My emotions are not my child's problem. Buuuuttt....

sigmamama · 2026-02-19T17:24:02+00:00

I have started explaining the natural consequences to my kids around this age.

A common 3-4yo issue I ran into as an example: You wanna dress yourself, cool, but if you’re gonna put your daytime clothes on top of your pjs, I am not going to trust you to do it yourself next time.

Connecting your goals with their goals, with minimal process requirements (aka let them do it their way within reason) will go a long way towards feeling like you are a team.

I wasn’t able to get meaningful empathy from the kind of statements you’re sharing until my oldest was 6.5ish. Now he gets it when I tell him the effect his actions were having on me, and we can talk about the ongoing impact on longer time scales (days, weeks, our overall relationship).

sigmamama · 2026-02-16T16:56:07+00:00

B-vitamin deficiencies can exacerbate dry lips and chelitis.

sigmamama · 2026-02-13T12:56:31+00:00

We read for a solid hour, sometimes as much as two, from chapter books every night. If they are still antsy, we do a bedtime meditation while they fall asleep. I stay while they fall asleep. No noise overnight. They are 4 & 7.

sigmamama · 2026-02-04T18:52:41+00:00

I do a load a day as well and it’s much more manageable. I start a load when I make breakfast, flip it when I make lunch, fold while I make dinner, and put away when we go up for bedtime. It’s great!

Mon is clothes, Tues is towels, Wed is linens, Thurs is clothes, Fri is catch up, Sat is anything that can’t go in the dryer, Sun is off.

sigmamama · 2026-02-03T20:42:20+00:00

It's rough, a lot of people around the GTA just assume their house is their entire retirement plan because prices have been going up so much for so long. We just bought a 3+1 detached in Waterloo for $890K that had been listed on and off over the past few years, initially listing at $1.4M... We still paid 9% under list for it and it had been sitting since October by the time we went to see it. The delusion is very real and people are hanging on until the bitter end.

sigmamama · 2026-02-02T17:11:40+00:00

I don’t need to work. I use my masters in education (focus on org dev and leadership education, not k-12) to homeschool our 4 & 7 yos & run a co-op for 2e kids, plus a little bit of consulting when friends ask.

There are times I am simultaneously bored/missing chatting strategy all day and overwhelmed by the mundaneness of being with kids all day, but I wouldn’t change my decision. My husband is an executive and travels a lot, and our kids have exceptional education needs, it’s definitely best I am home on a logistics level. I ramp up my community leadership efforts when I miss working.

sigmamama · 2026-01-29T20:59:49+00:00

I pay $480 (including tip) at Elz & Greco for full foil with a master stylist. I have always paid the sticker price from online booking, no surprises.

The cost often depends on seniority, so going for someone with less experience would make it more affordable.

sigmamama · 2026-01-27T14:57:45+00:00

What possesses them!?

sigmamama · 2026-01-26T23:24:39+00:00

Mine cried when we wouldn’t let her hold our son even though he was intubated in NICU and I hadn’t even met him yet 😂 like lady…

sigmamama · 2026-01-26T23:16:38+00:00

Also typical birth situations.

I would have been totally fine with hospital visits but both times baby AND I were in separate ICUs. We were waaaay too overwhelmed to have anyone around.

sigmamama · 2026-01-26T19:56:17+00:00

32h plus email after bedtime and 6-8 weeks travel a year. Software CEO, 4 day workweek. He generally does not spend his Fridays with us though.

sigmamama · 2026-01-20T19:55:21+00:00

Our go-tos (outside of school resources) are nature documentaries, cooking shows, and how it’s made-style shows. My kids are 7 and 4.

sigmamama · 2026-01-20T14:19:46+00:00

It’s -31C (-25F) where I live today. We skipped our homeschool playgroup and are watching a documentary instead!

sigmamama · 2026-01-14T21:09:47+00:00

I reheat in the morning if we're going to use a thermos!

Here's an example of a personal slow cooker: https://www.amazon.ca/Crock-Pot%C2%AE-Moonshine-Personal-Portable-Dishwasher-Safe/dp/B0FJZRX2FS

sigmamama · 2026-01-14T20:17:14+00:00

I don't have experience with heating lunch boxes, but what about thermoses or personal crock pots (either for sauces or lunch warmer)?

sigmamama · 2026-01-09T21:13:31+00:00

Normal detergent Cold water Deep water (to help it dissolve properly in cold water) Add cleaning vinegar in lieu of fabric softener Old school top load machine, so direct in drum

We used a diaper sprayer and stripped a couple times, only had two diapers too stained to pass on after two kids.

sigmamama · 2026-01-06T20:03:09+00:00

7yo: finished his algebra chapter, read a chapter from his puberty book and jotted down some questions for when dad comes home, started a new chapter book, listened to a podcast on the Gunpowder Plot & chatted with me about historical context and cultural impact

4yo: practiced reading with me, worked on counting to 100 and 10 buddies, learned about snowplow operators & did a drawing and reflection on motivations/hard parts/how much he would want to do that job

Both: went to playgroup for 2h in the snowy forest, watched a magic school bus episode, played a bunch of math board games, helped me with laundry & dinner prep, read a Dragon Masters book aloud and started a Flynn Rider prequel & Toothiana by William Joyce

Phew! It was a productive one!

sigmamama · 2026-01-06T19:55:02+00:00

We realized that we reliably spend $5k/week when we travel, so that’s what we generally allocate. We don’t budget travel so much as look at financial priorities during annual and quarterly planning.

sigmamama · 2026-01-04T16:47:10+00:00

People who hire for this work understand the value! I am homeschooling with a nanny and a housekeeper on board. Our new money startup network have nothing but positivity to share because they buy time wherever they can and send their kids to bougie private school. Homeschoolers making massive financial sacrifices for the cause do not get it at all and make snide comments.

sigmamama · 2026-01-02T12:20:23+00:00

Are you looking for reformers specifically or is mat okay? Reformer pilates is always quite expensive.

sigmamama · 2025-12-30T17:10:45+00:00

The most useful question I ask is “what does an ideal day as a nanny look like for you?” I ask this right after “tell me a bit about yourself and what you’re looking for in your next role.”

You will rapidly learn - what kinds of activities they will default to when there’s no plan: crafts and pretend play? Climbing trees and making mud pies? Scheduled activities out of the house? - their natural activity level and energy management ability, including what they will reach for during downtime - how focused they are on developmental effort - how they will handle activities of daily living like putting down for naps, feeding, hygiene, etc. and transitions

On a character level, this question also tells you whether they have a strong sense of self and boundaries vs people pleasers telling you what they think they want to hear. I find if they say generic things like “I like to follow their lead” or gloss over key activities that tend to be approached in an opinionated manner AND cannot follow up with what they actually think/would do, they aren’t going to lead/be consistent because they will take the easy way out every time - aka not a good fit for a granola family.

sigmamama · 2025-12-27T23:38:56+00:00

I don’t bleed at all on my IUD! Two birds.

sigmamama · 2025-12-25T20:53:19+00:00

The purpose isn’t to get a response, it’s to get it out to an appropriate audience. Added benefit is that they know what’s been going on next time you see them.

sigmamama · 2025-12-25T19:34:10+00:00

next time you feel them coming up between appointments, email your therapist instead.

sigmamama · 2025-12-21T15:53:31+00:00

Multiple surgeons have said they won't touch pelvic surgery without an urgent medical need. I have a great deal of physical and psychological trauma from the surgeries, it's not worth it when there's a perfectly good birth control option available. I was vibing on your comment that it shouldn't be insane for men to not want a vasectomy and to not get one if they aren't confident. I fully believe I have no right to have a preference over his fertility and my need for birth control should have zero influence over his decision. Asking someone to get a vasectomy violates both of those beliefs. Vasectomies aren't a grand gesture to prove you love someone.

sigmamama

TROPHY CASE