FranniePantz: November 2013

November 29, 2013

Mission #22, Day 5---Striped Leggings and a LINK UP

It's the last day of Mission Week, so why not go out with a bang with some sassy black and white striped leggings? I kept most of the rest of the look pretty casual, but did add some fun red booties to the mix. Even though, these booties almost killed me the entirety of the day. They may have to be put aside until after my pregnancy clumsiness subsides and I'm just normal clumsy again.

Black Friday. It is the one day a year that I absolutely refuse to shop. I spend my day lounging around, sleeping in and decorating for Christmas, trying to have as little interaction with the outside world as possible.

I love Christmas--always have. And the minute the dessert plates are cleared from the Thanksgiving table, I consider it the Christmas holiday season. I love it. I love the warmth of the season, the lights, the feeling of good toward others, finding the perfect gift for someone you care about, the wrapping, the baking. I love it. And I feel like Black Friday ruins that for me.

I'm not talking about the small businesses or self employed people who have Black Friday sales. I mean corporate Black Friday. I mean making their employees either leave during dinner to go work or cutting their Thanskgiving early to go to bed to go to work at 3 a.m. I mean the gauging eyes out for the last gaming chair. I mean starting your season of giving screaming at sleep deprived cashiers about price matching and stock levels. That's what I cannot stand.

When I worked my first of many BFs in retail for Circuit City in '05, I had no idea what I was in for. I had to force myself to sleep at 6 the night before, leaving my family to unwind after the meal while I slipped away to bed, to get up at 3 and go to work. I remember parking in the bitter cold air and seeing a line about three people deep wrapped around our building. These were not just avid shoppers. These were moms with their children still in pajamas--shoving muffins in their barely responsive faces. I remember hearing demands as I walked in "You better have enough TVs in stock!" "Where can I find the portable DVD players?" "Are you giving out vouchers??" I remember opening the doors and watching a wave of product hungry banshees flood our aisles without any regard for the safety of others or manners they were to be using the day before. We were all yelled at and treated like obstacles in the way of agendas for getting as much stuff for as little as possible. I was pushed, scoffed and shoved by strangers for 12 straight hours (a normal Black Friday shift).

So I don't do corporate Black Friday. I personally think it is the least Christmasy thing in the world. Honestly, the deals aren't even that great compared to the rest of the season and they absolutely are not worth the lines, the huffing and puffing of the general public or the traffic. Nope. Not to me. So if anyone needs me, I'll be listening to Bing Crosby, drinking apple cider and hanging up stockings.

Striped Leggings-Amazon; Grey Tank-thrifted; Chambray Button Down-Lee; Red Studded Booties-Target; Necklace-gifted; Earrings-gifted; Mirrored Aviators-Target

November 28, 2013

Mission #22, Day 4--Studded Leggings and a HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Wearing my most utilized and most loved pair of leggings for this day of Mission Week. Hopefully you aren't reading this on Thanksgiving. Hopefully you are enjoying your family, friends and food. But, regardless of when you read it--HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

I feel like this year I have so very much to be thankful for. First and foremost, I am extremely thankful for my three children. They are healthy, happy, funny and full of love. And I am thankful for their new sibling on the way who is also, as far as we know, very healthy and happy and very much loved.

My amazing husband. I am very thankful for him. He is the best--funny, sweet, tolerable, thoughtful, faithful and very handsome. I am even more thankful that he gets to spend Thanksgiving with him; last year he was deployed overseas.

I am thankful for my family. I am thankful for our new house. I am thankful for the blessings that we have. I am thankful for being able to use my sister's car while mine is DOA.

And I'm thankful for leggings. They are amazing for pregnancy. And eating too much. And comfort. And lounging.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Orange Tweed Blazer-J. Crew; Studded Leggings-Rue21, gifted; Leopard Sheer Blouse-Forever 21; Kitten Heels-BCBG, gifted; Brown Tank-Banana Republic, gifted; Necklace-Charming Charlie's; Earrings-gifted; Sunnies-Target

November 27, 2013

Mission #22, Day 3--Sparkle Leggings

On this day for Mission Week, I broke out the "mid-week but kinda sorta Friday-ish" celebratory sparkle leggings. And I paired them with my husband's shirt. It was so comfy. So. Comfy.

I do hope that all of you will be enjoying the next few days off. I cannot tell you how much I detest that some stores will be open on Thanksgiving. Seriously, people. Make sure you have your grocery shopping done. And prepare to focus on good food and time with your family this Thursday instead of shopping.

I've worked a fair amount of Black Fridays in my retail days as well as national holidays when I did the grocery store thing. It's not fair. It's not fair that people trying to just earn a living are being ripped away from their families because someone underestimated how much butter they had or so that someone can "save" $50 on a television. Stupid, selfish and materialistic. Sorry to be blunt, but that's how I feel.

There are lots of good articles circulating the webs on this--mainly from Huffington Post (try here, here and here). Basically, if there is no demand for this heinous act of stores opening on Thanksgiving holidays, there will be no motivation to do so. In fact, it states in one of these articles that even avid Black Friday shoppers are apt to think twice about visiting certain stores because they don't like being forced away from their families in order to not miss a deal.

I personally don't want to give any motivation to any store opening on Thanksgiving this holiday season--that includes my beloved Target. I think it is just plain wrong that we are valuing a sale of STUFF over the love of family, the gratitude for what we have or the true meaning of the holiday. Seriously, don't get me started. I could go on forever.

Sparkle Leggings-Walmart; Olive Button Down-Patrick's; Heels-Madden Girl, gifted; Leopard Belt-Target; Fox Necklace-Charming Charlie's; Earrings-Kohl's; Mirrored Aviators-Target

November 26, 2013

Mission #22, Day 2--Grey Zipper Leggings

On this day for Mission Week, I wore something really casual, comfy and borderline boho. The zipper on the back of these leggings give it a tough vibe, but the duster and the loose layers make it really casual.

So, do you know what Boulder started doing? Recently, Boulder, Colorado passed a law that now charges consumers for plastic bags. Every time you elect to use plastic bags in a store rather than bringing your own bags, you are charged 10 cents per bag.

Boulder is a very environmentally conscious town and this law is obviously to encourage people to utilize reusable cloth bags instead of plastic bags that are often not recycled.

I personally think it's great. I have used my own bags at the store for years and years. I don't understand why more people don't. For one, obviously, they are better for the environment. But also, they are more durable and able to hold more.

But the one downfall of cloth bags--it takes a while to get used to using them. I can't tell you how many times when I started I would forget my bags at home. But I do think it's a good habit to have. And who knows--maybe enough people spending enough dimes per bag will get the message across. Apparently, there's a new dimebag in town in Boulder to benefit the green. Ha! Pot humor in Colorado. It never gets old.

Zipper Leggings-Target; Black Blouse-Elle; Red Crocheted Duster Cardigan-Free People, thrifted; Knotted Cognac Booties-Charlotte Russe; Fox Necklace-Charming Charlies; Spiked Bracelet-Kohl's; Name Plate Bracelet and Star Bracelet-vintage from Grandma; Sunnies-shop in mall

November 25, 2013

Mission #22, Day 1--Floral Leggings

Day One of Mission Week and here I am with one of my favorite pairs of leggings--the floral leggings. One way to keep leggings interesting is to indulge in a pair with a fun pattern.

I love weekends that are equal in relaxation, productivity and fun. It's hard to get a good balance, but this weekend was just that.

Yesterday my sister, brother in law and nieces came over. I have been planning on taking some maternity pics of my sis and her family and now we're running out of time (my newest niece will be here in two weeks!!!!), so they came over and then we went to dinner at Aunt Alice's Kitchen (aka, the BEST food ever).

My nieces just crack me up. They are so freaking adorable. For example, I handed my younger niece, Emma, something to hand to her dad. "Emma, give these to your daddy please," I ask. She looks at me, points her finger and goes "Auntie, you want something done, you do it yourself!" and runs off.

And then, at dinner, Emma (4) was trying to get a piece of spaghetti in her mouth the same way every four year old does it--by dangling it in front of her mouth. Frustrated, she shouts out "Just go in already!!!!" We all started busting out laughing and my oldest niece Anya (7) follows it with "Now that's the heart of a true hero!" These girls need a television show.

Floral Leggings-Rue21, gifted; Pink Chiffon Tank-BCBG, thrifted; Grey Moto Boots-Forever 21; White Jacket-Wal-Mart; Earrings-gifted; Sunnies-Target

November 22, 2013

Dear Frannie Friday--Pregnancy After Loss

(You caught me. Old photos again. I need to clean out my backlog ok?)

When I found out I was pregnant with this little babe, I was so excited. I knew it was something my husband and I wanted, planned and were ready for. But that didn't mean that my miscarriage five months prior wasn't in the back of my mind for a long time. Part of going through a miscarriage is an innate fear and grieving that you did something to cause it or didn't do something to prevent it. I was fortunate with my three other children in that I had completely "normal" and healthy pregnancies without complication. I naively went through them without a worry that anything would go wrong.

This time was different. This time reality stared me in my face daily. Suddenly, no twinge or cramp went unnoticed. I obsessed over milestones. I teetered between feeling overwhelmed with love and protection over the growing baby and being afraid of getting too attached. It was a very lonely, complicated, frustrating and confusing first trimester. But I know I'm not the only one who's gone through this. So here are my tips for surviving the first trimester after a loss.

1. Don't obsess. I'd say a good six weeks after finding out I was pregnant was spent scouring the internet like a lunatic going over statistics. Was it likely that this could happen again if it just happened? What are the odds? What are the signs? Well, here is my advice to you--don't. For lack of a better cliche, you must learn to let go and let God. I am not a religious person and this does not come from a religious standpoint, but basically you have to relax. Realize that what will be will be and the best thing you can do is enjoy the present, hope for the future and don't stress over the past. Otherwise, you can't enjoy the beauty that is your pregnancy--right now. Nothing can or will prepare you for a miscarriage, but nothing can give you back the joy of your first few weeks of pregnancy either.

2. Make sure you have a doctor that you feel comfortable with. This is soooooo important. The doctor I was previously seeing wasn't willing to see me prior to eight weeks. I found out I was pregnant at three weeks. It seemed agonizing to wait for five weeks to find out everything was fine. Granted it is standard for most doctor's offices to wait until you hit 8 weeks to see you, so it wasn't abnormal, but I wasn't comfortable with it. So I called around. And I found a place that would take me right away. Three weeks later when I had some light spotting, they told me to come in right away for an ultrasound. And then again four weeks later (both times turned out totally fine). They have been super attentive and supportive. And that is totally needed and appreciated when you're a nervous wreck.

3. Talk about it. We've gone over this. Miscarriage is scary, but often privatized and deemed inappropriate to talk about. Which is fine if you want to keep it private. But find someone that you can talk to about it with. It helps. And you need to take that stress off your plate. It's best for you and for the baby. A lot of people who have suffered a loss like to wait until at least the end of the first trimester to tell people. That is fine. But don't think you have to either. If you want to tell people so you can have more support, that's fine too. It's your call.

4. Do NOT use pregnancy site forums. Yes, they are set up to be helpful and informative. Yes, sometimes they are and some people find them to be. I could, in fact, be alone in this opinion. But seriously, these were the most anxiety-ridden media for me. First of all, there are apparently some people who get on there just for the sake of rattling pregnant women (they're called "trolls" . . . I looked into it). Secondly, some of what you read is truly tragic and horrific. You could be having a great day and all of a sudden read about women thinking everything was fine and had a stillbirth out of nowhere or someone who had two kids and then had five miscarriages--the list goes on. It's not that these women shouldn't be able to share their stories and it is not that their stories don't have merit for sympathy, but don't be a glutton for punishment. Try to surround yourself with positive thoughts instead of negative "what might be's".

Do you have a question for Dear Frannie Friday? Feel free to email me at franniepantz@hotmail.com.