1- I am struggling with G’s bday gift! She is insistent that she wants a new American Girl Bitty Baby doll and stroller set but . . she’s turning 8!! Are anyone else’s kids clinging to things generally marketed to younger kids? I guess it’s very sweet in some ways, I’d rather her want that than say, a bunch of specific Sephora items (though she did also ask for a ‘spa kit’).
Anyway I basically have to order now in order for it to arrive by her birthday but am conflicted. (Yet . . . she has been persistent. So I should probably just stop thinking about it.)
2- I am mostly happy with how smoothly this week has gone. I recognize I am very lucky to normally have a full time nanny managing household logistics in our usual setup. SO, I am not complaining that I didn’t have this privilege this week, BUT admitting that I was somewhat anxious (fine, understatement) about how things were going to go. I did have to cancel some things (multiple kid appointments, mainly). The biggest problem was school pickup but very grateful to some neighbors who have kids at the same school who were able to help out. G has been going to aftercare and she doesn’t mind that at all.
After making the mistake of not doing this last time, I kept dinners super simple (Mon/Tues were tacos/taco salad; Weds was pasta mixed with jarred sauce and sautéed chicken sausage plus steamed broccoli). And, being realistic, I actually planned on tonight + tomorrow night being takeout! Our house is not a total disaster like I thought it might be. I do not plan on changing our situation any time soon (multiple reasons) but it’s just good to know we can handle things when we need to.
(And I know I will greatly appreciate it when she’s back!!!!)
3- I am so behind on auditing YNAB!!! Like, there is no December budget created yet, plus I’m worried about lots of random transactions just lurking out there unaccounted for. I hate when this happens. I need to suck it up and just . . . do my reconciliation. It does make me want to automate things a big more (and maybe even . . . consider jumping to Monarch, like I know a lot of people have done!?). If you have made that switch specifically, can you share if it ended up being a positive one? I’m curious!
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Aw. My daughter just turned 9 and is still VERY into dolls/stuffed animals/Calico Critters/etc. She just loves imaginative play so we’re going with it. I’m sure she’ll be asking for a smart watch soon enough 🙂
I use Monarch for budgeting and love it! I review transactions daily and occasionally adjust where the transaction is categorized but overall it is minimal effort and time as it is mostly automated after initial setup. Disclaimer: I only used YNAB for the trial period so I don’t know it as well. But found it tedious in comparison.
it is absolutely tedious. part of me loves that (slight spending deterrent? maybe?) but it has gotten a bit old. . .
I use Quicken Simplifi and it’s been pretty great. For me, it’s been a good combination of automating inputs and being able to monitor and adjust as needed. I also like that it’s from a long-established, reputable company. Plus I will never have the patience for a YNAB-style product, haha, but I admire that you do!
When we went to Disney the last time, Asher was probably 11, I think, and he insisted he wanted one of those Mickey Mouse hoodies that kind of look a lot like a Mickey costume- with the red and black and buttons and a hood with ears etc. It was very cute, but also quite expensive (of course, Disney), and I had a VERY strong suspicion that as soon as he got it home, he would no longer want to wear it because it would feel too baby-ish at school or among friends. (A regular sweatshirt that just said Disney World or whatever would be fine, but this was…different.). Fortunately I kind of talked him into getting something else, and I think it was a good call. Ha.
I guess I can see the trepidation with G too because I feel like girls especially suddenly hit the “tween”/ “want to feel grown up” stage maybe sooner even than boys, and will suddenly that doll be similarly too baby-ish? Would be one thing if cheap but I feel like those American Girl dolls are really expensive right? I guess maybe it can be something you pack away and keep for future grandkids if she outgrows it more quickly than anticipated. 😉
D kept asking for legos and playmobile until she was 9, and then abruptly stopped. Bitty Baby isn’t that expensive. I would buy it for her and enjoy what is likely the last year that birthday shopping will ever be so easy again. Having such difficulty thinking of what to get D for Xmas and birthday! She did provide an itemized list which was mostly reasonable. Wondering if I should let go of the idea of surprising her with something.
My 8 year old has declared himself over Lego sets but spends hours doing free builds. Which is creative and lovely and great, but it was nice to just be able to have one big Lego set as the main present. I got him a big box of Technik components off ebay for his birthday.
I switched from YNAB to Monarch last year when YNAB completely stopped supporting their (very, very) old YNAB desktop version I had been using for a decade. I started completely over and while I was at first sad to lose 10 years of data, I haven’t actually missed it and find Monarch to be faster and easier to reconcile each month.
I’ll add – if G is asking for a doll; buy it! My now-teens played with their Bitty Babies until 9 or 10 years old, as did their friends who came to our house. I think anything we can do to help our kids stay imaginative and little as long as possible is good. Maybe get a real Bitty Baby and then get a cheaper brand stroller and accessories?
I would definitely buy the doll! I think there is something fun about being able to keep some of those “childhood” things alive. I get the sense a lot of kids realize they have to grow up faster than they’d like to and so it’s comforting to hold on to this sort of toy!
My 8yo still plays a LOT with American Girl stuff too! This weekend she played with them with a 12 yo friend (who has given us lots of AG hand-me-downs) for a couple hours. And my 14 yo still sometimes gets involved – mainly styling their hair! I thought we’d be mostly done but they have long play lives at our house!
My youngest is 11 and has a bunch of calico critters & accessories on her Christmas list. She still has them set up in her room and plays with them sometimes, but is definitely on the verge of growing out of them altogether. My older daughter is 13 and it has really made me realize how fleeting childhood is and how soon my 11yo will just want makeup and clothes for Christmas. It also helps that calico critters are good quality toys that I know I can save for her future children (I am not a hoarder, I have only a handful of things that I save! I generally love getting rid of toys the second they grow out of them!!) One of the other things I saved was their Bitty Baby’s. That is a very long winded way of saying I would go for it!!
My daughter only put her American Girls items in storage this summer and she is 15. She stopped playing with them around age 12, but didn’t want to let them go. I would have been totally comfortable getting her a doll at 8. Obviously every kid is different but I think girls hang on to these things longer than many of them let on publicly.
Absolutely buy her the doll! G is very much still a little girl. My 11yo is asking for AGD accessories for Christmas and I will buy them for her every time because I know that window is closing soon, and I want to allow her to stay in it as long as she wants.
My almost 8 year old (Jan bday) has a very realistic looking baby doll as her number 1 Xmas wish list item. (I wish it was a bitty baby instead because this other doll is a little creepy to me.) Regardless, can connfirm pretend play (school, doctor, vet, etc) and baby dolls still going strong for this 8 year old. My older daughter (9) has had no interest in baby dolls since her preschool years so this must vary by kid!
I love so much that she’s asking for this! My daughter is 8.5. I would probably have the same question if she asked, but then I saw my 14-year-old niece’s wish list yesterday and it’s like 20 Sephora items and a new iPad. (But also a bunch of stuffed animals?) Anyway, it made me grateful for how sweet and simple my daughter’s requests still are. I do remember being at a playground with a doll stroller when I was a kid myself, maybe 6 or 7? And some other girl telling me I’m too old to have a doll stroller. That made me feel bad, so I would probably caution my daughter that some mean kids might say something. But also, as I know now, people usually make mean comments when they feel badly about themselves, so there’s that.
I had to laugh at the first thing! My youngest (now 13) asked for a specific plushy when he was 7 from a video game (Marionette from FNAF). I thought it was just a trend and be forgotten and it was crazy expense ($40) – but he didn’t want anything else for Christmas so I finally bought it. He loved it – when we lost it we bought a replacement, then found it, then it became a running gag so every birthday, Christmas, first day of school – he gets another one. We probably have 20 of them now, and he still plays with them – he also takes it all kinds of places (to school, to the movies, to grandparents house, on vacation) and it’s his “emotional support plushy” so it helps at the dentist’s office or when he needs a little extra comfort. He even gave me one to take on my last job interview in case I got nervous. It was easily the best $40 I’ve ever spent and I’d gladly do it again.
Did the FNAF plushie help you with your job interview? I love this!
My nine-year-old niece is still super into Peppa Pig, which seems young for her age, but hey. Kids are only kids for so long. Even if the doll and stroller don’t hold her interest for years to come, it will still make her so happy right now. Now that I think of it, another niece played with dolls until she was like twelve. Maybe it’s just my nieces! But it’s kind of nice to still have those vestiges of childhood.
My daughter is 7 (also in second grade like G) and got a Bitty Baby for Christmas three years ago, played with it for a while and then interest waned and came back a few times. A few weeks ago she asked to pull it out again and has been very interested in playing with it. So I would say go for it!
As a 59 year old woman who still vividly remembers the baby doll she desperately wanted but didn’t get (wonderful parents with a small budget), I say get her the doll!! ♥️
I am def convinced!! It’s ordered ❤️❤️❤️
I can totally related about buying gifts. Lizzy is asking for more stuff toys while I don’t think we have space for it. But I’m just going to fulfill the wish once for all 🙂
Yay! I’m so glad you bought the doll. I say savor that childhood for as long as possible! I so miss that toy stage.
I am still using YNAB and find it so easy to use…. but I also haven’t looked at Monarch at all, so I don’t know if there are benefits that I am not aware of? I’ve been using YNAB for so long (over a decade) that I don’t know if I would want to switch.
I have never used YNAB but signed up for Monarch just this January and find it very easy and intuitive.
Absolutely get her the doll! My 7 year old asked for LaBooBoo doll and albeit they looking so creepy I got her one. She drew on its face the next day, oh well.
ha!! i totally get that!!! i did buy the doll 🙂 and the stroller she begged for . . .
I’ve been looking for a new budgeting app and didn’t really enjoy YNAB – I went to look at Monarch after reading it here and noticed they were advertising a 50% off code for the first year after the 7 day free trial. I don’t know how long the sale will go, but here’s the code: GETMONARCH