Ummm, no thanks.

Inspired by Joslyne's post this morning about her no-ass swimsuit woes, and by the fact that it's supposed to be in the 80s (80s!) here this weekend to hang by the river, I started thinking about my own swimsuit situation, which falls on the opposite end of the spectrum. While I won't go into great detail about the changes pregnancy has wrought on my entire body, suffice it to say that I do not think any swimsuits from previous years will fit the 6-9 months-pregnant me. I am rather more... rotund around all kinds of parts these days. Some days I am more okay with that than others, so I need a swimsuit that will embrace that and make me feel like a sassy mama, not a freakish cetacean-woman. So, frugal little shopper that I am, I went over to see what Target had to offer me.

You guys, this isn't helping. That suit is hideous. In fact, pretty much everything in the Target maternity swimwear line sucks. First of all, most of it is straight black, and what prints there are are mostly BAD (see left). And they're all tankinis. Not sassy. This is seriously the best one:
Doesn't really scream "fun in the sun!", does it?

Even worse, though? are THESE:
Yes. Swim skirts and swim SHORTS. Target, I'm pregnant, not disfigured. Is it too much to ask for swimwear that accentuates and celebrates the curviness, rather than hiding it away in the matte black fabric of shame? Where's the sassiness? Where's the retro-glam that flatters curvy women?




Maybe that mojo only exists in the regular swim section? Maybe, just maybe, can I mix and match pieces from the regular swimwear in larger sizes?


Um, no. I know this SAYS it's for women and all, Target, but I'm gonna need a little more coverage than that. Well, more like twice that much fabric.




Sigh. What to do? I'm caught between a tankini and a skimpy place. Send help soon!
Love,
A

Stuff and Sensibility

Last night we watched Michael Moore's new movie, "Capitalism: A Love Story",* which could be the subject of a whole other post, but DH and I were discussing it this morning (mostly the points where we felt the movie came up short), and touched on the pervasive feeling of "not enough" in our society/culture. How often do we hear people express contentmen with what they have and a lack of desire for more, better, newer, different? Appreciating what you have, knowing that you are enough and have enough, living simply rather than in pursuit of material gain-- these are goals I and I think many others of our generation share.

Oh, but it's hard to swim against the tide of wanting, of STUFF. It's so hard to train yourself out of the impulse to acquire when faced with beautiful things. But I also know that STUFF takes up physical and mental space, requires upkeep, and ties one down in a variety of ways, not to mention the environmental impacts of each person's consumption of physical goods. I try to find peace with this by a) only buying items that are necessary and useful and b) saving up all my "wants" for gift requests. Not a perfect system, but a start, perhaps. Anyone else want to talk about how they balance this in their own life? (Image from The Benchmark Institute)

(*Yes, I know the comma is supposed to go inside the quotes in American English, but I personally believe the Brits have it right in this instance, and since it's my blog, I'm going to follow the punctuation rules as I see fit. :P)

Aaaand while you ponder, here are a few of the pretty, spring-y things on my "want" list lately:



This gorgeous ruffled pie dish. (from The Kitchn)






Pretty much anything and everything from the new Liberty of London collection at Target, but especially this dress.












This print, for our bedroom (only $25!). It's just right. First Mother's Day present, anyone? (Spotted courtesy of The Lil Bee)
















Happy spring!
Love,
your Material Girl