Ode To The Bikini June 20, 2008

    We had many good years together the bikini and I. Back when I was skinny I always wore one. I didn’t even think twice about it. My thighs knew no cottage cheese and my stomach was rock hard. My biggest concern was getting a top that helped me out a bit in the cleavage department. I rejoiced when Victoria Secret put out its Miracle Bra suit. I never stressed out about swimsuit season or under the harsh lights of a dressing room.

Looking back on those days…I hate that girl. She didn’t know what she had. She probably complained that a size small suit was too big. She didn’t understand that her bikini days were oh so numbered. She completely did not understand that creating cleavage is nothing compared to the miracle it would take to make a stomach stretched out after 2 kids look good without full coverage.

I dream of the day when the bikini and I might be reunited. Sometimes when I am doing my ab crunches at the gym I think to myself that it might be possible. Post kids, I moved on to the tankini, the bikini’s lamer, less popular sister. This year, I gave up the fight and bought a two piece which is the swimsuit equivalent to a retainer and a headgear. I am a couple of kids away from a full mumu.

Sometimes, I go to the pool and see women rocking the two piece with a kid on each hip. I would say that gives me hope, but instead I am just going to chose to assume they are some sort of nanny. Otherwise I would have to hate them. And that would be wrong (right?).

This post was written for Parent Bloggers Network as part of a sweepstakes sponsored by BOCA for a chance to win $150 which I will probably spend on wine and chocolate because who am I kidding, my bikini days are sooo over.

A Fashion Find May 12, 2008

 As I recently mentioned, I love fashion. And I love fashion tips. I have tried lots of fashion magazines and while they give me some ideas, I have no intention of paying $300 for a white t-shirt. And last time I checked 3 inch heels didn’t work so well at the park. So I need practical advice. Recently I scored a free subscription to Seventeen magazine and before you laugh, let me just tell you I read it cover to cover. Besides being a little disturbed by the content, I was loving that it highlighted some clothing and makeup options that were actually affordable. And wearable despite the fact it was catering to young girls. The articles-a bit hoochy, the clothes-not so much. So despite the fact I will not be letting my daughters read this publication, I found some great buys.

Also, my good friend Jen has launched a blog as well as a new website for her business. If you live in or near Chicago, you should definitely check out her personal styling services. She goes through your closet and takes you shopping to find clothes that flatter and are affordable. Think of her as a WAY nicer version of Stacy London. And she is a mom so she is not going to send you to the park in a mini skirt and high heels.

If you don’t live in Chicago, you can still benefit from her stylish advice at her blog. And the advice is free!! I have ripped off many style tips from her over the years and she is undoubtedly one of the most stylish people I know. So check her out and start looking fabulous!!

A Clothes Shoppin’ We Will Go May 3, 2008

  I am a reformed clothes-a-holic. By reformed, I mean my husband put me on a budget when we got married. Cause when we met I had no budget. And possibly a huge closet full of clothes. It is also possible many of them had tags on them. I may have had a problem, but let me be clear, “reformed” means I am on a budget. It does not mean that if I won the lottery tomorrow I wouldn’t buy a whole new wardrobe with a walk in closet to match.

So today, in the spirit of a new month, I hit the mall to spend my clothing budget. In the spirit of Vintage Dutch Girl who is always showing the world what clothing she would buy, I thought I would let you share in the booty I hauled home today. Please note, I will not be showing my actual booty. Sorry to disappoint.

First, my white pants. I heard they were a must have for the spring. I will confess as I was buying them I was thinking, “Where on earth can I stay at home mom wear white pants?” Tonight I wore them to church. And 2 people told me I looked skinny, so I just might wear these everywhere.

I wore them with a green polo shirt and these shoes.

I felt a little bit like you should call me Buffy as you handed me my ice tea at the country club.

While at Penny’s I also got an adorable white blouse and some awesome white wedge sandals, but I can’t find them on the website and am too lazy to go take a picture of them. Clearly white was a theme. Which I think is a brilliant choice when raising children who constantly are covered in jelly.

While at Payless, I discovered they were having their BOGO sale and I felt that it would just be plain wrong not to buy another pair. Not only wrong, but frugally irresponsible. So I bought these.

And I still had some budget left over. Where to spend that money?? Target might just be calling my name. Yes, I know. I have a problem.

 

Frugal Friday- Last minute Holiday deals December 21, 2007

 Anyone who knows me, knows I love a good bargain. I also love shopping for clothes. When the 2 things intersect…it’s like Christmas no matter what day it is.

1. The best deal around can be found over at Garnet Hill. I normally don’t shop there cause it is pricey, but there stuff is adorable and really well made. So when I discover they have kids PJ’s at 70% off, I pay attention. Seriously, you may not find a better deal around the internet. Head over here to check it out.
2. Children’s Place is having their semi-annual Monster Sale. This is when they practically give stuff away. Hint: they have really cute holiday wear marked down that you can stock up on for next year. Check it out here.
3. Remember when I told you about Crazy 8, Gymboree’s cheap line. Well despite not yet existing for a year, they are having a semi-annual sale. Some of there stuff is $3-5 dollars. I found them to be a bit low on sizes, but maybe you will find exactly what you are looking for. Head over here.

I am sure there is a TON more. If nothing else, the mall is open until midnight every night it seems so you can grab something over there. Has anyone been there at midnight? I am curious to know if anyone is shopping that late, but too tired to find out.

Happy shopping!! 

Frugal Friday- A Cheaper Gymboree!! November 1, 2007

  Gymboree cuteness, Old Navy prices. Do I need to say more. I have always thought Gymboree clothes were so cute, but a bit on the pricey side. Even their sale prices are more than I would usually pay. So the few Gymboree outfits we have are hand-me-downs or E-bay finds (yeah Ebay!!).

Today, I was alerted to some exciting news. Crazy 8, is a new store by the people at Gymboree. It’s like the Old Navy to Banana Republic. They are mostly online, but have a few “real” stores on the coasts. Which means us lowly people in the middle of the country will get one in 2011.

How cute is this?

Seriously, those boots!!! Ok, so those are $22.50 so a bad example. But at Gymboree, they would be like $55.50. Anyway, I swear, their stuff is reasonable. Their sale stuff is a steal. This may be my new favorite website. Which will probably result in some very un-frugal moments. Baby steps people.

One Hot Mama! September 1, 2007

 It’s that time again for my monthly assault on gray hairs. First of all, can someone please enlighten me as to the difference between gray and grey?

Anywho, if I have mentioned it before, I have lots of gray hairs. Not the occasional, “oh crap, a gray hair, I must pull it.” More like. “please don’t ever let the salon run out of color or I will age into a grandma overnight.” It’s genetic from my mom’s side along with baldness and small boobs. Thanks mom!

So I must drop insane amounts of cash every month to cover up this travesty. I tried coloring my own hair for a long time, but it was beginning to look scary and a bit like…I colored my own hair.

I decided that I would also change up my look a bit and get some hair cut off. Here was my inspiration.

                                                         

For those of you who don’t know me in real life, it is really shocking how much I look like this. For those of you who do, just shut your mouth.

So, I achieved my goal and love my new look. The hubby loves it and said, “If I had known how good that was going to look, I would have told you to do it a long time ago,” which I am 90% sure is a compliment.

Lily, who is a very opinionated budding fashionista said, “I’m not sure I like it very much, I liked it when your hair flipped out better.” I said, “Does mommy not look beautiful anymore?” She replied, “Kind of beautiful…but then again, kind of not.” She is nothing if not honest.

Jeans and Bras That Fit! (alternately titled my sad looking body post kids) July 22, 2007

 Any of you ladies who have popped out a baby or 2 know that a lot of things freakishly change after having kids, your body being a major one. For me the areas most affected are the tatas and the tummy. That’s why I was delighted to read over at Holy Mama! about a website devoted to finding you jeans and bras that actually fit.

At Zafu you enter a bunch of stuff about your body and how stuff typically fits you and they spit out a list of products that will highlight the good (a pretty good tush and semi-perky tatas) and downplay the bad (a muffin-top and severe lack of cleavage).

My favorite part is that their results are in nearly every price range and you can narrow your results by your preferred price range. This rocks, since whenever Oprah or a fashion magazine talks about the best jeans and bras for various body types they are always ridiculously expensive. Call me crazy, but if I can afford $200 bras and $400 jeans I can also afford botox, a boob job and some lipo-suction and can wear whatever jeans and bra I darn well please.

Mommy Fashionista June 21, 2007

Tonight was my Moms Club’s annual banquet to celebrate our year. We had so much fun eating pizza, chatting and being out-and-about without our kids. We played a fun game where we had a questionnaire with weird facts about our fellow moms. It is awesome to see other dimensions of women that you just know as breastfeeding, diaper changing, kid-chasing moms.

We also had mommy oscars with awards for organization, craftiness, best entertainer, etc. I won best dressed mommy. Is it lame that I am so excited about my new title? I think the reason why I’m excited is that when we forfit our careers to be a stay at home mom we forfit all the recognition that comes with it. Somehow I went from having a master’s degree with letters behind my name to cleaning up poop for a living. Suddenly all our success in life is measured by how clean our house is (it isn’t) and how well are kids behave (they often don’t).

So we strive to find some way to express ourselves and give our days value. Now I am not trying to say that dressing well is curing cancer, but I do try and look nice and remain fashionable despite the fact that most days there is no reason to change out of my pajamas. For other moms this excitement may be found in sewing cute diaper bags or taking great pictures. I think that is why there is such a community of moms blogging on the internet. We are looking for a creative outlet and a way to express ourselves apart from our children. Anyway you can find it, I would encourage you to find the thing that makes you feel valuable apart from being a wife and mom. I also hope you know you have value simply because you are a child of God.

Cute Cheap Clothes June 8, 2007

Those who know me, know I love to buy clothes. A lot of clothes, but cheap fashionable clothes. So I have been waiting very patiently for the launch of Bitten a new clothing line by Sarah Jessica Parker at Steve and Barry’s. Everything in the line is under $20 and the stuff is really cute. It is mostly basics like Ts and tanks, but she also has some great accessories and a few really cute black dresses. Check it out and see if there is a store near you.