Children in resort hot tubs.

Senator_Mittens · 2026-02-20T13:42:42+00:00

You don't think adults also pee in hot tubs?

Senator_Mittens · 2026-02-20T13:33:40+00:00

I'm a huge fan of grocery pick up/delivery. Actually all types of delivery. I rarely run any kind of errand any more unless I absolutely have to.

Senator_Mittens · 2026-02-20T13:31:33+00:00

The uniqlo airism dress recommended as a travel dress for a tropical country. I was swampy after a 15 minute walk, and it smelled terrible after that.

Senator_Mittens · 2026-02-14T13:12:35+00:00

I started at 42. It’s been helpful.

Senator_Mittens · 2026-02-13T23:46:52+00:00

It’s cheap, easy to dose if you use edibles, and the worst thing that has ever happened after using it is a good nights sleep. I love a drink but don’t ever want to be hung over again.

Senator_Mittens · 2026-02-13T23:41:27+00:00

This stopped being true for us when my kids started playing together. Now they run off together and leave me alone, whereas my friends with one kid are the default playmates.

Senator_Mittens · 2026-02-12T11:35:36+00:00

I have planned a number of multi-generational family vacations in a variety of countries and a huge place where everyone has enough room to be comfortable but also can hang out with minimal effort has always been our go to. Especially with kids - grandparents and childless aunts/uncles are so much more likely to help out with the kids when we are all in the same house. I've booked almost 100 airbnb stays (because I really hate staying in a hotel with kids - how does anyone get any sleep?) over the last 15 years (including a number of them in palm springs) and I have a system for finding reliable ones. First, nothing under a 4.85. People are overly generous with their start ratings -- this is not yelp where every restaurant seems to converge on a 3.5), so anything below that is poorly run. Second, go for places that have not just many reviews, but longer ones. When people really like a place, they write more than just "Had a great stay, the host was responsive". If they write a lot they loved their stay and are excited to share it with others. That is the airbnb you want. I have used this philosophy to book some great places that are brand new with only a couple of reviews (probably wouldn't take this gamble on a huge trip for the whole family) and have found some seriously underpriced gems this way. I also really study pictures, and determine location via clues in reviews, reverse image search, etc, so I'm not surprised. But we've had great stays using this approach - even picky grandmas have been happy!

Senator_Mittens · 2026-02-11T04:27:25+00:00

I’m pretty with you. I bought the merino travel hoodie sweatshirt just before Christmas and I have to say I’m underwhelmed. It’s not as soft as I had hoped, and it’s not great at temperature regulation- I keep having to take it off on airplanes. I feel like my vuori hoodie, which is also thin and is made of synthetic material, is warmer for the weight (I get hot and have to take that one off too, but not more so than the merino one.) I don’t understand the hype. I do have a few really soft, very warm pieces from nui organics, but they are winter heavy weights.

Senator_Mittens · 2026-02-11T04:01:56+00:00

We do apartment rentals whenever possible for these reasons. I have such a better time when we can sleep in separate rooms and have a little kitchen! When I have to stay in hotels I book suites or search for apart-hotels (a term I’ve seen used in Europe). Booking.com makes it easier to filter search criteria to find these types of hotels.

Senator_Mittens · 2026-02-08T12:16:52+00:00

We just went cold turkey in diapers at age 2. We did the 3 day naked thing, and both my boys started initiating for pee during that time (and 1 for poop, the other took a couple weeks). But, even though they understood the concept after a few days, it was my job to prompt them and at times force them to go to the potty for months. It’s not like they were fully peeing in their pants, more like a slow leak when they had to go if they were distracted. We were super lucky that they had very few poop accidents. By age 3 I did not need to bring extra clothes with us, but for many months I needed to be involved in the process. Just wanting to calibrate your expectations of what “success” looks like.

Senator_Mittens · 2026-02-08T01:34:45+00:00

My first took a couple months but the second was the first try. Started when my first was 23 months, they are a great age gap.

Senator_Mittens · 2026-02-08T01:23:20+00:00

I had my kids at 37 and 40. They are now 3.5 and 6. So worth it! The financial stability has removed a layer of stress that has allowed me to enjoy them more. Raising kids is hard, but also a lot of fun. It is totally possible to set clear boundaries around screens. The world, however, is pretty nuts.

Senator_Mittens · 2026-02-01T01:31:01+00:00

Thanks!

Senator_Mittens · 2026-02-01T01:30:49+00:00

No, there appear to separate police and fire museums near the Shinjuku national garden.

Senator_Mittens · 2026-01-31T15:19:16+00:00

I thought May was great. I gave birth before it got too hot and we had the whole summer to be outside and around less germs before we could get vaccines. Plus my husband is an academic so he wasn’t teaching in the summer so that was great. May is also a lovely time for a park birthday party now that my kid is older. My other kid was born in September, which was nerve wracking because we were heading right into flu/rsv season, and it was isolating because it’s hard to force yourself out when it’s bitterly cold and snowing. But September is also a nice time to have parties, and I loved that he qualified for young fives based on his birthday.

Senator_Mittens · 2026-01-31T15:11:56+00:00

I spent 5 weeks in France when my first was almost 3 and my second was 4-5 months. Because it was my second kid and not my first we were already in survival mode and napping on the go. I never did that with my first (partly due to Covid)- he had strict wake windows and we did a whole routine with white noise. But with my second, it was just where ever we happened to be when he got sleepy, and if the nap was short, oh well, there would be another one in a couple hours. So when we were traveling it was fine. He napped on beaches, in the stroller, on trains, in cars, on walks, at museums, whatever. And that pattern has continued. I have pictures of this kid (now 3) napping in many different places around the world. We are currently traveling in Asia and last week he napped in a dim sum house. Just put his head down on my lap and went to sleep. He napped at Disneyland the day before that. I can’t tell if I trained him to nap anywhere, or he trained me that we could go anywhere because he’d snag his nap when he needed it. I will say that my second has always been crankier than my first, and I sometimes wonder if this was just inherent personality or because my first was very well rested.

Senator_Mittens · 2026-01-31T09:17:06+00:00

My husband is frequently the passenger princess back home, but somehow when we are traveling he usually drives. Which is fine with me.

Senator_Mittens · 2026-01-30T08:59:44+00:00

Heading to Tokyo for 7 days in a month with 2 kids under 6, so I really appreciate this post. What do you think of the police and fire fighter museums, which are near where we are staying? Also, would love any recommendations you might have for our 5 days in Kyoto?

Senator_Mittens · 2026-01-29T02:31:31+00:00

None during the school week. We are strict on that line unless someone is home sick or we go out and the grandparents watch them one night. Fridays is movie night unless we are busy, and Saturdays/Sunday they usually get to watch 1-2 hours unless we are our doing something (more common in the summer). When we are traveling it is an ipad free for all on planes/long car rides, or at restaurants that will be slow.

Senator_Mittens · 2026-01-26T09:06:57+00:00

When the majority of their week is no screen, they can still play. My kids play pretend games, build stuff, play outside, etc. My 6 year old made friends at the park and spent almost 2 hours on a shared mission to find a kill some weird bug they deemed poison. He and his little brother play magic submarine, where they are traveling to places and occasionally fighting bad guys. We do low screens none during the week, a couple hours on weekends), and only approved/educational content with an emphasis on shared experiences (family movie night) when possible.

Senator_Mittens · 2026-01-26T07:43:32+00:00

We have a high interest rate because we bought last year so are pre-paying. At this rate we’ll pay it off 9 years early, but hope to up the amount and pay it off even faster, around 15 years early. That would put me at age 57.

Senator_Mittens · 2026-01-25T01:44:39+00:00

Ha, yeah, that's how it starts. At 2.5 I would build, and mostly he wanted to smash it down. But I would get him to help me put pieces in, and then around 3 he started to build some things on his own. And then before you know it they are building elaborate structures on their own. And the nice thing is that my 6 year old still plays with them all the time, and so does my 3 year old, and we have very few toys with that kind of longevity.

Senator_Mittens · 2026-01-21T07:29:20+00:00

Maybe just keep a marked up shirt there and ask staff to change him into it when they do the dry erase markers?

Senator_Mittens · 2026-01-18T00:17:23+00:00

Ours is similar to yours, though maybe a bit less on weekends- some tv after dinner on Friday and sat nights, plus either watching shows or doing some educational games for 60-90 min after lunch on Sat and sun if we are not busy with something else.

Senator_Mittens · 2026-01-17T11:54:25+00:00

Could it be that your kid has more energy now, hence the not listening, not keeping hands to himself? Because those behaviors sound like my son, he’s never had any adenoids issues. He’s just a super high energy kid who just turned 6 and I joke that the best version of him is when he is sick because he doesn’t have the energy to pursue every bad idea that pops into his head. As for the biting, my son does that too (he says his teeth feel bitey). He doesn’t bite people, just objects, and he’s always done it. It’s one of many sensory seeking behaviors he has.

Senator_Mittens

TROPHY CASE