My son likes to take soup or beans and rice in his lunch. And he likes to take yogurt in his lunch. And he likes canned fruit. He has an OMIE box lunchbox which has a thermos. I would like a lunchbox with multiple thermoses or sealed containers, at least one of which should be insulated. That way I can put his hot food in the thermos and the other sealed-container-requiring foods in the other containers Currently if he takes a hot main dish, he can't have sealed-container requiring sides/snacks.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by If only I had a penguin... at 1:27 PM on November 27, 2023 (10 comments)

What digital note taking methods work for you? (corporate edition)
posted to Ask MetaFilter by larthegreat at 7:31 AM on January 5, 2022 (21 comments)

I'm sure this question can be asked for many types of white collar work. In my case, this is about writing, editing, and adjacent work - journalism as well as content/copy, etc
posted to Ask MetaFilter by CancerSucks at 10:52 PM on May 1, 2023 (13 comments)

I've been realizing that a lot of my stress in life is self-imposed and related to childhood trauma. I relate highly to descriptions of "overcontrolled emotion." You are not my therapist, but are there any books, practices or resources you've found especially helpful in learning how to be flexible and not filled with dread at making mistakes, failing to deliver on commitments, and being criticized? (More details within)
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Anonymous at 10:53 PM on January 15, 2023 (11 comments)

For more than half of 2022, our director has been on paid leave while being investigated for various misdeeds and our acting director has been careening from one nightmare crisis to another. As a result, I have been left without the agency to move one of my huge projects forward for basically the entire year. This has been pleasant for my workload but now it's annual evaluation time. What do I say?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Anonymous at 1:59 AM on December 19, 2022 (6 comments)

Inspired by this question. Looking for books on sex, sexual relationships, consent, self-knowledge and consent for teenage girl. Doesn't have to be 100% about sex and sex alone. Looking for something direct and funny and not finger-waggly but that talks to the reader respectfully, intelligently, and in detail.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by A Terrible Llama at 3:56 AM on December 4, 2022 (14 comments)

If you are a North American person around forty, what differences have you noticed between yourself and your work colleagues/friends/family in their mid-fifties? Bonus points for female perspectives. Comments from the fifty-something side also welcome, although I'm particularly seeking views from the younger side of the equation. Looking for everything from dress to attitudes to use of language, technology, etc..
posted to Ask MetaFilter by rpfields at 9:17 AM on November 27, 2022 (52 comments)

Is there an app for ascertaining the vomit-quotient of a particular movie? I want very much to see the new “All Quiet on the Western Front” (Netflix) but I’m afraid of being taken by surprise. I have a high gore threshold, but I can’t take….that.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by BostonTerrier at 9:22 AM on October 20, 2022 (6 comments)

So, Canada's central bank just raised interest rates a huge amount again, in order to fight inflation. But as someone who doesn't really understand the economic mechanisms of that, it seems to me like making money more expensive would just make everything more expensive. But that's obviously not the case, so what am I missing?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by jacquilynne at 7:40 AM on September 7, 2022 (21 comments)

Older Mefites enjoying a happy, healthy older age, please share your secrets with me.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by unicorn chaser at 12:33 AM on September 3, 2022 (26 comments)

My partner got upset with me because he was angry about something that wasn't really my fault. He has since apologised, and I want to accept this and move forward, but I don't feel okay. What can I do for myself to feel better and put this behind me?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by quadrant seasons at 4:11 AM on August 18, 2022 (32 comments)

OK, I realize this is the holy grail, but my thing that makes is possibly possible is that it doesn't have to pay much. Minimum wage is fine. Less than minimum wage...not really. I have a job. I work from home. I don't work nearly as much as they think I do. I could use some extra money. Is there work I could do in that downtime from my main job?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Anonymous at 11:02 PM on July 18, 2022 (10 comments)

I realize this is an enviable position. Received a job offer with a salary that is way more than what I anticipated. I’ve been away from this industry for almost 10 years, but meet/exceed all of the minimum requirements, and 4 out of 5 of the preferred qualifications in the job posting. The job posting lists a salary range of $68K - $126K. The salary offered, $100K, is about $30K more than what I was previously earning when I left the industry nearly a decade ago for higher education, and more than double what I am currently making. Based on my market research, I was expecting an offer between $80 – 90K, so I am pretty happy with the initial offer. I’m looking to early retire in 10 – 12 years.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by socrateaser at 2:31 PM on July 24, 2022 (19 comments)

Please give me your favourite salad recipes. I’m after ones that can be a full meal in itself so will likely include a meat or protein of some sort. I’m not a fan of lentils but anything else goes! If it’s a great restaurant copycat, a takeaway Buddha bowl or just something you created yourself and you love it, I want to know all about it. The more recipes the better. Extra points if it’s keto but not mandatory.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Jubey at 6:44 AM on July 17, 2022 (23 comments)

In week 2 of a kitchen reno and we are sick of eating takeout. I can access my fridge and I have a toaster oven but I don’t want to be washing messy dishes in my bathroom sink. What are some easy meals I can make for a five-year-old and myself for the next few days?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by ficbot at 10:35 AM on July 18, 2022 (20 comments)

Lately I've been terribly absent-minded. Scanned my driver's license to check out a book at the library instead of my library card; picked up my mail but couldn't find the mailbox key afterward (I'd left it in the keyhole of the mailbox); I work at a sports center and a kid handed me money to swim, I rang it up and then handed his money back to him instead of putting it in the til. The list goes on and on. This started occurring pretty suddenly about two weeks ago. What is going on?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by SageTrail at 7:59 PM on May 27, 2022 (18 comments)

I am a married late 30s mom of 2 young boys, age 2 and 5. I have a successful career and I am the primary earner. I am the type of individual contributor/middle manager who keeps her head down, does an immense amount of work, accomplishes things, hits goals, but rarely gets recognized. I do get told how talented I am, yet the reward for that is I am given more and more work. I am burnt out - how can I take the plunge and leave the working world for a while?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by curtains at 7:30 AM on May 15, 2022 (21 comments)

Please suggest some lunches for a couple working from home. The main constraints are time and simplicity. We’d like to spend up to about five minutes preparing that day’s lunch, or about 20 minutes if we can make a batch ahead of time to serve us for at least a few days.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by NotLost at 10:48 PM on April 30, 2022 (39 comments)

Earlier in the panny I read about Zoom groups for remote workers, where you join in and just have a little human companionship and mild accountability while you are working, sometimes featuring a few minutes of chatting before getting down to work. Now that I would like to join one I can't seem to find the right search term. Can you help?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by HotToddy at 10:13 AM on January 18, 2022 (8 comments)

Our toaster oven is dead. Should I replace it with a multi-function countertop appliance? If so, what?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by rouftop at 7:30 PM on January 10, 2022 (21 comments)

How do you take mental breaks at work? Non smoker, non coffee drinker. Introvert, so chatting with people is more tiring than restful. Checking the internet/social media makes it too easy to sucked into wasting a lot of time. Any suggestions?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by roaring beast at 8:11 AM on January 2, 2022 (29 comments)

(YANATherapist, or at any rate you're not my therapist.) I've had treatment for anxiety and I'm on the waiting list for more now that this latest, uh, 'outbreak' has started. In the meantime, I could use your tried-and-true tips for helping me think more positively about myself and just relaxing a bit.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by rubbish bin night at 5:44 AM on November 1, 2021 (22 comments)

I'm struggling a bit with my 8 year old daughter who is heinously bad at cleaning/tidying up after herself and it causes me heaps of stress. Do I need to wait this out, or are there other techniques to explore?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by sxtrumpeto at 9:59 PM on October 28, 2021 (39 comments)

My kid is having a 7th birthday party with a cat and dog theme this weekend. Please help me make a playlist of kid-appropriate music for freeze dancing or general entertainment! (Please nothing where cat actually means people’s junk, there are some oddly conservative parents involved.) not in English is fine, any genre is fine. Thank you!
posted to Ask MetaFilter by centrifugal at 3:26 PM on October 15, 2021 (44 comments)

I have had shoulder pain issues for 5 yrs. it is continuously deteriorating since then. Invested a fortune in physiotherapy to no avail. All the blood tests CRP, CK, ESR levels are normal - ruling out metabolic myopathy. CT scan of Cervical Spine show no pinching of the nerves. I have consulted extensively with orthopedic surgeons, Sports Medicine doctors, physiotherapists, Physiatrist, Acupuncturists. short of Genetic Sequencing, followed all leads. Hoping someone with similar problem could help me. Thanks
posted to Ask MetaFilter by page123 at 10:30 AM on September 13, 2021 (13 comments)

We have a cabinet overflowing with random food storage containers. We would love a modular set. What's your favorite? Glass preferred but not an absolute necessity. We want long-lasting. And easy to store.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by bookworm4125 at 6:15 PM on September 1, 2021 (22 comments)

I’m going from making $42k a year to $85k. Other than the smart financially responsible things I will do, I’m curious what changes others made if they’ve been through the same thing?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by emotionalmotionsickness at 7:22 AM on July 31, 2021 (45 comments)

My therapist pointed out that I have a hard time 'being in my own corner'-- that I tend to assume that I am wrong and others are right. I worry a lot about being a bad person or not the best person I can be. In the past I've been told to work on self-compassion, self-acceptance, etc. but somehow the idea of 'being in my own corner' really resonates. I wanna root for myself like I root for sports teams and favorite book characters! I just...don't know how to do it.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by jeszac at 9:50 AM on July 23, 2021 (12 comments)

How do you phrase things to allow flexibility without being over accommodating or making the other person do all of the work?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by robertthebruce at 11:59 AM on June 20, 2021 (24 comments)

I'm planning a Shortcuts Fest for my team, where we share our fave little workarounds - like SHIFT + F3 for changing case, CTRL + L to go to the Chrome address bar. With 2020 being 2020, I've learned a few basic tricks in Teams but would love to hear what MeFites use on the reg. (We are generally stuck with MS programs but also use Google's suite of products quite a bit, and live in Chrome).
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Gin and Broadband at 2:40 AM on June 11, 2021 (46 comments)

It's hard to say what colour they are - I would say my dark circles are maybe purple/blue. I have tried everything. I'm looking for something that lasts and also isn't too thick. Help!
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Tziv at 1:59 PM on May 26, 2021 (14 comments)

Several recent posts on the Blue have talked about the trauma of and around COVID-19, and the transition to whatever it is that comes next. I'm looking for small, practical things I can do to decrease my sense of hypervigilance about COVID and increase my openness to joy/hope/optimism.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by MonkeyToes at 4:56 PM on May 25, 2021 (19 comments)

I have become aware of how not leaving an apartment for a year has killed my cardio. I would like to fix this before the fall when I can get out to my gym classes again. What has worked for you? Complications inside.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by platypus of the universe at 1:35 PM on May 21, 2021 (21 comments)

Like many people working from home during the pandemic, I've used online shopping to provide the occasional injection of serotonin into my otherwise humdrum repetitive working-from-home days. Not only are my purchases excessive (way too many pairs of shoes), they're just not cutting the mustard in terms of longer-term pleasure centers. I may have to make 2-3 small purchases just to incentivize myself to keep going.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Dressed to Kill at 6:25 AM on May 13, 2021 (32 comments)

Basically I've gone totally numb due to the usual depression reasons. I'm also exhausted. Need to hear ideas how to reverse course without overwhelming myself. Content warning: lots of anger.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by coffeeand at 5:28 PM on April 7, 2021 (40 comments)

I'm hoping I can get some direction on a very specific type of anxiety I've been struggling with. It revolves around the health of my family and those in my care.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Sassyfras at 6:12 PM on March 30, 2021 (12 comments)

Basically what it says on the tin. After a long, hard, stupid year (that isn't even over yet) full of cancer (other peoples') and unemployment (mine) and general global misery, I am no fun anymore. What are some ways you have gotten your fun, your chill, your resilience, or your humor back after hard times? Open to all manner of things but it does have to be relatively inexpensive.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 9:37 AM on August 24, 2016 (39 comments)

It may be premature and a self-diagnosis, but I believe I've developed agoraphobia/anthrophobia of a sort while on lockdown.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Anonymous at 10:42 AM on February 28, 2021 (14 comments)

I would really want to spend the 1-2 minutes between meetings during the day to do exercises that will have a positive impact on my overall health. Want to do these 2-3 times a day, but don't want to break a sweat. I work from home. Ideally with a program/progression to follow. What do/would you do?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by sandmanwv at 3:11 PM on February 17, 2021 (18 comments)

I love the wirecutter for its ability to save me time and angst while shopping, but as a Canadian, it often really lets me down. Its recommendations are often completely unavailable or so expensive the wirecutter would never recommend them (think 3 to 5 times the USD price). Is there a Canada-specific website like the wirecutter? The wirecutter is pretty general, but maybe I could cobble together recommendations from a set of more specific Canadian recommendation sites?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by congen at 1:40 PM on February 12, 2021 (6 comments)

I mistakenly ordered 2 lbs of feta with my groceries this past week. What should I do with this abundance?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by sarajane at 12:16 PM on January 18, 2021 (26 comments)

The White Stripes Animated Yule Log YT, 90 minutes.
posted to MetaFilter by betweenthebars at 10:58 AM on December 25, 2020 (4 comments)

'Humans need the ritual of saying goodbye' : the Covid life of a small-town funeral director Being a funeral home director in Zachary, Louisiana, means sometimes your neighbor calls when they see cars in the parking lot, to ask: “Who died?”
posted to MetaFilter by infini at 5:27 AM on December 26, 2020 (34 comments)

I'm starting a new job next week. Due to the state of the world, it's going to be a remote position for at least the next month or two. What can I do to make this go smoothly?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by firechicago at 2:16 PM on March 31, 2020 (10 comments)

What is the best way to handle feeling overwhelmed at a new job when you're overwhelmed with everything going on?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by buttonedup at 12:32 PM on April 9, 2020 (9 comments)

I have a stressful job. It's becoming clearer and clearer to me that I must prioritise my physical and mental health over my work. But I simply don't know how to do that without falling behind at work and creating even more stress for myself. Any help?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by unicorn chaser at 9:31 AM on November 25, 2020 (20 comments)

One of the things I've always enjoyed is wearing "fun" boxer shorts with bright colors and fun prints. Some of my boxers are starting to get kind of old, and my usual go-to sources don't have a lot to replace them with.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by kevinbelt at 11:43 AM on November 13, 2020 (9 comments)

I have been interviewing pretty aggressively for a new job and have made it fairly far along in some interviews. But one thing that's *really* important to me is taking some time off between my hell-job and my prospective new job.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by windbox at 7:25 AM on March 29, 2019 (15 comments)

I'm experiencing burnout. What are some strategies which worked for you to combat it?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by unicorn chaser at 10:18 AM on September 23, 2020 (17 comments)

How do I cope with sadness without trying to avoid it or push it away?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Jinxes at 3:44 AM on September 17, 2020 (25 comments)