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This is a great blazer from a company that I normally would not peruse for washable workwear. Even though it’s styled on the site with leggings, I can see it looking cute with cropped skinny pants and either heels or an interesting flat. Somewhat oversized and longer in the back, this blazer seems like it will be generous with your body and comfortable to move around in. Also, the fabric looks as if it will travel well, and this could be a great piece to wear if you need to travel with coworkers and still be professional while trying to stay comfortable. It’s $198, available in both regular and petite sizes. Athleta Stellar Blazer Looking for other washable workwear? See all of our recent recommendations for machine washable work clothes, or check out our roundup of the best brands for washable workwear. This post contains affiliate links and CorporetteMoms may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. For more details see here. Thank you so much for your support!Sales of note for 4.18.24
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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’m back with ongoing 3.5 sleep problems. We have a solid routine and have been sticking to it, but it has been met with inconsistent results. Sometimes we get a full night, sometimes she has a bad dream and wants someone in there with her, or has a night terror, or wants to come sleep in our bed. Last night was a combo of night terror and regular crying. The night before was a bad dream and clinging to me, even while I had to nurse the baby. The four nights before were perfect – went to sleep at a good time, all by herself, and slept all night. The routine is consistent, but there are things we cant control, like she got sick or grandma visiting. I just don’t know what to do anymore and am just trying to get through each night, wondering how it will go. Is this happening with other people? What are we doing wrong? Friends don’t really seem to have these issues, but I feel like people don’t like talking about this. Advice? Commiseration?
Anonymous says
My son is now almost 6 and still comes in to tell me he had a “bad dream” sometimes. He used to have blanket problems sometimes. I guess we’re lucky in that all he requires is that we walk him back to bed and tuck him in, but the disruptions are still painful. I don’t think you are doing anything wrong, and this is probably feeling like more of an issue because you are dealing with sleep disruptions from a baby too. But do you need help figuring out what boundaries to set when there is a middle of the night problem, or what your plan B is – like would it work better for you to say you are never going to stay with her in her room, or you will stay for x minutes only, or she can never sleep in your bed but can sleep in a sleeping bag on your floor? I think anything goes if it works for you, but maybe having clearer limits/plans would make the unpredictability feel less overwhelming by reducing decision fatigue?
mascot says
I don’t think you are doing anything wrong. It’s normal to have nights where you don’t sleep well or have bad dreams. Kids have them too, but they don’t really know how to deal with them in the moment. Add in normal developmental changes like growing pains and perfecting overnight potty training and it can mess things up even more Our kid is a really good sleeper otherwise so we try to treat those bad nights as outliers instead of worrying that a couple of nights of taking special comfort measures will forever destroy his good sleep habits. On the advice of our doctor, we used a melatonin for a couple of nights at a time if his sleep seemed to have gotten really out of whack and needed a reset.
Pogo says
“Kids have them too, but they don’t really know how to deal with them in the moment” – this is my mantra.
lsw says
I have no experience with this, but could it be related to the new baby? Especially because the baby is getting special time with you by nursing?
Anon in NYC says
+1. I would likely chalk this up to the new baby and/or developmental changes and separation anxiety. My kid (at 2.5) went through months of unpredictable sleep, except it was like 1 to 2 good night per week and 5 or 6 nights of multiple wake ups and screaming/crying. Every night was like Russian roulette – were we going to have a good night or a bad night? It was horrendous. In the end, I think a weighted blanket helped a lot. OP, you have my sympathies!
Mama Llama says
Is hiring a sleep consultant an option? It sounds like you’re at your wit’s end, so maybe some personalized advice from a professional would be helpful. Even if there isn’t anything you should be doing differently, it might make you feel better to have an expert tell you that.
lala says
I’m here for the commiseration. When my second was born my first went from being an all star sleeper to a lot of night wakings for what sounds like similar things (scary dreams, hot, cold, etc). It didn’t feel like a quick phase when we were in it (my second was a TERRIBLE sleeper from the get go) because we were running on fumes, but it did pass in about 3-4 months.
We kept the bedtime routine consistent (which it sounds like you are doing), and since I was nursing the baby, my husband dealt with all night wakings of the older child. Eventually it just stopped on its own.
My mom did stay with us for a few days during this period and slept in my older child’s room. This gave us a week long reprieve from the wakings, but I’m not sure all grandmas are willing to do this!
Jeffiner says
I have similar problems with my 3 year old. We have a consistent routine, but she always wants us to stay with her, or come fix her blanket, or sleep in our room. We don’t have a baby, so she can’t use that as an excuse. I think its just a phase, and the only way to get through is to be consistent. I remember I hated going to bed until I was 6 or 7, so it may be a long phase.
vacation from DC says
Now that my almost-1-yo is sleeping better away from how, I would like to plan a vacation for early summer. We live in DC, ok with driving or a flight, but want to go south, not north (I would like it to be just my husband & I w/our kid, and going north increases the chance that extended family will end up tagging along). Some outdoors would be nice, ideally we will get an Airbnb/condo, and I think we’d probably prefer to avoid a time change. Outerbanks? Somewhere in Florida? An island somewhere? Thanks!
vacation from DC says
Gah should be *away from home (and who knows how many other typos I made…it’s going to be a long day)
Anonymous says
I’ve been going to Duck NC for 35 years so am biased, but I like it there and the outer banks in general. Most of the accommodations are house rentals through agencies and are often shared by multiple families, so depending on your budget finding a good rental for a smaller group may be a little tricky. There are a few hotels – the Sanderling resort and the Hampton Inn in Corolla seem very nice.
Anon says
Not sure about with little kids, but we love Charleston and the nearby islands. Sullivan’s Island and Isle of Palms are pretty quiet and restful and there is a mix of condo, house and hotel options. The benefit to being on the islands is the quiet (and usually less crowded beaches, particularly in shoulder season) but in 20 minutes over the bridge you can be in downtown Charleston. I also hear good things about Sandbridge, VA, but I’ve never been there myself.
anne-on says
Do you want a beach vacation? My son was NOT into waves/sand/getting slathered with sunblock and we’re not huge beach people so I’d default toward more of a mountain/city excursion.
The outer banks are indeed lovely and very family friendly but are almost exclusively whole house rentals, and the hotel rentals tend to attract a younger/rowdier crowd. Corolla or Duck would be my two choices for OBX.
EB0220 says
My kids really liked Duck when we visited a few years ago. We’ve also had fun in Charleston, SC with kids. Further west, we just did a week in the mountains of NC (Bryson City). It’s great if you like outdoor activities plus hangout time and we were really impressed with the fun restaurants and breweries in Bryson City.
Anon says
When I was a kid we did the Days Inn in Kill Devil Hills in OBX, and really liked it!
Anonymous says
How about Pawley’s Island/Litchfield in South Carolina?
We went to Prince Edward Island when my kid was 1.5 and it was glorious. We drove from NYC, which was insane and took forever. But you can fly and I really loved it.
SC says
St. Petersburg/Clearwater, Florida? I’m sure you could rent a condo on the beach. There’s the beach, but there are non-beachy, fun things to do too. It sounds like your kid is young enough to still tag along to adult things without minding too much. The Dali museum is amazing, and I’ve heard good things about the Chihuly Collection. There’s a beautiful walking path along the harbor outside the Dali Museum. There are a lot of restaurants and several breweries and distilleries. If you like baseball (I don’t particularly), the Rays play in St. Pete.
NYCer says
How about Bermuda? It is an easy (1.5 hour-ish) flight and is lovely in early summer. Kiddo would need a passport though.
lsw says
Any music suggestions? I grew up listening to (and loving) Tom Chapin. I’ve started listening to them with my kid, but would love to add other stuff into the rotation. I like Tom Chapin because his voice isn’t annoying and the songs aren’t too cloying. Anything else in that realm would be great! There are probably some classics that I just haven’t heard of, but I don’t want to just use a listicle – I’d rather hear from a mom, “Yes, this is not too annoying.”
And – related – good night-time music? My son has been loving listening to these violin arrangements of lullabies as we get ready for bed, so I’d love a few other albums that could serve a similar purpose.
Because I live in 1998, we mostly use CDs, if that matters.
AIMS says
Someone gave us a book of kids poems called Leave your Sleep that comes with a cd of the poems sung by Natalie Merchant and it’s awesome. Her voice is great and the songs are interesting and mostly not annoying (some are genuinely great).
Mama Llama says
For kids music, I really enjoy Raffi, which I listened to growing up. We also have an album called Old Town School of Folk Music that I like a lot. Elizabeth Mitchell is another great one for traditional songs. We also have a bunch of those Putomayo world music CDs for kids, which my daughter loves. I especially like the reggae ones.
PS: I’m with you on the CDs! My kiddo got her own CD player as a gift, and she really loves being able to put on her own CDs. She likes books on CD as well as music, and it’s a great way to keep her occupied.
avocado says
My kid and I loved Elizabeth Mitchell–her sound is fresh and not at all cloying. You Are My Little Bird is my favorite of her records. In addition to traditional songs there is an awesome Velvet Underground cover. We also liked Dan Zanes and Friends, but his sound was about as close to typical children’s music as I could handle.
My kid commuted 1 hour each way with me until she was 4, and in the car we usually just listened to grown-up music. Some of her favorites were Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Bob Marley, the Beatles, and John Prine.
Mama Llama says
My daughter also likes Bob Marley – her other non-kid favorite is Harry Belafonte.
AIMS says
I am a big fan of non kid kid music. My patients raised me on the Beatles. We listen to a lot of that, Willy Nelson, etc., with my oldest.
avocado says
Ooh, yes, Willie Nelson and also David Mallett.
Anonymous says
My 8 year old daughter wakes to the Putomayo African Rhythms and absolutely loves it.
Pigpen's Mama says
Casper Babypants – -goofy, in a fun way adults would enjoy, original songs and Beatles covers
Elizabeth Mitchell — little folksy, some classic songs
Laurie Berkner — silly, energetic songs
Rafi — oldie but goodie
The Pop-Ups — seems like a kid’s version of Moxy Fruvous/Barenaked Ladies — I haven’t heard many songs by them, but the ones I have are fun
Lullabies — I like the Rockabye Baby series that takes popular rock and pop music and lullaby-izes them (it could verge close to elevator music in some cases)
If you don’t have a streaming service like Amazon Music — try them out on YouTube and then get the CDs, as YMMV
Carine says
+1 for Caspar Babypants. Our family loves him – I’ve caught myself singing along well after dropping off at daycare. I think Sing Along! is my favorite album of his originals.
Anonymous says
Oh man my kids LOVE Laurie Berkner. I like her too!
Katala says
+2 to Laurie Berkner and Caspar Babypants (who is the frontman from POT USA which just makes him more awesome in my view).
CPA Lady says
Peter Paul & Mary? I listened to them a lot as a kid.
EB0220 says
For regular kids music, I second Raffi and Elizabeth Mitchell. For nighttime, we swear by Clair de Lune on repeat!
Anonymous says
For folk-y kids music, I like the Peter Paul and Mary kids album (because I listened as a kid partly), Doc Watson, and Ella Jenkins.
You might also like Dan Zanes.
Frozen Peach says
Bob Seeger’s kids albums are great too.
lsw says
Thanks for all these suggestions! We do listen to non-kid music on Sirius in the car (my kid and I love doowop, so that’s fun) but I wanted some stuff for his room. Right now he signs for “more” after each track because he doesn’t want the CD to be over. It’s just about my favorite thing.
Anonymous says
We love the They Might Be Giant kid cds.
KateMiddletown says
I’ll put in a reco for Trout Fishing in America although some of the songs are cringe-worthy. We listened to these a ton as kids so it hits a nostalgic note for me.
AwayEmily says
I’m about to get on a cross country flight — first trip away from my 3 month old son (we also have a 2YO). I’ll be gone until Saturday morning. He’s still iffy with the bottle (he’ll drink but not much at a time — usually only an ounce or two). The pediatrician assured me it was fine to for me to go and that he’d figure it out but I am feeling so sad and guilty about doing this to him and to my husband (his mom flew in to help, too). Anyone have any stories/words of reassurance? We’ve found a bottle he hates less than the rest, at least.
Pogo says
You can do it mama! I’ve posted before but I left mine at 5.5w for a bachelorette party. Husband went through all the milk in the freezer and LO had formula for half a day (we had previously supplemented a little in that first month, so I knew he’d take it). He was fine!
More recently I’ve had other business trips and nights away. Sometimes he is meh about the bottle for a day or so but then he chows down eventually. I try not to ask for too many detailed “oz consumed” reports because it just stresses me out. I also try not to direct my husband too much – when he’s on duty, it’s his show. I do like to FaceTime and check in on the Nest to see my little guy sleeping.
AwayEmily says
Thank you so much — just saw this and it was exactly what I needed to hear. My husband reports he is finally drinking from the bottle. Such a relief.
Pogo says
ugh, comment in moderation because I used not one, but TWO banned words!! I need more coffee.
long story short: you got this! and baby will be ok.
anon says
Silly question but when did your kid start using blankets? Our 16 month old is going through a bad sleep spell and we’re also running out of pajamas with foots on them, so I thought it might be a good time for a blanket.
Anon in NYC says
We introduced one at around that age – whenever she outgrew even the largest sleep sacks.
shortperson says
amazon has wearable blankets with feet. i think we had the “vaenait baby” kind until kiddo asked for a real blanket closer to about 22 months.
Aly says
We still do a sleep sack with a 17 month old. She has a blanket, but it’s always kicked off. Bonus – the sleep sack keeps her from swinging her leg up to climb out of the crib.
J says
We still do a sleep sack at 2.5. My daughter is all over her crib during the night so would probably lose a blanket, and her room is cold. I think she’d freeze with a regular blanket and no sleep sack. I figure we’ll move to a blanket when she either asks or we convert her crib to a toddler bed. But since the sleep sack keeps her from getting out of her crib, it might be a while. She loves her sleep sack and thinks it is cozy.
Boston Legal Eagle says
I have an almost 2 year old and we do a sleep sack + blanket. We started with the blanket over the winter, so maybe 4 months ago? He doesn’t fully cover himself with the blanket, but it’s nice to get him used to it for when we eventually move him out of the sleep sack and out of footie pajamas.
Redux says
We also did sleep sacks until about 2.5, both as a blanket and also to keep the kiddo from climbing out of the crib. Search for toddler sleep sack, and then compare the lengths of each product and get a long one. We switched to blanket when kiddo got a big girl bed in anticipation of the new baby needing the crib.
Anonymous says
My kiddo was in a floor bed, so I think we switched out of sleep sacks when she was well and truly walking. About 18 months. Sleep sacks aren’t really safe for her to walk around on wood floors with, so blankets since then. She doesn’t really stay under them yet. If she ever got cold (haha — it’d be an ice age and all the normal humans would be dead) we’d use footie pajamas layered with socks, etc.
Anonymous says
Silly question, but how are you running out of footie jammies? My almost 6 year old still wears them… Maybe you just need another brand? Carters and Old Navy both carry them up to 5T at least.
anon OP says
I just haven’t looked. We were gifted some Hanna Anderson ones so those don’t have feet for now and I’m being cheap, ha.
Anonymous says
Just put socks on with them
anonanon says
It’s probably dependent on your climate, but my 16 mo sleeps in non foot pajamas with no blanket. We find he actually sleeps longer than when he had the sleepsack and was maybe overheated? So worth a try without if you don’t think it’s too cold.
Anonymous says
Started using a special blankie for snuggling sometime shortly after 12 months, but refused any blankets as covers until almost 3. We just did fleece PJs (never used sleep sacks) and he was fine, even in a pretty cold house. If it was REALLY cold we’d add a sweatshirt. It was nice to move to cotton PJs once he’d allow a blanket.
lala says
I kind of love this blazer, but can’t decide if it would look professional in a business casual office. I might just buy it for the travel purposes, but it would be easier to stomach the price if I could wear it to work. Anyone seen it IRL and have thoughts?
avocado says
I have not seen this blazer, but I have seen some of the other “workwear” from Athleta in person and was not at all impressed. This whole line is just confusing. Too dressy for athleisure, yet too much like workout clothes for even a casual workplace. I think it would work best in a sci-fi movie. Some of the sweaters look reasonable, but they all contain wool or cashmere and are therefore itchy.
ElisaR says
hahahaha “work best in a sci-fi movie”. …. thank you for that
Mama Llama says
At that age, my kid would never have kept a blanket on her, so we kept her in gigantic sleep sacks.
Anonymous says
My son just turned 2 and we’re having trouble getting him to communicate. He knows a fair amount of words, most of his letters, can count to ten, etc., but if he wants anything– especially food– he just waves his hand towards one half of the kitchen and yells “MINE! MINE!” So we have to say a list ourselves of what he might want– “Do you want more bread? More milk? A cookie?” until we land on what it is he wants. Once we hand him the thing he can usually say the word… this morning he wanted more bread. When we handed him the bread, he said “bread.” I’m ready to just stop giving him things until he uses the word or at least says “please” instead of “mine” (though I don’t think I’ve ever heard him say please so that might be asking a lot). My husband thinks that seems mean. Either way we’re in a bad middle ground right now, because for the last few days it’s been a lot of “MINE!” “Do you want more bread?” “Okay” “Can you say ‘bread’? Say ‘more bread?'” then crazy tantruming, then my husband gives in and gets him the bread. Any tips?
Anonymous says
Yes. He is two. This is developmental normal communication. Your husband is right. Give him the bread for crying out loud!
anne-on says
+1. Sorry but expecting him to ask calmly (or say please) for bread at this age just isn’t likely or developmentally. You’re just setting yourself up for crazy tantrums and frustration. Maybe it would be helpful for you to introduce some signing (for more, or please, or thank you?).
At this age I also spent A LOT of time reminding my husband what was/wasn’t developmentally appropriate and forwarding him articles/making him read chapters of children’s books. There are enough tantrums already with kids, I didn’t want to have them over things that simply were not things our small child was capable of.
GCA says
Sounds pretty normal for two. Mine had a word-splosion right around that age, but wasn’t using grammatical constructions for a while more. Does he know baby signs at all? That might help a bit with his frustration and yours. Daycare taught kiddo the signs for more, up, down, milk, and all done, so we just accepted those till they were reliably replaced with the spoken forms.
Anon in NYC says
I think you’re expecting too much from him right now. Just given what I see in my daughter’s preschool class, kids can really start doing this at around 2.5. It doesn’t mean you can’t keep working on it with him – just don’t make it the hill you’re going to die on right now.
J says
Agree with all the other posters. Our daughter (2.5 now) would have never been able to do that, and still can’t all the time. Hers was a more polite “more” instead of “mine”. In that situation, anyway. She definitely does the “mine” for toys and stuff :(
My daughter has been convinced for about 6 months that “snack” refers to a specific type of food instead of just generally food between meals. We still have no clue what she wants when she asks for “snack” despite attempts to offer her everything in our house when she asks. She still asks regularly. It causes so much stress and sadness for everyone.
Meg Murry says
That so sad and cute. Can you ask at daycare? Perhaps they almost always have the same snack every morning or afternoon, and so that is what she means by “snack”. Or perhaps its a specific combo, like graham crackers and milk, not just graham crackers.
Kids are so cute but get so frustrated when they know what they want but they can’t express it.
BC says
This reminds me of something my son did when he was a toddler. He was in his high chair desperate for something, but I couldn’t figure out what. He kept saying “Mo! mo!” for “more, more!” And I was like, “More what? More what, more what?” So he desperately said, “Mo, peesh! Mo, peesh!” for please. And I could not have cared less about manners at that moment, so it was like, thanks for saying please, but really just tell me what what the heck you want!
Delta Dawn says
My little boy had a very specific definition of “breakfast” that we could not decode. Turns out he thinks “breakfast” refers only to nutri-grain bars. As in, “Do you want oatmeal?” “NO! Want breffas!” “But oatmeal IS breakfast.” “That NOT breffas!” Apparently I handed him a breakfast bar in the car on one too many late mornings, and now he thinks that’s what breakfast is. So I feel your pain.
Anon says
LOL!
Jeffiner says
He just turned two, but sometime between two and three he’ll likely have a language explosion. I would keep telling him “bread” when you hand it to him. That’s how he’ll learn. I would start saying something like, “we say ‘please’ when we want something,” and calmly hand him the bread. It may turn into him saying “PLEASE MINE” or just yelling “please” instead of “mine” for a while before he gets it, but he will eventually get it. Kids also tend to forget words when they get upset, so if he’s really hungry or frustrated it will be extra hard for him to remember the word “bread.”
Anonymous says
Thanks all! Even when I re-read it I was like man, I sound mean here. It’s been exasperating but it does make sense that he isn’t quite ready yet. I keep worrying he’ll be whiny forever but it’s unlikely.
Meg Murry says
Can you and your husband model it a little bit? You say “Husband can I have a piece of bread, please?” and he says “Yes! I like the way you said please! [or I like how you used your polite words!]”. It sounds goofy, but if you praise other people for doing what you want him to do, it eventually does get some of the message across.
Also, in the mornings my kids have always been tired and hangry, and that’s when they were most likely to forget a word that they knew the previous day. So as long as they aren’t being complete brats (throwing things, etc) we don’t push too hard on them in the morning until after they have some food in their systems, not unlike how my husband and I don’t communicate in more than than bare necessity of grunts until we’ve had our morning caffeine fix.
anon says
Oh no. Sorry OP but wait until 3… just a friendly warning for you: this is the tip of the iceberg. whining is a phase too and it’s a thing you’ll have to deal with that you may or may not be able to train out of. this actually doesn’t sound like whining to me? My kid has excellent manners, but she still whines a lot.
It’s super annoying, but when it comes, just realize they are still learning to communicate then too. There’s a whole other world of tricks for how to respond to real whining.
And I say this in a friendly heads up way because we recently hit true whining and I’m about at my wits’ end!
Anon in NYC says
Ugh, same with the whining. So annoying.
Redux says
I get a lot of mileage out of a look of confusion and a “sorry, I can’t understand you when you use that voice. Can you say it again in your normal voice?” Good luck, whining is annoying as all get out.
Anon says
my almost-5 year old still does it now and then, but now she’s old enough to be annoyed when I whine back at her. ;)
Anonymous says
I loved every age/stage of my child (now 2.5) until we hit the 22ish month mark, when he was old enough to have really strong feelings about very particular things (exactly what he wanted to eat for breakfast, where he wanted us to go, etc.) but not the language ability to verbalize it. (I was also 9 months pregnant at that point, which didn’t help my patience) He had his language explosion around 25-26 months and it has gotten so. much. easier. Hang in there!
Clementine says
Echoing that it is totally normal, etc.
Every parent has a pet peeve, mine specifically is when a kid just grunts/whines and makes you figure it out. I wouldn’t sit there and play the guessing game, but if he said/signed ‘Please’ and pointed, I would happily help him figure out what he needed. I just found the ‘please’ less irritating than just grunting/whining/’DAAAAAAAATTTTT’ being shrieked at me.
I also straight up tell my kid, ‘I’m sorry, Mommy and Daddy don’t speak whine. If you can use kindness, we can help you.’ If he keeps whining, we walk away. At first, he would tantrum a bit, but it really cut back on the whining.
These are really more ‘how to slightly adjust behaviors so that you get less annoyed with your kid’ tips than actual profound parenting stuff, but it helped me.
Anon says
I’ll be the voice of dissent here, but with the caveat that I have girls, and both were always fairly advanced in terms of language. Nothing crazy, but lots of words and early.
My youngest is 21 months and says things like “have it more bread please mama?” It didn’t just happen, we had to work on it. My older daughter was the driving force in this (probably too driving…she’s a little bossy), always insisting on hearing “yes please” or “no thank you” before sharing her stuff with little sister. my younger one is also the most fiercely independent toddler I have ever seen (and I know a lot of toddlers)– she won’t let anyone help her with ANYTHING; it’s all “I do it own self!” “OWN SELF!” to the point where getting dressed and out the door takes 100 years, but gosh darn it she does everything but the zipper her OWN DAMN SELF. My oldest was not like that at all.
I don’t play the “guess the grunt” game. Instead, what we do (did) was see the kid wanting something, and ask her to point to it. Once she pointed to what she wanted, we named the thing and asked her to repeat it (as we gave it to her). Eg. “oh, the bread? you want the bread? can you say bread?” “bread” “good job, here’s the bread!” I would say where I didn’t push but it sounds like you are is “more” + “bread”. If your kid isn’t stringing words together yet, you might be setting yourself up for failure. And/or you might be working with a hangry kid, and you may have much better luck practing “more [thing] please” outside of snacks– think bubbles in the bath, crayons/stickers, trucks, that kind of thing.
Finally, ask your child’s caregiver what they do. You want to be using the same prompts/words as they are.
avocado says
My kid’s favorite sentence at that age was “I do it myself!” Now at age 11 she likes to come ask me for help with her homework wailing “I don’t gettttt this, helllllp me!,” then start screaming, “No, I get it, stop telling me how to do it!” before I’ve even said two words. Independence. Gotta love it.
Anonymous says
Has his language changed? Like, my daughter was using correct nouns at 18 months. But now at 2.5, there’s a lot of “Mine!” or “Get it FOR ME. I WANT IT!” But since I know she can ask, I’ll just stand there holding what she wants until she uses words.
If your son never used nouns properly to get what he wanted, then you probably just need to wait for his emotions to get under control enough for his vocabulary to catch up. If, however, the “Mines” are new and he used to ask I would push back gently. Because using language in the face of emotion is what’s going to get him calmed down and teach him to control his emotions.
Also, Please will come naturally if you and your husband model it with each other and your son. (I need to be better about using it with my daughter, because she uses please with everyone but me. Sigh.)
H says
I’m confused with this blazer. Blazers are workwear but it is styled as athleisure. I don’t know what the fabric is (bonded Italian???) but the seam on the arm makes it look not appropriate for work. And the blazer aspect makes it look weird with athletic clothing.
J says
Athleta has a whole line like this that confuses me. I think maybe it is aimed for travel? And I wonder if makes more sense on the west coast? I assume Athleta is based in SF like the other Gap brands?
KateMiddletown says
Yes it screams west coast to me. There’s no way I could get away with it.
Anonymous says
West Coaster here (CA) and I also don’t understand this. And I’m in academia where we see all kinds of looks. Possibly in an SF startup but this looks too much like they are trying to be dressy but not…people in SF who care about fashion actually look fashionable and people who don’t don’t even try. And if you’re actually formal then it’s real formal not athleisure formal. So I’m back to not understanding this.
BUT. I am intrigued. I wish they would just show the darn blazer by itself or styled like a normal person would wear it. Because for me the holy grail of clothing is comfortable and looks professional so something like this has big potential.
Another pet peeve: If you bother to have a section called “Fabric & Care” then actually tell us what the fabric is!
J says
That makes sense. Hope I didn’t come off as offensive – totally didn’t mean it that way!
NewMomAnon says
I…think I have this “blazer” from MM LaFleur? Except they call it a “jardigan” and I’m not entirely sold that their version is technically a jacket either.
ElisaR says
i love my MMLafleur jardigan….. it’s as close to I get for a jacket these days, I was hoping it kind of comes across as one!
NewMomAnon says
I think mine is too big, so the shoulders don’t sit on my shoulders and it looks kind of droopy. The lack of buttons and pockets also makes me question its “jacket”-ness. But I do think it’s very professional and I wear it all the time!
CasualBlazers says
I wear a blazer for casual wear – though typically a ponte blazer not a structured wool blazer. I’m cold all the time and get bored of sweaters. Also, I look better in structured clothes.
Anon says
So, long-story short, a bunch of my husband’s stuff from their family office got moved into our house yesterday. The night before I was up every hour with our 8 month old (teething I suspect given the drool) and I’ve been billing 50+ hour weeks for over a month. I “lost my waffles” about all the crap and boxes everywhere, how the furniture was not put where we had agreed it should go and how extra stuff that we had not discussed taking (vs. his parents taking or being sold) showed up after I spent every extra minute of my maternity leave cleaning out all the extra stuff we moved into our house with (that was his) that sat around for 3 years in boxes and now our house is filled with boxes again. And I work from home today and despite my specific instructions, I couldn’t get to my desk in our home office last night. Well, when I got up with the baby for the third time at 1 am and took her into the spare bedroom to nurse and co-sleep because I was just. too. tired., he went downstairs, cleared a bunch of stuff out of the way, and put on a pot of coffee on a timer for me to be ready for when I got up today. And I was such a horrible, terrible, angry, tired troll last night. So, reminder to all the other struggling mama’s out there (and for myself) – try to remember all the good things your husband does. And pray for grace.
mascot says
Someone said it the other day about giving our spouse grace- remember that you didn’t marry an a-hole and give them the benefit of the doubt.
The simple act of bringing my morning coffee to me while I’m getting ready each day is one of the hundred little ways that my husband shows that he is really a caring, good man even if he drives me crazy later that day.
CPA Lady says
I don’t even know what I”m asking for exactly, but do any of yall get burned out from being a functioning adult? I dont even work much overtime and I’m so over everything right now and everything feels like an overwhelming endless grind. This weekend I just kind of snapped and started making to do lists because everything is bothering me all of a sudden– a minor home repair that we’ve been putting off for months has to be done RIGHT NOW OR I WILL DIE. Ugh. I’m just in a foul, exhausted mood so I’m looking for things to be irritated by. I guess this is kind of par for the course with a little kid and all the solo parenting I do, and coming off of tax season. What do you do when you’re tired like this?
NewMomAnon says
I am completely bone tired too. Between being snowed in with other humans this weekend (introvert meter drained to negative eleventy billion), an unexpected client implosion, tax season, sick kid, and a number of smaller hiccups…I’m feeling so tapped out. I heard the deepest, scariest mom voice erupt from my chest this morning because of a relatively minor kid infraction, and I know I need to find a way to recharge.
anne-on says
Honestly, when I’m THAT burnt out it usually means I need a full day (or even a weekend) to myself with NO projects/things I have to do/children to manage/work to respond to. It sounds like you deserve some solo time and to have your partner take on some more parenting work. If that isn’t possible, can you throw some money at things short term?
J says
Same. I snap when I am way too burnt out and didn’t see it coming. When that happens I try to schedule a Saturday where I leave in the AM and do fun things until about the end of naptime. Or maybe take off work at noon and come home right at kiddo’s bedtime.
I totally get it in those moods, too. All of a sudden everything that has piled up is the end of the world, and I can’t handle it. It also usually involves me telling (yelling) hubby that he isn’t pulling his weight and that I do everything. Then he cleans the house, and I feel bad because he does lots of things to contribute. It often coincides with letting my exercise slip or particularly bad hormones with PMS (which I would never admit to people I actually know!). And never-ending winter.
Do what is feasible to take some time for yourself. Hugs.
Anonymous says
I am obsessed with yin yoga or slow yoga or restorative yoga – some variation of those classes. Lots of breathing and stretching and it gives me almost an oxygen high. Highly recommended.
EB0220 says
Absolutely get this way and there’s no way to shake it other than a massage and some dedicated me time. Can’t force yourself to work through this mood. Don’t blame yourself.
H says
I don’t know if I’d call it burned out per se, but occasionally I get really antsy to just do something different than the norm, which for me means taking a trip somewhere. Even if it is just a Saturday to Sunday in the city a few hours away, at least we don’t have to do home stuff for a day and a half. I also find it really important for my mental sanity if we make sure to do something “fun” every weekend. It can be so easy to think you have too much to do around the house, but I really go crazy if we don’t leave at least once and do something fun.
Pigpen's Mama says
+1
And then I start thinking I shouldn’t be complaining, because I have an only, and work is flexible, and we don’t have financial issues… which makes me feel even worse…
I second the suggestions to take some time — even a regular babysitter when your H is traveling so you can meet friends or go to Target. It’s initially a lot of work to set up, but would probably be worth it.
Anon says
When I was feeling like this for a while, I finally got on antidepressants. I am well aware it doesn’t fix the underlying issue but they give me more energy to cope. Good luck and try to take a vacation!
Anonymous says
I am trying to plan a Maui vacation for my family (me, husband, 8 year old, 5 year old). For various reasons, mostly involving an enormous number of Chase Sapphire travel point, I want to book at a hotel instead of a VRBO/house. But trying to sort through the resort hotels of Maui is giving me heart palpitations because there are So Many Choices. We are looking for suite-style rooms, good kid amenities like fun pools, and most importantly, a great beach. Anybody have suggestions?
ElisaR says
we stayed at the Marriott Wailea (using points)…. it was on the beach and had a nice pool. I will say that I didn’t see people swimming at that beach though – it wasn’t like Honolulu….if I had kids I would want them to swim where there are lifeguards and more people. I also have no idea if they have suite-style rooms…. ok I’m realizing that I’m not being that helpful here. Most of the beaches in Wailea seemed to pretty devoid of traditional beachgoers…. they weren’t that wide
Anonymous says
We recently stayed at the Sheraton on Kaanapali Beach. I can’t speak to suites as we stayed in a fairly small room, but the pool was cool with a winding lazy river and bean bag floats anyone could hop on. The beach right in front of the hotel was narrow, but there was lots of fun snorkeling right around Black Rock and a gorgeous, quiet, wide beach across the street.
If you’re open to switching islands, I would definitely recommend checking out Marriott’s Koloa Landing Resort on Kauai. We stayed there first before heading to Maui. It has big, suite style rooms with kitchenettes and washer/dryers and a truly amazing pool set-up with a fun water slide and waterfalls that kids were loving. It’s only drawback is that it’s a short walk to the sandy beach area.
AnoninNYY says
Grand Wailea has great waterslides and I think other good things for kids (though I didn’t have kids with me, so you should check before booking).
biglawanon says
There is a Westin and a Westin Villas in Kanapaali. The villas have a kitchen and in-unit washer dryer. We got a 2 BR and I think it was around 1000 sq ft. I don’t know if you can book with points, but the Kapalua Villas are excellent, and same kind of set-up. I prefer Kapalua.
NewMomAnon says
I just got off a phone call with a recruiter who indicated that there is “salary banding” for various levels in a very large national company, which I assume is paying top dollar for my specialty in this market. But she couldn’t tell me the banding for this particular role because they didn’t want anyone to be “deterred from applying” based on the band.
What does that mean exactly? Is the top end of the band more flexible than it would seem? I have looked at in-house roles where the top of the range was below the lowest salary I would consider, the recruiter has told me not to ask over the top of the range, and I’ve not bothered submitting a resume. Here, I suspect that my minimum required compensation is actually on the bottom end of their band and that I will leave money on the table if I don’t know their band. I’d also like some sense of whether I’m locking myself into the top of the salary range with no potential for upward growth, or whether I’m in the middle of the band with opportunity to earn more. Why is this so hard?!! All I wanted was “low 100s” or “mid 100s” or even “100K is the bottom of the band.”
Due in December says
Sleep issues question (28 month old).
I feel I am spoiled from having a relatively good sleeper. We did CIO when she was 8 months or so and since then, except for of course when she is sick or we’re traveling or whatever, she typically has gone to bed well after our usual routine. Maybe a little fussing/crying once in a while, but honestly, not a lot.
Now, she is starting to CRY whenever we leave the room at bedtime, and it continues….long enough to make me uncomfortable. CIO seems worse now when she knows we can hear her and is wailing for us by name. Or getting angry and saying things like, “Go to work, Mama!” I feel like she’s too old for CIO, maybe, but what is the alternative?
I think it is separation anxiety.
So what should I do? Quite honestly, because she’s been a good sleeper, I’m kind of afraid to deviate from the usual routine. Plus I feel like she doesn’t want me to leave but my’ presence makes her amped up enough that she wouldn’t actually go to sleep if I didn’t leave.
She’s in a crib, if that matters. Bedtime usually between 7 and 7:30. Always the same routine, bath, teeth, Aquaphor, PJs, books, lights off, white noise on, say goodnight to the dog, one song, bed.
CPA Lady says
How long has it been going on? I’d probably keep on with the same schedule, read a lot of llama llama red pajama, and tell her that when you leave her room you will see her in the morning, and then not go back in unless you’re okay with going in every damn night (Basically let her know what to expect and unfailingly follow through with it, whatever that may be). I vaguely remember a similar phase with my also usually good sleeper. She’s back to being a good sleeper.
Due in December says
Probably 2 weeks or so. Maybe a couple of months ago she started crying about 5 minutes after we put her down. We instituted a “you get us to come in and check on you one time” policy that seemed to be working, we’d go in once but no more than that, and then she’d settle. She probably did just realize her power, as FTMinFL says below….but it doesn’t make it easier!
Glad to know there might be light at the end of the tunnel…
FTMinFL says
This happened to us right at the same age. It’s like he had just figured out how to exert control over my actions in many areas of his life through language (e.g., he can now ask for cheese crackers instead of plain crackers for snack and I will comply) and at bedtime he was going to try to exert the same control. I chalked it up to testing boundaries, but I felt bad leaving him upset, as well. I made it my goal to have 30 minutes of absolutely undivided son time in the evenings so that there was no way I could tell myself he was deprived of quality time with me. Then I stuck to our routine and boundaries and the issue resolved after about a month. I tell myself that kids thrive on routine and boundaries because it gives them more security (i.e., someone else is in charge) than being able to manipulate their parents (kids are not tasked with responsibility of being in charge). If nothing else it helps me feel better!
Due in December says
Thanks! Yeah, that 30 minutes is a good idea…
Anon says
We put on my dumpy old phone with foreign cartoons on Youtube that go on for about 45 min.