Beer Belly or Baby Belly?

Before there's "cute" pregnant, there's "fat" pregnant ... that oh-so-lovely stage in which people wonder if you've just eaten a large burrito or if you're potentially preggers. You have a hate-hate relationship with all of your pants. And you're still adjusting to the fact that all the cute summer clothes displayed in store windows don't apply to you. (Especially the shorts, sister.) So to accommodate my new "look", I decided it was time to do a little maternity shopping. 

Last weekend I hit up a few spots in the 'burbs and scored some budget-friendly things to get started. Target had slim pickings. But, I got a pair of white jeans for just $35. I picked up a few simple tees and tanks at Destination Maternity. And the best part, I stumbled upon the cutest flowy summer dress for literally $12 dollars at Marshalls. When you find a dress that's cheaper than your lunch, you just have to buy it. I can't imagine spending almost $200 on a maternity dress, but how cute is this Ella Moss style?

 

This is an adorable $29 alternative from Old Navy:

What are some other great bump-friendly places to shop?

Oh, Baby (On the Way)!

The reason my blog has been so sparse over the last couple months is that my recent nighttime routine consisted of this: booking it home from work, changing immediately into sheep patterned pajamas, and spending the rest of the night on the couch in a nauseous fog. Sounds pretty awesome, right? Luckily, my zapped energy and food aversions are for a good cause ... our baby is due in November!

I'm starting to feel like a human again. But let me tell you, even at this early stage, pregnancy is wacky. I couldn't stand the smell of coffee (my favorite!), wouldn't go near a vegetable, and avoided my friends like the plague. Until I could spill the beans, I knew I couldn't go out and pass on the wine without them catching on to my little secret. So I had to get clever to keep my cover. At a work goodbye party, I told my co-workers I was heading to yoga in an hour, so no sangria for me. The old me would skip out on yoga, not the happy hour.

But now that the word is out ... it's really fun. I'm already learning a lot about how to navigate pregnancy. Like, when you want a bagel and cream cheese, you need to have an enormous one (for the baby, right?). Here's what I know so far...

• My friend told me that American Apparel makes awesome non-maternity high-waisted leggings. I'd like to extend a sincere thank you to all the hipsters who wear that look on purpose.

• Babycenter has a great newsletter that tells you what's going on with you and your baby each week. They compare your baby to a similarly sized food for perspective. Today, I'm the proud mother-to-be of a "medium sized shrimp". Weird, but I'll take it.  

• Snacking regularly helps keep nausea at bay. I basically have a mini-mart in my desk cabinet at work. If anyone needs a granola bar or a panini pressed, I'm your girl.   

• Pregnancy makes you cry over everything, even episodes of Khloe and Lamar. 

• A rubber-band will be your best friend in those early months when your jeans are a little snug, but you don't need maternity clothes.

• The What to Expect When You're Expecting app is a good one. From healthy snack ideas to explanations of all those weird things happening in your body, I'm always learning something new from their weekly overviews and daily tips.

• Sometimes I tell my husband I shouldn't do things because I'm pregnant (like all household chores, food shopping, etc.) and he listens. I don't think he believes me. But he's scared not to accommodate.

• My baby will be the proud owner of all of these Ron Swanson bibs:

 Do you have any good prego tips? Fill me in! Especially if they're about snacking ... my favorite pastime. 

What's For Dinner? Recipe Roundup

Do you ever get into a rut where you find yourself making the same (a.k.a. super boring) weeknight dinners? Me too. Good news gals, here are three easy recipes to get you out of your dreaded dinner routine.  

1.) Quick and Spicy Tomato Soup

As far as I'm concerned, Giada can do no wrong. Yesterday I stumbled upon her recipe for spicy tomato soup, and promptly made it for dinner. It only calls for a handful of ingredients, and involves dumping a bunch of things into a soup pot and winding up with dinner. Now that, I can do. Simply saute onions, garlic and carrots in a pot, add chicken stock, a can of tomato sauce, cannellini beans, noodles, salt, pepper, red chili flakes and simmer. I added too many noodles, so it was more of a stew than soup - but quite tasty nonetheless. Whip up a grilled cheese and dinner is served. 

2.) Fish Tacos

I looooove meals that involve cheese and guacamole. My friend Lauren made these tasty fish tacos last night and highly recommended the recipe. (You know something is seriously good when it's the first news to grace your morning g-chat convo.)


 3.) Black Bean and Butternut Squash Burrito

For the record, I'm not a vegan nor do I ever plan to become one. Cheese is just too crucial to my overall happiness. But this vegan burrito recipe shared by my friend Rebecca actually sounds delicious. And it's pretty too!

Anything new and exciting in your dinner repertoire? Please share a link to the recipe below ... we need it!

Reasons to Love the Weekend

It's a gorgeous Sunday morning, and there's still one more glorious day out of the office ahead of us. Just in case you need a reason to appreciate the weekend, here are seven:

1. Whether you're a person or a dog, it's perfectly acceptable to be incredibly lazy.

Could you be a doll and grab me a water?

2. You may even catch an epic Jim Walsh/Dylan McKay showdown on SOAPnet while doing so. (Someone was not happy about a secret rendezvous in Mexico...)

3. You can leisurely read the paper while sipping a cappuccino.

4. You can channel your inner Ina Garten and shop at the local farmer's market.

5. Flowers are finally in bloom!

6. You can enjoy cocktails in cute glasses and then sleep in the next morning.

7. You actually have time to make the recipes you just look at on Pinterest during the week.

If you need some more inspiration to ward off the Sunday Blues, click here. What are your favorite ways to spend the weekend?

The Most Extreme Wedding Diet

Wedding trends come and go, and hopefully this latest weight loss fad will soon end up where velvet tuxedos went to die. The disturbing (to say the least) K-E diet promises to help women shed 20 pounds in just 10 days. Rather than bothering with a healthy, balanced diet and exercise, brides looking for a quick fix are paying big bucks to have a feeding tube inserted into their nose, down into their stomach. They're "fed" a slow drip of protein and fat, mixed with water, totaling 800 calories a day.

Outraged? Me too. I'm about to go "Ashley Judd" on y'all ... so get ready...

There is something just so sad about women that choose to do this diet. (Don't even get me started on the doctor offering this service.) Of course brides want to look amazing on their wedding day. There's nothing wrong with stepping up your workouts or watching what you eat to look and feel beautiful.  During my own wedding prep, I begrudgingly cut down on my cheese and chocolate intake. I splurged and worked out with a trainer once a week. I hauled my tired butt to the gym when I soooo didn't want to go. But the key for me was moderation. A girl still has to go to happy hour and eat the occasional cheeseburger. Am I right?

Even though you get to dress like a princess on your wedding day, you're still you. Why go to such drastic extremes to not look like the you everyone knows and loves? And let's be honest ... could you imagine a guy schlepping around for 10 days with a feeding tube before his wedding? Didn't think so.

I don't have a solution at the moment for changing the unfortunate mentality of brides that want a feeding tube instead of food. But I can share this article I wrote for Shape.com, featuring great tips, weight-loss strategies, and advice from women who walked down the aisle feeling fit, fabulous and healthy. Core Fusion classes, running, healthy food swaps (like substituting balsamic vinegar for full-fat dressings), spa treatments, and Weight Watchers are just a few of the totally normal ways women slimmed down to rock their dream dress.

Cures for Chapped Lips

Although Spring has made an appearance, it's still so dry that I can't go anywhere without obsessively re-applying my Burt's Bees lip balm. I hate to knock Burt's, but it's just not working. Thanks to this post on Jezebel, Your Lips are Dry and Disgusting. Let's Fix That., I learned some tried and true remedies to prevent and cure chapped lips once and for all:

1. Don't make out with Adam Levine. Check. (Unfortunately)
2. Cover your lips in duck or goose fat. Whoever recommended that sounds like a quack. 
3. Go with good old Vaseline to lock in moisture. I love budget-friendly beauty options.
4. Raid the kitchen cabinets and try olive oil. Hmm, can I pair with a tomato mozzarella salad?
5. And my favorite, "Don't lick your lips, no matter what LL Cool J says." A rule to live by.

But, they missed the BEST cure of all: Aquaphor. I discovered this soothing secret in college to protect my lips from brutal Wisconsin winters. It also added a really fabulous sheen to my lips as I braved the walks to class wearing a wool face mask. Not my best look. It was about survival, gals.

It's time to go back to this beauty stand-by. Who's with me?

How do you combat chapped lips?

The Best Red Carpet Commentary

During awards season, everyone and their mother is a "fashion expert." But sometimes the very best, spot-on commentary comes from the poor guy on the couch next to you, who's stuck watching three hours of red carpet festivities against his will. If your viewing partner is anything like my husband ... his comments range from asking the obvious ("When was the last time she ate?") to sheer bewilderment ("Is she wearing a bed sheet?"). He also had a real problem with Kelly Osbourne's E! coverage. "How can she be the one critiquing everyone when her hair is grey?" Anna Faris' arrival was the beginning of the end for him. All he could say in response to her dress/bangs combo was, "Oh, god." He had enough.

You'd think because he was such a good sport for the Oscars, I'd hand over the remote control last night. But The Bachelor was on ... and it was the final three! I married a real gem, folks.

And of course, Parenthood is on tonight. I hope he can handle Crosby's wedding ... and all of the crying I'll do throughout Crosby's wedding. 

I have a strange feeling after this week, there's going to be a lot of MSNBC, CSPAN and basketball in my future. 


What shows do you politely force your hubby to watch?