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A friend asked about my tween’s knee socks. The knee socks are bright. And by bright I mean neon. Sometimes striped. Often with a repeating pattern of frogs or Nemo fish. The socks could be argyle or plaid. But, for my tween the brighter the better.

I told my friend that with tweens all bets are off. Elementary and middle schools have strict dress codes, which saves some aggravation in the mornings. The kids know not to argue about what to wear. The rules are usually…

• No t-shirts with offensive messages on the front.
• No images having anything to do with drugs or alcohol.
• No spaghetti strap shirts.
• No bare midriffs.
• No low rider pants showing underwear.

So, you would think that the dress code would mean there would be no further discussion about dress. Uh no. We still spar about foot wear. I say “No!” to flip flops. She says “Yes!” I say “No!” to shorts in the winter months. She says “Yes!” It’s a battlefield many mornings. My teen went through a brief phase where she wore one outfit to get on the school bus and then changed in to a second outfit after PE. I would see her get off the bus in a dress and say “What??” I made it clear to her that if she was ever abducted on her way to school, I would need to give the police a description of what she was wearing when she left for school. I know this may sound extreme, but I also wanted to nip in the bud the whole “I’ll wear ‘mom-approved’ Item A and switch it for ‘kid-approved’ Item B.” She agreed…reluctantly.

We spar about t-shirts. While the girls would never ask to wear a tee with an inappropriate or offensive saying, they have been known to pick up a shirt with something about hating homework or “I Hate Math.” These t-shirt slogans are a no go for me. I don’t want a teacher to look at the shirts and make an inference that my kid hates doing homework. I may be overreacting, but I have drawn a line in the sand. No anti school tees. Period. Ditto for “I hate my brother/sister” tees.

Dots Fade 02 Dots Fade-DF11-002 is a high quality, fashion design sock, designed in Sweden. Dots Fade-DF11-002 is one of our comfortable, colourful socks, available for both men and women.

And then there are the dress choices that are no exactly inappropriate…not anywhere near offensive…but just a little off center. Examples…if you know my kids you’ll know I have a bunch of examples to choose from…

• Neon or brightly colored knee socks
• Toe socks worn with flip flops. Ow! My toes hurt just thinking about wearing these socks.
• Tigger ears, antlers, bunny ears, and probably any other “ears on a headband.”
• Jewelry and lots of it. Only a “No” on PE days.
• Makeup — “No” if the child is in elementary school. Minimal makeup…lip gloss…if child is in middle school. I allow my high schooler to wear makeup if it is minimal and tastefully applied.

When my girls were 8 and under I had them in matching dresses (my girls are 2 years apart but have worn the same size clothes since the youngest was 6 and the oldest 8), Disney Princess outfits, and Osh Kosh clothes. Around 8, both discovered Justice and basically all bets were off. Justice is better than Forever 21…but not much. By 12, both had moved on to Hollister/Abercrombie/American Eagle/aeropostale — more normal…less of the too-grown up clothes. Oh, how I miss those days.

I look at my tween in her favorite look…a pair of gold, sparkly Ugg boots with a pair of striped or Argyle knee socks…with a pair of shorts…in the winter. All I can I say is Tweens!

The links in this post are to Happy Socks via Commission Junction.

If you have met me in person, you will either see me wearing my “work-at-home-mom” clothes of t-shirts, shorts, capris, sneakers, flip flops, and the occasional sweatshirt OR my “at-an-event-conference-or-party” clothes of blouses, pants, skirts, jacket, and the occasional dress. But, jeans…I rarely wear jeans. I’m not exactly sure why.

In my college days I lived in Levis and Guess jeans. I have struggled in to more than one pair of drain pipe jeans in my day. But, at some point jeans became quite uncomfortable in my life with kids. Who wants to crawl around on the floor with a toddler while the rivets of your jeans dig in to you? Not me that is for sure. Also, have you ever tried to slide a cell phone in the pocket of your jeans only to wonder if your phone might break in two when you sit down in those oh-so-tight jeans? Yep, me too.

I’m test driving a pair of jeans right now. I’ve sat in them. Walked in them. Stretched. Bent over. Shoved my hands in the pockets. And I have to say that this pair of jeans is quite the most comfortable pair of jeans I have worn in some time. Perhaps I will add these jeans to my “work-at-home” or “conference” wardrobe. With the right top and shoes these jeans would work for both of my lifestyles.

The jeans I am test driving are dENiZEN America Jeans. dENiZEN America Jeans are for moms, dads, boys, girls, grandmas, and in fact everyone you can think of. And the jeans are from renowned jeans maker Levi Strauss & Co. Who hasn’t worn a pair of Levi’s at some point in their life? I’m excited to be back in a pair of Levi’s after so many years.

dENiZEN America Jeans are available in Target. The jeans are very affordable with prices ranging from $17.99 to $29.99. With prices like this, I know I could afford to buy a second pair.

I like the fact that dENiZEN America Jeans are available for everyone in the family. You could fit the whole family for back-to-school in the same shopping trip to Target. dENiZEN America Jeans feature premium craftsmanship and on-trend styles for the entire family.

• Women’s: Sizes range from 2-18 with fits including Mid Rise Boot Cut, Mid Rise Straight, Totally Shaping Mid Rise Boot Cut and Totally Shaping at Waist Boot Cut. I got the Waist Boot Cut jeans.
• Men’s: Sizes range from 29″-42″ W and 30″-34″ L with fits including Regular, Relaxed, Straight, Loose, Low Boot, Slim Straight and Skinny.
• Girls’: Sizes range from 4-20 with fits including Super Skinny, Skinny and Slim Boot.
• Boys’: Sizes range from 4-20 with fits including Loose, Straight, Slim Straight and Skinny.

For more information on dENiZEN America Jeans…

• Like dENiZEN America Jeans on Facebook.
• Find out more about the jeans at the Levi Strauss website.
• Check out the dENIZEN America website.
• Find a Target store near you. Target is the exclusive retailer of dENiZEN America Jeans.

I was provided with a pair of dENiZEN America jeans to facilitate my review by Team Mom. The views expressed in this post are my own. I follow the tenets of Blog With Integrity.

The term Brand Ambassador has a nice ring to it. It rolls off the tongue. Sounds official, but not pretentious. Evokes the notion that the bearer of the title is “in the know.” And doesn’t this sum up blogging? Bloggers know what is happening. Bloggers may not know EVERYTHING but if it fits the blogger’s niche the blogger will know about it…I can assure you!

Last year I was chosen to be a Purex Insider. If you were reading my blog back then or following me on twitter or Facebook, you may have noticed I wrote about Purex Complete 3-in-1 Laundry Sheets. This “All-in-one Laundry Solution” worked for my family’s laundry needs. I used 1 sheet for the washing and drying. The sheet was also a fabric softener. No mess. I stocked up my laundry room with Purex Complete 3-in-1 Laundry Sheets using free coupons. Go to Purex.com to find more promotions for free products.

This year I am reprising my role as a Purex Insider for Purex Crystals. According to the Purex website, “Purex Complete Crystals™ Softener are 92% natural crystals that go in at the start of the wash so they spend more time with your laundry infusing them with long-lasting freshness.” I was sent a sample to try…very sniffy! I have coupons for you and a contest!

You can find videos featuring Purex research scientist (and mom) Dana at purex.com. Purex reps have told me that they hope the videos will help consumers understand the drawbacks of oil based softeners and the advantages of 92% natural Purex Complete Crystals.

As a Purex Insider, I’m part of the first Purex Insider competition to see which blogger can drive the most traffic to the Crystals web page on Purex.com. Want to help me win? I have coupons to offer you…go here to download and print. If you want to, you can tweet, post to Facebook, or blog about this contest to help me win. The contest will run for two week ending at midnight pacific time on Sunday March 13th. Thanks to everyone who helps me win this contest!

I was sent a sample bottle of Purex Complete Crystals. The opinions expressed in this article are my own.

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.

As a mom, I have the final say on my my girls wear. Period.

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.

Husband tells me it is time to wake up…I sleep like the dead. I lie in bed until 6:20 a.m. when I know I need to get up or kids will be late for school. I get up and stagger to bathroom to brush my teeth. Teen and tween are already up getting dressed, brushing teeth, brushing hair (tween needs to be reminded to brush her hair so she brushes her hair downstairs), and changing clothes (both are in middle school so fashion is top priority).

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!

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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.