Budget Thursday: Charter Club Open-Front Cardigan
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Sales of note for 2/14/25 (Happy Valentine’s Day!):
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Nordstrom – Winter Sale, up to 60% off! 7850 new markdowns for women
- Ann Taylor – Up to 40% off your full-price purchase — and extra 60% off sale
- Banana Republic Factory – 50% off everything + 15% off (readers love their suiting as well as their silky shirts like this one)
- Boden – 15% off new season styles
- Eloquii – 300+ styles $25 and up
- J.Crew – 40% of your purchase – prices as marked
- J.Crew Factory – 50% off entire site and storewide + extra 50% off clearance
- Rothy’s – Final Few: Up to 40% off last-chance styles
- Spanx – Lots of workwear on sale, some up to 70% off
- Talbots – Flash sale ending soon – markdowns starting from $15, extra 70% off all other markdowns (final sale)
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?
I know it’s a bit late in the thread but that’s ok as I mostly want to vent, not ask for advice. We are on 3rd cycle/two week wait of TTC number 2. My son will be 2 next month and took 6 months/7 cycles to conceive. I thought it would be easier this time and it kind of is, but I am surprised at how stressed I still am about the whole thing. I effing hate TTC and the rollercoaster of it all. We are moving soon and have a ton going on so distraction is not that hard, but still I am googling whether my relatively short luteal phase will prevent me from conceiving (even though it didn’t before) and a bunch of stuff that is just the result of me having too much information! I do not even describe myself a particularly anxious generally. I am pretty type B, but I guess TTC is my anxiety kryptonite or something. Argh.
I know many people here have dealt with infertility (vs impatience) and I have so much empathy for you. I hope I never truly understand how that feels.
So, any thoughts on how to make this Easter weekend more fun and less lonely? For unavoidable reasons, my husband is traveling. Saturday, my kids (2 and 4) and I will dye eggs and do a little event at church. Sunday, my mom is coming over (since my dad is traveling too…), and we’ll do church, egg hunt, and lunch together. I’d normally try to get together with friends, but I haven’t really planned anything, and the only friends with kids that are good enough friends to join in holiday celebrations aren’t around either. I could invite some neighbor kids to come dye eggs or join in our egg hunt at the last minute — we haven’t really gotten to know them yet, but maybe I should just get over myself and do it? I’m also in my first trimester of a pregnancy not yet shared with anyone and feeling generally yucky, which isn’t really relevant, but just contributes to my general funky mood about this. The long term issue here is obviously that I need more friends with kids…
What’s the most sensitive way to tell a friend I’m pregnant when she is in the midst of a brutal struggle with infertility? We don’t live in the same city. I want to be sensitive to the fact that this might be salt in a wound for her.
Can someone walk me through the logistics of how to pump/feed a baby on a cross-country flight? I mostly EP (baby will occasionally nurse for a few minutes) and we also supplement with formula. It’s a 6 hour flight so I don’t think I can get away with just pumping in the airports on either end…can you pump in your airplane seat?
Ladies- I need some confidence as I negotiate a job offer! I am excited about this position and am an ideal candidate. They were looking for someone that has expertise in A or B, and I have deep expertise in A and very good expertise in B. They have made an offer on the high end of the stated salary range…which is on the low end for the sector (the offer is a couple thousand less than I was making a few years ago prior to graduate school). However, there are amazing perks like ability to set my own schedule, work from home, unlimited vacation time, plus a really great team and interesting work. All things that I value.
Do I ask for the top of the stated range or something a bit over the top range based upon my expertise? I have the background and knowledge to do some work that they are hiring outside consultants to do so there could be a cost savings there. I also might be resentful after a while if I made less than I made in a previous role (in which I was probably underpaid).
Thanks for your thoughts. I’ve been terrible about negotiating in the past and the one time I did negotiate, the company rescinded the job offer in favor of an internal candidate! So, I am a little gun shy this time around.
I’m going back to work soon – what were your favorite post partum purchases? I’m not going to fit into my pre pregnancy clothes and will need some stuff to hold me over. Anyone have any gems? I’m short, and busty. Will be pumping at work. My office is business cas. My pre pregnancy uniform was Antonio Milano dresses bought on sale at Dillards – don’t want to go buy a bunch of those bc they’re a little too $$ for temporary, but maybe there’s something at a little lower price point? Or maybe slacks and blouse is a better bet while you’re losing weight?
Any suggestions for comfortable nursing bras in larger cup sizes? I’m currently a 38H, and will need a nursing bra after my daughter is born this summer. I plan to wait until closer to my due date to buy one in case I go up in cup size, but a quick search online revealed very few in my size. Ugh.
For those that celebrate, what’s your Easter timeline with kiddos and church? I grew up not attending church, so I’m having a difficult time understanding when the Easter bunny should have visited AND when to do the egg hunt. It’s supposed to be warm on Sunday, so I don’t want the eggs outside baking (we use real eggs and make them into deviled eggs, is this my problem? Cut my losses and have separate eggs for the food?). If I can borrow anyone’s timelines and/or traditions, that would be awesome!
Halp. Not sure how I should have handled a situation at preschool drop off today where another child pushed mine to make her move. When I brought my 3yo daughter into the preschool classroom, another child had brought something exciting for show and tell. A few kids were gathering round and my daughter walked up to get a closer look. Another couple kids wanted to see, so I think that some of the kids said something like “Let the other kids have a turn.” (I’m not sure what they said–the classroom is taught in a foreign language that I don’t understand). My daughter had just joined the first group, but that group started to move back, apparently to make room for some new kids to see the exciting show and tell thing. My daughter didn’t move back, so one of the older girls put her hand on my daughter and pushed her back. Not violently or anything, but she just did it, and it did seem rude. She didn’t first ask her to move back or anything. My daughter is the youngest in the class (a 3yo in a small class of 3, 4 and 5 yos), and this girl is probably 2 years older and much bigger. My daughter looked at me for a reaction and I didn’t say anything, but then she reached up her arms for me to pick her up. The teacher was distracted and didn’t see the other girl push my daughter. I picked up my daughter and gave her a big hug and kiss, said hello to the teacher, then left. I just feel I should have said something about the push. But I’m not sure what? My daughter obviously looked back at me and knew that it was not OK for the older girl to push her. But I didn’t feel comfortable disciplining a child that was not mine inside a classroom that was also not mine. The teacher was distracted, so she wasn’t in a position to respond in the moment. I just feel like I should have stood up for my daughter and that I failed to do so. But I’m at a loss for what I should have done. The other girl was not violent, didn’t seem to have an intention to hurt my daughter, but still should not have pushed her like that. Any advice for how to talk about this with my daughter later and what to do if something similar happens again? I have trouble standing up for myself and it is something that I worry about passing on to my kid.
Chicago – Travel with toddler. We’ll be there for a wedding this summer. Block booking is at a hotel downtown; wedding ceremony, reception and dinner are at the South Shore Cultural Center (just like the Obamas!). Should we stay around Hyde Park, or at the hotel downtown with the block rate? Wedding stuff is just the one afternoon/ evening; I’m leaning towards hotel downtown because it’s so much easier to get to all the sightseeing and back & forth for toddler midday nap. Thoughts? And other must-see recommendations? Thanks in advance!
Handwashable? Nope. If I can’t put it in the washing machine, I’m not buying it. The exception being suits, but I only wear those a few times a year.
Need TV show suggestions…for my daughter.
We’re taking a cross-country flight next month with my 17 month old as a lap infant. She hasn’t been exposed to much TV, and I like to start “training’ her to watch a show as practice for the flight. She loves dogs, but Blue’s Clue’s might be too advanced? Thoughts? Suggestions?
Does anyone have a link a bl0g post or online list summarizing all the stuff you really need for a baby? I’m newly pregnant and totally clueless about kids and babies. Trying not to overwhelm our house with stuff but also don’t want to be unprepared.
Also any specific recommendations for strollers? We’re in suburbia and drive everywhere so I can’t really think of when we’d use it except for walks around the neighborhood. I don’t want to invest a lot of money on something that’s not going to be used very much, but maybe I’m overlooking something and we will use it a lot?
When entertaining, what do you tell guests to bring?
I think the easiest is wine and dessert (easy for you to delegate and easy for guests to grab on their way if they don’t feel like cooking) but I love baking, so I always make my own dessert.
I feel bad when people ask what they can bring and I’m stumped (half the time I never come up with a suggestion and we end up with 6 bottles of wine). Trying to think of a good go-to – appetizer of their choice, salad? What do you guys do?
There is a lot of discussion these days about dairy and gluten. I am not lactose intolerant and I feel fine after eating gluten. In fact, I absolutely love bread. Did any of you give up gluten or dairy without having a medical reason? If yes, do you feel better?