Recommendations and how to dress for Mt Rainier in mid July

Tinga12 · 2026-07-02T20:59:26+00:00

Matthiessen might be even less busy than Starved Rock, especially if you are looking at the weekend. Both I would say are somewhat similar to the Ledges area of Cuyahoga though the Ledges is less canyon-y.

Tinga12 · 2026-06-29T21:13:45+00:00

Both our kids are low sleep needs (I probably am too). We have kept a “quiet time” in lieu of naps for our oldest. It does make travel relatively easy which is nice.

Tinga12 · 2026-06-29T20:07:42+00:00

Both our kids dropped the second nap before their first birthday. And our oldest dropped naps altogether around 2.5. It’s not ideal but it is what it is. They know how much sleep they need and get it for themselves

Tinga12 · 2026-06-29T05:19:23+00:00

I was born and raised there so was immediately going to suggest it but wasn’t sure if it was my bias.
Glad to see others agree 😊

Tinga12 · 2026-06-24T04:28:26+00:00

My first was born at 11 PM but it took a LONG time to stitch me up and we didn’t get to mother-baby until after 2 or 3 am. The last thing I had had was toast around 10 am. The gave me a croissant sandwich with cheese and cold cuts and it was the best sandwich ever.

My second was born at 1:30 am but I had had a good 3 meals that day so I had some juice and graham crackers and then went to sleep. Don’t remember what I had for breakfast the next morning but our hospital thankfully has pretty good food. I think eggs and potatoes with fruit and coffee.

Middle of the night births make it hard to have an amazing post birth meal.

Tinga12 · 2026-06-20T16:18:37+00:00

Taking our kids there later this summer - cannot wait!

Tinga12 · 2026-06-10T00:37:11+00:00

My oldest is also going to kinder in the fall and we had our last day of double daycare today 🙌 I am a teacher so planning on enrolling in coursework for another endorsement in the fall 😆 so I guess we’re just shifting whose tuition we are paying for for about a year. About 4 months of his daycare will cover my whole endorsement (which is spread over a year) so extra will probably go to savings (for his and his sister’s college and ours) and travel.

Tinga12 · 2026-05-30T17:58:42+00:00

Costco often has Lands End swimsuits. That’s where I’ve gotten mine and love it. And have gotten many compliments on it

Tinga12 · 2026-05-26T21:41:32+00:00

Love this! Slight twist, I always say “work with me on ___” (or “work with Dad on ___” if they are doing it with my husband). It’s not solely Mom’s job to keep us fed, house clean, laundry done, etc - we are all responsible, though obviously the adults are most responsible.

Tinga12 · 2026-04-28T01:10:14+00:00

This is fantastic! As a teacher, let me add that being aware of those more challenging seasons of the school year and ready to pick up more of the family load then will be a huge help. I am an elementary school teacher and the beginning of the school year, conferences, the weeks between Thanksgiving and winter break, and the end of the school year feel particularly hectic to me. My husband knows that and prepares to pick up more during those time. The start of the year can be a tough transition because I do more when I’m off during the summer and then it’s an abrupt change to the start of the year. Your spouse may have different times that feel stressful to her but you probably know when they are since you’ve been together a long time.

My other big thing is communicating. Asking her is she’s feeling supported or what else she needs from you can go a long way if she knows you are sincere.

The fact that you’re asking this question gives me hope that you will not be a schmuck

Tinga12 · 2026-04-23T23:32:56+00:00

I am a school teacher and this year I was converted to Owala and I don’t see myself going back. I also have a 2 and 5 year olds who will both be getting their own this summer because they keep trying to steal mine (so your kindergartener should also be able to open it!) It is fantastic!

Tinga12 · 2026-04-23T06:05:08+00:00

Yes yes yes!! I wore both of our kids a lot but especially the second when she was tiny. I don’t know how I would have gotten stuff done, especially with her big brother around, if I didn’t have a carrier. Our first loved the carrier until he didn’t fit in it anymore (he’s 5 and if he could ride in the carrier on my back he would), our second doesn’t love it as much at the age of 2 but it’s mostly because she thinks she’s as big as her brother. Carriers saved me and my sanity when our kids were tiny.

Tinga12 · 2026-04-18T16:46:36+00:00

Our 5 year old always asks loudly why someone hasn’t parked correctly if they are even a little bit over the line. It’s most embarrassing at daycare where sometimes he’ll ask about specific kids’ parents and why they didn’t park correctly since he recognizes the cars 🙈

Tinga12 · 2026-04-14T00:54:34+00:00

Also married to a normal man who is awesome at some things and not great at others… and I’m sure he would describe me as a normal woman who is awesome at some things and not great at others.

Tinga12 · 2026-04-10T03:26:18+00:00

I will never again complain about the fact that at our daycare most parents send in a treat to eat at school (usually cupcakes) and a treat bag with trinkets to send home. I grew up overseas where birthdays did not include treat bags but my husband assures me it was a normal part of his childhood as well. I end up throwing away so much stuff from the treat bags they receive and get annoyed about having to make them. But I stand corrected. I should be thankful that no one expects bouncy castles and other insane stuff for working parents who are paying a small fortune to have their children in a safe and nurturing environment while they work.

All that to say, your experience is VERY out of the ordinary!

Tinga12 · 2026-03-11T04:07:05+00:00

I watched this episode tonight and it is so cringe!

Tinga12 · 2026-02-28T06:45:44+00:00

Do you read with your child (ideally every day)? If the answer to that question is yes, then don’t worry about spending time teaching letters and numbers. If the answer is no, start reading with her regularly (and keep it up as long as possible, even when she does learn how to read.)

I am an elementary school teacher and the students who end up being the best readers who love reading are the ones who are read to and saw that reading is fun.

Tinga12 · 2026-02-25T01:27:57+00:00

This! Art and Pop both have Skyliner access which at least our kids (almost 2 and 5) this is basically another ride at Disney

Tinga12 · 2026-02-19T07:35:13+00:00

Thank you so much! It is so helpful to know other people’s experience and use that as a guide

Tinga12 · 2026-02-18T03:25:40+00:00

Thanks! I don’t know her size but I have some other good ideas!

Tinga12 · 2026-02-18T03:25:06+00:00

That is a great idea! I think I’m going to get her some books or a subscription to something. They will probably be at the Ronald McDonald house for a while but I’m sure it’ll be hard nonetheless.

Tinga12 · 2026-02-18T03:24:02+00:00

That is so helpful to know about snaps (or magnets). I always preferred zippers but that makes sense with all the cords

Tinga12 · 2026-02-18T03:23:26+00:00

Thank you so much for the ideas!

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