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A $7 Pool Toy Taught My Daughter To Swim

4 weeks ago | tinypals.substack.com | Laurel Pantin

Greetings from spring break. One of many, many breaks it seems my children get regularly from school (including also random half days!). At the end of last school week I lamented this time off school. Unstructured time! The obligation to presently parent! My god! I have to work! I have important silly work! And then…we went to Florida, to see my in-laws and…my god! The generosity of grandparents. The endless, endless patience.
The Only Way Out Is Pleasuremaxxing

1 month ago | tinypals.substack.com | Laurel Pantin

The other day I was texting my best friend…while I was in a steamy hot shower…while I was listening to Misery on tape…while I was drinking an icy cold Diet Coke. It felt…like the maximum amount of pleasure I could experience in a twenty minute window. Pleasuremaxxing, I texted her. Which as a name, I think is rooted in some TikTok microtrends or something that I’m too old to fully understand, but pleasuremaxxing as a concept - a wholly nonsexual one, I have a pretty firm grasp on.
I had the flu this week, here's what I thought about

1 month ago | tinypals.substack.com | Laurel Pantin

We moved out of our old house in Brentwood this week, which was sad, but is also exciting for reasons I won’t get into, but it was a BIG WEEK. And on the same day as the move, I started to feel pretty run down, and by 5 PM I was shivering in bed with a 102 degree fever. I got….THE FLU! But just because I got the flu and my kids did not (they weren’t exactly healthy either - my son has a different virus) did not mean I could stop parenting.
Little Nuggets: Kids Stuff On Sale

2 months ago | tinypals.substack.com | Laurel Pantin

This one is a round up of kids things on sale. If you’re looking more to shop for yourself (always) here’s my post from Earl Earl on the best sales from February. ]Right now, all nursery items are 30% off at Pehr - which is amazing. If you’re going to get a true diaper bag, this one is soft AND pretty. Plus stock up on muslin swaddles (we called them burp rags and used them for literally everything) for your own baby or for gifts.
Tiny Advice For New Moms

2 months ago | tinypals.substack.com | Laurel Pantin

The other day, I met someone with kids, and I asked her how old hers are - her daughter had just turned 2. Then she asked how old mine are, and I was weirdly speechless. Mine are turning 7 and 5 at the end of this month. Seven and Five! I almost couldn’t even say it. I remember when my kids were babies, even up until the biggest one turned three - when I met someone with kids five and up, I was like - in awe.
Little Nuggets: Belated Valentine Ideas

2 months ago | tinypals.substack.com | Laurel Pantin

Ok so I’m late. Who cares! Here are some cute things to get for yourself or your partner or your kids. This one is cable knit with bell sleeves. It is beautiful. Jenni Kayne, $276You deserve a new bag! Obviously one of these things is not like the others… but hey! A great little side bag or a tote to throw all your kids’ shit, and your laptop, and a water bottle, and a snack, and a hair brush, and a coloring book and markers in…on sale.
What To Wear To A Playdate When You Don't Really Know The Other Mom (But You Suspect You Might Like Her)

2 months ago | tinypals.substack.com | Laurel Pantin

I wrote basically this same story last year (like, in 2023) when my kid was starting at a new school and I had a bunch of playdates with moms I didn’t know. It’s so awkward. SO AWKWARD! Except when it’s great and you end up liking the mom more than your kids like each other and it doesn’t matter because now you’re best friends so they’d better get on board. But yeah, the first few hangs are tough sometimes.
Little Nuggets: Cute Things

2 months ago | tinypals.substack.com | Laurel Pantin

Okeyyyyy, here we are. Things are still weird, but what are you going to do. I’m trying to synthesize what the last few weeks have been like, as a parent, but every time I start I just feel flattened. It’s coming though. Eventually. To keep from feeling flattened, I’m getting very much BACK TO WORK! Looking at beautiful things, thinking my beautiful thoughts, seeking pleasure and sharing it with you. Here are some wonderful little things.
Doing It Wrong

2 months ago | tinypals.substack.com | Laurel Pantin

When I had my son (my first kid) I was a very anxious parent. I’ve written about this before, but in a nutshell I had severe postpartum anxiety - I was like a chihuahua, shaking and terrified of everything (by everything, I mean…my baby). Eventually I got on medication, things slowly started feeling easier, I started feeling like…I would survive being a mother. I didn’t like it yet, but I could do it.
The Best Mom Bags

2 months ago | tinypals.substack.com | Laurel Pantin

Listen, I don’t think bags should be marketed differently towards moms - I mean, use literally anything you want, of course - but moms do have different needs in terms of bags than non-moms, and depending on the situation the set of needs changes again. Here are my favorites for as many categories and scenarios as I could think of. I never used…Keep reading with a 7-day free trialSubscribe to Your Mom to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.