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I’m always on the hunt for wrap tops or dresses and this new-to-me brand has a lovely knit version.
This stretchy, fine gauge knit top has fitted sleeves, a defined waistband, and a flattering neckline that I’ll label a “V-boatneck.” This fine, yet substantial knit is perfect for layering, especially in the early spring — wear it under your favorite suit jacket, or turn a sheath into a skirt by wearing it on top.
Paisie’s Knitted Wrap Top is $128 at Wolf & Badger. It is available in sizes small, medium, and large, and comes in more colors besides gray, including green and navy.
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.
Sales of note for 7.10.24
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Nordstrom – The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale has begun! Here are all of our picks.
- Ann Taylor – Semi-Annual Sale! (Ends 7/12)
- Athleta – Extra 30% off semi-annual sale (ends 7/10)
- Banana Republic Factory – 40-60% off everything + extra 20% off your purchase
- Boden – 10% off new women’s styles
- Eloquii – Extra 50% off all sale
- Everlane – Up to 70% off
- J.Crew – End of Season Sale, up to 60% off all sale styles
- J.Crew Factory – 40-60% off everything + extra 60% off sale styles
- Lo & Sons – Summer sale, up to 50% off
- Loft – 50% off tops
- Madewell – End of season sale, up to 70% off with code.
- M.M.LaFleur – Save 25% sitewide. (Please correct me if I’m wrong, but I think this is the biggest sitewide discount I’ve ever seen…)
- NET-A-PORTER – Up to 60% off sale styles
- Rothy’s – Lots of great finds in the “final few” section
- Sephora – 25% off a ton of shampoos and conditioners (ends 7/10)
- Talbots – Semi-annual Red Door Sale, extra 40% off markdowns
- Banana Republic Factory – 50% off everything plus extra 15% off purchase
- Eloquii – Semi-annual clearance, up to 85% off
- J.Crew – Up to 50% off warm-weather styles; extra 50% off sale styles
- Lands’ End – 50% off your order
- Loft – $39 dresses and 40% off your purchase (ends 6/26)
- Talbots – 30% off all markdowns, summer favorites starting at $24.50 (ends 6/25)
- 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 – Summer clearance up to 70% off; 50% off tops, shorts & more
- Hanna Andersson – Up to 50% off all dresses; up to 50% off all baby items
- J.Crew Crewcuts – Up to 50% off warm-weather styles; extra 50% off sale styles
- Old Navy – 50% off all polos; 60% off steals
- Target – 20% off women’s swim; 50% off patio furniture, garden items & accessories; up to 30% off kitchen & dining
Sales of note for 7.10.24
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Nordstrom – The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale has begun! Here are all of our picks.
- Ann Taylor – Semi-Annual Sale! (Ends 7/12)
- Athleta – Extra 30% off semi-annual sale (ends 7/10)
- Banana Republic Factory – 40-60% off everything + extra 20% off your purchase
- Boden – 10% off new women’s styles
- Eloquii – Extra 50% off all sale
- Everlane – Up to 70% off
- J.Crew – End of Season Sale, up to 60% off all sale styles
- J.Crew Factory – 40-60% off everything + extra 60% off sale styles
- Lo & Sons – Summer sale, up to 50% off
- Loft – 50% off tops
- Madewell – End of season sale, up to 70% off with code.
- M.M.LaFleur – Save 25% sitewide. (Please correct me if I’m wrong, but I think this is the biggest sitewide discount I’ve ever seen…)
- NET-A-PORTER – Up to 60% off sale styles
- Rothy’s – Lots of great finds in the “final few” section
- Sephora – 25% off a ton of shampoos and conditioners (ends 7/10)
- Talbots – Semi-annual Red Door Sale, extra 40% off markdowns
- Banana Republic Factory – 50% off everything plus extra 15% off purchase
- Eloquii – Semi-annual clearance, up to 85% off
- J.Crew – Up to 50% off warm-weather styles; extra 50% off sale styles
- Lands’ End – 50% off your order
- Loft – $39 dresses and 40% off your purchase (ends 6/26)
- Talbots – 30% off all markdowns, summer favorites starting at $24.50 (ends 6/25)
- 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 – Summer clearance up to 70% off; 50% off tops, shorts & more
- Hanna Andersson – Up to 50% off all dresses; up to 50% off all baby items
- J.Crew Crewcuts – Up to 50% off warm-weather styles; extra 50% off sale styles
- Old Navy – 50% off all polos; 60% off steals
- Target – 20% off women’s swim; 50% off patio furniture, garden items & accessories; up to 30% off kitchen & dining
See some of our latest articles on CorporetteMoms:
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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?
PPH and nursing says
Looking for anecdata from any moms here who had severe PPH during delivery: were you able to nurse and if so, when did your milk come in? I’ve been triple feeding with very very low supply and the general sense from my doctor and the pediatrician is that it may never work out given the blood/iron loss I had. We’re supplementing with formula, and will be ok if that becomes baby’s only source of food, but would love to hear others’ experiences too.
Walnut says
I had PPH with my second and was able to build up my supply by renting a hospital grade pump. Nursing was a disaster and I couldn’t get to 100% of my baby’s food needs by just pumping, but I took the presence of breast milk versus the absence of formula philosophy.
anonM says
Wow, thanks for posting this! I had really bad complications/blood loss after delivery with my first, requiring 2 blood transfusions in the first few days PP. I too did triple feeding 24/7, and could not even lift DS for the first two days. It was horrible honestly. No one even told me that nursing might not work out because of my blood/iron loss! My milk didn’t come in for like 5 days. Once my milk came in, nursing went pretty well and my supply was fine. Idk what to advise you, other than to reassure you that your milk may come in days later and be totally normal after that, and also just to remind you to give yourself lots of grace. Maybe you can limit the triple feedings to a few a day, the rest formula? Not sure if this was your first delivery, but FWIW my second was very different and so much easier without that severe blood loss, and it wasn’t until then that I realized just how hard those first few days really had been. You’re a great mom even if you’re very tired and sick from blood loss! Internet hugs.
PPH and nursing says
Thank you! This is my first – and honestly it was so bad that we weren’t even sure we’d want to / it would be safe to have a second. I’m so happy to hear that it might be totally different on a later pregnancy. I’m currently in the middle of week 2… so definitely appreciate the kind words after a couple rough days :)
Anon says
That’s a lot to recover from. Best of luck and really second the advice of previous poster – whatever makes sense will be a fine choice for your family.
anonM says
Post again in a few months when you’re not in the VERY intense newborn/PP stage, and I’ll give you some more input/things to consider on that part. But for now, use formula if you need to/want to, and try to set aside all these expectations and enjoy your baby. Also, depending on why you had PPH, please be careful about your pelvic floor as you recover, and don’t jump right into any high impact/running before researching/talking to a pelvic floor therapist. For some reason, a lot of OBGYNs seem to give really bad advice on this! (IE if you have a really traumatic birth, running at 6 weeks is probably a bad idea even if your OB gives you the “go ahead”) Good luck!!
Walnut says
If it makes you feel better, I switched cities and had a new doctor when I became pregnant with my third after the PPH with my second. She took my PPH history VERY seriously from my very first appointment, planned accordingly, and ensured my PPH history was flagged, documented and transitioned from nurse to nurse during my post-partum care.
Obviously your mileage and situation are unique, but the right doctor made all the different in my anxiety.
Anon PPH says
Can you share more details on what your new OB did in terms of planning accordingly? We’ll be starting transfer rounds for our second baby soon, and I haven’t thought about much other than making sure the nurses and OB on-call know about my history, blood bank on standby, that I still want to do skin to skin immediately following birth unless it would be physically unsafe for me to do so, etc.
Walnut says
My third was a planned c-section, so heightened protocol around blood loss during the surgery and IV meds immediately post procedure to start clamping my uterus. I believe some sort of meds regimen was continued during my hospital stay as well.
My doctor planned in advance for an additional day in the hospital due to PPH risk and that any routine bleeding that occurred was being measured and charted. Blood was secured for a transfusion should it be needed.
Anon PPH says
I had a PPH following delivery. Details in case relevant – I was induced with pitocin (due to my OB’s policy since I was 40 years old and did IVF) but otherwise unmedicated (no epidural, my choice). Delivered baby v*ginally after about 20 minutes of pushing, delivered placenta intact about 5 minutes later. Issue was that my uterus wouldn’t contract. Took about an hour to get the bleeding under control and I needed shots in both thighs and cytotec r*ctally. I was able to do skin to skin immediately after delivery and for almost the entire PPH period and put baby to bre*st, but handed her over to my husband at about the 50 minute mark because I was starting to fatigue.
I delivered at 11:45am and felt fine the next day and day after, energy wise, but my blood levels were REALLY low and I ended up needing a transfusion before the doctor would discharge me.
It did take longer for my milk to really come in than I was expecting (maybe 5-7 days?), which I attributed to the PPH. But my doula/lactation consultant said no need to supplement yet because sufficient wet and dirty diapers, and that I could pump once or twice to try and kickstart things if needed. It ended up working out fine – never needed formula, nursed until 14 months.
Anon says
After a perfect pregnancy, I had a horrible delivery and severe PPH with my first, also couldn’t lift my kid for the first few days. They brought her to me to try nursing, I think maybe 10 min on each side, (it’s all a blur) but then would feed her formula. She was all formula for almost two weeks, when my milk finally came in. Slowly moved from the formula to all b-fed, maybe around month three, and nursed her until twelve months.
For the record – her birth was so traumatic I couldn’t even talk about it for a while. I knew I wanted a second kid, and after lots of reassurances from my doctor that they would be extremely vigilant, eventually just tried again. I had a SCH during that pregnancy, bled for almost 24 weeks straight, became anemic, and was on modified bed rest for the last half of it. We scheduled a c section for 39 weeks with extra monitoring for PPH. That delivery went about as perfect as you could imagine, with zero complications. I started her off exclusively b-fed, supplemented with formula by month three for weight gain, and she weaned herself from nursing by month six. A completely different experience from my first.
Anon says
i also lost lots of blood during delivery and had a blood transfusion. idk if it was considered severe, but I also delivered early (twins) and initially I had like no milk at all, but ultimately managed to make enough so that 6/7 bottles for each kid were bmilk. at some point i stopped triple feeding and switched to exclusively pumping. i read all the tricks online, tried the teas, oatmeal etc., but i think the thing that worked best for me was power pumping. there is also a facebook group called ‘exclusively pumping’ or something like that and I found it really helpful, as long as you don’t have an obsessive personality. Drinking tons of water + making sure you’re eating enough + power pumping worked best for me. The reason i stopped actually bfeeding was because with twins when I stopped having help, triple feeding just took too long for my sanity. The lactation consultant suggested that I feed one baby on me, while i feed the other with a bottle and pump on one side and then switch in order to be more efficient, but i thought i needed to become an octopus and grow many more arms to do that.
Anonymous says
Sorry for your experience, please take care of yourself! I wish someone had told me that my priorities should be sleep/ recovery, and then BFing. I had a tough birth and a complicated recovery with DS. We had to supplement in the first few days, and my supply never recovered, despite pumping after every feeding for weeks and weeks, doing all the teas, etc etc. I was even pumping after night feeds, because I thought that was the expectation. When our pediatrician found out I was pumping at night, she was horrified and made me stop immediately. Long story short, take a holistic approach. Losing sleep to pump and wearing your body down isn’t going to do your supply any favors.
PPH and Nursing says
OP here – thank you all for sharing your advice, experiences, and support! Really appreciate it, though of course I’d wish none of us had this experience.
Anon says
I posted a long response this morning that still hasn’t come through (???) so in a nutshell:
– I had PPH following an induction with pitocin, otherwise-unmedicated v*ginal delivery , 20ish minutes of pushing and placenta delivered 5-10 min after baby. Took them about an hour to get bleeding controlled but I was able to do skin to skin during that time and put baby to bre*st. After about 50 minutes I handed her over to my husband bc i started to feel a little weak.
– Had to have a transfusion 2 days later b/c my blood counts were so low. Stayed 4 nights in hospital (delivered at 1145pm). But felt fine (doctor was surprised, given my levels)
– Milk was delayed and I think came in around 5-6 days after delivery? Baby was fine on colostrum and little bit of milk I was producing – plenty of wet and dirty diapers and gained appropriately, back over birthweight at first peds checkup. I nursed for 14 months and did not need to supplement.
Anon says
I had a severe PPH and blood transfusion was in the ICU while baby stayed with dad in the women’s center. She was fed formula for the first several days and I tried expressing colostrum while in the icu but didn’t have a ton of luck and wasn’t even able to attempt bf until I was transferred back to the womens center. However, my milk eventually started to come around day 5 and she’s been combo fed since then. We’ve slowly worked our way up to mostly BF but I try not to stress about giving her formula to supplement. We also use a n*pple shield which has worked for us since she started with the giant plastic tops on the infant formula bottles and mine are nowhere close to that lol. She’s close to 3 months now. Congrats on your new bebe and take time to focus on your recovery too!
EDAnon says
I hemorrhaged during birth (no transfusion) and the baby was not well at first. It was scary and like the other poster, I couldn’t talk about it for awhile. No one mentioned anything about it impacting breastfeeding but I knew I didn’t make sufficient milk based on my first. I fed him formula and breastfed as long as I could (my supply tanked when I went back to work).
With my first/supply issues, a lactation consultant was insistent that I pump like 8 times per day and all this nutty stuff. At the time, I did it and grew more tired and depressed. With the trauma of my second, I just…refused to do that since my mental health was already a mess. Please put yourself ahead of breastfeeding. My kids are 3.5 and 5.5 and they are smart and healthy and amazing. Formula didn’t do them 1oz if damage.
Anon says
I’m going on a beach vacation at about two months postpartum – does anyone have any suggestions on swimsuits that will not make me feel like I’m still pregnant? I definitely need a new one and I assume I’ll still be about 15-20 lbs above my pre-pregnancy weight, probably a size 12-14 and somewhat apple shaped. Adding to the challenge, I am tall and am probably a G so I can’t necessarily throw on any old one piece suit unless I want to look like I’m bring back ancient Minoan fashion trends.
Anon says
I don’t think you can assume you’ll be 20 pounds above your pre-pregnancy weight. I lost the weight within a few weeks with minimal effort besides nursing. (Lest anyone think this is a humblebrag, I gained it all back and then some later). I really think you have to wait to shop until shortly before the trip when you know what your size will be. Definitely wear a two piece – one pieces are like b*tt floss for us tall girls. If you want more coverage, Lands End and Athleta have lots of tankini and swim skirt styles. Personally, I always wear a rash guard at the beach (for sun protection, not because I’m ashamed of my body) and a hipster style bikini bottom.
Anon says
Hi, me too. Once I stopped nursing, 30 pounds came back within 3 months and has not budged in the 4 years since.
As someone who was formerly a 14-16 and currently (PP plus Covid) a 20 and also an H cup, Lands End tankinis all the way. The “DDD” version of the swimsuits is still very much wearable for me. I also always wear a rashguard on top, but it is because my natural color is ghostly pale and I burn rather than tan.
Anonymous says
Just chiming in to say me too (went below my pre-pregnancy weight while nursing, then gained 30 lbs when I stopped nursing + the pandemic happened).
anon says
Same size as you, though more pear-shaped than apple. I would go for a high-waisted bikini bottom and cute coordinating top. One pieces are such a pain for tall women. Believe it or not, most long-torso suits still don’t fit, and I’m only 5’9″!
Anon says
Yeah, 5’11” here but I don’t have an especially long torso (I’m the same height sitting down as my 5’7″ mom) and have never found a one piece that fits. Even ones sold for tall/long-torsoed women are extremely uncomfortable for me.
Anonymous says
5’6” with a long torso here. The only way I can wear a one-piece is if it’s a long torso size and has halter ties at the neck. I have no idea how anyone who is actually tall can wear a one-piece.
Anonymous says
If you are a G I would look for bra sized swimwear – it is such a game changer. Anita has some soft cup options that are forgiving (although admittedly somewhat matronly and not always cheap). But I agree you should wait to shop until you have the baby as it is really hard to predict your post partum size. I gained over 50 pounds in pregnancy and all but 5 came off in about 6 weeks, but my shape was somewhat different and boobs gigantic. (I too then gained back more after I weaned).
Anonymous says
PS – wearing Lands End DDD suits doesn’t work for me, but I have a relatively small band size compared to the cup size (32H -34G when not pregnant/nursing). YMMV.
Anon says
I did this last summer. Target has good options. I’m not sure if I searched on Target or Google for “postpartum swimwear,” but what I ended up finding was a lot of good options with high-waisted, ruched bottoms with lots of comments from people saying they had bought the suit to wear postpartum. As others have mentioned, your weight will fluctuate a lot during this time. I would honest recommend buying and having a suit in two sizes. (That is why Target is so great for this.)
GCA says
Does your swimwear need to be nursing-friendly? Soft cup, not underwire, is your answer. What are your sun protection needs? You could get away with a regular bikini top and a rash guard.
Agree it can be a bit hard to predict postpartum size – at 2 months pp each time I’ve been anything from ‘maternity pants no longer fit but neither do my pre-pregnancy ones’ to ‘pre-pregnancy weight but completely reshaped’. As a start, I’d probably try a tall Athleta tankini (I’m not tall but have a long torso and dislike one-pieces).
Anonymous says
I love Athleta suits in general. Land’s End tankinis were my go-to immediately postpartum, but they also made me feel pretty matronly. Last kid is about to turn three, and last summer I embraced my jiggly, still-up-20-lbs belly and got the full coverage bottoms and a bra-cup bikini top from Athleta and felt 1000x better about myself.
Anonymous says
No matter what the state of one’s tummy, I think a cute Athleta bikini is more flattering and confidence-building than a Lands’ End tankini.
anon says
A total rant about summer childcare:
Despite my best efforts to NOT repeat our childcare situation from last summer, my older kid is going to a different camp nearly every week, with a few weeks of downtime built in, assuming DH and I can finagle our work schedules to be at home more. It’s so expensive, complicates our schedules, and kid is probably gonna complain even though he’s had input on which camps he’s attending. It’s the best I can do. Younger kid is able to do the same program all summer long, which is a total gift. (Older kid has aged out of the program.) We considered getting a sitter/driver, but that option wasn’t any less expensive than camps, especially for one kid. (We really wanted to keep the younger kid in her program. It’s where her buddies are at, she loves it, they do so many fun field trips, and the cost is low compared to camps.)
Anyone else feel some resentment about how NOT easy-breezy summer is for working parents? I never wish to be a SAHM, except in June/July/August. My mom is all “just let him stay home alone!” Well, yeah, that’s a possibility for some of the time, but not for 11 weeks. I guarantee he’d be on a screen the whole time because his buddies don’t live nearby. I should count my lucky stars because we are one year away from being aged out of even more options and he’s still too young to get a part-time job.
Sigh. Doing the best I can (and failing to please everyone).
Anonymous says
I do not want to spend the summer taking care of my son, so never want to be a SAHM in the summer. But I am grateful that my husband is a teacher so we have some flexibility and don’t NEED constant care. And guess what, he lets our son watch screens all day when we don’t send him to camp, because he also does not want to try to entertain him all day. There is also the mysterious last week of summer break when there are no camps for some reason and teachers have to return to work before school opens.
EDAnon says
That week is so weird!
Anon says
The summer is the source of the greatest mom guilt for me. My son’s friends go away all summer with their stay away moms and…mine don’t, since I work. I don’t have a solution but I totally commiserate.
Anon says
I have a four year old and was reallly looking forward to more streamlined childcare next year once she’s in kindergarten. But as I get closer and have more friends with kids that age, the amount of work it takes to put together aftercare and summer camp is blowing my mind, not to mention the expense!
Boston Legal Eagle says
The daycare years are truly the most streamlined childcare options there are. It is $$$ and there are constant illnesses in the beginning, but the school years require so much sporadic planning.
Anon says
Yeah, it doesn’t get more streamlined than daycare. I will say that for us elementary school has been MUCH cheaper, which is a welcome relief. We paid $15k/year for high quality full-time preschool/daycare. Summer camps in our area are ~$200/week. We usually cover about half of the summer with grandparents and vacations, but even if we needed coverage all summer, that’s only $2k. We don’t use aftercare now that we work from home, but it is also very affordable compared to daycare – $50/week – so would only add another $2k or so to childcare costs. So it would be a savings of over $10k/year even for someone who needed full time camp and aftercare. We’ve felt the cost savings a lot more than I expected to based on the posts here.
anon says
OP here. Things were okay for us until late elementary/early middle school. Then they age out of the programs that provide all-day consistent care.
Anon says
Is sleepaway camp an option? That’s what I did at that age.
anon says
Sleepaway camp isn’t really a thing here. I mean, you might do a 1-week thing, but it’s nothing like the weeks-long deal that are popular in other areas of the country.
Anon says
just cause its not a thing, if you can afford it, doesn’t mean your kid can’t do it
Anon says
Sleepaway camps take kids from all over the country. He can still go even if there isn’t a local option.
Anon Lawyer says
Yeah but it seems weird to those of us from non-camp places!
Anon says
if it seems ‘weird’ to you, then that’s a problem you’re creatign
Anon Lawyer says
Or it seeming normal is a thing you’re creating. It’s ok for people to not want to do things they don’t do.
Anon says
I don’t think anyone said a child or parent has to do something they don’t want to. She said it’s not a thing where they live, which is different than saying they don’t want to do it. I think it’s fair to point out that it doesn’t have to be a thing locally for her kid to participate. I’m also kind of shocked that there are parts of the country where sleepaway camp is not a thing! I’ve lived in the Midwest, New England and California and knew many people in each place who’d gone to camp growing up.
Anonymous says
Sleepaway camp is shockingly expensive. $1K -$2K per week or more. For middle school girls there is the option to be a Program Aide or PA in training at Girl Scout camp for much less, but that would not cover the whole summer.
Anon says
I’m sure you can spend that much on sleepaway camp if you want, but I know of quite a few options under $1k a week.
octagon says
My kid is 6 and this is the first year we are really dealing with this — last year we had a combination of neighborhood sitters and grandparents and half-day camps that made it work. It is SO expensive — like, we could all go to Europe for 2 weeks instead of paying for summer camps. And I’ve thought about that, but the other 10 weeks he’d go feral and DH and I still need to work.
I’m hoping my kid develops the personality that he wants to go away to sleepaway camp for like a month each summer. Which is still crazy expensive but it would end the week-by-week logistical headaches.
Mary Moo Cow says
Hear, hear. I would like to be a SAHM in the summer, too, or at least work part-time. I mentioned that working parents should have a seasonal part-time option in an anonymous employer survey a few years back and never heard anything. I would also not be dismayed if summer break was shortened to about 8 weeks. DH is aghast, like, kids need a break; I see it as parents need to work or employers need to recognize that parents need breaks that mirror the school breaks, so let’s compromise on a shorter summer break.
I couldn’t find any camps that my oldest would agree to that youngest could also attend, so we’re patching it together with one week of vacation, and the remaining 11 weeks with a babysitter two days a week, grandparents two days a week, and parent one day a week. I resent that it’s mostly going to be DH who is the parent caregiver one day a week, but he has the more flexible job and I’m banking PTO for the random school days off in the fall.
Katrinka says
I really don’t get the idea that “kids need a break.” From what? Granted my kiddos are in elementary, but school should be more fun than stressful REGARDLESS imo. If it’s not, summer break is not the answer, making changes to the school experience is. Daycare is year round. Work life/adulting is year round. Summer break used to exist so kids could till fields. It is the year 2022. Time to get with the times and eliminate summer break, IMO.
Anon says
School is actually not fun for a lot of kids and “just change the school experience” is way easier said than done. There are lots of people who can’t afford private school or don’t have academically sound private schools near them.
anon says
I hate that the school calendar is at complete odds with how the rest of the world works.
Spirograph says
Me too. I would love for schools to shift to a quarterly calendar with 3-4 weeks off at various times throughout the year rather than concentrating it all in the summer. Or for US to adopt the European “We Don’t Work in August” mentality.
Also, camp for 3 kids is ~ $1k a week. Ugh. (We’re looking for a sitter for most weeks, but that is less-than-ideal when I work at home.)
Anon says
Oh man having random weeks off year round sounds absolutely terrible to me. At least there are camps available in the summer, and the weather is good and kids can be outside a lot. Winter break is bad enough, we do NOT need more time without childcare when the weather is miserable.
Anon says
I agree having more K-12 school days and less time off would be nice, but a school calendar with 3-4 weeks of vacation every quarter sounds horrible. You’d just do the scramble for camps or family help four times a year instead of once, and it would wreak havoc for those adults (including my husband and me) who have jobs that cycle with an academic calendar.
Anon says
My kid definitely needs a break. She just wants to be outside playing with worms and dirt and splashing in puddles.
Her school is full of screens and she gets one recess a day.
She’s in first grade. It breaks my heart, but at least her school doesn’t have homework.
Katrinka says
It’s ridiculous that public school systems don’t have any summer coverage or option available to kids. Most families do not have a stay-at-home parent, and even those that do would probably LOVE an option for their kids to go to during the summer. I’ll even gladly pay for it! But instead we rely on the YMCA and college kids to take care of our society’s children for 1/4 of the year. It’s crazy.
anon says
And good luck if you have a kiddo who needs more supervision and expertise than any YMCA or college kid can provide. Sorry, I’m pretty bitter. My ADHD kid has not exactly thrived in those settings.
Anne-on says
I feel you. My kid is also neurodivergent and does not do well with big groups of kids running wild. He goes to a small summer program (which is $$$) for 8 weeks, and then we cobble together a few weeks of other camps here and there plus the 2-weeks at the end of August/early September when we have to take family vacation or work from home because school hasn’t started but college kids all went home. It is a fortune and I am perpetually annoyed that we don’t have the freedom to just have meet ups at the beach/town pool.
Anon says
Eh, camps are a lot more fun and less academic than school. I would not want my child to go to school year-round even if it were free. I prefer to pay for play-based camps so she can have a break from academics and explore other interests. I realize that’s a financially privileged position but I think a lot of affluent people probably feel the same way. Year-round daycare is very different because daycare (ours, anyway) was not academic and was much more like “camp” than school.
Boston Legal Eagle says
This is me too. Camps are a nice break from school! I wouldn’t want to entertain my kid(s) all summer and frankly I think work is easier than being hot at the beach or pool or constantly driving around. I also wish that we gave older elementary and middle school kids more freedom to actually meet up by themselves as I think they would rather do that than just be with boring me all summer. But alas, we find that “too dangerous.” So camps it is.
Cb says
Yeah, I just put dates in diary to sign up at 8am on the 22nd of August for the wildlife club camp for October half term (schools operate on a more of a year round model here). It’s only 9-3 in an inconvenient location (but a pro in the ebike column) but I’ve heard that the at school holiday club is pretty grim.
I can deal with the long weekends but October, February, Easter (2 weeks!), and then 6 weeks over the summer!! October and February are during my teaching term. Luckily my workplace closes for one week at Easter.
AwayEmily says
it is interesting how different the camp process is in different areas. I’m in a LCOL city and there are lots of full-day camps here, most of which don’t fill up immediately (I signed up my kindergartener a couple of weeks after registration opened). Nothing fancy, but several YMCA camps (some outdoor, some at the facilities), the JCC, a zoo camp that includes before and after care, and a bunch of parks and recs camps. Most families I know just go with one for the whole summer, but some mix and match.
Anon says
Yeah this rat race seems like more of a big city thing? We don’t have fancy options in our college town, but there is availability at the Y, local university and zoo, and some extracurricular activities like gymnastics, dance, theater, etc. also do summer and spring break camps, and it’s not impossible to get into them. Most camps are only 9-4 but that’s not a problem for us. It does seem like it would be challenging if you were used to extended daycare hours like 7-6.
Boston Legal Eagle says
My suburb of a HCOL city is mostly fine too, but I think the problem OP was talking about was the older elementary/middle school kids who age out of a lot of options. I don’t know what the solution is for those kids who you don’t just want to hang out at home the whole time, but who are not quite old enough to do other things solo like work or camp counselor.
EDAnon says
I live in a small city and it’s not that big of a deal (except at the age out time), but I know several parents who make it a huge deal. It could be easy but they want their kid to be in the cool camp that fills up in a minute.
I don’t get that – I don’t need the extra stress. I can take my kid kayaking or whatever the special camp does. My kid is going to one camp all summer except one week at a camp of his choice. If this camp is terrible, we will sign him up for the next camp closest to our house that runs all summer next time.
I went to day camp all summer every summer until I was 13 and it was fine. Some camps are better than others, but there are options. They just might not be upping your status.
anon says
Summer planning is THE WORST. I had everything worked out for my two kids and plans for one were torpedoed yesterday by his daycare. I was furious. Sending two kids to camp here with wrap is $600-900/week. I do wish I could have the summer off to let them enjoy half-day camps, more one-day adventures, etc.
anon says
There’s a good chance you’ll look pretty much back to normal by two months. My baby weight was gone by 6 weeks with no effort- I was pleasantly surprised. It took another few months for my abdominal muscle definition to come back but that won’t be noticeable in a one piece anyway.
Anonymous says
I need a dress for a black tie optional event in about a month.
I’ll be 12 weeks pregnant with my third at the time. I lost a pregnancy at 18 weeks about five months ago. (I got pregnant again three months later.) And I don’t know if it’s because the pregnancies are so close together or what, but at 8 weeks pregnant, I already look PREGNANT. I don’t want a body-con dress (not at that cute perky bump phase yet…) but was thinking something more empire waisted.
Any suggestions? I’m also not necessarily looking to spend a small fortune…Thank you!
ElisaR says
i would take a look at rent the runway. i had a PP wedding and wasn’t ready to spend money on a dress that would only fit for this unique time and RTR was a good solution.
AwayEmily says
One of my friends just went to a wedding at 18weeks pregnant and looked AMAZING in an empire-ish rent the runway dress.
Spirograph says
+1 more for rent the runway, this is the perfect use case for it. They even have a filter for pregnancy-friendly dresses that will give you all the pretty, flowy, empire waist ones even if they aren’t specifically maternity cut.
Anonymous says
I did RTR but FWIW I was 14 weeks with my second and looked the way I did at 20 weeks with my first!! And my boobs were big, so I went with body OB and loved it.
So Anon says
My children were home sick from school last week with a cold. I’ve just come down with it in time to get on a flight to attend my grandmother’s funeral. Ugh. (I will be fully masked to try and keep from spreading it to others.)
Anon says
Maybe stay home? Why do you feel you have the right to expose others to something that could be deadly to the vulnerable?
Anon says
I don’t think it’s realistic to expect people stay home every time they have a cold. Someone who would die from a cold is severely immunocompromised and can’t live anything resembling a normal life. That said, I would get Covid PCR and flu tests before going and not go if I had either. I also think it is kind of weird that OP is patting herself on the back for wearing a mask when it is legally mandated for air travel.
Anonymous says
Sorry, but everyone who is sick, even with “just a cold,” should stay home. They always should have been staying home, but it’s even more important now. First off, with omicron many infected people are testing negative until they’ve had symptoms for several days. Second, if you give someone else a cold you may end up keeping them out of work or their kids out of school or child care.
Anon says
I think there’s a pretty big difference between flying for a vacay and flying for a funeral. I would not skip the latter for a cold.
Boston Legal Eagle says
I disagree with this, in this situation. This isn’t an instance of going into the office or not when sick, when you have the option to WFH, or missing a party – then, sure, stay home. But this is a funeral. Those getting on the flight and in the airport know they are taking certain risks of catching an illness – masks, negative Covid tests mitigate these, but it’s not 0%. So Anon – assuming you’ve got that negative test, mask up everywhere, including the funeral, but it sounds like an important event to go to for you. Maybe the silver lining is now you can avoid your mom?!
Anonymous says
This is a really privileged position to take that people are somehow BAD for going to work or doing stuff they HAVE TO DO when sick. In an ideal world we’d have all the paid leave we’d need, but clearly we don’t. For some, really a lot of, people if they don’t go to work (in person) they can’t make rent or buy food or shoes for their kids.
Anonymous says
Yes, and if you give someone a cold and they can’t work, they might not be able to make rent. Over the past few weeks I have witnessed several instances of low-wage employees being sent home because they came to work sick. I would hate to be the person who had given them that cold.
Anon says
This. Getting on a plane to go to a funeral (which is optional, it just is) when you have a cold is a position dripping with white privilege and racism. We know (1) tests are not necessarily turning positive for omicron cases in the first few days, (2) BIPOC people are dying at much higher rates than white people from the pandemic, (3) the least privileged can be put in a very precarious position even with just a cold if they are sent home from work sick (can lose housing, jobs, etc), and (3) the inherent risks of air travel are not always optional for the most vulnerable, such as those traveling for necessary medical treatments. I will rain on this parade all day long and you should feel bad about it if you think it is your right to get on a plane with a cold right now.
GCA says
Oh no, I’m so sorry. Was this the major family funeral – Arlington, military family, significant event – for which you were trying to minimize contact with your mom? I feel like you’re pretty much obligated to go, but take all the precautions (and – having a cold is a great excuse to minimize contact with people…)
Anon says
Jeez, you can’t catch a break! Good luck. And while I’ve also become much more illness-conscious and agree it’s in poor taste to go out galavanting with even a cold…this is a funeral, and I 100% understand why you are still going. For better or worse, we have reached “live with it” status and missing milestone events for a cold — on the off-chance it could be Covid, even with negative tests — isn’t a reasonable ask.
Anon says
+1
anon says
Agree completely. It’s a funeral, not something that can be rescheduled for a later date.
Anonymous says
In this day and age, sometimes you don’t get to go to the funeral. Those are the breaks. We didn’t even get to have the funeral at all.
Anon says
+1. Attendance at a funeral is just not necessary. Plenty of people missed them during lockdowns. I wish we had genetic testing on all cases so people could get notified when they were in the infection chain that caused someone to die or lose a job/housing or get a lifelong disability from Long Covid. But I’m not sure people would care. Maybe they would get the death notification on their phone and just giggle and move on. Because let’s not lie, that is exactly what has been happening for the last 2 years.
Anon says
Yes, if you have Covid you don’t go to a funeral. I’m not sure why “this day and age” would compel someone to skip a funeral when they just have a cold, when that never happened before Covid.
Anon says
“In this day and age” you might not test positive immediately but still have Omicron. With the level of community spread right now, you can just assume that you have a cold even with a negative test. And maybe people with just a cold shouldn’t be traveling for optional events either when they are symptomatic.
EDAnon says
I always worry about the efforts to bring down rather than rise up. Many missed funerals due to the pandemic, which is incredibly sad. Others don’t have to miss funerals because you did. If you want to debate the merits about going or not (as happened above) then so be it. But saying “it sucked for me so it should suck for you too” is both illogical and unkind.
Anon says
+1 million to EDAnon especially “saying ‘it sucked for me so it should suck for you too’ is both illogical and unkind.”
Anonymous says
Thank you to whomever on here shared the idea of a “disco nap” for older kids with me. Just worked like a charm for my cranky 6 year old who has a half day today and a late activity that she really wants to go tonight.
This child has not napped since she was 2.
AnonATL says
I love a disco nap. On days I’m really dragging I set a timer for 20 minutes on my phone and sleep on my office sofa. I feel so much better after I wake up. I used to do it at conferences to make it to the evening festivities refreshed.
Glad it helped your kid too!
Anon says
that was suggested in response to my post about my twins’ dance recital, which fortunately has been rescheduled to be held during their last dance class, since the disco nap does not work for us, unless i walk around the neighborhood with kiddo in stroller
Anonymous says
OP here, and I have 3 kids. The one that napped today has been The Kid That Never Naps. She barely sleeps 10 hours/night. My jaw was on the floor when this happened today. She *really* wanted to go to the event tonight!
LittleBigLaw says
I may repost tomorrow since it is late in the day, but wondering if any of you have successfully used a VPA and what tips/recommendations you have for leveraging that type of help. Context: I have a lot of non-billable commitments outside of work through civic groups, church, pta, professional organizations, etc. that require a significant amount of planning, budgeting, delegating, emailing, following up, etc. These are tasks I would give to an AA if they were work-related, so I’m wondering if a virtual PA could help me in a similar way. Would also be great if I could offload some home management and/or personal tasks like placing the weekly online grocery order. Is this a pipe dream?
Anon says
I haven’t used a virtual personal assistant, but I’ve been one. I don’t feel like I added a lot of value but that may be because my boss gave me pretty simple, discrete tasks like finding options for household items he needed or finding flights and it took him as long to explain to me as it took me to do. I also didn’t take my job super seriously (e.g., he’d say “find me a good toaster under $X” and I’d just put “toaster” into Am*zon and send him the first three results with fine reviews that met his price range…but in my defense it’s not like I’m an expert in toasters, so I’m not really sure what I was supposed to be doing).
The email management thing you describe is pretty different than what I did and it seems like someone could add value there, but they’d need your email password, right? That would kind of freak me out, personally.
I’m not sure how a person could add a lot of value to household tasks while being virtual. E.g., for building a grocery list, a personal assistant would mainly help by looking through your pantry and fridge and figuring out what you need to order, right? If you’re just emailing them the items you need so they can create the grocery list, I’m not sure how that’s saving you any time.