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ASOS has a TON of maternity stuff on sale, including this simple, chic blouse. I like that it’s machine washable, modest (I hate how far too many maternity tops have too low of a neckline!) and it looks wearable in almost every season of the year. It was $60.64, but is now marked to $30.32 — with free shipping both ways. Mamalicious V-Neck Mono Print Blouse
Sales of note for 9.10.24
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Ann Taylor – 30% off your purchase
- Banana Republic Factory – Up to 50% off everything + extra 20% off
- Boden – 15% off new styles
- Eloquii – $29 and up select styles; up to 50% off everything else
- J.Crew – Up to 50% off wear-to-work styles; extra 30% off sale styles
- J.Crew Factory – 40-60% off everything; extra 60% off clearance
- Lands’ End – 30% off full-price styles
- Loft – Extra 40% off sale styles
- Talbots – BOGO 50% everything, includes markdowns
- Zappos – 26,000+ women’s sale items! (check out these reader-favorite workwear brands on sale, and some of our favorite kids’ shoe brands on sale)
Kid/Family Sales
- Carter’s – Birthday sale, 40-50% off & extra 20% off select styles
- Hanna Andersson – Up to 50% off all baby; up to 40% off all Halloween
- J.Crew Crewcuts – Extra 30% off sale styles
- Old Navy – 40% off everything
- Target – BOGO 25% off select haircare, up to 25% off floor care items; up to 30% off indoor furniture up to 20% off TVs
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And — here are some of our latest threadjacks of interest – working mom questions asked by the commenters!
- The concept of “backup care” is so stupid…
- I need tips on managing employees in BigLaw who have to leave for daycare pickup…
- I’m thinking of leaning out to spend more time with my family – how can I find the perfect job for that?
- I’m now a SAHM and my husband needs to step up…
- How can I change my thinking to better recognize some of my husband’s contributions as important, like organizing the shed?
- What are your tips to having a good weekend with kids, especially with little kids? Do you have a set routine or plan?
Philanthropy Girl says
Pumping Threadjack: With the holidays coming, is there any reason I should keep pumping/offering a bottle while I’m on vacation? Thus far my almost-4-month-old hasn’t had problems switching back and forth between bottle and bre@st. Am I on the right track to just nurse over the holidays?
Ciao, pues says
That’s what I do. My baby also hasn’t had any problems switching back and forth and my strategy is to nurse when we’re together (mornings, evenings, weekends, vacation). I can’t think of a reason to pump/ offer a bottle over vacation apart from convenience, for example, if you want a bottle for a long car ride, or plan to go out and leave baby with family/friend.
Meg Murry says
I was always on the verge of not having enough milk for daycare, so I always pumped after the first morning feed when I was home in order to help build up my freezer stock. If you are going to be home, you might consider doing that – but I wouldn’t haul my double electric with me on a trip for that.
KJ says
I was pondering this as well because I don’t pump on the weekends anymore. The idea of not lugging a pump on the flight won out, and I’m going pump free all week. However, my baby gets some formula, so if you don’t supplement and want to be able to take some time away from the baby, like Ciao, pues says, then maybe you might reach a different conclusion.
Katarina says
I never pumped, but I did bring my pump with me just in case I might miss a feeding.
EB0220 says
I don’t think you need to pump over the holiday. Baby won’t forget about the bottle. I guess the only difference would be if you pump more than your baby drinks at daycare, you may want to add a pumping session in and store the milk so your supply doesn’t decrease. But otherwise I think you’re good to ditch the pump and enjoy!
Philanthropy Girl says
Thanks to all of you! This helps!
anonmama says
One comment, which is that I nursed my child when I was home from work rather than pumping, but on a trip to visit family, she decided to reject the breast COMPLETELY. Nothing would get that kid to nurse, we were far from home, and for several days. I ended up being so grateful that I had brought my electric pump and one bottle as a “just in case,” because I don’t know what I would have done for those several days! So if you have room (driving instead of flying, for example) I would say plan to nurse, but it wouldn’t hurt to pack your pump and one bottle just in case.
EB0220 says
Interesting! So you nursed at home on evening/weekends but on vacation decided she wanted a bottle? You can just never predict what those little creatures will do!
noob says
I’ve noticed that my little one (almost four months) doesn’t nurse well when we’re away from home/in public. I think she’s just so distracted by new surroundings that she can’t focus enough to nurse. I’m hoping that she gets over this soon, because it limits time away from home and I don’t want to drag along a pump for errands and outings.
EB0220 says
noob – I find that a nursing cover helps when they start being easily distracted! They’re annoying but they can be useful around that age! Nursing in a carrier (like an Ergo) works well too for my easily distracted 4 month old.
Philanthropy Girl says
Thanks! That made the most sense to me – nursing is just so much easier than hauling pump and bottles and such around.
MomAnon4This says
This blouse is 100% Viscose – what is Viscose?
There was a “Hints for Heloise” recently where a lady wrote in mad that what she thought was 100% cotton was actually 100% algodon – and Heloise patiently explained that “algodon” means “cotton” in Spanish.
I hope this is not that kind of situation – I’m thinking of nylon/polyester – is that what Viscose is?
KJ says
It feels like polyester.
hoola hoopa says
Yep.
It’s based on natural material (cellulose) but chemically processed. My understanding is that in the end it’s as synthetic as polyester.
It’s a common lining material, but you see it in polyester-ish blouses like this, too.
Anon says
Can anyone help me out with an example out-of-office message they have used for maternity leave? I’m leaving soon and will be out until June (probably…). Have you just put up an out-of-office automatic reply saying something like, “I am out of the office on maternity leave and expect to return in [Month].”? Thoughts?
Philanthropy Girl says
I always hesitate to name a specific medical condition when that information goes out to the general public. I felt particularly touchy about maternity leave because so many people think leave is like “vacation” and are less understanding about women unplugging from work at that time. So mine read
“I will be out of the office on FMLA leave until {Month}. If you require immediate assistance, please contact the receptionist by calling xxx-xx-xxxx.”
Meg Murry says
Are you in an industry where maternity leave would be frowned on? If so, I’d just say leave. It is also pretty standard in most out of office messages I’ve seen to indicate either “with limited access to email” or “with no access to email” whichever the case may be. Is there someone else they should contact in your absence? If so, put that contact info in, such as “Contact Mary Smith at Mary.Smith@ … for ABC issues and Jane Doe at Jane.Doe@…. for DEF issues”.
Not a lawyer though – so feel free to ignore me if you are and don’t feel this is right for your field
Maddie Ross says
I didn’t say “maternity leave” in mine – think of how many people/orgs get that message, do you really want them all to know that? I just said I was out of the office beginning X date (I didn’t put it up until baby was born, but baby came early) and was not regularly checking email (even though I was). And then gave alternative contact information for my assistant and paralegal. I didn’t put up a return date.
FVNC says
The organization I work for is very family-friendly, and it is common to cite maternity leave as the reason for being out of the office. Almost all my clients are internal-facing, and were very respectful of my time while on leave. My message said something like: “I am out of the office on maternity leave. I expect to return in [month]. For [project x] matters, please contact [person]. For all other matters, please contact [other person].” FWIW, I was 99% certain I was returning in the month I returned, so I didn’t worry about leaving the duration open ended. But if that became an issue, you could always update your message.
hoola hoopa says
+1
Also family friendly environment. IME, the people that I work with internally and externally get concerned (that I’ve had a major negative health event or family emergency) with just “leave,” so I always specify “maternity leave” which is returned with lots of congrats. I give an end date, although usually something like “late March” rather than “March 25th”. I’ve never needed to change my end date; If I did, I’d edit the out of office reply.
Definitely leave alternate contact information. I usually leave one per project plus my supervisor as “for any other assistance.”
Lyssa says
I said “medical leave” on all of my formal communications, though as far as I could tell, everyone seemed to understand that it was maternity leave. If you’re going to put a date or time range, definitely err on the side of late and make it clear that it is approximate. I said something like “until approximately mid-February,” but I had a much shorter leave, so maybe it would be better for you to say something more vague like “for several months.” You want to make absolutely sure that no one’s expecting anything that you can’t deliver.
Good luck with baby having!
Anon says
Original poster here. Thanks for the advice! I’m a biglaw associate. I think people are generally understanding about maternity leave at my firm, but point taken about the message going around externally. Perhaps I will just say on my external message that I am “on leave” until [month] with limited access to e-mail. My clients all know that I am going on maternity leave. I’m pretty sure anyone who needs to know already knows how to get in touch with the right people, and it’s not like I won’t have any e-mail access at all, so I should be able to direct others who didn’t get the message to someone who can cover me. Any further input would be appreciated!
Philanthropy Girl says
I’m not in big law, so this may be a know-your-industry thing. I, however, would never leave the door potentially open for someone to expect me to answer an email. My leave went by so fast, it was too short to feel like I needed to check in on my email to ensure someone’s inquiry didn’t need to be redirected. While I had email access, and occasionally responded to email, I didn’t want any expectations that I would respond. That was why I found it helpful to note where someone should direct an inquiry or a need that couldn’t wait for my response, even thought I was in a similar situation that most people receiving my out-of-office message already knew why I was out.
Meg Murry says
Yes, I agree. Best case scenario – you’ll be able to check your email and redirect them. But worst case scenarios do happen (baby or mom in ICU) or even just medium-bad scenarios (baby hasn’t let you get more than 3 hours of sleep in the past 3 nights) where checking your email isn’t going to be your priority. I would make sure there is some kind of alternate contact info in the message – at least to your assistant if you have one. I wouldn’t leave the door open to assume you will handle all messages – too easy for something to slip through the cracks, and too easy for it to be your fault for not handling a message while you are out.
Also, don’t forget a lot of systems let you change your out-of-office message by logging in remotely. I’d put “without accesss to email” and “contact so and so” until you know how its going – you can always go in at month 2 or 3 and change to “limited access” if you find you are checking semi-regularly during the time off, and update to an actual return date once you firm one up.
Nonny says
I agree. I didn’t even touch my e-mail for the first 8 weeks of my maternity leave. Work e-mail was the last thing I wanted to think about. Better just to say you are on leave and to please contact x for assistance in your absence.
hoola hoopa says
Absolutely. Take out the part about email. You’re out on leave, period.
PregLawyer says
I will likely just say “I will be out of the office until ________. Please contact [ASSISTANT] if you need assistance in my absence.”
I figure lawyers take leave for all sorts of things that aren’t medical. No need for me to specifically point to medical leave or maternity leave.
ANP says
Wow – I haven’t ordered from ASOS maternity before but they’ve got some pretty sweet stuff in the sale section and this free shipping both ways thing has me filling my cart! Any comments on fit compared to GAP or Old Navy maternity?
(former) preg 3L says
I found them a little small. But I liked their maternity stuff.
Lyssa says
A few ladies here have asked about pregnancy boards that aren’t dumb (OK, my words) lately – I just wanted to note that BabyCenter does have a Due in 2015, over 35 community set up that seems to be pretty mature. I have only browsed a little, but there was a lot of poking fun at the silliness of the more general boards, and a lot less silly questions/baby-daddy drama/etc.
(I’m not quite 35, but I will be, well, really soon.)
MomAnon4This says
Helpful, thanks, and good idea on looking for the, ah, mid-life? more experienced? crowd… vintage? what are we calling ourselves now – I’m 35 1/2, as my 6 year old would say.
Number 2 says
My husband and I are expecting baby no 2 and the doctor has indicated, for a few reasons beyond our control, that we should be prepared for the baby to come early (or for me to be in the hospital). Based on our family situation, if we are to have a sudden hospitalization (birth or otherwise – likely that there could be a 48 hour – two week hospitalization followed by coming home with a baby), we have assembled a “team” of people who can come and stay with our son (18 months) and who would basically rotate every other day or so. Probably 50% of these people have never stayed with my son before or in our house before – but they are extended family that we trust completely who have volunteered to rise to the occasion. Here are my questions:
1. What information (beyond the obvious basics) should I put in the “manual” we are keeping for possible sitters?
2. What would be a good “gift” for such sitters? They don’t want to be compensated, but obviously we’d like to do something for them.
3. Has anyone done something like this before and have advice for leaving a toddler with trustworthy strangers before coming home with a baby? “Prepared” is probably too strong of a word…
mascot says
Can some of these folks come over and get the tour/ hang out with your child prior to this happening? It’s not clear if these are just daytime sitters (what’s the child’s normal childcare?) or overnight folks. If your husband is able to get home for bedtime and sleep at home most nights, that might make things less stressful. Then you could have people on call in the event that he needs to go back to the hospital.
How is your son normally with non-parental caregivers? I’d make a list of any quirks, routines, favorite foods/songs/toys special tricks, etc for people.
Anonyc says
Congrats on your second baby, and here’s hoping that everything happens smoothly and without sudden hospitalizations.
Re: lists for caretakers–I usually leave a document (and email it to them ahead of time) that includes all phone numbers of parents and grandparents; numbers for where I will be; pediatrician name/address/phone; the closest hospital; insurance information; any allergies or medicine information; school information/location/procedures; and other main stuff. I then usually write out descriptions of our days and routines (this is what mornings and school-drop offs look like, this is what child will need for school, the hours are X and the contact number is Y, dinner goes like this, etc.). I will add things that definitely should happen (brushing teeth, for example) and things that can happen (homework finishes early and child can watch one show). Finally, I execute medical and guardian releases for the caretaker(s) to cover the time when I may be indisposed so if there’s an emergency they are able to seek medical treatment without any issues.
Re: gifts–with my family I’d go with booze and chocolate. And/or flowers to them afterwards. Hard to find one gift for what could be a range of people. Maybe something punny for the baby’s arrival–a petit syrah?
Good luck!
ANP says
If I was doing this, I definitely wouldn’t want a gift — but it would be great if you can make sure your house is stocked with food (even pantry staples like boxed mac n cheese or pre-prepped freezer dinners) so that takes the guesswork out of wondering what Junior likes for dinner. I would stick a post-it or sign on any spots in your home that are weird/quirky (ex: security system code near the alarm box; leave a garage door opener on the counter so they have one; etc.). Do you have an email list of people who’ve agreed to help, so that you can publish a schedule? It might be useful for them to have each other’s contact info (if that doesn’t violate any privacy issues — maybe ask them beforehand) to ensure they can coordinate with one another if need be.
Other things that would be useful to a random overnight guest: where are the towels/TP/extra supplies? How do I work the remote control/DVD player? What’s your wifi password? Garage door opener code?
I agree with the person who said it might be good if Dad can get home for bedtime/overnight, even if that’s only every other evening or whatever — just continuity and seeing one of his parents would be great.
I also agree with socializing with these folks if possible (with your little guy) before baby arrives so all of it is a bit less foreign to him.
Lastly: please bask in the glow of the fact that you have this AMAZING support network available to you! I realize you’re probably in a scary position (even a totally “normal” childbirth can be terrifying) but reading this totally warmed my heart. Good luck with your delivery and please check in with us!
hoola hoopa says
What we’ve provided:
– Insurance and medical provider information, allergy information. Include a form that gives the holder authorization, if needed by your health system.
– Your contact information. They probably already have it, but it never hurts to have it posted.
– Contact information for other caregivers. If they have a question, need coverage, etc.
– Outline of daily routine, particularly bedtime. Identify what’s necessary (ie, MUST be at school by 8:30 am or MUST pick up by 6 pm) vs what’s normal but not necessary (ie, he picks two books to read at bedtime – do more or less if you need). Since they haven’t spent much time with him, it would probably also be helpful to provide a list of suggested activities at home, favorite books/shows, etc or any inside knowedlge (ie, “mr wiggles” is the purple cat stuffy).
Also, Provide list of caregivers to daycare, so that they know who can pick up your child. They may need photos or driver’s license numbers.
What’s your plan for carseats? Most people without kids (and even those with kids…) aren’t experienced with installing and using carseats, and potentially there would be a lot of people installing/uninstalling. Will they have one of your cars to use? That may be easiest. If so, just verify that they would be covered by your insurance.
Explain to your son that so-and-so may pick him up and stay with him. Be very clear that you will be coming home and joining him! (learned that the hard way… our oldest thought that she was going to live with her grandparents forever b/c we were having her little sister). Talk about it every day to review. If he doesn’t know them well and won’t be able to spend time together beforehand, have photos on the fridge and talk about them.