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A reader was just singing the praises of these boots as being super comfortable despite their 1.75″ heel, and the numerous five-star reviews at Zappos back that claim up. They’re available in regular and wide sizes 6-10. Clarks Rosalyn Lara
Psst: what are your best tips for keeping kids busy and well behaved when company comes? We’re hosting friends for brunch tomorrow; my plan thus far is to make a big batch of playdoh to keep them at the table. Also: any fun family brunch recipes you care to share?
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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
- 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?
Anonymous says
These seem a bit frumpy but probably not too noticeably so with pants.
I’m headed back to work soon after taking my maternity leave. I’ve dry cleaned my work clothes. Any other advice on how to prepare for the transition?
Baby takes a bottle w/no issues; I am planning to continue to b/feed and pump at work, but haven’t built up a “stash.” How far in advance do I need to start doing that? Other tips for pumping at work?
Also, should I be trying to get baby onto a schedule now (she’s just over 3 months)? We’re still wait-listed for daycare so for the foreseeable future she will be staying at home with family, no need to get her ready to go anywhere. My plan is just to nurse her in the AM before I leave and not much else.
AIMS says
That was me. Forgot to fill in the name.
Anons says
My two cents: No need to get baby on a schedule, except maybe to try to get her wake up time to be generally consistent. If you can, do a few trial daycare days or half days before you go back to work. For pumping, my lactation consultant recommended a week of milk stashed. The week stash would be just what the baby would drink at daycare (so if the baby would have 12 oz at daycare, the stash should be 60oz to cover a 5-day week of daycare).
Momata says
I recommend squeezing in just one pumping session in every day to build up a stash. I pumped for just ten minutes every day, which for me gave me around five ounces. I like knowing I don’t *have* to get a certain amount every day at work for kiddo to eat the next day or to handle a night out with a babysitter. I like the Kiinde system; you can pump directly into bags, freeze the bags, then thaw the bags and feed directly from them. No transfer, no schlepping bottles, no washing bottles.
Get enough parts to have a fresh set for each pumping session. I have enough for two days’ worth of pumping sessions so I can just run them through the dishwasher. (See also, the Kiinde system – just parts, no bottles.)
I wouldn’t worry about a schedule; daycare will just throw it off, and their schedules change so much month to month anyway.
Get dressed last thing before you leave; I wear a bathrobe over my foundation garments until the last minute.
Meg Murry says
+1 to pumping once a day to build a stash. For me the best time was after the first morning feeding (the first one at a normal human being time at least, not 4 am). To keep up my stash and give me some buffer in case I didn’t pump enough during the week, I kept up that first morning pump from about 1 month before going back until baby was around 6 months old, including weekends. When I first started I was only getting like 1/2 to 1 ounce, but after a week or so I was up to 2 ounces and after a couple of weeks it was 4-6 ounces from that one pumping session.
Some of my mom friends managed to pump on one side while feeding from the other simultaneously for that first morning feed, but I never got the coordination down to do that.
HSAL says
I agree with the consistent wake-up schedule. Our daycare has been awesome at getting her on a schedule (she started at 10 weeks and is 4.5 months now) and that’s really helped with evening bedtime, so hopefully yours will be too, but you can deal with that when she goes. I wouldn’t try to get her on a schedule now that would change soon.
I wish I would have pumped more while I was on leave. I think I had 40-50 ounces saved when I went to work, dropped down to 30ish when I was exclusively pumping for a week, and now I’m up around 60. I get the most milk in the mornings so on the weekends I pump right after I feed her to build up extra. I send daycare frozen bags on Mondays and take the previous day’s milk Tuesday-Friday. I don’t like to pump into bags because I usually don’t end up with the right amount in each bag, and it’s a lot easier to pour two bottles together than two bags. I have two sets of parts (with extra valves and membranes) that I rotate through and a full backup set that I keep at work. I think using a fresh set each pumping session is overkill – I take one set each day. I pump three times and wipe them down with the quick clean Medela wipes and store in my fridge in a ziploc.
Maddie Ross says
Second the pump after the morning feed. When I went back and for the first few months back, I would wake up with baby and feed her, either put her back in bed or leave her in bed to cuddle with her dad (depending on whether she went back to sleep or not) for a little bit, and then pump and eat breakfast myself.
MDMom says
If you can build up a stash, great. If not, just grab some formula to have on hand just in case you run low. When I started pumping, I was consistently pumping 2-3 oz more than baby was eating, so I built up a small stash that way. That didn’t last long though.
In terms of schedule… at that age, I think you might just want to observe what baby tends to do and see if she’s starting to put herself on a schedule. She should start take 3-4 naps at more or less consistent times. I wouldn’t try to make her conform to a schedule, just see if a schedule begins to emerge on its own.
SC says
In addition to dry cleaning, get your shoes polished or repaired. I hadn’t worn heels since early pregnancy, so it made me feel like a kick-*ss professional to put on my power heels. It especially helped on days when I had to just pull my hair back or felt like my clothes didn’t fit super well.
(TW)In-House Counsel says
In addition to dry cleaning your clothes, I would try everything on so the outfits that fit well now can be placed up front. I spent quite a few mornings with the pile of clothes growing on the bed, because while something might have “fit”, it didn’t look all that great yet. Also, pick out your outfit the night before. In the event that you are fully back in business, body-wise, kudos!
Meg Murry says
Have you tried on your work clothes to make sure they still fit ok, will work with pumping, etc?
One really helpful thing I did was assemble my first week’s outfits – pull shirt, pants, socks, accessories, everything together, and a post-it note for anything else I needed to remember about that outfit, like “wear white bra with this shirt!”
Someone else suggested having 1-2 emergency outfits all put together in your closet that you can pull out for those “oh no we all overslept” or “oh no baby just spitup all over my outfit” mornings which I thought was pretty smart.
AIMS says
The suits fit fine, luckily, but my biggest issue is I tend(ed) to wear a lot of dresses to work and I don’t think that will work with pumping as I prefer to be as un-exposed as possible if I’m going to be pumping at work (even if it’s in a closed office). So I have to really re-configure my “go to” outfits and also get some nursing-friendly tops to wear with my suits/separates. I think I may also need to get a new lightweight work tote to fit all the stuff I will have to carry.
I’ll also be starting work much earlier to make all this work so will definitely need to lay out clothes the night before in order to have one less thing to worry about as I get ready (plan is to also move coffee/breakfast to my office as I won’t be able to have the same lazy morning routine of sitting around with the papers and coffee if I won’t have the luxury of staying late to finish whatever needs to be done).
Thanks all for the great advice so far, and please keep it coming! Emergency outfit is a great idea and so is wearing a bathrobe until I’m out the door. And thanks for the reminder to go see my cobbler!
Maddie Ross says
This was just me, but since you’re in a closed office, I honestly found wearing my normal dresses easier for pumping in some ways. I would strip it off completely, wrap in a blanket/cardigan, and never run the risk of spilling on myself. I also got really, really tired of my “nursing friendly” stuff pretty quickly.
MDMom says
I wear dresses to pump as long as they have a zipper so i can unzip the top and pull it down. I then put a shawl/nursing cover over me. I found eliminating dresses completely too limiting (especially when you also have to eliminate other things that maybe technically fit but just don’t look as good as they used to…).
SC says
I did this all the time and found it very convenient. I also wore the Simple Wishes pumping bra (and, I’ve mentioned this before on this site, if you like it, you CAN buy two — it took months for that to occur to me).
NewMomAnon says
Organize some baby pictures in an album on your phone and get a few framed for your office. I had a lot of people ask to see baby pics the first few weeks I was back, and I had a bunch of pictures of dirty diapers on my phone (stomach bugs, yay) interspersed with the cute kid pics, which made for some awkward conversations….
Famouscait says
This is why I started a dedicated album of share-worthy kiddo photos on my phone. Just open them up to the album and no worries that someone will see that pic I have of a weird mole, etc.
SC says
I just “favorite” some of the photos on my phone, which creates a “favorites” album that I can show people. It satisfies the people who ask to see photos because there aren’t random pics interspersed or 100 pics of our son doing the same thing. Most people politely scroll through 5-10 recent ones and then hand it back.
Anonymous says
I would have extra pumping parts and supplies that I would leave at work in case you forget something. And I would bring in extra bottles/bag at the first of the week so I would have enough to last the week or at least last a few days. I also keep a box of ziplock bags at the office which came in handy and roll of paper towels that I would lay all my supplies in case you office is as dirty as mine. I also just wiped out my pump parts and used the same ones all day. I second picking out as many clothes as possible before hand and even leaving a spare outfit/shirt at work. I always used a shawl or blanket when I was pumping to avoid being so cold/exposed.
Anons says
Early TJ. Our nanny unexpectedly quit due to health problems. We are interviewing new nannies and have a decent pool from a nanny agency. Our former nanny was in her 50s, she was a good but not great fit for our family. Any thoughts on hiring a younger woman (in her 20s) versus an older woman? Obviously each nanny will be different, but I think that there are some general generational differences and want some thoughts from the hive.
sfg says
Maturity can be a big difference – though you may have controlled for that by going through an agency. Younger nannies are less likely to be attached in relationships so may have more flexibility for hours and be available for travel. Otherwise I’d expect a lot of energy and enthusiasm irrespective of age.
POSITA says
We had issues with our nanny who was very close to our age and who had a college degree. It was like trying to manage a peer. She had some strong resentments towards us because we were doing better financially than her family, even though we paid well and provided health insurance. If we go the nanny route again, we’ll opt for someone who is either much younger or much older.
pockets says
you provided health insurance???
POSITA says
Yes. We paid for her health insurance through the state health insurance exchange, in addition to paying for workers comp and disability insurance. It was a GIANT headache to do so legally through the exchange, though we were happy to do so. It would have been much easier for us just to pay her more.
SC says
We have a nanny who is pretty close to our age (3-4 years younger), has a college degree and a masters, and is working on another masters. We don’t have any problems and absolutely love her. But I’ll admit that she “manages up” a lot, and we treat her much more like a peer. She checks with us, but she really determines the baby’s schedule and encourages us to keep him on it over the weekend. We leave petty cash in a basket, and she just runs to the drug store to buy stuff (shampoo, baby tylenol, etc) that we’re running out of. She suggests food or toys to buy (and I ask for her advice). If DH and I were the type of parents who wanted to micro-manage our baby’s schedule or diet or daily activities, she probably would not be a good fit for our family. When we interviewed her, we decided that she shares our general philosophy and understands our goals and generally what we want, and I love having an experienced, capable person who takes so much of the burden off us.
LSC says
YMMV, but my friends who hired younger nannies seemed to have more problems when it came to professionalism. My older nanny had raised kids of her own and had an understanding of the impact it makes when someone is late or cancels childcare at the last minute. She seemed significantly more reliable than the younger nannies used by some friends.
pockets says
I have two thoughts, both of which are gross generalizations but probably helpful to keep in mind:
A younger person might not know how to do as much around-the-house stuff, and/or might not recognize what needs doing. I asked a 19 year old babysitter to make mac and cheese for my daughter and I immediately realized she didn’t really know how to work a stove and then she left the leftovers in the pot, where it congealed into a disgusting lump by the time I came home.
A younger person has fewer responsibilities in life and is probably less responsible in general, and that might manifest in her being less responsible to you. A person who needs to put food in other people’s mouths and a roof over everyone’s head is going to take her job much more seriously than a younger person with fewer worries/people depending on her.
Anonymous says
How do you get to be 19 years old and not know how to work a stove? Putting on a full family dinner I can see, but hasn’t she ever wanted to make herself eggs? A pot of pasta? Anything?
Anonymous says
My mother always had to teach our college-age babysitters how to cook. And I use the term “cook” loosely. My mom would need to teach them how to turn on the stove or oven and make macaroni and cheese or simple baked chicken. Not everyone learns how to cook at home.
Anons says
Thanks for these comments! With our older nanny, I liked that she was so responsible and good with the housework, but felt that she didn’t have as much energy to chase after my young toddler. I think she also prioritized housework over playtime with the toddler to a greater degree than I liked. Her lack of tech-savvy was starting to be more of a problem, as she wasn’t able to do hardly any tech things (like turn on a Netflix show on the rare occasions I would have allowed them to watch TV, and sometimes she would even mess up her smartphone so that she couldn’t send and receive text messages). So I was thinking maybe a younger nanny, but I am worried about the maturity and reliability element. We’ll be considering several women–I’m just hoping we find a good match (young or old).
Anonymous says
We’ve had good luck with both our younger nannies (22ish), but both were college students who worked for us a few days a week and not full time. They’ve been a good blend of responsible and energetic.
Msj says
We had an older nanny for the first 12 months and just switched to an au pair. I like the energy levels of a younger caregiver for the toddler stage and the patience/calm of an older nanny for the baby stage
AW says
No suggestions re: keeping kids busy but I recommend breakfast pizza for brunch! So easy and so good, lots of recipes on pinterest but can customize to people’s tastes. You use pilllsbury pizza dough, cover in cheese, eggs, bacon, sausage, ham, really anything, and bake!
Meg Murry says
I like to do what my kids call “egg bake” for brunches because you prepare it all the night before and bake it the next morning. Just be aware that it can take a little longer to bake than the recipe calls for if you put a cold-from-the-fridge pan into the oven. Recipes to follow.
I also like to do crock-pot oatmeal as a brunch option, since I know my kids like oatmeal, and again, you can make it the night before, or you can prepare it the morning of and then keep it warm by using the crock pot as a water bath.
Do you really want to keep the kids at the table? I might suggest some other quiet activity they can do alone on the floor near the table, like a floor puzzle or those water-drawing pen books.
Meg Murry says
This is like a cross between savory bread pudding and quiche and comes together quickly:
http://www.food.com/recipe/monte-cristo-strata-365207
Meg Murry says
This is a sweet option and super yummy with maple syrup. I’ve also made it with regular bread instead of cinnamon raisin and with berries strewn in, also delicious.
http://www.food.com/recipe/stuffed-french-toast-casserole-200765
Carrie M says
I take back everything I said yesterday re how I like that my toddler testing us shows her confidence, independence, and voice developing. This morning was a nightmare! A new record for us: 3 hours from time of waking to completing dropoff at daycare. And she laid the mom guilt on me real thick: mama, no go to school today; snuggles today. I mean seriously! Thankful for two straight days with her….but scared for Monday morning already!
NewMomAnon says
Right there with you. My kiddo wanted to sit on the potty for a half hour this morning and kept saying she needed to p**p, which has been a challenge….so half an hour it was. (But sadly, not a ‘productive’ half hour, so….good luck daycare).
Also, as we were leaving the house, she desperately needed her sunglasses, then remembered that she needed to brush her teeth as the elevator was coming, and suddenly wanted to p**p again as we were buckling into the car seat. To which I just said, “we can clean up when we get to school, sorry kiddo.” Made it to school with no accidents.
Anonymous says
Not sure if you babywear but I find it really useful when kiddo is wanting a lot of mommy time. She’s happier in the carrier around the house or at the grocery store instead of in the cart. Lots of physical contact when we are together seems to help with neediness.
tall mom sad trombone says
I was hoping my one maternity clothes splurge would be on a great pair of jeans. But I cannot find a single place where I can sort by inseam, and every pair of designer maternity jeans appears to be 31-32″ inseam. I’m thinking I’m going to buy from Gap because they have tall sizes. I’m a little sad I can’t buy Paige jeans which are my favesies.
Also, thank you to everyone for your stroller suggestions a few weeks ago – I found a used Uppababy Vista and it is the perfect size for me and my tall husband. Now to find a lighter, less expensive umbrella stroller with the adjustable handles (aka stroller unicorn).
Momata says
I’m also tall, and actually felt really great in my maternity skinny jeans from Old Navy. (I wear Sevens normally.) They didn’t stretch out in the knees and were a nice thick denim that held their color.
AIMS says
I’m short but also loved the ON jeans.
JJ says
I’m 6′ tall and loved my Gap demi-panel jeans. Like, wanted to wear them after the baby, loved them.
Famouscait says
I need a new swimsuit that I can comfortably chase my toddler in. Does the skirt-effect make this too frumpy?
http://www.dillards.com/p/alex-marie-paisley-print-high-neck-one-piece/505875017?di=04621320_zi_black&categoryId=-10005&facetCache=pageSize%3D100%26beginIndex%3D0%26orderBy%3D1
Anonymous says
The skirt doesn’t make it frumpy imo but WOAH that’s expensive. Have you checked Target?
meme says
I think it’s cute, but I may be the wrong person to ask. I’ve embraced the Lands End (I know, I know) mini swim mini.
NewMomAnon says
I don’t know if they have one piece suits, but the Athleta two piece suit I have is super comfortable – stays in place, doesn’t slip, and has better coverage than a lot of swim suits. Also impervious to little fingers trying to pull it off!
Famouscait says
Oh geez I didn’t even think of that. Thanks for the heads up!
Momata says
I love Athleta’s 3″ swim shorts. Bonus points for being able to wear them when the garden is untended.
AIMS says
Honestly, I think the print makes it frumpier than the skirt. And I usually love paisley! But I just spent some time in Florida with a lot of frisky octogenarians around and so maybe my impression is colored by their preferences (lots of v. similar prints). Besides Athleta, maybe check out Boden – they usually have a couple of nice full coverage suits. Or if you have time, try your local TJ Maxx – I just got a really cute one piece Anne Cole suit for $24 there that was great for being at the pool with baby.
shortperson says
i love jcrew one-pieces. especially the ruched ones
Msj says
Seconded. I also need long torso and they are one of the few brands that makes them
kc esq says
I wear my pre-baby bikini with a rashguard and board shorts. I ditch the shorts when the kids actually go in the water, but I’m spending so much time just standing around while they play near the water that I appreciate more coverage/ sun protection.
Teaching kids about money says
I’m currently reading and enjoying How to Talk so Kids Will Listen and Listen so Kids Will Talk based on recommendations here. Any recommendations for books about how to teach kids about money? My kid is almost 5 so it’s probably time to start an allowance but I am struggling to choose a system, and ideally would like to read a book talking about different ways of handling allowances rather than one that endorses a particular method.
Anons says
No book suggestions, but I know one family that went to the bank and got their entire pay for the month in low bills ($5 or $1 bills). They then sat with the kids, dumped the money on the table, and showed them where the money went. They stacked up a huge amount of bills for the mortgage. Then groceries. Then car insurance. Then retirement, etc. After that was all done, the kids saw how little was left for discretionary spending plus they could literally see where all the money was going. I’m planning to do this when my kid is 10 to 13. I think the visual impact of the exercise would be remembered by my child for years.
mascot says
http://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2015/02/24/how-to-not-raise-spoiled-children-7-crucial-money-lessons/#49cded71449c
This book recommends a somewhat specific system, but I think there are some good lessons in here (I read about half the book). I think we are going to start with some variation on spend/save/give. Our five year old is slowly catching onto the concept that there are certain household chores that everyone is expected to do and no, I am not asking you to do something unfairly burdensome when I ask you to pick up your shoes, let the dogs in/out, set the table, etc.
Anonymous says
Thanks for the suggestion — I’ll look into it.