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I usually like to make Fridays a bit more weekend-focused here, but I have stumbled across a sale on an Anne Klein blazer too good not to share. Admittedly, this is neither the most exciting brand nor blazer — but in my experience it’s been a solid brand and if you happen to need an affordable black (or blue or pink) blazer, it’s hard to go wrong with one under $50. The blazer was originally $129, but is now marked to $30-$47 (depending on size and color). Anne Klein Women’s Florence Stretch Jacket
Psst: I’m not sure any of these pieces are matching, but their color names match at least: pants, sheath dress (blue and black), sheath dress (pink).
(L-all)
Sales of note for 9.10.24
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Ann Taylor – 30% off your purchase
- Banana Republic Factory – Up to 50% off everything + extra 20% off
- Boden – 15% off new styles
- Eloquii – $29 and up select styles; up to 50% off everything else
- J.Crew – Up to 50% off wear-to-work styles; extra 30% off sale styles
- J.Crew Factory – 40-60% off everything; extra 60% off clearance
- Lands’ End – 30% off full-price styles
- Loft – Extra 40% off sale styles
- Talbots – BOGO 50% everything, includes markdowns
- Zappos – 26,000+ women’s sale items! (check out these reader-favorite workwear brands on sale, and some of our favorite kids’ shoe brands on sale)
Kid/Family Sales
- Carter’s – Birthday sale, 40-50% off & extra 20% off select styles
- Hanna Andersson – Up to 50% off all baby; up to 40% off all Halloween
- J.Crew Crewcuts – Extra 30% off sale styles
- Old Navy – 40% off everything
- Target – BOGO 25% off select haircare, up to 25% off floor care items; up to 30% off indoor furniture up to 20% off TVs
See some of our latest articles on CorporetteMoms:
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And — here are some of our latest threadjacks of interest – working mom questions asked by the commenters!
- The concept of “backup care” is so stupid…
- I need tips on managing employees in BigLaw who have to leave for daycare pickup…
- I’m thinking of leaning out to spend more time with my family – how can I find the perfect job for that?
- I’m now a SAHM and my husband needs to step up…
- How can I change my thinking to better recognize some of my husband’s contributions as important, like organizing the shed?
- What are your tips to having a good weekend with kids, especially with little kids? Do you have a set routine or plan?
Anonymous4 says
Anyone have some encouragement for the mama of a late talker?
My nearly 22 month old isn’t talking at all. He has a number of sounds (toot, pop, animal sounds, car noises); and something vaguely resembling up and down (you wouldn’t know what it is without hand motions or hearing it a ton). His verbal comprehension is very high and he is a little book worm; he is home with dad during the day, who isn’t a great talker, but makes an effort with our son. But my son has never used words even like mama or dada – he knows what the word means, and can even make the sound if prompted, but never uses it to refer to the person. He had a couple of distinct words around 15 months, and then quit using them within a few weeks. Ped wants to refer for speech screening and potentially therapy if he doesn’t show improvements by his 24 month check up.
At this point he is developing his own sign language. Some people have suggested I just play dumb to try to encourage words, but that just seems to make him angry. Some people tell me to just not worry and he’ll talk when he’s ready. Some people think I should have had him referred at 18 months.
No other developmental delays, sensory issues, or any other indicators of a problem. Just- no words.
What would you do?
anne-on says
Screening and therapy, no question. What’s the downside to getting more help? Especially as it will likely be covered by either your state or your insurance if your kiddo qualifies. At the very least, they (the qualified experts) will give you feedback and guidance. Good luck!
Faye says
+1 to screening. I’d want experts to evaluate and tell me if it’s in the range of normal or on a more concerning scale. You don’t have to take their word at 100%, or jump straight to therapy, but their eval and your gut reaction to it can help guide you. Maybe you want a second opinion, maybe you hear it’s normal, maybe you hear there are some simple exercises you or his dad can do to encourage development.
But it’s worth doing the screening, earlier rather than later, so you can have non-internet-actual-guidance and your kiddo can get any kind of help he needs.
NewMomAnon says
Do not discourage his sign language!!!! Communication is so, so important at every age. It’s awesome that he is trying.
Have you had his hearing checked? If he is trying to communicate, but it isn’t happening through intelligible speech, I would jump to hearing issues.
And hugs.
Anonymous4 says
Thanks – that’s good to hear.
He hasn’t had hearing checked since he was a newborn – but he seems to hear/understand what is said to him (follows two step directions, points to pictures on a page). He picks up on background noise like distant trains or sirens easily, and often begs for music to be on. I wouldn’t immediately jump to hearing, but I’m not expert so I’ll keep that on my radar.
Meg Murry says
If your husband isn’t a talker, and your son is home with him having all his needs met, it’s distinctly possible that your son just doesn’t really feel the “need” to talk. After all, if food shows up every time he’s hungry, dad plays trains with him when he leads him to the train table and picks him up when he holds up his arms, why should he bother? So I don’t think you need to freak out about it, but I think having him screened further and some speech therapy can’t hurt. I’d also suggest a hearing screening.
Also, if he’s developing his own sign language, I’d look into learning some actual signs/baby signs. For me, the number one source of tantrums at that age was when my kids couldn’t communicate what they wanted. The signing time DVDs are pretty good, and honestly, if he’s making up his own signs that you understand, go with it. Our daycare did some basic baby signs (milk, please, more, all done, etc) and my son developed some of his own – for instance, we taught him that our wood stove was hot by holding his hand near it to feel the warmth coming off of it, and then we noticed he would use the same gesture by a campfire, or when we told him the kitchen stove or the soup was hot.
Also, if your husband ins’t much of a talker and he’s the primary daytime caregiver, could he take your son to some interactive classes like a music class, or storytime or arts and crafts at the library? Maybe interacting with kids his own age might be different than with adults.
Again, I don’t think you need to freak out, but I’ve heard nothing but good things from people who did speech therapy with their kids (other than that the initial paperwork and coordinating was a pain), and that it was a worthwhile endeavor.
Meg Murry says
My kids were also slightly late talkers and have some hearing loss, but we lucked out in that their toddler daycare teacher was working part time at the school and in college part time for special ed, so we never did any “official” speech therapy or intervention, but my kids got it in a round-about way.
I feel like I am constantly bringing her up, but I’m a long time Amalah reader because her oldest only slightly older than mine. She has some good advice here: http://www.amalah.com/amalah/2007/09/the-absolutely-.html and also has some excellent older columns at alphamom about speech
Anonymous4 says
Thanks for the link!
Anon in NYC says
My friend is in a similar situation (almost 2 years, babbles a bunch and tries to express wants/desires, but it’s mostly incomprehensible to them), and they suspect that her son may have a hearing/ear issue. Her son’s newborn hearing test was fine, but he was back in the hospital for a few days a week or two later with a fever. He’s fully recovered and totally fine now, but a recent eval by a doctor showed that her son’s ear drum is not reverberating the way it’s supposed to. I’m not sure if the illness caused this or if something else happened, but perhaps it is an avenue to explore. My friend said she was really surprised because his newborn hearing test was fine.
Anonymous says
I am also the mama of a non-talker. I’d agree with evaluation; but if you want something to do today you can order (or stream, I think they are on amazon) the Baby Signing Time videos. Our little one (17 months) doesn’t have words, but he loves these videos and in just a few weeks he has picked up a half dozen signs that we use to communicate. Our speech therapist recommended it.
Pita says
Just curious— why a speech therapist at 17 months? Are there speech milestones that early that I should know about?
Anonymous says
short answer is yes. There’s a list here:
www(dot).hanen(dot)org/Helpful-Info/When-You-Are-Concerned/Warning-Signs.aspx
Anonymous4 says
The 12 month Ages and Stages questionnaire (which my ped uses) asks if the child uses Mama, Dada and one other word. I think that’s the earliest it shows up on milestones.
We’ve done a few signs – please, book, water, all done. He knows them, but only uses them when prompted.
hoola hoopa says
Since his listening comprehension is good and his development in other ways is normal, I would not worry. One of mine were similar – had a few words around first birthday, then stopped talking. Could easily follow multi-step directions without gestures. I decided to not be concerned until her 3rd birthday (I read somewhere that ‘normal’ speech development could be through the 2’s) and sure enough, around 2.5 there was a massive language explosion. Within about two weeks, went from nothing to complete sentences and a very full vocabulary. If it makes you feel better to get a referral, then do. But as not a professional, I think it sounds normal.
FWIW, I’ve collected some anecdata from other parents with similar kiddos that suggests that the mechanically-minded tend to have that pause in language development. It’s as if their brains switch gears entirely for a period to focus on math and mechanics.
Definitely do sign language!!!
Anonymous4 says
That is fascinating anecdata – my non-talker is OBSESSED with wheels or anything that goes around: fans, flywheels, pinwheels, helicopter blades, wheels on the bus/truck/train/tractor/car. If it doesn’t have wheels, he pretends it has wheels. I never put those pieces together, but if there are others experiencing it, perhaps I have a mechanically minded little guy. I would make sense!
My nephew is similar to what you describe – his first big language explosion right around 22-23 months (right after his speech eval, actually), and now at nearly 3, will not stop talking. I do know boys’ speech often comes around a bit later than girls. My gut is this is normal, but something I need to keep an eye on. The constant “is he talking yet” questions are making me panicky!
anon says
No advice, just anecdata. I was apparently a very late talker and was referred for hearing tests. I turned out fine. Now I talk… a lot.
Anonymous4 says
Thanks for the smile! This is new territory for me – I was an early, in-full-sentences-from-the-beginning talker.
Anonymous says
Definitely see a speech language pathologist for evaluation and help if needed. The older kids are, the harder it is to catch them up to their peers. If you address this now, he’ll probably be caught up before kindergarten. by 18 months they should have 10 words and at age two, they should have around 60 words and he’s not on track to get there.
It sounds like his receptive speech is doing great and he just needs to catch up on expressive speech.
I highly recommend the Hanen program “It Takes Two to Talk”. Our daughter had great receptive speech but poor expressive speech and she caught up once we started using the techniques we learned in the program. You can order the book and dvd directly from the website. My husband found the DVD particularly helpful.
Anonymous says
http://www.hanen.org/Programs/For-Parents/It-Takes-Two-to-Talk.aspx
Anonymous4 says
Thanks for the suggestion – I’ll take a look.
Anonymous4 says
Thanks to all for thoughts! I’ll look into some sign language things and see what happens between now at 2nd birthday. Without major changes, our ped will refer to First Steps and we’ll see what the screening says!
Closet Redux says
My kiddo didn’t really say anything of import until she was 2– she had a tiny handful of words and only we could understand her. She knew a small number of words in sign language, which was great for us and seemed to temper the frustrated tantrums. But, like your little one, she has always been a serious bookworm! Her comprehension has always been really advanced, I think, and she loves being read to. Now that she’s 2.5, she has started “reading” out loud to us– I’m actually shocked at the amount of pages of several different books that she has memorized, and her vocabulary has exploded in the last few weeks. My strategy (in conversation with our pediatrician) has been to do nothing because she seems perfectly happy and not delayed in any other way– hitting all her marks– and the range for “normal” on this is actually pretty wide. I think of her as a listener more than a talker, and that’s just fine with me (we could all stand to be better listeners!), and I don’t want to label a personality trait as a deficiency (not that that’s what you’re doing). Good luck, whatever your instinct is, you are doing the right thing!
anon mom says
I agree with those who say an evaluation would be a great idea. Also: This is a different issue, because my son didn’t have a speech delay at all, but I wanted to say that sometimes parents don’t see things that other people observe with their kids, especially if they’re first-time parents. A few years ago when my son was 3.5 years old, his preschool teacher recommended a full educational evaluation (speech, cognitive, motor skills, etc.), and our reaction was basically, “Hmm, OK. Well, I guess we might as well do it.” By his 4th birthday (after seeing a developmental pediatrician in addition to having the eval) he was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. (His version of it would have been called Asperger’s until recently when they lumped the diagnoses together.) The results of his eval meant that he could start receiving early intervention, and he has made huge progress through those services. I think that whenever a professional (doctor, teacher, etc.) recommends an eval, a parent should do it or at least seriously consider it — especially if, as in my state (NY), the county or school district pays for it (depending on the age of the kid). I am not implying that your son has autism, by the way — just providing some anecdata. Good luck!
Anonymous says
When did you switch to medium flow “bottle top” (trying to avoid moderation)? Kiddo is 7 months and takes 3-4 bottles at daycare. Recently they suggested moving him up to a faster flow because he is getting bored / frustrated. I have seen him do this a couple times at home– he will start chewing on the bottle top or take lots of breaks to look around. However, when he’s really hungry, he still plows through them and I’m still nursing him 4-5 times a day (he’s still waking 2-3 times a night to eat, a separate problem!) and don’t want him to get frustrated while nursing. Thoughts?
HSAL says
I kept Baby HSAL on Level 1 (Dr. Brown) until about 5 1/2 months until we found out she was taking 45 minutes to finish a 4 ounce bottle because she was so distracted. So we switched to Level 2 for daycare and Level 1 for any bottles at home. I was still nursing and she didn’t have any problems going back and forth or being frustrated by the slower flow from me.
Anon says
I had to buy more “bottle tops” when kiddo started daycare at 3 months so I researched the issue then since the options were 0-4 months (slow flow) and 4-12 months (fast flow). I figured since he was almost 4 months I didn’t want to buy new ones that would last us 1 month then have to buy a whole new set. Apparently it doesn’t actually work that way. From what I found, a lot of moms never switch over and just use the slow flow ones for the whole first year. For me, I’ve noticed my baby can sometimes struggle to go back to breastfeeding after he’s had a lot of bottles recently (like at daycare), so I wasn’t about to purchase the fast flow ones and exacerbate that problem.
Lkl says
We never switched because our formula-fed kid was a speed eater and we didn’t want to encourage that.
Anonymous says
If you’re still nursing definitely stay with slow flow.
CHL says
Well, for anyone who was anxiously awaiting the outcome of whether my toddler would remember 6 weeks later that he really really really wanted light up sneakers — he does! So, does anyone have recommendations on light up sneakers for a 3 year old, or are they all just equally ridiculous?
Shayla says
They are all equally ridiculous, but the good news is your toddler is so cute that it doesn’t matter. Enjoy how much the light up shoes will make him happy (if not annoyingly stomping around)! We usually go to the Rack for shoes and there are always some light up options there…all equally ridiculous.
CHL says
Thanks! The Rack website came through for us! Ridiculous soccer ball-light up sneakers on the way:)
hoola hoopa says
IME, the more ridiculous the better! Enjoy!
Meg Murry says
I would give an anti-recommendation to Skechers, because despite having really cool light up features (you can push a button to change the color!) my 4 year old destroyed a pair in a couple of months. They were a birthday gift though, because that’s all he told us he really wanted around his birthday, he needed shoes anyway and I didn’t want to buy any more toys for his birthday.
Since he wants them badly enough, could you use them as a bribe? Like “If you earn X stickers for doing Y, we’ll go get you some light up shoes”? Or were they already a bribe?
You can find light up shoes at almost all price points now, and you could also get light up sandals for the summer. I needed a pair of shoes for my son to wear that I didn’t care if he destroyed, and I found a pair of shoes that light up and have characters on them on clearance for $10 at Sears – and I think they were only $20 to start with.
The one night thing about light up shoes is that when we’re out past dark I can let the kids go play (for instance, at our local concerts in the park) and I can spot my kid from pretty far away by watching for the blinking shoes.
Anon in NYC says
I just had my last pumping session! Wheee!!! Thanks for the advice on weaning from the pump, ladies! I appreciate it.
Anonymous says
Envious! Enjoy the freedom, return of bodily autonomy, and the ability to wear whatever you want to work.
Anonymous says
ORGANIZATION: We are moving into a new house in about three weeks (we have access to the house now). It’s only about 20 minutes away. I am notoriously unorganized when it comes to all our ‘stuff’ – toys, shoes, clothes, etc.
I’d like to start off on the right foot rather than feel overwhelmed when I’m there unpacking and shoving everything into drawers and closets. Does anyone have experience with any kind of organization system, something from ikea or another store, or other organization? I’d say those are our big things: toys, shoes and clothes, toiletries, and seasonal clothes. It is a much older house and only has one closet and no attic space.
Any and all advice welcomed to keep us free of the clutter monster as long as possible!
Shayla says
I’d start by simply asking if you need move the item you’re holding, or can you get rid of it. Be ruthless. The more you get rid of the less you have to move and then “organize”
hoola hoopa says
+1000 Only keep what gets used and would be missed.
As for organization: When we lived in a small, older home (in addition to being ruthless about getting rid of large, awkward, or lightly used toys/books), I kept ~80% of the toys in storage and rotated about quarterly. Worked well.
For seasonal clothing, store in under-bed boxes or in a storage unit.
For toiletries: be ruthless. Everyone uses the same sunscreen, etc. All others are thrown out.
Anonymous4 says
Also consider bed lifts – gives you a little extra under the bed storage.
I’m in a small older home too. I also rotate toys, and limit the big toys. I just acquired a couple of the shelves with the plastic bins for toys to be out in the living room. Not only did it make things more tidy, but makes pick up time easier, because Philanthropy Baby knows where he stuff goes.
Children’s books are my current weeding-out project.
Agree with hoola hoopa on toiletries. I scaled way back on the products I use, and don’t allow myself to keep extras.
I also cut myself way back on shoes. I have one rack for every day shoes in the kitchen (so I don’t wear them through the house), and a small storage unit in my small closet for seasonal shoes and special occasion shoes. Same for DH. Toddler has one pair of sandals, one pair of shoes and one pair of rain boots.
My small house has me reevaluating what is really necessary. The Art of Tidying Up is on my shelf to be read – hopefully this summer!
Meg Murry says
Did you buy the house, or are you renting it? Could you convert any nooks or an entire wall into storage? We didn’t have enough storage space in my last house, but there was a random 5 foot bumped in section of wall at my last house. We installed a modular closet system like this one (it’s super easy, since you just have to make sure the top rail is screwed into studs – the rest don’t have to be, and you can buy more pieces to expand and customize it) and it made all the difference to be able to hang up our “currently out of season but the weather changes here all the time so I don’t want to put it away in a bin for good” clothes.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/ClosetMaid-ShelfTrack-7-ft-10-ft-White-Closet-Organizer-Kit-2891/203063611
Otherwise, I’d recommend clear storage bins with latches from Sterilite – they come in all kinds of sizes, including under the bed, possibly combined with the vaccuum ziploc bags for things like puffy winter coats.
Also, know your kids. Will they want toys sorted into smaller bins by type, or do you need to just get a couple of larger bins knowing they will dump the whole thing out to play and then scoop everything back up into them when it’s time to clean up?
NewMomAnon says
I found that if you go to the Closetmaid website, they have different color options in case you need to have your organization out in the open. I installed a chrome and natural wood version on a wall in my office area. You can also usually find 15% coupon codes on Retailmenot or other online coupon sites.
Also, second the commenters saying that your packing needs to deliberate and ruthless. Unpacking too. Have a dumpster available at both places, if possible.
Anonymous says
If you can’t think of a specific spot where it will live in the new house, throw it out/donate it.
Moving is a fantastic time to purge – you are paying people to move your stuff so move as little as possible because it makes the move cheaper and unpacking much faster.
We moved two years ago and I thought I purged a lot then but in hindsight I should have gotten rid of a ton more stuff.
Anonymous4 says
This is good. I recently painted my living room and bedroom – when I moved everything out I vowed nothing would go back in the room without a home. If it didn’t have a home in the room I’d moved it out of, I evaluated whether it was necessary or not. If necessary, I found it a new home – if not, it was pitched or donated
EB0220 says
First – moving is a great way to minimize as much as possible. Get rid of stuff that you don’t want, don’t need or just don’t want to move. I suggest living in the house for a bit to get a sense of where things accumulate. I really like Unclutterer for great organization ideas.
Organized says
I’m fairly organized. Agree with Shalya, the “secret” to it is to get rid of as much stuff as possible. Really really really purge. And then get several well-thought out containment devices. For instance, I have one wooden paper tray on my kitchen counter that all “pending” paperwork goes into. All paperwork that I keep goes into a filing cabinet in our home office. I have a toy box in the living room and a toy box in my kid’s bedroom. Books go on a bookshelf. Shoes go on a shoe rack. I dont have a junk drawer. If its junk, give it to goodwill or throw it away. I do routine purges of the house. Never bring home swag from events or bulletins from weddings, etc. Think about what you bring into your house. It’ll be less to get rid of later.
anne-on says
Yes, this. Everything should have a ‘home’ (shoes on shoe rack, toys in toy box, clothes on hangers). If it doesn’t have a home, determine if you need a storage solution, or should give it away. Designating ‘homes’ for things also makes it much much easier to clean up. And regularly purging helps…though gives my husband the vapors, so I’m in charge of that.
Anonymama says
Also, try to make it as few steps as possible to put something away, especially things that you use every day (so, hook right next to the chair where you usually throw your jacket or purse.)
Anonymous says
My toddler (who has traveled to Europe and Africa problem free) threw up on someone on a domestic flight half an hour in.
From this experience I have learned that people (especially other moms and super especially grandmas) are very compassionate and kind. Flight attendants are kind. And that no matter what you do your kid may have a bad flight.
Also the rest of you feel free to fly with your tots- your kid is unlikely to have as bad a flight as my super experienced flyer did.
Spirograph says
Aw, that sounds rough but I’m glad people treated you kindly! Hope kiddo fared better for the rest of the trip.