Make My Life Easier Thursday: PopPower Home Wireless Charger
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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
- Target – Car-seat trade-in event through 9/28 — bring in an old car seat to get a 20% discount on other baby/toddler stuff.
- 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?
Well I about had a breakdown yesterday. Apparently my workplace is going to come out with policies for parents whose kids are doing virtual school (though we are quickly approaching the number of covid cases threshold where school is only going to be open part time for everyone). But they are not going to announce these policies until you’ve already had to make a decision about what you’re doing with your kid. The deadline to pick what you’re doing for school was yesterday and they’re not going to announce the policies until at the earliest sometime next week.
So I guess we’re all just picking something blindly that might have major repercussions on us financially and career wise. My childless boss did not understand why I am so upset about this. When I emailed HR to try to get some additional info the head of HR just replied that we have to do what is “best for our families” and then figure out the rest. Except what is best for my family includes my continued employment? Which I can’t make a decision about without all the information? Gah. This is awful. I work for a “family friendly” firm. I guess we’ll see how true that is.
In exciting news, we’re now under contract on that house! Which I may regret if work forces me to go part time, but whatever.
This is a small thing, but I am ecstatic that my daughter’s preschool has decided to host a small, outdoor, socially distanced graduation ceremony in early August. I had been feeling so sad about her missing that milestone (and me, too, if I’m being honest), so this feels like a bright spot in an otherwise crummy month full of impossible decisions.
someone yesterday was asking for the link for this – in regards to why schools never seem to get anything done, apparently this is how some spend their time: https://www.askamanager.org/2020/07/im-stuck-in-daily-three-hour-zoom-meetings.html
Unsolicited product rec
We’ve hired a COVID nanny which we’re obviously fortunate to be able to do but is also a bit of a stretch financially. Anyway, my biggest adjustment to having a nanny is that my house feels like a disaster at the end of the day, and on my grumpy days I kind of resent coming home from work or emerging from my telework hole to increased housework. It’s not her fault, she’s not hired to be a maid, the house is bound to be messier with people in and out of it during the day, but I hate it.
Anyway, a Roomba did not feel like a financially responsible solution. I read a lot of reviews and settled on a eufy 11S as a robotic vacuum and am pretty happy with it so far! It’s around $200 and definitely worth the price.
Pros:
-Quiet (especially on carpet)
-Entertains the kids
-Doesn’t require wifi or a phone app, it comes with a remote control
-100 minute runtime (it does not program a path, it seems to just wander for 100 minutes but definitely hits everywhere!) Also has a 30 minute “quick clean” option or you can guide it with your remote control
-Works well on hardwood and carpet
-Price.
Cons:
-Pretty small dustbin
-Long charge time (5-6 hours)
-Patterns are kind of random, which isn’t a huge deal unless you really prefer clean-looking carpet lines
Anyway, definitely worth the price and it encourages my kids to keep their rooms clean so the vacuum can visit their rooms.
We’re switching our 3rd grader from public to private school this year, which means: uniforms. Where is the best place to buy uniform basics like white polos, navy shorts, etc. I see they’re sold at Target, Old Navy, JC Penney, etc. We will have to buy certain items from the school, but otherwise, I’m looking for thoughts on quality and price of other options. Thanks!
At first glance I thought this was one of those donuts you can use in the postpartum recovery period.
I am a BigLaw attorney, and mom to two (youngest is under a year). My husband is not currently employed and can’t look for work because of COVID – he is looking after our kids because someone has to. My practice has been BOOMING since COVID, so I am insanely busy and hate the time I need to put in. I planned to go back to work on a reduced schedule but couldn’t because the firm reduced salaries, so now I’m working way more hours for way less money and can’t stop because my husband can’t work. I’m also up for counsel soon so making my hours really matters.
I feel like I am going to break. I am nursing, and it takes time that I’m not billing. We have two kids and two different bedtimes so we’re basically putting kids to bed from 7-8:30 every night. My husband wants my help or attention sometimes and I resent even eating lunch with my family because it is time I’m not billing. I wake up early to do chores. And bill. I bill after the kids go to bed. And I’m still not billing as much as my child-free colleagues. I feel like I should be able to do more because there’s a whole person in our house dedicated to kid-care (at least we’re not both working, I say! though if we were I could afford to go reduced…) But I just hate this situation so much. I hate being in my house but not being present at home. I hate ignoring my kids cries when I want to hug them, or feeling resentful of my husband that he can’t keep them quiet.
We have no family nearby. We aren’t comfortable hiring help (and would have a hard time affording it with only one reduced income even if we were comfortable). It doesn’t look like school will open for our older one in the fall. I’m barely getting by and I hate all this. My house is always dirty and I hate that. I just needed to vent and commiserate. :(
It’s so lovely having LO back at daycare. At pickup yesterday he made a point of asking for his last animal cracker – “Because I ate four, so I have one left!” – which was impressive from both a math and delayed gratification standpoint. I can only assume it was one of his caregivers who taught him that.
He also in detail explained the drawing he did and how “[Caregiver] helped me!” It’s so wonderful to hear him interacting with others and learning and growing, instead of constantly being in the background while I tell him to be quiet on my calls. I feel even worse I guess about how much we were ignoring him, but glad he’s bouncing back so quick.
Since it seems like there are definitely people on this board employing a nanny right now, can people share what their sick/vacation policies are?
We were not employing a nanny immediately pre-COVID but have done so in the past. We gave unlimited paid sick time because we didn’t want our nanny feeling pressure to work while sick. I think we would do the same if we were to hire a nanny now, and then 10 days paid vacation. But what do you do if the nanny chooses to fly somewhere for vacation? I’m thinking that we’ll require an unpaid 2-week quarantine (or partially paid w/vacation time) following that kind of trip. What do you put in your work agreement about COVID precautions? Ideally we would like for both our family & the nanny to be following the same rules (things like mask wearing, social distancing, no restaurants) and have good communication if either party does not so that the other can act accordingly. But what would that even mean? Two weeks unpaid if the nanny goes to a restaurant? Or a negative test I guess?
I’m hosting a virtual baby shower (ugh) and our one activity is going to be a trivia game – any ideas for trivia questions maybe about mom and dad (as kids or babies? I dunno)? I’m drawing a blank – this is hard!
Joe Biden releases a 4-point plan this week for America and point 3 sings to my heart:
“Mobilize American talent and heart to build a 21st century caregiving and education workforce which will help ease the burden of care for working parents, especially women. We’ve seen in this pandemic the immense burdens working parents, and especially women, carry in juggling their jobs and their caregiving responsibilities. We’ve learned anew how hard this work is, and how underappreciated those who do it are. Joe Biden will soon announce a plan to make it far easier to afford child care and to ensure aging relatives and people with disabilities have better access to home and community-based care; to elevate the pay, benefits, and professional opportunities for caregivers and educators; to create millions of good-paying new jobs in these areas with a choice to join a union; and to free up millions of people to join the labor force and grow a stronger economy in return.” https://joebiden.com/build-back-better/
Our A/C died yesterday and it’s 95 degrees out, so our entire family (me, husband, 13 y/o, and large fluffy dog) is crammed into the one small room where we’ve installed an old window unit. Three of us are trying to work while the fourth tries to distract us by making cute faces and sticking her nose in our laptops. I hope the repair guy shows up as promised and can fix the system on the spot. I am going to go insane.
Does anyone have recommendations for nanny agencies in the NYC burbs (more specifically – Rockland County, NY, just across the TZ/Cuomo)?
We’re expecting our first child in a few months, and the plan all along has been a nanny. We haven’t started looking yet but want to start dialogs with agencies soon since I’ll need to go back from mat leave in January.
Hi, I wanted to follow up. I’m the gal who came here last week freaked out because after a long infertility and finally a successful IUI, our doctor told us the baby was measuring small and she was a little worried about it. We had our 8 week appointment today and baby is measuring right on track with a great heartbeat – she described it as “perfect!” I wanted to thank those of you who chimed in last week — I read and re-read what you wrote many times in the last week. Your perspective and wisdom helped this first-timer so much and I really want to thank you. Today I had a different doctor and she said “one move of the finger and the baby is measuring bigger” — which someone here had *already* told me last week and was a refrain in my head. Seriously, thank you. I’m so happy I could barf :0
It’s me, the poster who had a chemical pregnancy at the end of May, immediately got pregnant again – then at my 8 week appointment today, the embryo measured 6 weeks. I know my dates are spot on and my doctor told me to come back in 10 days, but I’m mentally preparing for a miscarriage. I’m just devastated. I’m turning 36, this baby would have been exactly 3 years younger than my first kid and I was so excited. My doctor made some noises about having two miscarriages in a row is troubling and took some blood. I thought I didn’t need to worry about that until it was 3. I just feel so lost and never expected any of this after having an issue-free first pregnancy and getting pregnant so easily this time around.