Thursday, July 11, 2013

Best things about being a mom

Blame the pregnancy hormones if you want, but I've been getting teary-eyed when I think of some of the best parts of being a mom.  Yes I actually will sit in the rocking chair and actually cry tears of joy when I think about how happy my wonderful son makes me.  Here's a list of the things that I love most.
  1. Waking up to hear W yelling "Maaaa!  Maaaa!  Mum Mum Mum Mum!" I'm sure in twenty years the "Maaaa!" will be followed by "The meatloaf?!" (yes that is a Wedding Crashers reference)
  2. This may sound cruel, but when I drop W off at daycare and he still wants me, not to go play with his friends (this doesn't happen often anymore, but it's good to know they miss you).
  3. One of the coolest things to watch is when my little man discovers something new.  The wonder and sense of accomplishment in his eyes makes me so happy and proud of him.
  4. W has taught me to slow down and enjoy things.  When I think back on my childhood, I think of all the fun things my mom did with us.  Before W, I quit enjoying things like carving pumpkins or dying Easter eggs.  Doing these things again with him makes me remember my childhood as well as build lasting memories for him.
  5. My son's smile will brighten up my day any day of the week.  I know it sounds cheesy, but when my little guy smiles (and laughs) it makes my day so much better no matter how rough it may have been.  It is the best sight and sound EVER.
  6. Random cuddles have to be one of the best parts about being W's mom.  I love when he randomly climbs up on my lap and just snuggles.  As much as he loves running around and getting into things slowing down with snuggles is one of my favorite perks of being a mom.
  7. I LOVE bath time.  For us bath time is just an extension of play time.  W now thinks he can actually swim in the tub. He blows bubbles and kicks his feet and everything!  He also goes nuts when I turn the shower on.  I love watching him have fun and splash around.
  8. Sneaking into my little man's room when he is peaceful and asleep to make sure he is all covered up and comfortable. This absolutely melts my heart.

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Plus Size Pregnancy Clothing (and I don't mean XL Clothing)

I've got a bone to pick with retailers that claim to have Plus Size Maternity clothing.  I HATE when a retailer *cough* Target *cough* Old Navy* claims to carry plus size maternity wear when they only go up to XXL.  Hello?!  Bigger women have babies than a size 18-20!  I swear there are only a handful of places online that offer real plus size maternity clothing and I hate to say it, the clothing isn't all that attractive.

I know I'm a big girl and things aren't going to fit me the same way as they fit a pregnant woman who usually wears a size 12, but come on people.  I want to look good too and not like a tent! Oh and it would be nice to find a few nice business appropriate outfits I could wear too!

To help all the curvalicious pregnant ladies out there I want offer my suggestions on where to shop for plus size maternity wear. 


1.  Motherhood Maternity
Lets start with Motherhood Maternity.   While they do not have the best selection / variety (some of the tops I swear I bought with my first pregnancy nearly two years ago), they do offer a wide variety of casual clothing and business casual attire.  Some of their prints are hideous and they only have a handful of dresses (mostly in blacks and greys).  Motherhood is usually one of my first stops for maternity clothing.

2.  JcPenny
Again, like Motherhood Maternity, JcPenny focuses on casual and business casual clothing, but I tend to like their styles more than Motherhood, plus the prices are WAY better.  JcPenny's plus size maternity clothing actually goes on sale and you can easily get multiple outfits for under $100.

3.  Simply Be
I would say Simply Be has the most stylish of all the sites I've visited as far as maternity clothing goes.  However, some of the clothing borders on things a teen mom would wear.  They have the best selection of dresses out of all the sites I've listed so far.  However, even with a coupon you will still be spending over $30 for a tee shirt (a tee shirt you will only wear for about 5-6 months).  It is a bit pricier than the other retailers I have listed.

4.  Jessica London
I've bought a few things from Jessica London.  While it is not super cheap, you can find business suits there.  I'm not sure if she will continue her pregnancy line as I haven't seen new items added and a lot of them seem to be on sale right now.  Also there isn't a huge variety of clothing, but like I said, if you need a business suit this is probably one of your only options.  The other nice thing is she goes all the way up to a size 32!  If you wear Lane Bryant clothing her sizes (pants wise) run pretty similar.

5.  One Stop Plus
Not a great variety (and linked with Jessica London), but if you visit One Stop Plus and type "maternity" into the search bar you will be given a handful of maternity tops and bottoms.

6.  Kohl's
My first pregnancy Kohl's did not offer ANY plus size maternity clothing, so you can imagine my surprise when I discovered that they are now.  However, many of the outfits they offer are from Motherhood and they only have 23 pieces total.  The prices are also pretty high, but I would imagine if you hit a good sale and could earn Kohl's Cash it may be worth it.  Personally, I would think that they would have a better variety of clothing to keep up with JcPenny, but what do I know?

It really frustrates me that there is not a bigger variety of plus size maternity clothing.  I mean what are us bigger girls suppose to do? Not get pregnant?  Wear mumus for 9 months??  The only other advice I have for curvy mommas to be would be to not avoid the stores where you usually shop.  Sometimes you can find a cute dress or shirt that can double as maternity wear.  

If I overlooked any retailers that offer maternity clothing bigger than XXL please leave it in the comments section of this post.  Thanks!