Posted in Mama Chronicles, Mum Mode

Mum Mode: Not sure about Athleisure

You don’t have to exercise to wear workout clothes. Did you know that?? Okay, now I do. It’s called Athleisure.

I am neither athletic nor do I find such attire suitable for my personal leisure activities BUT I do own exercise clothes these days. On Thursdays, I wear workout clothes and go bare-faced.

So I always say that every time I sweat, I die a little but after my heart attack, I knew I had to rehabilitate this broken body or I’ll truly die. Now I train with Jasmine at Divergent Fitness (the gym that Alastair goes to) and so far, she’s definitely made each session palatable with varied challenges each week. My favourite is learning to haul odd-shaped objects that are Alastair’s weight – my purpose is to care for him for as long as I can.

I find it patronizing when people tell me I look good now that I’ve lost weight. I’ve always hated equating size with attractiveness. More so now that I don’t feel good and occasionally still use a cane to help me walk. (I keep one in my car at all times.) They harvested 2 veins from my right calf to fix 2 of my 4 blocked arteries. That leg is still unreliable and weak. I still feel a lot of pain from the nerves healing. Weight-loss was a byproduct of my ordeal and not a happy thing. I feel like punching people all the time. Recovery has been a BITCH.

I don’t know how other special needs parents do it. Maybe I would just have to live in atheleisure so I can jump at every chance to exercise? Imagine me next to my parked minivan, just doing jumping jacks until they wheel Alastair out of the school gates.

*Koffkoff* Just kidding, no thanks.

Posted in Fat-shionista

Fat-shionista #610

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It’s been almost 2 months but I’m back (for a little while anyway). If you’ve been following me on instagram, you’d know that I’ve taken ill quite a few times during the pregnancy and we’ve gone away on a 2-week roadtrip last month (our token Babymoon). I haven’t really done any outfit posts because a) lack of motivation b) it takes too much effort to put myself together when I feel icky all the time c) don’t have that many clothes for this stage of the pregnancy. So in other news, I’m almost there and the baby can come any day now if he wishes (we hope he stays in there for a few more weeks to strengthen his lungs though).

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In view of the arrival of baby G, I’ve decided to try to be as frivolous as I can these last few weeks. I’ll have to swap out cute shoes and purses for a diaper bag and easy to wear foot coverings for quite a while, I suspect. T surprised me with this awesome Betsey Johnson Gumball Machine bag recently and it made me perk up! I’ve been so unenthusiastic about everything since we’ve been told that I need to eat/drink more to help G grow and increase the amniotic fluid so he can turn. It seems like the Summer heat does get to me and I eat a lot more during Winter.

So anyway, what I’m wearing today:

Top: Black cold shoulder top from eBay seller dhd-batteryshop

Accessories: Purple shades with gold “eyelash” accents from eBay seller zerouv; Black & yellow geometric acrylic statement necklace from H&M

Bag: Pink Gumball Machine bag from Betsey Johnson

Bottom: Dark-blue denim shorts from OLD NAVY Maternity

Footwear: Pink Jelly Sandals from eBay seller greenlimeorangeIMG_2256

Posted in Fat-shionista, Mama Chronicles

Fat-shionista #609

So my 2nd trimester has come and gone. I should really write a post about how it had been. In fact, there are so many things I want to blog about but my energy level seems to have dipped again. This baby is getting BIG! I can tell the difference between baby belly and fat belly – obviously I started the pregnancy being fat so I already had padding there. The baby bit is hard and tight. It’s been super uncomfortable. Also, a few weeks ago, I started feeling weird buzzing and experiencing numbness in my hands. Turns out, I have pregnancy carpel tunnel. My grip has been weak and I keep dropping things. Feet and legs, also swollen. I’m trying my best not to live in comfy leggings, baggy tops, without make-up etc. One of the few frivolous things that makes me feel normal is dressing up.

IMG_1624Tonight we’re heading out to a potluck dinner party with a small group of Singaporeans (and some Indonesians) who live in Las Vegas. And this is what I’m wearing.

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What I’m wearing today:

Dress: Black & grey half-sleeve plaid dress from GAP Maternity

Accessories: Blue & black striped Bronwyn bangle from Kate Spade; Blue acrylic chain mail necklace from eBay

Footwear: Gold bow-tie ballet flats from Old Navy

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Posted in Fat-shionista, Mama Chronicles

Fat-shionista #608

This is another non-maternity outfit. I think I’m doing pretty well with adapting my wardrobe considering I’m already 7 months pregnant. This is a new dress I recently got on sale and I can definitely see myself wearing it for as long as my shoulders fit. It’s really generously cut, stretchy and has 2 pockets! I KNOW… pockets in a dress!!! The dream! HAH!

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What I’m wearing today:

Dress: Grey printed long-sleeved flared dress from GAP

Accessories: Neon Yellow lace collar necklace from eBay

Footwear: Beige/Dark Taupe moto boots from Madden GirlIMG_1585_2

Posted in Fat-shionista, Mama Chronicles

Fat-shionista #607

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I think this is my only “real” maternity dress. So far, my wardrobe consists of regular clothes stretching their abilities to accommodate my burgeoning belly. Other than that, I have basics like maternity tank tops, leggings and shorts that I mix and match on a daily basis. I like this dress for the cut and print – I think understated silhouettes is the best way to wear florals. The yellow is really cheery and I think I can continue wearing it even when I’m not pregnant. The best part is, I got it for 50% off when I caught a GAP sale at the right time recently – just a little over $30.

I’m usually a UK16 (US12-14) but lost a little bit of weight during my 1st trimester due to the crazy things my pregnancy hormones put me through and I’m now a US10 (maternity size). I got this dress in a Medium.

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What I’m wearing today:

Dress: Yellow Floral empire-waist dress from GAP Maternity

Accessories: Pink acrylic baubles statement necklace from FOSSIL

Footwear: Sparkly pink sneakers with stretchy laces from CONVERSE (I believe this is a Youths range and I’m wearing the largest size.)IMG_1532

Posted in Fat-shionista, Mama Chronicles

Fat-shionista #606

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About 2 months ago, I saw this post by Jolene of Boardroom Blonde and remembered that I too owned that very same dress. I wasn’t expecting to buy anything that fateful day last December when my family were here visiting but the Las Vegas Premium Outlets do have very attractive prices and this Kate Spade dress was a little more than USD40 after multiple discounts (that’s including taxes!) And if you haven’t realised by now, I’m still trying to stretch my wardrobe instead of succumbing to getting an entirely new one with my maternity needs. This is a regular-sized dress. Very flattering cut. Stretchy and swingy. The elasticised waist is perfect right now! The orange chevron stripes – so cheery and Spring!IMG_1480

What I’m wearing:

Dress: Orange chevron striped dress from KATE SPADE

Accessories: Orange/Pink/White flower brooch from FOREVER21

Footwear: Red strappy platform sandals from ZARA WOMAN

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Posted in Fat-shionista, Mama Chronicles

Fat-shionista #605

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For some reason, my belly looks extremely high and round in these pictures and since these pictures were taken a week ago, I can safely say that I probably look even bigger now. I’m now in my 3rd trimester – actually I still have a few days before I hit it, but for the sake of rounding it up *koffkoff*. We are doing the “less than 100 days to go” countdown but I won’t know how many for sure until my next OBGYN appointment about a week away. I’ve heard that the last month of your pregnancy seems like the longest and most women are so over and done with the symptoms they just want to get the baby out as soon as it’s safe. I have diabetes and some other health factors that make this a high-risk pregnancy. I’ve been told months ago that for safety reasons, I would most likely be induced early or offered a c-section. So we’ll see…
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What I’m wearing:

Top: Red HELLO KITTY t-shirt from OLD NAVY (this is not a maternity shirt)

Leggings: Grey & Black triangle graphic print fold-over yoga pants from OLD NAVY

Footwear: Dark beige moto boots from MADDEN GIRL

Posted in Fat-shionista, Mama Chronicles

Fat-shionista #603

If you’re following me on either Twitter or Instagram, you’d know that in the last week or so, our lives had been turned upside down. Our beloved Max the Maximum Dog died very suddenly following an emergency stomach surgery for bloat. It was supposed to be a simple operation but they kept having to slice him open and he passed from multiple organ failure within 5 days. We’ve been in shock and mourning. He was happy and healthy, and he thoroughly enjoyed life with us so it’s just been so traumatic for us to lose him so suddenly.

Then a few days after he passed, we also had to pull ourselves together because we had some friends come visit and stayed with us for 5 days. They were pretty good guests who basically took care of themselves but I also felt bad if we appeared to be Debbie Downers.

I feel really awful for T who’s been so distraught. Max was his best friend and he was willing to go all out to save him – sell the house to raise money, whatever. But eventually, despite spending more than what we did when Max had cancer, we couldn’t save him. He just never regained consciousness. We are only relieved that we didn’t have to make the call to put him down, we fought for him till the end.

Also, after more than a week of the launch of T’s game Axiom Verge, we still haven’t celebrated. While he’s not rich and famous yet, the game broke-even within hours of its launch on Day 1. He deserves all the happiness and everything is just bad timing. He’s a simple and modest man who’s worked really hard alone for the last 5 years to get this game completed. The universe is just so cruel.

Today, we went out to Olive Garden for lunch with a giftcard my MIL sent us for EASTER. It was nice to get him out of the house, take a nice scenic drive past Red Rock Canyon and also make a detour to Cactus Joe’s on the way home after lunch. If you follow him on Twitter, please send him some kind words of encouragement and buy his game or game soundtrack to support his work.

Anyway, this is what I wore today: 

Top: Grey & Pink polkadotted tank from OLD NAVY

Outerwear: Grey marled moto jacket from ADIDAS

Accessories: Lilac acrylic necklace and earrings from H&M

Leggings: Grey & Black triangle graphic print fold-over yoga pants from OLD NAVY

Footwear: Dark beige moto boots from MADDEN GIRL

Posted in Fat-shionista

Fat-shionista #596

 

IMG_0228The weather in Las Vegas today was awesome! Just 2 days ago on New Year’s Eve, we had a super cold front and it snowed! Where we lived, there were only flurries but other parts of the valley experienced heavier fall. And that was the day we went to the Premium Outlet North where all the shops are not connected and you had to walk in the open. My mum and sisters were bundled up with scarves, gloves and beanies! Today however, it was just warm enough to get away with a jumper and a scarf – it was about 6 degC and if you’re in the sun, it’s totally toasty.

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What I’m wearing today:

Top: Grey HEART & SOUL jumper from OLD NAVY

Accessories: Brown pleather belt from STEVE MADDEN; Pink & purple floral barrettes from H&M; Purple scarf with sequins from DELIA*S

Bag: Pink EMERALD AVENUE AMY crossbody bag from KATE SPADE

Footwear: Grey MAIA boat shoes from LeBunny Bleu

A big thank you to the kind people at LeBunny Bleu for these shoes! Do check out their new arrivals!

 

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Posted in Fat-shionista

Fat-shionista #594

So life has gotten the better of me recently and I’m updating less here – which is a fantastic thing! After T’s Playstation Experience exhibition, I’ve been busy with my family coming over, then preparing for Christmas dinner and also getting ready for Christmas in general – writing Christmas cards, putting a list of gifts T wants to get for his family (most of them mailed out of state) etc.

But now, back to regular programming before I disappear again for the year end holidays…

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OMG! How cute are my new shoes? Thank you, Le Bunny Bleu for my grey Maia Boat Shoes. Flats are great for me since I’m always pounding the pavement and on the move. I hardly have the opportunity to wear heels these days and they’re not exactly the most practical thing for a housewife who lives in the desert. Then again, while I don’t have a lot of shoes, I do not lack any cute ones either. Really happy to add these to my collection – cute colour and how sweet is their little bunny logo??

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What I’m wearing today:

Top: Grey tank top from OLD NAVY

Outerwear: Light grey cropped motorcycle jacket from ADIDAS ORIGINALS

Accessories: Pink KSNY X DARCEL scarf from KATE SPADE

Bag: Neon yellow crossbody bag from BCBG Max Azria

Bottom: Grey floral neoprene mini skirt from H&M DIVIDED

Footwear: Grey Maia Boat Shoes from Le Bunny Bleu

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