good for non running days):
   http://athleta.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=1013846&vid=1&pid=964709012

4. Does anyone know how to get the 2 for $25 price? I added two to my basket and it still lists them at $30 total. Thanks!!

   1. It should decrease when you start to checkout.

   2. Website had notation “Get 2 for $25! Please call 1-888-282-6060”

5. I’m curious – for those of you who work full time and have young kids (not in school), how often do you expect your significant other to babysit (for lack of a better term) on the weekend/at night so you can do “you” stuff (go out with friends, get a haircut or pedicure, etc)? How does this compare with how often you do the same so your SO can go do their stuff?

   1. I don’t know if I’m representative of a large group because my husband is the world’s largest introvert. So if I watch the kids so he can have some “me time,” it means he’s probably reading or sleeping or doing something else in the house. He also travels a lot for work during the week.

      That being said, we have two boys under 2.5 years old. I’d say that once a month or so, I’ll go out and get a pedicure, have brunch with friends/family, etc on the weekends. Every few weeks he’ll watch the kids at night and I’ll go to a CLE or have dinner or some other work event. I tend towards introverted, as well, so I’m sure that if I asked to go out more and have my husband watch the kids, he wouldn’t mind. For example: I always tell husband that I’ll need him to watch the kids so I can get a pedicure. But then I get caught up in the weekend and at some point, it’s just easier to paint my nails myself. At this point in my life, I could ask for more time away, but I struggle with the working-mom-guilt and want to maximize the amount of time that I actually spend with my boys on the weekends.

      1. I’m a big believer in “Dad’s don’t babysit.” There’s nothing unusual or out of the ordinary about my husband watching the kids, and he cares for them as well as I do. I was amazed at how many people innocently phrased things to make it seem like my husband had no idea how to care for kids or that it was unusual and praise-worthy that he would spend time with his kids (honestly, the #1 culprit was my MIL). It totally reinforces the caring stay at home mom/aloof breadearning dad stereotypes in way that I think can actually have a big impact on people! I think if both spouses are working, both spouses have to be pretty much equally involved in the kids and have their own things going on too.

         I would say we have a pretty equal amount of “me” time, but only if you look at it over the year. My husband is a huge football fan, so in the fall/winter he spends a lot of his free time with his friends watching games and I have to pick up the slack at home. But my fun activities are more in the summer or involve traveling to see out of state friends. So while my husband might get 2 nights a week to himself during football season, I might take 3 different 4 day trips to see friends while he has the kids all to himself. I think it pretty much balances out. I think it would be much harder to balance if one person getting their “me” time necessarily meant someone else missing out on their “me” activity. There would be a lot more negotiation if my stuff also happened to fall during football season!

         (I don’t mean any of that first paragraph to sound like I’m judging your phrasing- just that it was something I had to work on with some people in our life because it reflected their general expectations and it reflects how we’ve divided things up)

         1. I once heard a couple of older ladies (late 60’s perhaps) discussing their grandchildren, and one was apparently blown away when her son pointed out that when he cared for his kids solo he was not “baby sitting”. They put it down to a generation gap, but it was hilarious to overhear.

         2. I really agree with your point re: “babysitting.” I’m lucky that my husband is incredibly involved and overly willing to pull his share (and then some at certain times) with the kids. It makes life a lot easier to know I can leave him with the kids alone without a second thought. I’m still amazed when friends of mine worry about leaving their kids for the husbands to “babysit.”

         3. huh – many of my Mom friends refer to watching their kids by themselves (e.g. Dad’s gone) as babysitting.

         4. +100 to the misuse of ‘babysitting’

            Also on my list, having ‘dates’ or ‘play dates’ with your own child. No. That’s just parenting.

         5. Totally agree with you in substance (hence my parenthetical). It’s just an easy way to say “SO taking responsibility for the care of his/her own children without any assistance from the other parent.”

            1. We say “kid duty” or “solo kid duty” to emphasise that its without assistance of other parent.
               I know what you meant though

   2. I have a one-night-a-week activity. We get our nanny to stay late that night so I can go to that activity and not worry about the kids getting to bed, etc. (Before we did this, my DH would complain about my activity.) My DH doesn’t really have formal activities in the evenings, but he does go over to his friend’s house about 1x or 2x/week.

      I generally get haircuts or pedicures during lunch on the day I work from home, or on my day off. DH works from home so he does the same.

      I have a girls’ night with one of my friends maybe twice a year? Not often at all, that’s for sure.

   3. We request to go out alone so rarely that we always agree to it. We have no set limit and never has one of us said it’s been too much. We do something solo for fun outside of work hours a couple of times a year. Maybe one of us have something every month or two.

      While we’ve done 5+ weeknights solo a week for work, for social events I suspect our comfort zone would be about once per week? I think we could easily alternate weekends with a morning or afternoon event. We do that pretty often for projects around the house. We do more for projects that benefit the household, but I think we’d have a lower limit for personal ‘fun time’ stuff.

   4. We spend most of our time together but we also have default ‘off duty times’ – we are both home for dinner with the kids almost every night of the week. He does Monday night bath/bed so I can go to yoga – I do the same for him on Thursdays when he goes to hockey. I’m ‘off’ on Saturday mornings and he is off on Sunday mornings (mornings agreed to end at noon). I usually sleep in; he usually gets up and does solo sports activity.When I was nursing he bought me the baby to nurse in bed first thing in the morning and then I went back to sleep.

      Baby (now toddler) has been used to this system so doesn’t protest too much if preferred parent is not available. Although, if I’m not going out, DH frequently takes toddler out for bike ride or to playground on sat morning so I can be alone in house for a couple of hours.

      1. This sounds like such a great system. Did you discuss this before you had kids, or did it just work out this way?

      2. This is very similar to what my husband and I do, right down to him bringing me the baby when I was nursing and then letting me go back to sleep. Now that the baby is a toddler, it’s still working well. I’m pregnant and two little ones will be a game changer but I’m sure we’ll figure something out just like we figured this out (we didn’t discuss ahead of time, we just kind of fell into it but that’s the kid of relationship we have (each watching out for the other)). My husband has proposed us taking the same weekend morning as our “off duty time” and getting a sitter so we can spend the other weekend morning as a family but we haven’t done that yet.

   5. Our M-Th default is that DH stays home and I go to the gym after baby is in bed, but I almost always defer if he has something going on, which happens at least once a week because he plays rec league sports with games mostly on weeknights. This is if he isn’t traveling, of course… my job has 0% travel, and his is about 20%. I stay for happy hour maybe once a month, other social stuff maybe 2-3 times/month, and we’re about even there. On weekends, I more often have to “babysit” because he needs time to do homework (the fact that he saves homework for weekends is a perpetual source of frustration), but I have a volunteer job that takes up half a day on the weekend twice a month, so that evens out too. We alternate weekend mornings so each of us has a chance to sleep in (although my volunteer job kills that for me twice a month).

      Usually when I’m out or meeting up with friends on the weekend, mommy guilt means the baby is in tow – plus, many of my girlfriends have kids, so we tend to plan activities that are kid-tolerant. In fact, I got a pedicure WITHOUT him a couple weekends ago, and the ladies at the salon asked me where he was.

      When I type this out, aside from the traveling, we share pretty equally… when I live it, it feels like I’m always with the kid and he’s always out having fun. *sigh*

   6. Ooooh, good question. I think DH and I both try to be respectful of each other’s needs — be it an hour to work out or a night or afternoon “off.” His friends are nearly all local, so he definitely makes more asks than I do — but I’ll leave for a weekend at a crack to see the girls and he rarely bats an eyelash.

      My problem is that if I constantly say “yes” to his time off without thinking about how our week/end looks, then sometimes it’s too much and I can get resentful. For example, he had a guys’ night out on Friday and then I let him sleep it off Saturday morning while I managed our kiddos. Sunday, he had a long workout (he’s training for a race) on the docket with a friend, starting early but finishing around 11AM. So we made sure all day Saturday and Sunday were family time, did a DIY project together that I wanted to finish after our kids hit the sack on Sunday night, and I didn’t feel bad taking an hour on each weekend day to workout.

      Summary: give and take, but it has to feel right for everyone.

   7. I’m an extrovert and DH is an introvert, so he definitely watches our son a lot more than vice versa, so that I can have some “me” time. I have a pretty regular Friday night dinner with girlfriends, a once a week activity (choir rehearsal), and board meetings/firm events about once a month. DH works out with a trainer on Saturdays so that’s his “me” time. On balance, I socialize a lot more but that’s also because it’s very important to me to do that, and it matters little to DH.

      1. I am sure that works great & am happy for you, but please maybe check in that he really is ok with that. My husband is much more of an extrovert, but I end up feeling that he “calls dibs” on time not watching our child by having frequent plans.

   8. My husband has at least 1 and usually 2 work related evening events a week. He’ll go out socially sporadically – but it tends to come in spurts.
      When I was working fulltime I also averaged 1x per week socially or for haircuts etc, although I tried to time them for the nights my mom had the kids in the afternoons/dinnertime.
      Not exactly the question you asked, but we’ve found it preferable for as many of the social outings to take place as possible once the kids are in bed. That way the person at home is just left with some downtime to catch up on a show or a book, rather than left with an evening of kid duty on their own. We also invite friends to come over after the kids bedtime so they can socialize with both of us rather than just one, and its cheaper to drink out of our liquor cabinet than buy drinks at a bar.
      If its causing strife, I’d definitely look into Diana Barry’s solution above to have a nanny stay late or hire a sitter 1 extra night a week. I also get much more frustrated with being on kid duty when its sprung upon me than when its known in advance.

   9. I generally do pick up, but every other week my husband does one night so that I can stay late. Otherwise, we both have specific once monthly evening meetings (his the second Wednesday, mine the first Tuesday) and the understanding that those nights we’re on our own.

      For one-off social events (think happy hours with friends), because I do pick-up, I’d say he probably gets a few more than me, but if my girlfriends are making plans, he’s happy to be on baby duty alone. I’d say that probably happens once a month or so for me. I do try to do more lunches with friends for that reason, but mostly because it’s harder for him to do pickup because of traffic – not because he’s not happy to be alone with our baby.

   10. I have a 1x/week activity on a regular basis on the weekend that takes a couple of hours. My husband does not have a recurring activity, but he’ll stay late a couple of times a week either to get work done, go to happy hour meetings with friends or to the gym. I rarely ever do girls night outs – a couple of close friends also have young kids and we tend to meet up with them in tow. I try to do grooming related appointments at lunchtime from work.

   11. Right now his work schedule is insane so I am alone with the kids most evenings and about half the day on Saturdays, but he plays Sunday night in a softball league. (Which used to be a source of frustration for me, because after working all day, taking care of the kids by myself in the evenings and weekends, I wanted either time to myself or at least family time–but I have gotten over it and realized that I should be more supportive of him. . .) When his work schedule was less hectic, I used to go out to dinner about once a month on a Friday evening with my friends. For a while there, I was also in a number of weddings which all involved various outings (dress shopping, bridal showers, bachelorette parties, etc.) and he gladly took care of the kids while I did all that. I’m hoping things will settle down again!

   12. I usually go on one long girl’s weekend a year with a good friend, and then have networking events/hair or nail appointments/night out with friends probably once a month on average.

       DH rarely has anything. Maybe a couple times a year for a work networking event. He’s a homebody though, so he’s not asking. I would do it for him if he wanted to go out.

   13. Thanks for all of the responses. This is really interesting. I sort of wonder if this type of question lends itself to self-selecting answers though. Like people who feel like they have a good balance respond and others remain silent.

       1. Oh, there are definitely periods where I feel like I’m ALWAYS the one with the kids, and periods when it flips and he is saying “again? Didn’t you just go out with your sister last week?”
          For me though, I think it gets more frustrating when we are both doing a lot of solo parenting and rarely see each other (with or without kids). That’s when one of us usually says “I never see you anymore” and we try to dial back the solo stuff and plan more family stuff. The thing that gets me more than anything is when he spends days doing things around the house that he can’t have the kids with him (like mowing the lawn or using heavy duty power tools), because then I’m on solo kid duty, but he’s working hard so its not like I can just dump the kids back on him the second he comes in the house. In fact, that’s a running point of irritation this week. Not bad enough to fight about, but its caused some snappish “how much yard work do you really have to do, I need you to take these kids before I strangle them” moments.

       2. I’ll bite – I do not feel like we have equal solo duty. He is much more outgoing than I am, so makes plans far in advance. I can only ask him not to go to things so many times. Also, he does not respect home-NOT-watching-the-baby as an activity. To him, if I am home on the iPad, he might as well start a project and expect me to pick up the slack. It turns into an argument every so often, where I tell him he doesn’t get to decide if my activity is worthy. He agrees after the fight, but creeps back into that mind state over and over.

          His last argument is usually “as a mom” I should enjoy spending time with her. Barf.

       3. Yes. :) note: DH is solo every day 4-7, but that’s because I’m at work. I took one Saturday to get my hair highlighted, which unfortunately ended up being the first time kiddo was sick with a stomach virus. It wasn’t pretty. H was seriously unhappy. Now I’m just so exhausted and worn down I don’t even try for nights out. Although tonight I have a mandatory thing that will put me getting home a couple of hours late.

       4. Probably. We have a pretty good system overall – Husband’s work requires more frequent late evenings, so I am the default evening care-taker. As a result, I tend to have a lot more flexibility to go out during the weekends when he’s around, and he takes primary duty in the mornings, letting me sleep in until relatively late.

          However, my biggest source of frustration is that husband doesn’t do a great job taking initiative with kiddos during “off” hours. He still isn’t super comfortable taking them out solo, or taking them for an activity they would enjoy (I tried to sign him up for a Saturday activity with older kid, and he just…didn’t go a lot of the time). He’s happiest to just stick around the house, and if I’m there, I don’t really have space to be out of the way of the kids – I have to leave the house, which he has no problem with me doing – but sometimes I just want to sit and read a book. Same thing if we go out with friends or meet a group of kids out, he defaults to me taking primary care of the kids, while he socializes more. That drives me nuts.

6. A sizing question. I am buying a coat for my aunt and she normally wears an XL or size 16 but the size chart at LL Bean says XL is 18-20 and 14-16 is an L. I don’t have much experience with ordering from here. Should I go with sizing chart or is it better too big than too little? TIA.

   1. I find that LL Bean runs big (I’m a 6… so I don’t know if that holds for larger sizes) but that their quality of construction is high enough that I expect their size chart to be correct.

      Their exchanges are also smooth, if the size you pick is wrong. And they aren’t fast fashion, so it’s very unlikely that the other size will be sold out unless it’s on clearance.

   2. FYI, There is an LL Bean coupon for 10% off, today is the last day for use. You may have to be on their email list to receive it but there’s no harm mentioning it and asking if you can receive the discount if you place your order via phone.

   3. With a coat, I’d err on the side of getting one that is too big so she can layer.

      1. It says it is already designed for layering, hence my concern. It’s this one, if anyone’s interested. http://tinyurl.com/lvkwa9f

         I saw the 10% off coupon, that’s why I want to order now. Thanks y’all.

         1. I’d go with the size chart because I find they run big. I’m usually a size 6 and the last LL Bean coat that I got, I took an XS and had plenty of room to layer. I think LL Bean is pretty practical (they expect you to be layering under a heavy winter coat) so I’d order according to the size chart!

   4. I bought an LL Bean coat last winter in XL when I clearly should have gone L. I often wear XL, but LL Bean definitely runs big. For reference I’m usually a size 14-16, but a bit smaller on top than bottom. The XL was downright huge on me.

   5. I would call LL Bean and talk to them about the specific coat. The Customer Service reps will let you know if there are notes to order down/order up. (I was Raised by an LLB CS rep–always call and ask!)

      My experience with Beans coats is to order down when in doubt–the layering room is enough to give you a bit of a cushion sizing-wise.

      1. Thanks all! I ordered the Large as CS rep said it ran “TTS” – here’s hoping!

7. Hey all! Our office is undergoing renovations so I am being moved into temporary office space for 6 months!! I am one of those people who needs a tidy and organized (and comfortable) office to be productive. I’m not crazy with decorating or anything, but I have framed art on my walls, a nice lamp, shelving with a plant and books, and a very organized bank of filing cabinets. I’m worried about the temp office because we aren’t bringing any of our own furniture, so all of those delights I just mentioned will be gone. I’m worried that being in a bland space without adequate storage (probably lots of files in boxes) may make me feel constantly unsettled for 6 months. Does anyone have any tips for me on getting through it? TIA!

   1. I’ve been moving around desks every day on my internship, and I’m someone who likes to feel settled. What I do is I get my planner, notebook, glasses case, water bottle, hand gel, and tissues, and set them up in the same neat way in the same place on every desk I use, and I also always put my to-do list book and big notebook on the same place (I can do this regardless if it’s a LH or RH ergonomic desk) so that I feel at home pretty quickly. If you can set up one picture that might make you feel more settled?

   2. I was in this situation/sound like you. I brought my art with me & a lamp & that made a big difference.

8. I think I have control problems. I am a mid level associate in a mid sized firm, and I am really struggling with not having control over my practice. I don’t get to control what type of work I get, who the work comes from (what partners), how much work comes in, when it comes in, etc. I know some of these things are the “nature of the beast” but like I said I am really struggling with it. Does anyone have tips on how to cope? I have a few files that are my own and are steady, and I love love love those. It’s not the area of law, just that I manage my own time and set my own schedule and don’t have to answer to anybody.

   1. No advice, just commiseration. It truly is the nature of the beast with private practice. It does get better as you get more senior though and take on more management type roles with clients. I think the inability to have control of our schedules is really the top complaint of attorneys, regardless of firm or seniority.

   2. It gets better and then it gets somewhat worse again, from my experience. As a senior associate/jr partner, you probably will not have to deal too much with freaked out and overly demanding clients. The stuff you manage on your own simply is unlikely to be bet the company type work. Once you start getting into stuff where client reps will lose their job (possibly) if things fall apart, you’re back to answering to a different master.

      1. This is both completely true & completely depressing.

   3. This does not make you a control freak, this makes you a normal person that would like more predictability in her life. And it’s both normal to desire it and not to have it in the legal profession.

   4. You don’t sound like a control freak to me. Consider making marketing goals for yourself to bring in some clients! The lawyers I know who control their days all have their own books of business, regardless of year or level.

9. I have short hair but my daughter (age 11) has very long, fine hair and she likes the bands from a company called Oh Sew Sporty. (http://www.ohsewsporty.com/#!) They are elastic and have velvet on the underside. She plays soccer, lacrosse, tennis and runs cross country and these are the only ones that don’t slide backwards on her head and keep all the little wispys she get’s in place. Granted, they are a tad “young” looking but they really work. Hope that helps!

10. I saw your question re travelling to Prague on the Fridays thread, hope you will still read this. I live in Prague and I am glad to share some tips.
    As for restaurants – If the weather is nice, I recommend Grosseto Marina (Italian), Bellavista (Italian, Czech) or Petrinske terasy – all of the places have great views. Vegetarian restaurants in the city centre (near Old Town Square) – Maitrea or Lehka hlava. For Czech food and beer I recommend Lokal (there are several around the city centre, I like the one in Misenska street – smaller and less crowded. For Czech food also Kolkovna or Potrefena Husa (however, Czech cuisine, that is lots of meat). You can easily google all of the restaurants, they should all have webs in English.
    Other than the obvious sights, I like the gardens of the Prague castle and Kralovska obora. There are great views of the city from Letenske sady. If you get tired with the tourist crowd, Prague 2 – Vinohrady is a nice quarter with some chic cafes, it is one of the hippest residentials areas here for young people (around namesti Miru and namesti Jiriho z Podebrad.) If the wearher is nice, I recommend renting a paddle boat and go on the river. (The rentals are at the Zofin island just outside the National theater).
    In the city center it is best to walk, otherwise public transport is pretty great. You can get a 3-day pass (unlimited metro, trams and buses) for cca 300 CZK. The yellow ticket machines at tram and metro stations only take coins, so usually you need to buy this ticket at the ticket booth at metro stations.
    Let me know here if you are interested in anything else.

    1. thank you, that is very helpful! Neither I nor my bf speak any Czech- do you think we’ll be able to get around without it? Also, do you think a budget of $150/day (for 2 people) will be enough for food and activities?

       we are staying near the Andel metro station (in an apartment through air bnb. do you have any restaurant or cafe recommendations specifically near there?

       1. You should be fine with just English – especially in Prague I think most people speak at least some English. The budget sounds OK, but of course it depends – you would not be able to eat in fancy restaurants all the time and it also helps if you are planning to walk and take public transport. Taxis add up pretty fast here.

          Andel is a good location – from there you can easily get with public transport anywhere in the city. There is a Cafe Paul right at Andel (French pastries – a bit pricey but still good:)), there is also a Potrefena Husa restaurant at Andel if you want to try Czech food (it is a chain so you will see them around the city) and also a good pizzeria called Corleone.

          1. thank you!

11. WOW. I’m having a major issue with a low-level employee who’s been making tons of stupid mistakes lately — the same stuff, poor attention to detail, over and over and over. She had a pretty big gaffe on Friday (leaving early while forgetting to turn in a major project) and is very much on the defensive. This is, in part, her nature (the defensive part), and now she’s saying some of the issues are my fault. To be clear, I’m not perfect, but I also don’t think that when you’re in trouble is the time to talk back to your boss’ boss (which I am).

    Besides that vent: I know in the past that she’s been on medication that can affect her work performance. This is something she’s mentioned to me in passing but has never requested a specific accommodation. As I work with her and her manager on a performance improvement plan, do you think I/we should address this at all? I’m definitely willing to be accommodating but I also (a) want to respect her privacy and (b) feel a little put off that she didn’t give me a heads-up in advance (“Hey, I have some medical issues that might affect my concentration”). Instead, she brought the meds up after she’d received her umpteenth citation for poor work product. I welcome the hive’s input on this.

    1. I think you should ask HR and your in house counsel.

       1. +1. You don’t need her claiming later that you refused to accommodate a disability. (But, god, her defensive attitude especially sounds so irritating!)

       2. This. The last thing you want is to have your own job threatened because you didn’t handle a disability properly.

    2. Yay! I love head band’s for workeing out, but what about schrunchie’s? I love Schrunchie’s! There should be a write up about schrunchie’s!

       As for the OP, hug’s! The younger generation is sometimes so incompetent, I think we learned alot more in college and law school then they did. I think they were babie’d as kid’s and the helicopter parenting that went on after we grew up. FOOEY on helicopter parent’s! FOOEY b/c look what hapened to your kid’s!!! They are spoiled, lazy and do NOT take responsibility for what they do!

       In my office, Mason is like this. His family is freind’s with a big cleint, so the manageing partner took him on even tho he failed the bar 3x and is not the brightest either. He then come’s in here and proceed’s to lure Lynn into haveing sex with him and even did stuff in MY office with her while I was on vacation! FOOEY! I have to LYSOL the place down b/c of him and her and my desk is a mess. The manageing partner was not to happy with him and Lynn in there–he would NOT tell me EXACTELEY what happened other then to tell me he sent her home and has Mason on Probation for conduct unbecomeing a lawyer. I can onley guess what was goeing on in my office with the door shut. I never close my door b/c the manageing partner alway’s want’s to look over at me, so when he saw it closed, he went to investigate and he found alot more then he barganed for! DOUBEL FOOEY!

       I hope the hive can help ANP b/c I have to read up on it to in order to monitor MASON! FOOEY!

12. Pardon the ridiculous question, but how should shoes fit? If I ordered a pair that are made out of leather and they’re a little on the big side (but nothing a heel grip can’t fix) is that a problem/ should I expect that the leather will expand with wear and then my shoes will be huge? I typically like a little extra room and I like the way they fit now.

    1. I think that if they’re a already a little big on your feet now, they won’t stretch much. It depends on the softness of the leather and the construction. If it’s a fairly structured shoe with a lining, it won’t stretch a ridiculous amount. Soft, unlined leather and suede are the most likely candidates for stretching.

    2. Based on what you’ve said here, I’d keep your current size. If it’s soft leather, you’ll probably notice a smidge of stretching but nothing that should make the shoe uncomfortable or unwearable based on your description of the current fit. I actually prefer to not size down to account for stretch because (a) my feet also like a little wiggle room and (b) I don’t like the bulge look that comes from forcing shoes to stretch to fit.

       If it’s a stiff leather, then you probably won’t notice any stretching.

    3. thanks ladies!

13. My Clarisonic Mia has stopped working. It just doesn’t get recharged and won’t do anything. It’s 2 years old (so well past warranty), was bought from Sephora, and I didn’t use it very hard (1x/week on average, replaced brushes on schedule, etc).
    Is its lifetime over and is this within reasonable bounds of what I should have expected? Is it worth exploring whether the charger is at fault rather than the clarisonic itself? Any other suggestions or should I just chuck it? I’ll probably buy another, is it worth mentioning to Sephora that the previous one didn’t last long?

    1. It lasted you two years. I don’t think it is reasonable to expect Sephora to replace it. I would just buy a new one.

    2. You could take it in to sephora and have them try it with another charger and see if it works.

       1. Good idea! Also you can call Clarisonic at 888-525-2747 Mon-Fri 6am-5pm pacific to see if you can troubleshoot.

       2. This is what I’d recommend. FWIW, I’ve had my Mia since mid-2010 and I use it almost daily. Bummer yours stopped working so quickly, but if it’s out of warranty I don’t think there’s much that can be done other than checking the charger.

          1. The QVC webs!te says Clarisonic might allow you to buy a new one at a discount. That’s what Bose did when my dog ate my headphones.

             1. Same here…I got clarisonic to give me a discount.

    3. For reference, my last SonicCare toothbrush (same maker) lasted about that same length of time. Granted, I used it at least twice a day, but I’m sure the “innards” are about the same and probably designed to last about the same amount of time. I know it’s frustrating, but that doesn’t sound like an exceptionally short period of time for something electronic to last.

    4. Did you pay with a credit card? Sometimes you get an extended warranty from your card provider.

14. What should I buy my neighbor for a baby gift? I’m asking because they’re Jewish, so they haven’t gotten any baby stuff before the baby is born. Is there any restriction on gifting after the baby is born or can it be anything? I don’t have any other Jewish friends, so I just don’t know. And any suggestions for a baby girl after 2 boys (so they have everything needs-wise), besides girly clothes?

    1. After birth, any of the normal baby gifts are fine.

       Good options for a girl after two boys: Girl clothes (play clothes, size 3 to 24 mo), diapers/wipes, or gift cards for take out/delivery. If they keep kosher (or you don’t know), I wouldn’t do the food unless you know a restaurant where they eat. If there has been a significant gap in age between the last boy and this baby, there may be other things as well, since they may not have kept all their gear or it has worn out or become outdated, but you’d have to know.

    2. The gifts that I liked for my baby girl were clothes in bigger sizes (remember to pick season-appropriate clothes though!). It was a shock when my little one outgrew the 0-3 month clothes we got as baby gifts and we suddenly had to buy a whole new wardrobe. Thankfully, some friends had given us some 3-6 months and even some 6-12 month clothes, so we haven’t been caught completely flat footed (yet…she’s rapidly outgrowing the 6-12 month ones now and we don’t have any bigger sizes).

       Also, boring as it may sound, diapers and wipes or gift cards for food delivery places. There are also some cute books geared toward girls that they may not have (Olivia, Eloise, etc). She may eventually like a stuffed animal or blankie that hasn’t been chewed on and destroyed by older siblings….

15. Does anyone have any recommendation for strength training resources geared toward women (specifically physiological differences between women and men)? I’ve been poking around the web, but all the sites focused on women are making me ranty, since, apparently, the concept that a woman might get into strength training to, I don’t know, get stronger, is completely inconceivable to the people running these websites. If I read one more reassurance that strength training won’t make me bulky but will give me a “toned and attractive body,” I’m going to scream. I’ve seriously only seen one website that even mentioned getting stronger as a possible goal of strength training for women, and that only in passing.

    I know that guys do all kinds of things (supplements? powders? formulas?) when they get into strength training, and I’d like to evaluate whether that’s something I should try. I’d also like more information about which exercises are best for women, if there are any particular warning signs or problems that I should be aware of, etc. I’ve never been very athletic, so this might be information that women who played sports in high school and college know automatically, but it’s completely new to me.

    1. Jamie Eason? http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/jamie-eason-livefit-trainer.html Hit up your local crossfit box? Since you haven’t played sports before you probably want to hire a personal trainer to walk you through it – or find a women lifting class that isn’t dumb. Don’t hire a trainer who speaks to you like women are delicate flowers at risk of bulking up. Google for women lifting heavy weights to find articles or resources in your area.

    2. Late to the party, but try this book – The New Rules of Lifting for Women. It’s a strength training program with some nutrition sections. Try to get past the subtitle of “look like a goddess” and the assurance that you won’t “bulk up.” I understand those phrases probably make you wonder if the book is worthwhile, but it really is about strength training – with real weights, not “Barbie weights.”

       There are a number of different exercises, all outlined and illustrated, organized into stages. As you move through a stage, you increase weight and decrease repetitions (or vice-versa depending upon the exercise). Then after a few weeks, you move into a new level with different exercises.

       I have to admit that I’ve tried to run through the program several times and fell off the wagon, but that’s my own issue with exercise and not a reflection of the program itself.

       1. Yes!! I’m doing this program now and LOVE it. Before that I was taking a powerlifting class at my gym, but the instructor moved away and they haven’t gotten a new one.

          Girls Gone Strong and Lift Like a Girl (Nia Shanks) are great too.

          There’s also a site called Nerd Fitness that has some good resources. They offer a “Nerd Fitness Academy” for women that has some beginner and intermediate programs with form videos and forums and whatnot.

       2. +1 to this book. The “for Women” part is really more about convincing women that strength training is good for them. It also talks about the nutrition side of things. You could probably get the same info out of the New Rules for Lifting (the non-specific) book as well.

          1. stumptuous dot com

       3. +1 — love this book.

    3. Girls Gone Strong

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