Ain't No Mom Jeans

Is This The Cutest Swimsuit for Boys? Yes. Yes, It Is.

R was complaining about his old swimsuit.  Apparently, being three, it bugged him when wet.  He didn't like it flapping around his legs.  He solved this problem, however, by simply taking it off.  Which...OK...no biggie, but still.  So when I found MiniBoden's Swim Trunks.....oh, baby.  So. Stinkin. Cute.

And currently on sale for $15.  

Yup.  Love 'em.  In addition to R's stripes, they also come in stars.  Voila....

Stars & stripes.  Which reminds me...Happy Fourth of July, Mamas!

xo,

S
 
 

Mom-Drobe Inspiration: Long, Linen Pants (For Hiding Veins and Stretch Marks While Staying Cool)

Now you know I love my shorts.  Especially my denim cut-offs (and here's how I styled them last summer).  However, I realize that not all of you are shorts devotees.  And from time-to-time we receive comments or emails asking for warm-weather options that cover up post-baby stretch marks or varicose veins.  Maxi skirts are one good option, but another?  Super comfy linen pants. 

Linen pants often feel like sweatpants (and get softer after each washing - use the delicate cycle, lay flat to dry), but unlike sweatpants they have great drape and are very breathable.

And drape is good for your bum. (I'll just leave the "breathable" comment alone...)

Even better, I found a couple great pics from Shopbop and Calypso to use as inspiration...

Linen Pants + Cropped Top

I'm loving this look from Shopbop.  The model is wearing Juicy Couture linen pants and a Vince sweater (now sold out).

I love the cropped, boxy sweater layered over the soft linen pant - so comfy chic.  Perfect for a cooler summer night, strolling the beach.

Ok - using this pic as inspiration, we can re-create this look (linen pant + cropped top) a couple of different ways.  Cropped oversized sweaters work (short or long sleeve), as do cropped swingy tanks for hot weather.  Just layer your cropped tops over another tank.  Please.

Here's what I came up with:

Mom Street Style: Unknown Mom With Preppy Khaki Shorts and Tough-Girl Sandals

Ok, so I missed her.  I missed the pic.  But I was busy nursing on one of the few shady benches left.  And Mike and Raines were having a Father's Day round of putt-putt golf, so I couldn't even recruit Mike to take the pic.  (Usually, he's a good sport about that.)  And I didn't want to resort to shrieking, "Hey You!  Mom with the cute shoes...and uhh...shorts??  You in the khaki??  Yes, YOU!  Can you, uh...come over here?  I need to take a one-handed picture of you with my phone while I finish nursing!  Oops!  There's a nipple!"

Cause that's not crazy.  Or creepy.  Or weird.

Right.

So I let her go by, memorizing what she was wearing.  And let me tell you:  it was good.

She was in Franklin Square, on Father's Day.  Wearing the Mainline standard of khaki chino shorts.  However, instead of pairing them with usual preppy staples (brightly patterned top and starfish sandals) she toughened them up with a drapy black racerback tank, and cuffed sandals. Like this:

Reader Question: How To Do Strapless Dresses and Tops While Nursing

 

Reader Question:

I'm about to have my second son and am very excited for summer outings with the boys. I love strapless dresses and tops with cute empire waists (to hide the baby pudge and stay cool), but I have no idea how to do the whole "nursing bra with a strapless top/dress" thing. Do they make strapless nursing bras? Do I just use a regular strapless bra and flip it down? We also have a few weddings to attend, so a strapless bra is going to be a pretty major staple in my summer wardrobe.

Love your ideas and insight. And I, too, am a Denver girl, so I feel your pain, longing for spring and summer! I'm over the winter maternity blahs!

Thanks,

Jen

Answer:

Hi Jen!  Thanks for writing in!  Yes - they do make strapless nursing bras.  They look like this:

The above bra is La Leche League's Strapless Nursing Bra.  Attractive?  No.  Supportive?  Nope.  Can you nurse in it?  Not...really.  I actually reviewed this little number a couple of years ago, in the Best Nursing Bras For Summer article.

Whoa....Skorts?

How do you feel about skorts?  I haven't tried them myself yet, but I get why they would be practical for moms.  And I was tempted, last year, in our article on Denim Minis for Moms, but never succumbed.  So when reader N sent in a guest post on skorts...I was skeptical at first.  But she managed to find such cute ones, I'm now drooling over several.

Here's reader N's take on skorts....

****************

As a kid I remember wearing bike shorts under my dresses to church on Sundays because there was an awesome tree outside the church office and if my mom got busy talking to people (like she always did) my brothers and I could climb it for a few minutes before we had to go home…but I didn’t want to either

a.) not wear a dress/skirt or

b.) have my undies showing!

And now as a mom, I find myself doing lots of running, jumping, and climbing again as I play with and chase my toddler, but I still like skirts and still don’t like my undies revealed to the general public. So what’s the solution?

Skorts!

Yup, you read that right - skorts. A lovely made-up combo word (like spork or tangelo), “skort” means a combination of a skirt and shorts. The ones I recommend for stylin’ young moms on hot summer days are basically a super simple pair of shorts with a skirt over it so that the shorts aren't showing.  At all. 

I personally feel like the ones that only have skirt on the front side are well, pretty lame. (NOTE FROM S: Is this like party in the back and business in the front?  snort)

And there are actually some cute skorts out there.  Like these....

'Cause No One Wants To Swim With Your Kid's Poop (even if your kid is really, really cute)

Getting out of the house with a baby and a three-year-old is a total gong show.  Getting out of the house armed to the teeth with suits, sunscreen, floats, buckets, sun hats, umbrellas and towels?

Madness.

But I love the pool.  And R loves the pool.  And Pax loves the pool.  We are water babies, all of us.  So it drives me INSANE when we arrive at the pool, all ready to go....and it's closed.  Because someone pooped in the pool.

Please don't do the doo-doo.  Not in the pool.  Not after it took me 47 deep cleansing breaths and 4 trips to the car and 2 bathroom breaks and 3 diaper changes and a few meltdowns to get there. 

I know no one wants to be that parent, the one who let their kid poop in the pool.  But c'mon.  If you are using disposable swim diapers...you're tempting fate. 

I swear by iPlay's swim diapers.  They are a pain to get on (especially over Mr. Thunder Thigh's thunder thighs) but they work.  Even a serious poop-plosion isn't a match for these swim diapers.  (As long as they fit properly.  Do pay attention to the weight range.  It matters. Here's a copy of iPlay's swim diaper size chart.)

Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days....of Summer

You may have noticed.  Things have been a bit sloooow around here lately.  The truth is, M and I are horribly busy this time of year.  So very, very busy.  I mean -  with all of the popsicles that need to be eaten, fireflies to be caught - what's a girl to do?

You'll still be hearing from us of course.  A couple times a week, most likely.  Unless, of course, we get blindsided by a particularly gorgeous sunset.  Or spend the night in an ice-cream induced food coma (Hello, pregnant M) or have one-too-many margs in an after-beach celebration (who, me?).

So yes.  We'll be here.  Doing a little bit of blogging.  But mostly doing a little bit of this....

Mad for Maxi Skirts

I'm mad for maxi skirts, mamas, and I'll tell you why.  What can possibly be kinder to varicose veins, lumpy knees, mummy tummies and chubby thighs (mine, not my babes') than a crazy-long skirt?  Is there a better skirt to wear to a playground?  No.  Is there an easier way to make your tired, frazzled person look polished while staying comfortable?  Not likely.  All this, and you'll actually look current and on-trend?  It really would be too much to ask for if it hadn't just fallen in our laps. 

Here I'm wearing the Loveappella Maxi Skirt from Piperlime with an off white tank and a denim vest I've miraculously held onto since high school.  I've had about 4 hours of sleep, haven't washed my hair in days, and I actually believe my mom, who's taking the photo, when she tells me I look awesome.  Because, well, she's my mom and she'd never lie to me, right?  Right.  And, in spite of the aforementioned circumstances, I feel great in this outfit, like I'm wearing pajamas. . . but nobody knows.

I'm loving the maxi skirt trend because separates can be so much easier to deal with considering the limited time moms have for vanity.  And, while I have adopted maxi dresses, I sometimes have a hard time wearing them.  Unless I have the time to really work out my accessories, I end up feeling like I'm wearing a nightgown.