What other time of year does plaid become acceptable office wear?
If you’re leaning hard into the season, consider this easy-care plaid sweater blazer from workwear favorite Ann Taylor. This topper has the gravitas of a blazer (notched lapels, button front), but the comfort of your favorite cardigan (easy fit, cotton blend fabric).
I’d play up the green with an emerald colored necklace or scarf and the gold with some similar-colored earrings or bracelets.
This plaid sweater blazer is $159 full price — but now 40% off — and available in sizes XXS–XL as well as petites.
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.
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Sales of Note…
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Nordstrom – Dresses, sweaters, boots, and more, up to 60% off!
- Ann Taylor – Up to 60% off sale styles; $50 off full-price jackets, outerwear & shoes with code
- Banana Republic Factory – 40% off everything plus extra 15% off purchase
- Brooks Brothers – End of season sale, up to 70% off
- Dermstore – Last chance sale (through 1/31) – take an EXTRA 10% off existing markdowns (including the ones 50% off) with code
- Eloquii – 50% off select styles; extra 50% off all sale
- J.Crew – 30% off your purchase
- J.Crew Factory – 40% off the vacation shop; 50% off sweaters & sweatshirts
- Lands’ End – Up to 60% off your order
- Talbots – End of Season Clearance: Extra 60% off markdowns
- Zappos – 21,000+ sale items (for women)! Check out these reader-favorite workwear brands on sale, and some of our favorite kid shoe brands on sale.
Kid/Family Sales
- Hanna Andersson – Up to 30% off Valentine’s Shop
- J.Crew – 30% off your purchase
- Lands’ End – Up to 60% off your order
- Carter’s – Up to extra 40% off clearance
- buybuyBaby – 20% off premium pumps & accessories
AwayEmily says
Anyone want to have a last-minute gift idea thread? I still haven’t gotten anything for my mom or for my sister and brother-in-law. Perhaps we can restrict to either “available via Target pickup” or “non-physical” (e.g. subscription boxes, etc).
EDAnon says
I did Book of the Month for my mom and she loved it! It wasn’t for Christmas but I got my grandmother an Urban Stems subscription and she loves that. You could even grab flowers from the store to make the subscription seem real.
Anon says
We get this for my mom every year by subscribing ourselves and then send her postcards throughout the year of the kids: https://touchnote.com/us/?campaignid=19088718909&adgroupid=150818557824&adid=638413799753&gclid=Cj0KCQiA-oqdBhDfARIsAO0TrGFKM-IKyxh3m8BlmJKaNhHk1JA56-Tv7G2GVcCOievJ4lPBr96sL3UaAiPrEALw_wcB. There’s an app so it’s very easy to send from my phone and she loves it.
Cb says
I think book of the month is a great idea. If it were in the UK, I’d definitely subscribe. Or gift cards to a few different coffee shops to try.
Anon says
Need more info like budget
Mary Moo Cow says
Are you looking for a joint gift for sister and brother in law? How about a gourmet fruit or food box delivery, like Goldbelly or the tom cruise coconut cake delivered? A short subscription of Harry and David fruits? If any of them are flower people, I love my Bouqs subscription. I would also love a book of the month or a curated selection from a local bookstore (mine does blind boxes where you choose the dollar amount and whether you want just books or books and chocolates/stationary, etc., and then they mail it out.) For target pick up, some wine or champagne, cozy blankets, some of the marks and spencer’s holiday gift food boxes.
Anon says
I was just gifted a Salsa of the Month Club from my SIL from Amazing Clubs. Seemed like an easy gift to buy.
In the past, I’ve also given family with dogs a month of Bark Box. They get an email and then they can redeem it for a month when they want.
Anne-on says
I’d do a food or consumable (flowers?) subscription. My parents love the william sonoma 3 months of pastries boxes and it looks like they have lots of options. I find Bouqs super meh – Terrain has some lovely arrangements and Grace Rose Farms does amazing garden roses – I’d love a January delivery of flowers to brighten up my house!
Anon says
My sister wants a Home Depot gift card for her new house, I got my other sister a Therabody mini from target, and my mom is getting a new laser printer from all of us. Also picked up some bottles of sriacha and my new favorite chili crisp, since the former has been out of stock for forever and the latter is yummy. My aunt is getting my mom a mini ipad. Would new headphones be in the budget (likely still able to be found at Target)? I’ve been having a terrible week so DH ordered flowers to be delivered every day this week….over the top yes, but also very sweet. Our Christmas will be very florally festive.
DLC says
I’m gifting my parents a Storyworth subscription. Never tried it yet, but I hope it will be okay. They are retired community journalists, so I figured it might be a good present.
I ordered my husband a succulent subscription that I saw via Modern Mrs. Darcy. Succulent Studios is the company.
Also- I just ordered my niece Crocs from Zappos. I was going to order from the main site, but then I realized that Zappos has next day shipping for free, so… yes, Amazon got my money.
Chl says
We loved story worth for my parents. My mom’s book came out great. My dad decided to keep going (3 years after the gift subscription ended:)
Pogo says
Any coffee or tea drinkers? My Target yesterday had a good selection still of pretty nice French press or Moka stovetop coffee makers, or fancy electric teakettles. That plus a coffee or tea subscription?
For sister if she’s into self-care – a satin pillowcase, nice satin scrunchies, jade roller, eye mask thingies, etc. Those should all be in stock at Target. Could add a spa gc. Bottle of bubbles.
For mom – you can still do a same day photo order at CVS for an ornament; may even be able to get a canvas print depending on the size and what your CVS offers. My mom also likes when I donate to her favorite charities. That plus photo gifts of her grandkids usually does it for her!
Anon says
We don’t exchange holiday gifts with adults, but for my mom’s birthday I always give her a copy of the annual photobook I make for our family. It’s a huge hit. Something you could get faster that grandparents also love would be digital photo frames loaded with photos of your kids.
Anon says
As a counterpoint, I’m a big reader but I would not like Book of the Month. I’m fairly picky about what I read, and I also get all my books out of the library so it just feels like a giant waste of money to me (even if it’s not my money, I hate to see money going to waste).
I got myself a flower subscription from Bouqs during the worst pandemic year (spring 2020-spring 2021) and it was really lovely and brought me some much-needed cheer. I also love See’s chocolates for anyone who has a sweet tooth.
AwayEmily says
You’re all geniuses, thank you. I think I’m going to go with one of the plant/flower ideas for my sister and the postcard thing for my mom.
Cb says
Day 3 of “mummy school” and kiddo is reading much more confidently, has done some really good math facts practice, and drew Christmas on Mars for art class. He and my husband are baking a cake and calling it science class. We are also due to hit 500 books read for the year (I just hit the counter app on my phone whenever I read him a book or chapter). I’m a little worried he likes mummy school better than actual school, which seems worryingly dependent on screens? Apparently his teacher doesn’t read books for storytime, she plays them on the smart board. He is still testing negative, so I guess we fly (fully masked, it’s only 3 hours) if he’s still negative Friday morning??
Anonymous says
Yes you fly.
Anon says
I think it’s ok to fly fully masked up if it’s been 5 days, but since you’re visiting the older generation (right?) I probably wouldn’t go unless everyone was testing negative. There is lots of evidence the 5 day rule is not very grounded in science, and many people who are still positive are able to transmit between days 5 and 10. After day 10 the risk is low, even if the person is still positive.
Anon says
The five-day rule is absolutely not fit for purpose. CDC’s own data (and other data since then) show that people test positive for a median of eight days. Most epidemiologists I know think the five-day rule was a clear giveaway to business.
Anon says
Yes, although it appears that after 10 days people are not infectious regardless of whether or not they’re testing positive, so positivity isn’t a perfect proxy for contagiousness. It’s interesting. I read lots and lots of research on this when my husband had Covid and tested positive for 13 days despite having extremely mild symptoms. We decided to do strict isolation for 10 days and then he wore masks around us until he was testing negative and we didn’t get it, but I think there’s a decent chance we would have caught it if he’d ended isolation on day 5 (which happened to a friend of mine!).
Pogo says
I’d test everybody and mask up. If you are all still negative, I think you are OK.
Anon says
How do I keep my baby’s hair out of her eyes? Is it weird to put hair product in it to slick it back? I’ve tried headbands and baby barrettes but they don’t last too long. Other barrettes seem like they might pose a choking hazard. What do people even do? My other kids didn’t have nearly this much hair. I guess I could cut a bang but it seems so weird to do to a 6 month old!
Anonymous says
Hey, cotton hair ties for babies worked really well for us at this age. We would do a small half-up ponytail with her bangs and it would stay secure for the whole day. I guess it is a choke hazard, but since it didn’t fall out, we didn’t worry. Completely different story now that she’s learned to pull it out herself.
Lorelei says
I would like to give a holiday cash gift for our babysitter. She comes 0-3 evenings per week of 3 hours to help with our two girls, and has been doing this since September. She’s kind of like a nanny, in that if we need someone for weekday evening based our work/meeting schedule, it’s her. But we plan a month in advance and don’t guarantee a certain amount of hours. Anyway, how much would you give? I’m thinking $100. We are in the upper midwest and pay her $20/hour for the time she is with us.
Cb says
I think a week’s worth sounds good?
What a nice arrangement though. I wish we could find someone to provide my husband a bit of backup when I am travelling. He’d really like to rejoin a choir but I’m gone a lot of Mondays when it meets.
Chl says
$100 sounds great. Someone like this is worth their weight in gold:)
Anonymous says
This is my thought – I took us so long to find her and she is truly a unicorn. She takes her toddler to her part-time nanny job during the day, and then comes to our house without her toddler for a “break.”
Anonymous says
Unsolicited gingerbread house tip – if you want something akin to hot glue to put together gingerbread but actually edible (because kids do eat cardboard-y gingerbread, or mine does), melted sugar works incredibly well. It dries instantly hard. If you melt it in a skillet you can just dip the edges of each piece in. It’s very hot and will burn, so not a kid-friendly task, but it dries and cools really fast. I’m linking to some instructions but it’s pretty simple – put some sugar in a pan with nothing else and heat it up, stirring frequently, until it melts. It will burn if you get it too hot, and then it starts tasting pretty bitter, but it’s not that hard to avoid. http://tastycheapskate.blogspot.com/2011/12/melted-sugar-gingerbread-houses-no.html.
Also, IKEA’s gingerbread house kits are extremely cheap and much tastier than most. They don’t include frosting or candy, just cookies.
Anonymous says
PS – for clean up, just soak the pan for a while in water; the sugar eventually completely dissolves.
rakma says
It looks like our holiday plans might be scuttled due to illnesses–not our own so far, so I guess that’s something. We’ve had a bunch of experience with this over the past few years, but I’m still feeling pretty bummed. We’ve had a rough year, including Covid over Thanksgiving, and I was looking forward to some holiday joy.
Other than the standbys of fancy cheese and chocolate, not sure what to to do to help stop feeling so bummed. Gratitude journaling? Getting into bed until 2023? Putting on a happy face for the kids and being a grinch inside?
Stocking the freezer for postpartum says
Hit me up with your best recommendations (links welcome!) for stocking the freezer for postpartum meals! We are two adults and one toddler (and she eats everything, veggies and spicy included, so no limits there).
Cb says
In the UK, we have a vegan frozen meal delivery company and they are really good. I never like my own freezer meals but these are good. I wouldn’t waste a weekend prepping if there’s a decent storebought alternative.
Mary Moo Cow says
Muffins, scones, waffles, pancakes, or scones are great to have on hand for breakfast and snacks. Enchiladas, soups (white chicken chili or chicken tortilla come to mind), spaghetti sauce (all of which can freeze them flat in a ziploc bag or in smaller containers to defrost for a hot lunch).
Anon says
are you planning on breastfeeding? some babies i know are sensitive to spice/dairy through their mothers milk, but chili freezes well, as does baked ziti
Stocking the freezer for postpartum says
Yes, and if this baby takes after the first, no allergies or intolerances.
Vicky Austin says
I’m due in April with #1 and got great advice on this thread:
https://corporettemoms.com/amber-double-breasted-wool-blend-jacket/
Vicky Austin says
Shoot, I got stuck in mod, but I asked this question here last Thursday and got some great answers!
blueberries says
Glass jars don’t fit as neatly as freezer bags, but are microwavable and reusable. I recommend them if you have the space. Ball makes freezer-safe 16 ounce wide mouth jars that are nice because you can go from freezer to table much faster than bigger jars. That said, you may need to plan 2 jars/dinner, which will probably give you some leftovers.
Meal ideas:
-cauliflower, potato, and chickpea curry
-pumpkin, potato, and chickpea curry
-chicken soup
-minestrone soup
-lentils with vegetables or lentil soup
-keep frozen corn, frozen shelled edamame, and frozen peas on hand to accompany/cool down these dishes. also great if toddler is getting hangry in the time it takes to microwave dinner.
I’d also probably freeze zip-top bags of already cooked rice. In usual life, it’s not a big step to make rice, but I found every extra thing really hard when managing a toddler and newborn because there’s just so much you need to be doing at all times.
Vicky Austin says
Frozen rice is saving my life these days and I’m not even close to my due date yet.
Anon says
Sign up for grocery delivery, and many times in that period that included delivery from the prepared foods section rather than remembering to thaw something or decide to bake it at least 2 hours before we were hungry if baking from frozen.
If you are more organized than me and able to remember to defrost or start dinner before everyone is ravenous, Rao’s makes frozen pasta dishes that are very good (better than stouffers). Are you looking for recipes to make yourself or prepared things to keep in the freezer?
In terms of recipes, Smitten Kitchen’s oven pulled pork (once shredded) freezes very well, and you can freeze ciabatta rolls (defrost in microwave at half power for a minute) to serve them with and then get the Dole Coleslaw kit fresh to make some slaw very quickly. Also recommend freezing homemade french onion soup (no cheese) in quart size baggies (2 servings for us) laid flat and sliced french bread; broil the still frozen bread with butter and provolone on top while the soup reheats and you float what are now cheese croutons for an easy freezer meal.
Stocking the freezer for postpartum says
Sorry, I should have been more clear. I love to cook and I stocked the freezer with homemade meals prior to my first baby, will be doing same over holidays for the second baby (due in January), and looking for new recipes to add to my routine. Not interested in pre-made meals or grocery store ready meals or meal delivery (nothing wrong with it! just not my jam). And right now I have plenty of time to cook and either I or our nanny can make sure things are defrosted in time for mealtimes, post-partum.
Anon says
In that case, see below:
Pulled Pork https://smittenkitchen.com/2019/07/crispy-oven-pulled-pork/
French Onion Soup https://www.food.com/recipe/bistro-onion-soup-53327 (I use canned broth instead of bullion and water and use a mix of sweet and red onions, make sure to cook the onions until fully carmelized which for that volume will take about an hour)
Good Housekeeping’s Northern Style Lasagna (behind a paywall now I think but found it here https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/northern-style-lasagna-50013091) (I freeze unbaked and either cook from frozen or thaw for 24 hours and bake normally)
Pulled Pot Roast Sandwiches https://www.howsweeteats.com/2013/09/crockpot-brown-sugar-roasted-garlic-pulled-pot-roast-sandwiches/ (meat freezes well too, also delicious with some sharp cheddar on top, freeze buns presliced separately)
Flatbreads – We love these and I bet they would freeze well assembled but not baked (for now I store the flatbreads in the freezer): https://www.hellofresh.com/recipes/zucchini-tomato-flatbreads-624327d4ebb25979bf12d2c4
Falafel freezes beautifully, as does homemade pita if you are super bored https://smittenkitchen.com/2018/12/falafel/
Take pork chops, dip in flour, then egg, then sprinkle with cajun seasonings and then coat with panko breadcrumbs mixed with vermont cheddar powder from king arthur baking and freeze
My meatloaf recipe is a copy of my mother’s but that freezes well too
Homemade meatballs (to go with pasta, in the crockpot with chili sauce and grape jelly for an appetizer, for meatball subs) https://smittenkitchen.com/2016/02/everyday-meatballs/
Chili https://www.southernliving.com/recipes/game-day-chili (also add cinnamon or cocoa powder)
Anon says
I made the following recently and they reheat well. You have to fiddle around with the time and temp for rehearing depending on what appliance you use
– beef bean burritos. Budget bytes beef taco skillet recipe for the filling
– egg breakfast burritos
– english muffin breakfast sandwiches (turkey, cheese, egg).
octagon says
End of year ritual: filling out all the extended care and camp expenses for DCFSA reimbursement. I know I’ll turn around next month and pay it all for summer camp, but it’s nice to have it covered.
Anon says
I’m nowhere near as wealthy as most here, but I submit the reimbursements immediately. Why not get the money ASAP and get the interest on it?
Pogo says
Ours doesn’t allow you to pay in advance like a health FSA (not sure if that’s employer or IRS?) so I do it a few times. But I only accrue like $300/pay period, which doesn’t cover an entire daycare bill of course, so makes sense to accrue $1500 and then submit all at once.
Anon says
The way my provider works is that you can upload the bills as soon as they come in, so usually by March I have $5k in bills accrued, and then it pays out automatically. My husband gets $625 in each of eight periods, but we don’t do anything to claim it except submit the bills at the beginning of the year.
Anon says
My DH think’s it’s super nerdy but I my DCFSA for my Roth IRA contributions.
So I use it as a way to hold onto cash to then dump into my Roth IRA in one lump sum.
I wait until January until I can withdraw the full amount and then I put that right into my ROTH IRA for the previous year.
I figure the savings I’m seeing ear marking pre-tax money for a post-tax retirement account is kind of a wash compared to pulling it out routinely and putting it in a high yield savings account or in a brokerage account.
So Anon says
Looking for any and all advice: My 9yo is becoming increasingly picky with her food. There are very few foods that are a hit every time, and even those she turns down after a while. Her go-to foods are: Mac and cheese, Sesame Orange Tofu, rice, Apple slices with PB, anything sweet (but not cereal), smoothies (if there is enough time per her calculation), pancakes. It is not that I have a set idea of what she must eat. At this point, I’m happy with whatever she eats, but I just don’t have an endless supply of ideas to keep her happy when so she likes so little. I’ve tried brainstorming with her about what she likes, ideas for meals, taking her grocery shopping, etc. At dinner, I go with I decide what to make and try to make sure there is something on the plate that she will eat. But it is an increasing battle because she doesn’t like any of the options. I’m not that creative with food, and I don’t have an endless well of ideas or time. I also suspect that she is neurodiverse, and that testing is starting in January. Any and all help welcome.
Anon says
I have a very picky 5 year old. We don’t cook two hot meals, so if she doesn’t like what we have her options are limited to things like fruit, salad, yogurt, turkey/chicken meatballs and cream cheese sandwiches. We also make mac and cheese (as a side for us and an entree for her) at least once a week, and we make a big batch so there is usually some of that leftover. There is a lot of repetition in her diet, but overall she does pretty well eating from all food groups except veggies, so we don’t stress about it too much. There is minimal preparation involved except with the sandwich and I’d expect a 9 year old could probably do that by themselves. We’re working on it with the 5 year old.
anon says
I mean, at 9 she’s old enough to prepare foods herself. She can also simply not eat, and then be hungry. It’s not the end of the world. I know it’s super popular now to call simple pickiness “sensory issues” but that seems to be largely an American thing.
Anon says
I cook a variety of foods and then let my kids have a cheese stick, yogurt, or cereal if they don’t like what I’m serving. I don’t want to turn meals into a power struggle, and these things can take time. A few times a week I will intentionally make kid foods that have a high chance of being eaten, like grilled cheese or pizza, so we can all eat in peace.
Anne-on says
Have you looked into ARFID at all? It’s very common among neurodiverse people and my son and I both have it. It was helpful for my husband to understand that it isn’t ‘just’ being picky, the non-preferred food can literally trigger nausea/vomitting and while as an adult I can force down a few bites of something when needed I try not to make my kid do that.
Can you think bigger picture about what she likes about her preferred foods? I’d bet it’s the texture, bland flavors, and relative lack of spice. What I call the beige and crunchy food group are pretty easy go to’s for us – crackers/sandwich bread, tortillas, rice, cereal, apple slices, raw veggies (red peppers, cucumbers, jicama, baby carrots). Our rules are that you must have a protein, a carb, and a fruit/veg at every meal. This is easier at breakfast/lunch. Easy dinner ideas – chili (mildly spiced), chicken soup, tacos (with all ingredients on the sides), breakfast for dinner, stewed beans, chicken or beef stew with tortilla chips or biscuits, or pasta with sauce. Basically we eat a lot of marinated chicken or meat and pastas.
Lil says
Huh. thanks for pointing out AFRID. I have a neurodiverse food allergy kid that is always cold and struggles with food texture so much that he was referred to feeding therapy. Makes a lot of sense.
For OP: if I remember your son has celiac so you are probably already eating a more restricted diet as a family for the convenience. We unintentionally restricted too far due to allergies (always same brands, known safe products, autopilot dinners) so we had to branch out bit more. My kid likes crunchy, not spicy things. Loves sweet things but got into savory slowly through therapy. We did a lot of “cheese plates” for dinner (crackers,bread, chicken nuggets, cheese, fruit, crunchy veggies). I also gave kebob sticks and let him invent combinations with the things above. I think a 9 year old could largely set this up for the family and enjoy it. Rice cooked in pureed spinach water and premade turkey meatballs is a regular dinner (sauce and cheese for the rest of us!) Made good flax chips and guacamole, apples and nut butter most common snacks. Hope this helps!
Anonymous says
We have a somewhat loosely enforced rule that if our picky 10 year old doesn’t like what we made for dinner, he can make himself a PB&J. He also has to eat a vegetable of his choice every night. He doesn’t care about variety–I think that goes with pickyness–so I let that go a bit. I was super picky and grew out of it.
Anonymous says
We have a variety of food allergies and food preferences and we have a set two week meal schedule with meals designed to provide options and at least 1-2 things that each kid likes at each meal. It was a bit of work to get up but it works from us. Some of requirements for how much has to be eaten where developed with child psychologist for middle kid – middle kid needs lots of structure and routine and clear choices/requirements. Choice of two fruits for dessert and can have piece of toast and glass of milk before bed. As an example, here are three meals we use:
– chicken strips baked in oven with choice of dips (ranch, guacamole, salsa, mayo, hot sauce, ketchup etc) plus rice and chopped veggies (usually carrots, peppers and tomatoes – kids have to have at least three pieces but they can pick which kind and can all be from same kind)
– tacos – shells or wraps, one meat and 5 chopped veggie choices plus wrap or shell must have at least one filling (no plain shell or wrap but can eat deconstructed$- one kid just eats salsa and tomatoes on wraps, another eats all the toppings.
– pasta – we pick the kind of noodles (penne/long/fusilli etc), kids pick pesto or tomato sauce. Sauce on at least half.
Hope that helps. I know a few food posts have gone off the rails lately so I’m going to post and log off because I’m not interested in judgment. I’m comfortable with what we have developed based food allergy (both avoidance and maintaining tolerance issues) and developmental needs of our combo of kids in consultation with their various healthcare professionals.
Anonymous says
+1 to your last paragraph! If this were easy, we wouldn’t constantly be discussing it.
Anon says
Is she bored with her menus? I am a picky eater by any standard, but my 5YO only eats about 25 things (and no vegetables). The “meals” on repeat for kiddo are things I can do quickly and then I just cook “real” meals for everyone else and she has to try at least one new item most days from our plates:
– peanut butter and nutella sandwich with fruit (banana, grapes, apple are the only acceptable ones currently)
– cinnamon toast with fruit and yogurt
– mini corn dogs (microwaved) with fruit
– cornmeal breaded honey chicken tenders (microwaved) with fruit
– pancakes (I batch cook high protein ones with extra milk and egg too and freeze) with microwave bacon and fruit
– cereal (usually without milk, although thankfully she will drink milk separately) and fruit
– a beef and rice dish (don’t ask me why nose clearing amounts of garlic and ginger are acceptable but no other kind of beef (or even beef turned into a meatball with the same flavors) is)
– biscuits (assuming leftovers exist) with microwave bacon and fruit
– macaroni and cheese with fruit
Anon says
I forgot plain hot dogs with a bun, which was our big new food this summer and makes community BBQs so much less stressful.
Anonymous says
This is reminding me of how exciting it was when our son learned to like pizza! A WHOLE NEW WORLD! And then burgers! Sleepaway camp convinced him to embrace tomato soup–which makes our weekly grilled cheese seem so much more grown up–and ramen. Still no love for hot dogs (I can’t blame him) or french fries (????) though.
Anon says
My very picky eater recently started liking hamburgers and chicken nuggets and it was SO EXCITING. Like, I know it’s a totally bland, stereotypical “picky kid” food but it gives us so many more options for eating in restaurants.
So Anon says
Thank you for the thoughts here. Part of our challenge is, as Lil noted, that my son (9yo’s older brother) has celiac’s, which means that we are careful about what comes into the house and there are fewer options. I do think I need to set out more guidelines/parameters for her in terms of : choose one fruit plus one protein. I’m also going to spend some time thinking about whether her favorites have any commonality and build from there.
Anonymous says
Yup. My 9 year old is a great eater but. My 7 y/o is picky/difficult. Tonight she had a whole milk yogurt, white rice, cucumbers and rolled up deli ham. The rest of the family had homemade mac and cheese, broccoli & chicken. All of which she likes ;).
Anon says
Have any of you ever resumed exercise before the six-week postpartum mark? A professional athlete acquaintance (friend of a friend, not close to me at all) is doing that with things like skiing a half day and going for long walks and runs. She reported on social media that it’s been key to helping her feel like herself and set up a good system for a 50-50 partnership with her husband and that it’s also helping her avoid mom guilt by practicing early and often that it’s okay to take time to herself. That sounds really appealing to me. Of course a professional athlete is miles above most of us when it comes to the physical fitness, but I like the idea of the mental benefits she described. Anyone ever done this?
Anon says
With my first baby, I waited until 6 weeks to resume weights/barre/HIIT, but I started walking a few days after delivery (10-15 slow minutes at first, gradually increasing), and was walking several miles a day with baby and dog by a few weeks post-delivery. When I tried to increase distance or speed too much/too quickly, my body let me know and I backed off for a bit. But I also worked out daily pre-pregnancy and during-pregnancy, and the mental benefits for me are huge.
Plan to do the same after I deliver second baby next month.
Anon at 11:16am says
Oh, and I’d seen both my OB and a pelvic floor PT to confirm no significant concerns (prolapse etc) before I resumed non-walking exercise.
Anonymous says
Definitely long walks. I am not an elite athlete and my body was not up for more. Your doctor might be able to give you more personalized recommendations- you really don’t want, eg, prolapse. I ran a 5K at 8 weeks and destroyed my feet/ankles for months because my ligaments were still too loose.
Anonforthis says
Yeah as a non-athlete, I ran a 5k about 3 months after I had a VB and I definitely peed on myself. Walking was never an issue though.
Anon says
It’s a recipe for longterm pelvic floor damage (even if you’re extremely “fit” and feel fine while exercising), so no. While I like the idea of a mother carving out time for herself, motherhood is very long (20+ years with kids at home for most of us) and you don’t have to make it all happen in the first month and a half when you’re almost certainly very sleep-deprived and exhausted. But I’ve never been an “exercise for mental health” person so it wasn’t hard for me to abstain for 6 weeks. If chocolate was known to damage your postpartum body, I probably would have taken the risk.
anon says
Sure. I did whatever I wanted when I felt good. I went for a walk the day we got home from the hospital and was at spin class when baby was about 3 weeks old. But I was already in good shape and had a really easy pregnancy and delivery. YMMV
AwayEmily says
omg I cannot imagine going for a RUN prior to 6 weeks, and I had relatively easy births. I think if it’s working for her then it’s great, though! In my experience one’s postpartum body sends Very Clear Signals when it is not ready for a particular activity. I definitely went on lots of leisurely walks earlier than 6 weeks, though.
Anon says
OP here and I personally can’t imagine it either, but she said it felt great (and that she worked with her OB and pelvic floor PT to discuss it beforehand). I like the idea of walking and maybe a gentle, short ski day.
Anonymous says
She’s a pro athlete. You aren’t. No don’t be silly. If you want Time away take it.
Anon says
I’m pretty sure I can walk and do a gentle ski day without being a pro athlete :)
Anon says
I’m not a skiier, but I am pretty athletic and skiing less than 6 weeks postpartum sounds crazy to me. Leisurely walking is one thing, but pretty sure skiing is a much more intense form of exercise. I also just don’t really understand the rush to get back to more intense exercise – no one is suggesting you be a mommy martyr who gives up a hobby you love just because you had kids. But do you really have to get back to it less than 6 weeks after giving birth? Even an “easy” vaginal birth is really hard on your body. Fwiw, I was still bleeding at 6 weeks.
Anonymous says
Ok. Less than 6 weeks post partum without a doctors ok though?
Anon says
I would absolutely go for a neighborhood walk without a doctor’s permission (listening to my body and taking into account my own needs). Most women I know do that. I’d want more advice from a pelvic floor PT before doing anything strenuous.
Anonymous says
I’m obviously taking about skiing
SC says
I was on bedrest for over a month at the end of my pregnancy, so after giving birth, I was so ready to get outside and go places and move. Within a couple weeks of giving birth, I took slow walks around the neighborhood, with baby in a sling. I also did short trips (45-60 minutes) to go to the grocery store or get my hair cut and left baby at home with my husband or a relative. Baby was a preemie and struggled with nursing, so until about the 6-week mark, I was nursing and pumping every 2 hours, and someone had to supplement with a bottle. That meant 45-60 minutes was about as long as I could be away most of the time. I pumped enough milk to just feed a bottle once per day, but I used that at night so I could get a 4-hour stretch of sleep.
Anon says
This is all well and good, but very different than the intense exercise OP is describing.
Anon says
Good for her, but my body was not up for it at all. I still was healing at 16 weeks from a broken tailbone during my delivery.
Pogo says
I didn’t want to risk it re: pelvic floor and hip problems. I stuck to walking and postpartum pilates program I bought which was VERY gentle in the first 6w.
Sure, it’s not the same as a run, but a nice long walk did boost my mood and get me breathing. In a lot of ways I felt like 6w flew by and I was running again in no time.
Spirograph says
I went for lots of long walks and not-too-strenuous hikes and did not-too-strenuous yoga, but I had zero desire to run or do higher intensity exercise the first 6 weeks postpartum. Six weeks is a guideline for the average person, I’m positive that a professional athlete both has a different baseline level of fitness than I do and discussed her return to intense exercise with her doctor, who made recommendations that were appropriate for her. I saw a news story about some sprinter running (competitively!) a race at 8months pregnant a few years ago. Professional athletes are not like the rest of us.
Lise says
It’s not intense exercise, but I actually think I worsened some problems for myself by walking too much. My baby napped best in the stroller, so we’d go for long walks twice a day, and I ended up needing PT for a lot of pain in my hips that it exacerbated. I would just be very careful to listen to your body, which I obviously didn’t do!
NYCer says
I definitely took long walks before 6 weeks. I went for a solo walk almost every day as soon as I got home from hospital (started slower and shorter, but built up to several miles). I also did arm weights (but barre style, so light weights) and stretching as soon as I could.
I started going back to barre classes around 5 weeks because I felt totally fine. And jogging after 6 weeks.
Deedee says
I’ve been reading up on this while pregnant and thought this was a helpful resource: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/335928424_Returning_to_running_postnatal_-_guidelines_for_medical_health_and_fitness_professionals_managing_this_population
So Anon says
I am a pretty consistent runner but by no means a professional athlete. I am a run for mental health person. I tried to run before 6 weeks after my first was born and I prolonged the length of the recovery process. My ligaments were still loose and not happy with my running. And the ligaments at issue weren’t in my hips/pelvic floor, they were in my feet. With my second, I waited until maybe 8-10 weeks pp to run, though I was taking easy walks and listening to the signals my body gave me at 4 weeks pp. Remember that PP, you are healing a literal wound on the inside of your body (regardless of means of delivery) and your body needs time to heal. I can see easy skiing being easier on the body than pounding the pavement with running, but to each their own.
Anon says
I am an excellent skier and I still wasn’t comfortable skiing at 3 months post-partum because my ligaments in my knees and ankles still felt too loose for me to be comfortably holding an edge. Would not recommend skiing until your ligaments go back to normal. I did ski at 15 months post-partum the following year while still BFing morning and evening and everything was basically back to normal.
Anon says
Interesting – did you do anything (like physical therapy) to support your ligaments or just wait it out?
Anon says
I just waited it out. It usually takes a number of months (and BFing slows it down) before you return to pre-preg levels.
Anon says
It’s a bad idea. You might feel ok but your pelvic floor has most likely not recovered. I am in a prolapse support group and there are many incredibly fit women who returned to running or other strenuous activity too soon after birth who went on to develop prolapse. These are people who would run marathons and ran throughout pregnancy and then are devastated about what has happened to their body. I’ve talked to a lot of women who are suicidal over it. By all means do some gentle walking and move around, but it’s best see a pelvic floor physical therapist first (not the OB) if you want to be that active right away.
You may be thinking that it’s rare for that to happen, but it’s surprisingly not. A majority of women will have a prolapse in their life but almost nobody will talk about it. I mean she may very well be doing great and feel ok, and I hope she is, but medically speaking it’s not good advice. It’s kind of harmful to push that toxic “bounce back” culture.
Anonymous says
+1 yes the 6 week advice is there for a reason.
Anon says
I agree with all this, and I had a reasonably easy birth (despite a third degree tear) and was up and walking around the neighborhood within a couple weeks. But I really do not understand the need to push yourself to do more intense exercise so soon, and agree it seems like part of toxic “bounceback” culture.
Anon says
OP here and I totally agree that toxic bounceback culture is real and something to work against, but the thing I liked about this athlete’s take was that it was about improving mental health and division of labor with her partner starting from the beginning. I could be wrong, but it didn’t seem like the goal was to get back to where she was (which was obviously a very high level) ASAP. I would definitely not be intrigued by anything like “I want to get back to high performance by four weeks” – not at all.
Anon says
The division of labor argument makes zero sense to me. If it’s about ensuring your partner is competent to be alone with your newborn for a few hours, you can do that by going to Target or to the movies by yourself. If it’s about carving out time for an intense hobby like skiing, you can wait six weeks. You’re raising this kid for 18 years, it doesn’t need to happen when your body is still healing and your kid isn’t even sleeping through the night yet. And I say this as someone who has a very equitable division of labor in my house, and makes time for my own hobbies and has since my kid was an infant.
Anon says
Sure, but if you’re looking for mental health benefits from being outdoors in nature on a beautiful winter day doing something you love, you’re not going to duplicate that fighting the Christmas crowds at Target. An errand is not the same as a passion.
Anon says
It’s great to take time out for yourself and it sounds like exercise is her way of doing it among many other things that people can do. I don’t think enough people point out that you can truly harm yourself by doing too much too soon, though. That’s true even if you’re not exercising with the intensity that you used to. It can be entirely preventable in some situations and often has nothing to do with your level of physical fitness. I think more awareness is starting to circulate but you don’t want to think oh, this lady says it’s important to exercise really early postpartum for your mental health so I should, too. I love exercise and think it’s important, but not immediately postpartum. Prolapse and other types of pelvic disfunction are horrendous for your mental health.
Anon says
Ok, if you want to be outside, substitute a walk for Target. I’m in the Midwest and it’s going to be minus 40 with the windchill this weekend, which is why I was thinking indoor (and I did say going to the movies, which isn’t an errand…substitute reading at a coffee shop, or getting massage or whatever your preferred mode of relaxation is.) If the goal is getting time for yourself and leaving your spouse with the baby, I still don’t understand why it has to be something as intense as skiing vs a walk.
Anon says
Anon at 3:01, I’m speculating now because I don’t know if my pro athlete acquaintance would actually agree with me, but for me, a walk has nowhere near the same mental health benefits as skiing (to stick with that example). If a walk is a 5/10 on the mental health benefits front, then skiing is a 10/10. It’s just…totally different. I feel far more energized, alive, like myself. I don’t know if it’s the increased speed, the risk, or what, but the two experiences are totally different. I can imagine that maybe she agrees and that’s why she chose to ski instead of sticking with a gentle walk. If I were in her shoes (highly trained athlete with an uncomplicated delivery who is consulting with her OB and pelvic floor PT), I could totally see myself opting for a ski day too. Maybe my first delivery in 7 months will go totally different and that’s ok, but I loved seeing a different take on it – the idea that in at least some cases, maybe you can start the thing you love earlier than the blanket six-week guideline says.
Anon says
The thing is that postpartum ligament and pelvic floor issues have very little to do with how fit you are. It’s all about hormones and how you carry and all this other stuff that’s genetic and not related to whether you’re a couch potato or an Olympic athlete. I understand that for a serious skiier skiing has mental health benefits that walking or going to the movies doesn’t (my comments were about the division of labor benefit of going out without your partner in the early days, not the mental health benefit – I think they’re separate issues), but I don’t think it’s worth taking that risk when you could wait just a few more weeks and have a body that is much more healed and ready for this kind of stress. This six week rule isn’t made up out of nowhere. It’s evidence-based, and it’s something I would take seriously regardless of your fitness level. It’s definitely not something I would ignore without the support of your doctor.
Anon says
Six weeks is not even that long. Do you not go six weeks not skiing at various points of the year normally? I mean, you do you, but this seems like such a weird thing to focus on. Is there nothing you do for your mental health that doesn’t involve intense exercise contraindicated by evidence-based recommendations?
Anon says
Seriously! If you mental health suffers that badly from six weeks without skiing, you need therapy. This thread is starting to remind me of the threads where people justify alcohol use in pregnancy because they don’t want to abstain for 9 months. I’m about as far from a ‘mommy mar t y r” as you can get, but these things are so temporary and shouldn’t be that hard.
Anon says
Even the six weeks is mostly geared toward it being safe to have sex and doesn’t even account for damage you can unknowingly do to your body. If you talk to a PT, they often say to wait 10-12 weeks to run. It sucks but in the grand scheme things it’s worth the wait or worth seeing that PT. I get not thinking that you should – I had no idea before and pregnancy books don’t talk about it. You kind of find out after the damage has been done. I think every pregnant person needs to be informed about things like diastasis recti, prolapse, scar tissue, hypertonicity, etc.nobody is out there actively encouraging people to maybe injure themselves – it’s just never ever spoken about.
Runner says
I ran before the 6 week mark after both of my kids, c-sections. I don’t remember the exact timeframe with my first but it was 3 weeks after having my second, with the blessing of my doctor. she was very firm on listening to my body and doing what felt best for me. I’m in no way a professional athlete but I was always very consistent. I ran an extremely comfortable pace, alone so it was easier to pay attention to how I was feeling, and it was viral to my mental health. fwiw, it still took me a year to lose the weight so this is not about appearance. my youngest is now 5!
Anon says
Question, did you feel that a gentle walk would’ve had the same mental health benefit? For me, it doesn’t, but I’m curious about others’ experiences. Really glad you had a good experience!
Runner says
ah, thank you for reading this in the spirit it was intended! after I posted, I was thinking maybe I shouldn’t have. I’m not saying my choices were wise or right but they worked for me! also, lots of typos from rushing and being on my phone!
I absolutely would not have gotten the same benefit from walking. I enjoy walking, and I did that, too, but I’ve spent years running most mornings and I needed that structure and motion.
GCA says
Very late to this convo, but I’m with you – a gentle walk does not feel the same as the movement of a run! (Habitual, longterm runner here – I don’t necessarily need to do formal running events frequently but I enjoy the routine.)
In my case, I wanted to balance between the mental health benefits of a run vs being able to get those mental health benefits from running for many more years, so I was fairly cautious about returning to running postpartum and did PT for some weeks before starting to run a mile at a time, etc.
doll house says
Just turned 7 yo asked for a doll house. Is this too young for her? She doesnt really play with the dolls she has and doll houses seem more for like 4-6ish? Anyone wiith the Hape house that can attest to its quality?
Anon says
I don’t think it’s too young! Many girls in my area get their first American Girl dolls or Barbies around 6 or 7 and are still playing with them at 8-9. It’s when you get to 10+ that that stuff begins to phase out I think, and even then it’s gradual and depends on the kid.
doll house says
I meant the Hape Little Room Pretend Play 3 Story Wooden Doll House, which is on sale for $105 today. TIA!
DLC says
My ten year old still loves her doll house- for her, it’s more about setting up the furniture, moving it around, and decorating than it is about playing with the dolls. i actually asked her recently why she still likes her dollhouse and she says, “I like small cute stuff.” We bought her a Barbie scale dollhouse (specifically a “Brooklyn Loft” with an apartment above and stores below) when she was seven and she still uses itS. She actually asked for more dollhouse stuff for Christmas this year.
Mary Moo Cow says
Yes, we have the Hape and it is lovely and sturdy. DD got it when she turned 5 and now 5 year old little sister plays with it. 7 year old has moved onto to American Girl dolls, but, perhaps as a sign that her interest in the dollhouse would wane, she wasn’t really into Barbies, Calico Critters, etc. as a younger girl. Every kid is different, of course, so I don’t know if that comparison or additional info helps you.
Anonymous says
My 7 y/o still loves her Hape dollhouse!