Ain't No Mom Jeans

Mom Street Style: Cool Grandma At the Airport

I was in Detroit airport this past week, flying with my two boys.  And the stroller.  And Ergo.  And huge diaper bag.  And R's backpack.  And was racing to make our connecting flight while R screamed for another ride on the train and P was trying to climb out of the Ergo.  So...you know.  No pic.  But oh my goodness, I so hope I look this cool someday.

And in the spirit of full disclosure, I don't really know if she is actually someone's grandmother.  But she was probably in her 70's, with a deeply lined face and a lively step.  She smiled at the boys, despite R's insistence on "NOTHER train ride, Mum!!" so I'm just assuming that she had children at one point.  And she was wearing her sunglasses indoors...and looking rather glamorous, despite her comfortable (yet chic) clothing.  Voila....

 

GrandmasTravelStyle by aintnomomjeans featuring flared leg jeans

 

 

A grandma in a fedora!!  How rockstar is that?  And I love that she matched was was essentially a cheap shopping bag to her shoes - it pulled the whole look together.  Her t-shirt was tucked in, showing a flash of a skinny, braided leather belt, and she had thrown a navy scarf around her neck.  Her blazer was just the comfortable cotton kind - nothing too structured.  I'm totally inspired to rock this look come fall.

I wish I had time to introduce myself and chat.  She seemed just so cool.

xo,

S

ps.  You have until Monday to enter our giveaway!  Adorable Ugg sneaks for the little ones...

What To Wear To Meet An Ex-Boyfriend for Lunch

Reader Question:

I am a work-from-home mom with 2 small kids (2.5 years and 10 months).  Like everyone else, my bod ain’t what it used to be, especially my tummy.  And I did multiple rounds of IVF before getting pregnant and gained weight from that too.  Ah well – small price to pay for great kids and I am working at getting it back slowly.  Anyway, I have to be in New York in July and I am meeting a former boyfriend, who I have not seen for 6 years, for lunch.  He’s since married and has 2 kids of his own so it’s 100% platonic, but I really want to look great-but-not-trying-too-hard.

Any Ideas?

D

Answer:

Oh, D.  Such a tricky styling situation.  You don't want to go to extremes here (extremes being a prom dress or - god forbid - white) yet...it's your Ex.  You hardly want him walking away thinking, "Whew!  I dodged a bullet!"   Sooo...you need something that looks easy, effortless....but crazy-hot.  

Gotcha.

In these situations, I swear by the following formula:

Reader Giveaway! Win a Pair of Cool Ugg Kicks For Your Little Man (or Tomboy)

Raines has had a long and happy history with Uggs (I swear by their boots for toddlers), so when Ugg Australia contacted me for a giveaway, we were thrilled to partner!

Besides, these Halfhitch sneaks are too cute to pass up.

According to Ugg, these kicks were "inspired by a warm weekend family sailing trip. A pint-sized version of the traditional boat shoe, made with canvas or suede uppers and hook and strap closure for easy adjustment and on off." 

Yup.  As noted, R can easily get them on/off by himself.  Also, in true Ugg fashion, there's a bit of sheepskin just in the heel area to keep things comfortable (yet cool).  The Halfhitch comes in Medieval Blue (R's pick), Stout, Natural and Taupe.

So.  To win....you'll get one entry if you like us on Facebook, subscribe to us via email or RSS, or a whopping 5 entries if you blog about this giveaway.  Just leave a comment below letting us know how you've entered the contest (and if you're already subscribed, just tell us that in your comment).  Entrants must be 18 or older and located in the US or Canada.  Winners will be chosen at random on Monday night, August 1st.

Good luck, Mamas!!

(R's wearing: Ugg Australia Halfhitch sneakers, Did Too plaid shorts - similar, and a toddler tank by Hanes)

xo,

S

The prize was provided by UGG Australia, but UGG Australia is not a sponsor, administrator, or involved in any other way with this giveaway. All opinions expressed in the post are my own and not those of UGG Australia.

 

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Thanks for all of the love, Mamas!  You guys made our summer!  And a big Congrats to winner Pausing in Surprise!!  Shoot us an email at aintnomomjeans @ gmail.com!

 

 

Go Buy Now: 25% Off Cake Lingerie Nursing Bras

As you mamas know, we at Ain't No Mom Jeans are passionate about pretty maternity and nursing lingerie. After nine long months and a surprisingly, um. . .  different. . . postpartum body, the last thing you need to be wearing is a scraggly, nubby, turtleneck-high nursing bra, adding insult to injury.  For feminine, sexy alternatives, check out Cake Lingerie's gorgeous fashion nursing bras, now 25 percent off through the end of July.  

I snapped up Cake's Velvet Delight Plunge bra ($45) and matching panty, but now I'm wishing I'd also picked up the Turkish Delight Balcony ($45) and the French Vanilla ($45) with matching boy short (the short has removable garter suspenders!) and the Meringue ($49, perfect for tees). 

Don't forget to use Cake's fit calculator (click "verify your size").  With the same measurements, I was a different size in the Velvet Delight than the Meringue, for example.  Shipping is a flat $15, free on orders over $150.

- M.

Summer Hat Picks for Moms (Wear them Now & into Fall)

My bangs have looked weird lately.  Adrienne, my dear friend (and hair stylist*) pointed out all the new baby hairs along my hairline.  "You had a baby.  Eventually all of your fab pregnancy hair falls out..and then some" she said.  "But it's now starting to grow back in!"

Grrrrrr....

So hello, hats.  It's funny, a year ago a reader wrote in asking for summer hat suggestions, and M and I played hot potato with her email.

You want to do hats?

I could...but it was your idea.

No.  No it really wasn't.  It was a reader's.

Oh.

You want to do hats?

I could....but you seem more excited about it.

No really, I'm not.

No?

No.

Oh.

You want to do hats?

and on and on and on....

Suffice to say, neither of us were really feeling hat-ty last summer.  But between my weird post-partum bangs and the fact that oh, I don't know, HATS ROCK....(seriously M, what was our problem last year?)...I'm hooked on hats.

There are a ton of cute styles to choose from, and really, just grab the one you like best...but I have my eye on two styles in particular:  the fedora and the floppy 70's hat.  

Mom Street Style: Sara's Simple Summer Pregnancy Look

This is one of my dearest friends, Sara (aka STS who has guest posted about cool toy storage and Monte Designs' Luca Glider).  One of the many things we have in common is the fact that we both, when pregnant, get bellies as big as a house(s).   One of the key differences, however, is that Sara carries it off with aplomb and looks amazing, while I just looked scary and spent most of my days whining and searching frantically for a place to sit.

Sara, due in August, came out shopping with us.  Shopping.  As in walking around and chasing her (two!!) boys.  Nice work, girl. You are fearless.

Oooo...Fall Mom-Drobe Essentials in Nordstrom's Anniversary Sale (Hello, Frye Boots)

Nordstroms, one of my favorite retailers due to their ah-mazing customer service policy and vast shoe department, has one doozy of sale about to start.  For those of you in the dark, Nordstrom's biggest sale, their anniversary sale, starts this Friday (although, if you are a cardmember, you can buy now).  I love this sale.  Unlike other sales, this one discounts merchandise for the upcoming season (aka Fall), as well as several items that don't often go on sale, like Frye boots!!  And in this case, fabulous Frye boots. For over $100 off.  Oh, baby.  

Here are my favorite picks for moms from this year's anniversary sale.

Boots!!!

Styling a Summer Dress Three Ways (Causal Daytime, Date Night and Office)

Reader Daina wrote in with a hysterical two-part question (more on part two later).  She asked:

"I would love to put together one great day/lunch outfit that I can then leverage for work or even a casual date night with my husband.  I am at a loss for what to choose since: (1) I have to shop online; with a baby and toddler there is no way I am going to get to a mall; (2) I can’t figure out what will look appropriate for both work/lunch/date night; and (3) whatever I choose has to be able to travel (e.g., no linen!) since I’ll take the train to NYC and, if I use the outfit for work, that usually involves travel too."

When looking for maximum flexibility, it's really hard to beat a dress.  As long as you stick to something simple but well constructed in a non-fussy fabric, a dress can easily be worn while running errands, out to lunch, at the office, or sexed up for date night.  The key to keeping the look effortless (and appropriate) is in the accessories. 

Here is one of my very favorite summer dresses, styled three different ways for three different situations. (The dress is J.Crew's Blakly dress.  It is unbelievably flattering - this dress does all kinds of good things to "the girls" while somehow disguising a poochy stomach.)

Favorite Shoes For Kiddos With Sweaty Feet

  My son much prefers going barefoot.  And my husband, a Born to Run fan, encourages it.  And who can blame either of them?  It's summertime and the livin' is easy.

However.  I'm not raising wolves here.  We live in a cultured society and I like well-mannered kids.  There's a time and a place - are you reading this, Mike?

I digress.

In truth, it is hard enforcing a shoe policy when most of R's kicks smell to high heaven.  And get crazy-sweaty in this East Coast heat and humidity - something we're not yet used to.  So while R's Keens served him well as a little toddler, this pre-schooler is growing up and getting smellier (so man-like, sob!).

I did find a solution. 

Total Genius: Good Night Grab Bag

“Incentivizing” Your Kid to Sleep Through the Night in His Big Boy Bed

The mom’s battle with sleep begins during pregnancy, no?  Crazy dreams, frequent trips to pee, hot flashes and thumping babies prep us for the marathon of newborn night waking and sleep deprivation we’re in for.  If we’re lucky, the babe’s sleep starts to normalize around 4-6 months (or—bummer—much later for some), but once your toddler starts sleeping through the night, you have a home-free (!) feeling of accomplishment.  Until, that is, you find yourself living in a post-big-kid-bed world. . .  For some, the transition from crib to bed goes seamlessly.  For the rest of us, the ones who’ve tried everything else, the ones who’ve thought about actually reading Go the F**k to Sleep out loud to their kids, even the ones who object to bribing incentivizing their children, I submit the Goodnight Grab Bag as a possible miracle solution to your wakeful woes.