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I really love this shell from Loft. Is it me, or is Loft killing it lately? I stopped a coworker in the hall the other day to compliment her shirt and she told me it was from there. I tried to find it on the site but unfortunately couldn’t. However, I did find this one, which I like just as much! I like the blue and the abstract-ish dandelion print in combination with the graphic stripes. I also like the ruffle stand collar and think that neckline would look nice under a blazer. In fact, they styled it under one here and I love the look. The shirt is on sale for $27.25 (from $54.50) and is available in sizes XXS–XXL. Dandelion-Stripe Ruffle-Shoulder Button Shell Looking for other washable workwear? See all of our recent recommendations for washable clothes for work, or check out our roundup of the best brands for washable workwear. This post contains affiliate links and CorporetteMoms may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. For more details see here. Thank you so much for your support!Sales of note for 4.18.24
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Ann Taylor – 50% off full-price dresses, jackets & shoes; $30 off pants & skirts; extra 50% off sale styles
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Kid/Family Sales
- Carter’s – Up to 70% off baby items; 50% off toddler & kid deals & 40% off everything else
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And — here are some of our latest threadjacks of interest – working mom questions asked by the commenters!
- If you’re a working parent of an infant with low sleep needs, how do you function at work when you’re in the throes of baby’s sleep regression?
- Should I cut my childcare down to 12 hours a month if I work from home?
- Will my baby have speech delays if we raise her bilingual?
- Has anyone given birth in a teaching hospital?
- My child eats everything, and my friends’ kids do not – how should I handle? In general, what is the best way to handle when your child has some skill/ability and your friend’s child doesn’t have that skill/ability?
- ADHD moms, give me your tips to help with things like behavior in the classroom, attention to detail, etc?
- I think I suffer from mom rage…
- My husband and kids are gone this weekend – how should I enjoy my free time?
- I’m struggling to be compassionate with a SAHM friend who complains she doesn’t have enough hours of childcare.
- If you exclusively formula fed, what tips do you have for in the hospital and coming home?
- Could I take my 4-yo and 8-yo on a 7-8 day trip to Paris, Lyon, and Madrid?
Anon says
What can I bring to a daycare potluck that is moderately healthy that I can buy at a grocery store ( a regular store like Safeway, no fancy grocery stories in my town)? My go-to potluck food is brownies from the Ghirardelli boxed mix, but somehow I feel like the other parents would not appreciate that…
Anonymous says
I usually bring a fruit salad from the grocery store.
octagon says
Fruit salad or veggie tray. Or if you want something more substantial, a meat and cheese tray from the deli with a box of assorted crackers.
That said, one family always brings trays of Chick-Fil-A chicken nuggets to our potlucks and they are a hot commodity!
A says
This.
ElisaR says
do you have philadelphia pretzel company near you? it’s a franchise and a big box of their soft pretzel nuggets are always a big hit (though not particularly HEALTHY but not sweet).
Anonymous says
Does the deli or meat counter have a chicken salad or ham salad that you could send with a box of crackers?
EB0220 says
I usually do a fruit plate, veggie plate or meat and cheese plate. A lot of people in our area do Chick Fil A chicken nuggets which are healthyish I guess.
Minat says
Depending on the time of day, mini-muffins are also a hit with the littles.
anon says
for those of you who either have a big job or a DH or partner with a big job or if you or your partner travels a lot (basically if one of you does a lot more solo parenting than the other), how do you divide things up when you are both home? my DH travels a lot and i get resentful and i seem to feel that when he is home he should do a lot more of the heavy lifting – change more diapers (we have twins – so 2 kids in diapers), clean up both the toys and food after dinner, etc. because i have to do it all by myself all of the time. I am still there with him so he has another adult to talk to, but i feel like i need to try to reframe this because I don’t know that it is totally fair to him as it’s not exactly like he is sipping drinks by the pool at a resort when he isn’t at home
Anonymous says
Evenly, except that he makes an effort to give me time away from the kids. When he is away on business we are both working to support the family. When he is home, we both keep working to support the family.
Anonymous says
We have twins. DH didn’t travel a lot but when he was away for a week, and I had to do all the diapers, he did all the diapers for the next week when he was home. It seemed even in that I had double diaper duty one week and he had double diaper duty the other week. Usually I cook and he cleans up dinner so on the weeks he was away, I ordered take out more often and did simpler meals to minimize clean up. Also left him the dishes from the last day to deal with when he got home. He usually also made dinner the day after he got back.
If he’s away regularly, can you get more support when he’s away? Like a mother’s helper or evening nanny? Two little ones on your own regularly is exhausting.
I travelled once for work when the twins were under 2 and honestly even with working 12 hours days, it was like a vacation – 8 hours of solid sleep, no bottoms to wipe except my own and able to eat hot meals without a kid sitting on my lap. Glorious.
Anon says
I don’t even have twins and work travel definitely feels like vacation! For that reason, it doesn’t seem fair to me that a person who’s away on business a lot shouldn’t have to take on more of the load when they’re home. Fortunately neither DH nor I travel much, so it’s not really something we fight about.
Cb says
Right? Work travel is definitely more like a vacation. To make up for it, I try to use a bit of time in the evening to do a bit of life admin. I’ll research travel, order clothes, make lists, design the christmas card etc.
OP says
So that is sort of my take – that traveling solo sounds kind of like a vacation….but DH disagrees. He travels fairly frequently for work and he has said that it really doesn’t feel like a vacation. He says the novelty of flying solo has worn off, he loses time to do his actual work bc he is spending so much time in transit, flights are delayed, he often works long hours while traveling or goes to a conference but then does more work in the evening, etc. Even when he is in town during the week he is rarely home in time for their dinner/changing into pjs, though does sometimes make it home in time for stories, brushing teeth and cleaning up their mess. He is very hands on when he is home, gets up with the kids in the mornings on both weekend days, but i often have to ask rather than have him take initiative. we have a nanny when i am at work. i know that there isn’t really a right vs. wrong and it all depends on what works for our family, but i just wanted to see how others do it
Anonymous says
Does he ever have to handle the evening routine solo? What if you worked late on evening and let him handle the bedtime routine solo? It might give him more understanding of what it’s like when he’s away.
Audrey III says
OP – didn’t see your comment before I posted mine. Sounds like your husband has a similar situation to mine, but he has a different perspective on what he wants to do when he gets home. Not sure what advice to offer…I’m sorry you’re going through this! Work travel is tough on a family no matter which partner is traveling.
Audrey III says
I’m the one who does a lot of travel. I’m in BigLaw and work travel is NOT a vacation for me. I usually have meetings or depositions all day, and then work another 5+ hours every night on the cases I was not handling during the day, sleep a few hours, wake up, rinse, repeat. I do get to have nice fancy dinners with client from time to time, but they come with a price–now, I’m starting my other work at 9 p.m. instead of 6 p.m., and going to bed correspondingly later as a result. I realize many others may not operate this way, but it’s the nature of my practice, firm, and position, unfortunately (non-equity partner, top 10 firm, niche practice area). When I’m home, I do 100% of the kid stuff–not to give my husband a break but because I’ve missed them so much (and they’re super clingy to me after I’ve been gone). However, when I’m not traveling, the way we divide up the at-home tasks are kid stuff is 95% me, all other stuff is 95% him.
To the OP – totally fair of you to expect him to take some of the load off of you when he gets home; solo parenting is very hard. Just wanted to offer the contrary view of someone who wishes that work travel was more of a vacation…
anon says
i really appreciate your perspective. so many people on this board post about how work travel feels like a vacation to them so i was having trouble fully understanding his perspective. your life sounds exhausting – i’m impressed and don’t know how you do it as unfortunately I am one of those people who needs a lot of sleep. i was just a bit annoyed on Saturday when he kept saying how tired he was (admittedly he was jet-lagged after returning from a two week business trip to Europe), when i was also exhausted from solo parenting for two weeks!
GCA says
I travel perhaps 2-3 times/year for work, but when I do it’s also like this: on the ground running conferences, or in back to back meetings and dinners, and there is no downtime. DH’s work travel is equally frequent and less intense (attending conferences). But we give each other some time ‘off’ when we get back, in recognition that solo parenting is hard, full stop.
Anon says
I rarely travel, but I work 50-60 hours on an average week (obviously worse on busy weeks). DH stays home. Something that I struggle with is that I am either at work, taking care of kiddo or doing chores – there isn’t “free time” for me. I try to give him free time on weekends when I am home, both because I miss the one on one time with kiddo and because I know that kiddo is A LOT and he needs a break. I’ve been speaking up more about that, so we’ve been working to fit in more breaks for me (even though I feel guilty with the limited home time I have and while work is a “break” it’s not rest). Our toddler is super active and needs constant supervision. DH is in charge of his own laundry, making sure kiddo eats relatively decent meals and making sure no one dies and the house doesn’t burn down. I generally am the one who does the heavy lifting of picking up toys, bathtime, bedtime, and dishes. Even if I’m home he still does most of the diaper changes. I also do kiddo’s laundry with mine together on weekends. If we don’t eat out, I do the weekend cooking. It has been working for us, but probably only because DH has a very high tolerance for mess and clutter (e.g., dishes in the sink don’t bother him, so they wait until I have time, usually each morning while my breakfast is cooking; toys everywhere doesn’t bother him, my mountains of laundry to fold don’t bother either of us). Once kiddo is in school, we plan to shift more to him, but given toddler’s activity level, that’s just not feasible right now.
Anonymous says
Your stay at home husband can’t even wash dishes? Why are you putting up with this nonsense.
Anon says
Thanks for your analysis of my relationship – was totally looking for feedback. What we have works for us. He washes the dishes when I travel or am sick, but as we’ve divvied up our relationship, dishwashing is in my camp when I’m home.
Anon says
Yeah, I totally agree. There is no SAHM in America who doesn’t wash dishes.
Anon says
It is feasible. I am a stay at home mom to two active little ones and it is possible to do chores. The house is not spotless and when my husband is home we split duties more or less equality (one cooks, one does dishes; one does bed for one kid and one for the other, etc), but I do tidy up throughout the day, do laundry for the family, clean the bathroom, handle all the household shopping/appts, etc. Some days I get more done than others, and probably at least one day all the dishes pile up, but there are a lot of nooks and crannies of time when the SAH parent can do five minutes of cleaning up. Tell your spouse to put your kid in a gated room for 30 min and let him be bored.
Anon says
That maybe came off harsher than I meant it — if what you have is truly working for you, great! But if there’s any simmering resentment or question in your mind, I wanted to offer another perspective…you are not demanding to expect a little more (if you want to!)
Anon says
Thanks. I will tell you when I am home with kiddo by myself (e.g., all day on a weekend if DH goes to help his elderly parents that live near us), I cannot find time to wash dishes – I wait until DH is home so that I’m not racing kiddo to grab the knives and she’s not being hysterical locked in her room so I can do it safely. I have fairly extensive experience with kids, and my kid is just off the chart in activity levels (e.g., she climbed over and learned how to open all of our baby gates at 18 months, and has severe separation anxiety which makes locking her in her room too long an exercise in vomit clean up because she does not calm down). I’m fine with our situation. It is steadily getting better as we continue to communicate about where we are at. It’s also complicated by the fact that DH has some health conditions that make it difficult for him to be physically active (which we’re also working on managing), so chasing after toddler saps a lot of his energy.
anne-on says
We have an au pair, and prior to that had a mother’s helper a few times a week for my husband (I travel). Yes, work travel IS exhausting (long hours, lots of face time, airports are frustrating, hard to eat healthy/exercise). However, I look at it as work travel means I get to be 100% an employee for those days. So when I’m home I need to focus more on being a mom/wife – I’ll intentionally not work in the evenings/handle drop-offs or pick up more to give my husband a break, etc. But really there are only so many hours in the day and it sounds like you just need more ‘hands’ and truly, the after work hours are often THE WORST – you and kids are tired, dinner needs to be made, house needs to be picked up, no time for errands or the gym if you’re solo parenting, etc. A good sitter 2-3 days a week sounds like it would really help you out.
Anon says
DH and I both have “big” jobs but his is definitely bigger – much more travel, longer hours, etc. My job would likely be the “big” job if I was married to anyone else but him, but I have an understanding boss and I work for a relatively family friendly employer, so I have more flexibility and I work fewer hours. Because of those things, I naturally end up doing more stuff around the house and more caring for our toddler. Sometimes I get jealous (i.e. – DH is gone this week and last night he got to read a book alone in his hotel room while our kid was literally clinging to my ankles as I was trying to wash the dinner dishes); other times I know he gets jealous of me getting the consistency of the routine at home and more quality time with kiddo (i.e. – days like today where he’s working a 12-hour day plus an evening work commitment while jetlagged in a strange city).
I guess the way I learned to deal with it is that I had to let go of things being “fair” or keeping score in some way. We’re not home the same amount and we don’t have the same amount of non-work free time, so there can’t be a perfectly even apples to apples division of labor. I also learned to take my free time as I need it, because while he’ll never voluntarily raise his hand to take something off of my plate, he’ll do it if I make a specific request (“Can you put kiddo down tonight? I’ve done bed and bath time solo the last 5 nights” or “Can you take Kid to the park? I need an hour of quiet at home”). I also outsource a lot of stuff (house cleaning, grocery delivery, etc.) so there’s less labor to split up in the first place.
I try to keep in mind what his “big” job allows us to afford and realize that we’re very privileged and very lucky. We can live in our ideal neighborhood, we can pay for help with the kid/house, we can easily go out on date nights, we can save for retirement, etc. When I look at things that way, it helps me care less about the fact that I’ve emptied the dishwasher six times this week and am eating toddler food with our kid while he’s at a steakhouse in some beautiful city.
CPA Lady says
Yeah, completely agree re: asking for specifically what you want and remembering what you are getting out of the situation, not just what you are giving.
My husband had a very travel heavy schedule (like gone three weeks a month) for about 18 months and it worked out to me doing everything while he was gone and then about a third of the work when he was there. It took a lot of work to get to a good place with this. I had to learn to ask for whatever I wanted, even if it seemed like an embarrassing amount of things. And I didn’t always get everything, but we at least both had our cards on the table and were coming at the situation in a constructive “lets try to make this work” way. It also gave him permission to ask for time off too. Which I was a lot more willing to “give” him once I knew my own needs would be met too.
Anon says
Thanks for this. I have a very similar set up and sometimes my friends give me a hard time that I am not more assertive about making sure things are split 50/50 on the home front but I’m okay with it as it is, at least most of the time. Reassuring to hear I’m not alone (and that it doesn’t make me a total doormat).
Emily S. says
This is very well said. I’m chiming in to say that while I don’t also the “big” job, I’ve had to make similar choices. My husband is self-employed and getting another venture off the ground, and it can be very easy to let resentment build that I’ve done bedtime solo 6 times in a row. (I also remind myself that single parents live this all the time.) Learning not to keep score or trying to devise a system of “your week to X task” has been instrumental in marital harmony. That’s not to say it’s unicorns and rainbows 100% of the time, but I’m usually okay about it. If you need to hear it, everyone’s marriage is different and what some people see as a doormat is marital harmony to you. If it isn’t harmony, of course, speak up, but if it is, and you’re cool with it, you have permission to tune the naysayers out.
Anonymous says
Our town is not particularly diverse. My daughter just started kindergarten and there is a girl in her class who doesn’t speak English (very much/at all). Apparently, the teacher speaks a TINY bit of the student’s language, but there is a lot of gesturing and learning on the fly. When we get class emails, they are sent in English with either a link to google translate or in some cases (like very critical information) they are translated and there is an attachment in the student’s family language. Based on this, I/we assume that the parents do not speak much English, either.
My daughter is having a birthday party and wants to invite all the girls in her class, including this student. We sent e-vites (the school does not allow invitations to be sent home), and this student is the only one who hasn’t received/opened the invite (the e-vite program tells you who has opened it). Is there a way I can follow up to make sure the family knows she’s invited? I have emailed the parents twice before (once to invite the daughter to a playdate we were having before school started, and once to see if they had missed the email invitation) but have never gotten a response.
And separately, any suggestions on how to include this girl / help my daughter and her friends include her? Neither parent attended the open house, which is a bummer because a few other parents and I were hoping to meet them. Or, do we just back off and assume they will respond if they are interested?
Is this the sort of thing I can reach out to the teacher about, or is that super invasive? I was thinking I could say “my kiddo would love to get to know (KID) better, do you have any suggestions?” According to my kid the girl plays by herself in the classroom or only with her older brother at recess.
ElisaR says
my 5 yr old niece is in the same situation. her best friend (and literally the only other girl in her class) comes from a home where English is not spoken. They are best buds but my brother/sister have trouble communicating with the girls parents. Maybe write out an invitation for the birthday party? I know my niece’s friend came to her 5 yr old birthday and I think it’s very important (and more fun!) to include the child. They don’t really have play dates but they play at school all the time. The sweetest thing is my niece is “trying to learn spanish” to communicate better with her. She attempts to speak to the girl’s parents when she encounters them and they seem to appreciate her attempts (even though I am not sure how much sense she makes!) If possible it might be nice to learn some words like “friend” in the child’s language. I bet the parents would like to have their daughter included but might be either not responding to emails due to being overwhelmed.
Anonymous says
The school doesn’t allow invitations to be sent home, which is super frustrating or I would have done it that way for everyone to begin with. They don’t have a home address listed in the school directory (it’s opt-in only and they are not listed) so I couldn’t just…print something out and mail it. I’m thinking maybe the teacher might make an exception to the rule about invites given that this is a slightly different situation AND all the girls in the class have been invited?
Cb says
Yeah, I’d speak with the teacher. Surely she’d allow you to send a note home given the fact that your child is trying to include the new kid.
ElisaR says
ahh, yes makes sense. I think you might be right, given the circumstances the teacher would probably allow a note (invitation) to be slipped in the girl’s backpack!
anon says
that is so so sweet of your niece. though how odd that there are only 2 girls in the whole class!
ElisaR says
it’s not a typical kindergarden class, it’s for students that need some extra help. I’m not sure what the appropriate term is. I think the reason the friend is in the class is the language barrier. My niece is just a little behind others academically so she is there too. It’s a small class with special situations for each kid.
Anon says
i don’t think it is super invasive. i think it is so kind of you to try to include this girl. do they speak some unusual language or a language that is more common? perhaps the parents did not realize it is common to attend an open house if this is not typical where they are from
anon says
You’re raising a great kid! I would definitely talk to the teacher and figure out what can be done.
anon says
someone stole my super sweet baby and turned her into an opinionated, boundary testing 16 month old! she thinks it is fun to pull my hair and say “ow” and the word “no” (which i try to use sparingly) makes her laugh
Boston Legal Eagle says
Welcome to toddlerhood! It just gets worse (or maybe that’s just my 3.5 year old…) But really, they talk back but it’s amazing to listen to them actually talk and understand what you’re saying. Toddlers are much harder, IMO, than babies but it’s a necessary step to becoming their own unique, cool little people.
Anon says
To offer a slightly contrary opinion to “it just gets worse,” 16-17 months was a very hard age for us, possibly the hardest so far (DD is now 3). She was big time into boundary testing and also melting down left and right because she couldn’t communicate what she wanted to. Not to say 2 or 3 year olds never disobey, but for us being able to communicate both ways has made life a lot easier and more pleasant for everyone, and the 18 month old language explosion (which happened at more like 19-20 months for us) was a huge step forward in that regard. 16 month olds (unless they’re extraordinarily verbal) really can’t communicate that well, and that’s frustrating for a lot of kids.
The opinions definitely don’t go away though :)
Anon says
Agree! 15-21 months was the hardest with both my boys. I don’t love age two either…but three was much better and four is better still (that’s how old my first kid is, but I’m also hopeful for five!) Tiny toddlers can be so unpredictable and there’s not much method to their madness. But as you get to 2, 3, 4, there’s usually a more concrete reason behind their behavior (hungry, tired, needs down time, needs connection, needs to DO IT MYSELF). If you take the time you can usually figure it out and address the root cause. Not easy, still frustrating, often requires you to turn the schedule inside out, but can be done.
Cb says
Yeah, at that age, my sweet, cuddly baby became a scream-y monster. I’m sure there are more tantrums in our future but I found that the worst period thus far. The combination of not walking steadily but not wanting to be carried, the high pitched screeching, and the not sleeping. Once he started really talking at 18 months, things got much much better and now at a bit over two, he is lovely.
Katy says
Agree – 14 – 17 months were SO hard for me… then his language explosion hit and he was FANTASTIC, for a while. Recently we have been struggling a bit (but also lots of transitions with a new daycare etc), so I think it comes and goes. It probably won’t be full on tantrums for 2 years straight. (phew!)
Anonymous says
+1 14-17 months was hard for us with lack of verbal skills plus new physical skills (but not enough self awareness not to get hurt). 18m – 2 was AWESOME. So cute and fun and the verbal skills are so exciting.
CPA Lady says
Agree. Age 1 as a whole was the hardest age for me, though she turned a bit of a corner around 20 months. Every year since then has gotten better. I mean, yes, there were certainly (many) times I wanted to rip my hair out during the “terrible 2s” and “threenage” years, but 1 was the roughest by far. There were the first tantrums, not being able to clearly communicate, not being able to do anything but needing constant supervision and stimulation. Blargh. It was rough.
Anonymous says
Yes. I feel like they can do slightly unsupervised (within earshot) playing much earlier than I expected. Our 2.5 year old will go downstairs to play with legos for 10-15 mins alone while I make dinner and this is life-changing. Even though she’s always been relatively good at independent play, I had to be much more involved at 16m
rosie says
Mine is 2.5 and talking more and wanting more independence definitely has its own challenges, but I agree with some of the above posters that the stage where they have all the feelings but very few words to express them is uniquely challenging. So hopefully it will get better for you (or at least challenging in different ways you feel better equipped to deal with…like instead of just pulling your hair over and over, she will also want to talk about how much she likes to pull your hair and how it makes her sad when you don’t let her pull your hair :) ).
3 going on 13 says
Piggybacking off the thread above, someone turned my super sweet almost 4 year old into an emotional mess. I naively thought we escaped 3 without too much threenager angst (of course he has had his moments of tantrums, not listening, etc., but generally he has been sweet and loving and kind and amazing this past year). Wrong. We’re a month away from turning 4, and he’s suddenly a wreck about everything. And it’s so difficult to know how to handle it because his emotional wants and needs seem to change hourly. Sigh. In comparison, my 2 year old’s typical 2-year old tantrums, while grating, seem so easy to address.
Any advice from you experienced moms on how to handle?
Anon says
The month before turning four was very tough for us, too – I think in hindsight it was a developmental leap? He was emotional, extra mischievous, aggressive, his attention span plummeted, etc. And the previous six months he was very sweet and our relationship had been great! Shortly after turning four, that terrible period passed and we got back on track. So it may be a phase.
Other than that, any schedule or family changes? Could he need more sleep or down time or attention? Getting back to basics always helps (at least a little :)
Anon says
Ahh the 4 year old drama king! Mine started a little before 4 as well. Part of it is white-knuckling your way through it, but part is helping them manage emotions appropriately. A few things worked for us:
– Reading LOTS of books about emotions and ways to respond. Scholastic almost always has a set – like Little Monkey Calms Down by Michael Dahl.
– Naming the emotions as he experiences them, and giving ideas how to manage them appropriately. “You seem like you’re frustrated. Do you want to go scream into a pillow and then we can talk about it? Or do you want to scribble on a paper first?”
– Not giving in to the outbursts. I repeat “I can’t understand you when you’re screaming” more often than I can count. But I want to enforce that bad behavior doesn’t get the results you want. This means I get a lot of ‘But I can’t calm down!!!!!” responses, so then we go back to the second part where I offer ideas on how I might be able to help him calm down.
– Actively talking about MY emotions and how I manage them. When he forgot how to put on pants the other morning, I made sure to say “I am really frustrated that you aren’t putting on your pants. I want to yell and scream, but that won’t get my way, will it? What should I do instead? Maybe I’ll take a deep breath, go start to make breakfast, and then come back and check if you’ve remembered yet.”
It’s not perfect, but it has seemed to work for my kids so far. Or maybe they’ve just grown out of it, who knows?
AwayEmily says
This is a great bunch of advice, thank you!
Anon says
Wow, this is great!
Signed, mom of an almost 4 yo who is in the same boat as others.
Anon says
Favorite inexpensive tops for hiding your pregnancy at work (I work in a casual office, so pretty much anything other than athleisure goes)? Most of my existing work wardrobe is slim cut and highlights my waist, which does not work well when you trying to hide the fact that you’re holding your pants together with a rubber band at 10.5 weeks pregnant. Getting dressed is getting really challenging but I’d like to keep this under wraps for at least another month or so, if possible.
Anon says
I’m 6 weeks pregnant with no. 2 (and I started showing super early the first time – short torso problems), so I will be in your boat soon. Peplum cut tops help, but for me I’ve been living in fit and flare or shift dresses to hide the bump/bloat. Loft has a lot of flowy shell type tops which will look good with slim cut pants.
rosie says
I had some blousy sleeveless shirts that were naturally loose and a little longer from Lord & Taylor (some Vince Camuto brand) that I think worked well paired with an open cardigan (I guess a “waterfall” cardi? I mean one without buttons).
CCLA says
NYDJ 3/4 sleeve blouses, or really any similarly cut blouses. I lived in those for the first tri and part way into the second tri before announcing. I wore them untucked.
Anon says
I feel like most things from this page would work. https://www2.hm.com/en_us/women/products/shirts-blouses.html?product-type=ladies_shirtsblouses&sort=stock&image-size=small&image=model&offset=0&page-size=72. I love this shirt: https://www2.hm.com/en_us/productpage.0695632042.html. It’s great for pumping at work after the pregnancy!
Irish Midori says
Tunic tops can be super friendly. I work a regular, non-maternity one the other day and I’m in the third trimester. Also, dark colors on top minimize, and layers conceal. I don’t know about your area, but here it’s still 90 degrees (fall be darned), so a cardigan might be hard to pull off, but if you can do even a vest or light sweater, that will help. I’m amazed at how much throwing on a blazer helps the look not be about “the bump.”
ElisaR says
i feel like Loft has a lot of options for this category
Anon says
Pleione blouses from Nordstrom Rack. Also, any patterned top will make your bump a bit less obvious – I’m in a leopard print one right now, at 23 weeks, and it’s kind of hard to tell.
DLC says
I bought a lot of tops from Uniqlo when I was first pregnant – they are budget friendly and rather loose.
rosie says
Toddler-friendly butternut squash suggestions?
My toddler picked out butternut squash at the grocery store yesterday (already cubed, so easy). I have low expectations that she will eat it. However, I was already planning to make dinner with her after daycare today, so I’m hoping involving her in the prep will increase odds she’ll at least try it without too much coaxing. Any suggestions for cooking it?
Anon says
Cube and roast with olive oil, salt and cinnamon. Or boil and mash it with butter and cinnamon.
GCA says
Roast it in the oven! Make some gnocchi with brown butter and sage, toss it all together, serve with a nice salad. (Or a deconstructed salad, if you have my kids.)
Anon says
Roasted butternut squash is literally the only vegetable my toddler eats. We buy the pre-cubed kind too, I just toss it in oil and bake it in the oven. We find that some pieces get burned if you cook it at 400, and toddler freaks out about burned pieces, so we usually cook it on a lower temperature (325-350) for over an hour. Good luck! My kid once ate two whole packages of squash in one sitting.
CCLA says
For 1-2 years, this was our toddler too. Roasted squash almost every day, but she would pick out the “broken” (burned) pieces. One time DH tried steaming it, which I find much less appetizing, and because there were no “broken” pieces she gobbled it up without passing on any pieces. So now she gets it steamed. We usually add some honey and, when roasting, olive oil and salt and pepper.
Anon says
She used to eat it steamed, which was sooo easy (we bought those microwavable steam-in-bag things) but she recently turned her nose up at those. It needs to be crispy but not burned for her to eat it. Toddlers, man.
shortperson says
she’s right, crispy and not burned is the only way i eat it too
Anon says
Roast until soft and mix in with the creamy orzo, breaking up with a spoon until it’s more of a sauce than cubes, instead of spinach (Creamy Spinach Parmesan Orzo by Kitchn)
Anon says
I steam/roast it in foil in the oven and sprinkle a little cinnamon or sage on it. If she won’t eat it, you can always puree it and hide it in her macaroni and cheese. My toddler loves it one week and won’t touch it the next.
rosie says
She will only eat boxed mac and cheese these days! I suppose I could mix it into Annie’s…
rosie says
These are great ideas, thank you! She doesn’t really like potatoes or sweet potatoes so far. Hoping that involving her in all stages of this meal will peak her interest.
Anonymous says
I would turn it into soup or pasta sauce. I like Giada de Laurentiis’s rigatoni with squash and prawns, with or without the prawns.
Anonymous says
What brands/styles are your six year old girls wearing? My kiddo is in this weird place where she’s too big for toddler brands and styles, but I can’t really bring myself to buy things from Justice/Aerie yet.
She used to wear a lot of Hanna Anderson/Tea collection/Gap casual dresses + leggings. Gap seems to still work but the other brands are awfully preschool-y? Maybe this is because I also have a preschooler that is wearing them? ;). For summer she rocked a lot of denim shorts/skirts + t shirt (mostly from target). She doesn’t really like jeans, and t shirt + leggings isn’t really an outfit.
Looking for inspiration! I have 3 girls so I’m fine with higher cost/higher quality pieces.
Anonymous says
Peek, Mini Boden, Nordstrom, Garnet Hill, Splendid, Gap, Athleta Girl, ivivva
Anonymous says
She just looked at the mini brown catalog and declared it “kid stuff.” Hard eyeroll over here. What does your kiddo like from there? Maybe it’s because mine is too young to appreciate the Harry Potter stuff?
EB0220 says
My 7 year old basically wears Target, Umbro Shorts, Nike Tempo Shorts and t-shirts. She used to love Tea and Boden but this year she won’t wear any of it. We also like Athleta.
EB0220 says
Oh yeah…for cooler weather I think we will probably end up with leggings and tshirts. I buy the leggings a size up so they’re a little less skintight and that seems to work OK.
anon says
For our 6 yo, we do jeans from Osh Kosh, as they fit my skinny kid really well. She also likes the super stretchy ballerina jeans from Old Navy. They are almost like leggings.
For tops, we do lots from Old Navy and Target, with a smattering of Gap. She likes knit dresses with leggings and jeans with t shirts. She runs hot, so we rarely do sweatshirts or sweaters. This year we’re also doing some tunics (Old Navy) with leggings.
anon in brooklyn says
Primary also does great long sleeve tunics and sweatshirt tunics that work great with leggings. I’d wear them if they came in my size.
RR says
My 6 year old lives in hand me downs from her sister (mostly Gap/Old Navy) and casual stuff from Target. She loves a legging/tunic or legging/dress. Comfy and cute at every age!
RR says
She also loves anything athletic wear or “athleisure.”
anon says
I have a boy, but most of the girls in his elementary school are wearing leggings and t’s or tunics, athleisure/athletic wear, and skinny jeans. Sometimes I see casual dresses from Target (because my preschooler owns them, too). As much as I wish name brands weren’t such a thing, Under Armour and Nike are verrrry popular in my area. Most kids’ casual clothes come from Gap/Old Navy, Target and maaaaybe Oshkosh.
I love Tea, Boden and Hanna, but I totally agree that the styles are too babyish for elementary-school kids. It hurts my heart to type that!
shortperson says
tea has a tween line now. maybe she’d wear that? i’d also check out crewcuts, zara and h&m, and nordstrom. also canvas house design and the maisonette house brand.
Sarabeth says
FWIW, leggings and tee shirt is absolutely an outfit for my similarly-aged girl.