2021 Holiday Gift Guide

<v Speaker 1>Hi. This is Laura Vandercamp. I'm a mother of five, 0:00:06.160 --> 0:00:10.240 <v Speaker 1>an author, journalist, and speaker. And this is Sarah hart Unger. 0:00:10.480 --> 0:00:13.480 <v Speaker 1>I'm a mother of three, a practicing physician and blogger. 0:00:13.480 --> 0:00:15.800 <v Speaker 1>On the side, we are two working parents who love 0:00:15.840 --> 0:00:19.320 <v Speaker 1>our careers and our families. Welcome to best of both worlds. 0:00:19.600 --> 0:00:22.400 <v Speaker 1>Here we talk about how real women manage work, family, 0:00:22.560 --> 0:00:25.800 <v Speaker 1>and time for fun, from figuring out childcare to mapping 0:00:25.800 --> 0:00:28.360 <v Speaker 1>out long term career goals. We want you to get 0:00:28.400 --> 0:00:34.080 <v Speaker 1>the most out of life. Welcome to best of both worlds. 0:00:34.240 --> 0:00:37.200 <v Speaker 1>This is Laura. This is episode two hundred and twenty four, 0:00:37.440 --> 0:00:40.320 <v Speaker 1>which is airing in mid November of twenty twenty one. 0:00:40.360 --> 0:00:42.519 <v Speaker 1>In this episode, we are going to be doing our 0:00:42.640 --> 0:00:46.800 <v Speaker 1>holiday gift guide, things we recommend purchasing, also things you 0:00:46.880 --> 0:00:50.000 <v Speaker 1>might think about asking for for the holidays, and our 0:00:50.040 --> 0:00:55.120 <v Speaker 1>general approach to organization for holiday gift selection and so forth. 0:00:55.880 --> 0:00:58.600 <v Speaker 1>Now you may be thinking holiday shopping season. Isn't this 0:00:58.680 --> 0:01:01.000 <v Speaker 1>a little bit early midnight November? Many of us not 0:01:01.080 --> 0:01:04.280 <v Speaker 1>doing our holiday shopping quite yet at this point, but 0:01:04.400 --> 0:01:08.080 <v Speaker 1>we have been warned to various supply chain issues, and 0:01:08.480 --> 0:01:11.240 <v Speaker 1>it turns out that Honaka also starts rather early this year, 0:01:11.440 --> 0:01:14.720 <v Speaker 1>November twenty eight, so one half of the Best of 0:01:14.760 --> 0:01:18.600 <v Speaker 1>Both Worlds duo has been deep in holiday shopping mode already, 0:01:19.080 --> 0:01:21.319 <v Speaker 1>So we're going to go ahead and air this episode now. 0:01:21.880 --> 0:01:24.840 <v Speaker 1>So Sarah, how is the holiday shopping going for you? 0:01:26.440 --> 0:01:31.960 <v Speaker 1>I mean, I haven't actually started yet deep as much 0:01:31.959 --> 0:01:34.800 <v Speaker 1>as I'm thinking about it. Yes, I am thinking about it. 0:01:34.880 --> 0:01:37.520 <v Speaker 1>I have asked the kids to create some lists for me. 0:01:38.080 --> 0:01:40.440 <v Speaker 1>I've just been asking them to think about what they want. 0:01:41.080 --> 0:01:44.520 <v Speaker 1>I'm not always great actually at procuring gifts ahead of time. 0:01:44.720 --> 0:01:47.960 <v Speaker 1>To be fair, with all my love for planning, one 0:01:48.000 --> 0:01:50.160 <v Speaker 1>would think I might be better at this, but I 0:01:50.200 --> 0:01:52.520 <v Speaker 1>am not. I think part of it is a little 0:01:52.520 --> 0:01:55.720 <v Speaker 1>bit of approach avoidance. As we'll talk about in this episode. 0:01:55.880 --> 0:01:59.040 <v Speaker 1>Buying gifts for kids off of means filling your house 0:01:59.080 --> 0:02:01.360 <v Speaker 1>with a lot of things, which Laura and I feel 0:02:01.400 --> 0:02:04.120 <v Speaker 1>a little bit differently about. But sometimes, as I'm you know, 0:02:04.280 --> 0:02:07.560 <v Speaker 1>still stepping over current toys, it can feel overwhelming to 0:02:07.600 --> 0:02:10.799 <v Speaker 1>be adding more to that pile. And both of us 0:02:10.880 --> 0:02:14.800 <v Speaker 1>are you know, looking forward hopefully to future moves pretty soon. 0:02:14.919 --> 0:02:17.320 <v Speaker 1>So I think that adds insult to injury of wanting 0:02:17.360 --> 0:02:21.160 <v Speaker 1>to increase the amount of stuff. Yeah, no, I'm in 0:02:21.280 --> 0:02:23.680 <v Speaker 1>I've definitely been thinking about this year that oh, everything 0:02:23.960 --> 0:02:26.280 <v Speaker 1>that the kids get for Christmas will need to be 0:02:26.600 --> 0:02:31.359 <v Speaker 1>then moved to the new house most likely, And you know, 0:02:31.520 --> 0:02:35.120 <v Speaker 1>it's just adding to the boxes of stuff that we'll 0:02:35.160 --> 0:02:37.400 <v Speaker 1>be doing. And you know, I've been packing up boxes 0:02:37.440 --> 0:02:40.680 <v Speaker 1>of stuff to declutter the rooms and you know, showing 0:02:40.720 --> 0:02:43.600 <v Speaker 1>the house and moving and you know, there's a definite 0:02:43.600 --> 0:02:48.240 <v Speaker 1>thought that there are degrees of clutter with the stuff, right, 0:02:48.560 --> 0:02:53.560 <v Speaker 1>there's degrees of excess, and you know, there's it's fine 0:02:53.600 --> 0:02:56.720 <v Speaker 1>to have some stuff. I mean, you know, I like 0:02:56.840 --> 0:02:59.560 <v Speaker 1>miniature things as much as anyone. If your daughter has 0:02:59.639 --> 0:03:01.640 <v Speaker 1>a dog that you know, the doll is obviously going 0:03:01.720 --> 0:03:04.000 <v Speaker 1>to have accessories. I don't expect there to be only 0:03:04.040 --> 0:03:06.960 <v Speaker 1>one outfit for one doll. And you somehow, you know, 0:03:07.120 --> 0:03:09.280 <v Speaker 1>satisfy yourself with this, like we're in little house on 0:03:09.320 --> 0:03:13.959 <v Speaker 1>the prairie. But on the other hand, probably when one 0:03:14.040 --> 0:03:17.919 <v Speaker 1>asked for, say, scented erasers as a gift one year, 0:03:18.520 --> 0:03:21.240 <v Speaker 1>it would have behooved everybody to find a set of 0:03:21.280 --> 0:03:25.560 <v Speaker 1>like four scented erasers, as opposed to a set of 0:03:26.080 --> 0:03:29.280 <v Speaker 1>like one hundred scented erasers or like a thousand or 0:03:29.320 --> 0:03:33.000 <v Speaker 1>whatever unit it is that Amazon sells these ridiculous things 0:03:33.000 --> 0:03:36.680 <v Speaker 1>in that you then find in bits and pieces wedged 0:03:36.760 --> 0:03:40.360 <v Speaker 1>under every bit of furniture in the room. Hypothetically, of course. 0:03:41.080 --> 0:03:44.800 <v Speaker 1>So yes, we're, you know, trying to figure out ways 0:03:44.880 --> 0:03:50.280 <v Speaker 1>to maybe have slightly less numerous of things, even acknowledging 0:03:50.280 --> 0:03:53.760 <v Speaker 1>that with five children there's always just going to be stuff. 0:03:53.880 --> 0:03:56.240 <v Speaker 1>There's there's no way it can be a minimalist paradise 0:03:56.280 --> 0:03:59.280 <v Speaker 1>in this house whatever. But you know, so we're generally 0:03:59.320 --> 0:04:01.720 <v Speaker 1>trying to be thought about it. And one of the 0:04:01.760 --> 0:04:04.480 <v Speaker 1>things I think we want to encourage our listeners to 0:04:04.760 --> 0:04:07.920 <v Speaker 1>do is to be thoughtful about what you want for 0:04:07.960 --> 0:04:11.520 <v Speaker 1>the holidays. People are going to ask you this question. 0:04:12.120 --> 0:04:17.280 <v Speaker 1>Presumably your spouse or partner, extended family members, your children 0:04:17.360 --> 0:04:20.240 <v Speaker 1>even might ask you what you want for the holidays, 0:04:20.279 --> 0:04:24.320 <v Speaker 1>and we often don't have a great answer, and or 0:04:24.360 --> 0:04:26.680 <v Speaker 1>it's just some like oh whatever, or this little thing 0:04:26.760 --> 0:04:28.839 <v Speaker 1>you know you've identified the compent. You get me a scarf, 0:04:28.960 --> 0:04:30.720 <v Speaker 1>which you know you could probably go buy your own 0:04:30.760 --> 0:04:33.480 <v Speaker 1>scarf if you want it. So it's a tough question, 0:04:33.760 --> 0:04:37.840 <v Speaker 1>and you know there's there's various things you can ask for. 0:04:38.240 --> 0:04:42.560 <v Speaker 1>And one thing I suggested in a recent newsletter that 0:04:42.600 --> 0:04:46.080 <v Speaker 1>I've gotten a lot of positive feedback about is asking 0:04:46.160 --> 0:04:51.080 <v Speaker 1>for the gift of space. So many people having coming 0:04:51.080 --> 0:04:53.320 <v Speaker 1>out of the last you know, twenty months of pandemic, 0:04:53.360 --> 0:04:56.880 <v Speaker 1>have been just a lot more around our families than 0:04:57.400 --> 0:05:00.240 <v Speaker 1>perhaps at other times, just being available for them sort 0:05:00.240 --> 0:05:02.440 <v Speaker 1>of twenty four to seven, because you're all there in 0:05:02.480 --> 0:05:04.279 <v Speaker 1>a way that might not have been the case in 0:05:04.320 --> 0:05:06.840 <v Speaker 1>the past. And it can be nice in many ways. 0:05:06.839 --> 0:05:10.080 <v Speaker 1>It can also be overwhelming in many ways. And sometimes 0:05:10.120 --> 0:05:11.760 <v Speaker 1>we get burned out with this and think we just 0:05:11.800 --> 0:05:14.440 <v Speaker 1>need to burn everything down. But maybe you don't need 0:05:14.440 --> 0:05:16.599 <v Speaker 1>to burn everything down. Maybe you need to get away 0:05:16.800 --> 0:05:18.560 <v Speaker 1>for a little bit, and it doesn't have to be 0:05:18.600 --> 0:05:22.080 <v Speaker 1>for long. I recently went on my editing retreat for 0:05:22.160 --> 0:05:24.680 <v Speaker 1>two nights in Cape May, and the upside of two 0:05:24.760 --> 0:05:27.240 <v Speaker 1>nights is then you have an entire day in which 0:05:27.240 --> 0:05:28.800 <v Speaker 1>you don't have to deal with anything, you don't have 0:05:28.839 --> 0:05:30.360 <v Speaker 1>to travel anywhere, you don't have to deal with other 0:05:30.360 --> 0:05:32.920 <v Speaker 1>people's needs from wake up to night, and then you 0:05:33.040 --> 0:05:34.520 <v Speaker 1>get you know, your next night, and then you leave 0:05:34.560 --> 0:05:37.120 <v Speaker 1>that day. And so it was great, and you know, 0:05:37.160 --> 0:05:39.159 <v Speaker 1>I think for many listeners. It's not so much the 0:05:39.160 --> 0:05:41.320 <v Speaker 1>price of an off season hotel or two nights in 0:05:41.320 --> 0:05:43.559 <v Speaker 1>an airbnb, or even you know, go borrow a friend's 0:05:43.560 --> 0:05:46.760 <v Speaker 1>house if they're traveling. It's the logistics of everything else 0:05:46.839 --> 0:05:50.160 <v Speaker 1>in your life. But if you're feeling guilty about asking 0:05:50.360 --> 0:05:52.880 <v Speaker 1>for that, maybe you could ask for it as a 0:05:52.880 --> 0:05:55.200 <v Speaker 1>holiday present, you know, see if the people in your 0:05:55.200 --> 0:05:58.400 <v Speaker 1>life might support your ability to get away for a 0:05:58.440 --> 0:06:02.039 <v Speaker 1>little bit of time. Sarah, you're considering something like this, right, 0:06:02.839 --> 0:06:05.240 <v Speaker 1>I absolutely love this. I mean, to be fair, My 0:06:05.320 --> 0:06:08.320 <v Speaker 1>husband and I took this as our own gift fairly recently. 0:06:08.400 --> 0:06:10.560 <v Speaker 1>I agree with you that the two nights is a 0:06:10.600 --> 0:06:15.000 <v Speaker 1>sweet spot because having two mornings to sleep in, having 0:06:15.200 --> 0:06:18.080 <v Speaker 1>two nights where you don't have to worry about getting 0:06:18.120 --> 0:06:20.160 <v Speaker 1>kids up in the morning, and then having a full day. 0:06:20.800 --> 0:06:23.000 <v Speaker 1>It really doesn't have to be that many hours, but 0:06:23.040 --> 0:06:26.640 <v Speaker 1>it can be incredibly rejuvenating. And so I don't know 0:06:26.680 --> 0:06:28.600 <v Speaker 1>if I was asked, you know, if I wanted to 0:06:28.640 --> 0:06:29.960 <v Speaker 1>do something like this, would I want to do it 0:06:30.000 --> 0:06:32.279 <v Speaker 1>with myself or my husband? Either way I think would 0:06:32.320 --> 0:06:35.800 <v Speaker 1>be wonderful. And I do agree that midweek can be 0:06:35.960 --> 0:06:38.640 <v Speaker 1>a great time to do this because if you can 0:06:39.200 --> 0:06:42.360 <v Speaker 1>swing the childcare, then you might miss out on less. 0:06:42.440 --> 0:06:44.640 <v Speaker 1>You know, with your kids, you're not giving away a 0:06:44.680 --> 0:06:47.520 <v Speaker 1>weekend time with them, They're just going about their daily routine. 0:06:47.800 --> 0:06:49.520 <v Speaker 1>And if you can find a partner in crime to 0:06:49.560 --> 0:06:53.240 <v Speaker 1>help you kind of make the usual stuff happen, whether 0:06:53.279 --> 0:06:55.240 <v Speaker 1>that is a nanny, a family member, or just your 0:06:55.279 --> 0:06:58.360 <v Speaker 1>partner being able to pick up the slack, I think 0:06:58.360 --> 0:06:59.920 <v Speaker 1>it can be a little bit less of an ask 0:07:00.000 --> 0:07:01.880 <v Speaker 1>if you're just going to be like Wednesday to Friday, 0:07:01.920 --> 0:07:05.320 <v Speaker 1>for example. Yeah, definitely true. Sometimes during the week is 0:07:05.360 --> 0:07:08.359 <v Speaker 1>easier because you have often the support system in place 0:07:08.440 --> 0:07:10.920 <v Speaker 1>for you know, what would your normal coverage be for 0:07:11.040 --> 0:07:13.840 <v Speaker 1>your children during this time. And yeah, you know, going 0:07:13.880 --> 0:07:16.400 <v Speaker 1>solo is great. If you did want to take your 0:07:16.480 --> 0:07:18.840 <v Speaker 1>your partner with you, then obviously you would need to 0:07:19.080 --> 0:07:23.240 <v Speaker 1>have ask this as a gift from extended family for instance, 0:07:23.720 --> 0:07:27.440 <v Speaker 1>that you know, if you have grandparents or you know, 0:07:27.520 --> 0:07:31.640 <v Speaker 1>even you could swap off with cousins, you know, aunts, uncles, 0:07:31.680 --> 0:07:34.280 <v Speaker 1>that sort of thing that you might offer to move 0:07:34.280 --> 0:07:36.160 <v Speaker 1>into their house for a day or something they can 0:07:36.240 --> 0:07:38.480 <v Speaker 1>move into your house for a day. Whatever might work. 0:07:39.080 --> 0:07:42.000 <v Speaker 1>But it's just something like this would be a lot 0:07:42.120 --> 0:07:45.360 <v Speaker 1>more exciting for many of us than say the scarf 0:07:45.400 --> 0:07:48.720 <v Speaker 1>that you can purchase for yourself. So just as an 0:07:48.720 --> 0:07:52.440 <v Speaker 1>idea of something that might be, you know, make you 0:07:52.480 --> 0:07:55.680 <v Speaker 1>feel excited on you know, Christmas morning or you know 0:07:55.720 --> 0:08:01.000 <v Speaker 1>whatever night of morning you a good morning, then consider 0:08:01.120 --> 0:08:06.200 <v Speaker 1>something like that so you know we're going to you know, 0:08:06.240 --> 0:08:08.760 <v Speaker 1>I may ask for it again. Well, the editing retreating 0:08:08.920 --> 0:08:11.040 <v Speaker 1>is for work. I mean, I guess going away for 0:08:11.120 --> 0:08:14.560 <v Speaker 1>work is slightly different. But you know, maybe just going 0:08:14.600 --> 0:08:16.960 <v Speaker 1>away just for fun, well I don't have a work reason, 0:08:17.360 --> 0:08:20.320 <v Speaker 1>could be fun. I've given Michael like a weekend a 0:08:20.320 --> 0:08:22.400 <v Speaker 1>way to go skiing with his brother, so maybe we can. 0:08:22.960 --> 0:08:24.840 <v Speaker 1>You know, you could give people something for years and 0:08:24.880 --> 0:08:27.240 <v Speaker 1>they don't necessarily think to give it to you as well. 0:08:29.920 --> 0:08:32.000 <v Speaker 1>Be like, remember the thing we always do, Well, now 0:08:32.000 --> 0:08:38.160 <v Speaker 1>it's going to be a swap exactly. So pivoting from 0:08:38.280 --> 0:08:43.800 <v Speaker 1>that to the wise Woman's approach to gift shopping. It 0:08:43.840 --> 0:08:46.120 <v Speaker 1>may be by the time you're reading some of these 0:08:46.160 --> 0:08:49.200 <v Speaker 1>tips are probably coming a little late in the you know, 0:08:49.320 --> 0:08:51.920 <v Speaker 1>calendar year to be thinking about this. But one thing 0:08:51.960 --> 0:08:54.360 <v Speaker 1>I've found helpful is, you know, as you're setting up 0:08:54.400 --> 0:08:58.640 <v Speaker 1>your twenty twenty two planner, because I'm sure big chunks 0:08:58.679 --> 0:09:01.440 <v Speaker 1>of our listenership, especially the who listen to Sarah's podcast 0:09:01.520 --> 0:09:04.480 <v Speaker 1>to Best Laid Plans, have put a lot of thought 0:09:04.520 --> 0:09:07.520 <v Speaker 1>into getting that twenty twenty two perfect planner. At this point, 0:09:07.760 --> 0:09:11.040 <v Speaker 1>use one of your notes pages to make a list 0:09:11.520 --> 0:09:15.280 <v Speaker 1>for holiday season next year, right that is, holiday twenty 0:09:15.360 --> 0:09:18.600 <v Speaker 1>twenty two. And in the course of the year, when 0:09:18.640 --> 0:09:24.360 <v Speaker 1>people mention something that they would like or offhand say oh, 0:09:24.360 --> 0:09:26.880 <v Speaker 1>that's really cool, or you know, oh, I've never done 0:09:26.960 --> 0:09:30.080 <v Speaker 1>that before, you can make a note by their name 0:09:30.640 --> 0:09:33.679 <v Speaker 1>on that list in the notes section. And then when 0:09:33.760 --> 0:09:37.040 <v Speaker 1>you get to November of twenty twenty two, you already 0:09:37.080 --> 0:09:39.640 <v Speaker 1>have a good start on a shopping list of things 0:09:39.640 --> 0:09:42.920 <v Speaker 1>you can then start start executing on Sarah, do you 0:09:42.920 --> 0:09:44.640 <v Speaker 1>think ahead of time on that you were saying you 0:09:44.640 --> 0:09:46.760 <v Speaker 1>don't really so much? I feel like I really would 0:09:47.000 --> 0:09:50.480 <v Speaker 1>like too. I probably would even do it, even though 0:09:50.520 --> 0:09:52.920 <v Speaker 1>you know I love paper. I think the perfect place 0:09:52.960 --> 0:09:55.400 <v Speaker 1>to house something like this would be my Apple Notes app, 0:09:55.440 --> 0:09:57.880 <v Speaker 1>because it's always available and I could actually just cut 0:09:57.920 --> 0:10:00.960 <v Speaker 1>and paste lengths if it's online shopping, and to be 0:10:01.080 --> 0:10:04.920 <v Speaker 1>completely fair, I do much more of my shopping online 0:10:04.960 --> 0:10:08.640 <v Speaker 1>these days. Than in person, although I am trying to 0:10:08.640 --> 0:10:12.560 <v Speaker 1>make a move consciously away from certain, you know, large 0:10:12.600 --> 0:10:16.040 <v Speaker 1>companies that have sucked up everything else. However, there's lots 0:10:16.080 --> 0:10:19.280 <v Speaker 1>of online shopping you can do direct from brands themselves 0:10:19.280 --> 0:10:22.440 <v Speaker 1>that are not themselves large company. Sometimes you actually I've 0:10:22.480 --> 0:10:24.480 <v Speaker 1>noticed this is a hack I learned from my husband, 0:10:24.520 --> 0:10:27.960 <v Speaker 1>and we're digressing a lot. But like, let's give an 0:10:27.960 --> 0:10:31.320 <v Speaker 1>example of Clean Canteen water bottles. Okay, you can buy 0:10:31.320 --> 0:10:34.080 <v Speaker 1>them at a big retailer named A. You can also 0:10:34.120 --> 0:10:36.440 <v Speaker 1>go to the Clean Canteen website, where you're likely to 0:10:36.440 --> 0:10:40.160 <v Speaker 1>find a broader selection, like basically everything they've ever offered, 0:10:40.280 --> 0:10:42.320 <v Speaker 1>and when you order it from them, it might not 0:10:42.360 --> 0:10:45.120 <v Speaker 1>come quite as fast, but it comes reasonably fast, and 0:10:45.480 --> 0:10:47.520 <v Speaker 1>since you know it came directly from the manufacture, if 0:10:47.520 --> 0:10:49.960 <v Speaker 1>you have an issue, it's probably more likely to be addressed. 0:10:50.000 --> 0:10:52.840 <v Speaker 1>So I still plan on doing my holiday shopping mostly online, 0:10:53.160 --> 0:10:57.480 <v Speaker 1>just not necessarily, like you know, from one place. They 0:10:57.480 --> 0:11:01.720 <v Speaker 1>do make it very easy, though, there is that although 0:11:01.720 --> 0:11:03.959 <v Speaker 1>we do a lot of our shopping also at Target. 0:11:04.040 --> 0:11:06.319 <v Speaker 1>Not saying that they're anymore, you know, I mean, there's 0:11:06.360 --> 0:11:08.920 <v Speaker 1>still a huge company, so it's not like it's supporting 0:11:08.960 --> 0:11:10.439 <v Speaker 1>small business, but we wind up doing a lot of 0:11:10.440 --> 0:11:13.640 <v Speaker 1>the shopping there as well, and Walmart too, So who 0:11:13.720 --> 0:11:15.400 <v Speaker 1>knew that they would suddenly be the good guy in 0:11:15.440 --> 0:11:19.160 <v Speaker 1>all this. But I've picked up a few things already 0:11:19.440 --> 0:11:21.520 <v Speaker 1>in the course of the year, like if you know 0:11:21.600 --> 0:11:24.439 <v Speaker 1>you have that mindset, and if you have some space 0:11:24.960 --> 0:11:27.200 <v Speaker 1>in your house, so we have a gift closet where 0:11:27.320 --> 0:11:29.080 <v Speaker 1>you know, I tend to have stuff. So if I 0:11:29.080 --> 0:11:32.680 <v Speaker 1>ever have a birthday party invite that we suddenly need 0:11:32.840 --> 0:11:35.839 <v Speaker 1>a president for let's say a seven year old, well 0:11:35.880 --> 0:11:38.280 <v Speaker 1>we probably have at least one thing in there that 0:11:38.320 --> 0:11:41.080 <v Speaker 1>could function as a reasonable president for a seven year old. 0:11:41.640 --> 0:11:44.400 <v Speaker 1>And I picked up a few things in the course 0:11:44.440 --> 0:11:45.480 <v Speaker 1>of the year as I saw them and say, oh, 0:11:45.559 --> 0:11:47.200 <v Speaker 1>that would be a really good present for one of 0:11:47.200 --> 0:11:49.840 <v Speaker 1>my kids. Again, key thing, though, you got to keep 0:11:49.880 --> 0:11:53.480 <v Speaker 1>that note that exists on your inventory list, in the 0:11:53.520 --> 0:11:57.280 <v Speaker 1>notes in the planner, because otherwise you are then shopping 0:11:57.280 --> 0:11:58.880 <v Speaker 1>and then go into the gift closet and you're like, 0:11:58.920 --> 0:12:01.760 <v Speaker 1>oh wait, I got that for so and so back 0:12:01.800 --> 0:12:07.840 <v Speaker 1>in June and totally you know, left my mental active sphere. 0:12:08.640 --> 0:12:11.800 <v Speaker 1>So yeah, that's you know, one way to sort of 0:12:11.840 --> 0:12:14.400 <v Speaker 1>start thinking about it, you know, and then for the 0:12:14.440 --> 0:12:17.520 <v Speaker 1>current holiday season, it's also probably a good idea to 0:12:18.640 --> 0:12:21.760 <v Speaker 1>make another list then once you are in the active 0:12:22.160 --> 0:12:25.800 <v Speaker 1>shopping mode, so that this can help you keep track 0:12:25.840 --> 0:12:28.200 <v Speaker 1>of what it has been purchased, what still needs to 0:12:28.200 --> 0:12:30.800 <v Speaker 1>be purchased or made, or whatever it is you're doing. 0:12:31.280 --> 0:12:35.800 <v Speaker 1>And to ensure a certain level of equity between children. 0:12:36.640 --> 0:12:40.280 <v Speaker 1>So equity not necessarily meaning the same dollar amount, though 0:12:40.800 --> 0:12:43.000 <v Speaker 1>some families do that. I know that when my husband 0:12:43.040 --> 0:12:45.320 <v Speaker 1>was growing up, that's what his parents did, Like they 0:12:45.360 --> 0:12:47.679 <v Speaker 1>would spend the exact same amount, so they would actually 0:12:47.679 --> 0:12:51.240 <v Speaker 1>even like give the kid like twenty three dollars if 0:12:51.280 --> 0:12:57.840 <v Speaker 1>they were under as a present. But to me, it 0:12:57.920 --> 0:13:01.959 <v Speaker 1>more means that everyone's going to be equally happy, yes, 0:13:02.240 --> 0:13:06.080 <v Speaker 1>and part of that is also an equal number. So 0:13:06.200 --> 0:13:09.040 <v Speaker 1>even if you are giving one child a very expensive present, 0:13:09.559 --> 0:13:13.280 <v Speaker 1>it is helpful to, you know, have a couple very 0:13:13.360 --> 0:13:16.640 <v Speaker 1>cheap things that are then also wrapped up so that 0:13:17.000 --> 0:13:18.840 <v Speaker 1>it's not like they open one thing and their siblings 0:13:18.840 --> 0:13:21.360 <v Speaker 1>are opening five and then they feel sort of left out, 0:13:21.400 --> 0:13:24.040 <v Speaker 1>even if they may know rationally that there's cost more 0:13:24.200 --> 0:13:28.600 <v Speaker 1>than the others. So you know, that's that's what we're doing. Yeah, 0:13:28.679 --> 0:13:30.800 <v Speaker 1>we have to do equity, as in like certain gifts 0:13:30.880 --> 0:13:33.880 <v Speaker 1>may not be quite as popular or thrillings, such as 0:13:33.920 --> 0:13:37.319 <v Speaker 1>we always have a book night for Hanukah. It would 0:13:37.320 --> 0:13:40.079 <v Speaker 1>not go well if, like, you know, two kids got 0:13:40.080 --> 0:13:43.040 <v Speaker 1>a book and the other kid got some plastic monstrosity, 0:13:43.120 --> 0:13:46.280 <v Speaker 1>so we try to keep it fairly consistent for each night. 0:13:46.320 --> 0:13:49.760 <v Speaker 1>I guess that's the Hanukah equivalent exactly. Well, let's take 0:13:49.760 --> 0:13:51.160 <v Speaker 1>a quick break and then we'll be back with a 0:13:51.160 --> 0:13:59.720 <v Speaker 1>few more thoughts on organization for the holidays. So we 0:13:59.760 --> 0:14:03.200 <v Speaker 1>are back with our holiday gift guide, talking about what 0:14:03.559 --> 0:14:06.960 <v Speaker 1>things we recommend and also our general approach to purchasing 0:14:07.120 --> 0:14:11.400 <v Speaker 1>and selecting and organizing gifts for the holidays. One thing 0:14:11.480 --> 0:14:13.600 <v Speaker 1>I've sort of learned over the years is that it's 0:14:13.640 --> 0:14:15.480 <v Speaker 1>really cool if there are at least a few toys 0:14:15.520 --> 0:14:19.800 <v Speaker 1>that can be played with immediately. One of the cool 0:14:19.920 --> 0:14:23.720 <v Speaker 1>parts of you know, opening having stuff under the tree 0:14:23.760 --> 0:14:26.320 <v Speaker 1>and opening it is then having that time when you 0:14:26.360 --> 0:14:30.080 <v Speaker 1>are playing and everyone's all together and enjoying their gifts. 0:14:30.160 --> 0:14:33.000 <v Speaker 1>And even big kids like most of their stuff can't 0:14:33.040 --> 0:14:35.520 <v Speaker 1>actually be done immediately right there, but they it's good 0:14:35.520 --> 0:14:37.120 <v Speaker 1>to have at least one thing that they could do. 0:14:37.760 --> 0:14:39.760 <v Speaker 1>Even even if that's like a family gift, that they 0:14:39.760 --> 0:14:42.960 <v Speaker 1>could all do it together, it's just part of the 0:14:43.600 --> 0:14:46.640 <v Speaker 1>holiday fun thing whereas everything is delayed. I mean, yes, 0:14:46.680 --> 0:14:49.680 <v Speaker 1>they are going to enjoy doing it later, but they 0:14:49.720 --> 0:14:52.960 <v Speaker 1>want to have some holiday fun in the morning as well. 0:14:53.960 --> 0:14:55.480 <v Speaker 1>And how great is it if you can come up 0:14:55.480 --> 0:14:57.600 <v Speaker 1>with like a game that everyone would be excited to 0:14:57.600 --> 0:15:00.800 <v Speaker 1>do together, because then you've like given your gift, but 0:15:00.840 --> 0:15:04.040 <v Speaker 1>you've also provided some kind of activity and they'll probably 0:15:04.080 --> 0:15:06.720 <v Speaker 1>always associate that game with the nice memories of the holiday, 0:15:06.800 --> 0:15:08.880 <v Speaker 1>so it kind of comes full circle. Yeah, I mean, 0:15:08.880 --> 0:15:10.320 <v Speaker 1>because it could be a lot. I mean, Christmas in 0:15:10.320 --> 0:15:13.520 <v Speaker 1>particularly could be a long day. You're up early, you know, 0:15:13.600 --> 0:15:16.640 <v Speaker 1>you can get through the presence by mid morning, and 0:15:16.680 --> 0:15:20.480 <v Speaker 1>then it's like nothing's open, nobody's doing anything. Like you're 0:15:20.480 --> 0:15:22.560 <v Speaker 1>not you know, getting together with people necessarily unless you've 0:15:22.560 --> 0:15:24.280 <v Speaker 1>got family coming over, which is which is fun if 0:15:24.320 --> 0:15:26.640 <v Speaker 1>you do, but if you don't, like you know, there's 0:15:26.680 --> 0:15:28.840 <v Speaker 1>there's meltdowns every year. It's good to have a lot 0:15:28.840 --> 0:15:33.400 <v Speaker 1>of entertainment available as much as possible. Immediate stuff. So 0:15:33.560 --> 0:15:37.440 <v Speaker 1>consumables was another thing that you were writing about. I 0:15:37.480 --> 0:15:41.040 <v Speaker 1>am a big fan of consumables because, as we talked about, 0:15:41.080 --> 0:15:43.680 <v Speaker 1>clutter can be very frustrating. And if we have stuff 0:15:43.720 --> 0:15:45.400 <v Speaker 1>that's going to get used up, as long as you 0:15:45.440 --> 0:15:47.120 <v Speaker 1>actually use them up, but don't let your kids just 0:15:47.160 --> 0:15:50.440 <v Speaker 1>hoard them forever, which mine's sometimes tend to do, it 0:15:50.520 --> 0:15:52.520 <v Speaker 1>can be really great. So I've been a really big 0:15:52.560 --> 0:15:56.120 <v Speaker 1>fan of like the craft supplies things like bubble stuff, 0:15:56.160 --> 0:15:58.160 <v Speaker 1>which can be like great and it's like in my 0:15:58.320 --> 0:16:00.440 <v Speaker 1>in my kids case, it's gone and like it's maybe 0:16:00.520 --> 0:16:02.120 <v Speaker 1>some not find a way to go through it all. 0:16:02.440 --> 0:16:06.040 <v Speaker 1>Plato also doesn't last forever, but can be very thrilling. Well, 0:16:06.080 --> 0:16:09.760 <v Speaker 1>it's fun. Different kinds of craft sets. These can be 0:16:10.040 --> 0:16:14.720 <v Speaker 1>ways of delighting your children without filling up your coffers 0:16:14.760 --> 0:16:20.200 <v Speaker 1>with clutter forever. Yes, without one thousand scented erasers or 0:16:20.400 --> 0:16:22.800 <v Speaker 1>you know, even experiences for big kids. I mean you 0:16:22.840 --> 0:16:26.200 <v Speaker 1>want to do something to wrap it up still. So 0:16:26.360 --> 0:16:30.560 <v Speaker 1>when Sam got diving classes, like he wanted to get 0:16:30.600 --> 0:16:33.720 <v Speaker 1>his scuba diving certification, so that was something that he 0:16:33.800 --> 0:16:36.280 <v Speaker 1>was given for Christmas. But what we did is wrapped 0:16:36.400 --> 0:16:39.400 <v Speaker 1>up a little. It was like a playmobile or lego 0:16:39.520 --> 0:16:42.800 <v Speaker 1>diving boat set. I mean, just like a really cheap kit, 0:16:43.520 --> 0:16:45.480 <v Speaker 1>but it was something that could then be wrapped up 0:16:45.480 --> 0:16:47.960 <v Speaker 1>and was a toy and then you know, the real 0:16:48.280 --> 0:16:51.360 <v Speaker 1>present was of course the lessons, but you know, you 0:16:51.400 --> 0:16:54.240 <v Speaker 1>can't do the lessons on Christmas morning, so it's something 0:16:54.280 --> 0:16:58.440 <v Speaker 1>that then brings the experience to life right there. So 0:16:58.520 --> 0:17:00.640 <v Speaker 1>you know, just thinking about how you can you know, 0:17:00.760 --> 0:17:04.120 <v Speaker 1>do fun things coming in the future, but having something 0:17:04.160 --> 0:17:07.199 <v Speaker 1>that could be wrapped up to represent it. I know, 0:17:07.280 --> 0:17:10.120 <v Speaker 1>we when Michael got the skiing trip one one year 0:17:10.160 --> 0:17:13.400 <v Speaker 1>with his brother, we actually wrapped up little doll skis, 0:17:14.160 --> 0:17:16.840 <v Speaker 1>which he then you know, obviously passed two Ruth, who 0:17:16.840 --> 0:17:19.119 <v Speaker 1>is the one who's most interested in the ski set 0:17:19.160 --> 0:17:21.560 <v Speaker 1>for her doll, but that was a fun little thing 0:17:21.600 --> 0:17:25.280 <v Speaker 1>to wrap up too. That is a great gift. I 0:17:25.320 --> 0:17:27.960 <v Speaker 1>think Josh is considering doing like a little snowboarding trip 0:17:28.000 --> 0:17:30.800 <v Speaker 1>with Cameron since he's super into skateboarding, and we're hoping 0:17:30.800 --> 0:17:33.240 <v Speaker 1>it kind of translates. So maybe I'll have to see 0:17:33.240 --> 0:17:35.359 <v Speaker 1>if we can sell this as a as a Hanaka gift, 0:17:35.359 --> 0:17:38.640 <v Speaker 1>then I can check one of the ages. Yeah, and 0:17:39.040 --> 0:17:40.640 <v Speaker 1>you know, one of the one of the nice things 0:17:40.640 --> 0:17:43.520 <v Speaker 1>about Hanakah being eight days is that it sort of 0:17:43.560 --> 0:17:46.200 <v Speaker 1>does spread it out a little bit, and this is well, 0:17:46.240 --> 0:17:48.280 <v Speaker 1>you know, Okay, Sarah's making a funny face. Okay, this 0:17:48.359 --> 0:17:50.600 <v Speaker 1>is from somebody observing it. This seems like an upside. 0:17:50.600 --> 0:17:53.479 <v Speaker 1>You don't think it's an upside. Yeah, it's a lot 0:17:53.560 --> 0:17:57.439 <v Speaker 1>of days. I would use the word observed loosely to 0:17:57.480 --> 0:18:01.200 <v Speaker 1>be fair. We don't even really. I mean, my family's 0:18:01.280 --> 0:18:04.520 <v Speaker 1>just not particularly religious. Some people are, although fun fact, 0:18:04.600 --> 0:18:07.800 <v Speaker 1>Hankah is not like a very important Jewish holiday at all. 0:18:08.000 --> 0:18:09.800 <v Speaker 1>And those who are really devout, I don't think they 0:18:10.080 --> 0:18:13.359 <v Speaker 1>do necessarily all the gifts and stuff, although I know 0:18:13.440 --> 0:18:15.520 <v Speaker 1>that they do like candles and say prayers and stuff 0:18:15.560 --> 0:18:18.560 <v Speaker 1>like that. For us, it's generally just mostly gift of 0:18:18.600 --> 0:18:20.840 <v Speaker 1>palooza with a couple of family events built in. I'm 0:18:20.880 --> 0:18:24.719 <v Speaker 1>actually hosting a because it starts right after Thanksgiving. I'm 0:18:24.760 --> 0:18:27.760 <v Speaker 1>hosting a Hanukkah brunch right after Thanksgiving, so that will 0:18:27.800 --> 0:18:30.720 <v Speaker 1>be really fun. But yeah, it's it's just a lot 0:18:30.720 --> 0:18:32.720 <v Speaker 1>of nights. It's more than a week of a gift 0:18:32.760 --> 0:18:35.720 <v Speaker 1>every night. And just like you mentioned the meltdowns on Christmas, 0:18:35.760 --> 0:18:38.320 <v Speaker 1>I don't necessarily think it's because the day is long. 0:18:38.840 --> 0:18:41.360 <v Speaker 1>I think it's just the whole, like emotions running high 0:18:41.440 --> 0:18:44.000 <v Speaker 1>with the gifts. It's like highs and lows and crazy 0:18:44.040 --> 0:18:46.399 <v Speaker 1>because we see a lot of it's just when you 0:18:46.400 --> 0:18:48.760 <v Speaker 1>think the kids would be best behaved because something good 0:18:48.840 --> 0:18:52.480 <v Speaker 1>is happening. We've had a plenty of behavioral struggles around 0:18:52.480 --> 0:18:56.920 <v Speaker 1>Hanukah that don't seem to be as problematic at other times. Gotcha, Yeah, 0:18:57.000 --> 0:18:59.919 <v Speaker 1>I mean, I think one of the things that you know, 0:19:00.080 --> 0:19:02.600 <v Speaker 1>my blog readers know that I do a holiday fun 0:19:02.720 --> 0:19:05.239 <v Speaker 1>list every year. It should be out by the time 0:19:05.320 --> 0:19:07.560 <v Speaker 1>this episode airs. If not, I apologize, I'll get it 0:19:07.640 --> 0:19:11.800 <v Speaker 1>up soon. But the idea is that if you have 0:19:11.960 --> 0:19:14.760 <v Speaker 1>a lot of fun things like experience is going on 0:19:14.920 --> 0:19:16.919 <v Speaker 1>with the season, and it does spread some of it 0:19:17.080 --> 0:19:21.960 <v Speaker 1>all out the experience of the season, then it's not 0:19:22.160 --> 0:19:25.480 <v Speaker 1>all just about the loot on Christmas morning. And so 0:19:25.760 --> 0:19:28.639 <v Speaker 1>just you know, somewhat dials it down for that that 0:19:28.720 --> 0:19:32.840 <v Speaker 1>there's more fun than just the presence. And that's certainly 0:19:32.840 --> 0:19:35.199 <v Speaker 1>something we're trying to think about too. It's like, you know, 0:19:35.400 --> 0:19:39.120 <v Speaker 1>we can have fun apart from things that it's really 0:19:39.160 --> 0:19:42.720 <v Speaker 1>more about celebrating the season as a family and other 0:19:42.760 --> 0:19:45.000 <v Speaker 1>things like this, and obviously, you know, for listeners, who 0:19:45.080 --> 0:19:48.040 <v Speaker 1>have religious observances as well, you know, being involved in 0:19:48.080 --> 0:19:50.160 <v Speaker 1>your house of worship, like the various events you can 0:19:50.200 --> 0:19:53.199 <v Speaker 1>do with that to then also bring that aspect of 0:19:53.240 --> 0:19:56.040 <v Speaker 1>the season into it, or if you want to volunteer 0:19:56.080 --> 0:19:57.720 <v Speaker 1>as a family somewhere, you know, that might be a 0:19:57.720 --> 0:20:00.119 <v Speaker 1>great way to honor the spirit of the season. And 0:20:00.160 --> 0:20:03.240 <v Speaker 1>even if you are not particularly religious. But again to 0:20:03.280 --> 0:20:07.920 <v Speaker 1>take some of the focus off the pile on Christmas morning, 0:20:08.160 --> 0:20:10.120 <v Speaker 1>although you know, you can't get away with not doing 0:20:10.119 --> 0:20:15.399 <v Speaker 1>that again because kids like stuff, you know, and we 0:20:15.520 --> 0:20:17.680 <v Speaker 1>have to appreciate that too. That especially if they don't 0:20:17.680 --> 0:20:20.040 <v Speaker 1>have the money to purchase their own stuff, This is 0:20:20.080 --> 0:20:22.000 <v Speaker 1>when they get the things that they want. I mean, 0:20:22.040 --> 0:20:24.199 <v Speaker 1>they just have less agency over their lives. I mean, 0:20:24.280 --> 0:20:26.679 <v Speaker 1>we want a toy, we could buy a toy. I mean, 0:20:26.680 --> 0:20:28.880 <v Speaker 1>you don't probably want a toy, as they're different sorts 0:20:28.880 --> 0:20:31.840 <v Speaker 1>of toys you want. But you know, I think there's 0:20:31.880 --> 0:20:35.439 <v Speaker 1>a great balance to be had there. So with that, 0:20:35.480 --> 0:20:37.639 <v Speaker 1>why don't we dive into some of the recommendations. So 0:20:37.680 --> 0:20:40.040 <v Speaker 1>Sarah had a post on her blog recently where she 0:20:40.080 --> 0:20:44.600 <v Speaker 1>was asking for Hanukkah suggestions the gifts that she could 0:20:44.600 --> 0:20:46.240 <v Speaker 1>do with her kids so you had a lot of 0:20:46.240 --> 0:20:49.160 <v Speaker 1>great ones come up. What did you hear? Yeah, I'll 0:20:49.160 --> 0:20:52.439 <v Speaker 1>share some of these wonderful readers suggestions. I mean, some 0:20:52.480 --> 0:20:55.040 <v Speaker 1>people mention the fact that my kids might be very 0:20:55.040 --> 0:20:57.399 <v Speaker 1>happy with some gift cards to buy things on apps, 0:20:57.800 --> 0:21:00.280 <v Speaker 1>and sure, Amazon gift cards. Let's let's be clear. No, 0:21:00.800 --> 0:21:03.280 <v Speaker 1>it was for like their own little currency now, like 0:21:03.320 --> 0:21:05.000 <v Speaker 1>you know, I just pass them back and forth at 0:21:05.040 --> 0:21:09.480 <v Speaker 1>teen birthday parties. I just that's true. That is so true, 0:21:09.520 --> 0:21:11.600 <v Speaker 1>and I am so guilty. I totally did that for 0:21:11.680 --> 0:21:13.920 <v Speaker 1>a reason. It was a very short noticed birthday party 0:21:13.960 --> 0:21:16.480 <v Speaker 1>in my defense, and I'm like, what, I actually picked 0:21:16.520 --> 0:21:18.800 <v Speaker 1>it up at Walgreens, but they didn't have that many options, 0:21:18.800 --> 0:21:21.359 <v Speaker 1>and it was like, well, who's gonna complain about this anyway? 0:21:21.800 --> 0:21:24.600 <v Speaker 1>Yea other digression, but no, like my kids are always 0:21:24.600 --> 0:21:28.680 <v Speaker 1>asking for like in app purchases, and those can add up, 0:21:28.840 --> 0:21:31.679 <v Speaker 1>and I would actually rather them use a gift cards 0:21:31.680 --> 0:21:34.360 <v Speaker 1>so they have a sense of it something being used up. 0:21:34.920 --> 0:21:37.919 <v Speaker 1>Then just keep saying yes and yes and yes, because 0:21:37.920 --> 0:21:40.240 <v Speaker 1>then I think they kind of forget, and so I 0:21:40.240 --> 0:21:42.400 <v Speaker 1>actually think them getting like let's say, a twenty five 0:21:42.440 --> 0:21:44.760 <v Speaker 1>dollars gift card to the Google play Store or like 0:21:44.800 --> 0:21:47.520 <v Speaker 1>the Apple App Store that can be used within their 0:21:47.600 --> 0:21:51.000 <v Speaker 1>games that they play, will probably allow them to understand 0:21:51.000 --> 0:21:53.360 <v Speaker 1>how quickly that goes. So, hey, it's a it's a 0:21:53.359 --> 0:21:56.040 <v Speaker 1>am I justifying it? Maybe, but perhaps it's a little 0:21:56.040 --> 0:21:58.719 <v Speaker 1>bit of more like like Broblox gift cards and steaming 0:21:58.800 --> 0:22:01.280 <v Speaker 1>gift facts and things like that, because I know those 0:22:01.280 --> 0:22:04.359 <v Speaker 1>are driving me crazier than the thousand scented erasers. I 0:22:04.359 --> 0:22:08.280 <v Speaker 1>mean just the asking for real money for like yes, bake, 0:22:08.840 --> 0:22:11.639 <v Speaker 1>you're like a little online yeah to wear the new 0:22:11.840 --> 0:22:16.639 <v Speaker 1>avatar avatar and it's always like two, you know what 0:22:16.720 --> 0:22:18.960 <v Speaker 1>I mean. I don't feel like there's not a good 0:22:19.280 --> 0:22:22.840 <v Speaker 1>reason to say no all the time, but you know 0:22:22.880 --> 0:22:24.600 <v Speaker 1>you don't want to say yes all the time either. 0:22:24.720 --> 0:22:27.399 <v Speaker 1>I mean, so it's like what if I bought I 0:22:27.400 --> 0:22:29.040 <v Speaker 1>would have gotten a kid of hot chocolate out at 0:22:29.040 --> 0:22:31.160 <v Speaker 1>Starbucks or something. So if I would have gotten that 0:22:31.840 --> 0:22:35.479 <v Speaker 1>three nine drink? Like why am I so worked up 0:22:35.520 --> 0:22:38.280 <v Speaker 1>about the dollar ninety nine badge that they just asked for? 0:22:38.359 --> 0:22:41.040 <v Speaker 1>But yes, I agree that could focus this on redblocks 0:22:41.040 --> 0:22:45.000 <v Speaker 1>gift cards. Yeah, somebody mentioned like a coding book or 0:22:45.000 --> 0:22:48.119 <v Speaker 1>coding lessons if they're kids into that Scratch is a 0:22:48.160 --> 0:22:50.439 <v Speaker 1>programming language. Actually, my kids have been playing with and 0:22:50.480 --> 0:22:53.080 <v Speaker 1>it is good for like kind of elementary school age 0:22:53.119 --> 0:22:57.200 <v Speaker 1>kids to really understand concretely how programming works. Cooking stuff. 0:22:57.240 --> 0:23:01.280 <v Speaker 1>So Genevieve, who's twenty four, three days after Hanukah ends, 0:23:01.400 --> 0:23:06.159 <v Speaker 1>might I add great timing there, Genevieve, she wants cooking stuff, 0:23:06.200 --> 0:23:08.720 <v Speaker 1>So she wants a cake decorating set, and she said 0:23:08.800 --> 0:23:11.320 <v Speaker 1>so many times. So I got some wonderful recommendations of 0:23:11.320 --> 0:23:14.200 <v Speaker 1>where I can get that. So actual real kids cooking 0:23:14.200 --> 0:23:16.960 <v Speaker 1>tools if they're interested in cooking. There are some really 0:23:17.000 --> 0:23:21.440 <v Speaker 1>cool kids like eating based subscription boxes ones called Radish Kids. 0:23:21.480 --> 0:23:23.640 <v Speaker 1>It gives like a recipe and a cooking tool. There's 0:23:23.680 --> 0:23:26.840 <v Speaker 1>another one that is like different world cuisines called Eat 0:23:26.880 --> 0:23:29.560 <v Speaker 1>to Explore that looks really intriguing. While they'll send you 0:23:29.600 --> 0:23:32.639 <v Speaker 1>like a monthly recipe and like a more unusual ingredient 0:23:32.680 --> 0:23:34.200 <v Speaker 1>and then you go out and buy like the more 0:23:34.520 --> 0:23:37.760 <v Speaker 1>you know typical ingredients to create a cuisine specific to 0:23:37.800 --> 0:23:42.560 <v Speaker 1>a region. A pet only if you're on board with it. 0:23:42.680 --> 0:23:46.239 <v Speaker 1>I mean, so Annabelle is interested in potentially getting a 0:23:46.280 --> 0:23:49.679 <v Speaker 1>bearded dragon, and of all the pets she could have chosen. 0:23:49.880 --> 0:23:53.960 <v Speaker 1>I'm fairly on board with this one. They really don't 0:23:54.000 --> 0:23:57.360 <v Speaker 1>require a ton of care and attention. We actually got 0:23:57.400 --> 0:24:00.679 <v Speaker 1>to do like a trial run. So her pet is 0:24:00.680 --> 0:24:03.320 <v Speaker 1>the bearded dragon, and they have families hosted for the weekend. 0:24:03.560 --> 0:24:07.440 <v Speaker 1>So I was pleasantly surprised at this hosting experience. I mean, 0:24:07.920 --> 0:24:11.159 <v Speaker 1>it doesn't smell, it doesn't really get messy, and it 0:24:11.200 --> 0:24:13.160 <v Speaker 1>seems to be the world's colm. I mean, I don't 0:24:13.160 --> 0:24:15.639 <v Speaker 1>know if it's this specific one, but it was extremely calm, 0:24:15.680 --> 0:24:18.280 <v Speaker 1>So I'm like, okay, maybe, so you could get a 0:24:18.280 --> 0:24:19.880 <v Speaker 1>pet and all the accessors that go with a pet, 0:24:19.920 --> 0:24:21.919 <v Speaker 1>that's a pretty big gift, depending on the pet. But 0:24:22.800 --> 0:24:25.480 <v Speaker 1>a hermit crown is another one that's like pretty low. 0:24:25.680 --> 0:24:29.439 <v Speaker 1>Yeah as a pet, Like if your kids are really 0:24:29.480 --> 0:24:31.640 <v Speaker 1>asking for a pet and you don't want to deal 0:24:31.640 --> 0:24:35.080 <v Speaker 1>with a whole lot of pet stuff, you know, they 0:24:35.080 --> 0:24:37.880 <v Speaker 1>can go a while with a bit of benign neglect 0:24:38.320 --> 0:24:41.399 <v Speaker 1>if it comes to that. So you wouldn't have to 0:24:41.480 --> 0:24:43.280 <v Speaker 1>check in that often in the way you would with 0:24:43.359 --> 0:24:48.080 <v Speaker 1>like a puppy. Oh yes, yes, that would take major commitment. 0:24:48.680 --> 0:24:50.520 <v Speaker 1>And then there's the idea of getting your kids like 0:24:50.680 --> 0:24:53.520 <v Speaker 1>stuff they need, but a fun version like, oh, they 0:24:53.520 --> 0:24:56.240 <v Speaker 1>need new boots, but do they need like sparkly silver 0:24:56.359 --> 0:24:58.520 <v Speaker 1>boots with like faux fur on the top. Maybe not, 0:24:58.680 --> 0:25:01.639 <v Speaker 1>but that will make it more a gift type of experience. 0:25:02.320 --> 0:25:03.879 <v Speaker 1>I had a long comment that I'm not going to 0:25:03.880 --> 0:25:05.639 <v Speaker 1>read the whole thing, but I liked the idea of 0:25:05.680 --> 0:25:08.640 <v Speaker 1>like grow up plant kits because kids do enjoy like, 0:25:09.080 --> 0:25:10.959 <v Speaker 1>you know, it's kind of a science experiment. But then 0:25:10.960 --> 0:25:13.560 <v Speaker 1>they'd also have something decorative for their room when it's done. 0:25:13.640 --> 0:25:16.800 <v Speaker 1>That's a cool idea. Or a butterfly kit really watch 0:25:17.040 --> 0:25:20.600 <v Speaker 1>nature happen there stuff for the room decorations. So again, 0:25:20.640 --> 0:25:23.120 <v Speaker 1>annabel is nine and a half. She's definitely in that 0:25:23.240 --> 0:25:26.120 <v Speaker 1>phase where I think this would not be fun for Genevieve, 0:25:26.160 --> 0:25:27.600 <v Speaker 1>Like if I got her a slaying for her room, 0:25:27.680 --> 0:25:29.520 <v Speaker 1>I don't think she'd care. But I think Annabelle would 0:25:29.560 --> 0:25:32.360 <v Speaker 1>be like that kind of late elementary middle school. They'd 0:25:32.400 --> 0:25:34.320 <v Speaker 1>be super into something to make their room look like 0:25:34.359 --> 0:25:38.479 <v Speaker 1>a little more personalized or cool. Magazine subscriptions were noted 0:25:38.800 --> 0:25:41.000 <v Speaker 1>I personally, and this is not an ad, although I've 0:25:41.040 --> 0:25:43.560 <v Speaker 1>heard the ads making the rounds. We like the doodle 0:25:43.640 --> 0:25:45.960 <v Speaker 1>crate from Kiwi Crate, which is like their Arts and 0:25:46.000 --> 0:25:48.639 <v Speaker 1>Crafts box. I don't mind any of the boxes. I 0:25:48.680 --> 0:25:51.159 <v Speaker 1>actually think they're really cute, but I do find the 0:25:51.200 --> 0:25:53.200 <v Speaker 1>Kiwi crate ones tend to create a little bit more 0:25:53.240 --> 0:25:55.919 <v Speaker 1>lasting clutter, whereas the Doodle crate it's like you do 0:25:56.000 --> 0:25:58.720 <v Speaker 1>a whole project with it, and generally they've been getting 0:25:58.800 --> 0:26:02.080 <v Speaker 1>used and enjoyed at our home else matching pjays that 0:26:02.160 --> 0:26:06.520 <v Speaker 1>when you mentioned gift certificates to indoor play places, tickets 0:26:06.520 --> 0:26:09.280 <v Speaker 1>to some kind of outdoor museum event, or a museum subscription, 0:26:09.359 --> 0:26:10.960 <v Speaker 1>and maybe you could like bundle that with a little 0:26:10.960 --> 0:26:13.040 <v Speaker 1>tangible gift from the place to make it more of 0:26:13.080 --> 0:26:15.280 <v Speaker 1>a you know, something under the tree type of a thing. 0:26:16.040 --> 0:26:18.960 <v Speaker 1>And even like a customized water bottle, So really thinking 0:26:19.040 --> 0:26:21.520 <v Speaker 1>outside the box of like things that are actually useful 0:26:21.680 --> 0:26:24.640 <v Speaker 1>but like the cool or personalized version of them. Yeah, 0:26:24.640 --> 0:26:27.920 <v Speaker 1>I really like that idea, like the water bottles, flashlights, 0:26:28.240 --> 0:26:31.720 <v Speaker 1>things like you know, cool boots closed, but that would 0:26:31.760 --> 0:26:33.520 <v Speaker 1>be not the sort you'd get like with the sports 0:26:33.520 --> 0:26:36.600 <v Speaker 1>team jersey or something that's you know, probably not gonna 0:26:36.720 --> 0:26:40.920 <v Speaker 1>get as like your average shirt. But they're still useful, right, 0:26:41.000 --> 0:26:44.280 <v Speaker 1>So again, it's not the thousand scented erasers. This is 0:26:44.359 --> 0:26:46.240 <v Speaker 1>something that has a little legs to it that it'll 0:26:46.680 --> 0:26:51.080 <v Speaker 1>last through the year. So yeah, those are all wonderful ideas, 0:26:51.080 --> 0:26:54.280 <v Speaker 1>and we know that people have others, so please share 0:26:54.800 --> 0:26:58.480 <v Speaker 1>your gift ideas. You know, we'll have a blog post 0:26:58.680 --> 0:27:03.159 <v Speaker 1>on Laura Vanderkamda. You can obviously email us people who 0:27:03.160 --> 0:27:06.000 <v Speaker 1>have joined our Patreon community. We'll have a thread going 0:27:06.040 --> 0:27:09.719 <v Speaker 1>there with great gift ideas as well. But you know, 0:27:09.840 --> 0:27:14.480 <v Speaker 1>we we really hope that people can come through the 0:27:14.560 --> 0:27:18.320 <v Speaker 1>season feeling like it is fun as opposed to like, 0:27:18.440 --> 0:27:20.720 <v Speaker 1>oh my gosh, just one more thing I have to 0:27:20.840 --> 0:27:23.240 <v Speaker 1>do and when it when it gets to that, that's 0:27:23.280 --> 0:27:26.480 <v Speaker 1>when when things are you know, problematic. So trying to 0:27:26.480 --> 0:27:29.240 <v Speaker 1>think about what would make the holiday season fun for you, 0:27:29.920 --> 0:27:32.600 <v Speaker 1>think about what gifts you actually feel good about giving 0:27:33.040 --> 0:27:37.439 <v Speaker 1>as opposed to feeling sort of resentful your having to 0:27:37.480 --> 0:27:40.160 <v Speaker 1>shop for whatever this thing is that you don't really 0:27:40.200 --> 0:27:44.240 <v Speaker 1>want to have in your house afterwards. And Sarah apparently 0:27:44.240 --> 0:27:47.560 <v Speaker 1>got a something for your niece. That's a yes, yes, 0:27:47.640 --> 0:27:51.000 <v Speaker 1>my niece. Actually I get a lot of planners because 0:27:51.040 --> 0:27:54.119 <v Speaker 1>of best laid plans. Either I order them for experimental 0:27:54.160 --> 0:27:56.960 <v Speaker 1>purposes or sometimes they get sent to me, and I 0:27:57.040 --> 0:27:59.800 <v Speaker 1>gave my she was eleven at the time, and I 0:27:59.840 --> 0:28:01.680 <v Speaker 1>may and a rach Lee Doodle planner, and it turned 0:28:01.680 --> 0:28:03.080 <v Speaker 1>out she loved it. So I'm getting her one for 0:28:03.119 --> 0:28:05.199 <v Speaker 1>this year, and I'm excited about that. I was going 0:28:05.280 --> 0:28:06.840 <v Speaker 1>to mention something that I didn't put in the notes, 0:28:06.880 --> 0:28:09.600 <v Speaker 1>but I wanted to say that helps if you're somebody 0:28:09.600 --> 0:28:12.080 <v Speaker 1>who gets anxious about spending a lot of money and 0:28:12.119 --> 0:28:14.440 <v Speaker 1>you notice that December is when it just flows out 0:28:14.440 --> 0:28:17.080 <v Speaker 1>like a fire hose. I have a category, and you 0:28:17.080 --> 0:28:19.080 <v Speaker 1>need a budget where I put like a few hundred 0:28:19.119 --> 0:28:22.600 <v Speaker 1>dollars in every single month that I'm saving for the holidays. Now, 0:28:22.640 --> 0:28:25.040 <v Speaker 1>I know that sounds like a lot, but I have responsibilities, 0:28:25.080 --> 0:28:27.280 <v Speaker 1>like we have to contribute to like bigger office gifts 0:28:27.320 --> 0:28:29.480 <v Speaker 1>as well for all of our staff, So that will 0:28:29.520 --> 0:28:32.480 <v Speaker 1>come out of that, both for Josh and me, plus 0:28:32.520 --> 0:28:35.359 <v Speaker 1>you know family gifts and personal gifts and stuff. And 0:28:35.400 --> 0:28:38.040 <v Speaker 1>it totally takes the stress out for me knowing that 0:28:38.080 --> 0:28:41.200 <v Speaker 1>I'm like spending from this category that I like already 0:28:41.200 --> 0:28:43.120 <v Speaker 1>in my mind was already spent in a way. So 0:28:43.800 --> 0:28:46.680 <v Speaker 1>if you have trouble with that aspect, you might want 0:28:46.680 --> 0:28:49.400 <v Speaker 1>to consider just the psychological trick of thinking about how 0:28:49.440 --> 0:28:52.160 <v Speaker 1>you would budget for that, even if in reality, like 0:28:52.240 --> 0:28:54.800 <v Speaker 1>you're probably not going to broke yourself. I definitely feel 0:28:54.800 --> 0:28:59.000 <v Speaker 1>better spending from that specific bucket. Very wise advice. All right, well, 0:28:59.080 --> 0:29:02.520 <v Speaker 1>let's get to the question for this week, Sarah. This 0:29:02.560 --> 0:29:06.200 <v Speaker 1>one came in to you, I guess, yeah. So this 0:29:06.320 --> 0:29:07.960 <v Speaker 1>was an audio question, but there was a bit of 0:29:08.000 --> 0:29:11.640 <v Speaker 1>background noise, so I'm going to summarize it. This woman 0:29:11.720 --> 0:29:14.560 <v Speaker 1>has kids the same ages as mine, and she's thinking 0:29:14.600 --> 0:29:16.840 <v Speaker 1>of going from part time after school care to a 0:29:16.880 --> 0:29:20.000 <v Speaker 1>full time nanny. And she specific I mean, we've gotten 0:29:20.080 --> 0:29:22.920 <v Speaker 1>variations on this, but she wants to know specifically what 0:29:23.120 --> 0:29:25.640 <v Speaker 1>tasks our nanny does or that she could ask her 0:29:25.720 --> 0:29:28.600 <v Speaker 1>nanny to do while her kids are at school, because 0:29:28.840 --> 0:29:30.440 <v Speaker 1>you know, we've talked about this in the past. It 0:29:30.440 --> 0:29:33.040 <v Speaker 1>can be very hard to find stable part time care 0:29:33.080 --> 0:29:36.280 <v Speaker 1>if you're only offering twenty hours or fifteen hours. So 0:29:36.360 --> 0:29:38.880 <v Speaker 1>she's thinking, I'm going to hire someone full time, but like, what, 0:29:39.000 --> 0:29:41.440 <v Speaker 1>realistically can I ask somebody to do while my kids 0:29:41.440 --> 0:29:44.440 <v Speaker 1>are out of the house. Obviously, and I'll give you 0:29:44.480 --> 0:29:47.040 <v Speaker 1>my answer first. This is going to vary and can 0:29:47.040 --> 0:29:49.720 <v Speaker 1>be part of the interview process itself. So you don't 0:29:49.760 --> 0:29:52.720 <v Speaker 1>want to hire someone with the understanding that they don't 0:29:52.720 --> 0:29:54.520 <v Speaker 1>have to that they're like helping you get your kids 0:29:54.520 --> 0:29:56.160 <v Speaker 1>out the door and then don't have anything to do. 0:29:56.440 --> 0:29:59.360 <v Speaker 1>You'd want to be explicit during the hiring process that 0:29:59.400 --> 0:30:02.720 <v Speaker 1>you're looking for someone to do X, y Z housekeeping 0:30:02.840 --> 0:30:07.360 <v Speaker 1>tasks during the day and ABC childcare tasks once the 0:30:07.400 --> 0:30:09.440 <v Speaker 1>kids got home from school. So I think that you know, 0:30:09.480 --> 0:30:12.760 <v Speaker 1>being clear about that will be you know, important. And 0:30:12.840 --> 0:30:14.800 <v Speaker 1>I also mentioned in my answer to her that making 0:30:14.880 --> 0:30:18.320 <v Speaker 1>sure you're offering enough money that this is a position 0:30:18.400 --> 0:30:21.880 <v Speaker 1>that's attractive to someone is always just something to consider 0:30:21.960 --> 0:30:25.120 <v Speaker 1>when you're asking for quote unquote extra stuff, because some 0:30:25.480 --> 0:30:28.080 <v Speaker 1>people who are straight nanni's and have never done any 0:30:28.120 --> 0:30:30.200 <v Speaker 1>kind of housekeeping type of work might not like the 0:30:30.240 --> 0:30:32.560 <v Speaker 1>idea of doing extra but I think if the terms 0:30:32.560 --> 0:30:35.400 <v Speaker 1>are right, they might get more excited about doing so. 0:30:35.400 --> 0:30:39.040 <v Speaker 1>So in our particular case, our nanny helps us with laundry. 0:30:39.080 --> 0:30:41.640 <v Speaker 1>She does most of it during the week. She cooks 0:30:41.800 --> 0:30:43.640 <v Speaker 1>like three times during the week. We tend to eat 0:30:43.720 --> 0:30:47.040 <v Speaker 1>leftovers the other two nights. She does like light types 0:30:47.080 --> 0:30:49.200 <v Speaker 1>of cleaning, so I don't ask her to like scrub 0:30:49.200 --> 0:30:51.840 <v Speaker 1>toilets or clean the house, but definitely keeps things picked 0:30:51.920 --> 0:30:54.640 <v Speaker 1>up to a much better standard than I'm capable of, 0:30:54.760 --> 0:30:57.680 <v Speaker 1>to be honest. And she helps pack the lunch for 0:30:57.760 --> 0:30:59.960 <v Speaker 1>the next day, which is, for some reason, my mind, 0:31:00.040 --> 0:31:02.600 <v Speaker 1>most hated tasks. So I love that she does that. 0:31:02.640 --> 0:31:04.080 <v Speaker 1>I have to do it on Sunday night, and you 0:31:04.080 --> 0:31:08.240 <v Speaker 1>should hear my whining every time. And I mean that's plenty. 0:31:08.280 --> 0:31:10.760 <v Speaker 1>So laundry, some food prep. We don't really have her 0:31:10.800 --> 0:31:14.240 <v Speaker 1>shop anymore for our primary shopping trip, but sometimes I'll 0:31:14.240 --> 0:31:15.960 <v Speaker 1>ask her to pick up stuff as we're running low 0:31:15.960 --> 0:31:20.080 <v Speaker 1>on things like midweek and then. Yeah, so that's pretty 0:31:20.120 --> 0:31:22.200 <v Speaker 1>much in our case. And I'm sure it varies based 0:31:22.240 --> 0:31:25.680 <v Speaker 1>on the person, but I don't think that's unreasonable as 0:31:25.760 --> 0:31:29.440 <v Speaker 1>long as again, the person is agreeing to it. I 0:31:29.480 --> 0:31:31.840 <v Speaker 1>will admit that in our case this did evolve a 0:31:31.840 --> 0:31:34.920 <v Speaker 1>little bit more organically because when many many years ago 0:31:35.080 --> 0:31:37.560 <v Speaker 1>she was first hired, it was for a baby that 0:31:37.640 --> 0:31:39.200 <v Speaker 1>was going to be home all day, so she didn't 0:31:39.240 --> 0:31:41.000 <v Speaker 1>have time to do this much stuff, nor did we 0:31:41.040 --> 0:31:42.920 <v Speaker 1>ask her to do this much stuff. But as it 0:31:42.920 --> 0:31:45.920 <v Speaker 1>became clear that hey, like kids are gone for you know, 0:31:46.080 --> 0:31:50.800 <v Speaker 1>six hours, she stepped up and began doing more and more, 0:31:51.200 --> 0:31:53.320 <v Speaker 1>And I think if I were starting from scratch, I 0:31:53.320 --> 0:31:55.600 <v Speaker 1>would be super explicit with a list of like this 0:31:55.640 --> 0:31:57.280 <v Speaker 1>is what I'd like to get done during the day, 0:31:57.400 --> 0:31:58.600 <v Speaker 1>and then this is what I'd like you to do 0:31:58.640 --> 0:32:02.320 <v Speaker 1>in the afternoon, again being really realistic about it, not 0:32:02.440 --> 0:32:07.120 <v Speaker 1>over everybody needs breaks and paying fairly. Yeah, when we've 0:32:07.120 --> 0:32:10.520 <v Speaker 1>had a situation where children have we've had all the 0:32:10.560 --> 0:32:13.720 <v Speaker 1>kids in school for some number of hours, which hasn't 0:32:13.760 --> 0:32:17.840 <v Speaker 1>been that many years of our full like nanny employing times, 0:32:18.280 --> 0:32:23.200 <v Speaker 1>but options have been grocery shopping, so definitely something that 0:32:23.240 --> 0:32:26.280 <v Speaker 1>needs to happen at least once possibly twice a week 0:32:26.400 --> 0:32:31.880 <v Speaker 1>in our household. Food prep so making dinner during the 0:32:32.000 --> 0:32:35.760 <v Speaker 1>hours when the kids are at preschool, kid laundry, generally, 0:32:35.880 --> 0:32:40.160 <v Speaker 1>picking up the house. If there are random things that 0:32:40.240 --> 0:32:44.440 <v Speaker 1>need to happen, like interacting with the plumber when he's 0:32:44.480 --> 0:32:48.000 <v Speaker 1>coming and I'm on a call or something like that. 0:32:48.480 --> 0:32:52.640 <v Speaker 1>That's been something that we've had. You had people actually 0:32:52.720 --> 0:32:55.400 <v Speaker 1>like decorate the house for Christmas. We have this gift 0:32:55.400 --> 0:32:58.080 <v Speaker 1>giffe I have to side, which is something that I 0:32:58.160 --> 0:33:01.680 <v Speaker 1>love to have happen and have zero talent or inclination 0:33:01.760 --> 0:33:04.640 <v Speaker 1>to do myself. So that is always a great thing 0:33:04.680 --> 0:33:08.520 <v Speaker 1>to outsource if you can when they meet those two categories, 0:33:09.320 --> 0:33:11.640 <v Speaker 1>you know, or just general errands like returning books to 0:33:11.680 --> 0:33:14.920 <v Speaker 1>a library, bringing stuff to the post office, you know, 0:33:15.040 --> 0:33:17.600 <v Speaker 1>anything along those lines, because again, those are things that 0:33:17.640 --> 0:33:19.840 <v Speaker 1>are hard to have somebody do if they have your kids, 0:33:19.840 --> 0:33:21.600 <v Speaker 1>because it's annoying for you to do and if you 0:33:21.640 --> 0:33:23.160 <v Speaker 1>have like three kids in your car and you're trying 0:33:23.160 --> 0:33:25.640 <v Speaker 1>to go to the post office, it's just like crazy making. 0:33:26.160 --> 0:33:28.280 <v Speaker 1>So you don't want to necessarily put that on somebody 0:33:28.280 --> 0:33:31.080 <v Speaker 1>else's plate either. But if the kids are all gone, 0:33:31.160 --> 0:33:33.040 <v Speaker 1>then certainly you can you know, run around and do 0:33:33.080 --> 0:33:35.240 <v Speaker 1>the various errands that you would have to do on 0:33:35.280 --> 0:33:37.920 <v Speaker 1>the weekend, and that would you know, allow you to 0:33:37.920 --> 0:33:39.680 <v Speaker 1>not have to do these things on the weekend and 0:33:40.120 --> 0:33:42.680 <v Speaker 1>have some of that time freed up aither. I agree 0:33:42.720 --> 0:33:46.720 <v Speaker 1>with Sarah that probably like full scale like house scrubbing, 0:33:47.240 --> 0:33:50.440 <v Speaker 1>is something that's best you know, done with a cleaning 0:33:50.480 --> 0:33:54.520 <v Speaker 1>service or somebody who is specifically signed up for that, 0:33:55.000 --> 0:33:58.120 <v Speaker 1>because it's it's just that, you know, the lighthouse keeping 0:33:58.200 --> 0:33:59.600 <v Speaker 1>is one thing. I think the full like you know, 0:33:59.680 --> 0:34:02.000 <v Speaker 1>bleach on the floor kind of stuff is not necessarily 0:34:02.000 --> 0:34:04.840 <v Speaker 1>what people were thinking of in the childcare job. So 0:34:05.240 --> 0:34:08.640 <v Speaker 1>you know, probably separate that out and just get a 0:34:08.680 --> 0:34:10.880 <v Speaker 1>deep clean once every week or two from a service 0:34:10.960 --> 0:34:13.719 <v Speaker 1>and then you know, have the person who's there during 0:34:13.719 --> 0:34:15.600 <v Speaker 1>the day, I can do the general picking up and 0:34:15.800 --> 0:34:19.640 <v Speaker 1>you know, wiping down counters and stuff like that. Agreed, Agreed, 0:34:19.920 --> 0:34:22.680 <v Speaker 1>all right, So our love of the week this week, 0:34:22.719 --> 0:34:28.280 <v Speaker 1>I'm going to say is Costco sized roles of wrapping paper. 0:34:28.920 --> 0:34:31.840 <v Speaker 1>So you know, I have purchased a lot of wrapping 0:34:31.880 --> 0:34:34.920 <v Speaker 1>paper over the years, much of it, you know, you 0:34:35.040 --> 0:34:37.480 <v Speaker 1>see and like you go to even somewhere like Target, 0:34:37.560 --> 0:34:40.120 <v Speaker 1>it often comes in these tiny little rolls which are 0:34:40.239 --> 0:34:44.439 <v Speaker 1>enough to wrap approximately four presents, and when you have 0:34:44.880 --> 0:34:47.680 <v Speaker 1>five children, there are obviously going to be more than 0:34:47.719 --> 0:34:52.520 <v Speaker 1>four presents. And so Costco makes these roles that, as 0:34:52.520 --> 0:34:55.680 <v Speaker 1>far as I can tell, are just like infinite. I 0:34:55.719 --> 0:34:58.000 <v Speaker 1>mean maybe there's an end to it. I mean maybe 0:34:58.000 --> 0:35:01.000 <v Speaker 1>it is possible to use up the entire role, but 0:35:01.280 --> 0:35:03.279 <v Speaker 1>you know, we sort of supplement each year just to 0:35:03.280 --> 0:35:06.720 <v Speaker 1>have a different color, to have different We do different 0:35:07.280 --> 0:35:10.280 <v Speaker 1>wrapping paper for each child, so you know, it's easily 0:35:10.280 --> 0:35:13.000 <v Speaker 1>separated and people don't accidentally order open the wrong thing. 0:35:13.800 --> 0:35:17.000 <v Speaker 1>But you know, we probably could wrap everyone's presence in 0:35:17.040 --> 0:35:19.879 <v Speaker 1>one role because they are just that huge. I think 0:35:19.920 --> 0:35:23.560 <v Speaker 1>you could wallpaper an entire house in the gift wrap 0:35:23.840 --> 0:35:26.719 <v Speaker 1>of one of these Costco size roles. So if you 0:35:26.719 --> 0:35:29.480 <v Speaker 1>have not joined Costco and you have a large family 0:35:29.480 --> 0:35:32.360 <v Speaker 1>for some reason this hasn't happened yet, you might consider 0:35:32.400 --> 0:35:35.640 <v Speaker 1>doing it just for the wrapping paper all alone. I 0:35:35.680 --> 0:35:39.000 <v Speaker 1>agree with you that it is so irritating how few 0:35:39.040 --> 0:35:41.880 <v Speaker 1>gifts a normal role of wrapping paper lass and it 0:35:41.960 --> 0:35:44.520 <v Speaker 1>is kind of bizarrely expensive, so I may have to 0:35:44.560 --> 0:35:47.359 <v Speaker 1>actually check out Costco one of these days. I am 0:35:47.360 --> 0:35:52.000 <v Speaker 1>not a member. My Love of the Week is something 0:35:52.040 --> 0:35:54.680 <v Speaker 1>that some of my readers may be aware of that 0:35:54.719 --> 0:35:56.880 <v Speaker 1>I didn't know existed. So I'm thinking about getting a 0:35:56.920 --> 0:36:00.080 <v Speaker 1>more serious winter coat, just mostly for travel, because I 0:36:00.120 --> 0:36:04.319 <v Speaker 1>do not need it here. And apparently both Patagonia and 0:36:04.400 --> 0:36:07.520 <v Speaker 1>the North Face have opened up shops that are run 0:36:07.560 --> 0:36:10.879 <v Speaker 1>by them where they sell secondhand coats at like half 0:36:10.960 --> 0:36:14.480 <v Speaker 1>the price, many of which are. They rate the condition 0:36:14.600 --> 0:36:17.279 <v Speaker 1>as like, you know, not used at all versus you know, 0:36:17.440 --> 0:36:19.600 <v Speaker 1>excellent versus great whatever, so you can pick your condition. 0:36:19.960 --> 0:36:22.359 <v Speaker 1>But even the ones that basically look mint are like 0:36:22.400 --> 0:36:25.440 <v Speaker 1>half the price. And again, living in Florida and not 0:36:25.560 --> 0:36:27.880 <v Speaker 1>planning on using one of these coats all the time, 0:36:27.960 --> 0:36:30.279 <v Speaker 1>but still wanting something really like warm and not like 0:36:30.840 --> 0:36:33.279 <v Speaker 1>crappy for the few times I want it, I just 0:36:33.280 --> 0:36:36.040 <v Speaker 1>thought that was so cool. So I actually have not 0:36:36.120 --> 0:36:39.040 <v Speaker 1>made my purchase yet, but just love that. That is 0:36:39.080 --> 0:36:41.880 <v Speaker 1>a thing that is awesome because coats can be an 0:36:41.960 --> 0:36:45.960 <v Speaker 1>expensive part of a winter wardrobe, especially as if you 0:36:45.960 --> 0:36:47.640 <v Speaker 1>don't need it every day. If you do, then it's 0:36:47.680 --> 0:36:49.879 <v Speaker 1>worth you know, investing a lot and getting a good one, 0:36:49.880 --> 0:36:53.040 <v Speaker 1>but for the occasional use, it can be an annoying expense. 0:36:53.160 --> 0:36:56.000 <v Speaker 1>So that's really cool. Well, this has been best of 0:36:56.040 --> 0:36:59.319 <v Speaker 1>both worlds. We've been doing our gift guide. Things to 0:36:59.480 --> 0:37:02.440 <v Speaker 1>think about asking for yourself for the holidays, things you 0:37:02.480 --> 0:37:05.960 <v Speaker 1>can consider giving to children, just general approaches to organization. 0:37:06.480 --> 0:37:08.480 <v Speaker 1>We will be back next week with more on making 0:37:08.480 --> 0:37:12.960 <v Speaker 1>work and life fit together. Thanks for listening. You can 0:37:12.960 --> 0:37:16.439 <v Speaker 1>find me Sarah at the shoebox dot com or at 0:37:16.560 --> 0:37:20.040 <v Speaker 1>the Underscore Shoebox on Instagram, and you can find me 0:37:20.600 --> 0:37:24.279 <v Speaker 1>Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. This has been the 0:37:24.320 --> 0:37:27.800 <v Speaker 1>best of both worlds podcasts. Please join us next time 0:37:28.120 --> 0:37:30.680 <v Speaker 1>for more on making work and life work together.