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A sweater dress may not be on your list this week, but this casual but chic sweater dress from Club Monaco is part of the great sale going on. Not only is the cashmere blend, hand washable dress marked down from $190 to $70, you can take another 30% off with code THESALEONSALE. I love it as styled with tall boots for a casual, wintry day at the office, but you could dress it up with a long pendant necklace (hello, the tassel necklace would be perfect) and classic pumps. Club Monaco Vergine Sweater Dress
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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?
Anon in NYC says
I love this for weekend wear but I don’t think I could wear this to my business casual biglaw office. I think it would need a belt (in addition to pumps and the right jewelry) to make it more structured.
But I might order it anyway. If you’re between sizes, do you think you would order up or down?
Tunnel says
Can anyone recommend a cooler bag or other contraption they like for taking bottles and parts to pump at work and/or on the go? I am heading back to work next week and trying to figure all this out. I am also looking for recs for a tote or cross body bag of some kind to carry the massive amount of stuff to and from work (usual purse stuff, occasional files, pump, cooler, occasional pair of heels, and, in my dreams, some gym clothes).
KJ says
I used the medela cooler with the ice pack insert for transporting milk and the Lo & Sons OG bag to schlep all my stuff back and forth. I walk 1.5 miles in the morning, and it wasn’t fun, but the OG bag managed to hold everything reasonably comfortably.
Meg Murry says
I used a thermal lunch bag that was 9.5”H x 14”L x 4.5”D that was the right size for 4-6 Medela bottles, plus 2 sets of unassembled parts in ziploc bags and an ice pack. I could also throw a PB&J in there if needed. The thermal part actually worked a little too well in the fridge – if I put it in the fridge zipped up and there was no ice pack in it, it actually insulated away from the fridge coldness and stayed warm. So watch coolers and thermals in the fridge – I made a point to at least crack the zipper after that.
The bag I carried was brightly patterned, and through 31 (a MLM sales thing my cousin was doing) so I wouldn’t necessarily recommend that exact one, but it should at least give you the size for reference.
It was this bag size but in a different pattern: http://www.thirtyonegifts.com/catalog/product/1/catid/20/swid/990a/thermal-tote-in-sketchy-dot/
JEB says
I use an LL Bean canvas tote bag to carry my pump, pumping cover, hands-free bra, small towel, and a soft cooler (like the size of a lunch bag) which fits my pump parts, two bottles and two ice packs with a little room to spare. There’s room left in the tote bag for my laptop on nights when I need to bring it home. I carry my purse for everything else. I like having a separate purse so if I run out to lunch/court/etc., I don’t have to take the bigger bag. Lugging a pump on your commute is a pain no matter what, but my system works out pretty well for me. I’m glad I didn’t purchase the medela-brand bag.
sfg says
I ended up with a Medela tote when I bought my second pump, and I also drive to work, so I use that with the little Medela cooler most days. When I travel, I use my Lo & Sons OG – holds my pump, nursing cover, handsfree bra, pump parts, and collapsed insulated lunch tote (holds about a six pack when open). After I have milk to put in the tote, I either carry it separately (adding ice and putting pump parts in as well) or clip it to my OG.
I did ask here the other day about the PackIt bags (which come in all sorts of sizes) – I still haven’t decided if one is better than my existing lunch tote, but if I were starting from scratch, I’d definitely get one now.
RDC says
If you’re usually in one place, I’d leave as much there as possible. I leave my pump in my desk drawer and only travel back and forth with the little medela cooler bag, ice thing, 4 bottles and the parts in a ziplock bag. I leave the flanges, hands free bra, cover, pump, tubes, and plug in the office. Fwiw I have a backup pump at home (with all the parts) in case I’m working from home or running around all day and need to carry everything with me.
hoola hoopa says
+1
Spirograph says
+1. My pump bag (medela backpack) has my hands free bra, magazines, kindle and an extra set of accessories in it, and stays at work. I bring the cooler bag, which, if you don’t put a cooler in it, also fits accessories, back and forth every day in my tumi q tote.
TK says
Add to your list a change of top / shirt for b**b mishaps. I kept a black sweater and black cardigan on hand at all times. Thank God.
Once, a button popped off my shirt when a meeting went long. Lesson learned – no button downs or anything even close to form-fitting, as size will change throughout the day.
Also walked around all morning with milk stains on shirt on underside of b**bs until I saw myself in bathroom mirror. Second note to self – if pumping in car on way to work, don’t wear what you plan to wear during the workday, and check in a mirror before walking through office. Checking in mirror at home isn’t enough of a safeguard.
D. Meagle says
If we are giving notes to self — remember to have extra n!pp!e pads and be careful if you apply the lanolin lotion post-pump. I left the pads home once, and only realized that the lanolin bleed through my bra and (light colored) shirt when I got to the bathroom, having stopped to speak with the managing partner in the hallway first.
Tunnel says
This was all so helpful, thank you! My insurance only gave me the Medela PISA pump, with no tote or cooler. I have about a 10 minute walk from my garage to my office, so I will definitely be looking into the bag recommendations. I am happy to accept all tips if anyone has any others.
Meg Murry says
I’d recommend keeping a small collapsible shopping bag in your larger bag, just in case you wind up having to carry more stuff than usual to/from work – something like this: https://www.chicobag.com/category/original
Carabiner clips are also handy to have – I have at least 1 attached to all my smaller bags, so I can strap them to my larger bags if there isn’t room in the large bag.
My suggestion is: 1 big bag (like OG), pouches with usual purse stuff, wristlet size purse/wallet so you can grab that without carrying the giant bag and a lunchbag size for milk and parts. – OR 2 medium-ish bags – one with pump stuff, lunch etc and the other with work stuff. I personally like to separate my work stuff from my milk at and lunch, because I’m a slob who tends to spill, so everything in one big bag is a recipe for disaster for me, even if it means I look like a bag lady some days.
Poll on kids and screentime says
So I am not a parent (yet), but I’d love to hear how parents on this site approach screentime (TV, movies, ipads, etc.) for young children. My main questions are:
1. What plans or goals, if any, did you have regarding screen time before your child was born?
2. What, in actuality, has been the case since your child was born? How has it changed as the child gets older? Do you have specific rules/boundaries, or are things handled on a more ad hoc basis? Are you and any other caregivers (including your partner, if any) on the same page?
3. Do you prefer certain shows, apps, games, etc. to others?
Meg Murry says
My kids watch way too much tv. And too much time on tablets and video games for the older one – he’s 8. Younger one likes to watch his brother play, but doesn’t play too. We never had a specific tv philosofy, other than PBSkids=good, and then we canceled cable before they discover Nickelodeon or Disney channel.
It ebbs and flows – they watch too much, we tone it down, it goes back uphill again – just like anything in parenting.
The one good thing about screen time though is that since my kids love it so much I can use it as a bribe or threat. Want to watch another show? Ok, go empty the dishwasher first and you can have 30 more minutes. Want to play your video game? Ok, after you practice piano. Misbehaving? One more time and you lose all screen time for tomorrow.
However, they are in daycare/afterschool care all day, so they don’t have much time for screen time during the day – I would be far more concerned if they were able to watch tv from immediately after school and on instead of only once I pick them up.
CHJ says
I’ll be honest, I don’t like screen time. My son just turned 2, and the only screen time he gets is FaceTime with his grandparents. He doesn’t watch TV or play with our phones. There was a brief period, about six months ago, when we would let him look at pictures of cows and pigs (literally, still photos of farm animals from Google images) on our phones, and it drove him berserk. He would let out these high pitched screams of “COWWWWWWWWW!!! PIIIIIIIIIIIG!!! if we didn’t let him look at pictures on our phones. It freaked us out a bit, so we shut down all non-FaceTime screen time.
We’ll probably introduce more screen time at some point, but for now, no screen time seems to be a lot easier than battles over some screen time.
NewMomAnon says
My kiddo is 18 months old and doesn’t have more than a 5-10 minute attention span for screens. She would LOVE to play with my phone all the time, exccept that she tends to hold the phone with her thumb on the screen, so touching with her other hand doesn’t have any effect (and it stops all video from playing). She watches a few minutes of Daniel Tiger on Saturday morning, and I think she gets a little tv at her dad’s house, but I would be surprised if she even gets an hour a week.
I’m sure we will have screen time battles soon; I’m inclined to have an age-appropriate limit that includes all screens (computers, TVs, tablets, phones). Probably half an hour to an hour a day until age 4 or 5, then recalibrate for school? I suspect (but don’t know) that the key to limiting screen time for kids is that parents have to be really engaged and proactive about directing kids to other activities, which is hard to do as a busy working parent. Ask me again in two years!
Momata says
My kid is 19 months. We have always been pretty anti-screens – because of the formal recommendation of no screens for kids under 2, because watching other kids get completely obsessed and sunk into screens while there are adults (me) wanting to interact with them makes me sad, and because I don’t see much utility or purpose in them for her at this age. We FaceTime with grandparents once or twice a week. Once a month or so, if she is particularly bored as we try to get ready for work or particularly inconsolable waking up from a nap, I’ll turn on PBS or stream Curious George. We’ve tried other shows and apps for airplane and long car rides, but they don’t hold her attention.
I have a second one on the way and I imagine there will be more TV in kid’s future – desperate times call for desperate measures.
mascot says
Until my son was 2, I was firmly in the no-screens camp. This position was made so much easier by his 15 second attention span. By 2.5, I was practically begging him to watch Thomas or Curious George for the love of all things holy so mama can have 10 uninterrupted minutes to get dressed or do some quick chore.
He’s almost 5 now and we go through waves. No weekday screen time during the school year, but he does get it on the weekends. This summer we have been pretty lax about letting him have screen time all week. He has a Kindle Fire that has locked down kid content on it through the Kindle Free Time app. He can watch kids shows/videos, play games (most are “learning” type) or read books on it. We can set it to allow different daily limits for each category. He only gets to use it in the house or on long car trips. We rarely let him play with our phones when we are out and about (like at restaurants). We’ve also had to be more cognizant of our own screen tendencies and put our phones away with the idea of “being present while present.” He’s a pretty active kid that gets bored with too much screen time and moves on to another activity.
His school embraces technology (iPads used in lower grade classrooms with students getting individual take home ones in middle school). I’m sure our parameters will change a bit as he gets older.
pockets says
My 18 mo watches a few hours of Sesame Street on the weekend and sometimes we watch TV together when I get home from work and want to relax. I don’t stress about it. These kids going to spend their whole lives in front of a screen, just like I and you and hundreds of millions of other people do.
hoola hoopa says
As a first time parent, I was definitely “no screen time evah! TV rots brains!” I think my first started watching ~15 min of sesame street near the 2 year mark, probably a little shy. They watched very little until my 2nd child was born when they were ~3 years old and the tv was my support system. Needless to say, 2nd and 3rd child were exposed to screens from infancy because it was on for the older sibling(s). Oldest is now 6. We have tv/tablet purge days with 3-4 hours, I admit, but most days it’s ~1 hr. More than I’d like, but not more than I’m comfortable with. We have plenty of days with none, especially if it feels like it’s been too much recently or making them cranky rather than relaxing. Oldest also does some school work on the computer, but we count that as screen time and balance accordingly.
We don’t have the tv on ‘in the background’ and DH/I don’t watch tv when the kids are awake, so all the screen time is their time. All time is at home. I don’t give them an iphone at restaurants, grocery stores, etc. We have a dvd player for very long car trips (ie, 12 hours in one day), but the last few times it hasn’t been used. We don’t bring it on shorter trips (ie, 2-3 hours).
It’s mostly ad hoc, although we have some general routines/rules: No tv on school day mornings. Open season on weekend mornings until breakfast. Usually they watch after pick-up while we make dinner but not before bed unless it’s a special family movie night. If screens make them angry or sad (ie, tantrums over sharing or not getting to watch when they want), then they lose it for the day.
My husband, my mother (caregiver), and I are on the same page. My father (caregiver) is a bit different because he’ll minimize home screen time but wants to give them a screen when we’re out to eat, etc. In his house, he’ll leave the tv on in the background, but usually they are at our house. Daycare is generally screen-free, but we did have to make peace with a ‘Friday movie day’ with our oldest’s aftercare.
We’re very particular about what they watch and play. Shows are mostly PBS or similar. Games are mostly creative (ie, painting, music) or developmental (ie, free flow), and non-violent (I wasn’t a fan of Plants vs Zombies for example – but I recognize that I may have to reconsider to some degree when my son gets older).
FVNC says
On most days, my 22 month old gets no screen time. When she’s sick, or inconsolably crying, or I just really, really need 5 minutes of zone-out time, I let her watch Sesame Street or Small Potatoes for 10-15 minutes. This happens maybe once every two weeks. She would play with my phone nonstop if I let her, but I try to keep it away from her. And, I’ve been trying to model good etiqu*tte/behavior around her by NOT using my phone around her. Which is so hard, because I’m addicted.
NewMomAnon says
I’m struggling with the “no cell phone around kids” rule – it seems like a better policy would be modeling limits to phone time, since it seems inevitable that our kids will live in a world where they are expected to be in contact at all times. I’m not good at this, but I try to limit myself to a quick e-mail check while we eat breakfast, and another one before we start driving to daycare, and a last one right when we walk in the door so I can put my phone away until bedtime. But these are work e-mail checks, not facebook/sports scores/etc.
screen time says
My FIL was showing my 4 yo son and his 6 yo cousin how to play Call of Duty last week at their house (apparently the 6yo, who is there every day, plays regularly). Yes, the game all about shooting people and war. Crazy, right?! We’re struggling with how to deal with this because previously and repeatedly we’ve told them no violent TV shows (which they don’t respect apparently), but never would I have imagined that my FIL would let my son play Call of Duty. We rely on them for backup care and they are otherwise great help, so ugh…
anonyc says
I am attending a baby shower this weekend. I’m past the baby shower phase myself, so this feels like a fun and novel activity. I’m actually looking forward to kibbutzing about baby/pregnancy stuff–about which I have tons of (now) useless knowledge–and then (key part) remembering that I’m done with the pregnancy/infant game 4-evah (my youngest sleeps through the night and has for months! I’m done bfing! wheee!!!). The feeling is not schadenfreude, but something close… relief? Happiness I survived?
That being said: what’s the craziest shower experience you’ve had? Like, horrid gift? Terrible cousin antics? My shower experience is limited, tbh, so my best story involves only that I was once able to exactly pinpoint the age of a baby at a shower (2 months) immediately upon meeting said child and mother, which shocked her and my friends who were with us (like, HOW DID YOU KNOW?!?!?!). (I’d already had two kids by then, so it was more like an experienced parent’s party trick than a juicy story.)
Anon in NYC says
How about a terrible game? At my cousin’s shower my aunt decided it would be a fun game for guests to guess the circumference of my cousin’s belly by cutting a piece of string in a length that would fit around her. My cousin was sensitive about her size and worried about getting her figure back! Some people cut a piece of string so long that it circled her twice!
And accurately guessing a baby’s age is a wonderful party trick. A friend did this at a shower I attended pre-parenthood, and I was very impressed!