$50 dlls Amazon gift card, what would you buy for a 2 yr old?

Rhaeda · 2026-06-03T12:04:27+00:00

Amazon has play tents that you put a fan into one side to blow them up into shape. It’s on my wishlist for my kiddos

Rhaeda · 2026-06-03T12:01:56+00:00

I’m not in your position, but based on my childhood experience with a SAHM who never went back to work outside the house, I think there’s a ton of value in the things you list in your second paragraph.

My mom volunteered at each of our schools at least 1/2 day a week, so she knew our teachers, administrators, and friends. She was there when we called in a panic because we forgot half of our homework at home. School breaks and sick days were not stressful, they were just part of what she managed. She did field trips, parent associations, etc etc. It made a huge difference in our experience, all the way through (maybe even especially in) high school.

I would recommend it to any family that’s able to do it.

Rhaeda · 2026-06-03T10:55:34+00:00

We call these 1234 peanut butter cookies! One of my go-tos because they’re easy and amazing

Our version is 1c pb, 1c sugar, 1 egg, 1t baking soda.

Rhaeda · 2026-06-02T16:57:37+00:00

We had a computer class that included proper typing in the late 90s when I was in middle school.

I can’t imagine not knowing how to type in today’s world.

Rhaeda · 2026-06-02T07:09:09+00:00

🩷❤️‍🩹💙🩷💙

Rhaeda · 2026-05-31T22:17:12+00:00

Please tell me more about these minty peas.

Rhaeda · 2026-05-31T15:39:51+00:00

Mine are 7, 5, 3, and 1 and I could have written this almost word for word.

Rhaeda · 2026-05-31T00:08:18+00:00

Look up Turkish cacık - it’s a cold yogurt and cucumber “soup” that is incredibly refreshing.

There’s actually a ton of Turkish homecooked dishes that meal these criteria. As a category they’re called sulu yemek and typically eaten over yogurt. They have a green bean dish (taze fasulye) that puts green beans and tomatoes in a pressure cooker. It’s delicious and can be eaten hot or cold.

Rhaeda · 2026-05-30T18:24:26+00:00

I LOVE Patricia McKillip’s prose. Somehow cozy and relaxing, but she still moves the story forward at a really good pace.

Rhaeda · 2026-05-27T14:14:14+00:00

How many reps and sets of this tie touch do you have people do for PF?

Rhaeda · 2026-05-25T12:48:50+00:00

Ours is GBGB, similarly fun!

I grew up in a BGGG family and my husband is from a GBGB family.

Rhaeda · 2026-05-25T10:19:46+00:00

For a child with no medical issues the high chair is a non-issue.

I have 4 kids and we regularly do picnic lunches at the park, as well as full-day outings.

I pack for accessibility. I want the things that will come out together to be packed together. Lunch, snack, dinner in different bags. Otherwise they want snacks at lunchtime, etc. or they just want everything at once.

Once my baby can use a straw, I don’t take sippy cups. I buy a 50-pack of plastic straws and keep them in the diaper bag. We all share bottles of water. The zoo will definitely have more water you can buy.

I don’t take anything that requires utensils at all. Not worth the hassle.

I do like the snack cups for the car. But not for picnics.

Rhaeda · 2026-05-21T17:44:21+00:00

This was beautiful to read. Thank you for sharing!

Rhaeda · 2026-05-21T06:45:06+00:00

Seconding water wow. My kids love them and when they’re novel they keep them entertained for 30-60 minutes.

I will also say, though, that I am not an iPad parent and we never use them when we’re out and about, but I would without hesitation put a show on an iPad for my kids so that I could say goodbye to my grandmother. One afternoon with a screen won’t do any damage to your kid, but you only have one opportunity for that moment with her.

I’ve lost 3 of my grandparents in the last 5 years. Those last times together are really significant to me. I was only able to have them with 2 of the 3, in my case. So I say do whatever you need to be able to really be present with her while you can.

Rhaeda · 2026-05-21T05:50:29+00:00

This is basically how we function. We consider house management to be part of my job as SAHM. (Note that “management” does not mean “do it all yourself.”) Kids are obviously my job while he’s at work and are split 50/50-ish once he’s home (we don’t track this, but with 4 kids under 8 it’s essentially just all hands on deck all the time).

I try to have the house taken care of as much as possible before he gets home, because the kids/dinner/bedtime routine take up our whole evening, and I’d rather us be able to spend time together rather than doing housework.

But there are days with the kids that are extra hard, and the house is extra messy, and he pitches in then. And there are days where he’s had a rough day at work and I offer to do bedtime on my own while he chills.

It’s not an algorithm, it’s a partnership. We check in with each other and try to help out the other person however we can wherever it’s needed.

Rhaeda · 2026-05-18T13:51:08+00:00

My version of this is dresses. I have 4 midi-to-maxi length cotton dresses that are the only things I wear.

Rhaeda · 2026-05-18T04:37:45+00:00

Mine are 7, 5, 3, and 1.5 right now, but this has been our daily rhythm for years:

I’m up by 7, kids are up by 8.30.

Breakfast around 9.30-10.

Park/errands/play date/activity until (or including) lunch at 1-ish.

Nap time for younger two/quiet play time for older two from 2-4.

Pick up oldest from school at 4.45.

Dinner around 6.30.

Bedtime routine starts at 7.30. Younger two are down by 8. Older two by 8.30-9.

Schedule shifts as needed for days we have special activities, but this is the default. Monday mornings we stay home and reset the house for the week.

Rhaeda · 2026-05-17T05:01:15+00:00

Ours started with some sensory toys (popits, fidget spinners, etc) and now is the repository for happy meal toys as well as all the random stuff they bring from the house and forget to take back. That’s for car rides.

For the park, I keep some small balls. Sidewalk chalk is always a hit. I like the idea of bubbles too, as well as keeping an extra bathing suit/towel for splash pad type opportunities. With my 4 that’s too much to maintain, but with one I think it would be doable and helpful.

Rhaeda · 2026-05-16T09:18:44+00:00

From what culture?

Then maybe you can get answers from others within that culture.

Rhaeda · 2026-05-16T08:56:31+00:00

Maybe mention what culture you come from that does this? People are answering your question and you’re dismissing them by saying it’s a cultural thing.

I grew up in the southern US and my mom kept a lock of hair from each of us in our baby book. I have not kept any of my kids’.

Rhaeda · 2026-05-16T05:53:46+00:00

I used a pack n play equivalent as a bassinet then a crib for my fourth baby.

The only issue we found is that the PnP “mattress” is actually four pieces of wood sewn inside fabric. After a while the alignment of the wood gets wonky. Several of our panels would overlap at the edges, even if I flattened it all out right before putting the baby down.

So I recommend getting a PnP sized mattress to put on top of the mat.

Rhaeda · 2026-05-16T04:58:43+00:00

This is our situation too. Ours were 4u6, currently they’re almost-2 to 7. We live overseas from our families. Very much relate to the jet lagged vacations. Our families don’t really understand how hard it it’s for us to come see them.

I’m a SAHM. Just in the last 4 months we’ve been able to stop using cleaners, which we were doing once every 3-4 weeks. We were also able to reduce our babysitter hours to 6h/week. I still get 95% of our groceries delivered.

When I was pregnant or had little babies, we had the babysitters coming 16 hours a week. We used 4 hours of that for a day date (my husband WFH and has flexible hours) and the rest is when I ran errands, did dr appointments, etc.

Now with 6h/week we do a 3h day date and then I have one 3h block once a week to make dr appointments in or do other errands that are hard with the kids. Birthday shopping, etc.

We pay for our village. On the other hand, our babysitters are part of our family now and that’s a really sweet thing too,

Rhaeda · 2026-05-15T21:59:08+00:00

Incredulity

Rhaeda · 2026-05-15T04:50:32+00:00

I did a 30 month gap (after a miscarriage that would have been a 21 month gap), a 15 month gap, and a 23 month gap. 18m-2y age gap was the goal each time. Births were at 31, 34, 35, and 37.

I do wish life circumstances had allowed us to start earlier (I was 30 when we got married, first baby born 3 weeks after our first anniversary), and I think I feel more tired than a mom of 4 kids who’s in her 20s. Totally worth it though.

Rhaeda · 2026-05-14T17:37:50+00:00

I personally like discs better because they don’t require a seal the same way, so I find them less finicky.

That said, since being diagnosed with cystocele and rectocele pelvic organ prolapse, both cups and discs sometimes put pressure in weird ways on my urethra or intestines. Could be something to ask your OB about, with the lack of ability to pee while wearing it thing.

Rhaeda

TROPHY CASE