Prego Picks: Edition 4

Because it doesn't matter how you look on the outside, if you're not feeling great on the inside...

I wish I was kidding...seems a little early to be starting sour stomach. There's always a silver lining though...there's now a new "minty fresh" Zantac tablet!

I've been making lots of trips to the consignment shop lately...oddly enough, I haven't been buying maternity clothes, but rather consigning them! It's really quite embarrassing some of the "get-ups" I wore while preggars with Raegen...poor kid, no wonder he didn't want to face the world!

I absolutely LOVE being pregnant in the winter time. Just layer me up in sweaters and knits...the weather is just perfect for that sort of thing! The below picture was taken just three days before I gave birth to Raegen {I was 40weeks, 6days}. It was NOT a maternity sweater, but I made it one! :)

Photograph by: unknown, but no doubt someone less than 4' tall!

I tried wearing it the following winter {when I was NOT pregnant} and I LOOKED like I WAS pregnant! It was a tad stretched...or maybe a lot. It got tossed. :)

I have a few other sweaters that I was able to wear though they were also not maternity. For whatever reason, most maternity sweaters are 10x too big and long enough to be a dress! Shouldn't maternity clothing make you feel better, not bigger?
My point? Shop the sweaters in the Women's section first!!

~

The following is hands down my fave pick of the week...found at none other than, Kohl's! :)

It's an Apt. 9 Essential Shirred Turtleneck from the Women's department, not the maternity department.

Oh. my. dear. goodness. is it ever soft.

AND, it's the perfect length for a pregnant {expanding} belly.

It also comes in several colors and I'm not too proud to say that I bought it in

purple

brown

grey

and

black!!

Oh, yes I did!

Did I mention it's on sale for $11.99, plus my 30% off coupon, times two, divided by 12 = practically FREE!

It's THE perfect shirt to wear under fly-away cardigans and "normal" sized jersey dresses...like the one in this post.

Prego Picks: Edition 3

It's no secret.

If you've recently been or are currently pregnant, you've seen the "Secret Fit Belly" panel in maternity stores. A few weeks ago I showed you my brown leggings I purchased with said panel...oh, so comfy! The panel is also available for jeans, dress pants, and skirts.

I decided to splurge a few weeks ago and purchased these pants from Motherhood Maternity online. I'm not a fan of online clothing purchases, but I knew what size pants I wore from that particular store so I went for it.

They arrived Monday and I've been testing them out this week. When I put them on I instantly noticed the back pockets are relatively low, and I could feel them against my legs. Something I've never been fond of. However, the super comfy panel definitely made up for it, but it didn't take long for it to slide down, down,

d

o

w

n.

I was sagging so bad I could have made a gangster blush.
I've contacted Motherhood and they're going to let me return the pants. Thank you Lord!! :) I don't spend that much money on my normal pants!

I was discussing my dilemma with a friend, who has recently become such a fan of my fave Lee jeans that she is recruiting all her coworkers to try them too!, and she suggested I try a larger size of Lee jeans. Brilliant!! I had to go to Kohl's yesterday to get B some new pants so I grabbed about 15 different pair of Lee jeans for myself and hit the dressing room. I will spare you the gruesome details and just say it wasn't a match. :(

HOWEVER, Kohl's also carries the "secret fit belly" jean by "MOTHERHOOD" so I grabbed a couple of those to try on as well. When I tried on these, I knew I'd found a winner.

The pockets were perfect and the panel felt much more secure than the pair from Motherhood. I purchased them and plan on doing further testing today as I'm at home. I hope they're keepers!! I 'll let you know!

Prego Picks: Edition 2

I love being pregnant.

I loathe traditional maternity clothes.

Well, except for the comfy pants!
When I was pregnant with Raegen I made a lot of mistakes, fashion-wise.

I'll share one because we don't have all year...

Someone gave me a pair of brown corduroy overalls.

I wore them.

Once.

Never again.

I don't care who tells you you look adorable in a pair of corduroy overalls...

they're either lying or they never watch "What Not To Wear".

You should turn and RUN because they are not your friend.

The reality is you look like a five year old and it would be cute if you were five, but you're not.

What's worse is those shoulder straps leave you quite vulnerable, KWIM?

And, the last thing you want to wear when you make a trip to the ladie's room every five minutes is clothing that takes ten minutes to get off.

I did make a few good choices with my first pregnancy. I shopped the Junior's section.

GASP!

Now, before you run off let me explain. In 2006 the "tunic" style was just becoming popular and was found solely in the Junior's section. When you're preggars your tops need to be long, right? Who wants to see your belly panel sticking out? Tunics are perfect for that and I was even able to find some tunic sweaters with ruching on the sides. Do keep in mind once you wear these "normal" clothes when you're 9 months pregnant, they can no longer be part of your "normal" wardrobe...unless you like the stretched out mid-section look.

Have you heard of "fly-away" or "swing cardigans"...well, they were popular last year and even more popular this year! Perfect for the pregos!! I was able to score a lot of cute sweaters last year at the end of the winter season for major cheap...at of course, Kohl's! They are all a "cardigan" style and therefore will accomodate my growing belly.

Here are a few examples, just click on the picture to visit the retailer.

Prego Picks: The Premiere

It's fun being pregnant the second time around. I've tried to stay away from my maternity clothes until absolutely necessary, and I do believe I'm at that absolutely necessary point. Kibs returned my tub 'o prego clothes a few weeks back and it's been calling my name ever since.

It's time to dig through it and decide what's hot and what's not.

What was I insane to wear the first time around and what will I love forever?

For now though, here are some new items I've added to my wardrobe...

Here are my prego picks of the week:

NaturalSoul by Naturalizer,

available at Kohls

My feet have never had more comfort!

Secret Fit Belly™ Jersey Knit Stretch Fabric Maternity Crop Leggings,

available at Motherhood Maternity

I would rather wear these than pajama pants! They're perfect to wear under dresses or long tunics.

The "Secret Fit Belly" panel is available on jeans, khakis, skirts, you name it! I may never go back to "normal" pants! :)

A love for all times...

{original post published February 27, 2009}

I recently spotted a new pair of jeans on a friend. I knew instantly they were Lees, but decided to play dumb and simply gave her a compliment on how well they looked.

She immediately said,

"They're Lees!"

As in,

"who would have thought I would ever be wearing Lee jeans?!".

She's a Levi's fan and this was her first time to cheat on her fave brand.

Immediately I joined her bandwagon, praising Lees and how comfortable they are.

You see,

these are not your mama's jeans!

I then had a sense of guilt.

For I thought at least all my family and friends knew my love for Lees and had read my post detailing my undying love for the jeans!

Alas, here I am,

months after my original post,

a proud owner of four styles of Lee jeans,

15 1/2 weeks pregnant,

and there are still those walking around, suffering in their old jeans.

I just had to share this post once more!

You see, there are no maternity jeans for me {yet!}.

I know, at 15 weeks there's nothing to warrant wearing maternity clothing, but in my experience at this stage I feel more like I have a spare tire around my waist than a cute little basketball in my belly! My Lees are very giving, with their patented comfort waist and stretch denim {mind you, this is NOT the stretch denim that makes you look like your jeans are painted on!!} there is no need for anything else! Oooh, ahhh, the comfort. For the sake of women everywhere, I felt this post needed "re-posting"...just look at my poor friend that has walked around for months in severe discomfort with her old jeans. Yes, severe! I hope the following information will prevent such a disaster in your own life!

{original post follows}

Calvin who? Nothing Comes between me and my Lees!

I promised I would share my jean secret (for those few of you I haven't already told every time I see you!!)...and BigMama's Fashion Friday seemed like the perfect time.

A few months ago I bought a pair of Lee jeans at Kohl's {I heart Kohl's!} and let me tell you, I was hooked! They are not "lowrise", but rather "midrise". I don't think I can express how extremely comfortable they are. I'm not a fan of stretch jeans because they usually have too much stretch for my taste and I feel like I'm wrapped in saran wrap. These have the perfect amount of stretch and the waist doesn't try to "hold you in"...no muffin top here!

Lee has several styles of jeans so I thought I would include the tags from the second pair I bought a few weeks ago (loved my first so much I had to have more!). Again I got them at Kohl's and the final price was $21.59...very affordable, especially for an awesome pair of jeans!

I've looked on Kohls.com and can't find these jeans, but I think they are these jeans on Lee.com (natural fit flap pocket). Here's the tag from the inside waist...

And this is what the pockets look like...

aren't they cute??

I'm also a MAJOR fan of dark wash...Stacy and Clinton really know what they're talking about. And did you notice the tag said "close fit"...because it really does trim your curves! If you get a wide leg, baggy jean it will only make you look wide legged and well, baggy! I love me some Stacy and Clinton and they've been saying for years that straight leg is the way to go...the bottom of the jean should be no wider than the width at the knee. To sum up: dark wash, midrise, close fit/straight leg/bootcut (depends on the brand!!), and some stretch...who wants to go back to the denim of old? Not I said this little red hen.

All this hottness...

makes me want to dress cool...and I don't mean that in a fashion sense of the word.

I'm talking jump in a bucket of ice water cool.

Today was just too hot for me and it didn't even hit 90*....

oh dear goodness, rain, rain, please come back!

Here's an alternate plan...bermuda/walking shorts...

{just click on the pic to see product info}

Cool tanks/shirts...

FIVE! duh-duh-duh-duh FIVE! Five dollah tee-shirrrrt!!!

Found this lovely at Wal-Mart and picked one up in green too!

Great for layering with a tunic tank and staying cool.

Check out more Fashion Friday over at Big Mama's. She's taking a break from being fashionable EVERY Friday, but you can read today's post here.

Kmart, Kmart, that's my store...

Kmart, Kmart, that's my store,

I shop there because I'm poor.

When I get grown and rich some day,

I'm gonna shop the Wal-Mart way!
~

Ladies, if you're still singing that old song and dance you haven't been to Kmart lately!

I found myself in Kmart a few weeks ago and was amazed at all the cute clothes they carry.

Scarves

Shoes

Dresses

Tops

You name it, they have it...and it's cute and trendy! Oh, and best of all, it's AFFORDABLE!

Here's a little peek...

$12.49

$13.30~~~~~~~~~~~~~$24.49

Check out BigMama's blog for more fashion goodness.

A "Fashion Friday" first!

I had opted to not do a Fashion Friday post this week because BigMama is on "vacation" this week. However, I just had to answer the call of duty...

Angela asks: Hey, since fall clothes are on clearance now, I have a fashion Friday challenge. I have a dark brown courteroy jacket, it is one of those waist high, two big button, collar, business casual jackets. I want to start wearing it in the fall when the weather is a little cool. What could I wear as a shirt, I think jeans look o.k., not sure about any dress pants. What do you think??

{she even sent a picture, isn't that nice?}

First of all, way to shop on sale. Secondly, is the color off on my monitor, or is that jacket blue instead of brown? Is blue the new brown?

Here is a shirt from Kohl's that would look great regardless of jacket color. You can never go wrong with classic white.

This patterned shirt from Kohl's would add some interest to your solid blue/brown jacket. Although I would only pair this with the brown jacket, not the blue. Are you following?

Originally I had found this Old Navy patterned shirt for the brown jacket, but I think it would pair nicely with the blue as well. It's also not as matronly as the previous floral shirt, and instead has a hint of hipness. {I am not concerned if that is a real word or not, are you?}

You can also never go wrong with a dark denim jean...classic and classy. If your jacket is blue, black dress pants paired with a blue/black/white geometric top would look nice. If your jacket is brown, some nice dark brown wool pants and a lightweight sweater would "go" {as Stacy and Clinton would say}. Just remember to keep your pants darker than your top, it helps you look grounded.

AND, if you can find the right style and fabric, it just might look fabulouso paired with a dress!

Thank you all for all of your question {one, just one} this week. I look forward to answering more question {maybe one more?} next week.

I would also like to add, to all the scoffers of my "Bedazzle Me" post {you may have not said anything, but I know you're out there}...you just wait, you. just. wait. I think I'm really on to something. Tonight! This very night! As I ran in to Target I saw a woman decked head to TOE in some major bedazzled jewels. You just wait. It is a'makin' a comeback. ;)

Bedazzle Me

Get out your trusty Bedazzler ladies, the faux Swarovski is back!
I pulled into the parking lot at HobLob {also known as crack for crafter's}, to find this...

It seems the Bedazzler is no longer limited to denim jackets and children's shortalls.

You can now Bedazzle your face, your house, and your laptop!

And, thanks to Kohl's {of course!}, you can purchase pre-bedazzled clothing.

{did you see the scarf?! sequins, crystals...they're all the same}

Click over to BigMama's for more Fashion Friday finds...

{oops, just realized that second tee w/ the scarf is from the kid's department....you will have to be extremely "kiddish" in size to make that one work. Otherwise, the armholes and neck will likely cut off circulation and no one wants to see that.}

I heart Kohl's

Kelly's looking for recession dressin'....looking cute for $30 or less. And as always, BigMama is asking for Fashion Friday picks, so I decided to combine the two.

I was trained to hit the sales rack first and never pay full price for anything. Who knows when you'll need an extra buck to buy a fudge round and a diet coke? Before I spend an hour talking about my current love, Kohl's, I want to give props to one of my all-time fave stores, Toward Men, or as most people call it, Goodwill.
Talk about a good deal...my fave buy of the moment is a dark denim skirt I got a few weeks ago. It's a Mossimo, which means it likely came from Tar-jay, but it's trendy and comfy and has been on Wednesday night church wardrobe repeat for a month now!

I also like to rummage through the home decor area while I'm there. I bought a few glass bowls a few weeks ago that I'm currently using to house some plants.

I got this bowl and glass stones for .50 cents! For a good deal on vase fillers (glass stones, rocks, etc.) check out Everything's a Dollar. I was in there just this week and they had a slew of them.
Back to clothes...
Here are some sweaters I bought on clearance at Kohl's. I like to dress in layers and these keep me from looking frumpy (or I hope they do). I especially like the waist detail on the blue sweater...gives the illusion of "going in" at the waist. The most important thing in fashion is shape or silhouette. You never want to look like a big rectangle.

Here are a few more I recently purchased on clearance. With last week's warm weather I thought I wouldn't get to cut the tags 'til next year, but for fashion's sake it's cooled down here and I've been able to sport my new digs. It's hard to tell in this picture, but the charcoal grey sweater has some waist detail that once again, gives the illusion of "cinching".

Here's an example of layering....it's what I wore yesterday. I'm not one to show much skin, so I really like to use tissue tanks and tees from Target. They are lightweight and long waisted. Regular price is usually $9, but they're on sale for $7 quite often. Mossimo is the brand and instead of a tag, the brand info/fabric content/washing instructions/etc. is stamped on the fabric. That's good for me because I like to turn the tanks around and wear the back on the front, vice versa. Why? The front of the tank is lower than the back, so by turning it around, it shows less of my chest which is a good thing. :)

Here are a few sweaters I bought for my husband. He refuses to shop, so I basically purchase the store, bring it home for him to try on, then return what doesn't work. Yet another reason I'm in love with Kohl's...they make returns ridiculously easy. I have asked before what their return policy is...how many days, etc., and the response was, "We don't really have one. We'll make it work out for you." And they do every time.

I was sad these sweaters didn't work, seems my hubs is a little more muscular than I had thought. ;) This sweater is 100% cashmere...oh. my. dear. goodness. that's soft! As you can see from the tag, it started at $140 and I paid $23.79 after discounts. So sad to see it go back to the store.

$5.05!!!

If you are a small/medium male, you should go to Kohl's NOW!

I heart Kohl's because of:

selection! (they keep it trendy AND they carry the basics)

the clearance rack!

discounts and promotions! (if you're disciplined enough to keep a zero balance on your credit card, apply for a Kohl's card...they'll send you coupons and discounts weekly)

their return policy!!