Dog Man, Babysitters Club (girls), Magic Tree House, Wings of Fire. Diary of a Pug was okay. Captain Underpants.
We also get the kids National Geographic magazines, Focus on the family magazine and highlights magazines that my kids enjoy reading.

I personally don’t but I have two friends that bought a Casper mattress from Costco during a sale. One likes the mattress with no complaints. The other had it for almost two months and returned it. It was a weird combination of being firm and soft at the wrong spots.
I’m super picky (apparently) on mattresses so I’m following along!

House cleaner including folding AND putting away laundry. Would be awesome if they would pack lunches too.
Basically a second set of hands for you.
Night nurse/doula once a week so you have something to look forward to and will get good rest at least once a week to keep you going.
My husband and I divided and conquered for #3. 3 you realize a baby isn’t hard compared to the other 2 so it’s really about what YOU need.
Babysitter a couple mornings a week-even for you to take a walk around the block or go to the grocery store alone.

You got this!! Clearly bc you are already setting yourself up for success

Allergies: our allergist said the dose on the box/bottle is the bare minimum so you can double during intense seasons (Claritin at night+allegra in the morning)

Cold: sinus rinse, and I try to drug myself with advil/mucinex. Hot steamy showers, zinc, vitamin d, melatonin at night to sleep. SO sorry!!

***not a doctor so def run it by your provider

Some favorites at our house: Legos, paint by sticker, craft kits from Target or Michael’s, perler beads, latch kit, make bracelets, paint nails, old maid

We just did this last week. On the beach the kids played with standard beach toys with an emphasis on shovels and buckets. Mesh net for catching things, and something to store their shells/treasures in. Volleyball and spike ball too. Little boy loved having his remote controlled truck.

At the house they did legos in the morning, paint by sticker books, read books/magazines and they did play a little bit of video games in the afternoon.
I kept a puzzle on the coffee table and they sorta did it but not really-I thought it was a genius idea but I guess not.

Running Point on Netflix with Kate Hudson!! Slow to start but then you get hooked. Minimal brain effort required

I try and use the same meat at least twice (ground beef in spaghetti sauce on Monday and ground beef in tacos on Tuesday).
Another good one is to shred a bunch of chicken breasts (get from Costco) and then can use for quesadillas Monday, tacos Tuesday, chili Wednesday, enchiladas Thursday etc parents can add to salads or make a chicken salad for lunch too.

We did it once with little kids and once we arrived we decided to spring for return tickets for me and my kids and my husband drove solo LOL!

But to answer your question, we started the drive at 4am and the kids slept. Then we stopped in New Orleans for brunch. A Buccees outside Mobile, Al and then final push to the beach.
It really wasn’t terrible and we should probably try again now that the kids are a little older

I know this is kid specific BUT generally speaking, how do you know when/how much to push/motivate your child? One of my kids doesn’t really seem interested in much. Extra curriculars, school work etc I just want them to be interested in something, anything at this point. Not depressed. Would rather just hang out.

Actually yes. Bed bath and beyond. And if you download the app you automatically get 20% off your order. I just bought outdoor furniture. The same exact furniture I saw on other sites but at a fraction of the cost

Oh this is so exciting!!!!!! Congrats!! Normal to feel overwhelmed.
I always say, everything is exaggerated. The sleep deprivation and the JOY!

Lake Hills Pharmacy in Austin, TX is the cheapest I have found. You can either have your Dr send in a script to be compounded or do telehealth with one of their providers.
I think it starts at $199/month

Looking to replace alcohol with a thc canned beverage. What’s your favorite? I’m not a huge fan of sweet. Margarita is my “goto” cocktail. Thanks!

If we have some brain power left we enjoy Masterclass.

Breaking bad was a little intense but we were both glued. Curb Your Enthusiasm. Yellowstone. Schitts Creek. The Office. Last Chance U. Parks and Rec. Hard Knocks

I can relate. I’m contemplating the same thing. It’s not even a time issue but a mental capacity issue. I’m tired of the deadlines and stress of answering to someone outside of my family. In the same breath I don’t think I’m wired to be a SAHM so I’m looking for something part time. Still nervous about the financial hit but hopefully will have more time to cook at home instead of picking dinner up etc
It’s just too much. Idk how anyone does it. The pace is not sustainable.

We (mainly me) also struggle with exhaustion come 6pm. We tried something recently that worked well…we hired a babysitter and added time before so she would be at our house while we were getting ready. I had a glass of wine before she came over and went upstairs once she arrived and we were intimate before going on date night. She had the kids in the backyard playing.
Not feasible every time but a good work around when it works!
Came home from date night and passed out we felt more connected during date night too

$180 for a clean (team of 4, takes 2ish hours)
$25/hr for a tidy+fold laundry+general pick up (1 lady that stays for 4hrs).

I tried to do this myself but I work full time and it’s simply not feasible. I was absolutely drowning without help and it’s the best use of our money. Everyone is happier

That’s terrible. I do not envy you. I forgot about the activated charcoal but I’ve definitely used it before on myself and kids. I don’t think it works if it’s a virus and you just have to let it run its course but maybe I’m mistaken. Def for food poisoning and other tummy bugs. Yours sounds intense tho. So sorry!!

Weed. Get a pen. Prob not the answer you’re looking for but it works and you feel so much better the next day compared to alcohol. Parenting is intense

Or edibles but they all put me to sleep. Even the “uppers”