We Thought This Would Be Over By Now
As the *third* school year affected by the pandemic begins (or approaches, depending on where you live), many of us are overcome with frustration. We thought this would be over by now. And yes, this pandemic has Lucy-with-the-football'ed us before. But in our Charlie Brown-like innocence, we really, really believed the pandemic was leaving for good this time.\nBut the Delta variant had other plans. As did the extremely polar responses to masks and vaccines. It appears that while we might be done with Covid, Covid is not done with us.\nHere's how we're currently managing risk for the unvaccinated kids\u2013 and vaccinated teens and grownups\u2013 in our lives. There are no easy answers, but if we keep in mind that the enemy is the virus (and not one another) we might be able to meet our common goal at least a little sooner.\nAnother detail to consider, this one coming out after we recorded this episode: according to the CDC, pediatric COVID-19-related hospital admissions in the U.S. have now seen their steepest and\xa0most significant\xa0increase since the onset of the pandemic. \n\nSpecial thanks to this month's sponsors:\nHappy Dance skin care products are made with premium ingredients, including the highest quality CBD. Get 15% off your first Happy Dance order by going to\xa0doahappydance.com/laughing.\xa0\nHelix customized mattresses will give you the best sleep of your life! Get up to $200 off all mattress orders, plus two free pillows, at helixSleep.com/laughing.\nStitch Fix Kids\xa0is here to ease the stress of shopping for kids' clothes! Go to stitchfix.com/kids/laughing and get 25% off when you keep everything in your Fix.\nDesign like a pro with Canva Pro! We use it for all our images\u2013 we've upped our game and saved time too. Right now,\xa0\xa0you can get a FREE 45-day extended trial when you go\xa0to canva.me/fresh.\nThe\xa0Cozi\xa0Family Organizer is for anyone juggling camp schedules, practices, meetings, doctor\u2019s appointments, and maybe a date night once in a while. Download\xa0Cozi\xa0for free from the app store!\nItalic is a new kind of everything store. They offer quality goods from the same manufacturers as leading brands for up to 80% less. Sign up for an Italic membership at italic.com/join and use code WHATFRESHHELL for 30% off.\nMagic Spoon cereal gets protein into your kids\u2019 breakfast- and with 0 grams of sugar. Go to magicspoon.com/FRESH and use the code FRESH at checkout to get $5 off!\nJane.com\xa0is a boutique marketplace featuring the latest in women\u2019s fashion, accessories, home decor, children\u2019s clothing, and more. You will not believe the prices!\xa0Visit\xa0jane.com/laughing.\nBobby Wonder is a kids' podcast from GoKidGo that the whole family can enjoy. Bobby Wonder is a typical guy who just found out he's from another planet. If your kid also loves to laugh, save the world, and eat waffles, subscribe or follow "Bobby Wonder" wherever you're listening right now.\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices