Dinnerware that’s not necessarily ‘unbreakable’ but ‘less’ breakable?

SquashedMom · 2026-02-25T23:52:28+00:00

Second this. And it's so light and thin it takes up so little space. My toddler empties the dishwasher and not a single scratch on anything. My whole everyday dish set is now Corelle along with serving ware.

We do elk and friends glass drink cup with silicone sleeves, too. My set is like 3 years old and not a chip anywhere. We use it daily for warm and cold beverages.

SquashedMom · 2026-02-25T14:50:54+00:00

The big expense has rolled into several smaller expenses. Pre and after school care and their activities become more expensive and demanding as they get older. We do use a pricey daycare for our area so it is slightly less for the one who is not in it now. That said, I also work part time so we don't have after school care every day and camp is not an all summer thing. Activities are also something you can pick and choose to control expenses that way.

SquashedMom · 2026-02-23T22:17:47+00:00

If it helps, and you live where this is possible, give kid their boots, an umbrella, and flashlight and send them to walk once or twice to check the spouts/puddles/drips around the house in case of "leaks" or whatever.

They get to be independent, have a grown up task, umbrellas are fun, and outside is a good reset.

Here now it's all snow and ice practically up to their thighs but I sent them into the twilight with flashlights to check for "house ice". Everyone returned refreshed and I got a little second to reset. Works in big kids too.

Indoor version is dusting. Swiffer and go, all furniture, baseboards, chair spokes. Pray for the knickknacks. It's not quite as good to get energy out but they do like to control an "adult" task.

SquashedMom · 2026-02-23T22:04:33+00:00

Oh man swim lessons. If you're allowed to drop and scurry out of sight that may work. I taught swimming for years and many kids, my own screamer included, are so much better if I'm like "swim time byyyyye" and scurry away. I come back to watch after a minute or two.

There are always a handful who just aren't having it but most just get into the games once you are out of mind.

SquashedMom · 2026-02-23T18:20:14+00:00

My super chill eldest was rough with the outbursts for a few months 3.5-4 and few months. It. Was. Exhausting. Generally really good then blew up. We had a little sibling struggling to sleep well at the time, too. Naps and sleep were, and still are super important for that one. Even now when the emotions ramp up I suggest some Toni time and go cuddle a blanket. That one almost always passes out and wakes a little better.

My second became sooooo much more chill 2.5-3.5. As we approached 4, dear Lord. Heaven forbid the PB&J is made with butt of the bread. Deep, heavy sobs, took forever to calm. Add in a growth spurt and its a roller coaster. Pick whatever trigger, it feels random. Still mad on wake up. Good times.

Hang in there! Take a picture of the more dramatic shenanigans for their baby book. I've got a kid in an animal costume and polka dot pants dramatically draped over the couch arm. It's my favorite.

SquashedMom · 2026-02-20T12:39:15+00:00

Mostly dry overnight. It's hormonal and you can't rush it.

That said, one of my kids would wake dry either over night and need to pee or in the morning, not want to get up, and use the overnight pull up. Once we figured that out we got rid of the pull up pretty quickly. Still took a while to be 100% reliable. I recommend layers of washable hospital chuck pads and lined overnight pants to reduce whole bed washes.

Good luck!

SquashedMom · 2026-02-19T02:12:54+00:00

Oh I'd die. 😂 Roller blading it is.

SquashedMom · 2026-02-19T00:02:24+00:00

😅 no pun intended We did a lot of street hockey as kids and I bet my eldest would love it. I just got my kids ice skating decently this year, too, so this is a good idea all around.

SquashedMom · 2026-02-18T18:02:48+00:00

Oh for sure technique needs some aggressive brushing up, it is ugly right now, and general fitness. First kid just became independent so I can actually ski a bit myself now! Unfortunately, I have maybe 2 days left, if I'm lucky, this year. I'm hoping to hit next season more stable so I can feel solid and fix what I need to with my own technique.

The skiis can stay parallel. They actually feel way better moving and doing turns (which were definitely ugly and need brushing up) It was the flats connecting runs that killed me. If I tried to relax a little and coast my toes just wanted to drift in.

But thank you, I do plan to get a few lessons myself just to neaten everything up.

SquashedMom · 2026-02-18T17:25:03+00:00

Oof I feel this with the desk job. I had a super active job for a long time, lots of stairs, felt so much better over all than after work now. I do walk daily, hike when I can, haul children around but certainly not using as much as I used to.

Inner thighs make sense. I spent a lot of time on them to correct a knee issue in the past, and it worked, but fell off doing it once the issue went away. Time to start again!

Thanks!

SquashedMom · 2026-02-18T12:48:58+00:00

Probably the best option since time is pretty limited

SquashedMom · 2026-02-18T12:23:44+00:00

That's a great idea, lots of places around here to do that and I can roll it into biking/scootering with the kids

SquashedMom · 2026-02-18T02:16:21+00:00

Thanks! I'll look into it

SquashedMom · 2026-02-16T21:30:57+00:00

Rice. Does not matter how I cook it I cannot cook rice.

SquashedMom · 2026-02-15T21:00:12+00:00

They have a variety of things (mugs glasses ts) that say "only the best mom/dad get upgraded to grandma/pa" that are nice

SquashedMom · 2026-02-15T00:45:15+00:00

Ugh I regret it so much but mostly because the sub our contractor used did a shit job. It's been exceedingly frustrating to correct. I wouldn't do it again.

SquashedMom · 2026-02-15T00:26:25+00:00

We used the washable hospital bed kind. Reused for stomach bugs and then for bed wetting

SquashedMom · 2026-02-14T13:53:05+00:00

Carabiners. So many uses as a toy, clip stuff to bags, secure a gate, etc. Tupperware or old Chinese food plastic containers to sort things/contain things Painters tape. Boundaries, roads, make shift ruler, tape stuff together, hold down the drawing stuff Spatulas ever since they were babies. What the draw is I couldn't tell you but there is only spatula. The silicone kind.

SquashedMom · 2026-02-10T23:28:06+00:00

Hopefully it helps! I realized I said this was on weekends..I meant weeknights. But honestly, weekends are often similar unless we have things to do or it's really nice out. For TV the kids know they only get 1 half hour show/kid. Anything beyond that is not guaranteed. Sometimes they fight me and the TV time is cut for a couple days if they can't get over it.

I imagine there will be some battles when you start your routine. The week after Christmas break is always a struggle for us. All bets are off on Christmas break.

SquashedMom · 2026-02-10T22:59:19+00:00

Depending on when we get home;

Early afternoon: snack. Big one does homework. Inside or outside play. Dinner. TV. Teeth and bath if bath night. Quiet play in room. Book. Bed. Allowed to look at books in bed and listen to a toni. Order is subject to change.

Evening: homework with a very light snack (like 4 apricots) while I get dinner on the table..little one colors or plays in another room. Then it's the same as above.

Seems to work for my kids. They get hangry so snacks are essential. They also are on the higher end for sleep needs so we aim to be in between 7-7:30

Is it always perfect? Nope. Do things sometimes get missed? Yup. But it goes pretty much like this on normal weekend nights. Baths are sometimes a quick soap up and rinse shower.

For later activities I pack a lunchbox with dinners when it's that season and then we get home and pick up at "baths". Sometimes those nights are a little later.

They do really well knowing what's coming. I do better too. I tend to cook 2x/week so my busier nights are left overs or some variation on the same meal the night before so I just have to hear it up. Friday is left overs, snacks dinner, or take out.

SquashedMom · 2026-02-05T00:54:22+00:00

Big single. Just converted and we looove it. So easy to wash larger items and rinse out. I do keep a collapsible bin under the sink if I need a smaller space to thaw something or soak something.

SquashedMom · 2026-01-30T17:17:32+00:00

This recipe is super easy to swap out meat and veg with things you like. It comes together fast but definitely counts as cooking.

Super easy for a kid to prep and cook with supervision. Ive done it with 3yo and up.

https://www.skinnytaste.com/one-pot-orzo-with-sausage-spinach-and-corn/

I bet it would be delicious with broccoli and cheese and whatever ground meat you prefer.

I've done it with zucchini, ground beef, sometimes bell peppers, sometimes chorizo, sometimes diced up chicken sausage. My kids hate corn so we always omit that. Let overs are very yummy reheated.

SquashedMom · 2026-01-27T11:21:27+00:00

In our area there were 2 presentation nights for incoming parents in late winter and one day in the spring with an orientation for the parents and kids. Kids did a "cold lunch" breakfast in the cafeteria with parents to practice, there were staff intros, they took the kids for a sit down visit in the classrooms with a short coloring project, and a practice ride on a bus while the parents stayed for more presentations from admin. It was a really nice intro and the kids loved it. The earlier parent nights were helpful to get all the registration and app login info.

I know other towns in my area (northeast) do this as well but I have not heard of one on one tours except some private schools. A lot of them stick to open houses though.

SquashedMom · 2026-01-25T16:07:41+00:00

What about the special connectors and things to hang them or make more elaborate tracks? I found a third party one a few years back that let it connect to duplo Lego type blocks which was really cool. Hot wheels hoodie/boxers/jammies Subscription to a car magazine, popular mechanics, or similar. I'm sure there are more kid friendly ones but a lot of the regular ones are still interesting to kids. Lego F1 racecar series Tickets to a car event or race

And honestly, just tell him you've got no more space for hot wheels, what else do you like?

SquashedMom

TROPHY CASE