This post may contain affiliate links and CorporetteMoms may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
As someone on the shorter side, I think this spice rack might be a game changer.
You can pull down this clever spice rack to eye level so you quickly find what you are looking for. It has three tiers; tightly-spaced, vinyl-coated wire construction; and side guards to keep your bottles from tumbling out. If you’re like me and have spice containers falling out every time you open your cabinet doors, consider getting two.
This pull-down spice rack is $22.99 at the Container Store.
Sales of note for 4.18.24
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Ann Taylor – 50% off full-price dresses, jackets & shoes; $30 off pants & skirts; extra 50% off sale styles
- Banana Republic Factory – Up to 50% off everything; extra 20% off purchase
- Eloquii – 50% off select styles; 60% off swim; up to 40% off everything else
- J.Crew – Mid-Season Sale: Extra 60% off sale styles; up to 50% off spring-to-summer styles
- Lands’ End – 30% off full-price styles
- Loft – Spring Mid-Season Sale: Up to 50% off 100s of styles
- Nordstrom: Free 2-day shipping for a limited time (eligible items)
- Talbots – Spring Sale: 40% off + extra 15% off all markdowns; 30% off new T by Talbots
- Zappos – 29,000+ 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 – Up to 70% off baby items; 50% off toddler & kid deals & 40% off everything else
- Hanna Andersson – Up to 50% off spring faves; 25% off new arrivals; up to 30% off spring
- J.Crew Crewcuts – Up to 60% off sale styles; up to 50% off kids’ spring-to-summer styles
- Old Navy – 30% off your purchase; up to 75% off clearance
- Target – Car Seat Trade-In Event (ends 4/27); BOGO 25% off select skincare products; up to 40% off indoor furniture; up to 20% off laptops & printers
TheElms says
Soap taste in silicone – I use a bunch of silicone dishes and muffin liners for my kids and I’ve noticed that they are beginning to make food taste like soap. Is this because I’m washing them in the dishwasher? Is there a dishwasher detergent that doesn’t cause this? Would hand washing prevent it? And also once its happened is there a good way to get the soap taste out of the silicone? Thanks so much
Anon says
I don’t know but I gave up on using silicone products for this reason. I think hand washing might prevent it but I don’t have time for that.
Anon says
Great timing – I saw an IG reel about this this morning! Caveat – I have not tried any of the below methods.
What it said:
– bake silicone plates in the oven at 250F for one hour to remove soap buildup
To clean plates in the future:
– use mild or unscented dish soap
– only put on top rack of dishwasher
– do not soak in soapy water
FWIW, we have always followed the three wash guidelines above, and have never had an issue
TheElms says
Do you have a recommendation for dishwasher detergent? At least the silicone muffin liners have only ever been on the top rack and they also taste like soap …
Anon says
Yeah, we’ve always put our silicone stuff on the top rack and it still got that bad taste. I don’t think that makes any difference.
anon says
Hand washing is the way, but this is why I don’t use silicon. It absolutely picks up that soapy taste.
Betsy says
Baking silicone at a low temp for a while does the trick to get all sorts of gross smells and flavors out. I have a coffee mug with a silicone seal that gets really gross after a few months and I just throw it in the toaster oven set to 200 or 250 for a while, checking it periodically until the smell is gone.
Bette says
Switch to finish unscented dishwashing detergent. We had this issue with kids plates and that solved it.
Anon says
There is no dishwashing detergent that prevents it. You can hand wash with something like Dapple, but even regular unscented dishsoap gives that soapy taste. I’ve soured on silicone for that reason.
HSAL says
7th Generation dish soap and also soaking in some diluted vinegar after the handwash. Made all mine edible again, thankfully.
OOO says
I gave a picnic blanket to a young family as a gift a few months ago and they have told me they use it almost every day. Really useful for outdoor play dates, especially if the kid is not walking yet. The specific one I got from Amazon is sold out, though there are lots of similar options. I prefer the waterproof kind. Sharing in case anyone needs a gift idea!
AnonATL says
Beantown blankets are great too!
Anon says
I bought a picnic blanket from REI for this purpose and I confirmed it doesn’t have PFAS (sometimes called “forever chemicals”) in it, which is important to me since I do rely on PFAS-containing waterproof items elsewhere. It’s the NEMO Victory blanket if anyone is interested.
AwayEmily says
We have three separate waterproof picnic blankets — one for each car and one that we keep on the porch for yard use. All were gifted. The one we keep at home is a fancy Yeti one, which is the best quality but most annoying for transport, because it doesn’t fold up as easily.
CCLA says
Ha, yes, the yeti one is awesome but doesn’t fold up into itself with the built-in carry straps like many others do. But we keep using the yeti anyway because of the quality. I have a little unicorn one in my car that works fine too.
Sleepy anon says
What has helped your post partum baby blues? I’m five months out, still feeling blah. Baby is going through a sleep regression, which always catapults my mood downward.
Anonymous says
Getting outdoors
Trading wake-up shifts with spouse so I could get 6 hours of uninterrupted sleep
Solo errand-running without baby
Weaning
Anon says
I prioritized what sleep I could get to a ridiculous degree (early bedtimes, sleeping in, naps during the weekend). Really, above almost everything else.
I was breastfeeding and didn’t realize how physically bad it was making me feel until I stopped. Being aware that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel when I stop is helpful to me.
More Sleep Would Be Nice says
+1 to this and the suggestions for therapy. If finding a therapist sounds overwhelming (reasonable), pick a date on your calendar – maybe when baby is 6 months – and say okay, I’m going do this for me once baby is 6 months. Don’t wait on a milestone like “until baby is more settled”, “until baby sleeps through the night” – ask me how I know.
Also 5 months is…not that long. Remember that the whole “bounce back” and “4th trimester” is a U.S. concept because we don’t really have any structures in place for postpartum maternal health/care. Give yourself a long runway – I’d say a year +/- to know that you are adjusting to a lot of new things – especially if it is your first, but really even if it was your 5th.
Sending lots of virtual love and support.
FVNC says
I agree with the comment about b-feeding. I b-fed both my kids and really enjoyed it (after the initial challenges), so I am not advocating that you stop, if it’s something you enjoy. But when I weaned my first around 11 months, it was like a fog had been lifted. A truly dramatic change. Other than that, prioritizing sleep and outside time are great suggestions.
CCLA says
Same re: sleep. Hire a sleep consultant? Or even just a night nurse for a few nights so someone else can do the night wakeups and you can pay down some of that sleep debt you have. After sleep my priorities were time to myself and outdoor time.
Or get even more time to yourself – take a weekend (or more) away on your own? With my second I was definitely depressed. I got on zoloft but I think the vacation I took to visit a friend sans babies for a few days was honestly more helpful in resetting. Did that trip at about 3 months pp…not for everyone, but it was just what I needed and DH was supportive.
anon says
a bit of therapy—got the referral for a therapist from my ob, which helped me get to a therapist skilled in postpartum issues
An.On. says
Five months was a hard time for me, but that was the last long downswing, if that makes sense. After that, we still have bad days and such, but the feeling of drudgery slowly lifted and hasn’t come back. That being said, I had a small breakdown caused in part by insomnia (exacerbated by anxiety/stress), so I ended up getting a prescription for xanax and shifting responsibility for some of the overnights to husband until I felt better. I also decided that even if the dishwasher only had three bottles in it, running a load was preferable to handwashing my sanity away. So I recommend plenty of sleep and downgrading your caretaking duties if possible.
Vicky Austin says
Man, I’m sorry that happened to you, and to threadjack you a little bit, it reminded me of something I’ve been thinking about lately: you don’t have to earn help. I feel like even when I do overcome all my excuses and nonsense about asking for help, I still justify it. Like at one point when DS was a week or two old and not settling in the middle of the night, I said to my husband, “Can you take him and rock him for a while? I’m so tired I’m afraid I’m going to drop him.” That was a white lie – I didn’t feel like I was going to drop him. I just wanted to lie down really badly. And I suspect it was good that I did so *before* I felt like I was going to drop the baby. So I try not to say that kind of thing anymore. No “I need a break because [drastic thing will happen if I don’t get it, or drastic example of how hard I’ve been working].” Just “I need a break.” It helps me not mommy-martyr myself.
Anon says
I really like this point. I’ve noticed in other contexts that making something sound worse than it is actually makes me feel worse too.
Emma says
The four month sleep regression was the worst for us. The best thing I ever did was to send my husband out with the baby so I could sleep a bit whenever he was around. And start exercising again – I joined a spinning class after baby bedtime (again, assuming you have someone who can sit with the baby while you go out – if not, sending love to you!).
Anon says
I just stopped getting up at night and let my husband do it. Huge difference. I know that’s pretty tough to do if you’re breastfeeding.
Vicky Austin says
I’m tempted to have this conversation with my husband even though I am breastfeeding (e.g., “no more MOTN diaper changes for me, you’re on”), but he genuinely just doesn’t hear the baby as often as I do. Is it really that much better if you have to nudge him awake constantly? Or do I need to calm down and let him get up when he does hear the baby?
Anon says
The only way I was able to successfully do this was by sleeping in another room than the baby/monitor and husband.
I also always like to mention there’s no one right way to deal with overnights. In theory I want my husband to do his fair share. In actuality I quickly learned that the best way for everyone to maximize sleep was for me to breastfeed the moment the baby stirred and we were both back asleep within 20 minutes. It ultimately worked better to have me do all the overnights and then be able to sleep in while husband was on morning baby duty.
Anon a fox says
+1 to doing what works for you/your family
I’ve done 100% of the overnight wakeups for both of our kids, because I had zero interest in waking up to pump while my husband gave a bottle. We also had unicorn sleeper babies that ONLY woke up if they were hungry, and then went right back to sleep once they’d had their milk, so there was never an issue of trying to soothe a fussy baby in the middle of the night. We may have done things differently if that was the case.
Also, I can go right back to sleep (and fall asleep within 5-10 minutes of turning off my light at night). My husband struggles to wind down. So if I put baby back in the crib at 1:30am, I’m asleep before 1:35am. He would possibly still be awake until 3am. So it would not be best for our family as a whole because he would be chronically sleep deprived (and has higher sleep needs than I do generally).
Vicky Austin says
Good points – we do seem to have one of those babies who wants to eat and go right back to sleep, thankfully, so as the breastfeeder I guess that puts night wakeups on me for this stage and the give has to come from elsewhere. Thanks for the insight – even if I need to do what works for us, hearing what works for y’all is always helpful.
anonM says
+1 to a lot of these suggestions. This is very kid-dependent, but with both kids, we felt a shift and things got a bit easier at 6 mo., when you get to start feeding solids, they get more interactive and playful, and often improve sleep. I would try to get more sleep somehow – even a solid 4 hour uninterrupted stretch was enough to feel a little more human again. So, that may mean sleeping in another room with headphones and a sound machine, etc. DH and I also swapped on weekends – one slept in, one took a nap later. (This also helped me feel less guilty about sleeping in.) Sleep regressions are really hard, but it really does get better, hang in there!
Anon says
With both kids, I didn’t truly feel like “me” again until I weaned (which was around 13-15 months).
When I needed a mood reset or to recharge, I prioritized going for walks outside and sleep (even if it meant going to bed at 7 PM when the kids did). I also went to therapy postpartum with my second and wish I had done it with my first. It was just nice to have a space where my wellbeing was prioritized.
Anonymous says
Find a way to do things you love, either with baby or without. Go to an art museum. Have drinks with a friend. Get a pedicure. Start planning a girls trip for later in the year.
More Sleep Would Be Nice says
Someone once suggested doing book time while kids are in the (daily for us – per the discussion the other day – bahahah) bath – GENIUS. Thank you, thank you, thank you. It is helping me get through this very long sprint of solo parenting/very hard work situation I’m currently going through.
Cb says
Oh well done! We do books in the bath but also will put an audiobook on if you just need to mentally check out.
Anon says
I don’t know about your kids, but mine will play in the bath forever if I let her. It’s a good way to have hands off time when solo parenting.
Clementine says
Huzzah! Glad it worked out for you. That’s something I do while solo parenting. Also highly recommend one AirPods listening to books on tape while doing mundane chores.
More Sleep Would Be Nice says
Ahhh I thought it was you that suggested it, of course it was :)
Another great suggestion, thank you. I do podcasts for this task, but this is a great idea for the books I think would be great on audio (for me – Michelle Obama’s new book, and Britney Spears’ memoir…whenever that arrives).
Vicky Austin says
I feel like so many of y’all right now are in this solo parenting + busy work craziness, and I’m just in awe. I’ve only been back to work for a week and a half and I’ve forgotten something every single day so far. And I’m not solo parenting!
GCA says
Genius!! And thinking of you. My own solo parenting stint just wrapped up yesterday. Kids were ecstatic that Dad is home.
For me, that long slog from dinner to kid bedtime is the hardest part of each day. One night I invited some close friends over for dinner (basically the kids’ honorary auntie and uncle) and they said ‘We’ll wrangle the cleanup and bedtime routine – YOU go take a nap’. And I did, and it was amazing.
Anon says
Another bath tip– DS has been asking for a “daddy tubby” recently for some variety. DH was sick last night, and DS was throwing a fit not having a “daddy tubby.” I instead offered a grandma tubby and facetimed my mom while he was in the bath– DS was thrilled.
Anon says
Any ideas for how to thank grandparents for taking a kid for a week while we travel? They don’t need and won’t accept money. I’m leaving them a freezer lasagna but I think they plan to mostly eat takeout/ready-to-eat things (they and my kid are all quite picky). Thinking about just getting some nice chocolate at the duty free on the way home, but would love other ideas.
Anonymous says
I’d consider a flower delivery or seasonal porch arrangement delivery after they arrive home. I think a heartfelt thank you not also goes a long way.
FVNC says
I always have flowers delivered after my parents help in any significant way with the kids.
Another idea: could you do a grocery run (or arrange grocery delivery) at the beginning of the week? I know you said they’ll eat mostly pre-made or take out, but what about some pre-cut fruit or veggies, things like that? A favorite breakfast cereal, popcorn, granola bars…things that are staples in houses with little kids but maybe not in grandparent homes?
Anon says
Should have mentioned that they’re local to us and already have all of kiddo’s preferred foods on hand, and will get their regular weekly grocery delivery with extras of things like fruit and milk. But yes good point!
Anonymous says
YMMV- My parents and in-laws are also local to us. We don’t get them anything specific for individual babysitting/overnights, but have given them gift cards to very nice hotels at the holidays as a thank you for all the did over the past year for babysitting. Typically it’s been a gift card to Relais & Chateaux, which lets them pick from a huge variety of hotels.
OOO says
I usually send them a Zingerman’s gift basket
OOO says
https://www.zingermans.com/Product/almost-as-good-as-grandmas-baked-goods-gift-basket/G-GRA-1
Anon says
I think chocolate is a nice tokan, but also- How old are the kiddos? Can they write grandparents a thank you/“my favorite part of stating with grandparents” type note?
Then take them out to dinner when you get back?
Anonymous says
If you are going somewhere known for great coffee, bring them back a few bags.
PT transition help says
Anyone who has transitioned from FT to PT–please help me figure out what to do!
We’re at a point where we realized we need to hire an au pair/ nanny in addition to our existing child care or find a way to for me to step back so that I can handle school vacation days, summer schedules, pickup, etc. Kids are 2 and 4.
I talked to my employer, where I have worked for nearly a decade. I didn’t want to sound like a checked out mom, so I mostly framed my pitch as about burnout and a desire to focus on the work I care most about. (I did mention the mom stuff to my immediate boss, who is a mom, but didn’t emphasize it with big boss, who is new to company.) I was envisioning something like 50% or 2/3 of my prior role.
Well, big boss came back and is proposing a role that is 4/5 of my current job (eliminating the 1/5 that I find mind-numbing). In some ways it feels like a good deal, because it’s less of a salary cut than I was expecting. But it’s also more work than I was expecting. Should I just go with it, and hope that the change is enough to relieve the childcare pressure? Or should I counter?
Anon says
I would take the 4/5 deal, although it would help to know what industry and what hours you’re working currently. Plenty of moms with two kids work full-time jobs without paying for nannies. I think one of the big problems may be that your kids are in “school.” 2 and 4 year olds shouldn’t have summer break or school vacation days other than major holidays. School schedules are inevitable in a few years, but I don’t know why you’d bring this pain on yourself when your kids are still daycare age – easy, full-time childcare is one of the biggest advantages of the 0-5 years.
Anon says
Public Prek 3 and Prek 4 in my area follow the school calendar (so same days off/holidays) and also runs 8:30-2pm. Yes, there is aftercare available (and also through private daycares), but it’s still a “school schedule” starting at age 3.
anon says
Those are options for SAH parents. The rest of us use full-time daycare that have preK programs built in.
Anonymous says
eh, I don’t know about that. All the daycares here “celebrated” Juneteenth while my employer did not. There’s a lot of random days off and appointments and sick days even with “full time” daycare.
That said, we juggle it while both working FT.
Anon says
Yeah, I’m not saying there isn’t juggling involved with the sick days, etc. but the idea of 2 and 4 year old having “summer break” is absurd to me. You will have no choice but to deal with this in K-12 school, there’s no reason to bring it on earlier.
Anon says
4 year olds do have summer break. PreK does not go through the summer. You need to sign up for a daycare program or separate camp.
Anon says
Daycares have pre-K rooms. I don’t know any dual working parent families who switched their kids to a separate pre-K with a school-like schedule. Kid just stay in daycare until they go to K and it’s fine. The only people I know who used part-time preschool are SAHMs.
Anonymous says
4yo starts PK at a PK-12 school this fall, hence why we are moving on this now. It’s not just that his schedule will change, it’s that we will be dealing with separate drop-offs/ pick-ups.
EP-er says
I spent a few years in various states of PT, from 24-32 hours/week. I think that the key thing for me is flexibility — what is that going to look like for this role they are proposing? If it is still M-Th, hard and fast hours, I don’t think you are going to get the help you need with your schedule. I was able to flex my time quite a bit, so random days off from school or conferences or field trips could be accommodated. This was prepandemic, but I was able to cover meetings in the office and then log back on in the evenings and do a little more work. I had a lot people not even realize that I was PT!
Anon says
I am part-time (75%) and have 3 kids: preschool, rising K, rising 2nd grader. I will say now that we’re into elementary school years, even with me being PT, we still feel like maybe we need an au pair or nanny to help out as kids want to do more weekday activities. That said, I really love being PT. Enough that even though my role is currently not particularly satisfying, it’s also really hard to give up-I WFH entirely and I can flex my hours as needed.
If I were you, I’d take the 80% offer and if you don’t already have it, make sure you can WFH as much as you want/need to as part of it and see how it goes. You can always make a change from there if it’s not working! But it’s definitely worth a shot and way easier to go PT with an existing employer than find a PT role elsewhere.
OP says
This is encouraging, thank you! My job is fully remote (with occasional travel) so I have good flexibility.
Anon says
Following b/c I plan on making a similar transition in a year or so when my kids are 2 and 4 (currently 1 and 3).
I would be careful there isn’t scope creep on your job. For me, it’s important also to only work certain hours, so I’ll be pitching a 9-3 (or 8-2) role, so I can be around for bus pick up/after school activities/etc. I think guardrails are needed to ensure you don’t end up doing the same amount of work in less time, or having to do extra work in evenings/on weekends.
Anonymous says
This. I think to be truly ‘off’ specific days/times you need to have some sort of job-sharing or otherwise planned coverage for your time off (OR be a truly individual contributor in a non-time-sensitive role). At my level if I’m going to be out, I have to have one of my managers or one of the other directors cover for me. If I tried to just clock out at 3pm everyday, I don’t think I would be able to effectively do my job.
Anonymous says
I work a 60% position. Full days T/W/TH. I find it works best to have a fixed schedule and authority to flex as needed. Even if I need to flex in a particular week, I try not to book meetings on M/F very often unless absolutely necessary because it creates a general perception of availability on those days.
You will need to stick to boundaries around your hours. Don’t expect others to do that for you. With an 80% schedule, I recommend having a full day or two half days that you are off each week. Ending at a certain time has rarely worked well as being end up having to jump off in the middle of calls. But this may vary by job and time zone. In my time zone, an 8:00-2pm is useless but a 10am- 4pm would work well.
Anonymous says
I would take this deal. Try it, and if you need to further adjust, that can be another conversation.
I talked to my boss about burnout last week and now I’m layered and 2/3 of my team no longer reports to me. Still full time and no salary reduction, though, so I guess it’s a win except for my pride.