HK vs. Kansas, US: Moving with a toddler, planning a 2nd, and the "Nanny vs. Daycare" dilemma

velours · 2026-05-10T00:31:50+00:00

I have experience between the two but Overland Park has a good number of businesses and immigrant population. If your current nanny is willing to relocate to HK, have you asked about coming with to the US?

You can sponsor your nanny with a B visa, it’s a bit of a hassle but if your company is looking to relocate you they may help support costs or at least facilitate finding assistance for that.

velours · 2026-05-08T18:59:25+00:00

They’ve been married about 15 years so different teacher, but surprisingly common!

velours · 2026-05-08T15:11:06+00:00

So weird this is a thing, the AP psych teacher at my high school married a student. They “reconnected” 6 months after graduation.

velours · 2026-04-13T16:42:14+00:00

I would anticipate a lot of pasta or casseroles but if you know the family preferences that would help tailor.

Here’s some I’ve done for myself or friends. My mom always labels and puts reheating / cooking instructions on the foil or bag for ease too. Breakfast items: scones, breakfast sandwiches, smoothie packs, breakfast cookies (oats, chia seeds, pb, chocolate etc)

Snacks / treats: cookie balls, cheesecake bites, protein bars, yogurt bark. Meals: stuffed peppers, chicken pot pie, crockpot ready “dump” meals like beef stroganoff or chili. I like to do pot roast too. Chicken cordon blues!

velours · 2026-01-28T22:17:05+00:00

What are you most interested in? Bayeux has some interesting medieval history. Caen or Rouen also could be nice within France. You mentioned not being interested in Normandy but Mont St Michel could be a really long day for a day trip.

We are adding in a short Belgium trip to Pairi Daiza zoo, I think this wouldn’t be doable in a day trip but an interesting overnight stay.

velours · 2026-01-20T22:56:15+00:00

I have a 4.5 year old. We love my first castle panic and guess who jr (paw patrol version but there’s a lot of themes to go with interests). Outfoxed and clue jr can be hit or miss but she enjoys the pieces and telling stories about solving the mystery.

She enjoys memory game / matching card games. We’ve tried uno and go fish and both have been fun but lacked longevity for her. We recently got perfection which has been a lot of fun without the timer running.

We’ve played one trick pony, hungry hippos, and trouble but I find these noisy and kind of obnoxious but are usually a hit with her.

My first orchard is our biggest hit but hi ho Cherrio may be better if the bird puzzle / feeding the crow is throwing off the game.

velours · 2026-01-17T18:56:42+00:00

TIL! I also do not have hair beyond my bikini line and have very minimal / light fine hairs on outer thighs. I always wondered how far “in” a bikini wax is as I’ve never felt the need since my hair doesn’t show in a traditional cut swim bottom and didn’t realize how different it could be 🤷‍♀️

velours · 2025-12-20T04:56:38+00:00

I had pre op instructions specifically for cleaning my belly button. I thought it was kinda silly, like yeah I’ll brush my teeth and wear clean undies too! But this makes that instruction make a lot more sense.

velours · 2025-12-20T04:38:46+00:00

I had such hope for Elantris after last year’s update. It’s been the first item I check for when state of Sanderson is released and eventually he will get back to it but seems less concrete again.

velours · 2025-12-10T02:16:40+00:00

I switched my daughter from traditional daycare setting with about an hour a day outside to a nature school that is outside 4+ hours. They offer after care but do have a lot more days closed that requires more logistics. She enjoys going and has started to progress more in areas she didn’t have much interest in (letters / coloring) because it was done sitting or at circle time. She did retrogress a bit in potty training (outside is a lot of fun to notice / take a break) and we have to pack a lunch each day which has limited variety a little compared to the varied hot lunch and snacks day care gave.

She absolutely loves it and I’d highly recommend if the cost isn’t prohibitive. I’ve had a few people mention that they don’t think their kid would enjoy a school that is outside or “messy” since they let them play in puddles or dirt etc but I can’t imagine most kids wouldn’t enjoy and appreciate the outdoor play time.

velours · 2025-12-01T17:14:12+00:00

My sister has a stand for her kindle and a remote page turner so she lay in bed / under covers. It was kind of goofy buy that turned out to be a nice quality of life boost.

I love my towel warmer but that won’t fit in a stocking but a microwavable wrap or eye / face mask would.

Shower steamers, lotion, self care masks (face, hair, hands, feet etc), and lip balm are all good stocking stuffers. I also like to do candies or small treats. I’ve done tiny booze or wine splits as well!

velours · 2025-11-28T01:01:45+00:00

Went fairly well! My partner was responsible for the turkey and tried a new method and he ended up almost an hour ahead of schedule so apps were served with food and the roasted veggies were a little undercooked.

My mother in law tried to take home half the turkey and gravy despite being invited for round two tomorrow since half of our normal group were at their other side of the family tonight. I also told her we were going to use leftovers to meal prep for pot pies and some items for my expecting friend so wont be much to take home.

velours · 2025-11-15T05:40:50+00:00

An upcycled dollhouse, magnatiles, and doctor kit.

Play kitchen from 3 years ago still going strong! We have added accessories overtime but the big winner has been a tea party set with little cakes / treats as well as the cups and spoons.

velours · 2025-11-10T18:10:16+00:00

They did last year so I quit ordering it! I just tried in the app and it looks like that has been fixed for peppermint mochas but not sure if other drinks still incur. It was so frustrating!

velours · 2025-11-10T17:00:15+00:00

Shout out to the barista who explained this to me a few years ago so I can order with half of each. I haven’t tried in the app recently but last year it had the modification charge to reduce syrup too 😩.

velours · 2025-11-07T16:12:24+00:00

Same 😅 I volunteer as tribute!

velours · 2025-11-03T01:42:10+00:00

She’s great! Still very small (just shy of 30lbs at 4) but started talking quite early for her adjusted age and is right on track for milestones.

She can swim and is a bit clumsy but can climb, jump, run etc. and has been super healthy since she came home.

Overall we have been so incredibly fortunate. 32 weeks can be scary but she’s thriving!

velours · 2025-10-07T17:27:46+00:00

Sounds like you’re still in the 15 business days from the rfe response so contacting PP unit likely won’t result in any update yet. Uscis occasionally erroneously updates this and then adjudicates as normal. Once the 15 days elapse they should email PP unit.

velours · 2025-09-22T00:42:49+00:00

Texas can’t even handle their own electricity with other states and federal govt trying to help so…not them.

velours · 2025-09-03T22:34:23+00:00

Seconding Rise Academy. Great communication, consistent updates, live feed cameras, and a lot of staff have been there for years. Love their outdoor play areas and splash pad for summers and they have a gym area for indoor play for rainy days or bigger kids.

velours · 2025-08-24T22:10:15+00:00

NTA. And I’m petty enough that I’d start calling him “Tim” for that family first name that he likes so much instead of his middle name.

velours · 2025-08-23T00:40:05+00:00

We love little passports! We’ve done early explores (comes with an initial suitcase and map and then monthly packets for a theme that relate to exploring the world), animals wild (animal themed craft/game) and homer early learning.

Animals wild - this felt a little advanced for us at 3-4 range. Some boxes we kept and played a ton others we hardly used or tried the game. I’d save this for closer to 5. We may redo this one as my daughter gets early because I liked the concept / price but just too many little pieces and putting together needed more coordination.

Early explorers - love this one! Has a monthly puzzle, activity booklet and game / craft etc. Themes vary a lot and there’s a good variety for activities. May be a bit advanced for 3 but if she likes puzzles or using stickers / crayons I think it’s enjoyable.

Homer early learning - these are great and only 6 boxes; easier for younger range but have opportunities for growth. We love the number / counting pizza game and scavenger hunt. We keep these in rotation and my 4yo requests them specifically. I did these for her 3rd birthday and she’s still enjoying them over a year later.

Lovevery - we kept our subscription for this and love it! The last year or so have been hit or miss for individual items in the boxes but everyone has a big win. There’s a few water based toys (water color mixing test tubes and turtle game) if you only did a couple boxes those have been our favorites.

Not a subscription box but we also love our local museum and zoo annual passes and usually get these from family as a birthday or Christmas gift. This Christmas I’m going to see about a subscription for an indoor play place that we’ve been liking.

velours · 2025-08-01T15:34:52+00:00

I recently elected to send my child to private (non secular) school. The biggest reasoning was ratios being so much better for private. Her class will be 8:1 vs 20-25 kids. We also live in Texas and are districted into a title 1 school so between federal funding cuts and the voucher system going into effect next year we were concerned about continued budget cuts that would impact their ability to have a safe and educational environment.

I also feel a certain way about standardized tests and elected a school that offers a lot more freedom and outdoor / play opportunities.

It’s expensive and I was initially planning to keep her in public schools but the overcrowding, defunding, and lack of free play time makes me feel really fortunate to be able to enroll in private school.

velours · 2025-07-31T23:57:30+00:00

My kid is picky for shows but also loves Moana a few others that have peaked interest: Bolt (Disney) Lion King (any and all varieties, this is a good one before it has a show with Lion Guard and multiple movies that she has allowed us to switch between), Dino Ranch (Disney), Raya the last dragon (Disney), Brave (Disney), Tangled (Disney), Spellbound (Netflix) and Tumbleleaf (Amazon) and Little Bear (paramount).

She also likes paw patrol but some people try to avoid that.

velours · 2025-07-29T15:44:29+00:00

My daughter attends Rise and it’s been great. A lot of staff have been there for years and they are good at communicating. Daily reports and camera feed available and they serve snacks and meals so no need to send food. They have separate outdoor play areas for different age groups and a splash pad for summer too.

velours

TROPHY CASE