Child(ish) Advice turns six this year. And as we gear up for a fresh wave of content, I find myself reflecting on where we began and how far the blog has come.
Child(ish) Advice: A Reintroduction
Patti’s Favorite Post: 2025
Sometimes I feel like a bit of a forecaster. I knew 2025 was going to be a bit of an abyss, but not on so many fronts. This year, my favorite post to write was our Mammogram Mom Date in celebration of Mary and I turning 40. But since then, my health has been a bit…
The goal behind writing our Mammogram review was to enthusiastically remind moms that their health is important and taking care of ourselves shouldn’t feel like a burden. I still stand behind that because prevention and proactiveness are good habits. Since high school, I’ve pushed through sickness, worked until I lost my voice and (for one day) my eyesight. I’ve had stress dreams and red-eye flights. I’m constantly putting sunblock on my kids and never on myself, literally and metaphorically. To think that this doesn’t have a long-term effect on our health is delusional.
Continue readingMary’s Favorite Post: 2025
Reflecting on 2025, I’m pleased with the content we’ve produced throughout the year. While I loved exploring topics like the Boy Brain and the Girl Brain, but my top pick has to be Mary’s School Update: New School, Who’s This?
School consolidations and closures have become increasingly common across the country in recent years, especially in cities that are reaching max capacity. On the flip side, new school construction and redistricting in growing communities can be just as challenging for parents to navigate.
When our school closed and we moved to a nearby one, the transition turned out to be far less daunting than we expected. In fact, the kids adapted more easily than the parents. And through it all, what truly makes a school special remains the same: the teachers, staff, and families that make the community.
Enjoy!
Child(ish) Reads: Wanted: Toddler’s Personal Assistant
In December, I usually pick a fun book to review; mostly to whiz through it and have a light-hearted post. This one changed up a bit on me.
Wanted: Toddler’s Personal Assistant: How Nannying for the 1% Taught Me about the Myths of Equality, Motherhood, and Upward Mobility in America by Stephanie Kiser
Blurb: When Stephanie Kiser moves to New York City after college to pursue a career in writing, she quickly learns that her entry-level salary won’t cover the high cost of living―never mind her crushing student loan debt. But there is one in-demand job that pays more than enough to allow Stephanie to stay in the city: nannying for the 1%. Desperate to escape the poverty of her own childhood, Stephanie falls into a job that hijacks her life for the next seven years: a glorified personal assistant to toddlers on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.
Continue readingOur Activate Playdate Review
For our last 2025 Playdate Review, Mary and I headed over to Activate Games. We had brainstormed this venue a few years ago, but our kids were just under the age recommendation. Now that they are 7 and 8, we decided to give it a try and see how they’d fare.
Activate is an indoor, high-tech gaming facility where you and your friends physically step into interactive game rooms that blend technology, puzzles, and movement. It’s like stepping inside Nick Arcade. The environment reacts to your movements in real time. Each themed game room is filled with lights, sensors, and challenges:
- Laser mazes: Duck, dive, and dodge beams to reach the other side.
- Arcade-style basketball hoops: Fast-paced scoring challenges.
- Puzzle rooms: Memory, logic, and teamwork tasks.
- Climbing and agility rooms: Test your speed and coordination.
The kids have all done their fair share of video gaming and interactive gaming with their consoles, VR, laser tag, and Immersive Gamebox. Mary and I have also had a couple adult group outings with immersive gaming. Could we shepherd them into a new gaming world??
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