What She Wore...Polo Preppy

Unfortunately for Lil V, she may have inherited my husband's freakishly long torso. Which means this is probably the first and last time she wears this cute little outfit.

When: Wednesday, February 4th

What: Polo one-piece with ruffle detail, Punk Princess paci

Where: NOWHERE! It's still raining!

Why: Both grandpas love polo, so I'm rocking this today in honor of them (although perhaps I should have popped my collar?)

A walking mommy contradiction

Apologies for the re-post...somehow this got posted for January 17th originally.

You know when you see those episodes of What Not to Wear with the moms that just "never have time to put themselves first" and you think to yourself -- that is NO excuse for pleated khakis*? Well...I have a bit more perspective these days. Although do not get your hopes up that you'll see me on the last page of Glamour in tapered jeans with a wide hip, there are a few things though that I'm shocked to admit about myself these days...

1) I've been wearing nothing but sweatpants for weeks. Well, at least they're wide-legged black yoga pants but who am I kidding - they really don't transition from walks around the lake to dinner. But, I have transitional body, people. I feel silly wearing maternity clothes but still have a lot of weight to lose before I can fit in my pre-pregnancy clothes. And, since I am losing weight, it doesn't seem like a good idea to invest in any clothes that fit now.

2) I recently found myself shopping for Vera Bradley diaper bags rather than Chloe satchels (okay...more drooling than shopping). Vera Bradley is widely considered fashion's nemesis. And quite frankly, I'm not really a girl who shops for accessories at the Hallmark store. But, they make a kickass diaper bag (seriously, who am i?).

3) I've been trolling around town not only in my sweatpants but in (gasp) wireless bras that make my boobs less than perfect. Turns out wire is not good for the boobs when you're nursing. I am actually one of that small percentage that wears a bra in the right size (confirmed by petticoat fair) and I have a lot to work with so it's important that they're "high and tight." I am so ashamed at the state of my current boobage. Have no fear, by the time I go back to work, I'll be back in wire...mastitis be damned.

4) I've considered a "baby on board" sign for the car. Next thing you know, I'll be slapping that puppy on with my Pooh window shade in my minivan. But seriously, would you drive like such an ass if you saw that I was next to you with my newborn? Well, considering you're a big enough d-bag to have a Jet Li vanity plate (dude, you're not even Asian), you probably would. I'll hold off on the sign.

5) And the most shocking of all, I currently own a shoe wardrobe that consists of nothing but sensible shoes...all flat. How sad is this? I am a girl who wears HEELS! I could climb a mountain in heels. I can walk across a wet field without sinking in every step in heels (if you're a real heel-wearer, you know what I mean). I jog in heels. I had every intention of wearing heels throughout my entire pregnancy but then my feet swelled to ham feet. And not only were they ham feet but they also grew. No one tells you this pre-pregnancy. I'm breaking the silence. And, although they're no longer swollen, they are also now too big to fit into most of my beautiful shoes.

What's next...a wash and go haircut and pert plus shampoo? Never say never.

* There is no excuse for pleated khakis.

Adventures in Mommy-land

As soon as the dryer dings, today is day 1 of our cloth diaper trial. But these aren't your mom's cloth diapers. These things are high-tech and cute, to boot! We're very much on a trial basis, and daddy has asked about a zillion times..."So, what do you do with the poop (except he doesn't say poop)." For those who've heard that the water to wash them cancels out the benefit of not throwing a million diapers in the landfills - we do have a high efficiency washer. I know those without kids are on the edge of their seats for the full report!

What we're trying:

Bum Genius 3.0 - a one-size (for diapering life) pocket diaper (which means it has an insert that comes out and gets washed separately)

FuzzinBunz - another one-size pocket diaper, just with a different fit and snaps instead of velcro

Bum Genius All-in-One -- like a disposable diaper but you put the whole thing in the wash instead of in the trash

Flip - A diaper-cover like thing with inserts; including a disposable option

What She Wore: Polka Dancing

Oh yes, this blog is going purple...i.e. all about Violet. I thought maybe I should start a spin off baby blog but, for now, since I haven't been much of a blogger on "regular" things lately, it all stays here.

Polka Dancing

When: Wednesday, February 3rd

What: Gap Polka Dot Shirt, Bum Genius v3.0 Butternut Squash cloth diaper

Where: Hanging around the house on a rainy day.

Why: Being green in orangey-yellow is cool!

On the hunt for this week...

Coupon Organizer!

With the arrival of Lil V, I feel as though we should start paying a bit more attention to the money going out the door. And while I'm certainly not a "clipper," and would rather spend the extra 10 cents then have to try to perforate a coupon from a page of a magazine (fold, lick, rip, no thank you), I have gotten some really great coupons lately that feel like throwing money away not to use (hello, whole free bag of potatoes at HEB!, $5 Babies R Us e-gift certifcate!, entire free pizza!) Throwing them into a pile of "coupons we should use" doesn't seem to be an effective strategy, they usually stay there until expired.

So, this week, the hunt is on for a cute, chic coupon organizer. While I love etsy dearly, searching for things on the site can be quite cumbersome considering the guy who makes the tree bark pens lists everything from "wood" to "your mom" as search key words. Ha, ha..."your mom." Anyhoo, here are some initial finds...but the search is only skin deep so far.

Etsy
Etsy

Lil V and I are also going on a mission to learn more about cloth diapers. Daddy's not too excited about this endeavor!

What She Wore...the Baby Edition

Although Lil V does not yet look like me, she is most certainly my child. The first word out of her mouth is officially MALL! Okay, so maybe it wasn't entirely intentional, but I'm counting it. Here's the evidence...


By the way, we did go to the mall, and we did buy some clothes and Lil V, would like to show them off to you.

When: Saturday night

What: Hooded Gap bubble dress, grey skinny leggings (Marshall's find), pink (fake) allstars (not shown)

Where: Dinner and games at Kathy & Ron's

Why: A stylish knit bubble dress is an easy go-to piece for dinner with friends. Tossed on the leggings for a bit of extra warmth.

(also helped Daddy strategize and win the game (and sat like this all by herself)!)



When: Friday

What: Carter's white onesie and Baby Birgitte legwarmers

Where: A trip to Michaels (for an iron-on rhinestone skull to add to this onesie) and HEB with mommy

Why: There's nothing cuter than a baby in legwarmers - what a chic and easy way to dress up a plain ol' onesie!

Anyone want to be on House Hunters?

If you're looking to buy in Austin and might be interested, let me know! Over and out...