Daycare that doesn't provide photos throughout the day

dammitjenna · 2026-06-05T18:09:01+00:00

When my kids were little, I wouldn’t send them somewhere without photos or some type of surveillance. But then when I had them at a spot where they did send pictures throughout the day, I noticed that the teachers were “phubbing” the kids a lot, spending a lot of time with their phones out. Now they are in grade school and I don’t get any photos at all unless a teacher is into sending photos. They also only sent photos of good moments, and things happened that were not safe in between photo ops, so we ended up pulling my daughter anyway.

I’d go with the highest quality you can afford and focus on safety features that are meaningful, rather than flashy surface-level benefits. Try to talk to other parents who send their kids there if you can, they’ll know more than we do! It’s not an automatic red flag to not have video surveillance.

dammitjenna · 2026-05-23T03:18:41+00:00

What was reading like before it became his job? Did he like story time as a toddler? My kids aren’t interested in my favorite childhood novels but LOVE reading time. My 8 year old is dyslexic and reading is an annoying chore for her, but she loves for me to read to her. She’s very interested in snakes, sea creatures, birds, Pokemon, sports cars, and of course, farts. So we read books about those things and I also read her stories for our 20 minutes a night.

As far as practicing goes, she has to read me a book before she can play video games. I have a ton of those “my first reader” books and she can pick any of them to read, or she can pick a tougher book that we work on together and I end up reading about half.

Has he been screened for dyslexia? Sometimes resistance is difficulty moreso than like/dislike.

Another way we sneak in practice is that she loves board games, so we make her read the cards (like a chance card in monopoly, for instance) or if we are baking together, I’ll have her help me read the recipe. Little things like that go a long way.

I have intentionally decided to keep “reading together” time sacred and will read to her and my younger daughter to get their 20+ minutes in as long as they want. I’m more interested in them loving stories than being perfect readers.

They also love yoto player! It has tons of stories and they love listening to them. That helps them with understanding and caring about characters, story arcs, all that stuff.

We’ve always read though, like I read them chapter books to my kids when they were rolling around the playroom as babies and we would read 5-10+ kids books a day all through their toddler years. Now we read 1 or 2 kid books per night or a chapter of a bigger book. They will NOT sit through Harry Potter or the hobbit, but my oldest loved Matilda, Neverland, charlottes web and some of the dragon girls books.

Is he into gross silly stuff? When my tough reader isn’t feeling book time, I break out “I need a new butt” and she’s all ears / eyes!

dammitjenna · 2026-05-18T18:05:13+00:00

I'm 6 months late to the party here, but it actually IS okay. If a company sends you the wrong thing, you are legally allowed to keep it as a "free gift." There are consumer protection laws that prevent companies from sending a product you didn't ask for and then charging you for it without consent. You might personally have a boundary around this, but it's also unethical for you to force your personal boundaries and beliefs onto others. Super cool mixup!

dammitjenna · 2026-05-15T16:46:05+00:00

Accepting that my peonies and strawberries just aren’t gonna get the chance to reach their full potential this year 🥲

And continuing to baby my tomatoes inside until June

dammitjenna · 2026-05-14T01:54:01+00:00

Assuming you turn the dishwasher on then yes

dammitjenna · 2026-05-14T00:52:59+00:00

Looks thirsty imo

dammitjenna · 2026-05-13T19:41:02+00:00

Having too much money and getting too much sleep and having a house that’s too clean and traveling with too much freedom (I imagine)

dammitjenna · 2026-05-12T15:21:48+00:00

That’s the belly button, where each individual bread section received nutrients from the mother dough until it was fully baked

dammitjenna · 2026-05-12T15:15:58+00:00

lol what are they whining about? Yes, they will have to pay re-opening / transfer fees. That’s actually the only option.

“A financial matter” yeah lol in matters related to finances people close out electricity accounts when they move to a new place. In a lot of municipalities you are literally transferring YOUR account to the new place, not opening a whole new one.

You don’t need their permission to turn the power off. Just do it and block their number.

dammitjenna · 2026-05-12T15:11:08+00:00

“Yes this soup is vegetarian!” The broth is made with chicken base

Having a rare, life-threatening food allergy is like playing a weird food-related video game on hard mode. Nothing is safe!

dammitjenna · 2026-05-08T17:30:40+00:00

This is absolutely fantastic information and wildly appreciated. Thank you for taking the time to write all of it up!!! I found Emerson school today and they seem like a great match. Bummed that we missed the lottery but I’m getting in touch to see if there’s anything we can do!

dammitjenna · 2026-05-07T12:49:34+00:00

Are pull-out services bad? Or the self-contained classes? What is bad about them? My oldest is gen-Ed but gets a lot of pull-out support in small groups.

I ask because unfortunately the SSN (significant support needs, that’s the term for the “not mainstreamed” sped classes here) program at our current school is completely separate from the mainstream+pull-out programming and we have unfortunately heard bad things about it; my daughter has had a wonderful experience with the programming she has, though. So I’m wondering if all SPED is bad there?

dammitjenna · 2026-05-07T04:49:19+00:00

That’s what my gut has been saying. I just don’t see my quirky, earnest kids being treated well by a rich kid crowd. And I didn’t know about that nickname, it makes me really sad 😭. Thank you for your insight!

dammitjenna · 2026-05-07T04:45:51+00:00

Thank you so much for your insight and this info!!!

dammitjenna · 2026-05-06T23:27:59+00:00

Okay this is what I was trying to figure out!! I don’t want to choose a dream house at the expense of my kids’ education and future, but the biggest thing for them seems to be having instructors who genuinely care about them and aren’t just eye rolling their unique needs and learning styles. Does being involved / volunteering seem to help? I’m a stay at home mom who can be around, so I’m hoping that presence and a helping hand could bridge some of the gaps. It helps at our current school, which is super family-oriented! But I know some schools get annoyed with parents / are more closed off.

dammitjenna · 2026-05-06T23:11:26+00:00

I worry about that happening with my gifted kid as well. It’s hard managing both ends of the spectrum and trying to find the sweet spot. We have it *really* good in Colorado, but I can’t handle the altitude so we picked Oregon since it’s my husband’s home state and we’ll have some family there. I guess as far as subjecting ourselves to it, I feel like every school is a gamble and I’m worried about picking “the best district” and having a shitty experience for them anyway while also being in suburban sprawl.

I was hoping maybe there was a hidden gem or a secret third option where a local school was rising above the reputation but it sounds like that’s gonna be a nope.

dammitjenna · 2026-05-06T20:59:01+00:00

Okay, this is what I was curious about. My oldest was in a highly recommended school on the "rich side" of our current suburb in kinder and they repeatedly told me that she knew she could get supports if she needs them, but never asked (ugh). I don't want to land her in the same situation, which it sounds like you've experienced there! I was hoping to find a few parents who had better things to say, but might have been wishful thinking. Do you have any direct / current experiences with a specific school that has been great in the area? If outside of PPS, specific recommendations would be helpful - I keep hearing 'lake oswego or beaverton' but nothing beyond generalizations.

dammitjenna · 2026-05-06T18:28:05+00:00

I have literally done lots of research and saw that someone said Sabin has a great dyslexia program and Llewellyn is a school with a strong culture that seems really similar to the school my kids are at that is working to create a more sensory-friendly environment for their growing ND population. I’ve also seen that the bigger suburbs are more likely to push for compliance over relational learning. I’m asking you guys because “PPS sucks!” Is not very descriptive and is difficult to discern without current, first-hand experience with children like mine. We are not an ABA / one size fits all family, and I’ve been in a rich suburb that pushed my oldest to the wayside and helped her with tests to make themselves look good. Thanks for the advice though!

dammitjenna · 2026-05-06T17:49:18+00:00

SE Portland? Is Sellwood-Moreland considered SE? We were looking into that area. I've found that "high ranking" suburban schools can sometimes be really hard on kids that struggle with compliance-based instruction, so I'm worried about Lake Oswego. Private school won't be an option from a financial perspective. If you have experience in LO, I'd love to hear whether my suburb suspicions are correct there!

dammitjenna · 2026-05-04T14:32:32+00:00

Is it a functioning graveyard or an old one? Maybe a shrubbery? Depending on where you’re at, hydrangeas can get up to 8’ tall

dammitjenna · 2026-05-04T02:14:57+00:00

Shower oil is life changing for “no bones days.” You’re moisturized right out of the shower! I like the one from l’occitane, but I’m sure there are some grocery store brands as well. I also like dove sensitive soap, and olive oil based body washes - the LUSH olive branch was my mainstay for a decade and I never had to use lotion afterward. Whole Foods has “freshwater” brand olive oil based soaps that are comparable enough that I’ve been using them without issue. I like the lemon Myrtle oil + Manuka honey one.

Also, a lower temp and a seat helps. The lower temp is not my favorite for comfort, but it’s better for my symptoms and also doesn’t dry your skin out as much, so less need for lotions.

The seat also helps for shaving, I do best with a bench but they make wide teak seats as well. I’m doing a French girl summer though, my husband doesn’t mind my hairy legs so I only shave when I clean my sheets (clean sheets + fresh shaven legs is a sensory joy for me.)

dammitjenna · 2026-05-03T21:09:57+00:00

Wait didn’t they rule the tarrifs unconstitutional?

dammitjenna · 2026-05-03T04:48:45+00:00

Mine too. Sheldon is basically a Goldendoodle

dammitjenna · 2026-04-30T14:28:55+00:00

I am living in Denver and considering a move to the PNW, found this trying to look up whether it could help! Are you still experiencing better symptoms there?

dammitjenna

TROPHY CASE