What's the oldest bra you own? Honestly?

I am sat in our lounge watching Top Gear and simultaneously surfing. Its not uncommon these days. Instead of a book on the lap, it's an iPad. A fellow blogger, Natasha at The 1970s Diet, has just pointed me towards her dieting tips on her very fabulous site, one of which is "buy new underwear".

It's definitely something I am considering. My summer weight loss (see the weight loss journey post here) has resulted in my 34E bras becoming somewhat roomy.

Whilst I can happily sit here and start browsing for new bras, the sad fact is that I probably have the size of bra I need hidden somewhere in the bottom of my wardrobe already.

During one particularly memorable sort-out last year I discovered that I had every bra size from a 32DD, via a 34B to a 38D. And did I throw them all out? Yes.

Well, most of them.

I've lost 7 lbs in 1 month. Want to know how?

Summary

This blog post is a summary of my journey over the last 7 weeks during which I have lost 10.5 pounds in weight.  It's an ongoing journey.  I hope it is at least helpful if you are trying to eat more healthily.  So settle in with a glass of water instead of a cup of tea (healthy choices start here), and a biscuit (instead of three).  It's a slightly longer post than usual - but I hope it's worth it.

For more tips to lose weight you can also check out my earlier post Get Fit and Lose Weight for Summer.

Best place to put a hook and eye? Under the armpit. Really?

Is it just me or do we need to fund some researchers somewhere to come up with a sensible, non-arm-breaking solution to the underarm zip and hook and eye?

Every dress I buy at the moment appears to have this set up. OK so the dresses are fitted, and fitted nicely. But little ol' me wonders if its possible to move that darn zip and do away with the hook and eye altogether.

A zip straight up the back is, in many cases easier. You can reach around from underneath and pull up a certain distance. Then use one arm to lift the dress up at the shoulders, and grab the zip, from above, with the other arm to continue pulling it up. Even then, if the dress is to fitted, its nigh on impossible to do the zip yourself without damage to arm and shoulder muscles and ligaments.

Clothes sizing: Why can the fashion industry not get this right?

Unintentional clones

If you were to wake up randomly in a park or playground, having lost your power of hearing, in my opinion you could still pretty quickly work out if you had landed in the UK despite not being able to hear the language being spoken.

How?  Just a quick glance at the fashions being sported by the mums.

As with any culture built by humans with an innate need to fit in, we have developed different uniforms for different roles in society.  In England the uniform is fairly clear for a trip to the park with the kids.  If you are less than a UK size 12 and therefore can get away with skinny skins, or Jeggings,  these will be your uniform of choice.  Combined with a fairly snug Tee, or a fitted smock top (the sort that look like a mini dress but are worn with leggings.)

However, you might, like me, be unable to find a pair of skinny jeans or Jeggings that actually fit your hips.  You may, after all, have hips, and an hourglass figure, that the manufacturers of fashion often forget exist.  For you, the trip will, despite your better intentions, probably result in the Sweats uniform.  You'll have plenty of pairs of sporty tracksuit bottoms from all the good intentions of joining and subsequently not attending the gym.  Add a bland v-necked T-shirt and you can kid yourself that everyone will assume you have come straight from Yoga class to the park.  

Cropped tapered trousers? Really?

I have always been a fan of Trinny and Susannah.  I particularly like their argument, back in their first What Not To Wear books, that cropped, tapered trousers are a definite no no.

I'm very aware that Trinny and Susannah started sharing, some might say spouting, their fashion advice a good ten years ago now, and those of you in fashion circles will obviously say that their view then shouldn't be used as good fashion advice now.

Before this week I would have disagreed.  There are just some items of clothing that will never ever look flattering on anyone other than a size zero, 6 ft tall, 18 year old, and cropped trousers is just one of them.

The fact that so many size 16, short, middle-aged women insist on wearing them astounds me.  They don't flatter your leg; in fact they make it look even shorter, and make you look even wider. 

 Why do it?

This week I may be stepping down from my soap box and admitting that there may just be instances where the cropped trouser has a lot going for it.

A month ago I bought a pair from Monsoon (surprise surprise).  They are lovely and comfortable and were purchased specifically for my summer holiday.  I had my doubts before trying them on, but they looked OK and I figured I could at last buy a pair of trousers that I didn't have to re-hem.  I'm 5 ft 6, you see.  This is taller than average, but short enough that 'long' trousers drape on the floor without a minimum of a 4 inch heel.  So my trousers are either re-hemmed, or I wear them with the heels. 

 

This has always caused me a problem at this time of year; particularly this year; when it's raining a lot.  You see I don't like doing the school run in my heels.  Read more about this HERE.   I buy particularly nice heels for work and don't want them ruining.  The thought of trudging through the mud and puddles to the school yard and standing there with my 3 year old stamping all over my feet makes my heart sink.  So I try and wear flats for the school run (all the better for chasing a runaway child down the road in).   Of course my long trousers then end up soaked.  So I have to tuck them into wellies (not flattering), tuck them into pop-socks (even less flattering) or wear a skirt.

But now I have discovered the cropped trouser.  Not just any cropped trouser.  The work cropped trouser.  The cropped trouser that has this week been worn with flats to work.  It's a first – I NEVER wear flats to work, but I did and it was fine. Though I won't be doing flats again; I like being tall too much!  

But the slightly less smart, but nevertheless smart enough for work cropped trouser worn with my favourite smart Irregular Choice heels; now that was a genius plan.  I wore flats in the car and on the school run; happily avoided looking daft, and popped on the heels at work.  

No drenched trousers.

They don't make me look nearly as tall as the boot-cut, overly long trousers do.  But they solve the rain problem.

So I apologise Trinny and Susannah, but I may well be buying some more!

*I apologise for the picture quality, but my photographer is only 6 years old! Personally I think she did quite well with a dodgy model.

Topless water slides anyone?

The summer is supposedly upon us; it is June after all; and if you are packing your cases for your summer holidays you'll no doubt be packing a bikini, or a tankini, or a swimsuit (bather, cossie) in the hope that there will be good weather to be had.

Those of you who are going on holidays sans children may well be packing these items with only a view to whether you have this season's trend or not.  You may be considering how much, or how little, skin they cover depending on how comfortable you are with your body.
  
But, unless you are still in your twenties and going on an activity holiday with friends, the chances are you haven't packed your swimwear with consideration as to what type of water slide they may be subjected to.

If you do have children you may suddenly find yourself, 10 years after last plummeting down a ridiculously designed water slide into water that really needs a kettle or two of boiling water adding to it, sat at the top of one such slide in a swimsuit that you fear may not cut the mustard; so to speak.

You see, women's beach wear isn't designed for water slides.  More formal women's swimwear might be; the sort of all-in-one swimsuit that the Olympic competitors may wear.  That kind of swimsuit would withstand anything you throw at it.  But, do you really want to be sat, by the pool, in hotter climes, next to the skinniest, tanned, bikini clad 18 year old, with your all-in-one Adidas piece on?  I would humbly suggest not.

So what to do? 

Freya do a good line in tankinis that incorporate 'proper' bras in them (with adjustable fastenings and everything).  These supply good support when hurtling downhill at speed.  Similarly, Figleaves do structured, under wired, all in ones that are flattering and won't be mistaken for competition cast offs.  They also have 20% off at the moment.  Just enter TWENTY at the check out.

What you can't rely on are the usual basic bikinis that grace the pages of every fashion magazine every spring.

That is, unless you are deliberately expecting to arrive at the bottom of that chute with breasts on show for all to enjoy.  If that's the case, then fine, go buy in complete freedom.  If not, elastic, structure and under wiring are your best friends, allowing you to not be 'that' embarrassing mother!  Been there.  Done that. 

School Uniform: Prude or Slut?

Picture the scene; school is letting out.    It's a hot, barmy, unexpected and therefore much talked about random summer's day in England.  The children are all without coats, but clad in the usual black skirts or trousers and white school shirts.  It's a secondary school and a uniform is compulsory for those in Year 7 through to 11. (That's ages 11 to 16)

I pull up in my car at the pelican crossing outside this particular school as they are milling about.  Some cross the road in front of me, but my eyes are drawn to a group of girls on the pavement to my right.  They are all wearing the required black skirts, obviously with bare legs (did I mention the weather?) and I am struck by the shortness of the skirts.

Don't be daft I tell myself, thinking they probably just 'look' short because I'm all old and unfashionable and couldn't get away with that length anymore.  But then I notice that I can see one of the girl's bum cheek peeking out from underneath her skirt.

Yes.  You read that correctly.  Bum cheek.

Go on.  Now tell me I'm a prude.  It's not just that I could see this that bothered me.  It's that every person passing, whether walking or driving, could see this; and not everyone out there is 'safe'.  What do I mean?  You know exactly what I mean.  Let's not be naive.  You can argue all you like that it shouldn't matter what you dress your children in.  Yes, since they are under 16 these are still children we are talking about.  But it does matter.  It really does.

In the 80s the rule was knee-length.  If you could see all your knees the skirt was too short and you got a letter to send home.  I wonder what, if anything, this school did about this particular skirt.  On the evidence of the skirts surrounding her, not one more than about an inch lower in length, probably not a lot.

If there are any teachers out there reading this; I'd be interested to know your thoughts.  What are the rules these days?  If any?  Do you agree with them?  Or not?  Why?

It seems that everyone wants me to know what, if any underwear they are wearing this summer, doesn't it.  Can you avoid VPL this summer?

Can you avoid Visible Pantie Line this summer?

River Island Linen Trousers

There is currently an explosion of VPL.  That's Visible Pantie* Line. 

The explosion is a direct result of the kindling provided by white linen trousers.  White linen see-through trousers. 

If you own a pair of these apparent summer staples then I have a very important public service announcement for you: please be informed: they are ALL see through.  Don't be fooled.  They might look OK in the store, or even at home, but get outside in the bright sunshine and they disappear to nothing.

I don't understand why anyone buys these trousers.  Let me tell you what others are thinking when they see you wearing them. 

"Oh look.  White linen trousers.  I bet they are see through.  I'll take a look." Peers surreptitiously at the wearers bottom. "Ahh, I can't see any VPL.  They've avoided that faux pas.  Good for them.  But how?  Hmmm."  Stares some more.  "I can't see any tell tale signs of a tiny g-string at the base of the spine.  They must be going pantless.  Eeuuuuwww."  The wearer happens to turn around.  "Eeeekkkkk, quick keep your eyes up, up, do not, I repeat, do not look at her crotch."

The end results of this appraisal are all just as horrific as each other.  Let me explain

Either we've looked and established you are wearing pants and the VPL is visible to all and therefore I know what underwear you are wearing; or you are wearing pants that are tiny enough to avoid most VPL and therefore I know what underwear you are wearing; or you are not wearing pants and I know that you are not wearing pants and in some cases whether you prefer a Brazilian or not.  I repeat: Eeeeeuuuuuwwww.  In all cases I seriously do not want to know what underwear you are, or are not, wearing; and I certainly don't want to know your hair removal habits.

The current explosion needs to stop, and to stop soon, before I start going up to random white trouser wearers in the street and telling them how it is.  I don't want to turn into some crazy woman raving about underwear in the middle of Jubilee Weekend celebrations. 

So please, please, please stop wearing them. 

And please, you fashion designers you, STOP MAKING THEM!

 
* That's knickers, not trousers, just to be clear.

I have found the best jeans ever for mummy tummies!

Monsoon Farah Regular Jeans £45

I have discovered the best pair of jeans ever.  This is no easy feat.  I have been looking for jeans that fit me properly since, well, since I worked out that the boys in school preferred jeans to the flowery skirts I thought were trendy in the early Eighties.  

Even before I had children I struggled to find jeans that met my stringent criteria; stay up throughout the day; don't gape at the small of my back; be the right length.  I realise that these are completely unreasonable criteria.  They must be, because if they were sensible pre-requisites then the designers would have addressed them before now.  

However, it appears I am alone in my requirement to keep my jeans up on top of my hips and certainly alone in the wish that they didn't show off my pants at every possible opportunity.

Of course then I had children.  My pre-baby body was always larger at the hips, with a slim waist.  But now I have a tummy that certainly isn't concave, and so I discovered that, short of wearing braces with my jeans, I was unlikely to find any that stayed up without a belt.  

Therein lies yet another problem (I told you this was a feat) any mother that has a similar (overstretched) tummy from giving birth will know that belts, when worn on jeans that like to sit on your hip bone, are the most uncomfortable belts in the world when you try and sit down.  The belt rams itself into the folds of flesh that you wish you could magic away with 200 sit-ups a day.  Oh if only we had the time.  You end up having to hoist the jeans back up onto your waist before sitting down.  Not an attractive sight, and second only to hoisting tights up to the correct position by lifting one leg at a time into the air in an unseemly manner.

So, in a world that designs it's jeans for (so it appears) size zero models only, where would I find a pair to meet my needs?

It turns out, that I found them when I wasn't even looking.  When I had, in fact, given up the search in favour of actual trousers.  I found them at Monsoon; one of my favourite stores.   

The Farah jeans are beautiful.  They come in a short or regular length, which is great for me, as the regular is perfect.  Usually regular lengths are too short for me, and long lengths only good when I happen to be wearing 4 inch heels.

They don't gape at the base of your spine.  At all.  

They completely hide my mummy tummy.  Completely.  Without digging in at any point.  If you think they may look too high, don't worry.  They don't.  And I always wear tops that fall slightly over the top of my jeans anyway, so that's not a problem.

When I tried them on in the store I nearly cried.  I extend my heart felt thanks to the shop assistant who pointed me in their direction.

They fit!

If you have curves and usually struggle to find jeans that fit, try them.  You won't be disappointed.

I provide only one caveat.  These are 2% elastane, and so do make an attempt to slide down your hips.  You can feel them trying (if you stand up for a long stretch of time and are specifically concentrating); but they don't get far because of their shape.  I love them.  A lot.

***

This review is my honest opinion of jeans that I discovered in store and paid for myself.  I would be more than happy to test other products for Monsoon, should they be interested (wink).  I purchased the Farah Regular Jeans £45.

5 Quick Ironing Tips - For Busy Women

So you've barely got time to throw on the lippy in the morning, never mind get all those clothes ironed.  How can you speed up the process to leave yourself time for a cuppa?

1.  Prioritise 

When you haven't got time to iron the shirts, how do you think you've got time to mess about ironing those tea towels, or that under sheet for your eldest's bed?  Scrap that!  Tea towels should be folded and put away as soon as they are dry - no ironing required.  Under sheets?  Come on!  You are going to lie on them and they'll be hidden under the duvet anyway.  Fold them and go.  The same goes for children's vests, pants (knickers, not trousers), socks, tights, pyjamas and, if you can bear it, pillow cases and top sheets.  Most of these items won't be seen and those that will won't retain creases for long.  I know some folk who iron the gusset of pants to get rid of bacteria.  I figure that if I've cleaned them properly it shouldn't be an issue.

2.  Don't Over-dry

Over the winter months our clothes inevitably end up on dryers next to the radiator.  This is an effective way of drying clothes, but the tendency is for them to over-dry.  Cotton based clothes like men's shirts can be a nightmare to iron when they are over-dry.  The best plan is to get them off that dryer the second they are dry.  In fact, they should be very slightly moist and should be ironed as quickly as possible once they are off that dryer.

3.  Use Water

You need a water spray bottle to get those 'over-dry' sections moist before ironing them.  And if you have a steam iron, use it!  Water is your best friend.  You need enough so that the crease is wet before you iron it, and dry afterwards.

4.  Foil

Get a reflective ironing board cover.  They reflect the heat back up to the underside of the material.  Lining the underside of your own cover with foil has much the same effect and is cheaper.

5.  Go Large

Use the largest ironing board you can cope with.  The added space will allow the clothes to sit on top without slipping and allow you to iron bigger sections before having to more the clothes along.


And with that folks; off you go for that cuppa!

Maternity Wear: Making do and saving money

You can get away with adapting what you've got, and supplementing with the odd charity shop item, or items from friends, and still look yummy with an increasing large bump.

In the early weeks you can often wear your normal clothes, and if, like me, you have a range of different sizes in your wardrobe, you will often find slightly larger trousers hidden away that join the party as your waist begins to expand. 

But once that bump gets too large for your trousers, do you really need to go out and spend a fortune on new clothes that will only fit for as few weeks?  No, not at all.
 
Remember boob-tubes from the 80s?  If you still have these, they are great for using as a belt and bump support.  Not only can they cover over the tops of trousers and hide that top button that just won't do up, but they also support your bump and enable you to continue to wear tops that otherwise wouldn't come down far enough to cover the bump.

You can, of course, buy these in the form of the bumpband! (Approx £17; but cheaper on Amazon)  But you can just as easily make your own with some Lycra based material from an old Lycra dress or top if you haven't managed to hoard those boob tubes for that long!

Equally, you can fashion a triangle of material, stitched into the front of trousers, with a button, Velcro, or even stitched in both sides, to span the gap between buttons and holes on trousers.  I did this very successfully with my work trousers.  The only problem is that it's not that pretty, and once your waist gets wider than your hips, there's nothing to hold them up.  So I stitched in my material and wore the trousers with my husbands braces underneath my usual smart work shirt.  Nobody knew the wiser (shhh!)  Again, you can buy these in the form of waist extenders for about £13; still much cheaper than a couple of pairs of brand new maternity trousers.

Finally, there are plenty of dresses, wrap tops and knitwear pieces that will happily stretch to accommodate a growing bump.  Just be careful you don't pick your favourite, as it may not return to it's usual size afterwards!

And finally, leggings are actually in fashion!  Elasticated waists just when you need them!  Pity they weren't quite so fashionable when I was pregnant!

However, if you do have a little bit of money to spend, I would recommend using it for a good non-wired bra.  You'll probably need to start looking at about 20 weeks, and maybe again at 35 weeks for a breastfeeding bra.  It's not just your tummy that is going to grow, and under wires are not very good for your precious milk makers at this time.

Has anyone got any other money saving tips for making do when pregnant?   

What did you do to keep your clothes lasting longer whilst your bump grew bigger? 

And for where to buy maternity wear if you are feeling cash rich, and what to buy, click here! 

Maternity Wear: the dos, don'ts and where to find it!

 

Buying new stuff!

If you do opt to buy some new pieces to supplement your wardrobe when you are pregnant, ideally you want to select items that could feasibly be worn after the pregnancy too.  Especially if your budget is tight. 

This means selecting tops that are long and floaty, ideal for covering the bump, but equally pretty afterwards; better yet, select wrap around styles in which you can show off your bump, but which will work equally well sans bump. 

 

There's another reason I am not a fan of the tent dress; nor indeed tent tops.  Wearing tops like this; that drop from the extreme edge of your bump straight down; actually make it more difficult for the average person to judge if indeed you are pregnant, or have just been eating generously.  I firmly believe it is these tops that cause the most confusion.   

Once I was happy for everyone to know, (after the 12 weeks point)  I preferred to make it quite obvious that I was pregnant, with tops that wrap around, preferably with an empire-line.

 

Next's Black Hem top, for example, is a lovely top, that could be worn whether pregnant or not.  But it 'tents', so I'm not personally a fan after the first few weeks.

Next's Pink Breastfeeding wrap top is better, not only because it shows off the bump, but also because it is then perfect for breastfeeding.

I link to these Next tops as an example, but also because Next have a good range of maternity wear – particularly for working women.  As well as a handy Maternity 'Sizing' guide here.

I don't know about you, but during my first pregnancy I thought you had to go up a size in clothes.  Actually, unless you are putting weight on all over (like I did for the first, but not for the second) you stick with your usual dress size, just in 'maternity wear'.  

This obviously doesn't stop you buying non-maternity clothes that fit the bill in whatever size happens to fit at that point!

For the full Next range click here.

Other great maternity wear suppliers include:

Online: 

Isabella Oliver

Tiffany Rose 

Crave Maternity

Asos

Simply be

Asda direct

High Street:

New Look

Dorothy Perkins

Top shop

Mothercare

John Lewis

And it's always worth checking out charity shops, as maternity wear is worn for such a short time, it often has plenty of wear left in it!  

Second hand baby wear stores often include Maternity wear too, for example;
Lilypad4kids in Derbyshire
Maternity Exchange

But do you have to go out and buy a new wardrobe?  In these financially challenging times, when disposable income is decreasing, can you afford to buy a new wardrobe?  And what if you can't? 

Pop back next week for a post on 'Making do' with what you've got.

Going to Disneyland Paris? Tips for Survival!

Don't.  And I'm going to repeat that for effect, even though it doesn't work nearly as well written as it does said. Don't, buy any clothes for your children, from Disneyland Paris, without trying them on first.

I'd promised myself that we'd buy a new princess dress for our Cheeky Monkey No. 1 while we were there.  The first shock was the price.  They cost roughly 59Euros with the smallest sizes sometimes, but not always, cheaper, and for those of you still trying to work that out in your head it's £52 or $86.  So it's not something to buy while you're there if you can really help it.  They are definitely cheaper at home.

However, I didn't know this, and had 'promised myself', so I figured 'Carpe Diem' and let her pick her favourite.  She picked the Rapunzel dress unsurprisingly, and I picked up a size 6 (meaning '6 years old') to try on.  She's nearly 5yrs old, and I figured that if I'm going to spend the money, I want her to get some wear out of it before it's too small.

 The size 6 was just right.  And I mean 'just right'.  So knowing my daughter she'd grow out of it within a week.  And frankly, after a large bowl of pasta, it would have been tight around the middle!

So we picked the next size up to try.  It was probably only about an inch, if that, wider around the middle, and was now just above the floor.  Any bigger and she'd be tripping over it.  And what size was it exactly?  An 8.  My 4 year old daughter was in a dress supposedly designed for an 8 year old!?

I similarly ended up with a size 6 for my 2 year old.

I should point out in the strongest terms that I don't have round children!  They are probably slightly smaller than average if anything.

So beware, and try on first.

Having said all that, she looked absolutely gorgeous!  Have fun!