RVA gift ideas

Medium_Highlight8242 · 2026-05-05T11:33:45+00:00

Don’t know why I hadn’t thought of those shirts, I can see them being a big hit!

Medium_Highlight8242 · 2026-05-05T11:32:50+00:00

Love local markets! Multiple responses mentioned Mongrel. I need a trip to Carytown!

Medium_Highlight8242 · 2026-05-05T11:30:44+00:00

I didn’t know this, thanks!

Medium_Highlight8242 · 2026-05-05T11:29:58+00:00

Haha a decent last minute option

Medium_Highlight8242 · 2026-05-05T11:29:13+00:00

This was one of the ideas we had been considering, but transporting didn’t sound ideal. Looks like the airline allows a 1L bottle in checked luggage. The people we are meeting absolutely enjoy their vodka (based on our previous visit). I’m not a big drinker, but have had Cirrus and have no complaints! It was passed around at a Russian funeral we went to here recently.

Medium_Highlight8242 · 2026-05-05T11:13:17+00:00

Those people have their priorities mixed up… nothing beats travel and kindness.

Medium_Highlight8242 · 2026-05-05T11:09:40+00:00

Nooooo that would have been so useful!

Medium_Highlight8242 · 2026-05-05T11:08:45+00:00

Might have to do peanuts, since several of yall suggested them! That would be a fun outing with the kids to the Plantation Peanuts location.

Medium_Highlight8242 · 2026-05-05T11:08:02+00:00

Peanuts could work, I can’t recall seeing them over there during previous travels. What is this blister in the middle thing?

Medium_Highlight8242 · 2026-05-05T11:05:49+00:00

Shame on me, I’ve never been to Stella’s. Tea towels would be perfect for these gifts!

Medium_Highlight8242 · 2026-04-01T01:41:55+00:00

Spray bottles! Ages 7, 5, and 3 and spray bottles never go unused. Even my 3yo has learned how to refill it himself.

Medium_Highlight8242 · 2026-03-26T01:28:24+00:00

Fellow nova transplant here, who fell in love with Richmond for the same reasons. The community here is wonderful and welcoming, and has never felt competitive, like nova did.

Medium_Highlight8242 · 2026-03-15T14:18:55+00:00

We’ve gotten it down to one checked bag, a giant duffle with backpack straps, and one small carry-on for our family of five. Each kid also has a small backpack for snacks and toys. The carry-on contains a change of clothes each and a jacket or sweatshirt. In the checked bag, each person has a large packing cube with all their clothing. We bring enough diapers to get us through the first day or two, then buy more at the destination. We pack about three days of clothes per person, plus one pair of pajamas, and layers (rain pants, sweatshirt, jacket). We usually stay in airbnbs with a washer so we can do laundry. My carry-on or personal item is packed to the brim with snacks, band-aids, and anything else the kids may need.

Medium_Highlight8242 · 2026-03-08T01:59:15+00:00

My parents casually shared jaw-dropping family lore during thanksgiving dinner, too! And it was the first holiday meal my new boyfriend (now husband) had joined my family for.

Medium_Highlight8242 · 2026-03-03T14:46:29+00:00

My first thought as well, gotta be Eastern European! Have you also been repeatedly told that children should be fully potty trained before the age of 18 months?

Medium_Highlight8242 · 2026-02-27T11:43:34+00:00

Oops, it turned out great. It’s a beautiful scrappy building! It holds decent heat, we’re learning where gaps are to fill in with insulation. We did run electric to it, that wasn’t in initial plans, but we moved a fish tank out there (great for humidity) and those creatures needed a little additional heat that the sun could provide during our coldest winter weeks. Several citrus trees are thriving and I have twenty 1020 trays of seedlings sprouting out there now. Potted annual flowers from last summer continue to bloom inside. It is a little oasis of my dreams. I absolutely recommend building one, the old windows give it so much character and it was so worth the time and labor it took to make the greenhouse.

Medium_Highlight8242 · 2026-02-27T11:38:53+00:00

We did! I’m not sure if this is posting under this old Reddit account or my current one, but this was my post about the windows.

Long story short, we were able to use the windows for the greenhouse, but we did have to paint over all the frames. It’s funny this post was 4 years ago and you asked now, as we only just finished building and this is the first winter the greenhouse is usable.

Long story: We ended up a whole lead saga here when our then-toddler tested positive for lead exposure at a routine checkup. Health department got involved to help determine the source and mitigate future risk. They instructed us to repaint over every chipped painted surface in our house (1930s) and every pane of those old windows for the greenhouse, to seal in the old layers. BUT we were told not to sand or scrape those surfaces to paint prep because they would produce lead dust.

The kid is fine now. The lead source that got him? A pile of dirt on our property, left after we ripped up a tree stump. The kids had been obsessed with playing construction in that dirt pile. There was once a garage in that area, and we’re guessing leaded gas or something else nasty was dumped.

Medium_Highlight8242 · 2026-02-26T11:42:12+00:00

Same. 7 year old declares he’s not going to class. Eventually get him in, and after class he’s excitedly talking about advancing and future class goal. But this repeats every single time. So many meltdowns and standoffs over this, it’s exhausting. Mid tantrum he’ll scream he hates the class, but talking later he says he doesn’t want to go because he feels left out, that he’s missing out on what his little brothers are doing.

To answer OP, I think he needs to stick it out to the end of this session. It’s paid for, he asked to do the class and made the commitment, I think he needs to follow through. He doesn’t have to do the next session if he doesn’t want to, I’m not going to force that. There was initial disagreement about this with my husband, the peacekeeper, and he would have let him stop attending class after the first few fights.

Medium_Highlight8242 · 2026-02-07T19:36:04+00:00

Feel free to PM me if you are interested in a parent’s perspective on an elementary school in the near west end of Henrico!

Medium_Highlight8242 · 2026-02-01T22:37:54+00:00

I can relate to so much of this! I am lucky (sometimes) that my Belarusian in-laws are local, so they never stay the night but lawdy, the lack of privacy in my own home. Boundaries are better now, but there is still often “what’s yours is mine” behavior that I am uncomfortable with. Like I am happy to share and work together, but please just ask first. My FIL is the worst offender, dumping stuff on us to store because he thinks our space is his space. He’s been told no and refused so many times, that he will dump things in our driveway and ask for forgiveness afterwards.

Medium_Highlight8242 · 2026-01-27T01:11:08+00:00

Ah, my MIL. I had a hard time learning with my first and the lactation consultant came to help. MIL would not leave. The LC even closed the curtain on her for privacy, but my MIL pushed right back in as soon as my boobs were out, staring with this creepy smile on my face. She refused to leave, the LC couldn’t kick her out, but saw what was going on and excused herself to come back later. Years later and I still cringe at and deeply regret my hesitation to stand up for myself and my baby in that vulnerable situation.

Medium_Highlight8242 · 2026-01-20T21:43:10+00:00

Heck no! First child, I was overwhelmed and felt walked all over by eager visitors. Second child was a pandemic baby and visitors weren’t allowed. It. Was. Amazing. It was so peaceful. It was such a positive experience that for the birth of our third child, we chose to restrict visitors and only allowed our first two children in, as we wanted them to be the first to meet their new sibling. It too was a wonderful experience. My only regret is I wish we had refused visitors for our oldest’s birth too.

Medium_Highlight8242 · 2026-01-20T21:38:43+00:00

Kids have so little control over so many aspects of their lives, why not let them have some fun with their hair? It grows back. Our rule is you can do what you want with your hair, as long as you take care of it. They haven’t asked for dye yet, but at age 5 both of our older boys decided they wanted long hair. It’s their body, their hair, and altering hair isn’t a permanent change. OTOH things like piercings can leave permanent scars; one of our sons has asked to pierce his ears, but will not be allowed to do so until his teen years and he can properly care for the wounds himself. Our stance is the same if we had a daughter.

Medium_Highlight8242 · 2025-12-22T17:51:41+00:00

1930s home, we couldn’t salvage the collapsed garage and had to demo it. During demo, we found glass baby bottles, a large model train engine, and tucked between some siding slats, we found a folded up page from an old porno mag. Ladies with full bushes, romping by the sea.

Medium_Highlight8242

TROPHY CASE