A Post on Maternity Fashion

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again… I’m hating my clothes lately.  For some reason my maternity clothes from my first pregnancy just feel sloppy and frumpy.  I’m trying to make them work, but just not loving them.  I’ve also been trying to make some of my non-maternity clothes work while I still can.  I’ve been mixing various loose tops with non-maternity cardigans (it’s always cold in my office and our mornings have been in the 50s recently) and adding belts and jewelry for some added flair.  I’ve found that there’s no need for maternity cardigans so don’t waste your money.  Just stick with a non-maternity cardigan and leave it open.  My go to maternity stores are GAP, Old Navy, Motherhood Maternity, and Loft.  But like I mentioned previously, I’m trying not to buy much and I refuse to pay full price for anything.  This time around I’ve purchased 2 short sleeve tops, 1 white tank, 3 long sleeve tops, 1 sweater, 1 pair of jeans, and 1 pair of black dress pants.  The most expensive item was the jeans and those were about $30 (on sale).  All others were on sale and I hope they’ll get me through this pregnancy (along with the items I saved from my first pregnancy). :)

See all those clothes behind me?  Most of them don’t fit.  But this yellow-green top is a non-maternity top and the color just says fall to me.  A maternity tank underneath and a cardigan over it makes me feel covered and warm.  Cardigans are my best friend lately.  Also, I need to move that mirror.  Clearly there’s not enough room in my closet for the mirror and me.  I should also mention that I can only wear jeans to work on Fridays.  Believe me, I’d wear them every day if I could!  And one more thing – half panel vs. full panel.  Some people swear by one or the other.  I’m definitely a full panel girl – the half panel just doesn't seem to fit right and usually rolls down.  I like the coverage of the full, but that’s me.

This is the 1 sweater I purchased.  It's a good transition piece from summer to fall because it's really thin.  And it was also CHEAP!  GAP has had some killer sales lately... 40% off, GAP Cash, etc.  And yes, my mirror is filthy - I don't see any reason to clean it until W is about 5. ;)

I LOVE this gray striped cardigan.  Long cardigans are my thing and stripes… a bonus!  Non maternity cardigan and white top with maternity tank and maternity jeans.

More stripes (notice my stripe obsession?).  Both top and jeans are maternity.

Clearly I'm not a photographer... or a fashion expert.  But it has been fun (and maybe a little frustrating at times) to find outfits that work for my growing belly.

Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites!!  Hooray!

 I have been trying to eat better, but we're approaching the holidays and I can’t say no to sweets.  So instead of cutting them out, I’m enjoying them in moderation.  Hence, the two very unhealthy favorites…

 

·         White Fudge Covered Oreos.  Gosh, I love these things!!

·         Ben and Jerry’s Chocolate Peppermint Crunch.  I’m not a mint chocolate chip fan or mint anything fan for that matter.  But this ice cream is amazing!!  Try it!

·         Baby W’s cold is getting better!  Woohoo!

·         Remember when I mentioned I was having lunch with friends and they were going to reveal the gender of their twins??  Well, I KNOW.  Drum roll, please… They are having two girls!!  Two identical girls.  Let the dress shopping begin!

·         Favorite outfits and accessories of the week:

 

Once again, these pictures are horrible.  You can't even see the cute details on the top or my bracelets in the first pic.  Trust me, they're there.  I don’t have time for good/real camera pictures.  I should probably just stop taking them!

That’s all for now!  Happy weekend!

Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites… dun, dun, dunnnnn….

• Red cups at Starbucks!!  Helloooo holidays!!  It makes my heart smile.  Pass me a peppermint mocha, please!
• I’m getting my hair cut and highlighted this weekend and my oh my, do I need it!  I may even change my hair style a bit… hmmm.
• We are competing in a trivia contest this weekend.  There are no words for how horrible I am at trivia.  They just never ask questions about the things I’m knowledgeable about… you know… celebrity baby names, Facebook stalking, Teen Mom 3, fast food restaurants, baby Gap...  Just kidding – I really am terrible, though.  But for some reason, I LOVE trivia games… I guess I just love feeling dumb? J
• I’m taking Monday off.  A is also off.  By the way, a HUGE thank you to our veterans.  I would last about 0.2 seconds in the military so I give all of those who serve major props.  Thank you for your hard work and dedication so we can all pursue our dreams.  So since A and I both have the day off, we are working on the house.  It desperately needs some deep cleaning and little upgrades here and there.  My husband is on the verge of becoming a hoarder so I’m hoping to convince him to part with a few items. ;)  And as previously mentioned, we might bust out the Christmas décor!
• I started Christmas shopping about 2 weeks ago.  I think it’s the earliest I’ve ever started.  But I also have more to buy this year than ever before.
• I’m still trying to put a little more effort into my style – choosing outfits and accessories.  I’m also having fun wearing things I haven’t worn is years.  Last year at this time, I was super pregnant so I’m enjoying rediscovering my clothes.

 

P.S.  I know the quality of these photos is horrendous, but I think they get the point across.  The jacket and the sweater shown have not been worn in years, but I really like them.  They almost feel like new clothes since it’s been so long.  Almost. J

 And some not so favorites…

 

• The time change.  I hate driving home in the pitch dark.  Yuck.  I was worried about how Baby W would adjust, but he’s actually done pretty well.
• These Bitstrip things that keep popping up in my FB newsfeed.  OMG I hate them.  And EVERYONE is doing them.  I really don’t need to see cartoon versions of all my friends.  No thank you.  Apparently there’s a way to block them – I need to do that.
• Recruiters that call me at work.  First of all, I have a job; I’m not looking.  I mean obviously – you called me AT MY WORKPLACE.  Second of all, how the heck are you getting my phone number??  Leave me alone!  And third, if I were looking, would I really want to talk to you at work, where all my colleagues could hear our conversation??  Umm… no.  Duh.

 Happy weekend!!!

Friday Favorites

I’ve been slacking on Friday Favorites.  I don’t have any great new finds to share.  I’ve always loved clothes and dressing up, but lately I’ve been feeling extremely frumpy and just blah overall.  During my pregnancy, I gained about 45-50 pounds.  It was more than I wanted to gain and more than I expected to gain, but I ate really well and tried to be healthy.  I didn’t really indulge and didn’t have any cravings.  I was very worried about Gestational Diabetes (for no good reason other than I have a sweet tooth) and as a result, I was super careful about what I ate.  I think much of my weight gain was due to major swelling at the end of my pregnancy.  Even the nurses at the hospital remarked on how extremely swollen my ankles were.  After W arrived, I lost at least 35 lbs in about 2 weeks.  A few months later, I weighed less than my pre-pregnancy weight.  It was awesome!!  Thank you, nursing!  But since I’ve stopped nursing, I’ve gained back about 5 lbs and I’m currently right at my pre-pregnancy weight.  All this to say that I’m finding it hard to be comfortable in my own skin… all the up and down weight.  I’m just not feeling cute.  So I decided that this Friday, I was going to put in a little more effort.  I was going to choose a cute outfit and try a new hair style.  Well, the new hair style was an epic fail.  I should’ve known that “beachy waves” were a bad idea.  I mean the only beach near me is Lake Michigan and my beach hair looked more like “went to bed with wet hair and woke up with one big mess” hair.  I can see how the beachy hair could work for some, but I have waaay too much hair for that.  I’m giving myself credit for trying!  A for effort.  My outfit isn’t anything special, but I at least look put together.  I picked out a fun, bright necklace to contrast this dreary day.  I love the color of my cardigan – the pea green just screams fall to me.  I don’t normally wear boots because I think they make me look short and chubby, but these seemed to add even more of a fall feel.  And Fridays are the only day I can wear jeans to work, so I wasn’t going to let that opportunity pass me by.  So my favorite thing this Friday… putting a little more effort into my style. :)

Friday Favorites

August is winding down and I'm getting super excited for my favorite season... Fall!  So this Friday, I'm focusing on two things I love... Fall and baby fashion!!  Sidenote: when I was pregnant, lots of people told me not to buy too many clothes.  Well, I'm here to tell you, buy what you want.  I've had so much fun dressing baby W and he always looks so stylish. :)  I buy lots of clothes on sale between seasons and hold onto them until the following year.  I've found that Baby Gap, Old Navy, and Gymboree are pretty true to size, while Carters and Oshkosh tend to run small.

My favorite items tend to be preppy, simple, and classic.  And I'm obsessed with stripes!

Without further ado... Fall favorites for my little man.

 

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Friday Favorites

It’s Friday (holla)!!  I’ll get back to the serious stuff next week, but today I’m going to focus on something fun.  My favorite styles/fashion.  I’m not an expert by any means… not even close.  BUT I do love to shop and dress up.  With that said, here are my current fashion favorites:

1.        Skinny pants and flowy shirts.  I’m a curvy girl so skinny pants never really appealed to me – that is until I found a pair of skinny pants that were ACTUALLY flattering.  Wearing a long blousy top with fitted pants makes me feel less self-conscious about my curves.  I highly recommend these pants from the LOFT: http://www.loft.com/marisa-ankle-pants-in-bi-stretch/309007?colorExplode=false&skuId=14109386&catid=catl000014&productPageType=fullPriceProducts&defaultColor=7168

 

 

 

2.       Embellishments.on.everything.  I love me some sequins, beads, bows, and buttons.  Just don’t go overboard.  I usually pick one or two items with embellishment and pair them with plain/simple items.

 

 

3.       Bright colors.  As summer is drawing to a close, I’m wearing all my brights.  Don’t get me wrong, bright colors are still fine during the fall months, but I feel like hot pink and turquoise scream summer.