Response to: “What is your favorite ebook reader?”I have a Kindle Paperwhite which I like. It’s the only reader I’ve had. But I use my phone to read from just as often since I always have it with me. And I have some reading apps like hoopla on my phone that don’t transfer over to my kindle.
Response to: “Let’s talk Santa. How long did your kids keep believing?”I don’t even know for sure when they stopped believing… I think both boys may have pretended to believe for our sakes longer than they really did, like just played along because it was fun. Maybe around age 10, maybe earlier? I don’t remember any truth-revealing conversations. Possibly the younger one asked the older one and we weren’t even involved in him finding out. It was definitely fun for the older one to help “be” Santa for the younger one for a few years. He didn’t know what we were putting in stockings but he might help choose a few Santa gifts when we were out shopping to put under the tree, and help us do some wrapping. We never made a huge deal out of Santa, we talked about Santa bringing gifts and read all the stories and went along with them but it wasn’t a huge effort or focus. Like we didn’t use separate wrapping paper or even have the kids write letters to Santa. Santa photos were just not our thing. I remember my older son talking about how all the mall Santas were pretending, not the real Santa, which I thought was funny since I didn’t tell him that. BUT all those things can be fun for those who want to do them. I probably wouldn’t change anything because as far as I know we’re all satisfied with how our holidays have gone. I do remember answering the boys around the age of discovering, “well it’s fun to believe there’s a Santa Clause isn’t it?” Or turn it back to them e.g. “who do you think stuffs your stockings on Christmas Eve?” as a way of extending the magic a bit without outright lying when they ask if Santa is real. I hear about some kids being traumatized when they find out their parents “lied” to them. I didn’t feel that way as a child (Santa was also casual fun in my family growing up) and I don’t think my kids did either, but apparently it happens. On the other hand, I hear about some adults who feel like they missed out on the magic because their parents never pretended there was a Santa. So… I guess you gotta do what you think is best and I don’t believe there is one right way to do it that fits every family.
Response to: “Can we start a big thread to talk about books?”When my son was an older elementary kid, and then into middle school, I read the Gregor the Overlander series to him. They’re written by Suzanne Collins who also wrote Hunger Games. I believe she wrote the Gregor series first. We really enjoyed them. Since they’re middle grade books, they’re of course not as intense as HG but there are characters who die, heads up. Honestly they were maybe the only chapter books that I read to my kid that I would sometimes read ahead on my own. 😄
Response to: “How can we make BTFL better?”Is there an about page? I actually don’t even know what BTFL stands for. 😂😂 And are there any setting options? Like can one opt out of text notifications? Or just customize notifications?
Response to: “Moms: what multivitamins do you take? Now that I am done having kids, I should probably take some vitamins on a regular basis. What brands do you recommend?”I don’t know nearly as much as Rachel - I’m going to check my vitamins against the list she gave here. But what I take are the three basic supplements from DoTerra called Lifelong Vitality. https://www.doterra.com/US/en/blog/product-spotlight-supplements-daily-vitality