Accessory Tuesday: Mini Palm Tote
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Summer is not over yet! If you’re looking for a cute straw tote for a late summer getaway or party, how about this sharp black-and-white version?
Made from woven palm, this tote has a 10” handle drop and is large enough to hold a beach read or two. Afterwards, shake out the sand and replace those books with a lightweight shawl for a casual al fresco dinner.
Per Lei’s Mini Palm Tote is $78.
Sales of note for 8/1/25
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Nordstrom – The Anniversary Sale is open for everyone — here’s our roundup! (ends 8/3)
- Ann Taylor – 50% off wear-now styles + $50 off dresses and shoes + extra 60% off sale
- Banana Republic Factory – Up to 50% off everything + extra 20% off
- Eloquii – $19+ select styles + extra 45% off all sale
- J.Crew – Up to 50% off summer styles + extra 50% off sale
- J.Crew Factory – 60% off everything and extra 60% off clearance
- M.M.LaFleur – 25% off all previous flash sale items! Try code CORPORETTE15 for 15% off.
- Spanx – Free shipping on everything
- Talbots – 40% off one item + 25% off your entire purchase + extra 50% markdowns on top of that
Scout families: any special guest speakers or field trips or service projects that have worked for you? I volunteer with my girls’ Girl and Cub Scout troops and both are looking for some new ideas this year. Both troops are affiliated with our school, where we do school-wide service projects about 6 times a year, so service projects especially need some new ideas so we’re not repeating what the school has done.
Past stuff we’ve done: fire house visit, animal shelter visit, vet office visit, police dog visit; veteran’s cemetery for wreath laying, making birthday bags for the food pantry, making lap blankets for a nursing home residents.
Any suggestions for helping elementary kids be more subtle about their friend ranking? My second grader has a clear hierarchy of friends and will ditch less preferred friends when more preferred friends arrive and want to do something different. I know this isn’t uncommon and she’s been on the receiving end of it too. And ultimately kids are going to have their besties and it can sting not being in someone’s inner circle no matter how polite they are about it. But I’d love to help her navigate this a little more gracefully if anyone has any thoughts.
Just sent birthday party invites out for two of my kids birthdays! Feels like i accomplished something huge. One is late september and now hopefully everyone’s not going to be rushing to get their scheduled (sorry class!) but we have four kids and the schedule juggle is real. I just wanted it on the calendar! Really just posting a vent that this month has been stressful and getting two things scheduled is basically the only thing i’ve accomplished but at least i’ve done that! Now I have to actually plan them…
We started pre-k and the restraint collapse is so real. Any ideas on how to let my 4 year old take it easy in the evenings without relying on juice/snacks/screens?
I’m feeling for my “big” kid today! He had his first day of all-day camp yesterday, at a big sports camp in our area. He is entering K in the fall. He said he made no friends, didn’t pass the swim test and was one of the only kids wearing a life jacket in the pool, and overall seemed like he was a bit shaken by the experience. After being the big fish in a small daycare pond for so long, this (and a couple of other activities) are giving him a little perspective on himself in relation to others and it’s not always easy.
I’m trying to reframe it for myself… at least he’s getting some life experience right now with being in a new group and not making friends right away, so he is prepared for that feeling in Kindergarten. At least he’s wearing a life jacket so I don’t have to worry about his safety in the large group at the pool. And, not passing the swimming test led to a good conversation about all the ways he has improved in swimming this summer, and the skills he wants to learn so that he can pass the test next summer.
Parents of tweens: do you/would you let your kiddo dye their hair? Does it matter if it’s a fun funky color vs. a natural color?
My 11 year old wants highlights in her dark brown hair. My initial response was no, because I think she’s too young for something you have to maintain like that, plus I worry that it’s some noxious beauty standard affecting her desire to lighten her hair and I don’t want to validate any blonde-supremacy that teaches her that blonde (ie white) is better— we are not white. However, I have let her dye the tips a fun funky color. We bleached and colored at home and when the color ran out, we trimmed it. I offered the funky color treatment again this summer before she starts middle school and she said she would like blonde highlights instead. I’m a little paralyzed! Thoughts?
The kids start school next week, and it feels like we’re in that weird transitional phase between seasons. I would love to keep the summer vibe going at least until Labor Day, so we’ll plan pool trips on the weekends and hopefully have some backyard hangouts with friends. What else are you doing to keep summer around a little longer?
I truly wish our region did September starts for the school year!
Toddler sleep help needed. My almost 3 yo used to be an amazing sleeper. We opened up the side of her crib in June and were patting ourselves on the back about how great it went. Well two months later, issues have come back with a vengeance- she keeps getting up, won’t go to sleep, wants us to sit with her, and gets up in the middle of the night a lot. I was trying to go with it because she’s had a lot going on – potty training, family coming and going, vacation, new daycare class… but it doesn’t seem to be getting better and we are getting exhausted. Also her sleep is terrible and she’s cranky – she was up at 4 this morning and never really went back into deep sleep even though I was lying on the floor next to her. Any advice or reassurance?
Any advice for helping cousins navigate this dynamic? I have a 11 yo and 9 yo. They have a 9 yo cousin. My kids generally get along and play well together, but as soon as you add the cousin it’s a huge mess and nothing but fights. We have a week-long family vacation coming up and I’m trying to think of ways to improve the situation. There’s no way to add another kid given the travel logistics.
My 9 yo and her same age cousin get along gang busters. They have a great time together. That causes the 11 yo to get upset and feel left out. She tries to join in, but is used to leading play with her sister and her cousin is an only and won’t have any of that. So then the two younger ones exclude the older one, so she gets mad and mean and then they exclude her more (for reasons, as she’s not being kind). The 11 yo ends up having to hang with the adults, but then she spends the whole week sad, angry and miserable. I hate this for her, but haven’t found a way to integrate the three kids. The dynamic has been going on for years and is pretty entrenched. If it was just any two kids, we’d be fine. It’s the group of three that doesn’t work at all.
Suggestions?
DD wants to put together a basket of gifts for our nanny’s birthday. In the past we’ve gotten her a lululemon belt bag that she uses a ton, a necklace with sentimental meaning, and a restaurant gift card. We’re getting her a gift card for another restaurant but ideas for little things we could add to the basket? We have a candle and are making her favorite baked goods tonight. She often makes the kids baskets for their birthdays so that’s what inspired DD (but I don’t want to copy what she puts in! she usually goes to target and gets face masks and similar).
last night my daughter came to me all abuzz asking me to look up something that “girls can’t do that boys can do that girls should be allowed to do” because she wanted to write a “pension”…i had no idea what she was talking about and then i realized she misread the word “petition” as “pention” in the American Girl book she was reading. It was so hard not to laugh hysterically but she was getting mad at my smile, and then she was upset she couldn’t think of anything to write a petition about…
anything cute your kids have said lately?
my 9 year old son could not be less interested in clothes but I want to buy him some back to school clothes and look good/current (if it were up to me I’d dress him like a young kennedy in boat shoes and cableknit and I don’t think that’s the look these days); what are the good brands for boys that age?
I’m having a ton of back and hip pain from lifting my 2 year old (in and out of the crib, on and off the potty, in and out of the car, etc.). Working on her climbing herself more, but it doesn’t always work (and also sometimes when she’s throwing a fit in public I have no choice but to carry her). I feel like my hips are out of alignment, shoulders are uneven, and my back hurts.
What do I need here? A chiropractor? PT? Something else?
My baby’s 9-month well baby (he’s not yet 9 months by adjusted age) is tomorrow and some of the ASQ-3 screening questions have us confused, lol. One is “feeds himself a cracker or a cookie?” and we’ve never given him those because we’re mostly doing purées and soft solids like mashed potatoes. Does it count if he can feed himself a loaded spoon or grab a hunk of strawberry? I’m not sure if it’s assessing grabbing food or eating something crunchy.
Weight talk ahead!
I started pregnancy at the high end of overweight by BMI and gained 20 lbs total (I exercised and made effort with diet, but nothing Herculean – plus BB was a few weeks early). All but 4 lbs came off in the first week or two. I was told “you’ll lose weight breastfeeding.” Instead I gained back the full 20 because I was effing starving all day long and the relaxin made my joints hurt so I couldn’t do as much exercise. Then I was told “oh some lose weight weaning.” Nope, not a single ounce lost at 9 months PP (we stopped at 7).
I can’t tell if this is still hormones at work, less exercise/time to exercise with the baby (joints are fine now), or what. I don’t want to fight hard if my body just needs more time, but I also am at the point where I’m not able to be as comfortable and active as I want. I’m fine being overweight for the rest of my life because my body seemed happy there, but it doesn’t seem happy being obese. Anyone have similar swings postpartum who can advise? I feel like every story I see online is “the weight dropped off breastfeeding.” My friends and I don’t really discuss weight IRL (which I appreciate!).