Ain't No Mom Jeans

Reader Question: Hiding a Post-Partum Pooch During the Last Hot Days of Summer

Despite the consistently hot temps, I'm mentally transitioning to Fall.  I've been working on articles about Fall trends, some reader questions about the best Fall work wardrobes and shoes, gleefully browsing through the Sept issue of magazines (holy moly - have you picked up the Sept Vogue?  It's almost as heavy as Pax!)...when this reader question came across our email:

HI from hotlanta!

since finding your site (yesterday), i have spent hours reading, looking, absorbing- i. love. it.

i found your blog when i did a google search for "how to hide baby pooch"...that in itself should tell you the state of my union. sadie, my precious third (and LAST) girl arrived a month before my 35th bday. and, much to my dismay, the weight is in no hurry to leave this uncomfortable body. i know i will be back to a version of my old self in the near future-but until then i have to find a way to dress myself that doesn't lead to tears EVERY time i walk out the door. the heat here makes it impossible to "hide" without a heat stroke. please, oh pullleeease, give me one "uniform" idea for this miserably hot weather. i am still about 20-25 lbs OVER where i need to be- think 5ish weeks postpartum. yep, de-pressing. i am desperate to feel somewhat put together as i conquer the last of the poooooooch.

hope you are all settled in from your move!

sunni

 

 I think the "find a way to dress myself that doesn't lead to tears" is what got me.  'Cause I have BEEN THERE.

Sunni, the post-partum pooch sucks.  It just sucks.  Mine is still decently big and hard (I have that diastatis thing going on where the muscles split).  And hiding the pooch in hot weather is almost impossible.  Once the temps cool, you can turn to a poncho (I loved mine) or those huge pooch-hiding sweaters that we covered last winter....but for now?  Ugh.  It's tough.

That said, first and foremost, try a shaper cami.  You can check out our favorites and our pictoral evidence on the value of the shaper cami here.  Shaper camis made the biggest difference to my post-partum self, and the best ones are made of micro-fiber.  Shaper camis may be hot, though, so may not quite be the silver bullet you are looking for.

Next, either find a top that hides (really truly hides) the pooch and pair it with a pair of shorts for maximum summer cool.

I've talked about my favorite pooch-hiding top before, and YUP.  I'm STILL WEARIN' IT.  Boring?  Perhaps.  But this top hides everything.  Even on a full stomach.  I call it my Eatin' top.

Wear It Now & Into Fall - The Three Unexpected Colors that Look Amazing With White Denim

Are you ready for the end of summer?  I'm not.  We've been in Michigan for the past month, spending each waking minute either at the beach or my parent's lake house in Big Bay (pictured).

Michigan has gorgeous summers.  With fantastic storms - lightning all over the place. One of my very favorite things is to watch storms come in over the lake.  Gives new meaning to the word foreboding.

Any other Michigan water babies out there?  

But I had promised to talk pants.  White pants, specifically.  Which I had previously labeled as not mom-friendly.  I now rescind my comments.  (It turns out that OxyClean does work.  Hunh.  Who knew?)

 

Mom Street Style | Bugaboo Donkey Sighting

I am honor bound to begin this post by writing, “S. was right.”  We hotly debated the merits of the Bugaboo Donkey convertible double stroller when we heard about it last year.  I balked at the name and the $1,700 price tag.  S. pointed out that the side luggage basket would be perfect for icing beer and wine for jazz in the park.  I conceded that point and softened to the Donkey’s appeal, but it was not until I had my first Donkey sighting outside of the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto a few weeks ago that I actually fell in love—serious, covetous love—with this stroller. 

Southern Gal Style For Modern Mamas: Madras!

Readers - Do you know BiblioMOMia?  She is a fabulously fashionable mom blogger (and academic) who always leaves honest and thoughtful comments for us at Ain't No Mom Jeans.

We love her.  So when Amy took us to task last year for hating on Southern gal inspired critter flip-flops...we listened. And boy-oh-boy, are we glad we did.  Keep reading for a Southern Mama's perspective on fashion.  Love it.  Thanks, Amy!!!!

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Are you hot yet?  Yeah, me too.  I was raised in the cradle of the American South, which often felt more like an armpit by August.  I now live in DC, and it’s absolutely disgusting by the end of the summer.  Heat and humidity like you wouldn’t believe (like S is discovering over in Philly!).  Time to put the hair up and the sunscreen on, here below the Mason-Dixon line.

There are lots of things about Southern Girl Style that are hard to understand:  Ribbon belts and monograms.  Vera Bradley.  Pearls with polo shirts.  Maybe one day I’ll try to explain some of those, too.  But if there’s one thing that a southern gal knows how to do, it’s dress for the heat.  In the South, women don’t sweat – we glisten.  And my mama would be horrified if I “glistened” too much in public!  But, she’s never walked a toddler to the Metro in the blazing sun, or walked all over the city pushing a stroller in this god-forsaken humidity.  When the end of the summer rolls around, and you’ve sweat through everything else in your closet, I have a simple answer for you:

 Madras.

Mom Street Style: Melanie's Sophisticated Navy and White

Gang, meet Melanie.  She had biked to Lower Harbor Park to catch a cool breeze before dinner.  Impressively, Melanie biked down, pulling a chariot, while wearing white trouser pants and a button-down.  She's my new hero.  

You know I love the navy + white combo.  And I'm also loving the wicker basket on her bike.  Wouldn't a straw diaper bag be so cute with this outfit?

Melanie's trouser pants and top are Calvin Klein, her sunnies are Oakley's and her flops are Tevas.

Wanna see how we met?

 

Awwww....little Ava was so adorable.  Pax wasn't quite sure what to do when faced with a baby his size who so outpaced his own social development (ah, boys).  They had the baby version of this conversation:  

Ava:  Pax, here - let me get that hair off your face.  

Pax:  Wha?

Ava:  There.  That looks better.  Don't you think that looks better?

Pax: Um -

Ava: Isn't this a beautiful night?  What could we do on this beautiful night?

Pax:  Uh-

Ava:  I think we should crawl around and feel the grass between our fingers.  Really feel it.

Pax:  NOM NOM NOM

Ava:  No, Pax!  Not eat the grass!  Feel the grass!  Can't you feel it?

Pax:  NOM NOM NOM

 

Boys crack me up.

xo,

S

 

Summer Styling: 9 New Ways To Style Shorts and a Simple Tee / Tank

Shorts, especially denim shorts (which we talked about styling last summer), look best with something other than a t-shirt or simple tank.  A silk blouse, an embroidered tunic, a button-down, even a structured jacket or blazer - these are the pieces that pair best with shorts - denim or not.   All You Need Is Style nailed it. Voila...

 

Fabulous, no?  But not necessarily the first thing I reach for when I'm facing a day of hauling/chasing two small boys around in summer heat and humidity.  

My uniform, these days, is almost always shorts and a tee.  Or a tank.  But this uniform can get B-O-R-I-N-G fast, especially towards the end of summer.  And sure...throwing on some jewelry can help...but I wanted something different.

Soooo....here are a few ideas (and a bit of style inspiration) of easy, mom-friendly tweaks to a simple shorts-and-a-tee momiform.  Try one.  Try two.  Try 'em all.  If, however, you manage to get all of these ideas into One Glorious Outfit, you must send us a pic.   

Mom Street Style: New-Mom Lindsay's Gorgeous White Dress

How amazing does Lindsay look?  Pretty. Darn. Amazing.  Especially considering that little baby Freedom (LOVE the name) is only a few weeks old.  Weeks, people!!  Lindsay is wearing a stunning Nicole Miller dress that was a gift from her mother.

[S stands up, applauds loudly]

I am going to remember this.  Forget diaper bags, forget strollers.  When my boys have kids, I'm going to take their wives shopping for one fabulous dress.  One dress that makes you forget all about the post-partum pooch.  One dress that is show-stoppingly gorgeous...yet comfy, nursing-friendly and looks good with flats. 

We should all own one of these dresses.

Lindsay's jelly flats are by Melissa & Compagne, and she's carrying Skip Hop's Bento Bag.

xo,

S

Cheap Clothes High Price

I love a good deal. In fact, I almost never leave Target without some cheap, adorable little scarf I'll wear maybe twice or three times, or a tee for one of the boys, which will inevitably be too pilled or stained beyond handing down. And, shame on me, I almost never look at the made-in labels anymore, so I can't tell you whether any of these largely disposable items was manufactured in Jordan. But the email I read today from Change.org reminded me that cheap clothes often have a high price.

The email outlined the abuses suffered by women working at Classic Factory in northern Jordan, quickly becoming known as the "rape factory," which makes clothing for major U.S. brands like Target, Walmart and Macy's, to name just a few. Dozens of Sri Lankan and Bangladeshi women have been repeatedly assaulted, the factory is under investigation, and a key perpetrator, Anil Santha, who bizarrely is still on the factory floor, is facing trial next week.  And yet Target, Walmart and Macy's continue buying Classic's clothing.

Why do these companies keep buying clothes from factories with known (and active) records of abuse? Because we consumers have quite the taste for highly disposable, beyond-belief cheap goods, and situations like these have to reach huge proportions before the average consumer hears word-one about them. After reading about the "rape factory," however, I must say my appetite for a deal is much diminished.  I signed the Institute for Global Labour and Human Rights petition, and I'll certainly pass on items made in Jordan from here on out.  But I think it should go without saying, Target, Walmart and Macy's et al., that I, and nobody I know, wants to buy clothing made by women who are being systematically and repeatedly raped in their workplace. 

Please visit Change.org for more information.

- M.

Babywearing in Hot Weather (Tips and a Review of Ergo's Lightweight Performance Carrier)

 

(wearing: Joie Soft Nellnna tee, Madewell denim shorts, Salt sunnies, Ergo Performance carrier in gray)

Oh baby.  It's been a scorcher around here. 

A few months ago, M and I recieved a reader question about babywearing in hot weather:

Help!  Today in Washington DC it was a beautiful 70 degrees -- but inside my Ergo where my 5 week old was sleeping, it was NINETY.  Poor sweaty baby, poor sweaty mom.  When I took him off of me, it looked like he'd peed -- who knows if it was my sweat or his.  Got any tips for a) a cooler baby carrier for when it gets hellfire hot in DC, and b) how to dress for hot weather with said baby carrier.

Feel free to tell me I should just use the d@mn stroller.

Thanks!

Barrie

At the time, we were a bit stumped.  70 degrees?  In Denver, that's practically cold.  And M and I both successfully babywore all through Denver's 90 degree summers.  I secretly wondered if it was just new mom hormones - hot flashes, etc.

And then I moved to Philly.  GOOD GOD, PEOPLE.  THE HUMIDITY. 

Barrie, I feel your pain.  I immediately contacted the nice folks at Ergo Baby, who sent me one of their lightweight Performance carriers to "test" in the Summer heat.  (Snort. If you consider 100+ degree temps with 110% humidity a fair test.)  Look at little P's sweaty hair-a-stickin' up all over:

Total Backfire: Goodnight Grab Bag

We all like to think we're getting this parenting thing down, right?  Yet it always seems that just when relief settles in, the babes throw us a curve ball, no?  Am I the only one this so consistently happens to?  For our little family of 4-1/2, such is the case with the Goodnight Grab Bag, which I elatedly wrote up a week or two ago after it got my "jack-in-the-box" three-and-a-half-year-old to sleep allllll the way through the night, in his own bed.  Until, that is, he became desensitized to the fabulousness that is the cheep, Chinese-made dollar store toy.

It started, of course, a couple of days after I posted Total Genius: Goodnight Grab Bag.  H woke up in the morning, excited to dig into the grab bag, pulled out a water frisbee, and said, "Can I pick something else?"  Me: "No, sorry Honey, that's not how the grab bag works.  This is going to be sooo much fun at the pool!"  And it was.  But the seeds of expectation and disappointment were already sowed. . .