How to Dress to Hide Mom Belly Pooch

7 fashion tips for hiding postpartum mom bod and belly pooch without looking frumpy along with budget-friendly places to buy them.

Major disclaimer: I am so not a fashion blogger.  If you visit our house unannounced, you will catch me in paint splattered yoga pants and old T-shirts. That’s just a fact.

I won’t even pretend like I’m a fashionista every day. But after you have a baby, there’s just nothing that can make you feel good about your postpartum body again quite like a good ol’ fashion refresh.  That’s the case for me, at least.

My body and I have had a love/hate journey the last 6 years since my first born came along.  You can lose all of the baby weight, but that belly pooch and those widened hips that pushed an 8 pound bowling ball between them aren’t going anywhere.

I had such a hard time loving my body after our first kiddo, but over the years I’ve become so thankful that it was able to carry 2 healthy babes.  I earned my stretch mark tiger stripes, and it’s so easy to take that for granted when I know so many women would give anything for that.

I’ve learned what works in ye ole wardrobe, and now this time around, after having Regan 6 months ago, I feel so much more comfortable in my skin.

After polling you guys on my Instagram Stories a few weeks back, roughly 90% of you wanted a post like this, so I thought I’d share some of my tips for any of y’all who maybe struggle with the same thing… whether you had your baby 6 months ago or 26 years ago or you just aren’t comfortable wearing tummy-skimming clothing, I hope this gives you a little help.

My sizing stats:

5’7″ 160 lbs

Tops – Size M

Pants – Size 8

Shoes – Size 8 1/2 or 9

And pardon the fuzzy cell phone shots.

7 Tips to Dress Postpartum Belly Pooch:

(Some affiliate links are provided below. Full disclosure here.)

1. Tie Waist Tops

I love that tie waist is a big trend currently because it is so good at hiding all of the bumps and pooches! Woo to the hoo!

TOP: I got this shirt on Amazon for $19 and got so many compliments when I wore it on Easter.  The subtle print and flowy sleeves make it breezy for spring/summer too.  Wearing a Medium.

JEANS: These jeans are my new favorites for sucking in all of the mom fluff. And I really like the button fly detail. Wearing my usual size 8.

BLOCK HEELS: I am so not a heel wearing girl anymore, but these are so comfy that I was able to wear them even when I was in my last trimester of pregnancy. The block heel makes them feel very sturdy and stable.  Wearing size 8.5 (true to size).

 

2. Maxi Dresses

I lived in maxi dresses during both of my pregnancies, but they’re perfect for transitioning to postpartum too.

DRESS:  I love that this one has vertical stripes and buttons down the front to create the illusion of a long, lean figure. And little bonus: it’s nursing friendly.   It does shrink a bit after washing, so be aware before hemming.  Wearing a Medium.

PEEP TOE HEELS:  These along with the black heels above are really the only two I wear anymore.  They’re so incredibly comfy.  I’ve walked miles in these before without a problem.

 

3. Rouching

Rouched details on dresses and tops rock at hiding midsection fluffiness.

DRESS: This dress was $24 on Amazon and it’s my new favorite for date nights with the hubby!  I love the tie waist to look hourglass-y.  Wearing a Medium.

HEELS: See above.

 

4. Dark Colors

I lived in black and navy for a month solid after having both of my babies since it hides belly bump shadows… and spit-up, breast milk, baby poop.  Ya know, all of that glamorousness.

JUMPSUIT: I never ever thought I’d actually like wearing a jumpsuit, but I’m totally in love with this one I found at Old Navy.  It’s now out of stock, but I’ll link one similar. The tie waist helps accentuate the waist and hide fluffiness.

HEELS:  My tried and true faves again. See above.

 

5. Front Tuck

This little trick is my new best friend. Front tuck eeeeeeverything!  If you want to make long-ish flowy shirts look a little more polished while hiding your tummy, tuck just the front into a pair of mid-waist jeans or shorts.  It makes such a huge difference to camouflage your middle and make you feel less frumpy.

BUTTON-DOWN TUNIC:  I love how breezy and light this tunic feels for warmer weather.  (And it’s nursing/pumping-friendly… woot!) Wearing a Medium.

SHORTS:  Pretty sure I’ll be wearing these green striped shorts all summer. Wearing a size 8, but the pockets bulge on me a little bit and they’re a tad snug, so I would size up.

SANDALS: These flats are so comfy and the metallic detail is fun. Wearing a size 9 (from when I had swollen preggo feet)… they fit true to size but might be too wide if your feet are narrow.

 

6. Wraps/Kimonos/Cardigans

Kimonos paired with basic tees was one of my go-to outfits during my pregnancy, and it’s still my favorite thing postpartum for warmer months.  And in fall/winter, I just layered with thicker long length cardigans instead.

KIMONO: This one is 2 years old and no longer stocked, but I’ll link a similar one.

TEE: I looooove all of the Luxe tees from Old Navy.  They’re so soft, wash well, and fit just loose enough around the middle without being frumpy. Wearing a Medium but size up if you don’t want tummy skimming.  This one is just barely big enough for me.

JEANS: I’m a big fan of high waist Old Navy Rockstar skinnies to suck in all of the mom pooch.  Wearing an 8 but runs a tad large.  I could likely fit into a 6 in these.

HEELS: Old faithful black block heels. See above.

 

7.  Loose tops

Total no-brainer, but I’m a big fan of loose fitting tops and am a sucker for ones that have some sort of fun detail around the bottom hem.

TOP: This one was $18 on Amazon.

JEANS:  Favorites! See tip #1.

SANDALS: See tip #5.

 

How’s that for a totally random, never thought I’d ever share kind of post? Ha!  I’m all for whatever will help y’all though.  And I wish I’d known some of this back in the day when I felt so uncomfortable adjusting to my new #MomBod.

Love that body of yours, mama.  It worked hard to carry those sweet babes, and don’t you ever doubt its beauty for a second.

Would you want to see more budget-friendly fashion type posts in the future?  Just curious.  I can’t decide if this should be a one time thing or not.

The post How to Dress to Hide Mom Belly Pooch appeared first on Bless'er House.

Weekend Sales

Happy Easter weekend, y’all!

The girls have been on spring break all week, and this momma is totally wiped out after a 2 day staycation trip around Charlotte visiting a museum, a zoo, an aquarium, an arcade, taking a quick hike in the woods, along with working on bathroom projects, and visiting friends.

It was worth every second.

At this point, I’m ready to spend these next few days to slow down and soak up all of the family time I can as we thank God for the greatest blessing of all.  And I hope y’all get some restoration this weekend too.

But in case you find yourself sprawled out on the couch scrolling through the Easter weekend sales after a big Sunday dinner, I thought I’d round up a bunch of them for you.  There are some good ones, if you’ve been holding out lately.

I scored through a bunch of them already and picked a few of my favorite home items with some of the best deals for each.  I hope it helps!

(Affiliate links are provided below. Full disclosure here.)

Macy’s

• Extra 20% off home and bed & bath sale/clearance items with promo code SALE

 

Anthropologie

• Extra 50% off sale items

 

Joss & Main

• Spring rug sale up to 65% off
• Tax Refund Sale – decor under $20, rugs under $100, beds under $500
• Decor and wall art up to 65% off

 

Walmart

• Up to 35% off home improvement, patio & garden, tools, outdoor power equipment

 

Wayfair

• Up to 70% off outdoor, rugs, and kitchen items

 

Nordstrom

• Up to 50% off home

 

Pottery Barn

• Up to 40% off everything + free shipping with promo code FREESHIP

 

PB Teen

• Up to 50% off furniture, bedding, decor, and more+ free shipping with promo code FREESHIP

 

PB Kids

• 20%-60% off bedroom furniture

 

West Elm

• Up to 40% off bedding & bath, outdoor, coffee & side tables

 

Overstock

• Up to 70% off + free shipping

 

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Demo in the Girls’ Bathroom

It’s getting real around here y’all!

In a matter of a few hours, we went all #demoday on our kids’ bathroom.  And I have to confess that it was liberating and terrifying all at the same time.  No turning back now!

In case you missed it before, you can read all about our big plans and vision for this space in this post.

It’s a good thing we did tear it down to the studs because we discovered our old galvanized pipes running all the way down to our crawl space were 95% clogged.  That was just proof to us that it was definitely time for this project to happen.

We are working with a contractor on this since some of the projects involved are a little beyond our limits, but we are definitely taking this as a learning experience.

When I walked through all of our plans for this space, several of y’all mentioned concerns about using an open table for a vanity.  And I realized I didn’t really share a glimpse of our big linen closet in this bathroom.

It’s very deep and holds pretty much all of our towels, toiletries, and the girls’ bath toys.  And it’s pretty much the only thing in this bathroom that will remain intact.

So now that we’ve discovered the big plumbing issue, the pipes will be replaced and the single sink plumbing will be spliced for two.

Then the exciting stuff… walls!

I’ll be sharing more of a tour of where we are so far on my Instagram Stories later today.  It all definitely has to be an improvement from here!

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The Best Bedroom Light Bulb to Promote Sleep

Our 5 month non-biased test drive of sleep promoting light bulbs and how they help settle children, babies, and adults for bedtime.

I never ever thought I’d give a hoot about a light bulb.  But what do ya know… there’s a first time for everything, I guess.

A few weeks ago, during one of my random Instagram Story pop-ins, someone sent me a message asking what light bulbs I liked the best.  Total randomness.  And my first thought was, “Um… bright ones?” *shrug*

But then I remembered about this cool sleep-promoting light bulb I decided to give a whirl a few months ago and plum forgot to share… because who thinks about light bulbs, seriously???

(This isn’t a sponsored post.  It’s just a cool thing I’ve discovered that I thought I could pass along if sleep is a struggle for you or your family. But I have included an affiliate link, FYI.  Full disclosure here.)

We’ve come very accustomed to “the witching hour” with our kids, middle of the night feedings, sleep regressions, 2 am growing pains, and 3 am diaper changes… ALLLLL that fun stuff.

And every time, I find myself saying a silent prayer in my head, “Please go to sleep. Please go to sleep.  For the love of everything that is pure and holy, I will give up chocolate for a month if this kid will just go to sleep.”

So we put these sleep promoting light bulbs in our kids’ bedroom lamps to create a warm, soothing ambience, and I’m totally convinced they help them both drift off to sleep more easily.

If you’ve never heard of them, they’re blue wavelength blocking light bulbs that support your body’s natural melatonin production (which is a hormone necessary for sleep).  Blue light emission is the reason why so many sleep experts say to cut out screen time at least an hour before bed to help your body start winding down and tapping into your natural Circadian rhythm.

Robert or I read to Olivia at bedtime with all of the lights off except for her bedside lamp with the sleep light bulb, and it calms her hyper little self down.

And part of our bedtime routine with Regan is usually me rocking her in the glider in her nursery while I sing lullabies and feed her to help her settle into a drowsy state.  I always have this little lamp on during our snuggle time to keep her slightly awake but sleepy so that she learns to self-soothe in her crib.

So far, it has worked like a charm.

If we ever have to turn on a lamp in the middle of the night to find a pacifier or change a diaper, the bulbs don’t startle her wide awake like the overhead light does.

And even though this particular one we use is marketed for babies and kids, I’ve read up about adults with insomnia using it successfully too.

It’s $19 on Amazon, and at first, I was not down with that price tag because that’s totally crazy.  But it’s been totally worth it for us (if it means I get more sleep, please take my money).  So far, we’re going on 5 months of use without a flicker, and they have a 2 year warranty.

So there ya go.  A little post about something as insignificant as a light bulb that really ended up being pretty significant after all, much to my surprise.

I hope it helps y’all, if anything.

The post The Best Bedroom Light Bulb to Promote Sleep appeared first on Bless'er House.

Classic Kids’ Bathroom Renovation Plans

Full bathroom renovation plans with solutions for maximizing space, creating function for kids, and creating a classic luxury style for less.

This post is written in partnership with American Standard. Full disclosure here.

Apparently, just like when 2018 had a theme of kids’ rooms in the way of the playroom, Olivia’s bedroom, and the nursery makeovers, 2019 is shaping up to be the year of the bathrooms.

We are kicking off our first massive room gut and full renovation this spring in partnership with American Standard. Excited is an understatement!  And even though this space will also technically be for the kids, it’s feeling more like mommy’s design playground right now.

Of course, Robert and I can never start a project without fully spilling out our big plans to y’all.

Back when we first moved into this house two years ago, the kids’ bathroom looked like this:

And after we gave it a Phase 1 makeover, it now looks like this:

BUT that Phase 1 was really just a means to an end in order to hold us over for the full reno.  Painting the walls, the existing 80s shower/tub/countertop, and the old tile grout can only go so far.

The important thing we wanted to remember about this space was making it versatile in looks but kid-friendly in function.

Even though this bathroom will be mostly for Regan and Olivia, we knew guests would be using it on occasion.  And in the interest of our house’s potential resale and staying true to the classic design of our colonial home, we’re opting for lots of timeless features.

It’s a little bit retro, a little bit traditional, and a little girly all rolled together.

Classic Kids’ Bathroom Renovation Plans:

Easy Clean Marble-Look Shower Surround

Immediately, when I think of “classic”, I think of marble.  So this marble style surround from American Standard’s Passage Collection spurred on this whole huge design plan for replacing the old beige surround with its current makeshift paint job.

I love that it has the look of marble without the high maintenance and risk of staining the real stuff. That way the kids can be as messy as they want with shower crayons and bath bombs; keeping it clean will be easy.

Deep Soaking Bathtub

We’ll be swapping out the dated tub for the American Standard Ovation so that we still get the depth and comfort of a soaking tub without having to sacrifice a lot of space in our narrow bathroom.

This was the tub before our makeshift paint job:

And we’ve never turned on those jets for fear of what might be growing inside of them. Bleck!

Self-Cleaning Toilet

For the toilet, we’re replacing the old one with this American Standard VorMax toilet that ACTUALLY CLEANS ITSELF!  (You know you’re officially a grown-up when you do spirit fingers about self-cleaning toilets.)

Space-Saving Sinks

And since this bathroom is SO narrow and has absolutely no room for most regular sized sinks or vanities, we’ll be ripping out the old original vanity from 1960 to replace it with two smaller American Standard Morning vessel sinks sitting on top of an open vanity table.

Open Vanity Table for Extra Room & Step Stools

I’m thinking this console table would be so cute converted into a vanity.  It’s just girly enough, is the perfect size, and has great detail with a nod to traditional.

That way, each girl gets her own sink (in preparation for those future sibling sharing spats), and a vanity table makes the space feel more open while leaving room for step stools.

Classic Vintage-Style Tile

For the rest of the space, we’ll be sticking to a simple black and white color scheme by using vintage style hexagon floors. Olivia picked out the flower pattern herself, and I’m totally not surprised by her choice.

And for halfway up the walls, we’ll be installing wavy white subway tiles. I love how it catches the light for a shimmery effect yet still has the look of handmade antique.

Easy Clean Feminine Faucets

To soften the harsh lines of the tile, we’ll be using these curvy, more feminine style sink faucets from the American Standard Quentin line. The brushed nickel will also be easy to keep clean.

Water Saving Features

And the shower/tub will have a brushed nickel American Standard Chatfield trim kit.

What we love most about all of the upgrades is that everything will be WaterSense certified, which saves more water than the standard flow rate.  So even though the girls will likely leave the sinks and shower running longer than they should, we’ll be conserving more water and saving on our utility bill.

Feminine Details

For the rest of the space, we’ll be adding some girly details like a peachy, blush pink bath mat and shower curtain that will be easy to change out as the girls grow. And we’ll use a pair of feminine looking beaded mirrors with sconces on either side.

I cannot wait to see how this all comes together!  I’m so glad that we’ll be making this a space that is functional and will remain beautiful for many, many years to come. This upgrade will surely give us the most bang for our buck.

What do you think so far?  Do we have a winner? More details coming hopefully soon!

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