Mama's MilkBox: A Nursing-Friendly Fashion Subscription Box

You guys, we just hit the 6-month nursing mark . . . can you believe it?!

6 months felt SO FAR AWAY when we were going through all of our early nursing issues. But now, nursing is easy breezy and so, so wonderful. I love it and am thanking my past self for persevering. YOU GO, girl!

To celebrate 6 months of breastfeeding my big boy, I signed up for a mama treat. :)

A few weeks ago, a fellow nursing mama sent me a link to Mama's MilkBox, and I was instantly interested. It's basically Stitch Fix, but for nursing moms. Of course, it's not exactly like Stitch Fix. There are definitely a few differences in how they run things. But the overall idea is the same. You fill out a style profile, a stylist picks out several items for you, they ship them to your home, you try them on, keep what you like, send back what you don't.

Some of the bigger differences include . . .

Your first box is a mega-box. They send you several items (I got 9!) to bulk up your breastfeeding wardrobe.

After that, you receive a regular sized box (3-5 items) every 6 weeks until you decide to cancel. Canceling is easy and can be done at any time. Stitch Fix, on the other hand, always sends 5 items and you can pick how often you get a box.

There's no discount for buying all the items, which I interpret as . . . they don't mark up the cost of the items to account for a possible discount. :)

It costs $39 to purchase a box, but that $39 goes toward any items you purchase. If you send all your items back, the $39 will apply to your next box. Stitch Fix is only $20, but if you send all your items back, you lose that $20 forever.

With Mama's, you have to pay the shipping cost to send the items back, which is around $8. Stitch Fix covers the cost of shipping both ways.

You can't gain referral credits by getting friends to sign up, which again I interpret as . . . they don't mark up the cost of the items to account for referral discounts.

Since Mama's MilkBox is sending nursing friendly items, they only send tops and dresses. Who ever heard of nursing friendly pants, amiright?

AND since the company is a lot smaller than Stitch Fix, I've already found that they're much better at taking my suggestions and sending specific items I ask for. Both Stitch Fix and Mama's MilkBox have Instagram accounts where they post items they sell. Stitch Fix has never once sent me an item I liked, or commented on, or pinned to my fashion Pinterest board. On the other hand, Mama's MilkBox sent me probably 5 items that I commented on or pinned. That's some top-notch service right there, folks.

Curious to see what they sent?

Can you spot what makes them nursing friendly? :)

I've already worn one of them out and about, and let me tell you, nursing-friendly tops and dresses make breastfeeding soooo much easier! I mean, we were doing just fine with me wearing normal tops and just pulling them up to access the milky makers. But these items made just for nursing mamas make it easier to keep nursing more discrete in public. AND I can finally wear dresses again! Most of my old dress wardrobe just doesn't work anymore, since nursing in them means basically taking them completely off to get up to the girls. Not a problem at all with nursing-friendly dresses. Woohoo!

And some of them even double as maternity clothing! God-willing, there'll be another pregnancy in my future, so I can add these gems to my maternity stash as well.

Alright. Let's do a quick piece-by-piece review and I'll show ya how they work.

Mothers En Vogue - $89

This dress is what made me fall in love with Mama's MilkBox. I commented on their Instagram pic of this one and said, "Signing up now and would LOVE this dress." They heard me loud and clear. Actually, I like this one so much, I'm wearing it as I type. I wore it yesterday too. I nursed in public at John Paul's well-check appointment this morning and it was so easy! There are little hidden zippers near my underarm that zip down for nursing. Love it! Plus, it has these over-sized pockets on the sides which fit my cellphone perfectly. A mother's dream!  KEPT.

Mama's MilkBox - $49

It seems like Mama's MilkBox has their own brand! I love the simplicity of this top. The navy blue color is one of my faves. There's a panel on the front that lifts up for easy nursing. So cool! And it'll be a great piece for the fall, especially with a thick cardigan over top. KEPT.

Dote - $89

I definitely pinned this dress on Pinterest. :) Thanks for getting the memo, Mama's MilkBox! This one works similarly to the one above, where there's a panel on the front that lifts for easy nursing. It's super cute in general, but I just wasn't feeling it once I tried it on. Also, you can't tell from the picture above, but space was kind of limited for the girls in this one. Too tight in the bust. Plus, I think the pale pink doesn't really work with my skin tone. Oh well! RETURNED.

Boob - $89

Another one that I pinned and love the look of! And another panel top. But the fit wasn't working for me. Overall, it's too baggy and probably a little too long. The color combo and polka dots have me swooning though. Sigh. RETURNED.

Milk Nursingwear - $45

Actually, I pinned this one too! You probably can't make it out in the picture, but it has a lovely lace detail up top. And I love the length of the sleeves. But it felt just a bit baggy on me. And I'm starting to think I don't like dresses made of the jersey knit material, unless they're really something special. Otherwise, they all start to seem like the same ol' dress to me.  RETURNED.

Bun Maternity - $39 

You can't tell from the picture, but this top has snaps up on the shoulder that make the straps of the shirt easy to pull down for nursing. Actually, each side has two shoulder straps, so even while you're pulling one down to nurse, the other stays up, making nursing super discrete.This tank top would be a great piece for layering, and I love the stripes! But it was wayyyy too tight around my bust and too small overall. RETURNED.

Milk Nursingwear - $55

Another jersey knit dress that makes me go, "meh." RETURNED.

Boob - $59

A plain, teal top with a lacey v-neck and a panel style for nursing. Again, "meh." It would be great for layering and is a lovely staple piece, but I was kinda bored by it. Also, I wasn't digging the lace detail on this one. RETURNED.

Loyal Hana - $79

I pinned this top on my Pinterest board too because . . . SWOON! Isn't it lovely?  I would have never imagined such a fun, fashion-forward nursing-friendly top! At first I wasn't sure since it's a little baggy, but I'm thinking the bagginess totally works with this look. For nursing, there are little zippers hiding near my underarms that zip down the v-shape on the front of the shirt. Sneaky, right? And a huge bonus with this one is that John Paul has some red and black flannel pants that match it perfectly. Mom and baby in matching outfits? Super win! KEPT.

---

And there you have it! Nursing fashion for the win!

I have to say, I'm pumped to get my next Mama's MilkBox in 6 weeks. Sorry, Stitch Fix, but you're on hold for a while.

Unrelated to this, I also backed a nursing dress kickstarter a few months ago, so I'll be adding those to my nursing wardrobe soon too. :)

You probably noticed that nursing friendly clothes are kinda pricey. Eek! I wasn't exactly expecting that. But I'll probably just keep one or two pieces from each box in the future, and that'll keep things a little more affordable overall.

Now, if someone could point me in the direction of some nursing bras that hold up the girls as high as my favorite non-nursing bras do ... well, that would be a HOME RUN!

Fashion Box #11

I took a bit of a break from Stitch Fix after they sent me three boxes in a row of overpriced maternity items. The final straw was a fix that I disliked so much, I didn't keep a single item. Several dresses at around $100 a piece and items that definitely did not fit my style profile . . . not my idea of fashion fun. And when I wrote to them expressing my dissatisfaction, in as polite a manner as I could fashion, I heard nothing back. Nada, nil, zilch.

After that fix, I decided to give up on Stitch Fix forever. But of course, several months later, the itch returned. An itch caused by two things. First, two people had used my referral link, so I had $50 in credit to spend. (Darn you, Stitch Fix, and your all-too-sneaky referral program!) And second, I haven't bought many clothing items for myself post-pregnancy. So I was ready to give them one more chance to get it right. One more chance.

Well, thanks to a stylist named Justin (my first fix styled by a man!), my relationship with Stitch Fix may be on the mend.

I asked for nursing friendly dresses, a patterned maxi skirt, and a purse that could be used as a diaper bag. Here's what I got in fix #11 . . .

Maxi dress, teal dress, gray top, blue and pink maxi skirt, and tote bag.

Let's chat about each, piece-by-piece.

Maxi Dress - $88

This dress checks a lot of the right boxes. The fit was flattering. The colors are totally my colors. I love the design along the bottom. It was definitely nursing friendly, as I had requested. And I felt pretty good in it. BUT. There are a few big buts here. It was too long, meaning I'd have to pay more to have it hemmed. My bra was in plain view under my arms, tisk tisk. And, worst of all, I felt I wasn't going to get a lot of wear out of this maxi dress this season. The weather's starting to change here, so I'd probably get, tops, 4 more weeks out of it. Not worth it to me. RETURNED.

 

Teal Dress - $64

This dress did not check any of the right boxes. Ok, so part of it is that I'm not wearing the most supportive bra. But that's kind of unavoidable right now. I'm actually wearing one of my must sturdy nursing bras in this picture, so it ain't gonna get much better than this. Anyway, I also wasn't able to pull down the cowl drape front low enough for nursing, meaning I'd have to pull the dress up from the bottom to nurse. Big no-no. And finally, I already own 2 dresses in this color, including one I purchased from Stitch Fix about a year ago. So my wardrobe, plain and simple, didn't need this dress. RETURNED.

Gray Top - $44

While there's nothing special about the look of this top, I love it. I love how lightweight and stretchy it is. I love the feel of the material. I love the hi-lo hem along the bottom. I love the neutral color. And I love how I can wear this under cardigans or blazers throughout the fall. While I wouldn't normally spend $44 for a top, I had those credits to spend, so I went for it. Plus, I couldn't wait to cut the tags off and wear it. That doesn't happen often for me, so I knew it was worth holding on to. KEPT.

Blue and Pink Maxi Skirt - $58

Here's an example of "you get what you ask for." I asked for a patterned maxi skirt and I sure did get it. Unfortunately, I felt the pattern was a bit loud. And just like with the maxi dress, I felt I wasn't going to get much wear out of it through the fall. On top of that, I also didn't love the flow of the skirt along the bottom. AND they sent me a nearly identical maxi skirt  in a fix about a year ago, which I didn't keep. So, it was very easy for me to send this one back too. RETURNED. 

 

Reversible Brown/Black Tote - $48

When I requested a purse that could be used as a diaper bag, I actually requested this specific tote. I follow Stitch Fix on instagram and when I saw it in a recent pic of theirs, I wanted it stat. We have this diaper bag and it works quite fine, but it's pretty cumbersome when I'm just going on quick trips out and about with John Paul. I wanted something more feminine and versatile. So I requested the tote I saw on instagram and hoped they'd send it along. I was a little bummed when my stylist said he couldn't get it for me, but the tote he did send made me forget about it real fast. This reversible tote was love at first sight. It's the perfect size, I'm digging the easy magnetic closure, and it even came with a small pouch for smaller items. Just what this momma ordered. KEPT. (And already using the heck outta it.)

---

So, whatcha think?

I'm thinking I'm glad I decided to give Stitch Fix a second try (ok, technically 11th try :P). While they still haven't sent me a MUST KEEP ALL THE ITEMS fix (which, btw, gets discounted: 25% off), I feel like they're back on track again. I loved most of the items, felt they were all pretty much in line with my style, and the prices weren't that outrageous.

If you're interested in trying out Stitch Fix for yourself, feel free to use my referral link. I get $25 toward my next fix when yours ships. No pressure, just throwing it out there in case you're interested.

By the way, not pictured in the photographs above . . . my little fashion critic, who was hanging out by my feet through the whole fashion photo shoot. :)

Happy Wednesday, friends!

3 Tips for Building a Maternity Wardrobe on the Cheap

Enter: the bump!

It's cute, it's fun, and, in most cases, it's the first very obvious sign of your growing bundle of joy. 

You love it. You really, really do! 

But soon you realize, things just ain't gonna fit like they used to. 

So what's a gal to do? 

With a baby on the way, it's not like you've got an abundance of cash lying around to grow the wardrobe. At least, not most of us average folk anyway.

Lucky for us, building a maternity wardrobe is actually very easy to do on the cheap!

First of all, you only need stretchy waistlines and slightly-longer-in-the-front tops and dresses for a few months during and after pregnancy. Then you'll tuck 'em away until you're ready to use them for a few months during and after your next pregnancy. This means you don't really need to invest in many high quality, built-to-last-forever items. 

And secondly, well... that's where my tips come in! 

Now, since this is only pregnancy numero uno for me and I'm only 26 weeks in, I may not be the best expert here, but these tricks have worked for me so far. And I hope they can work for you too! 

Let's get right to it.

1. Work with what you already have.

The best first step in putting together an inexpensive (and awesome) maternity wardrobe is taking note of the non-maternity items in your current wardrobe that would still work with a growing bump. Why buy things you already have, ya know?

Flowy shirts, wrap dresses, and yoga pants are great examples of such items. At least for wearing through the 2nd trimester, I'd say.

top and undershirt from Old Navy Maternity

And in addition to your non-maternity items that straight up fit over your cute popped belly, there are also a few other items you can easily adjust to fit your growing body.

For example, your bras! No need to purchase new ones if it's just your band size that's expanding. Instead, buy yourself some of these: bra back extenders. Thanks to those cheap little suckers, I'm still wearing my pre-pregnancy bras and they're still soooo comfortable. So, until my cup runneth over, AKA my cup size increases, you'll find me comfortably fitting into my old bras, and cheaply. 

You can also wear your non-maternity jeans (and any sort of zip-up pant, really) for a bit longer with this little helper: the Bellaband. You keep your pants unzipped to fit the belly, while the stretchy band does the hard work of keeping your pants up. I wore mine regularly during the first trimester and it was lovely. 

So, don't discredit your non-maternity clothes too quickly. With a quick sort of all your items and a few inexpensive helper items, you might already have more to wear than you realize!

2. Borrow, borrow, borrow!

Early in my pregnancy, I was blessed to have a friend offer me her maternity wardrobe. Talk about growing the wardrobe for cheap!

Think about it, though. Like I said before, you only wear maternity clothes for a few months during and after pregnancy. So if you have a friend or relative who's recently had a baby, chances are she's packed those clothes away and planned on forgetting them until the next pregnancy happens. So while they're not being used, it's the perfect time for you to swoop in and kindly ask if you can borrow a few (or ALL) of her items. Sure, asking might be a bit awkward, but what's the worst that could happen, really? She says no? Yup, actually, that's probably the worst that could happen. Totally worth the awkward asking and probably receiving free maternity clothes, if you ask me. 

tunic from Old Navy Maternity

There are just a few tricks to making this borrowing tip work right...

You've got to find a friend who's generally the same shape and size as you. But that shouldn't be too challenging, as the stretchiness of most maternity items makes it so that you don't have to be a perfect shape and size match.

You've got to find a friend whose style is similar to yours. Otherwise you're just going to feel like you're awkwardly wearing someone else's clothes for several months.

And you've got to be relatively clean. If you're the type that spills stuff on everything, you may not actually be a good candidate for maternity clothes borrowing. In this case, I'd find a friend who's done growing her family and see if she wouldn't mind giving you her maternity wardrobe for keeps. 

3. Shop the sales. 

Once you've sorted through your normal wardrobe and begged a few friends for borrowed maternity clothes, there's only one thing left to do.

And that's SHOP!

top from Pea in the Pod

Ladies, I cannot even tell you how many awesome, inexpensive maternity items there are out there waiting for you to buy. All you have to do is look. And I especially recommend looking at the sale items.

Aside from the maternity leggings I'm wearing in the pictures above, all the other items were bought very inexpensively from the sale racks of shops with HUGE maternity sale sections. 

The jeweled top from Pea in the Pod, originally around $70, I bought for around $25.

And the green top and gray tunic from Old Navy, I bought for less than $10 each. 

Cheap, cheap, cheap! And yet all decent to high quality items! 

Here are my go-to maternity clothing shops for items on the cheap:

Old Navy

For inexpensive and decent quality, this is my favorite! Just look at that sale section!! And they usually have some sort of 20% or 40% sale going on on top of their already discounted items, so if you're looking to bulk up your maternity wardrobe on the cheap, make this your first stop. 

I'm definitely not usually an Old Navy shopper, but their maternity items just can't be beat, especially if you're looking for standard items. Their jeans are wonderfully comfortable and affordable, as are their black slacks, and all their tops, really. I do recommend reading reviews on items to get your sizing right. Their maternity items tend to run a little snug, so I generally size up, but it really depends on the item.  

One little bit of a bummer is most of their maternity stuff can only be bought (and returned) online. Meaning you can't try on anything before buying. And if you don't like, you have to ship back. BUT! I say it's still worth it. You just have to see those discounts to believe me.  

The Gap

The Gap also has a great maternity sale section, mostly online. And they also have sales on top of their sales going on all the time too. Their items are a little more expensive than Old Navy, but also higher in quality. Pro tip: You can combine your online shopping carts from Old Navy and the Gap since they're both owned by the same company, thus saving you on shipping costs. You're welcome!

Pea in the Pod

For really high quality items, this is my go-to. I do have to be careful not to be tempted by their non-sale stuff, because that stuff is WAY out of the budget. But it's easy enough to avoid their lovely non-sale stuff because their sale section is, just like Old Navy, ginormous! I highly recommend shopping at a Pea in the Pod store, as they have a great big sale selection available and you get to try it on before buying, but if that's not possible, online works great too! 

It's worth noting that you won't ever see Maternity Destination or Target on my go-to list. While their items are cute, I find the quality is lacking, sometimes severely. And since you can get higher quality items from the maternity sale racks of other the shops, I'd say skip 'em. But that's just my two cents. 

---

So, what do ya think? After all those tips and tricks and sale shopping links, does an inexpensive maternity wardrobe sound doable?

I sure hope so!

I will say, I think it's totally worth investing in just a few super high quality, more expensive, non-sale-rack maternity items if you've got room in the budget. Occasions like baby showers and that maternity portrait session you just booked kinda call for it. The key, though, is balancing those few expensive items with a whole bunch of non-budget-breaking items. Mix and match the costly with the non-costly to your heart's content, and with these three tips, I bet no one will be able to tell how very affordably you just built your maternity wardrobe.

In fact, within the next year, I bet pregnant mamas will probably be asking you if they can borrow your maternity wardrobe.

Feels good, doesn't it?

And to the ladies who have done this pregnancy thing before: What are your wardrobe building recommendations? I'd love to hear your tips in the comments!

Happy thrifty sorting, borrowing, and shopping, mamas!

Little Happies -- Holidays, Henna, Hot Peppers (and a Little Bit of Fashion Too)

Hello, friends! And welcome back to Little Happies, the link-up in which we share all the little joys of life.

This week's Happies are brought to you by a modge podge of happy!

--one--

Pediatricians dress up as Mario characters and win the hearts of all their patients. 

(That's what the headlines would read if this one went viral.)

Above you see my husband and his team of residents dressed up for Halloween. Pretty awesome if I do say so myself. And he said rounds took foreverrrrr because all their patients and patients' families wanted group pics with all of them. How adorable!

But seriously, my husband's Wario mustache cracks me up most of all. 

--two--

Remember how I mentioned that Pumpkin Patch fundraiser a few weeks ago?

Well, PRAISE GOD, it's finally done! That means my hours will be shorter again, I won't have to work every stinkin' day of the week, AND I've got a successful fundraiser behind me. The teens raised lots of moolah for our youth group summer mission trip, so I'm super pumped about that. It makes it all worth it. But oof, that was a lonnnng month of work!

Here's what makes this one a Little Happy. We cleaned up the patch and moved out all the extra pumpkins this past weekend. I had a handful of teens show up to help and thank goodness for them! They made the work very easy on me. We also found ways to make the work fun, including moving the pumpkins into a giant pile by bowling them across the grass. And though there aren't goalies in bowling, we also had a teen goalie-ing and blocking the pumpkins / direction poorly bowled pumpkins into the pile. It made me smile. :)

--three--

Henna!

Once a year, Memphis has an India Fest that we just have to go to. All the food, the dancing, artwork, and shops... it's always a fun time. I also splurge a little every year and get a henna tattoo. The artist draws on your skin with a thick lavender-scented paste which dries within 30 minutes. After 6 hours, you remove the dried paste and what remains is a really beautifully designed tattoo that lasts about 2 weeks. I'm definitely not a permanent tattoo kinda gal, so this is perfect for me. Plus, they're always so pretty! I can't help but stare at my hand all the time until it fades. 

--four--

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Ok, so I know I'm mega-early on this one, but I decided to have a Thanksgiving feast at youth group last night and the teens loved it. Look at all the tasty food! I was in charge of the turkey, so obviously that meant calling up the nearest BBQ joint and ordering several pounds of sliced, smoked turkey. To be honest, I'm not usually a big fan of Thanksgiving turkey, but this smoked turkey was amazing. And easy. Win-win!

The reason for the early celebration was so that I could chat with the teens about making the whole month of November a month of giving thanks. We created little Thanksgiving bags so they could remember to write one thing they're thankful for each day, place it in the bag, and then hopefully include it in their prayers before bed. It's easy to remember to ask for things in prayer, not as easy to remember to thank, especially at that age. So, hopefully the bags will encourage them to offer prayers of thanksgiving more often. 

But if not, at least the food was good. :P

--five--

Stitch Fix part 8.

Eek! I can't believe I'm on my 8th fix! 

This time around, they sent me a maternity dress, cowl neck seater, maternity leggings, blue blouse, and heavy cardigan. 

The dress was cute, but already super tight around the chest and hips, so I figured it wasn't a good idea for a woman who's about to get BIGGER all around. Also, you might think that's a baby bump you see, but it's just the stripes on the dress and the ruching of the material that give the illusion of a bump. Still no bump here. 

The oversized cowl neck sweater was almost a keeper, but at the last second (seriously, minutes before sealing the bag of clothes to be sent back) I noticed the bottom of the sweater had an uneven hemline. Can you see it in the pic? Right in the middle of the sweater, the two panels don't match up. Perhaps it's part of the design, but it really bugged me as soon as I noticed it. Sayonara sweater!

The maternity leggings are AWESOME. Super high quality material and plenty of room for a big belly. Kept.

The blue blouse is hard to make out in the pic, but it had ruffles and a criss-cross tie up the front, plus cuffed sleeves, so it totally looked like a pirate shirt. Bummer, because it definitely had potential.

And finally, the heavy cardigan. It was way too big and bulky. Plus, John said it looked like the color puke. 

And that was that! I kept the leggings and am very happy with that decision. :) Also, overall I reeeeally liked this fix. The only thing stopping me from buying more was that things didn't quite fit right. Oh, and that one item had the asymmetric hemline. But I definitely think they have my style figured out now. Wahoo! Next one arrives in mid-December.

--six--

These musicians impress me so much. You've gotta watch all the way to the end though. Now that's dedication!


And that's all for this week, folks! Hope you have a happy one. Catch ya next time. :)

An InLinkz Link-up

Little Happies -- Fashion Show, Watching Movies, Eating Junk, and a Dog Fail

Why, helllloooooo! And welcome back to Little Happies, the most cheerful internet link-up in which we share all the small joyful things going on in our days. Would you care to join us? :)

Let's dive right in... --one--

I got another Stitch Fix! 
Striped dress, maxi skirt, floral blouse, teal dress, and gold collar necklace.
And I kept . . .
The teal dress!!! I know it doesn't look that great in the pic, but trust me when I say it's awesome. The draping in the front is a lot of fun and it looks great with a pair of boots. Plus, it gives me plenty of room for the belly to expand, whereas the other pieces I really liked (the striped dress and maxi skirt) didn't. And that floral blouse. My husband really disliked it and I thought it was a bit baggy, so bye bye! Oh, and the necklace. It was so hard to part with, but in the end it didn't seem worth it for $36. 
Also, another reason I didn't keep the striped dress: I found one similar at Target for $12 the day before I sent the Fix back. And actually, it fit even better that the Stitch Fix one! Winning. 
Btw, the day I found out I was pregnant, I noticed Stitch Fix now has an "I'm pregnant" checkbox on their style profile, so I'm going to try that out for the next few months and hope they can accommodate my expanding waistline. We shall see!

--two--

source

Excuse my language, but . . . 

Harry Freaking Potter!!

Once a year, right around J.K. Rowling's and Harry Potter's birthday (July 31st, duh!), John and I start a Harry Potter movie marathon. It's taken us a while to get through them all this time around, but we're on the last movie now and it's just been so fun hanging out with some of my favorite characters again. Watching them grow from movie to movie is adorbs. And now that we're watching all of them for like the 10th time since they first came out, it's given us a chance to really appreciate some of the smaller details, like the gorgeous, eerie music and the beautiful cinematography of each scene. 

Fun fact: The last movie, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, came out the night before our wedding. While I really wanted to see it after our rehearsal, John thought this plan was (obviously) crazy, so we held off a few days and enjoyed it during our honeymoon in Aruba. Good times.

Who else out there is a HP fan? 

--three--

Ok, don't judge, but in my early post-college years, I was a bit of a freezer meal junkie. 

I know, I know, I know. . . so gross. But, it was cheap and easy and some of the meals were dang tasty. As time went on, I figured out how to follow a recipe and quickly learned that fresh cooked meals are way yummier than the ones hanging out in the freezer aisle of Kroger. So freezer meals were done-so from then on.

That is, until I started growing another human. 

Me and food are in a weird relationship right now. I definitely don't like most foods at most times and mild nausea is a pretty normal thing these days. Plus, I'm lazy/tired as can be and don't want to spend even 30 minutes in the kitchen putting together a meal that I probably won't even want to eat once I'm done. SO, freezer meals have made an appearance in our kitchen once again. (So sorry, John.)

My past addiction taught me that Smart Ones breakfast quesadillas are where it's at. So, it was the first freezer meal I looked for. You can imagine my immense sadness when they were no where to be found at Kroger. Wahhhhhhhhh. And then you can imagine my immense joy when I found them at Target a few days later. I'm not going to admit how many I've eaten since then, but they've hit the spot lately and for that I'm grateful.  

--four--

Ok, call me immature, but this made me laugh a lot. 
Annnnnnd that's a wrap!

Have a lovely week, friends! <3

An InLinkz Link-up

Little Happies -- Long Hair, Don't Care

Hey, friends! And welcome back to the happiest little link-up on the internet, in which we all share the joyful little things going on in our lives. Won't you join in?

Let's get right into it...

--one--

I got some hairs cut! Took off about 5 inches and instantly felt 10 pounds lighter. It's been two years since a big chop like this and it was time. Isn't it fun to sport a new do? 

--two--

This guy continues to crack me up.

See what's on his wrist there? Yep. It's a hair tie. And not just any tie. No, this long haired man-diva much prefers those knotted hair ties. In fact, we were shopping around J. Crew the other day and I overheard him asking the sales person if they sold any "masculine-colored fancy hair ties." Ha!! I laughed so hard inside. 

He's also starting to learn some long hair lessons:

Pulling back your hair too tight can give you a headache.

Rubber bands DO NOT work well as hair ties.

Shedding will happen A LOT.

You can be pretty dramatic with a good hair swoosh. 

Product helps a bunch. (Seriously, he uses more product than I do.)

And if you take off your rubber gloves in a hurry, you risk accidentally throwing away your beloved hair tie. Let's just say I've lost many a hair tie from my collection because of his rubber glove issues. 

Men with long hair are comical!

--three--

Annnnnd I got another Stitch Fix! Can you tell which ONE item I decided to keep? The options are bird shirt, color block dress, blue and white dress, cardigan, or necklace. If you guess right I'll give you a virtual pat on the back! :)

Can't wait to read your Happies, friends! Have a lovely week!

An InLinkz Link-up

Oops, I Did It Again: Fashion

Well, well, well.

Here we go again.

I'm ready to admit it out loud, I'm officially an Itch Nix addict. It's gotten real. How am I so sure? Well, I'm signed up for monthly boxes now.

Don't judge.

I realized last month that I usually only keep one or two items from each box. If I keep doing that, I'll be adding just one or two new items to my wardrobe each month and I think that's perfectly normal. So monthly we will go!

Though, let's be honest, I wouldn't mind if Itch Nix sent me a home run box one of these days, with 5 must-have, totally-gonna-keep, love-at-first-sight items. It hasn't happened yet, which bums me out just a little. Surely they should have my style and fit figured out by now, right?

Ok, enough with the whining.

On to the clothing.

This time I asked for tons of patterned stuff and a summery necklace, and they certainly met my requests!! Check it.

(Psst -- Please excuse my lack of make-up.)

Now one at a time...

Blue Polka Dot Blouse - $58

This blouse is a probably maybe. It's made of a very comfy material with a nice, flowy, but not-overly-baggy fit. I'm liking the polka dots, mostly liking the blue color, and definitely liking the cute criss-cross detail on the back. I can see myself wearing this a fair bit during our Memphis fall. I'm not sure I could dress it up much, but it'll be great for when I'm in a lazy, hanging out mood. It's probably even passable for work. Hrmmm. Definitely probably maybe.

Pink Chevron Blouse - $44

They finally sent me a chevron pattern I like!! WAHOOOO! And the color is lovely too!! From the front, it's my absolute favorite top everrrrr. And if my decision was based solely on how it looks from the front, I'd be sold. However, when I turn to the side, I feel like it gets all blimpy. Perhaps a better, more positive describing word would be flowy. But is it overly flowy? My mom says KEEP IT! Perhaps I should trust that mother knows best. But yet, I'm still undecided. Another definitely probably maybe.

Floral Blouse - $68

VOMIT.

EVERYWHERE.

Ok, I know. That's mean. Someone designed this shirt and was proud of it. And then someone else said it was beautiful and agreed to have it made and sold. But then someone else tried it on (me) and felt like she belonged on a spaceship or something with those wingy armholes. What the WHAT?!!

I do love the floral pattern though. At least it has that going for it. Poor thing.

This girly space shirt is a no. Done deal.

Black Polka Dot Dress - $98

Pretty dress! Pretty pretty. And gosh, these pics are making it look good. But you all are going to have to trust me on this one. It's just not meant to be. I know it by how it feels when I put it on. The top part feels too bulgy/baggy. I don't want to feel like a heffalump on the top, so I'm going to just put my red-shoed foot down and say no. Sorry, cute dress. Oh, plus... too expensive, don't you think?

Statement Necklace - $38

I tried to like this necklace. I tried it on with two different tops AND a dress. This is actually the best it looked. It's just an awkward length (yes, I've tried it at several different lengths and it was still awkward) and it kind of looks like a bib. See what I mean? Easy peasy decision. You're going back to Itch Nix Land, necklace.


And that's a wrap!!

I've made it easy on ya. It's basically down to the polka dot blouse and the chevron blouse. The options are keep both or keep one or the other.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

Oh, PS: John wanted me to share this picture with you. He said he was proud of his fashion photography and it made him want to do a power pose! HA! He's weird.

Oh, PPS: I have $75 in referral credits toward my box this time!! WOW! Friends are just using my referral link left and right. THANK YOU! It's making this even more affordable!! There's no pressure to do this at all, but if you're interested in getting a box of your own, feel free to use my referral link. When your box ships, I get $25 toward my next one. 

Oh, PPPS: Be honest. Are you getting sick of these fashion posts?

Update
I decided to keep the chevron blouse! Weee!

Even though it was a bit baggy from the side, it was the most comfortable and my favorite pattern by far. I've already rocked it once AND just bought a pair of super light blue skinny jeans to wear with it. The blue polka dot blouse was hard to part with, but ultimately the right decision, as it didn't blow me away. Thanks for the input! It helped me say YES to the chevron!