Never fully dressed without a ....

Yummy Tummy. I know, you thought I was going to say "Smile," right?

I'm a 36-year old mom whose had the pleasure of two c-sections and an abdominal wall that apparently will never recover from pregnancy no matter how many barre classes I do. While a "Mommy Makeover" is in my fantasy future, until we get to that point, my go-to item has been a Yummy Tummie tank. 

I've posted about them before (calling it my "adult lovie"), but this time I'm posting {begging?} for a personal style session with Yummy Tummie at BlogHer '11. Why? Because I'm one of their biggest fans. I wear my strappy tanks daily (I have 3 of them) and it's now gotten to the point that I don't feel fully dressed unless I'm donning a YT. Under t-shirts I feel smoother. Under a buttoned shirt, I don't worry about popping that one button that shirt makers strategically place in the middle of your boobs. And best of all? The length of the tanks are perfect for tucking into even low-rise jeans to avoid "Mom Crack" when bending over to pick up the toy my kid sitting in the shopping cart just dropped for the 30th time. I've been lusting after the leggings for awhile, and I'm DYING to try the jeans. If the jeans do for my lower half, what the tops do my upper half I will be in heaven.

If you feel the same way that I do, you should check out Yummy Tummie! ( Yummie Tummie Facebook page, Yummie Tummie site and Yummie Tummie Twitter ) 

While I've been buying Yummy Tummies on my own, this post is part of a contest that SDMOMfia Mama Christina (@MommyLuvsCoffee) is hosting for a Say Wow Not Ow Private Yummie Tummie Style Session at BlogHer 11. This post is an entry because really? I could use the help.

Bronies: Post on Fire

If you follow my posts over on SDMOMfia, or looked through my NBC clips, you will see something I seem to be quite obsessed with these days are Bronies; Adult men that love the My Little Pony Friendship is Magic TV show. 

Read my original post here

When I read this post I was shocked as anyone about this new "trend." I really don't think that I'm a judgmental person. I tend to live by a "to each his own" type theory, but this particular topic kinda skeeved me out. I couldn't quite put my finger on it until Catherine Garcia pointed it out - we need to be aware of these things in case our kids encounter it online. I do like to think that majority of Bronies see it as an innocent fun pastime, but you never know...

What I didn't expect was all the Bronies coming out to defend themselves on the post. Apparently my post found its way to a Bronie chat room, and while they are not coming out in droves, weeks later I'm still getting comments. Some commenting Bronies make a better case than others, but the basic message is that we shouldn't judge them because they like a cartoon. 

Slate.com did a story recently on the Bronies and declared them harmless, and while I think (hope) the majority of them are, it's still good to be aware. And it's also good to be prepared with an answer for when the kids ask which pony this one is.

UPDATE:

*Jason was at ComicCon this weekend in San Diego and had the pleasure of seeing a Bronie in person. 

Getting down to basics with Jockey P2P

Okay, hear me out here. Yes, I'm aware that you probably never thought I would be talking about Jockey clothing. I know I have this whole "label whore" persona, going on and on about expensive jeans, Marc Jacobs bags, and the ever lustiful red soled beauties I promise I will own one day... But really I appreciate clothes - in all their forms. It's this view on fashion that lead me today to MJ, a consultant for Jockey's Person to Person clothing line. 

One of the MOMfia Mamas, Margo, swears by this brand, and I've found myself admiring cute pieces. When the opportunity came along for Jockey P2P to clothe a few of us for BlogHer'11, I was excited to take a look, and I will say that I was pleasantly surprised by what I found. 

Normally I stay away from consultant-based fashions and accessories, but with a new designer and some basic, flexible options, I was sucked in. The Jockey P2P line is basically, well, basics. Items that you can wear individually or together that just look nice. MJ and I talked about my never ending quest to be "carpool chic" - looking put-together first thing in the morning for school drop offs. But as a mom, what do you wear to volunteer in the class, go to the park and then to Trader Joe's and look cute and be comfortable (and not just wear Lululemon all day every day)? I explained my basic style to MJ - I'm trendy, I like fashion, but I mix and match with basics and classics. 

What I was introduced to was nice fitting basic skirts, pants and jackets. By far my favorite pieces were the yellow trench coat and the modal cardigan and wide-legged pants. The trench was a great, flattering shape and the modal fabric was amazingly soft and apparently very durable. The wide-leg pants in the same material would be perfect with a white tank and flip-flops, or look chic on a long an airplane ride. I was also really impressed by the fit of the clothing. To be honest, I expected the cut of the clothes to be much more matronly than they were. Some things were not me - but that's normal, not everything is made for everyone. 

The exciting part is that my sample pieces are going to be a mix from the summer line and the new fall line. While some of the other mamas chose the exact pieces that they wanted, half of what I'm getting hasn't even been seen yet. So if you're coming my way for BlogHer '11, ask me about what I'm wearing! And if you want a peek at the Jockey Person to Person line, feel free to visit MJ's blog www.yourbeststylenow.com or come out on August 13th for her fall preview fashion show. 

*While Jockey Person to Person is providing me with free clothes, these opinions are my own. Please know that I would never lie to you when clothes are involved; I do have my pride.

Getting Ready for BlogHer '11

The parties. The posts. The SHOE TALK. All the female blogosphere is chatting about BlogHer '11. While I have a few posts coming up about the show, and (OF COURSE) what I will be wearing, as of today I can say that I'm officially ready.

Why?

Because my Survival of the Hippest necklace came. 

I've been lusting after one of these for awhile now. But I kept going back and forth. I actually wear more gold than silver/white gold/platinum these days, so which metal do I get? Do I go all out and add a diamond chip to the "i"? The decisions were too difficult, so I put off ordering one until the very last minute. (oh, and I went with a silver/gold combo but alas, no diamonds...)

Because really? This is SO much cooler than a business card. 

Affectation or Obsession?

Turquoise. It's my color. 

My purse. My wallet. Favorite earrings of the moment. Pillows. Shoes. An entire wall in my house...oh, my list goes on and on. People who don't know me make little comments such as "Oh, I love how your earrings match your purse!" People that do know me think of me every time they see something in my color of choice.

A few weeks ago I read an article in Allure about the hottest Chanel nail polish of the moment, one that you can't find ANYWHERE -  and what was it? Turquoise. So I've been obsessing. Wanting this Tiffany Box blue to adorn my nails. Alas, even the knock-off brands from Target in this color have been snatched up, so I settled for OPI's Mermaid's Tears which my local mani/pedi chop shop happened to have. As I slipped my toes back into my flip flops, I noticed that the color matched the pattern of color on the insides of my Havaianas... Later that day I noticed that every time an image of something turquoise comes up on Pinterest, all of my friends tag me in the re-pin. And while I LOVE every item, I'm beginning to worry about myself. Is my thing with turquoise a quirky affectation, or is it a bizarre obsession?

My friend Maria told me the story of the "Purple Lady" in the town she grew up in. She wore all purple every day. She even drove a purple car. Well, at least my car isn't turquoise... um, it's more of a "Smurf Blue."

A few months ago I had the chance to talk to a phone-psychic, and while nothing else the woman said came true, she did have this odd vision of my spirit guide - who emits a turquoise light. Maybe that's my issue - maybe I want to surround myself with this color to appease my spirit guide? Yeah, I think that throws me over to the crazy side of the fence. 

So what do I do? Put my love in check or go with it and let it take over? I'm not sure what the answer is, but I sure do love my toes at the moment...