Archive for June, 2013

Fashion Friday - Footwear

shoes

During pregnancy you might not be able to wear sky-high heels or stilettos but that doesn’t mean you have to give up on cute footwear. Here we have a guide for keeping your feet chic and comfy while pregnant.

  1. Keds As classic as they get. They come in every single color of the rainbow and every summery pattern you can dream of. They also come in several different styles—lace up, slip-ons, flats—so you can mix it up. This summer Kate Spade has teamed up with Keds to release a Kate Spade line of Keds’ footwear. We’d like to take a moment out and point our favorite: the navy and white striped Keds x Kate Spade New York Pointer.
  2. Espadrilles. Popularized by Toms, espadrilles are perfect for the summer because they’re a light, breathable kind of shoes you can wear them without socks. But watch out, although, these style of shoes are flat, so they’re comfortable to walk in, but unfortunately have little to low arch support. So keep that in mind when on the hunt for the perfect pregnancy shoe. If you’re in the mood for a splurge, Chanel has these uber chic fabric espadrilles.
  3. Wedges. When we say wedges, go for a more modest wedge with a teensy bit of height. High-heeled shoes are usually the safest bet for a pregnant mom because they increase the chances of accidentally rolling your ankle. But, if you’re in the mood for something a little more exciting than flats and sneakers we love wedges because they’re chunky and offer more foot support than normal heels. A perfect example of a good wedge is this one by Tory Burch.
  4. Sandals. The weather is perfect to break out the sandals. They come in a various assortment of size and styles and materials so you’ll have a lot of freedom with finding what you want. Just watch out for sandals that are too tight and too strappy as they may restrict the amount of blood flow in your feet. Here’s a pair by Modcloth we love.

Baby Name Day! - Featuring Jasper + Jade

Jade and Jasper

These baby names are “rockin’”! What do you think? Would you ever choose one of these baby names? Tell us on Facebook!

What’s in Your Nail Polish? Our Top Non-Toxic Nail Polish Picks

The nail salon can be a wonderful respite during pregnancy - a foot massage to help your swollen feet and some extra care to your nails to make you feel a little bit more beautiful can feel like heaven. That’s why the last thing you want to be worrying about are toxins in your nail polish that can be absorbed into your body. Unfortunately, many nail polishes contain potentially harmful chemicals that you want to avoid exposure to – particularly while pregnant or breastfeeding.Also known as the “toxic trio” – formaldehyde, DBP, toluene – are used frequently in nail polish formulas. These chemicals have been linked to cancer and developmental disorders.

  1. Formaldehyde: Known as a carcinogen, it is also an irritant to the eyes, nose and throat, and can lead to skin irritation—an allergic rash called dermatitis. Formaldehyde is commonly used as an adhesive polymer that hardens nails and is a key ingredient in nail hardeners. Formaldehyde resin is found in nail polishes, making polish more tough and resilient. Take care when buying polish that boasts its longevity!
  2. DBP (Dibutyl Phthalate): This is a plasticizer used in nail polish to help prevent chips and cracks. According to a 2009 study, DBP is a suspected endocrine disrupter that has been linked to reproductive and developmental toxin and associated to feminizing effects in baby boys.
  3. Toluene: This is a solvent used to make the polish easier to apply and is the cause behind the “nail polish” smell we are all familiar with. Inhaling toluene can cause harm and short-term exposures may cause dizzyness, lightheadedness and drowsiness. Painting your nails in a well-ventilated area can mitigate the effects of toluene.

Not to fear – you don’t need to abandon your weekly mani/pedi sessions. Here are our tips for the nail salon:

  1. Bring your own “3-Free” nail polishes. Three-free nail polishes are free from the toxic trio, formaldehyde, DPB, and toluene, that we mentioned above. Our favorite lines are Priti, Zoya and Butter London.
  2. Make sure to go to well-ventilated salons. Finding a well-ventilated salon and going at less busy times during the day may help to mitigate inhalation of fumes. Also, more and more “green” salons that use safer products are sprouting up. They typically will have better ventilation and use non-toxic products. Look for one in your area.
  3. Consider buffing your nails over getting polish. It is great to give your nails some time to breathe if you regularly use polish. This will also minimize your exposures to chemicals.

For more reading, check out an article by The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and another article by the Environmental Health News about the effects of DBP.

Also, go to our Pinterest board for more nail polishes and nail art inspiration.

Fashion Guide - Pregnancy Swimwear

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Sunny days, warm sand, and clear blue waters. It’s that time of year again to break out the bathing suit and hit the beaches. But for some, especially pregnant mothers, this might warrant a couple of concerns.

But no worries! There’s no reason you shouldn’t feel and look amazing at the beach this summer. So rest assured, we have a couple of tips to help you find the best maternity swimsuit.

  1. A larger swimsuit does not equate to a maternity swimsuit. Many pregnant women make the mistake of choosing a larger swimsuit, mistaking it for the equivalent of a swimsuit appropriate for pregnancy. Try to pick a swimsuit that fits and flatters your new and growing shape instead.
  2. Tankinis. Tankinis are the perfect compromise between the convenience a two-piece bikini provides and the cover of one-piece, if you don’t want to bare too much. If you decide to opt for a tankini, just make sure to pick one that’s fitted and not too billowy.
  3. Don’t be afraid to flaunt it. If you’re feeling bold, why not go ahead for a bikini? Don’t be afraid to flaunt what you’ve got. Plus, most bikinis are pretty budget friendly and won’t force you into the realm of pricey specially made maternity swimwear. Just make sure to pick a bikini with lots of support and bring along a sarong if you decide to cover up later on.

Check out our Pinterest for resort wear inspiration!

Green Tip! - Be an Environmentally Conscious Consumer

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Annually, Americans throw away a whopping 100 billion plastic bags. According to a 2004 study by Worldwatch Institute, that’s the energy equivalent of 12 million barrels of oil. Most plastics bags end up in streams or other bodies of water where they clog up the waterways and cause long-term and life-threatening damage to the marine life. Virtually non-biodegradable, plastic bags will stay wherever they end up being dumped for nearly 1,000 before they start to “break down”. To put it simply, the usage of plastic bags is in no way beneficial to the environment or the future generations.

But being an environmentally conscious shopper means more than just avoiding the usage of plastics bags. Here, we share a couple of tips.

  • Bring your own reusable bag. This has been a popular trend in the recent years. Shoppers have been bringing their own reusable bags to tote their groceries and purchases home instead of using the plastic bags given out at the store. Many stores themselves are now selling reusable bags and give out a small discount for customers who opt to use reusable bags instead of plastics bags. In the long run, using reusable shopping bags could be quite profitable, who knew?
  • Avoid products that use a lot of packaging. For some products this can’t be avoided such as electronics and such but this tip is simple to apply to food. Try to buy fresh food. The fresher it is, the more likely it is to have less packaging. Because if you think about it, pre-packaged foods such as microwave dinners and snack bars most likely contain more artificial preservatives than fresh foods. Not a concrete rule but just something to keep in mind.
  • Buy in bulk. This tip ties in with the one above. Buying in bulk cuts down on all the extra bells and whistles of conventional packaging. And if that’s not enough reason to buy in bulk, it’s an economical choice too!
  • Support you local farmer’s market. This is a win-win situation for your local agricultural community and for environment. By buying local you’ll be supporting local farmers. Plus, the fruits and veggies found at farmer’s markets need not to travel cross-country before it arrives at your plate, helping prevent unnecessary greenhouse gas emissions.

Baby Name Day - Featuring Venus + Leo

Diggin’ these celestial-inspired baby names meaning love and lion! What about you? Tell us your thoughts on Facebook!

Celestial baby names, Venus, Leo, definition of Venus, definition of Leo, baby names, definition of baby names

Celebrity Mama-to-Be: Michelle Monaghan

Congratulations to Michelle Monaghan!

Already a mother to a 4-year-old girl named Willow Katherine and slated to star in three upcoming films in 2013, actress Michelle Monaghan has just announced over the weekend that she’s expecting a second child due sometime later this fall.

In an earlier interview with Women’s Health magazine back in 2010, Monaghan talked about the experiences of being a mother for the first time. She shared her thoughts on being a working mom, “On my kitchen counter sits a KitchenAid mixer, a potty seat, and a small pile of scripts…That pretty much sums it up. I’m a homemaker, a potty trainer, and a part-time pretender.”

She also talked about her lifestyle changes due to the arrival of her first daughter, “For the first time, I thought about my well-being. Now I’m trying to instill healthy eating habits in my daughter, so by default my husband and I are eating healthier.”

So for our mamas-to-be out there, or already mamas, do you feel as if your pregnancy has provided some extra motivation to make some lifestyle changes you wouldn’t have thought about before? Tell us on Facebook!

 

Fashion Friday Featuring Kim Kardashian

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Kim Kardashian just can’t seem to catch a break when it comes to news surrounding her pregnancy or her recent weight gain due to her pregnancy. Tabloids have been less than kind to Kim about her fuller figure. Star magazine has gone as far as calling Kim’s 65-pound weight gain as “nightmare”.

And that’s only the start of it.

In Touch also has been claiming Kim is eating uncontrollably while at the same time putting herself on a grueling diet while pregnant, giving the suggestion that she may be a bad mother.

Ever since Kim Kardashian announced her pregnancy, she’s been living life underneath the microscope of public scrutiny. Sure, some may argue that Kim falls into one of those categories of people that welcome press, both good and bad, but there’s definitely a point when enough is enough. Celebrity or not, Kim deserves a little space, does she not?

What do you think? Share with us on Facebook.

Green Tips for Laundry Day!

Laundry just seems to be one of those endless tasks. Whenever, wherever, there is always more laundry to be done. And it appears that laundry is no easier on us than it is on our resources. Conventional washing machines require about 40 gallons of water per load. Multiply that by the average amount of laundry an American family does per year (a whopping 400!), that’s nearly 1600 gallons of water needed for a year’s worth of clean clothes for a typical American family.

As for the amount of energy that goes into laundry days, nearly 90% of the electricity used for laundry is spent on simply heating the water for washing. And as for the drying, the average clothes dryer costs an approximate $1,530 to operate for the entirety of its useful life.

So there’s no easy way to spin it, but we have a couple of tips to lightening the load on you, your wallet and the environment.

1. Replace your top-loading for a front-loading washing machine. This may sound like a hefty investment but in the long run it’ll be worth it. According to the California Energy Commission, the U.S. Department of Energy recently did a study in a small town in Kansas, where 204 older washing machines were replaced with horizontal axis machines. Homeowners there realized an average of 38 percent savings on water usage and 56 percent energy savings for the washer and hot water heating system. The reason being front-loading machines don’t need to fill the tub completely with water, thus, saving money and time.

2. Use naturally derived detergents. What you use to wash your clothes goes back into the environment, so please be kind. Plus, if that’s not compelling enough, conventional detergents include chemicals we should be wary of washing our clothes in. Clothes that are then worn against our skin, which may absorb those same harmful chemicals into our systems.

3. Wash your laundry in cold water. Simply doing so preserves the color of the clothing and keeps it looking new. But beyond that, you’ll be saving on the electricity that goes into heating the water for washing, approximately 0.24 kWh, which translates to about .41 pounds of CO2 per load, 162 pounds of CO2 per year, 8 gallons of gas, or 164 miles of driving.

4. Use wool dryer balls. Not only are they reusable, helping eliminate the need for dryer sheets, dryer balls are relatively inexpensive and last for an average of 2 years before needing to be replaced. As another plus, dryer balls help reduce drying time by 40%.

5. As we shared on our Facebook, line-dry your clothing. Doing so saves you 100% in costs. There’s no need for dryer balls or sheets or electricity, just sunshine and a clothing line. The only downside to line-drying is that it can only be done during warm months but aside from that, there’s absolutely nothing to lose. Line drying reduces static cling, wear and tear on clothing, saves money spent on electricity and products and is all the way environmentally friendly.

 

Baby Name Day - Featuring Athena + Adonis

Check out our Greek-mythology inspired baby names of the week! Yay or nay? Let us know on Facebook!

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