Washable Workwear Wednesday: Scalloped-Edge Blouse

Any advice about acne? I stopped breastfeeding about a month ago when my baby turned one. Since then, my chin has been an acne disaster. I think it’s hormonal but don’t know what to do. I got my period back when baby was about ten months, and had one blemish each month right before my cycle started. But now that breastfeeding has ended, my chin is a constant breakout. Almost exclusively on my chin, around the sides of my mouth.

I have used topical treatments (usually salicylic acid) and my daily retinol (.025%), and this helps dry out the existing blemishes, but they still stick around for about a month. By the time they go away, a new one has emerged. Hasn’t seemed to prevent new ones. I drink lots of water, don’t touch my face, etc. I didn’t have breakouts for years, I think because I was on BC pills, but I don’t want to go back on them (husband has been snipped and I don’t want to take BC). What can I do?

Just wanted to say I appreciated the discussion Monday about rural living/life changes after baby. We currently live in the suburbs, which is not a good fit for us so DH and I have been discussing whether we should move to the city center or out to the country. DH has decided he wants to pursue moving to the country, and for all the reasons stated Monday, I don’t think this is a good idea. Namely, we do not currently have any farm-related hobbies and I don’t have any interest in developing them. How would you approach this with your significant other in a way that comes across as open and not bratty? I might suggest that he buy some property to use as his weekend/hunting getaway and then if he really loves that we can explore moving to the country. My bff suggested that I just leave it alone and work on my own goals since DH changes his mind all the time (we’ve moved seven times in eight years – to three different cities). Part of me feels like I should just let it ride but I’ve also been ruminating on this for days and I’d like to have an open discussion with DH about it. Advice or perspectives appreciated.

I’m feeling utterly ridiculous, so your help is appreciated. We’re looking at the local public school and a local private school. Naturally, the private school has all sorts of information about its curriculum and emphases, field trips and opportunities, etc. But there’s nothing on the public school’s website or the public district’s website about whether they offer foreign languages, how much recess the kids get, music, arts – nothing at all about the curriculum. Is that somewhere on the state website? (Is that all controlled by the state?) Because I couldn’t find it there either. (Virginia.) Or do I have to just call the local school? This doesn’t seem like an auspicious sign to me.

I just transitioned to a new role in my current company. I’ve largely enjoyed it, but was asked in a meeting to do a fairly administrative task that will take a long time, and really doesn’t at all align to my function. I think it was a matter of it needing to be done and my having the lowest title in the meeting, relative to the other pretty high level folks.
This is work that’s more administrative than even what I moved from, and certainly my current role. If it was just this, I’d be fine, but I’ve had jobs in the past where I was given low-level work (that was really out of scope for my role) and it seemed to impact people’s perception of me. I think maybe I seem deferential and that’s why I invite this sort of thing? Regardless, my boss wasn’t there and I wonder if I should ask him about it – what I was asked to do will interfere with the much higher level (and more interesting) work that I’m doing for him….but he also wants me to be helpful to this area, as they’re a partner of ours, so I don’t want to be seen as uncooperative. I was asked in a meeting and really didn’t know how to push back.
In the past I’ve just done the work, thinking I didn’t want the play the ‘not my job’ card – but I think it may have harmed me. I’m sick of this sort of thing, and I wouldn’t have moved from my previous fairly satisfying job to this one if I knew I’d have to do this kind of grunt work, that may impact on top of that undermine how competent/authoritative I seem.

We have our first ever au pair arriving soon! I’d welcome any tips from experienced au pair moms — we’ve never even had a nanny, so this is a very new experience for us. Anything you wish you had known? Hacks? Ways to make her feel more at home? Things we should be including in her set of responsibilities that we may not have thought about?

What did you all do about suits when you were in the awkward pregnancy stage of bigger, but not obviously pregnant (such that maternity clothes don’t quite work yet)? My normal work outfit is a sheath dress plus a jacket. Should I get a few sheath dresses in a larger size, switch to A-line/ponte dresses, or something else? Thanks!