For years I wore bras that fit…I even had a proper sports bra. For years I wore maternity or nursing bras…let’s not get too specific about the actual span of years I wore these bras, shall we?! For a few years I wore bras so threadbare and saggy that the bras did not deserve the description “supportive.”

A light bulb went off. Lightning flashed. I came to the realization that a saggy bra = a poor attitude. So, it was off to get fitted for a new bra. It had been so long since my last fitting that (1) I could remember my exact bra size and (2) the label on my saggy bras was so worn out and faded that I could not read my size.

After a proper fitting, I walked out with a bra that fit. No slipping strap or lack of support for me!

Need a Bra Makeover? You can apply for a Bra Makeover from Playtex! Seven out of 10 women are wearing the wrong size bra, which can result in an ill fit for the rest of their outfit, back and shoulder pain, as well as bruising and digging.

Playtex recently launched www.PlaytexBraMakeover.com, a site where women can go to apply for a bra makeover or nominate a friend. If chosen, the winner will be flown to New York to receive a Bra Makeover with style expert Alison Deyette. Deyette is a fashion and trend lifestyle expert who has been featured on Bravo’s Millionaire Matchmaker and TLC’s Ten Years Younger, as well as in print publications including Good Housekeeping, The Washington Post, and O Magazine. You can apply for your chance to win a Playtex Bra Makeover through Friday, May 21st, 2010.

The 10 winners selected for a Bra Makeover will also star in their very own webisode wherein a makeover candidate will receive a fitting with Deyette and walk away with the perfect Playtex products. A new webisode will premier on www.PlaytexBraMakeover.com every two weeks.

By posting this information, I am entered into a contest to win a free bra from Playtex. I did not receive any compensation for this post and thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

I let the tween and teen have some say on their clothes, but the bucks stops with me. My tween and teen can choose their own clothes each day for school and weekend wear. Both know that they have to abide by school dress code rules. Note: School dress code rules are inconsistently enforced…depends on the day and the teacher. Even on their “days off” I monitor how short the skirt or shorts can go. I know, I know, but I don’t want the girls going out in something inappropriate.

When the girls were little, I knew that clothing arguments would be a factor in the future. I enjoyed the days of Osh Kosh, Gap, and Old Navy. Gone are the days when the only choice was color and size. My then little girls had strong opinions on color — pink, purple, or no deal! Now I have to wade through the racks at Justice, Hollister, Areopostale, American Eagle, and abercrombie to find the mom chair.

Although, I do recall a dance performance where my eyes almost bugged out.

Have you seen this CNN clip of the young girls dancing to All the Single Ladies? No? Well, watch it now.

What do you think??

So, were you like me shocked to the core? What was the dance teacher thinking when she chose this dance and those outfits for little girls? Where were the moms? Why did the moms not say “No” to the risque outfits? I know that when my little girls took dance classes, there were times when the costumes were the 9/10/11 year olds seemed a little revealing to me. I recall one year the older girls wore cropped tops and bicycle shorts. These outfits are nothing compared to the bikinis on the girls in the video.

The song? Why pair up such young girls with this song? My little girls danced to the following age-appropriate tunes:

• Be My Little Bumble Bee — white leotard with black appliques.
• Peter Gunn Theme — black leotard with pink appliques — lots of twirling.
• Batman Theme — black leotards with pink bat wings — strobe lights and twirling.

What do you think of clothing for little girls? Leave a comment.

Jessica Gottlieb has an insightful and carefully worded post on this subject.

My volleyball uniform may be black, but am rockin' the socks!

While teen and tween are finishing getting dressed. I make 3 lunches (my son is in elem school) and breakfast for the teen and tween. Breakfast is cereal or toaster strudel, with OJ, milk, or hot chocolate. I microwave water for the hot chocolates and make myself an instant coffee.

Tween and teen come down. Gobble breakfast. run around finding misplaced items. Look for missing shoes. Find shoes, then must search for backpacks. Race out the door with me following behind handing them coats, lunchboxes, and clarinets. Bus leaves ~ 7 a.m.

I come back inside and drink my now-cold coffee. I reheat in microwave. At this point my son is either downstairs clamoring for breakfast OR he is still asleep. If he is still asleep I will grab a quick nap on the couch. If he is awake and ready to go I will make breakfast AND make myself another cup of coffee.

My son eats breakfast, plays with Lego, then puts on his shoes and coat. His bus comes around 8 a.m. Once he is on the bus I breath a huge sigh of relief and drink my now-cold coffee. Reheat and repeat!

My morning in pictures!

Yes, that is a gorilla in the dryer. Why do you ask??

The facts:

• I hate laundry and anything associated with washing, drying, folding, and ironing(!) clothes.
• I love my cluttered, messy, piles in every corner laundry room with a passion.
• I value “alone” time in my laundry room. I know “alone” time in the laundry room is inherently sad, but it beats listening to kids argue over whether Santa Claus is magical or not. Happened tonight.
• Be gone any child who wants to *help* unload the dryer. It’s a fact: A child who offers help will delay the completion of the project by about a million years.
• I love bottles of detergent, big or small. I like seeing all my cleaning products neatly arranged in a row.
• An empty detergent bottle makes a satisfying clunk in the bottom of the recycling bin. “She shoots, she scores.”

The giveaway:

Giveaway for Musings from Me readers! I have 5 coupons each for a Green Works products up to $3.99 for 5 readers! That’s 5 coupons each! Coupons expire end of December so giveaway is speedy fast unlike my style of doing laundry. It can seriously take weeks for me to sort, stain remove, wash, dry, fold, iron, and distribute clothes to each bedroom.

- What is the highest number of odd socks that you have had at any given time? We had 42 odd socks at one point!

- Subscribe to this blog via reader.

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- Tweet this giveaway: @MusingsfromMe is giving away Green Works coupons! Enter now: http://musingsfromme.com/green-works-coupons/!

I was not compensated for this post. This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only. Giveaway ends December 17 at 11:59 p.m.

My daughters are shoe lovers. Both have had ONE blister EACH after walking in Disney for hours. Both fall in love with whatever shoe they see. But, both have feet that have not yet stopped growing. With school sneakers, snow boots, fashion boots, and volleyball shoes we are continually running to the shoe store.

Once at the shoe store, I shop in a Musings from Me way. Arrive…peruse…settle for 1 or 2 pairs of shoes I can tolerate…try on…dither…purchase…leave. My daughters love all shoes. I spend my time in the shoe store saying “No!” or “NO!” or “But, you already have a pair like that and why do you need another pair exactly the same?!” My daughters happily ignore my protestations as they try on shoe after shoe. Oh to be young and carefree. Both think they should be allowed to wear high heels to school on P.E. day…”But Mommy, I can change in to sneakers for P.E!” 

With kids’ shoes, I have found that once we find a shoe store that works for our kids we stick with it. Shopping for shoes_for_kids does not have to be stressful.

As a child in

Why was x-raying a child’s foot necessary when buying shoes? I don’t know. Probably a custom from a bygone era? Because really why was it the shoe store owner’s job to check on the bone health of the child’s foot?

As a child I had very few choices when choosing shoes. In fact, my mother made all shoe decisions. My mother’s criteria for shoes went something like this:

- She bought whatever shoes were on the school uniform supply list. In a quirky, British way I was required to have TWO pairs of school shoes. A brown lace up — the style was “Cordelia” — and a brown buckle shoe — style name long since forgotten. I would travel to school in Cordelia shoes and change in to the second pair of shoes for inside the school. For recess and going home I would change into the outdoor pair.

- She bought plain black or plain white sneakers for home and school use. To use a British-ism, I wore plimsolls or trainers not sneakers.

Shoe shopping for my own kids is an entirely different experience. First of all the choices that kids can choose from are extensive. My kids can look at shoes in a shoe store, a department store, a discount warehouse, or online.

My son needed a pair of shoes recently. We struck out at the shoe store. He has a large foot for a 6-year-old and all the styles he liked in the store were not in his size. I was left with no choice but to search online. 

Have you shopped online recently? The selection and information offered is extensive and invaluable. My search for boys’ shoes yielded many possibilities. Athletic shoes. Boots. Bedroom slippers. You name the boys’ shoe and I found it online. I may never go back to a shoe store again!

If you read my blog…

If you have met me at a blogging conference or tweetup…

If you are my friend on Facebook…

If you know me in real life…

You know that I write here about Preteens and here about raising kids int he DC Metro area. But, did you know that I occasionaly write here about just about anything. Today I’m lamenting that shopping for Halloween costumes is not easy.

I’m also a Mom Rep for Yoursphere. Yoursphere.com is the Teen Internet Site That Puts Safety First. Do you have kids who are 9 up through 18? Yoursphere is a safe alternative to the murky waters of Facebook and MySpace.

The other huge plus for TJ Maxx is that the range of larger/women’s size clothing is extensive. I wrote this poston my disgust with plus size clothing in general. But, TJ Maxx has a huge range of styles and sizes for me. Surprisingly far more than Kohl’s or department stores.

I can walk in to TJ Maxx wander up and down the racks, go through the clothing by size and type of clothing, and usually find something acceptable. Two years ago I had about 30 minutes to find an outfit suitable for a wedding and a wedding brunch in November at a country hotel. I was amazed at how quickly I found a black top, black pants, and a white dressy blouse. I was out the door with time to spare to get my son from preschool. Double Win!

The layout of TJ Maxx is conducive to my shopping style. Clothes in the middle of the store. Shoes, accessories, and toys around the perimeter of the store.

I need a “Spendervention” every so often. I’m not a clothes horse by any means, but I do get carried away and want to buy two of the same shirt or shoes. So a Spendervention is when you spend wisely.

Recently, I took  my daughters to TJ Maxx to shop for a 5th grade graduation dress for my middle daughter. My oldest daughter designated herself as personal shopper. I lectured the girls about my expectations for the dress: not too short, not too revealing, not strapless, not figure hugging. Basically I was looking for a muumuu while my 5th grader was looking for something sparkly and blingy. We met in the middle and found a black and white patterned dress with straps which was knee length. She looked gorgeous.

To enter to win a $25 card to TJ Maxx leave a comment for each one:

• Leave a comment about how you save money on clothes. My tip is that I always use stain remover before I wash clothes. I preserve the life of the clothes.
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Thanks to T.J. Maxx and Marshalls for giveaway.