Smitten With My New Jeans

  
Little Orso Council Feature


Today Staci, from November Sunflower, is going to take you along on her journey of weight loss, and then searching for the "perfect jeans" to fit her "new" body.  It is something that most women struggle with especially moms.  She will share her new favorite brand of jeans, and some tips for getting them for less.  If you have any question regarding her weight loss, the jeans mentioned in the post, ways to earn money/gift cards, or anything else money related please feel free to comment below.  Staci is part of our Little Orso council, and is available to help you all.  Hopefully her advice will help us all get to experience a great jean shopping session...I know I dream about that day;)




Have you ever wished that you could find those perfect jeans?  You know the ones.  They make your butt look good, they feel amazing on, you could sleep in them if you had to. 
The jeans that fit your curves to perfection...

Personally it has never happened for me before.  It's always been that one piece of clothing that I can never get "just right".

Here's the thing: I am short.  I'm only 5'3.  I need petite items for height.  However until earlier this year, finding petite sizes, as well as a size that fit me, was very difficult.  Until December 2011, I was not just short, but I was "a squeeze myself in a size 8" size 8.  You've seen ladies like me out there, laying on our beds to be able to zip up our jeans, and then the muffin top appears. Yup, that was me.  I admit it  However I wasn't about to accept that I had gained weight, and should be in a much larger pair.

An amazing gift was shown to me, and I was able to lose 20 pounds by February 2012.  The size 8 jeans that I had been struggling to close, I was now struggling to keep up.  My mother had to loan me a belt to use on my Old Navy jeans.  Yeah, can you just picture how horrible those looked, all bunched up?  Old Navy was my "go-to" jeans place.  I loved them even if they didn't fit perfectly, they were petite, and they made my butt look decent.  Once I was ready to buy jeans that actually fit the new, slimmer, fitter, me, I headed to Old Navy.

Old Navy failed me Miserably.  I didn't know what size I was now, so I got a size 6, 4 and Little Miss threw a size 2 for good measure.  Shockingly I tried on the size 6s, the size 4s, and finally the size 2s.  Even the 2s were a bit big, so we headed back out for a 0.  We found very little in size 0, and they weren't petite.  However when I tried those on they were super small.  Muffin top showed  up again...we couldn't have that, so I settled for size 2s.  I had never been so disappointed with Old Navy Jeans.  It was a sad day for me.  I am tearing up at the thought of it now...

One pair of jeans from my "go- to" store...Bummer!! Plus they didn't fit well.  Major Bummer!!  I searched so many stores, it wasn't funny.  Still only one pair of jeans.  It was coming up on summer, so it wasn't a big deal.  But guess what??  Summer has to end at some point, right?

Luck struck.  Recently I got invited to a Sears Style Brunch, where they were giving away jeans to all bloggers that attended.  Wahooo!  Who knew I would get so lucky at Sears?  Plus the Juniors Department?  What?  But it's true.

Hello Bongo brand jeans, you're my new best friend.  You make my butt look fabulous, you're the perfect length, and you fit like a glove...and you're comfortable, plus you feel so dang soft.  I'm completely smitten.

The only thing I'm not in love with is the price tag.  I love these jeans, and am glad that I got them for free.  However it is hard to find them on the Sears website, so I have to go to the physical store. Ugh.  Plus when they aren't on sale, that price tag is super uncool.  When I put them on, I just forget about the price tag....and sometimes when you feel that good about a pair of jeans, the price tag isn't as upsetting.  It's why I'm so thankful for the ability to earn lots of points online, so I can redeem the points for cash or gift cards.  The guilt just disappears, and I get to "feel good" minus the dread after seeing the receipt!


***For any of you inspired to check out Bongo jeans after this post (like Staci's), head over to Sears.com by Friday.  They are offering 10% off (some are already on special too), and free shipping.  No promo code needed, your order just needs to be $49+






Staci Gerard is the owner of the blog November Sunflower. Living on Long Island isn't financially easy for a household with just one income, but Staci has mastered the art of Strategic Shopping online, and in stores, for herself, as well as her family. Who else can shop FOR FREE online for all of the gifts she purchases throughout the year, along with during the holidays? Even better, she teaches people to do what she does! She's the non-extreme savings guru, who now has a rocking pair of jeans in her closet!

Little Orso Council "Go To" Items...

  
Little Orso Council Feature


Back in June, I shared one of my favorite items in the world.  The item I run to multiple times a day, my Dustbuster!!  I know I am still getting emails from people laughing at me, but I swear buy one and see how many times a day you use it...then we will see who is laughing;)

Today I am going to share a few of our Little Orso Council Members' go to items.

Amy- We LOVE Lush Shampoo Bars and Body soap. We love that their products are handmade, smell amazing, and all ingredients are listed up front, so with our many allergies in the family and gluten free diet we know what is in our products. Their bath jellies are super fun too -- its like jello you wash with. Remember they look pricey but a little goes a LOOOOOONG way. My son with all the allergies uses the Trichomania shampoo bar from head to toe. It's cured his scalp issues and also along with diet keeps his eczema away no steroid creams needed.

Jessica- Our 3 iPads for sure. Guaranteed 30 minutes of peace for me while I clean up breakfast or dinner, and have my daughter do her breathing treatment twice a day. Before this it was chaos while I tried to clean up. The kids call them TVs and say "TV time" in 3 very excited voices. I can get them to clean up whatever toys are out before TV time (much tougher with anything else). They used to get frustrated when they couldn't do what their "neighbor" was doing. I stopped getting involved and just asked the other kid to help him/her and they really enjoy helping each other out. They're recent video from our new camera has been a big hit on the iPads. Today they turned them off on their own when I asked..yay...they all got an 'obeying' bean (our reward system).

Misty- I really like the baby mesh feeders. I put fruit in them and my little girl goes to town. When she is teething I freeze grapes and watermelon. It soothes her gums and gives her a treat at the same time.

I love having our council share with us.  It is always fun to hear what other people love, and what helps them get through their day.  

Please share your "go to" items below.  I can't wait to hear what you love!!

 

Fun Summer Hair :)

  
Little Orso Council Feature

What's one of the best perks about lugging the kids, their toys, the umbrella, beach chairs and etc to the beach other than a day of family fun???  The way the beach weather gives your hair the perfect waves. A nice soft wave that when pulled up falls nicely into place, or left down for that summer casual look. 

Bumble and Bumble came out with a terrific product called Surf Spray, I love it but it retails for 24.00 for 4oz. Being a stay at home mommy we had to cut back on a few things, and some splurges.

A few weeks ago, one of my clients walked in with the most amazing waves. She shared her simple way of making the waves at home

... A "Beachy Wave Spray".

Here is the recipe

2 cups of hot water

1 tablespoon of sea salt

1 tablespoon of coconut oil

1 tablespoon of conditioner or hair gel

Spray on your hair, and twist into 6 or 8 sections and let dry. 

You can also spray it on braided hair.  When you take the braid out, you will have gorgeous waves:)

Her hair is typically stick straight

Every client that I have shared this with, has gotten big beautiful waves.  I have been using it myself a few times a week.

Now we can make summer last that much longer!

***Misty (The New Mom)- Misty gave birth to her first child, a daughter in January 2012.  She is a new mom, but has already discovered so many amazing items. She keeps me up to date with the current hot baby items. I also love the local hidden treasures that she has shared with me. She is a fabulous hair stylist, and former Disney Princess, so she has so many fun things to share with us :)

"I've Been Looking So Long At These Pictures of You..."

 
Little Orso Council Feature

I just received a wonderful birthday gift from my parents this Saturday, a high definition waterproof, shock proof, dust and sand proof, video camera from Costco. It is the Samsung W300, and is about the size of my iPhone.  This camera is perfect if you have kids!

We tried it out on Sunday in the pool with our two and half year old triplets and although it felt very strange letting the camera get wet, it worked great in the water. I never get pictures of the kids in the water, so this was wonderful! I  just put it around my wrist while I am holding one or two of our trio and grab it to snap photos or a quick video when they wanted to swim on their own or when daddy is tossing them in the air.  I am so excited to capture these moments where they are learning to swim.   They grow up so quickly and we miss capturing it because we are so busy watching all 3 at once all the time.

I haven't tried the floating strap, but thinking about it, it would have come in really handy when the kids wanted to jump to me from the side of the pool.  I could have just let the camera float next to me.  I will definitely be trying the floating strap during our 1st private swim lesson tomorrow.  The resulting HD videos were great when we watched them on the computer.  Even my hubby is impressed with this camera...being an Apple guy and always needing the latest and greatest technology.

My parents did upgrade the memory card to a larger faster card so I shouldn't have any problems with storage, so you may want to do the same.  They have a promotion right now for $30 off until the end of August and free shipping if you order online, so the cost is $119 plus tax right now. They also may carry them in stores, as that is where my parents purchased it. 

Luckily my parents bought this for me before I bought it myself!  What a great find for kids and family adventures!!!

***Jessica ( The Mom to Multiples)-  Jessica and I were neighbors and were pregnant together.  I still remember the day that they found out that they were having triplets (they were initially told that they were having twins).  I would probably be terrified, but Jessica and her husband (Mark) are champs and actually make it look easy.  Jessica spent many months on hospital bed rest, and always had a smile on her face.  She is an amazing mom, and I know that she will not only be in inspiration to all, but will be a great role model for those with and expecting multiples

.

Announcing The Little Orso Council

I started my blog, because I wanted a place where everyone felt welcome.  I was sick of going to kids' blogs that only showed items for one gender, one age, one particular price range...One type of kid!!

I like to think of myself as open minded, and good at finding things for everyone.  However I know that 2 heads are better than one, and 7 are even better!!

That is why I decided to add some permanent guest bloggers to Little Orso, and call them my Little Orso Council.  The council is made up of all types of parents, hopefully you can relate to at least one of them.  They will be sharing things close to their hearts, favorite items, tips, recipes, advice...basically the floor is theirs.  I am not putting any restrictions on them.

I know that most parents have very limited time, and my hope is that Little Orso will be that "one place" that you can turn to for everything kid related. I want all parents to feel included, and the products to represent all types of children.  Children are all very different (just like all people), and the products that we share should be inclusive of all of them.

I hope that you love getting to know the Council, and enjoy their contributions:)

So here is the Little Orso Council....


Misty (The New Mom)- Misty gave birth to her first child, a daughter in January 2012.  She is a new mom, but has already discovered so many amazing items. She keeps me up to date with the current hot baby items. I also love the local hidden treasures that she has shared with me. She is a fabulous hair stylist, and former Disney Princess, so she has so many fun things to share with us :)

Caryn (The Experienced Mom)-  Caryn is the mom to 6 kids, including one angel.  Every parent will probably be able to relate to Caryn.  She is a fabulous mom, with kids of all ages. Her kids range from teens to toddlers, and she has daughters and a son. As I mentioned above, she is also a fellow Baby Loss Mom.  Her years of experience and fun style, will be a welcome addition.  I am hoping that she shares some of her secrets for looking so great:)

Matt- (The Stay At Home Dad)- Matt is the cousin of one of my good friends.  I asked if anyone knew a great stay at home dad, and she immediately said, "I do".  I haven't known Matt for very long, but can already tell that he is a fantastic dad to his two sons. He is so full of energy and fun!!  I am sure it will be nice for dads to have someone to relate to, and moms to have a glimpse inside the "daddy mind".  I know my husband and I have differing views on products and parenting, so it will be nice to have both sides represented.  Not many blogs include dads, and it is time that fabulous dads like Matt get some recognition:)

Caroline (The Divorced Mom)- Caroline has been a friend of mine for years.  She is an amazing mom, that always seems to be in control.  She makes being a single parent look easy, although I know it is not.  She has two adorable kids, a boy and girl.  She will be a huge help with elementary school aged kids, and sharing the perspective of a single parent.  I know that you all will fall in love with her!! She is one of the best writers that I know (her words are magical), so I can't wait to read her posts:)

Amy (The Mom of Special Needs Kids)- Amy was introduced to me through a friend.  She has three middle school aged sons, and two of them have special needs.  One son has autism, and the other has ADHD.   She is very involved with the autistic community, and will help keep us up to date on the latest developments and ways that we can get involved. Amy also helps take care of her 15 month old niece, so she has a ton of experience with kids of all ages.  She previously blogged about gluten free food, so she will bring so much helpful information to us:)

Staci (The Frugal Mom)-  Staci is the woman behind many of the top money saving blogs (November Sunflower, Staci & Her Scorpios...)  She also recently released a book about saving money and living frugally called "Finding Your Frugal Way".  We are so honored to have a money saving expert sharing her parenting and money saving tips directly with us.

Jessica ( The Mom to Multiples)-  Jessica and I were neighbors and were pregnant together.  I still remember the day that they found out that they were having triplets (they were initially told that they were having twins).  I would probably be terrified, but Jessica and her husband (Mark) are champs and actually make it look easy.  Jessica spent many months on hospital bed rest, and always had a smile on her face.  She is an amazing mom, and I know that she will not only be in inspiration to all, but will be a great role model for those with and expecting multiples.

Besides the new council members, Little Orso will also be welcoming some special guest bloggers in the next few months.  Just to give you an idea of what to expect we have a some grandmothers (one that is a professional interior decorator and does amazing nurseries), a mom that literally knows the answers to everything baby related, a doula, an eco friendly mom, a trainer, and so many more exciting people:)

We are so excited about all of our new additions, and hope that you will enjoy them as much as we do.  We love guest bloggers, and new discoveries.  If you would like to guest blog, or share your item with Little Orso please contact me at buckley@littleorso.com.