Everyone Thursday: 4-Way Cardigan

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Nic Zoe 4-way cardiganIt’s always nice to see a classic piece go on sale, and this 4-way cardigan from Nic and Zoe is definitely one of those pieces. (It got a separate category in our recent guide to cardigans for the office!) Every season it comes out in new colors, and women love it because you can tie it so many different ways, or just wear it open for a draped look. Instructions say to hand wash cold. It was $99, but some colors are newly marked down to $49.90; it’s available in sizes XS-XL, regular and petites. (There’s a plus-sized version as well, but it isn’t on sale.) Nic + Zoe 4-Way Cardigan Psst: the matching tank top is down to $19, too, if you like a matched look. (L-3)

Sales of note for 12.10

(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)

And — here are some of our latest threadjacks of interestworking mom questions asked by the commenters!

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How do you deal with “mom guilt” about having to work during winter break? Generally, I can handle the guilt about working long hours, but year-end happens to be my busy time, so not only is it impossible to take any days off, but it is impossible to get out of work before my kids are asleep. I have all these feelings of guilt/resentment that I am stuck in the office instead of spending time with my kids when they are home from school. It’s been that kind of day,/week/month; I am reaching my breaking point, looking for commiseration.

Does F job offer you any flexibility with your schedule? If you’re having to take unpaid time off, for example, when kiddo is sick, you may not be getting much ahead. That being said, if you went F job until you had more kids, and then went P job, you could possibly get the best of both worlds. I’d be inclined to take F job if you think you can swing it.

Regular poster, anon for this (and cross-posted on the main site but I wanted the insight from a more mom-centric group):

Background: I have one child under 2, plans to have more children in the future, and a spouse that works a more demanding job (doesn’t get home before 7, some nights/weekend work). I’m clearly the primary parent, even though I don’t particularly want to be.

I lost my job a few months ago and I’ve been staying home with my kid. It’s OK and I appreciate having the time with her, but I want to go back to work. Luckily, I was just offered two jobs. One part time (P Job), one full time (F Job). Both are at gov’t agencies, so both jobs would be 9-5, one would just be 9-5 5 days a week, the other 9-5 3 days a week. Benefits are the same, commutes would be similar. The work would be similar and although I think the career opportunities would be different, one is not necessarily objectively or subjectively to me better than the other (pluses and minuses to both). If after a few years I wanted to eventually work full time at P Job I’m almost positive I could. If I wanted to eventually work part time at the F Job, I probably could (maybe 60% chance).

I was all set to take P Job but I just found out what the salary is at F Job, and my jaw dropped. If you compare base salaries (i.e., grossing up P Job salary to what I would make if it were full time), the difference is at least $30k. And I’m young – $30k + raises over the next 30 years is a lot of money. Another way to look at it: at P Job, I’m doing 60% of the work for about 45% of F Job money. I would have to pay more in child care, but based on my very rudimentary math, after child care and taxes I’d be taking home $1500 more per month with F Job than with P Job.

I really want to work part time and spend more time with my kid. My life would be much less stressful if I worked part time. But $1500 a month, every month for the rest of my life is a lot of money.

What would you do? Any wisdom or insight?

Any tips for getting kids to use a sippy cup? My son is 12.5 months and we’ve been unsuccessful so far. At daycare they give him his milk in a sippy cup, wait half an hour, and then pour it into a bottle (and he drinks it all). When we try at home, he just cries when we give him a sippy cup. When we pour the milk from the sippy into a bottle, he drinks it fine. (So, the problem is isolated to the cup; he’s fine with the milk itself.)

Daycare doesn’t do straw cups, and has just standard sippy cups, so I’m hesitant to search around for a cup he “likes” since that’s not what they’ll use.

holiday gifts for daycare teachers-
Kiddo has 2 teachers in her current room, where she has been since Sept and will be until next Sept. I will be giving them $50 and a card.

Kiddo came to this daycare in June, so was in another room from June-August. Those teachers were not great at all. I almost pulled her from the program because of how much I disliked them, but I really liked the next room up (current) teachers. Do I:
a. Give them nothing
b. Give them a card with $10 (which is what the 3 floaters are getting)
c. Give them $25 apiece and acknowledge that daycare is a tough business and I have the money to be generous even if I think they are lazy and not great teachers?
d. other? I was thinking of doing something like getting a case of wine and giving it to the director with a note that said “distribute as appropriate across the staff that has to deal with my crazy kid” (FWIW my daughter is very well behaved)

FWIW here’s why I didnt like them:
– never did the required paperwork on developmental milestones
– never scheduled school conferences (she was up for her 18 month one while in the class)
– sit around and chat/text while the kids play
– complained obnoxiously when I potty trained my kid; never offered new strategies, did not believe me that she was 100% fully potty trained at home (got director involved, this was totally crazy, and director herself stepped in and worked with my daughter and got her comfortable using the school toilets in 2 days flat)
– put kids (not mine, that i know of) in time out and totally lost their cool with them, eve thought the school has a no time-out policy
– don’t engage with the kids (and her current teachers do)–ie sit and watch kids playing with books vs reading a book to them, etc.

For all of you with toddlers, you’re welcome: http://www.thehonesttoddler.com/2015/12/a-toddlers-apology-to-santa.html

A bit of a grinch-y vent, my son’s daycare has had no fewer than 4 holiday things we’ve either had to bring food for, donate to, or dress him a certain way. I’m not even including next week with pj day, snoman day, etc. I know they’re trying to make it special for the kids but they.are.killing.me. My husband and I have both been traveling and working like crazy before the holiday and it has been so not fun to realize that ‘damn! today I need to bring in gingerbread supplies, or the teacher appreciation cookies’ (on top of their individual gifts).
I’d normally say ‘f it’ but he enjoys all this stuff so much. He’s in daycare because we work and are busy! Stop with all the extra stuff! Sigh, only a few more days until Xmas break.