Blogging for Clothes

Shh... this post is a secret. For my sister.

My beloved younger sister Jenni is having a baby sometime really soon. In fact, she's 38 weeks pregnant with her little boy tomorrow. Over at Crazy Hip Blog Mamas there is a contest going on where IGIGI is offering 3 $100 gift certificates for lovely plus size clothing. You can go to Ozlem's MySpace page to find out why she works for IGIGI. Her philosophy is right on. Being that I am not plus sized, I thought I wasn't going to enter. Then I thought about it more. There's no reason I can't enter for Jen.

So I am.

When we were growing up, our family didn't have a lot of money. New clothes were few and far between for my brother, my sister, and me. Thrift stores were a family favorite, even more so the dollar bin at Goodwill. There were many times that I looked in envy at kids that could afford to wear name brand clothing. Don't get me wrong. For the most part, my childhood was happy. Much of the time I couldn't have cared less where my clothes came from. After all, we were clothed, fed, and loved. A kid doesn't really need anything more, in my opinion. Much of the US would disagree, but I stand my ground.

But there were times where it effected me (as well as my sister, I'm sure). I remember several times during catty girl fights (who doesn't have those in grade school??) where my friends would throw it in my face how I would kill to have an outfit like that. That I would give anything to be able to dress like others did. More often than I'd like to recall, things like this were said, as if to say, 'you're not adequate the way you are,' or 'how much more of a nerd could you be?' To a certain extent, I am still effected by those kinds of comments. When I go out I try to look as nice as possible, though my life is still lived on a very limited budget and most of the clothes I buy new are bought for me by someone else.

My sister had an even more difficult time finding clothes because of struggling with her weight as a child. Imagine trying to find flattering clothing for an overweight child in a thrift store. Not really happening. She had an underactive thyroid starting when she was about 7, which made it challenging to stay at an average weight. In fact, she never was an average weight as a child. It wasn't until she went away to college that the pounds began to come off. She exercized, ate well, and learned that taking her thyroid meds at a certain time of day would cause them to be more effective. Those 3 simple things helped her to lose about 50 pounds. She really looked like a different person when I saw her after months of being apart. I also saw that the weight loss helped with her confidence level. She became more outgoing, and more secure in who she was as a person. Now she dresses very nice, even when her weight fluctuates. She is the most beautiful person I know. That's the reason I'm entering this contest for her... because I want her to know it.

I want her to feel beautiful after she has her baby, even with those extra pregnancy pounds. This Christmas is going to be full of wonderful memories for her, and I want her to be able to look smashing on Christmas in a brand new outfit. So, wish me (her) luck. Only 3 winners!



There she is in the middle, about 18 weeks pregnant (before she had a HUGE cyst removed from her fallopian tube). Isn't she cute????