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March weather can be all over the map. This gorgeous wool coat is perfect for those cooler days.
This splurge-worthy cocoon coat made from Italian wool has a classic, yet modern look — it features notched lapels, side seam pockets, and a front snap closure. At the same time, the raw edges and bright color will make you look twice.
I personally love the peony or watermelon colors, but if those are too bright for you, it also comes in rosemary and black.
This Pressed Wool Cocoon Coat from Harris Wharf London is $670 at Nordstrom and available in sizes 2US/36 IT to 12US/46IT.
Like the look, but looking for more of a save rather than a splurge? Check out this option from Universal Standard for $248 (several lucky sizes still available).
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Sales of note for 3.28.24
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Ann Taylor – Up to 40% off your full-price purchase; extra 50% off sale
- Banana Republic Factory – 50-70% off everything plus extra 20% off purchase
- Eloquii – 50% off 2+ items; 40% off 1
- J.Crew – 50% off select styles
- Lands’ End – 10% off your order
- Loft – 50% off everything
- Nordstrom: Give $150 in gift cards, earn a $25 promo card (ends 3/31)
- Talbots – 40% off 1 item; 25% off everything else
- Zappos – 37,000+ 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 – 50% off entire site
- Hanna Andersson – 30% off all swim; up to 30% off HannaJams
- J.Crew Crewcuts – 40% off sitewide; 50% off select swim; 50% off kids’ styles
- Old Navy – 50% off Easter deals
- Target – 20% off Easter styles for all; up to 30% off kitchen & dining; BOGO 50% off shoes & slippers for the family;
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And — here are some of our latest threadjacks of interest – working mom questions asked by the commenters!
- If you’re a working parent of an infant with low sleep needs, how do you function at work when you’re in the throes of baby’s sleep regression?
- Should I cut my childcare down to 12 hours a month if I work from home?
- Will my baby have speech delays if we raise her bilingual?
- Has anyone given birth in a teaching hospital?
- My child eats everything, and my friends’ kids do not – how should I handle? In general, what is the best way to handle when your child has some skill/ability and your friend’s child doesn’t have that skill/ability?
- ADHD moms, give me your tips to help with things like behavior in the classroom, attention to detail, etc?
- I think I suffer from mom rage…
- My husband and kids are gone this weekend – how should I enjoy my free time?
- I’m struggling to be compassionate with a SAHM friend who complains she doesn’t have enough hours of childcare.
- If you exclusively formula fed, what tips do you have for in the hospital and coming home?
- Could I take my 4-yo and 8-yo on a 7-8 day trip to Paris, Lyon, and Madrid?
Anon says
i know many of you have been in the office the whole time, but i have to go back next week and i am so so sad about it. between getting dressed, getting my stuff together and getting to work, it’s so much lost time to myself. and more laundry. any tips to not dread it and/or to make it easier?
Spirograph says
I wasn’t looking forward to it either, but I’m surprisingly not hating it. Do you have to go every day, or is it a hybrid schedule? I’m back in the office only a couple days a week, so I use the in-office days as my errand days; it’s a nice walk to a grocery store, drug store, and the library during lunch. I still use my at-home days to do laundry and stuff around the house. That stuff just…doesn’t get done on office days, and I ignore it until my next at-home day. My evening routine is staying the same.
One thing that really helps is getting all prepped the night before. I pack up my laptop, notebook, phone etc, pack my lunch, lay out my clothes, and pick out the podcast I’m going to listen to on my (short) commute so I have that to look forward to.
Boston Legal Eagle says
I hope you have a flexible work situation where you can still do WFH some days – if so, I like to think of days in the office as a nice change of scenery and a chance to have social interactions with colleagues. My office isn’t fully back yet, but it is nice to catch up with the few people who are there now and that I haven’t seen in two years. A lot of my positive work experience is through that camaraderie (which I don’t really get via video, but YMMV). I also use my time in the office as a chance to get a fancier non-home made lunch, so it’s something to look forward to.
Cb says
Yes, I have nice lunches when I’m in the office.
anon says
I’ve been back at the office and it’s been surprisingly okay. I realized how much I missed the drive time to just decompress, listen to a podcast or music, and be alone with my thoughts. I never got that release when working from home, no matter how hard I tried.
I thought I’d hate being back in work clothes, but now that I’m back in the swing of it, I enjoy being more put-together again.
Anonymous says
Can you make your commute more fun? Perhaps because I commute by subway, I actually missed commuting when working from home because during that time I could not do chores, parent, etc – I could just listen to an audiobook and play candy crush or read or whatever. I’m sure this is a lot harder if you are driving but maybe audiobooks or podcasts could be restorative?
SC says
I was only out of my office for about 6 weeks, but I really streamlined my morning routine after that. It’s been fine for almost 2 years. I keep far fewer options in my closet. I wash and dry my hair twice per week and no longer straighten it for work. I only wear makeup if I have external meetings. I carry the same purse everyday so I don’t have to get anything together.
I hang up any clothes that are still clean when I get home. I don’t have that much laundry–the regular stuff mixed in with my husband’s, plus one load of delicates every 2 weeks.
To make the morning routine more enjoyable, I listen to podcasts or audiobooks while I get ready. My husband handles the entire morning routine with Kiddo and makes lunch, and I usually drive Kiddo to school (and either talk to my mom or listen to a podcast/audiobook on the way to work).
Anon says
Do you have a laundry service? If you have the budget for it I would seriously consider it. It has freed up a lot of my time for relatively minimal money. FWIW I am in NYC suburb and places range from $1-1.80/lb for pickup and drop off, with usually a $25+ minimum. I used to do a load of laundry per day (PLUS hanging to dry bc our combo dryer is terrible), and I do not regret spending 30-50/week for someone else to wash, dry, fold, pickup/drop off.
Spirograph says
oh ffs with the comments. It didn’t even work with my name, email and the “save my info” box checked today. I’m used to things I say to my kids going into a void, but now even the internet won’t listen to me. thisclose to giving up on the s1te after 2 weeks of this, and i’ll miss this little community!
Boston Legal Eagle says
I really hope this gets resolved because I love coming here everyday and seeing this supportive community.
Boston Legal Eagle says
Dare I hope that this has been fixed? So far, no disappearing comments…
FVNC says
My comment posted a few minutes ago, but has now disappeared :(
NYCer says
I am still having the issue today.
Anon says
Yeah I feel like releasing the comments in batches really stifles the conversation.
FVNC says
This s i te is still a bit of a mess (I couldn’t post at all yesterday…), but I’ve been around since the beginning — first posted first when my then-baby was ~9 months old, and she’s 8.5 yrs now!! — and I think you have too. Hope you’ll stick around!
Spirograph says
I have, and yes, our oldest kiddos are the same age, so we’ve been through it together! That’s why the comment snafu bums me out so much; I really value and enjoy seeing everyone’s perspective here, but agree 100% with the anon at 10:55. it’s hard to follow a conversation when I can’t see many of the comments until I “sign in” by posting a new comment (I guess we could just make a blank thread every day so people could post-to-refresh, but seriously?!)
Anonymous says
Agree! Would love an update on what is going on and when the issue might be resolved. Also wondering if the Week in the Life Series will ever come back?
Kat G says
I’m so sorry about this, guys — we did a big tech update a week or so ago and it’s screwed with caching — for some reason even if we approve comments they only refresh every 45-60 minutes on the front end. I figured out yesterday after about 3 hours of troubleshooting myself that if we manually update the post then the comments will also refresh. Tech guys are still looking into it, but in the meantime at least we have a workaround.
Anon says
When did you teach your kids about s*x? We (DH and I) are trying to figure out how comfortable we are with telling our second grader about it. We have a bunch of age appropriate books and are to talk about the science of it all, but get a little squeamish when it come to the s*x page. Neither of our parents ever talked about this stuff with us and we learned through kids on the playground. I want get ahead of that with our kids and have an open discussion. We also have a preschooler and on the one hand I’d love to talk to him about all of this and make it a non-issue, just a part of life topic, I’m also afraid that he’ll think it’s hilarious and talk about putting a p in a v at school.
Help! I’m a mess!
Anonymous says
Kingdergarten. Just read the book! It will be ok.
Emma says
My kid is still in utero so I haven’t actually dealt with this, but my parents took an “the earlier the better” approach to this. I was probably about 5 when I was told that when a
mommy and daddy love each other very much, the daddy goes inside the mommy and drops a seed that makes the baby. There was also a “the human body” book that included a not too graphic drawing illustrating the basic principle. I never had that wow moment because 5 yo me did not care much and after that I already knew. I’ll try to do something similar with my kids, although I’m aware that might be easier said than done.
anon-op says
Thanks for sharing! and Congratulations!!
Mary Moo Cow says
I was also not told anything by my parents and had a pretty prudish (I think) attitude toward discussing it with kids so I checked out Beyond Birds And Bees by Bonnie Rough and it really helped me get comfortable with talking about all the issues. Highly recommend!
Anonymous says
Started at age 3 when I was expecting baby sibling, and we revisit periodically . We thought the book It’s So Amazing was really good. Occasionally my 7 year old will just go read it, or ask us to read it to him. We just kee it very matter of fact. It’s been really helpful to have that context, because he recently heard a classmate describing what is very likely abuse and was able to know it wasn’t ok and talk about it with a teacher (school then reported it). For that reason alone – protecting your kid and others, knowing what is ok and what is not- I really advise talking about it openly, often, and as soon as you can.
CCLA says
Kudos to you and your kid, that’s so important, hopefully that other kid got the help they need. Ours are 3 and 5 and for many reasons, including awareness of potential abuse, we are big on correct anatomical terms and matter of fact discussion. I really believe if you don’t make it funny or uncomfortable, they won’t find it funny or uncomfortable. We used Amazing You as a jumping off point around age 3, but are in need of the next level so to speak of detail – thanks for the rec, will check out It’s So Amazing (and It’s Not the Stork, which appears to be from the same people and I’ve seen recommended here too).
Anonymous says
Oops- It’s Not the Stork is the one we used closer to 3, I totally forgot.
Anonymous says
It’s ok if they are shy about the mechanics about it. I’d say “I know this seems icky for you but that’s because it’s something grown ups do, not kids”. They are going to learn about it sooner than later so best to learn from you! I’d also have a p**n plan in place. Accidental exposure to adult images is happening by age 11, if not age 8, in today’s kids. Greta fights p**n is a good resource for this.
Anon says
I told my oldest when he was five. I was pregnant so it was a natural conversation topic (and even though I tried to stick to answering just the question he was asking, he kept asking more! “How does the sperm get to your eggs? Does it go through your mouth?” so I kept going) I was way more awkward about it than he was! Average age of first p*rn exposure is anyway from 7-11 these days, so I definitely wanted to get in front of that.
I’ve also been very open with talking about my cycle/period and what it means – they see me in the bathroom all the time, so they have had that basic knowledge from the time they were 2-3 and that provided a good start to our convos
Aunt Jamesina says
My baby is only three months old, but I really loved the way my mom handled all the s*x/puberty talks growing up (well, I found them to be so awkward at the time, but YKWIM!). She was a biology teacher and was very deliberate about it. Up through around 4th grade, she typically took the questions as they came rather than pushing to talk about it out of nowhere. Is your kid asking where babies come from, or about s*x? Because those are two related (but different) questions.
When I was young, I remember my mom telling me that the father gives the mother his seed, and together with her “seed”, it can grow a baby. She didn’t get into the technical aspects until later on. Around 4th grade, I got the puberty/period talk and she also gave me the What’s Happening to my Body Book for Girls, which was so comprehensive and judgement-free (although I would look for something that’s more inclusive on the s*xuality front these days, not sure if there’s a newer edition). She always shared info in a way that said she found it to be interesting and not at all shameful (it is science, after all!), and invited any questions that I (or my brother) had. This despite the fact that she’s a practicing Catholic. By the time I was in early high school, I got the more comprehensive s*x talk with a side of “if you need to go on birth control or are concerned or feel like you’re in trouble, you can always come to me”. Nowadays I would add in a sexuality and consent talk in there as well.
I was always stunned by how mis/underinformed so many of my peers were, and I remember covertly lending my book out to a friend in 8th grade when she got her period.
anonyme says
We started very early, teaching our kids the proper names for their body parts from age 2 onwards, answering questions matter-of-factly, keeping the conversation casual, easy, and normal. We live in a community where discussion of the gender spectrum is very normal (I have a close friend who is nonbinary; DD has a friend with two dads, one of whom is a transgender man that carried the pregnancy; my best friend is a single gay woman who conceived using a donor), so we’ve talked about how egg and sp*rm can meet in multiple ways. In other words, the act of conception is sometimes different from se*, and families grow in all kinds of ways. We also talk a lot about consent and being the boss of your own body. I figure we can get to the more technical stuff as it arises, but for now (ages 5 and 7), I want them to know that there are lots of ways to grow a family, that each person gets to make their own decisions about their body, and that bodies are private.
CPA Lady says
Age 6. We got the “how babies are made” book from the 70s with the paper cut out illustrations. It’s very to the point and straightforward. She also knows about periods and both options of how babies come out. She wasn’t freaked out and didn’t find it funny or go out and tell all her friends or anything, she just accepted it the same way she accepts any other factual book, shrugged, and moved on with her life. I asked if she had any questions, and so far she hasn’t.
There are so many things we’re not taught about our bodies and I don’t want that for her. I want her to understand how everything works and looks (in an age appropriate way) and not be ashamed or afraid of it. My personal philosophy is that I’d rather tell her at a younger age so what I tell her can be her foundational understanding, rather than some gross, rude, or immature comment from some kid at school.
Anon says
I’ve explained it multiple times to my first grader, but I don’t think it’s ever stuck? She watches lots of zoo documentaries so we talk about animal mating and humans in relation to that. But just a couple months ago she asked a question about fertilized fish eggs and humans that makes me think we’ve got to start over. (I mean I explained again, but she only seemed to care about fish).
Boston Legal Eagle says
With Ba2 or whatever they’re calling it likely coming here soon, would you all attend/send your kids to a birthday party at the end of April? Would it make a difference if it was a few kids v. 15+ kids? And obviously outdoors is preferable – what about an indoor place reserved for the party? I know everyone’s risk assessment is different and who knows where we’ll be in a month and a half, I’m just wondering if it’s worth planning something for our older kid inviting the whole class or if no one will commit given the uncertainty. This will be his third year of a birthday without a party and in the grand scheme of things, he’ll be fine, but it’s still a bummer.
Anon says
I think people are sort of done with restrictions at this point. We’ve been extremely cautious and are still avoiding stuff that has little benefit to us like indoor dining, but I would absolutely go to an indoor party for a classmate if it was in a private space without a ton of strangers. The kids are mixing all day at school anyway.
NYCer says
+1. We would go.
Spirograph says
+1 I’d go/let my kids go to that party.
Nothing I’ve seen about BA2 concerns me from a health perspective, I’m only worried that positive tests will cause outsized disruption to school/childcare/travel again. I’m *hoping* that — assuming BA2 is generally mild in vaccinated people and young children like BA1 — we can continue the trajectory back toward “normal’ and start treating covid more like one of the many other endemic infectious diseases where you just stay home when you’re feeling sick rather than a bunch of isolation and quarantine protocol.
Anon says
Yes i agree with this. Though I’m still pretty cautious. I won’t take my kids to a big play space with lots of kids, but if it was just for your group. My kids are also too young to be vaccinated so i might feel differently if they were.
Anonymous says
If these are kids your child is around at school all day anyway, adding in a party doesn’t add in much risk IMO. (It’s not humble!)
Anon says
I think enough people would come so that it is worth planning, but personally my family would wait until that week to make the call. We’re immune compromised and pretty risk averse. Data is getting harder to find too because everyone has clearly given up on infection control and now the data will just make people look bad rather than inform anything. They keep changing the web addresses of the CDC data pages I look at and I’m worried they just won’t be there one day (probably as BA.2 begins to peak).
Anon says
I would go to an outdoor party but not indoor unless it was the same kids that are in school together so sharing germs anyway
Anon says
yes this is me too, but my kids aren’t vaccinated yet.
anon says
+1 I only go to parties where it’s possible to be outdoors for most of the party. I live in the Bay Area, which has pretty mild weather, so outdoor-only is a pretty common thing here.
EDAnon says
I agree.
Anonymous says
Omg pls don’t borrow problems. Invite kids. Plan for fun. Don’t skip out on good things for your kids because you’re worried the world might end.
Anonymous says
Make the RSVP date as late as possible.
Anonymous says
Yes we’d go, but I think by the end of April there’s no reason to not do outdoors anyways. My family is just totally over it, and we live in MoCo which has been really restrictive until now.
Anonymous says
I would make a decision in late April. If it were this week, I might do it although we haven’t done any indoor parties in two years. But if the numbers are very different in six weeks, I might make another decision given that we have an unvaxxed kiddo.
Anonymous says
I would make a decision in late April. If it were this week, I might do it although we haven’t done any indoor parties in two years. But if the numbers are very different in six weeks, I might make another decision given that we have an unvaxxed kiddo.
Anonymous says
Ina. Boston suburb and 100% yes. My kids have fully booked weekends of bday parties coming up and I could not be more excited for them. Indoor? Outdoor, masks, no masks. Masks are optional at school now and they are optional at parties, too.
Happy birthday!
anon says
I would feel iffy about an indoor birthday party, especially because masks will eventually come off for cake and drinks. I would feel obligated to take my kid if the entire class was going. I would not hesitate to attend an outdoor celebration, however, regardless of the number of attendees. Good on you for thinking this through! Unclear and poorly planned birthday party invitations have been an unexpected source of stress this year.
Third kid says
I’m pregnant with my third (yay!). However, I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed with the things that need to be done. Like, we need to move (our house is 800 sq ft, tight for 2 wfh parents and 2 kids). We need a larger vehicle to accommodate this extra person’s car seat. I need to figure out child care for the three kids. I also need to figure out the whole birthing thing – again. It feels like a deluge of tasks, both big and small and I’m really tired and nauseated. Thoughts?
Anonymous says
Chill. I know super annoying but you don’t need to figure out the birth thing just book yourself in at the ob you know how to do birthing. Delegate the car to a grandparent- my dad would love to just tell you which car to buy. The house is the hardest part but baby can live in a box if it needs to.
sg says
Also pregnant with #3 due this month. We had similar issues
CarMax will let you do overnight test drives, take advantage of this and try minivans or SUVs that interest you. Check out the car mom on Instagram for guidance (we ended up with a minivan for price/space/young kid stage). You don’t have to buy from them, just figure out which you want and then you’ll likely need to order (for new) from a local dealer – ours had a 2-3 month wait. Used prices are very close to new, so we opted for new.
Not sure if you’re renting/buying but we found rentals on zillow, but an off-peak time (now vs. mid-summer) should help. Hire packers, movers and unpackers- throw $$ at this as you’re able.
Make a list share with your partner and have him help walk backwards to ID deadlines – just another work project. ;)
Spirograph says
First, congrats!
There are a lot of things that feel like they need to be done, but you’ve got time on all of this. None of it really needs to be done now, or even before the baby is born — I guarantee your body and/or doctors will figure out the birthing thing even if you do zero prep. :) Deep breaths. It helps me to make a list; putting things on paper keeps them from spinning in my head, and checking them off is satisfying. Depending on the housing market where you live, you might want to start that sooner than later, but like someone else said, the baby can sleep in a box for the first couple months if it doesn’t work out. Nothing bad will happen if you just rest through the first tri exhaustion & nausea.
If it makes you feel any better, I bought our minivan literally 2 a week before my 3rd kid was born. (Also, my husband did most of the test driving and all of the negotiating, I just showed up to sign the paperwork. I highly recommend delegating if you don’t enjoy car dealerships.)
DLC says
Congrats!
Can you schedule a date night with your partner (If you are lucky enough to be doing this with a partner) and have a planning session?
Divide tasks, decide timelines, and write out priorities for new house and new car.
It *is* overwhelming regardless of whether it’s your first, second, third or whatever child. But kids (usually) have a gestation period and not everything has to be done right now. Or even before the baby is here.
Anonymous says
Congrats! It is a lot! I am in a similar position, though only with my 2nd. We are going with the Toyota Sienna minivan XLE trim. It is a hybrid and it seems to give you the most for your money compared with other large family-haulers. We are going to wait and try to move when baby is about 3+ months old. He will be able to stay in our room until then, so the space won’t become an issue until a little later. It didn’t make sense for us (and I am 35 weeks now), but I would have also considered moving in the 2nd trimester. Wouldn’t want to try it in the 1st or 3rd. As far as child care goes- can you use the same provider as your other kids? It was much easier for us to find care for our 2nd than our 1st because of sibling preference at our day care center. As far as birthing goes, what is there really to figure out? You’ve done it twice before. Perhaps incorporate some lessons learned, but that should be the least of your concerns right now!
Katrinka says
Which of these things is your partner handling? It might be helpful for you to take some of this entirely off your plate – for example, with moving, have your partner do the house hunting, find the realtor, and schedule the homes to look at. He can also work with them to make any offers, and to set up the sale of your current home. If you’re renting, it’s even easier.
Likewise for your car – keep in mind you’re not going to probably be going anywhere as a family much in the first few months of the new baby’s life. And do you have two cars? If you do, in a pinch, you can always take both cars to wherever your whole family needs to be. Just to take off some of that “deadline pressure.”
You note you need to figure out childcare for the 3 kids – do you already have childcare for your current 2? Is there a reason you need to revisit their childcare arrangements at this point, or can you just find something for the baby? Will you have any maternity leave?
Best of luck – it’s definitely a season of transition and big changes for you, but you got this!
Anon says
I know the logical answer is that there is no way of telling how long it’s going to take, but how long can one realistically be 4-5 cm dilated before they go into labor? I can’t keep going like this. I have no patience.
Anonymous says
I was 4cm for 4 days (but not in active labor) and the doctor stripped my membranes and I went into labor an hour later. Thank GOODNESS because my baby was almost 9.5lbs and my induction wasn’t scheduled until later that week. I assume you aren’t contracting/in the hospital but just sick of waiting?
Anonymous says
I am so sorry. I was two weeks late with two of my kids. For one of them, I was at 4.5cm for many days. OB stripped my membranes at some point and even then, I had to be induced.
In two weeks your baby will be here no matter what!!
Curious says
I was at 4 cm for 9 days with no progression but on and off very regular contractions. It was miserable. In the end, pitocin did nothing my body wasn’t already doing, and they had to break my water. Thank heavens for modern medicine.
So Anon says
I need a new piece of terminology: When you have little kids, like toddlers and babies, and they are all over you physically all day, you get “touched out.” Now that my kids are older, they are less physically on top of me. (Though my youngest – 8- still prefers to be touching me or have her legs slung over my lap when I sit on the couch.) However, the needs are just as intense but more emotional and social and all the responsibility of parenting. Helping my daughter navigate 3rd grade friendships through her tears, my son’s fight with his bestie, my son’s 5th grade class going on a 4 day camping trip, and managing people at work. It feels similar to being touched out but just responsibility-wise, emotionally, caretaker and parenting-wise. I’m “care-taker-ed out”?
Anonymous says
I don’t have a catchy term for it, but I know exactly what you mean. I am so tired of being the person in charge. At work, at home, everywhere, it’s all on me. It’s exhausting. “Responsibility fatigue,” maybe?
Anonymous says
This is called being a woman. We are expected to make everything happen for everyone.
Anonymous says
care-takered-out sounds enough like “tuckered out” that I’d just use that!
Mentally exhausted.
Somewhat related, I read something about “goblin mode” this morning (somehow this phrase had passed me by), that really captured how I feel sometimes when I’m tuckered out from caretakering. The example the article gave was staying in pjs all day watching trash tv and eating junk. Like sometimes I’m just so done and want to take care of no one and nothing, not even myself.
Anonymous says
Tired. The word is tired.
Anonymous says
It’s like the personal life version of compassion fatigue.
anon says
Completely. I am going through the emotional and mental wringer with my oldest right now. I sort of need to not be needed as much (sometimes).
Curious says
Bloop?
Kat G says
LOL I was trying to troubleshoot comments – my tech guys must have deleted my nonsense. :D