Ain't No Mom Jeans

Best Nursing Camis Ever – Target Scores Again with Gilligan & O'Malley!

I like to think that on this, my second babe, I’m wiser for the wear but sometimes life changing improvements just happen by dumb luck.  Sure, it’s probably a bit of an exaggeration, but with 20-month and three-week-old babes at home and on as little sleep as that would seem to indicate, simple pleasures are where it’s at. 

I tried a ton of nursing tanks my first go ‘round with the boy wonder, but never found one I really loved.  The snaps sucked or the fabric had a weird sheen, they weren’t long enough or the waist had apparently been cut for someone who was still pregnant.  Enter the new Gilligan & O’Malley nursing camis.  They rock and they’re cheap to boot.  They don’t offend on any of the aforementioned points and they’re widely available in the intimates section of Target. 

If you tried a Giligan & O’Malley nursing cami a year or two ago and didn’t like it, try again—these are cut slimmer, have a more flattering neckline, better fabric and great support.  I wouldn’t play tennis in one, but for a leisurely day around the house or kickin’ around town, they’re just what the nursing mother ordered, and they’re perfect as sleepwear and hold nursing pads in place, too.

The best part?  These babies are priced at only $16.99, a far cry from the (in my opinion) inferior GLAMOURMOM  nursing tanks available at A Pea in the Pod for more than $40.  Get one in every color!

Mom Street Style - September 2009 Mom

There are few things, fashion-wise, that I like better than a great mix of high-end and budget-friendly items.  Leave it to our September Mom, Becky, to put together such a look. 

Beck is one of my dearest friends, and someone who lives by her own set of rules.  Her first rule?  "Happy, Happy, Happy!"  (You need three Happys, she says, in case life or toddler tantrums or anything else tries to tear down your first two).  And her second rule?  Nothing too fancy.  Instead, she uses classic, iconic accessories to add interest and a rich-girl feel to an inexpensive tailored outfit.

Don't be fooled - Becky's outfit looks tailored, but is really just an inspired take on the classic t-shirt-n-jeans mom uniform.

Best Modern Highchair For Apartment Living

I like to think that I'm living my life, for the most part, without regret.  But I would like to go back and knock my 7-year-ago-self upside the head for buying a white cotton couch.  Seriously.  A. White. Cotton. Couch.  What an idiot.  And I couldn't even count on my husband ("Whatever you want, Babe") to talk some sense into me.  Whatever.  I'm over it.  And yes - for those of you that have visited our pad, I realize you are now dying of shock to learn that our couch is, technically, white.   Let it be a lesson for us all.

I do have one more regret.  I regret not buying the Bloom Nano Folding Highchair.  Not only is it all cool and modern looking, but it FOLDS up.  EASILY.  I could use it, then fold it, and put it somewhere out of sight.  The "out of sight" ability is always the key when living in a small space.  

The Nano retails for $179.99 (including free shipping) at AlbeeBaby.com and comes in a wide range of colors.

So to recap:  White couch?  Bad.  Nano?  Good.

xo,

S

What We're Reading This Week: Sweatsuit Alternatives - The Prequel on Rookie Moms

If you weren't convinced, in last week's guest post on Rookie Moms, to trade in your sweatsuit, Rookie Moms and Ain't No Mom Jeans have again teamed up with another sweatsuit alternative.

For those of you chanting, "Die, Sweatsuit, Die!" right along with me, you'll appreciate what Rookie Mom Whitney called my "anti-sweatsuit rant".  Love that. 

For the rest of you still clinging on to your sweats...well, read the rant.  And if you are still not convinced, I have one more opportunity next week...

xo,

S

Best Sports Bra for Nursing Moms

It was hard to me to believe, after giving birth, that I would someday want to workout again.  Just like it was hard for me to believe (immediately after) that I would someday poop again.  But life goes on. However, if you nurse as long as I have (or if your urge to workout comes back more quickly than mine), chances are you will face this dilemma:  the babe is in the jog stroller, is hungry, and you are too far from home to make it back with all of that SCREAMING.  So you find yourself attempting to pull the tightest bra known to man over the largest, hardest boobs known to man.  It ain't a pretty sight. 

What We're Reading This Week: Sweatsuit Alternatives on Rookie Moms

I was so honored to be asked by the very fabulous Rookie Mom bloggers, Whitney and Heather, to write an article for Rookie Moms on three fashionable (yet comfortable) sweatsuit alternatives.  My first suggestion debuted today!   Go check it out here:  Sweatsuit Alternatives Part 1.  The second part of this article will be published sometime next week.

If you haven't yet heard of Rookie Moms, you are in for a real treat.  The Rookie Moms started their website with the goal of publishing at least 365 fun ideas of What To Do With Baby.  They were attempting to provide an antidote for the sleep deprived "mommy brain".  Today, they have a fantastic website with THOUSANDS of fun things to do with a baby, toddler or pre-schooler, several baby and kid friendly travel guides to various cities, and other fun ideas for new moms (like how to actually COMPLETE a baby book).  They also have a book available!

On their website, you can search for activities by age or type (crafty, outside, sleepy, etc).  But what I like best about the Rookie Moms (in addition to the scores of fabulous tips) is the fact that their voices are REAL.  They sound like moms, and make recommendations for moms.  Unlike other magazines/websites out there, the Rookie Moms are never going to suggest anything so complicated that you end up with screams of frustration - from either you or your kid.  Neither do they recommend ideas that cost a fortune.  They are just two regular (albeit wildly creative) moms, sharing their fun ideas.  How lucky for us.

xo,

S

Run, Don't Walk to Target For a Fab Holiday Dress by Anna Sui

I hit Target on Sunday at 8AM for the premier of the new Anna Sui line for Target.  Expecting an empty dressing room, I showed up with the little man.  BIG mistake.  Not only were there many other girls frantically throwing dresses into their shopping carts, but once little man finally figured out that he could fit under the dressing room door, it was all over.  I ended up running out of the dressing room half dressed.  And, I'd like to apologize to the older woman in the dressing room next to me.  I think he was just really excited about his new crawling-under-the-door skill.  

I'm not usually a big fan of Target's high-end design line.  Even if it looks great, the construction or the fabric is total crap, so I don't usually bother.  However, Anna Sui's line (inspired by Gossip Girl) has a higher price point, justified, I think, by the decent construction and fabrics.  Instead of Target's usual dresses under $50 range, these dresses sell for $60 - $70. 

So if you are in need of a fab little something-something that hides a post-baby pooch, or makes the huge, nursing "girls" look good, RUSH right out to Target.  Rush, rush, rush - most are already sold out online.  Don't despair yet - you can always find some on ebay, but I suspect many Target stores do have limited stock left (I know, for example, that Denver does).  Also keep checking for returns.  I know at least one of the Crazy Cart Girls who were at Target at 8AM on Sunday may have brought home...oh....let's just say FIVE dresses in order to make a final decision later.  And Mike says I can't keep all five. Poo. 

So without further ado....

Eating: Smitten Kitchen's Food Porn

There are lots of great reasons to read Smitten Kitchen:  Deb's photos have been called "food porn" by Entertainment Weekly, she has recipes for upscale yet accessible versions of comfort food (think Boozy French Toast that you bake all at once in a pan) and her writing is passionate, self-deprecating and funny.  And now that's she's pregnant, I find her even funnier. 

Dresses For Moms Who Hate Their Upper Arms

I believe every Mom should have one great dress in their closet.  And by "great", I mean that the dress should make you look like a million bucks, make you feel like your old pre-baby, sophisticated, rockin' self (or a close approximation), and can be dressed up or down, depending on the situation. I know this sounds like the Holy Grail of dresses, but a worthy quest, no?  This quest gets ever so much harder when you are uncomfortable with the sight of your upper arms.  You can always turn to various shrugs, cardis, pashminas...but finding one in the right fabric, color, and style for your dress adds an additional layer of complexity.  It takes all of the ease out of the dress.  And EASE is one of the best reasons to wear a dress.

This fall, I started to notice more and more dress options that successfully camouflage upper arms without a hint of dowdiness.  They are, in fact, quite sexy.  The key is balance.  Here are some rules about balance to consider when finding a dress with sleeves:

1. The more your arms are covered, the more something else must be bare.  A low neckline, a high hemline (or both!) is needed to keep the look sexy.
2. Consider drape - if the dress is fabulously drape-y, or silky, the hemline doesn't need to be so short.  However, if you are looking at something thick and sweater-like, you must have a short hemline.
3. Not all long sleeves are created equal - if the sleeve is tight, it won't look good on upper arm flab. You want a loose long sleeve.
4. Consider a loose short sleeve, flutter sleeve or off-the-shoulder option.  These styles will still give the illusion of bareness, without actually showing your upper arm.

For a little inspiration, here are my top picks for sexy dresses with sleeves:

A Cool, Modern Teether in Baby-Friendly Silicone and Stainless Steel

One of my pet peeves as a mom is that every company designing items for baby seems to think that babies require bright colors, happy faces, and perky puppies/kittens/trucks/flowers on everything.  So I have to wonder:  do these people even have children?  My son can't be the only kid who is completely obsessed with my plain-Jane car keys and remote control.  And my very non-cutesy iPhone?  Don't even get me started.

Once he started teething, I caved and bought him various insufferably "precious" teething devices in an attempt to soothe his aching gums.  The nimby-pimby Baby Einstein "Teeth and Tug Pal?"  We have both the lion and the frog.  He teethed on them for approximately 40 seconds each, then went back to stuffing his mouth full of anything unembellished yet terrifying - rocks, keys, a butter knife on one occasion.  If only I had heard of the Toofeze Teether.