Splurge or Save Thursday: Large Cabata Soft Leather Tote Bag
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I’m on the hunt for a new work tote — if money were no object, I’d definitely buy this one in every color!
This soft and spacious Italian-made leather tote has a bridge-clipped closure, edgy spiked hardware, and a removable pouch you can use as a clutch. Distinctive touches also include a logo-embossed base and red interior in certain colorways.
Christian Louboutin’s Large Cabata Soft Leather Tote is $1,590 at Nordstrom and comes in five colors.
Sales of note for 3/21/25
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Nordstrom – Spring sale, up to 50% off: Free People, AllSaints, AG, and more
- Ann Taylor – 25% off suiting + 25% off tops & sweaters + extra 50% off sale
- Banana Republic Factory – 40% off everything + 20% off
- Eloquii – 50% off elevated essentials + extra 50% off sale
- J.Crew – 25% off select linen & cashmere + up to 50% off select styles + extra 40% off sale
- J.Crew Factory – Friends & Family Sale: Extra 15% off your purchase + extra 50% off clearance + 50-60% off spring faves
- M.M.LaFleur – Flash Sale: Get the Ultimate Jardigan for $198 on sale; use code CORPORETTE15 for 15% off
- Spanx – Lots of workwear on sale, some up to 70% off
- Talbots – Buy 1 get 1 50% off everything, includes markdowns
im sitting at my desk crying today for the Bibas family. i have so much work to do, but cannot focus on any of it.
Ugh, does working parenting with two ever become easier? I’ve got an almost-3 and an almost-1. In the past two months i got to a breaking point and switched jobs (from ~70 hrs/wk finance to a 45/hrs per week senior role in a corporate), so I’ve pulled the one major lever I had to pull and even still I feel like I’m dropping the ball. The kids are constantly in and out of the doctor and my older one makes me feel so much guilt about working. I still am carrying tons of extra pregnancy weight (not BFing so no hope of losing it when I stop), so not even feeling like myself physically. Honestly we have a lot of help from family and they both sleep through the night so I shouldn’t even complain but it feels like I just can’t meet the bar when it comes to keeping my kids and me happy and healthy and still be acceptable level of productive at work.
For my sins, I went to a parent council meeting (distinct from PTA, more involved in school decision-making, but no actual authority) last night and woke up to tons of messages in the group chat about kids having energy drinks en route/at school. Which somehow devolved to a discussion about aspartame and ultraprocessed foods, and an apparent link between low-fat dairy and lowering IQ? I’ve got the chat muted but got to catch up on my bus commute home, and oh boy…
Meanwhile, the principal had reassured us during the meeting there were “no full-scale brawls at school…” (nb I did not find this reassuring) which seems more worrying than parents buying their kids Monster on the way to school.
What’s the low-stakes drama in your school community?
Sigh. My 4-year-old is going through a super clingy stage, which started in January. Drop-off breaks my heart – teacher has to pull him away from me, and while I know he’s fine 5 minutes later, I just feel terrible.
I’ve posted before he screams “NO MOMMY” and cries when I close his door at bedtime (he then is asleep within 5 minutes). He’s fine the nights he crashes with older sibling. A parent laying with him doesn’t help because he will likely get up when we try to leave the room.
Last night he came to our bedroom at 4 AM and slept the rest of the night with us (which is fine).
I just feel so guilty ending and starting the day with a tearful dropoff and bedtime. Any tips? We’ve talked through things (e.g. “Your room is safe”, “You’re going to have so much fun at school today…”) Or just keep things short and know this is a phase?
What read-alouds have worked well for you for elementary schoolers? I read to my 1st and 3rd graders for twenty minutes each night before bed. We just finished A Little Princess, which they loved, and are now on From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, which they like but don’t love. Previous favorites have included Half Magic and all the Beverly Cleary books. They read the regular kid stuff (Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, etc) on their own; I try to use the read-alouds for books that might be a little more challenging (eg, older language or slow start). But honestly I’ll do anything!
I’m curious what your “philosophy” on your family is. I’ll give a few examples.
My MIL is a “nuclear family” person. She views her children and their grand kids as family; myself (and my BIL) are more like friends/acquaintances. She’s always nice and polite to me/my BIL but I would not say she considers us “family” – she would never send us a birthday text, reach out to us separately, etc.
My best friend and her husband view their marriage as the primary relationship in their family. They vacation without their kids (1 10 day trip and multiple long weekends a year; don’t travel at all with their kids) and they have minimal family together time (it’s usually 1 parent with the kids while the other parent does what they want to do).
My work friend has a very expansive view of family. She regularly has siblings, parents, aunts and uncles and cousins staying with them and helping care for their children (and vice versa – she’ll bring her kids for a month to stay with a cousin who needs assistance). This also extends to their friends; they have a lot of parties/socializing and invite everyone; she is very supportive of friends in need.
I would say I have a more expansive view of family (e.g., I see my parents, siblings and cousins a lot and am pretty involved in their lives) but am not a “friends as family” person. I do have a lot of friends and consider myself a good friend (e.g., providing hands on support in hard times) but not the same way I would with family (e.g., I would provide that support to family I’m not particularly close to). We also are very ‘family’ oriented with our child – we spend a lot of time all together.
How early did you experience pregnancy symptoms? DH and I are TTC, and today is about one week before I’m supposed to get my period. I have a headache and am feeling tired and a little nauseous. No real reason for it otherwise (it seems too early to be a headache from PMS). I’m trying not to get my hopes up, and I know it could be a bug or something totally unrelated, but wondering how early you all saw symptoms.
My five-year-old is in the throes of an ongoing dance card of birthdays from her preschool class. I’m getting pretty tired of buying Barbies and other random returnable toys from Target.
Is this a lame birthday gift: a nice kids’ puzzle from a local independent bookstore with a $30 gift card so she can pick out her own book(s) sometime? This particular 5-year-old is pretty mature for her age as she has 2 older sisters.
I strongly prefer my work totes to have a zipper across the top. That way I can put them under the seat on airplanes, through security scanners, and on the seat in my car without the bag tipping and stuff falling out. I lost my wallet and several sets of earbuds that way, but am now am fully committed to work totes with a zipper.