Budget Thursday: Ciel Winged Tote Bag
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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
- Target – Car-seat trade-in event through 9/28 — bring in an old car seat to get a 20% discount on other baby/toddler stuff.
- 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
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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?
This bag is so cute. If it were leather I would buy it.
Alright, mamas, we made it to work on Halloween morning! How is everyone saving their sanity (or not) this year? I wanted to share a few Halloween wins that I’m already feeling pretty proud of:
(1) I set up a costume “store” from our current supply of dress up clothes/old Halloween costumes/dance recital costumes and had my kids “shop” from that selection of about 15 costumes, rather than going out and buying something new. They’re both thrilled with what they selected — one of my kids has worn 3 different costumes to 3 different events, and one of them is wearing her Halloween costume from last year to everything.
(2) I skipped a Halloween party that we were invited to on Tuesday night, even though it looked fabulous. We had already been to two others, and I didn’t want to overdo it.
(3) I didn’t invite the grandparents to the school Halloween festival. They came last year, and it was fun, but it also added a ton of pressure to make it into An Event, as opposed to this year, where we hung out for about an hour then left.
What are some of your Halloween wins this year?
Do infant/toddler ear infections always come with a fever?
After a very rough first year, DD got ear tubes in April at 12 months. We sailed through the summer illness wise and now she has her first runny nose of significance (has had it for ~2 weeks). No fever that we’ve noticed – couple days of “running hot” but not true fever. She’s been digging at her ears and waking up overnight, probably every other night, and last night was pretty bad. We had about 8 ear infections during her infancy and they were always paired with a meaningful fever. What I would give to not have to be at the pedi on Halloween for the second year in a row… what would you do? I should take her in, right?
How many fall and winter coats do you have for your kid(s)? I have a one year old and live in the DC area. I don’t want to overspend, but it seems like we need: a raincoat, a fleece, a lighter puffy coat for cooler days, and a warm winter one for freezing days. Would love input from this wise group. Thank you!
We are buying a minivan in the next few months. DH’s sedan is a work lease that is up. DH will drive my 8 year old midsize luxury SUV, and I will drive the minivan [I do all kid pickups and dropoffs and I only work 30 hours/week. It’s the right call). Le sigh. Anyway.
Do we buy new? Used (certified pre-owned)? Lease? We expect to need this car for the next couple of years- our 3 kids will all be in car seats/boosters for the next 2 years, and we won’t be fully out of boosters until…5/6 years from now (youngest is 18 months). As soon as possible, i’d like to go back to a midsize SUV. We could technically make it work now, but we really need the space and flexibility of a minivan or suburban and we decided to go minivan.
We’d been thinking certified pre-owned, but the inventory is pretty sparse. We aren’t under pressure as we don’t really NEED the car until January, but could buy early for the right car. Leasing seems like a waste of money yet…is somehow appealing that we have a 3-year end point to our minivan ownership. I know buying new is a waste of money and yet, it seems that these minivans really hold their value.
If it matters, we are thinking Honda or Chrysler leaning more toward Honda. I drove around the Sienna and it drove me crazy. Open to other ideas, though!
I have another winter coat question. My 19 month old is tall for her age and especially long-torsoed plus she has an (adorable imo) Buddha belly. She usually wears 3T tops/dresses to accommodate her torso length and belly. Sometimes we have to roll the sleeves up a little but that’s easy to do. But we bought her some winter coats to try in 3T sizes and the sleeves were comically long and of course coat sleeves are a lot harder to roll than shirt sleeves, while the jacket barely zipped up over her belly. The 3T jackets don’t fit well at all, but I don’t think sizing up or down will work because of the sleeve length and problems zipping it up. Does anyone have suggestions? Is there a particular brand that’s good for kids shaped like mine? Do I have to resort in buying a 3T or 4T coat that fits the belly and having the sleeves shortened by a tailor? I feel like all kids clothing is made for kids who are long and lean or short and pudgy.
I posted a few weeks ago about exclusively pumping for my newborn (now 5 week old) and the advice I got was so helpful! Thanks to everyone who shared their experience. Nursing so still painful, but manageable so I’m nursing 3 or 4 times a day and pumping 3 or 4 times a day. Luckily baby sleeps 4-5 hours at night so I’m not having to wake do the 3am pump. I have a few other things come up that I was wondering if anyone has experience with:
The lactation consulatant said that our child has a lip tie and probably a tongue tie. However, we are having a hard time finding an in network provider to assess and take care of this, so we’re kind of at a loss for what to do. (We have terrible insurance- neither my breast pump nor lactation services were covered, so we have already paid $500+ out of pocket in our attempts to breastfeed- it makes me so angry!). Has anyone ever not had a tie fixed and can speak to the effects long term and short term? Or is having it fixed worth the $900 out of pocket I’m being quoted?
Also- what do you use to store milk in in the fridge? The tiny bottles from pumping seem to take up a lot of real estate and I would like the room for other things (like beer and cake).
And finally- I find myself pumping while eating a lot- do folks have any favorite non messy lunch ideas to eat while pumping? I’ve been eating a lot of sandwiches and would love to switch it up.
Thanks for all the great ideas and insights!
not attempting to start wwIII on this site, but a relative visited india and brought my daughter back a sari. she said she wants to use it to dress up for Halloween next year as she already has a costume for this year. in all likelihood she will change her mind a thousand times between now and then, but in this day and age that is probably not appropriate? how would you suggest explaining that to her? i also guess i personally struggle with why it is not appropriate and when/how it is appropriate to learn about and try out other cultures. i’m jewish and if someone wanted to dress up as an ultra orthodox black hat rabbi with payois I wouldn’t have a problem with it and don’t think it is culturally insensitive. granted, if someone wanted to dress up as a jew in germany during wwII and wore an outfit with a gold star on it, that i would find offensive.