Maternity Monday: Stella Bubble-Sleeve Maternity Blouse
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If you’re looking forward to a new baby in the new year, this striking blouse from Kimi and Kai might be the perfect addition to your wardrobe!
This black-and-white floral print blouse features a flattering spread collar, bubble elbow sleeves, and a matching self-tie belt to accentuate your bump. The asymmetric, off-center buttons make it easy to nurse or pump after your little one arrives.
For the office, just add a pair of black trousers, low pumps or booties, and a bold cuff for a complete look.
The Stella Bubble Sleeve Maternity Blouse is $78 at Nordstrom and available in sizes XS–XL.
Sales of note for 12.10
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Nordstrom – Beauty deals on skincare (ends 12/14) including La Mer, Kate Somerville, Dior, Sunday Riley, Dyson, and gift sets — the deals include reader favorite lip balms Dior Addict, NARS Afterglow, and Clinique’s Black Honey, as well as Too Faced mascara and Sunday Riley’s Good Genes.
- Ann Taylor – 40% off your purchase, up to 50% off outerwear
- Banana Republic Factory – 50-70% off everything + extra 20% off
- Eloquii – Extra 50% off all sale + extra 25% off 2+ items
- J.Crew – Up to 60% off everything, with 40% off their newest styles
- J.Crew Factory – 50% off everything + extra 25% off when you buy 3+ styles
- Macy’s – 15% off beauty, including Tarte, Clinique, Dior and gift sets
- Spanx – Lots of workwear on sale, some up to 70% off, plus free shipping on everything (and 20% off your first order)
- Talbots – 50% off everything + extra 25% off when you buy 3+ styles
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?
Since I know many of us are in MoCo: In case you didn’t hear, public libraries are handing out free rapid tests. Limit 2 per person, and there are different schedules for different branches. I just grabbed some from Silver Spring, they’re not even really in the library, just downstairs in the entry area by the elevators. You’ll be in and out in the time it takes to literally walk in and out.
There was a post last week about how to get your 5-year-old to stop sucking his thumb at night. I didn’t see it until a few days later but wanted to follow up on this! Lots of people had good suggestions but I am curious — did your pediatrician suggest that they stop breaking the night time habit?
My 5-year-old is also a very intense thumb sucker her whole life (could actually see her doing it in utero in 3D ultrasounds) but since around age 2 she never does it outside of her own bed while falling asleep, or sometimes if she is alone in her room looking at book in the afternoon during her “rest time” she will suck her thumb then. At her 5-year-old well visit I asked the pediatrician about helping her to stop and she was very firm that I shouldn’t try to intervene as that can backfire, and since her teeth are fine and she only does it for maybe 30 cumulative minutes a day, it’s not a big deal. I basically took the pediatrician’s word for it but then when I read that post last week started worrying that maybe my pediatrician is too laid back about this and I should be helping her quit now, before she’s a 10 year old who is embarrassed to go to a sleepover because she can’t fall asleep without sucking her thumb!
Has anyone been to Florence with little kids? We are (fingers crossed) going for spring break in late March. We’re not going to have a packed itinerary since our main goal is eating pasta and gelato and drinking wine, and DH will give me some solo time for museums (he has no interest in them). But if anyone has recommendations for activities that might be fun for the whole family, I would love to hear.
I don’t think you can prevent anything with a school closure. Many parents can’t just work from home and many kids will end up at more risk outside of school (my kid actually had to quarantine after one of the school closures because she was exposed from her alternative care plan). I think a lot of people are very anxious (and I get it too!) but I think we are past the point of “let’s just all hunker down for a few weeks.” Obviously, if you’re immunocompromised that sucks and if you need to take extra precautions or miss school, I get that, but it’s just not a sustainable plan for any community overall.
I am just keeping my fingers crossed for an “easy covid” and trying to be optimistic and view this as the necessary next step to getting back to normal.
I have a second interview later today and my makeup definitely says “here’s someone who hasn’t applied makeup in two years.” Fortunately, my interview is with two dudes so I don’t think they’ll notice.
Our center is closed and one of the teachers is going to babysit for us a few times this week (but a lot more than usual). It’d be probably 15-18 hours this week. At what point do I need to be concerned about laying her on the books?
We use daycare and a cleaning company so we have no household employees or experience with that.
Can anyone recommend a guide to cutting a toddler’s hair at home?
And now I have “Will no one stay awake with me? Peter, John, James?” running through my head.
Would love any baby boy name help. I’m getting close to delivery and we are just uninspired by everything. I’m getting really restless by this. Our kids are Daniel Alan and Elizabeth Anne, both go by their full first names. Leaning towards Catholic-ish names, avoiding names that start with W and end in -y or -ie. Also cannot do Michael, Joseph, Aaron or Alexander. We have no family we really want to consider as sources for names. Thanks for any ideas!!!
Advice on handling the threes? Our boy girl twins turned three a few months ago and it has become just so challenging. I find myself avoiding them even when I am around them because I am just trying to keep it together and get through the day. Like I don’t want to invest emotionally because it is taking all my patience to just not lose my cool when they lose theirs, which they do. We had a long family vacation over the holidays which I thought would be really fun and was fun but in retrospect we maybe shouldn’t have done it, we would have gotten more rest and just as much togetherness with a staycation.
I am a Janet Lansbury fan but it takes incredible effort for me to sit with them through ridiculousness and the place where we live is a bit more traditional when it comes to child rearing so I am also struggling with shame that my kids don’t behave in the way others do.
Any thoughts or advice?
DS #2 is 1 and still in his Graco infant seat. I’d like to change him over to a carseat that a) he can ride rear-facing in long term and b) I can keep next to DS #1’s carseat in my car (Subaru Outback) so that there is still non-carseat seating available in the back.
Any suggestions? DS #1 is in a Britax Clicktight, 4 years old, FF. DH and I have only used seatbelt installation thus far in both of our cars. I’ve looked at Car Seats for Littles and a few other sites but would like some anecdata.
X-posting: I need KN95 (or similar high-filtration masks) for my kids ages 6, 9, and 12. 12 year old can likely wear an adult size. I’m overwhelmed by searching through the options on Am@z0n and am worried about fakes. Does anyone have some they love that they can link to? I would be eternally grateful!
Hi wise moms – where should we go on summer vacation? Leaving from the DC metro area. Have one week. Kids will be 5.5 and 3 this summer. My husband is *very* COVID cautious and I’m feeling less concerned now that we’re vaxxed and that it’s seeming like we’re in an endemic not a pandemic. We’ve just done driving and rent and air b n b since the pandemic started and I’d like to up the wow factor a bit. We love nature, kid-friendly hikes, like the beach, like cute towns, do not like party-vacation towns, or instead like when you can mix walkable cities and nature into a vacation.
How’s everyone doing? I am at my wits end with pandemic unreliable childcare and cold weather. The kids are going stir-crazy being home so much and are getting on my nerves. Having kids at home also means more cooking and more mess/clean-up. Too much togetherness and too much time at home at this point for everyone. I miss the routine we used to have.
I know there are several of you who have struggled with infertility and secondary infertility. When did you decide to give in and accept you weren’t having another child? We’ve been struggling, and I was finally referred to an RE. We are going to have the initial consultation, but husband and I have both agreed that we aren’t doing anything particularly invasive (no IVF, husband doesn’t want to do IUI but I’m open to it). It all may be irrelevant anyway because it seems our insurance won’t cover it, and we aren’t willing to pay out of pocket.
I’m really struggling with deciding on when to just give up and accept we will be a family of 3. We could keep trying for another year and maybe get pregnant, but I’m not sure I can handle the disappointment every month. I also feel like not continuing to try, even if unsuccessful, is just giving up and maybe that month would have worked.
I spent a lot of time reflecting this weekend, and I think our life would be just fine with 1 but I’m having a hard time letting go of the family of 4 image I always had. I don’t want a large gap in age between my 2 kids if we had a second. Husband says he’s fine either way, but I think he’d be relieved to only have 1.
Other relevant info: I’m 30. Husband is 38. The fertility issue is with me, not husband. Our son is 18m and was conceived quickly.