Washable Workwear Wednesday: Tessie Dress
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.
Summer on the East Coast has been a scorcher so far. If you’re facing a steamy commute, consider adding this flowy dress to your warm-weather wardrobe.
This airy, cotton-blend dress has a notched neckline, billowy sleeves, and a matching belt. The pretty “wild meadow” print would work well into early fall. Best of all, it’s machine washable, so you can wear it on repeat all summer long.
M.M.LaFleur’s Tessie Dress is $269 and comes in sizes XS-XL.
Looking for other washable workwear? See all of our recent recommendations for washable clothes for work, or check out our roundup of the best brands for washable workwear.
Sales of note for 7/11
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Nordstrom – Designer clearance, up to 60% off!
- Ann Taylor – Semi-annual sale, 60% off sale and 40% off everything — readers love this blouse and I always love the variety of colors/textures for this jacket (it’s a great separate)
- Banana Republic Factory – Extra 50% off sale
- Brooks Brothers – Up to 40% off sitewide + 40% off 3+ items
- Express – Up to 75% off all markdowns; sale on sale, up to 70% off
- J.Crew Factory – 60% off clearance
- Lo & Sons – Summer sale, up to 50% off
- M.M.LaFleur – 25% off jardigans (Try code CORPORETTE15 for 15% off on other items)
- Talbots – 50% off wear-now styles and all markdowns + 30% off tops, pants, jeans, and shorts
For those of you with long-term health issues that aren’t quickly and easily resolved, how do you handle the emotional stress and keep your energy levels up so you can be present with your kids? I’m not necessarily talking about anything life-threatening, but something that impacts you many days.
I have been under unbelievable stress over the last few weeks while managing a lot of issues for other people. It’s culminating pretty much today, and I am so keyed up, it’s hard to focus. Given the circumstances, I cannot escape for any physical activity, and I have to work today — I’m also far away from friends, so cannot go out and blow off steam with friends. I’d love your best suggestions on how to get myself to calm down — I cannot figure out how to set down the mental worry I’ve been carrying, and the things I’m worried about right now are completely out of my control (e.g., how the weather will impact a long planned activity). Thoughts?
After the discussion yesterday of men not seeking out me time, I chuckled reading the following in the WSJ yesterday. The speaker is John Boehner, and it’s an article about why men are passionate about their lawns:
The secret, he explained, is that mowing the lawn is a cover story. What looks to others like a chore is actually a refuge from screens, co-workers, children and everything else that demands mental energy.
“Think of this as taking time for yourself,” Boehner advised. “Now, you don’t want to tell anybody that, all right? They might not let you do it if they think you’re enjoying it. Cutting the grass will be the smallest of the benefits. You’ll get a lot more out of taking your time and forgetting about all kinds of things. It’s healthy for you.”
Omg, it’s so stressful sometimes being around other parents of young kids and water. It’s absolutely shocking to me how many don’t take the safety seriously at all. I’m talking young toddlers with no PFDs on boats (often illegal depending on the state), parent watching young toddler from a distance in the pool while multitasking, a surfer I know who takes her toddler out on the board with no PFD (in waves), and so much more. I thought there was more national awareness of child drownings and yet you wouldn’t know it each summer.
Playroom organization question. I want to set up “stations” for various categories of my burgeoning toddler’s (1 year old) toys, ie, a music station, an animal station, a puzzle station. I want these stations to be on some sort of shelf or table – off the floor – and also somewhat mobile or at least not bolted to the wall. Space is limited so it should also be as space-saving as possible.
What am I looking for? I almost think it should be like a little table with storage underneath, and sturdy enough to not be pulled over easily. Any suggestions?
Someone on the main page mentioned My First Orchard as good board game for toddlers, but what are suggestions for a slightly older child? We are pretty good with Outfoxed! and love it. We have Pretty Pretty Princess and Don’t Wake Daddy, but my kid doesn’t like the snapping mechanism on Don’t Wake Daddy (or similar games like that Crocodile Dentist one).
We also have Gnomes at Night and Ticket to Ride – Junior version, which we’ve played, but the game mechanics are still a little hard for my 5 year old to grasp, especially on Ticket to Ride. I usually end up setting up her trains.
Anything else we might like?
Paging everyone in the thread below who says they camp….Explain it to me like I’m 5….
Are you tent camping? Cabins? Renting an RV?
Do you already have all the gear from pre-kids?
The level of effort as someone who doesn’t camp/have gear seems high but at the same time it sounds nice to occasionally camp.
I’m feeling intensely stressed. My child’s father, who has been living out of state, is moving to my state to a town 2 hours away from us. I have posted about him before. He has been unemployed for 18 months, but even before then he was not contributing to her costs. He wants to see more of her, and I guess he has a job offer in my state. He has no other connections here. He is a poor communicator and I have previously felt taken advantage of when he has assumed he can stay with me in my house for extended periods. Shortly after he quit his last job, I found out he had moved into my house because his mail was forwarded here (my daughter and I had been on a trip and he had stayed here to dog sit, but never asked to make it an extended stay). He is very testy and hostile with me, and seems to blame me for what his life looks like today. Note that he hasn’t actually told me about this move, I found out from my daughter, who is super excited.
I know his plan must be to stay at my place at least every weekend, since where he will be living is at least 2 hours away (and terrible traffic). I need to grow some strength to set some boundaries to tell him I’m not comfortable with that. Because he has been living out of state, I have allowed him to come for visits (which he always pushes to longer stays) as the alternative would be for my daughter to travel to him, which she’s too young to do. I feel so on edge when he’s around, and there is no way I can handle this being a weekly thing. He is moody and short with me, and my nervous system goes haywire when he’s here. But what’s the alternative? He can’t afford to stay at a hotel every weekend, and I don’t want my daughter to go to where he is (who knows what his living situation will be, and it would be a lot of time in the car for her and she gets intensely car sick). Do I just have to deal with it for my daughter’s sake? I would be OK with him coming to pick her up maybe every Saturday and doing something out of the house, but I really don’t want him staying overnight.
We don’t have a formal custody plan but I have always been the primary parent. We weren’t married. I have never pursued any child support because I way out-earn him, and he is frequently unemployed. If we went to court they would probably award 50/50 if he has moved back to the state, and I would have to pay him child support even though I have carried all the costs so far (including 4 years of expensive private preschool).
I hate this. I can’t sleep, I’m just fretting.
Can I get a gut check? I hit my housecleaner’s parked car when I was pulling out of the driveway this morning. Superficial dents in both cars, mine worse than hers. She said not to worry about it. I told her multiple times that we could file a claim, or she could get it fixed and send me the bill, but I’m worried the employer relationship has her feeling complicated about that. Would you let it go, or would you file a claim so that she could at least get the insurance money even if she didn’t want to fix her car?
MM LaFleur really lost its way several years ago. What made the brand so great was its simple, sleek, structured dresses that held up to travel. Now it’s all baggy, frumpy printed dresses that read “admin” and cheap-looking oversized polyester suits.
Judging by the conversation yesterday, it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but I personally really enjoy getting ideas from other moms on how to add more fun into the day-to-day grind (it doesn’t make me feel pressured or like I’m failing). I could use some more podcasts to listen to on walks and the commute – any suggestions for good ones on this topic? Particularly interested in tips on squeezing in more fun/memorable moments into ordinary routines, playing as an adult, and making the most of family adventures when you have limited time and money.
Do you vacation with friends? If so, what do you do?
Any recommendations for birthday gifts for a three year old? My parents and in laws have asked for suggestions, and I don’t have any ideas. We either already have it (nugget, yoto, bike) or don’t have room for it (play kitchen). What did your kids love at 3?
My 4yo daughter has made up her mind that she wants to drop pull-ups at night. I plan to put a waterproof pad and towel down for a bit. Anything else I can do? She has been dry at night for about a week and a half. The last 2 nights she was a little wet in the morning, but I have a hunch she is using the pull up out of convenience at this point.
How anyone found a strategy so that you don’t feel like you’re constantly correcting your toddler? The number of times a day I say things along the lines of don’t stand on the couch, it’s it nice to kick people, or food is for eating, not throwing is too high to count. I feel like almost everything I say to my toddler is a direction or correction, and I would like to change that dynamic.