While I was on the Shabby Apple website I stopped by to look at their maternity section and loved what I found. It inspired me to do a Maternity Outfit of the Week (at least for this week!). Here it is --->
At the beginning of this pregnancy I needed to find a dress for my grandmother's funeral. Even though I was only a couple of months along I was already having trouble fitting into my regular clothes (it's amazing how much faster you show during a second pregnancy!) and thought I'd find a dress that would last through the entire pregnancy, that was comfortable enough to wear regularly but nice enough for Mass (or other formal occasions).
Some of you may remember the complaint that I had after that somewhat frustrating shopping trip. ALL of the dresses in the maternity store (and maternity sections of the department stores we stopped by) were thigh skimming. They hardly covered ANYTHING.
Now I know in Hollywood pregnant starlets might like to prance around in next to nothing while carrying around a baby the size of a small (or not so small) beach ball, but in reality I don't know many pregnant women who enjoy walking around in next to nothing. I know that I certainly don't!
I did finally find a dress (the dress that I'm wearing in the banner picture) in the Old Navy clearance section. It was actually supposed to be a cover up for the pool or beach...
So it's a relief to find a store that sells classy maternity outfits that don't look like they're about to a) fall off or b) reveal the wearers underwear. Not that I'm in the market for maternity clothes these days... in fact I've already unpacked my non-maternity dresses and stare at them wistfully each time I put clothes away in the closet... and with the help of a good post-c-section girdle/corset it shouldn't be too long before they're back in the rotation (I hope!)!
Wish we had them in the UK ! I can tell you it is a nightmare finding feminine maternity clothes and the maternity dress (except for 'occasion' wear) has all but disappeared - or they are way too short over a bump !
ReplyDeleteWhy when you are at your most feminine do the shops want you to dress like a builder ? I stopped wearing trousers (pants) when I got married and have had a real struggle through three pregnancies !
"Now I know in Hollywood pregnant starlets might like to prance around in next to nothing while carrying around a baby......"
ReplyDeleteI dont want to upset you but isn't this like judgmental?
I understand you might be frustrated at not being able to find what your looking for in the shops but can we try not to judge people please cause we might affect someone negatively.
I'd say it's pretty factual. Look at the cover of a magazine. It's not something that the majority of women feel any sense of remorse about because they don't believe it's wrong.
ReplyDeleteWe can judge actions. We shouldn't judge the state of a person's soul. Are we supposed to avoid leading others into sin? Yes. But a persons culpability is lessened by what they know and whether or not they know what they are doing is sinful.
By the way, you're post is up.
In the words of a better apologist than me:
ReplyDelete"If we break this passage down line by line, it becomes clear that Jesus was not telling his disciples that they could not ever judge the behavior of others. Rather, he was cautioning them to live righteous lives themselves so that their judgment of others’ behavior would not be rash judgment and their efforts would be effective in admonishing their neighbors.
"Judge not, that you be not judged." By itself, this statement could be construed to mean that one may escape even God’s judgment simply by not judging the behavior of others. Of course, everyone is judged by God, so this cannot be a proper understanding. Jesus goes on to reformulate his statement in a positive way: "With the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get." Jesus indeed expects his disciples to judge but he warns that they, too, will be judged in a like manner.
This is reminiscent of the line in the Lord’s Prayer, "forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us" (Matt. 6:12). Much more than a simple warning that God will treat us as we treat others, this is an appeal to each of us to be as much as we can like God in the way that we treat others. The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains, "there has to be a vital participation, coming from the depths of the heart, in the holiness and the mercy and the love of our God. Only the Spirit by whom we live can make ‘ours’ the same mind that was in Christ Jesus" (CCC 2842).
In the next two lines Jesus cautions against hypocrisy: "Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye?" Judging hypocritically is not effective. A petty thief admonished by a bank robber only scoffs at his admonisher.
Jesus then explains how to judge rightly: "First take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye." Much to the point of this article, there can be no doubt that those final words—"take the speck out of your brother’s eye"—are, indeed, permission to judge so long as it is done rightly."