LulaRoe

So I have always loved fashion. It maybe genetic, I had a Great Grandpa who was a tailor so that's probably what it was. When I lived at home with my parents it was super easy to spend all my money at the mall. Then I got married, and then I made two people. No only does that change your body, which can very easily negatively effect your body image, you have less money and time to spend on yourself. It is hard to get to the mall, for the hours needed to try stuff out. Also there is all the little tiny clothes you have been buying lately and your size seems so expensive by comparison(... unless you buy your kids stuff from Jane and Jack). Then there is that statistic of how much you actually leave the house and need to get dressed. Like is it just me or was being naked always this much more comfortable??? OK, so enter my point of writing this blog; LuLaRoe is a new brand of women's clothes that is popping up all over you Facebook. I have given in. I love the thrill of getting something unique. If it shows up in my size? Well then, it was meant to be. LulaRoe has very unique prints and they fit all tastes. Also, and for some most importantly, they are the most comfortable. The first thing I ever bought was a pair of basic black leggings and an Irma shirt. Because I tried it on and I. Could. Not. take it off. Any way I have expanded since then.
If we are Facebook friends you will notice I throw parties sometimes. Anyway that is why I took all these pictures. Just so that I would have something to post. But I have to stow it away in my little piece of the Internets because I am not even sure if anyone reads this anyway.

The Nicole Dress - is my favorite, and is literally my middle name. I love this one because I don't have to think at all about it. Just put it and it's cute and comfortable and I won't get to hot.  Lydia has the little girl version and wont stop wearing it. Top two are size S, bottom two are size XS.

The Julia Dress, I have a million of these. OK 7. 8 if you count the solid black one that is the exact same but is just a different brand. Some are size small and some extra small. I have a couple that are a thicker fabric (red plaid S and the two worn as tunics, XS) that run smaller. The solid gray is XS but it is vintage and has an originally loser fit.

 

You can even wear it like a tunic and just double up the hem. 

 

This is the Monroe Kimono in a size Small. I love it. (and that's my fake Julia) 

The Amelia Dress. Is not my fave. There was one other one that I had that I re-sold on ebay. The fit runs different in different sizes. But of the ones I kept are S. As was the one I sold but it was too small. The fabric was brocade. But the purple polka dot one makes me feel bulky. So I have only worn it that one time I took the picture. The floral one I have worn a couple times. This is the hardest one to buy online, in my opinion it is the only one you really need to try on.

 

The Cassie Pencil Skirt. Love it, I only have two so far because they cost money and I have a closet full of every kind of pencil skirt. But this one is super comfortable and zipper-less, which you want sometimes.

 

The Irma with Leggings - So comfy but there is definitely a lazy look going on here. Especially if you don't size down two sizes in the Irma 

 

Let me get all feminist for a minute ok?

Periods. Menstruation.

There I said it. Why is it so taboo? I have never really treated it like a big deal personally. There are much grosser things a body can do. So why does it make people feel so uncomfortable. Remember how women’s bodies create life? Well as much as we want to be ethereal there are side effects to that particular miracle. We bleed every month that we are not pregnant. Just like you do when you get a scratch and you put a band aid on it. Just like in She Is The Man when Amanda Bynes sticks a tampon up her nose when it is bleeding. 


via GIPHY

It’s not a big deal ya’ll. Humans bleed. A tampon is basically a wad of toilet paper with a string in it. Ok. Super essential to common civilized hygiene.

But you know what, this is a problem in the world. SO BIG. There are girls around the world who stop getting education because they BLEED! WHAT??? Yeah, they have no tampons or pads so they have to stay home for the week. Not even acknowledging the pain associated. They can not go to school because they are ashamed that they can not keep track of their own hygiene, so they miss a week of school and then they get behind… and then eventually they drop out of school.

I will admit that I am a spoiled American who did not even ever once consider this until I saw this video. Go ahead and watch all 13 min of it. PAY ATTENTION if you don’t already know this MEN because you should be able to answer these questions. 

 WATCH THIS VIDEO THOUGH

Just watch what women in Africa use as products! Leaves, bits of old mattresses, old rags. Still. in 2016. That alone is a good enough reason to try a pair of Thinx underwear. Just to fund a pack of Afripads. I feel like we are used to saying, "in Africa there are..." but what about the poor in EVERY country???
 
Like: ALSO IN AMERICA; READ THIS!!!!

( but no thanks on that “free bleed” run)

       Yes I get that they are in prison, but made to walk around covered in blood? This stuff should be just as common as toilet paper should it not? I mean I remember the first time I saw free tampons in an LDS temple bathroom and I though it was MAGICAL! How sad that that I was so excited about it because it is so uncommon. And tax on tampons? It's really just about how compared to all the other things that are tax exempt. It really is just ridiculous that these personal hygiene products are not. Also on top of the wage gap that already exists???Just add the $10 a month, $120 a year on top of that.

Sign the petition you guys. Let's just take care of this human rights issue? Yeah? I know you all want to, it takes like 20 seconds. 

As far as the fact of the innovation for feminine hygiene being so not a concern for so long. We can almost blame that on the ones who use the products, but are we not the loves of your lives? The mothers of your children that we grow for you? You should care about this. 

But WAIT, do you know what Toxic Shock Syndrome is??? It is something we were taught once in the Maturation Program in Elementary school. It is something we may read about if we take a minute to read a box of tampax. "It is what happens when a bacterial infection goes very wrong. It is usually involving a type of staff bacteria and that bacteria starts producing a toxin and it will send the body into shock. It is a life threatening illness." - Tori Telfer Writer, Vice. 
You can get TSS from leaving a tampon in too long. Which is what the box warns. But ALSO from using a tampons that is too absorbent for what you need. So too large of a size ladies. 

So you may have heard this story last year about this model that had to get her right leg  and her left toes amputated to save her life after she got TSS from kotex tampons. No? Read it here, all of it.  Because when I have talked about this story with people they have said, "Oh well yeah that happens if you leave it in too long..." and really they are talking about things they think they know what it means but they don't REALLY KNOW. Here is what Happened to Lauren:


"It started on October 3, 2012, when Lauren says she felt a little off—almost like she was coming down with the flu. She was also on her period, and ran down to a nearby Ralph's to stock up on her go-to brand of tampons, Kotex Natural Balance. The errand felt completely unrelated to the vague malady permeating her body. After all, Lauren had been dealing with the logistics of her period for 11 years at that point, and Kotex was just part of the ritual. Like most girls, her mom had walked her through the ins and outs of tampon usage when she was 13, showing her how to use the applicator, warning her to change the tampon every three to four hours. The rule was a no-brainer; on that day, Lauren says she replaced her tampon in the morning, afternoon, and again in the evening.

 Later that night, she decided to stop by her friend's birthday party at the Darkroom on Melrose Avenue. "I tried to act normal," she says, though by that point she was struggling to stay upright. "Everyone was like, 'Dude, you look horrible.'" She drove herself back to Santa Monica, took off all her clothes, and fell into bed. All she wanted to do was sleep. 

 The next thing she remembers is waking up to her blind cocker spaniel perched on her chest and barking aggressively. Someone was pounding on the door yelling, "Police, police!" Lauren dragged herself to the door, and a cop came in to inspect the apartment. Lauren's mother, fresh out of surgery, had been worried at Lauren's lack of communication and called in a welfare check. 


"I hadn't been able to take my dog out, so there was piss and shit everywhere," she says. She has no idea how long she was in bed, and can't remember if it was day or night. The cop eyed the situation, told her to call her mom, and left. 

Lauren managed to feed her dog a few carrots from her empty refrigerator and then contacted her mom, who asked if she needed an ambulance. "But I was so sick that I couldn't make that decision for myself," Lauren says. "I told her that I wanted to go to bed, and that I'd call her in the morning. And that was the last thing I remember happening." The next day, her mother sent a friend over along with the police. They found Lauren facedown on her bedroom floor. 

She was rushed to St. John's with a fever of 107 degrees—ten minutes from death, they said. Her internal organs were shutting down and she'd suffered a massive heart attack. The doctors couldn't stabilize her, and nobody had any idea what was going on until they called an infectious disease specialist, who immediately asked, "Does she have a tampon in?" She did, and they sent it to the lab. It came back positive for toxic shock syndrome. 

That is so understandable. She thought she had the flu. We always self diagnose ourselves. We always minimize our sickness. She wasn't trying anything new, was not doing anything different. This was not her fault.

The Artical further States:

     "Over the past 50 or so years, the tampon composition has changed from natural ingredients like cotton to synthetic ingredients like rayon and plastic, especially among the big tampon manufacturers—Playtex, Tampax, Kotex. These synthetic fibers, along with a tampon's absorbency, can form an ideal environment for staph bacteria to flourish. When Proctor & Gamble debuted an extra-absorbent tampon called Rely in the 80s, it created the perfect storm for TSS, resulting in a number of deaths. According a study conducted by the Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine, "the gelled carboxymethylcellulose" in Rely tampons "acted like agar in a petri dish, providing a viscous medium on which the bacteria could grow.

 "The tampon has not been changed since the day of the original TSS epidemic. All they did was put on the label, 'Oh, you can get toxic shock.' The material has gone unchanged for decades." To avoid the wrath of the FDA, he says, companies simply put a warning on the outside of their tampon boxes. He calls this a "get-out-of-jail-free card.

 ...—it's about the fact that they've had materials available for 20 years that could make [tampons] safer, and they've chosen not to use them. They call these tampons 'natural,' when in fact it's the man-made materials that make them dangerous. Their marketing makes young women think, 'Oh, these are the natural cotton ones,' but they're not natural, they're not cotton, and if they were, the chance of toxic shock would be down to almost nothing."

 Dr. Philip M. Tierno, a professor of microbiology and pathology at the NYU School of Medicine who has done serious independent research into the link between tampons and toxic shock syndrome, agrees that cotton would be safer. "Most major tampon manufacturers make tampons with either mixes of viscose rayon and cotton, or pure viscose rayon, and in either case those tampons provide optimal physical-chemical conditions necessary to cause the production of the TSST-1 toxin if a toxigenic strain of Staphylococcus aureus is part of the normal vaginal flora in a woman," he says. "Toxic shock syndrome may result if a woman has no antibody to the toxin or low antibody. Therefore the synthetic ingredients of a tampon are a problem, whereas 100 percent cotton tampons provide the lowest risk, if any risk at all."


After I read this story last year I did the research and found that you can buy organic cotton tampons on Amazon for about $8. They were ok; they have a cardboard applicator and that is not my favorite so I have switched to Lola, which I would SO recommend because: 

• I can customize an entire box of the sizes that I need
• They have a smooth applicator
• The are priced well, $9-$10 
• You get a free box with your first purchase 
• You can have them set up to charge and ship every month, skip whenever 
• You can get $5 off by using the promo code EWEST1 

SO YOU GET TWO BOXES (36 tampons) FOR $4.

I really feel like this should not be a Taboo. We need to make this part of our world better for the people with periods. It is an area of inequality. We women really need to step up. We need to learn to take better care of ourselves. By research, by creating new products and by fighting for the inequality issues surrounding our menstruation. 

Love a little BB.

Ya'll heard of BB Cream yet? They are all over. Beauty Balm is not just a tinted moisturizer. It was developed to be an after surgery and facial peels cream. Helping to calm redness, protect skin with sunblock, and add moisture and vitamins to skin.

It can be used in place of a facial primer, meaning under foundation or powder, or it can be worn alone. I tried it first last summer as a sheer foundation choice. Basically I though it was just a tinted moisturizer that I had used before but with added redness minimization. I really love to wear a foundation that's looks like I'm not wearing a foundation for sommer days. I go swimming and to the park with fake bareface. I prefer my face more even toned than natural but in a way that looks natural. Because I heard once that the best make up a girl can wear is the kind the boys doesn't know she is wearing. Which I believe is SOMETIMES true. Mainly summer days. 

So last year I just went to the drugstore and grabbed Covergirls CG smothers BB cream. First I thought it was pretty amazing. I wore it all the time and I was happy about it. I didn't last very long, a couple hours, but that's what happened with tinted moisturizers so it was expected.

This year I gave in to marketing surrounding the new Bare Minerals Complexion Rescue. I'm usually not a fan of bare minerals- mineral make up in general really because It never apply' evenly, even if it's MAC. But I really love their, Bare Minerals, eye Primer. So I thought since a BB cream is basically a optional stand alone facial primer there's could be amazing. So I read up on reviews and they seamed so-so. For $30 I wasn't really looking for so-so. I was happy last summer. 

I could have just dropped it but I had a lot of MAC gift cards to spend from my birthday, everyone knows me well, so I tried MAC's Prep and Prime BB cream. They have a compact as well but I feel like:

1. I have dry skin and compact products are usually dryer. 
2. I use a lot more product when it comes out of a compact, which is not necessary. 

So I went with the cream. 

You guys it's amazing. Compared to cheaper products it is thicker and therefore a little harder to spread. You can tell that it is not just filled with filler moisturizer so it gives more of a medium coverage but not necessarily like what you would be used to with a foundation. Also the thicker the product, the less you need to use. So it lasts longer. You can wear it all day and then put a more thorough foundation on if you have an event or just for evening. I use MAC Studio Fix liquid foundation and I really hardly need to add any when I have this BB cream under it, even when I'm doing a contoured technique.

Speaking of contour... did you see that first picture? There's a L'Oreal brand BB cream in there? Yes i read some blog/pinterest recommendations and that is the brand I went with. They have a redness specific one that I bought for my sister-in-law. I'll let you know what she says about that. But while I was there Target had this tube of DEEP for $2. Deep? Danielle you're white. Yes but BB cream is not foundation, it is thinner. I like to go a shade darker for a tan effect. Deep still seemed a little much but I knew this brand had color burst technology, meaning when you see it on your finger it's white and grayish. When you press it into your skin is when you see the color.

While watching a MAC senior artist you tube video on contouring they advised but two different shades of foundation: on for highlight, one for contour. So this deep BB cream? I can used it to add a little contour on my cheekbones and jaw. Success.

What brands have all ya'll tried? Any recommendations for me? 

Fat, skinny, heathy.

It's everywhere. I understand why. Because we all want to be perfect because perfect people are happier, right? Not really. Perfect isn't real. Even if someone looks perfect, looks are deceiving. We all should know that by age 15, at most. So why are we so wrapped up about the way we look. Human nature? I feel like there have always been people who are more beautiful than others in the history of the world. But now with so much travel and technology and celebrities, there are SO many more people to compare ourselves too. So do we shame this behavior? Is it bad to compare yourself to others?

• Yes-we cannot become them, it's impossible. That's a given. 
• No- comparing ourselves to others helps us become better. We recognize the beauty in others, their kindness, their joy, and it helps us bring that out in ourselves. 

So mentally and emotionally it's somewhat healthy. But physically? No because no matter how hard I try, I cannot make my self taller. Yes because it can encourage me to exercise and eat better.

As a society we are struggling with two some what contradictory issues right now. First: Obesity. Second: Body Shaming. Let's admit that our world has been made so easy for us by our ancestors that it is easy to be lazy and fat. Which, in the history of the world, has previously been reserved for royalty. We don't have to work to eat and a lot of the stuff we eat shouldn't really be considered food. Also exercise has become somewhat of a recreational hobby instead of a necessity: something we have to do just to live.

At the same time our media has provoked us to come to a point where we are only considered beautiful and worth something if we are skinny beyond definition. 

Both of those are wrong. But there is a tight rope in between. 

Beautiful is a person who is healthy. A person who takes care of their body. 

You should see an unhealthy habit as unattractive. 

Lets talk a little bit more about beauty standards. Of course I mean me. ;)

Makeup does not make you vain and superficial. It is a tool to promote and magnify your best assets. 

Clothing is also a tool that can magnify and promote your best assets. 

These tools should be used to personally promote yourself. Wear what you like, the colors and patterns that make you happy. Use what you like in a way that camouflages your insecurities and promotes your ideal self.  

Excuse The... Clean

I have seen so many mommy blogger posts about messy houses. Everything is usually accused to mommy wars. Don't judge your friends if their house is messy. Then there is the quote we have all seen everywhere "excuse the mess my children are making memories". I don't judge other mommies- really the thought never crosses my mind. But my house is usually pretty clean and I worry that people may judge me for keeping it that way for superficial reasons. Here is my problem. I have OCD. The not real-self proclaimed kind. The bigger the mess the more frustrated I get, that I can't make up. This happens when I cook dinner too. No one likes to clean a huge mess after they just cooked everything and fed everyone before themselves. So I clean as I go. I keep the garbage open so I can chuck stuff in as needed and I keep the water on so I can rinse dishes as I finish with them. Some might find that more stressful, but for others like me- it keeps me calm. Calm mommy is happy and patient. Keeping my house clean makes me a better mommy and person. So for those of you out there who feel like me but who may struggle with how to accomplish such a feat. Here are my 5 tips- take it or leave it.

1. It's easier to KEEP something clean than to clean it. Example: high chair. If I just wipe it down after every meal- it stays clean rather than scrubbing for an hour once a week-or let's be honest- once a month. This works with dishes- keep the dishwasher empty so you can rinse dishes and stick them in while they are still fresh = no scrubbing. Scrubbing is the enemy. Maybe you already do this, but not everyone does. Example: my husbands family. He acted like this was a new idea.

2. PLAY with your kids and TEACH them with cleaning. My two year old loves the broom. She gets excited to through her wrappers in the garbage. And she loves putting dishes in the sink when we are done with the food. When she spills, she knows to go get the towel and wipe it up. She thinks these things are SO fun. She claps after. So do I. Your babies will think cleaning is fun if they see your enthusiasm. And hopefully good manners will become second nature.

3. Clean your house one room at a time. It's impossible to set one day aside to clean the house like your mom did. Well like mine did. It usually ended up being on Saturday- which is basically the only family day. Not to mention how not motivational it is to force your self to do something that daunting all in one day- while everyone is using the kitchen and lounging on the couch-being all in your way. So take an hour and a half every day to clean a room. You can even tackle two bathrooms or two bedrooms. Chances are you will do a better quality job too, as you won't be so burned out. If your children are old enough- let them help. Turn up the music and dance around- make it a cleaning party.

4. Teach focus- one thing at a time. Example: it's color time. That way you can make clean up part of the activity before moving on to the next. If this seems like an impossible task- keep it to one room at a time. I always tell my daughter that her toys go in her room. So when she drags them all over the house I point at them and tell her to take them to her room. She does. 

5. Clean before sleep. Clean up time happens before nap time (usually) and before bed. We even lay the barbies in their bed and say "night, night" to them. Everyone wakes up better to a clean room. And this teaches good practice. Also how scary are messes to a little kid in the dark? I would lay there imagining what the things I saw could be. Everyone sleeps better in a clean environment. 

I'm not perfect. Neither are my babies. But they are only two and 7 months so maybe all the haters will be laughing at me in a couple years. I just feel like you gotta teach them from the very beginning. Hopefully this helps someone. :) 

I Don't Want the Fairy Tale.

I was never the girl to have a long relationship. You see I was looking for the ideal. Not just any boy would do. I said he couldn't be super attractive because I thought those guys always knew they were and acted accordingly. I was a self proclaimed personality girl. They couldn't have dated any of my friends. I don't share. An idea nearly ridiculous in Utah as everyone knows everyone. There was a certain level of spirituality required and this was HUGE. And Values, genuine values. I would see him, it would be love at first sight. He would know from the start that I was the only woman that could ever be enough for him. And we would ride rainbows and slay dragons together. We would be perfect for each other and married life would be our heaven. Happily ever after or something.

Then I met "the talker" who said everything I wanted to hear. He made me laugh and we were the best friends first situation. He appeared right when I needed him. Godsend? But then I asked the right question one night and got the wrong answer. His facade all fell away from there and he was not at all what he said he was, nor did he want to be. 

So I met "the pushover". Sweet, quite boy who gave me everything I wanted. I chose the clothes he wore. I chose the restaurants we ate at. He joined my church even after I made him read The Book Of Mormon in one month. And by "I made him" what I mean is I was doing it and he asked to join me. It should have been perfect. But I had this nag- too good to be true. Fake. He was and I knew it. I found out after I broke up with him that he was caught embezzling at this job.

Ever the fairy-talest. It was just all further confirmation that I have always been destined to achieve my long time goal to serve a mission. Of course I would meet Mr. Dream after. Of course. My prize. 

Two days home. I was eating ice cream with some boys I had know since I was 12. I chalked up the attraction I felt to one of them as nerves. Duh, boys had only been an option for two days. Calm down girl I said to myself. You already know him. He was not what I expected. 

So I ignored all that and got to dating, a lot. So many boys and so few second dates. Speratically I saw that boy from two days home and my feelings never went away. They grew. Those butterfly's got so big. Even though I had known him for, oh so long and nothing had really been there before. Not even a consideration. There went the love at first sight. ;) He was so attractive, of course he would know that. He didn't. He still doesn't. I even set him up with my best friend in 7th grade. I set them up. He hadn't shared the same values and spirituality that I had basically the whole time we had grown up but he was the strongest example of repentance that I had ever seen. 

Home in September, he was my boyfriend by thanksgiving, my fiance on Christmas and my Husband by the end of July. But there were those 10 years before that so.... 

Anyway our engagement went so great I was worried we never fought. I thought maybe I had a "talker" or a "pushover" on my hands. Just kidding. He is nothing like that. My husband is never afraid to share his opinion, and the man will debate that it is the right one for days. He is oh so genuine. Our marriage isn't perfect. Two of our best/worst shared traits are stubbornness and passion. With that we work constantly with: compromise, not raising our voices, respect for each others options, and some how we still need to communicate better. We work on not making jokes at each others  exspence. We work hard at maintaining each others spirituality. Marriage is hard, but that doesn't mean it can't still be our heaven. Perfect never really is. It's been three years and we have two beautiful babies. It's everything I always wanted and it isn't. It's everything I expected and then some way harder stuff. While I try every day to be a better wife and mommy I had to let go of a lot of ideals I had expected when I was single. You don't want fairy tales- they left out the beauty and strength that comes with the struggle. I don't know any magic solutions, but hey, it has only been three years. ;) When I question giving up I stop and really question WHAT I would be giving up. When I wonder if there is someone better, I slap myself. ;) There is not. When I feel the strength of the difficulty I focus on the positive until it sparkles and all the negative disappears. ( that was Gordon B. Hinkley) Part of marriage is hard, part of being a mommy is hard, because life is hard. What good does dwelling on the negative help anything? Ever. 

My life is so much more than a fairy tale could ever be. 

New Mommy Advice

Everyone has opinions about what works best for their babies. When your prego for the first time you hear so much advice, it's hard to keep it straight. And it seems everyone tells you how expensive everything that you need is and blah blah blah. My opinion? You don't need everything. There are necessities and then there are things that would just make it a little easier. Being on my second child I wanted to make a list for my dear friend Jennie so she knows what in the world to add to her registry.

Baby necessities - that keep everyone in love

Swaddle blankets - 

lots of them because they always get pooped and puked on. Aden and Anis are the best but a little pricy, so buy them at Baby steals boutique in Salt Lake or sometimes on clearance at Target. And circo and carters brands are ok for back up. There are little swaddle suits too but they are not a necessity as they cost more per piece. But I would still recommend one, or 5. Still i did it over the swaddled blanket.   Babies-r-us

Pacifier clips

These keeps the binky from being lost. You can buy them on etsy but i just buy the supplies on etsy and make my own with ribbon. It's best to do it from the begging so they don't just think it's a new toy.

Etsy

Sheet Saver (over the sheet) 

It protects the sheet from spit up while the baby is sleeping. As it seeps thought blankets. I got mine at babies-r-us.

Boppy pillow
Helps your back so much when you are breast feeding.

Diaper bag 

Obvi. and it does not have to be a Petunia Picklebottom. 

Burp cloths

The best ones are the ones made from cloth diapers that you can get on Etsy or a lovely sewing friend can make you.  

Bibs - plastic washable 

So much better then cloth ones because you just have to spray them clean, every once in a while i through them in the dishwasher to get sterilized. 

Cute ones.

Gripe water 

We call this hiccup medicine because it cures hiccups. It also helps babies tummy bubbles, so i just give them a couple drops then they are colicky.  

"The Honest Company" Products
These products - from cleaning solution to bug spray - are 100% organic and when baby puts EVERYTHING in their mouth, necessary. Google it. Or you can get them at Target now.
They even have the only white diapers I have ever seen.
Bumbo chair
This strengthens the babes ability to sit up. Also it can be a booster seat later for skinny toddlers like mine.

Leg warmers
Just for girls? No. These protect little baby knees when they are crawling and go cute with onesies.
Swing or chair
So you don't spoil the baby by holding them all the time. Before they can stand. It may also be the only place they sleep if your baby is a little snob, like my son was the first couple months.
Jumper
This is important for leg strength before baby walks and you can start using it way early. Like as soon as they can hole their head up. Honestly I used mine even after my kids could walk as a way of keeping them in one place. 

Walker or walking toy
These help with balance when baby is learning to walk. You don't have to get a walker, they have push toys too for like $15.00. They have little girl strollers that are like the cutest. 
Boys 
Girls 
Neutral

Pack'n' Play

Breast pump

Baby Wants - it's just easier

Spare Boppy cover
The Piddle Pad 

Here

Onesie Extender 

I hate it when onesies are baggy. Plus when you have a favorite you can keep using it with these. 

Travel System 

Not necessary but really nice. I love how the car seat just fits in. And I like how big it is because it can carry my bags. 

Bumbo Chair Tray 

For when babe starts to eat.

High Chair

Totally Optional. We have a high chair at home and at one grandmas but we don't always use them. Have you heard of a tye-chair? totally cool but too much money. I tie my kid to the chair with a scarf - works just as good.

Play mat for tummy time 

The Boppy ones look great but I just used a blanket. 

Crib sound machine 

One of my best friends swears by these for her boys. Mine just makes whom sounds. It ran out of batteries a lot and i didn't always change it. It never effected her sleeping. So for her it was necessary, for me just optional. 

Socks

Mittens

Diaper Genie
These are fine when you have one baby. Emphasis on baby. Toddlers poop stench can take a diaper genie down. So ours is out on our porch.

Mom reviews: a series

So I have been trying a few non-conventonal ways to purchase products for my baby. Basically I just have three new companies I am trying. I have not received my products from two of them so I am starting with The Honest Company. In explaining the company co-founder Christopher Gavigan explained:

"Parents get a lot of advice about what to feed their children and how to baby-proof their home," he says, "but many are still completely unaware of the toxic risks posed by everyday basics, like diapers, home cleaners, body washes, and laundry soaps. Yet, there's growing consensus that some chemicals used in these products are linked to chronic diseases like asthma, ADHD, and even cancer."
Christopher is the former CEO of Healthy Child Healthy World (a national nonprofit empowering parents to protect their children from toxic risks)

The company offers two free trial sets. ( you pay shipping of like $4.00) One is for household basics - hand soap, shampoo body wash, laundry detergent, lotion, and healing balm (diaper rash gel). The other trial is 10 diapers and a small pack of wipes. I ordered both trials as well as a full size household basics kit. 

I have previously purchased organic baby products but as I have been using these products I have notice that my old products say things like 99% natural and 92% organic. Thats just silly, if your not 100% than your not organic are you. 
I worry about what my baby puts in her mouth, i.e. everything. I put lotion on her body: she puts her hands and feet in her mouth. I wipe her face with a wipe: she licks it. I shampoo her hair: she drinks her bath water. Everything that is on my hands has a great possibility of making into her mouth, i.e. sunscreen. When I spill some baby food on the counter I worry about putting back with the rest of her food because of the chemicals that are on my counter. She wears a diaper like 99% of the time, I really want to be confident that there is nothing in it that can harm her. 

Seriously I am in love the the confidence these products give me and i thank this company immensely.

So here is what I really think about the products:

• Hand Soap: I really love how my hands don't feel super dry after using it. And it smells so good, and it lasts. Its Lemongrass. 
• Laundry Soap: 
• Shampoo Body Wash: Sweet orange vanilla smells really good on her skin and for hours after bath time she smalls so clean
• Lotion: Even though the lotion is not thick its feels like a heavy cream on the skin. I even put it on my skin to test it and it leaves me feeling soft for hours. It's even better then bath and body works cream lotion. 
• Healing Balm: So my baby has never had diaper rash, ever. But sometimes i see some redness after I removes a particularly stinky diaper and I have been using the balm. The redness is always gone by the next diaper change. What more could I ask for?
• Wipes: Super study yet not too thick. It's pretty hard to get them to rip. sometimes we play tug of war with them. 
• Diapers: They are so cute they different designs you can choose from. Or you can get them all. Basically once your baby starts eating solids it's becomes more and more less likely you will have a blowout . My baby doesn't get blowouts any more or these keep everything inside even if its not completely solid. 

I urge you to research their website. I Highly recommend these products. 

There are two ways to purchase. You can buy by individual product or you can sign up for a monthly bundle. They have a chart as to how many diapers come monthly.

As far as the essentials bundle, you get 5 products a month and there currently are 14 products to choose from. 

Its super cheaper to do the bundle. Even cheaper than Walmart. and if you sign up for the diaper bundle now you get wipes included as long as you are subscribed. 

Stripes.

Oh goodness. I am curvy by all accounts. I think it's beautiful and feminine. But I think it is very important to focus on your best. Everybody type has certain design aspects that can improve it.

I have been seeing this everywhere and I feel like it's not being done quite right and sometimes its done very badly. There are so many poor girls who just don't know how to do it right. So here is my two cents. First of all stripes are classic. They have a purpose in design, they make things look bigger. Thats why they are so great on a wall, they can expand the room because they draw the eye horizontally. As clothes though, you have to be careful. Thats why people watch shows called, "What not to wear". You see things that are "in trend" are usually not the best for everyone. Like horizontal strips, they are only ok for really skinny people and the occasional baby bump. Lets take a look.

When Stripes are everywhere... things like this happen.

She looks so wide. (and i know its oddly cropped) 

And she just had a baby, so i know how she feel,s and i feel kind of bad she gets to be my bad example. But she is a judge on Fashion Stars... she should have known better.

I would take this picture off if i didn't feel it could do the world some good.

So here is another example... on a tiny model.

She's the same model.

             

 

 Can you not see it? How much wider the stripes make her look? and she is even wearing white in the skinny picture, which is not forgiving.

So now that everyone gets it. Lets talk about they ways we should wear stripes.

 Diagonal

Diagonal is the closest you can get to horizontal. It has this magic of making the clothing look bigger on purpose, so whatever is underneath becomes a mystery. A good mystery.   

             

                               Bebe: $35.95                               White House Black Market: $128.00

                     Express : $19.90                                                   Express: $19.90

Vertical

The very best stripe of all. It elongates your body. It makes you look leaner and taller. Plus it draws the eye up to your beautiful face, making it a focal. 

              

             Pleats are a great way to do vertical in a subtle way.          LOVE This swim. Sorry its sold out.

j

 

                                                                                                                     Oasis: $115.00            

Chevron

But be careful, its can still be wee bit widening, but in a diagonal sort of way.

                    Brittany Snow                      White House Black Market: $78.00

                                             Bebe: $89.00                                Bebe: $69.00

Mix it up

do multiple directions so your eye doesn't just go side to side.  

            Dorothy Perkins: $29.00 (I LOVE THIS)                                          Bebe: $89.00

do a Shoe

                     

                  J Crew $138.00                                                                  J Crew: $138.00 

Zappos: $79.00

But

If your still gonna wear some horizontal stripes, at least take this into account.

Use it to your advantage. (like if you want to make your chest look bigger) 

White House Black Market:$68.00

Modcloth: $77.99

If your Pregnant your belly becomes your best asset its totally always ok to show it off.

Plus your body is off proportion so the lines draw the belly forward. see.

Put a solid over it. 

It gives the stripes a bound so it doesn't get out of control.

Make sure its not too tight. Make it bag on purpose.  

Stripes are great. So fun and bold. And Just like everything in the world, they can be misused. 

Take pride in who you are with what you wear. Clothes are the best way for you to wear your heart on your sleeve. Its the first thing people see when they meet you. Accentuate the best things about you and thats what people will focus on.