Preggy Planking...

Today was such a beautiful day so I decided to venture out with my family to the Arnold Arboretum in Boston. It is a lush place filled with trees, flora, and breathtaking scenery. Being 8 months pregnant, I found it difficult climbing the trails and calling after my wayward children so after some time, we decided to stop near a shrubbery garden for a break. I then thought that it would be a great idea to do some planking! For those who do not know what planking is, I refer you to wiki's definition:

Planking or the lying down game is an activity consisting of lying face down in an unusual or incongruous location. The hands must touch the sides of the body and having a photograph of the participant taken and posted on the internet is an integral part of the game.^[1] Players compete to find the most unusual and original location in which to play.^[1] The term planking is described as the practice of lying down flat with arms to the side, to mimic a wooden plank.

I'm not into fads too much but this one was too irresistible to pass up given the beautiful weather and the scene. I was relegated to doing a "reverse plank" due to my swollen belly but it was fun nonetheless. Here are some photos from today's excursion...

The "reverse preggy plank"

The "hubby" plank

The "baby plank"

The "sibling plank"

A picture of the Arboretum

Preggy pose..I'm pretty sweaty in this pic

Top: Gap maternity

bottoms: ON Maternity (btw, these pants are fleece and very itchy! I do not recommend them!

Edited to add: Recently there has been some discussion of "planking" and its parallels to the slavery experience of the 1700's .  While I understand that slavery is still a sensitive subject for some, I do not agree with the parallel currently being made between "planking" and the experience of slaves on slaves ships. Everyone however, has a right to their own opinion and I hope this dialogue continues to strike a respectful and thought-provoking tone rather than an accusatory one.  That is all.

OOTP (Outfit of the Preggy) 7 months

So this is my first official OOTP post for my blog. I've been hesitant to post outfit posts as of late because I've been feeling so...so...unattractive. Yeah, I know what they say about pregnant woman and the "pregnancy glow" but that sure as hell doesn't apply to me. I've easily gained 50lbs this pregnancy which is the most I've ever gained being pregnant. I've been doing my best to make the clothes I already own work so that I'm not spending a lot of money on a new mat wardrobe. It's been difficult though. I had given my sister much of my maternity clothing when she was pregnant with her twins and when I discovered I was pregnant again, I realized that I didn't have any maternity clothes! Luckily, the belly band has been a savior-- I bought 2 of those bad boys! In any case, be on the lookout for future preggy outfit posts, I can't promise I'll be smiling in all of them though!

 Maxi dress: Forever 21 (anything with smocking is my best friend) // 1x

Shrug: Purchased from eBay awhile ago // xl

Shoes (not really visible) : Corso Como (soooooo comfy!)

A side shot

Stylish, trendy, plus-sized maternity clothes: Like unicorns and fairies, do you even exist?

So I guess designers of plus size maternity wear must hold the belief that women who are pregnant and plus size do not want to look good.  For those of you who would feel inclined to direct me to Old Navy, Motherhood Maternity, or some other chain I say this:  they just don’t cut it in the looks, quality, or price department (IMO). The tops I have purchased from Old Navy either look extremely tent-ish or are now crop tops (there is such a thing as washing clothes too much people). My lack of a sophisticated stylish wardrobe has me rummaging through my husband’s drawers for clothes...and let me tell you, he’s not too happy about it. If you have suggestions on where I could find reasonably priced, stylish clothing that is plus-sized I will love you forever. FYI, I'm currently 270, 5'3, and wear an 18/20/22/whatever-fits-these-days.

I was looking for a "flames" icon to superimpose on this image but alas, I couldn't find one.