Snow days plus the occasional sick kid or plumber coming to your house. Maybe 3-4 a year max. Really infrequent and it was basically a ‘favor.’

The biggest shift has been the location diverse workforce. We have some combination of employees at home, in offices and spread across several states. All of our meetings are zoom meetings regardless of where folks are located.

It’s super annoying because in the old cubicle farms you hear so much background noise it’s impossible to get work done or hold effective meetings.

My dad would barge into my room at like 7AM to wake me up for school every morning and say "TIME TO MAKE THE DONUTS!".

Have you considered private schools? I know they are crazy expensive but the cost difference between a house in Billerica and one in Winchester is probably the same delta. I'm sure there are programs, grants, etc. Just have to do the leg work.

I only say this because I went to public school in one of the wealthier metro west towns and I know many parents who are not getting the support for their special needs children. The best public schools focus most of their efforts on the kids who excel under traditional learning methods.

Good way to supercharge that new years diet! /s

Likely a bug. Just lay low, sleep a lot, stay hydrated. If you can't hold stuff down for more than 72 hours check in with a doc. Dehydration is serious.

This advice is highly generalized, but hopefully will help you get started.

When you look at the map of MA - there is basically 3 rings of communities surrounding downtown Boston.

The first ring - Medford, Arlington, Watertown, Brookline - still high density, city vibe, easy public transit. Lots of multi unit houses, some single family. If proximity to the city is a priority, this is where you want to be.

The next ring - Lexington, Waltham, Wellesley, Needham - these are 'bedroom communities'. Lots of people work in Boston but want to raise their families in the suburbs. Primarily single family houses. Train access to the city, but you may have to drive to a station. Very family oriented communities with high priority on the school system. Houses cost $$$ here. Restaurants are OK, most places shut down at 9PM, almost nothing for nightlife.

The third ring - the outskirts - Burlington, Billerica, Bedford, Natick, Norwood. Further out from the city, will definitely have to drive to a train station or just drive into the city. More land. Housing prices drop a bit.

I've lived in Needham, Billerica, Waltham, Arlington and Dorchester. If I had to choose right now - I would pick Arlington.

Really easy to look back at this and realize how horribly mismanaged we were. A lot of things were done incorrectly, but not for wrong reasons. I believe that most of the mandates, mask enforcement, shutdowns were done in good faith.