Happy Easter!

Happy Easter!  We hope everyone had a great day with family and friends.  It was a lazy day here at the Kendi Haus.  We went to church and after I made a nice Polish meal for Easter.  I even added peppercorn eyes to the butter lamb!  Then we all took a nap.  It was nice.  I hope Little Man liked his first taste of Polish food, cuz he's gonna have it every Easter.  :)

Cheers!

Love,
The Kendi Haus

My Polish ancestors would be proud.  Cutting up real kielbasa from the Polish deli for Easter dinner, and pregnant no less. :)

Kielbasa, pierogi, butter lamb, beans and rolls!

Boy or Girl?

20 Weeks

Another bathroom selfie.  I just didn't get into the whole "bump pic" thing.  I try to snap one when I feel like I look good.  Since that hasn't happened a lot so far in this pregnancy, I take the picture where ever I am when I feel like I look pretty.  So here's 20 weeks.  This was taken 2 days before we found out what we were having.

I'm wearing my $9 non-maternity maxi dress from Ross (mentioned here).  I think it might be my favorite preggie outfit so far...

Cheers!

Bump Style: Budget 202

Here's my second round of maternity clothes deals.  This time I tried to find non-maternity pieces that fit my 20 week bump but that I could wear long after the pregnancy.  The key to this trick?  Flowy and stretchy.  My style has always leaned toward the boho/hippie vibe so flowy wasn't a big leap for me.  Most of the "maternity" clothes I packed away last year fit this description.  The stretchy part was really fun because I am now unmistakably pregnant but not huge.  I'm in the cute bump phase now.  I can get away with wearing fitted pieces that show it off.  And I stocked up on leggings.

It's also getting hotter which means lots of skirts and dresses for me.  One trick I have is going to the swimsuit cover-up section.  Those are usually loose and pretty.  With a cami underneath and a pair of leggings, it's a cheap and cute outfit.  And since we live by the beach, I can use the top later!

Cheers!

Ross
Navy tunic (non-maternity) $20
Sheer cover-up (non-maternity) $13
Striped tank maxi dress (non-maternity) $9
Striped tee maxi dress (non-maternity) $9

Burlington 
2 pairs black leggings - $16
Grey leggings - $8
Black/white striped maxi dress (non-maternity) - $17

*haven't received this order yet, so the grey leggings and the dress might not be keepers...

Target

Liz Lange maternity tank - $13

Pants (non-maternity) - $20

*not sure yet if I'm keeping the pants...

Walmart
 

Dress (non-maternity) - $15

Total:  $140

13 Weeks

My first bump pic!  I tried to set up a cute theme for all the weeks but it didn't work out.  Our rental house in Florida hates me.  So, here's a bathroom selfie.  It's from February so I don't look like this any more.  This is when I felt like I was really starting to show.  :)

I'm wearing my favorite peasant top from Marshall's and my Old Navy Rockstar jeggings, so no maternity clothes yet!

Cheers!

Bump Style: Budget 101

One of my big goals when I got pregnant was to look cute with what I already had and only add a few pieces for when I got bigger...for cheap.  :)

I starting doing research before I really needed maternity clothes to get an idea of what was out there.  I was quickly disappointed.  Clothes that were cute and stylish were too expensive and the ones that were reasonably priced were ugly.  I got discouraged pretty fast, but I couldn't give up.  My pants were quickly becoming too small.  

So, here's what I was able to find so far and where I got it.  Most of the things I picked are very basic and good for layering.  And I'm pretty sure that I can get away with wearing a lot of the tops after the baby is here, which will be important since my body won't be bouncing back in a month.  The jeans and leggings I will be saving for baby #2.  I will probably splurge on a cute dress for the baby shower and professional bump pics, but we'll see.  I hope you other mamas-to-be find things that make you feel fabulous, without breaking the bank!  Stay tuned for more deals I find as I continue to grow!

Cheers!

Old Navy

$12

$6.50

$9.75

$7.80

$12.35

$11.01

Burlington

Belly band - $10

2 pairs jeans - $19 & $25 (because of shipping)

White cami - $4

Leggings - $8

JC Penney

White jeans - $28

White tank - $11

Zulily.com
Jeans & Top $44


Total: $208.41

Lent 2014 Update

We're about 4 weeks into Lent and I'd thought I'd give an update on our progress.  The financial fast didn't go very well.  With a baby on the way, my belly expanding and with both of us just generally being exhausted, there were a lot of expenses that creep up, mainly eating out.  But its ok.  I'm not going to beat my self up over it.  We have cut back a lot, so for that I am happy.  When we need to spend money, like on maternity clothes for me, I try to find the cheapest ones I can.  And I try to only get pieces that will work with what I already have.

As for donating and cleaning out the house, that we are doing well on.  We've stuck to at least one item per person per day.  We tackled a good chunk of the garage and moved it to Goodwill.  We still have one room to clean out so I definitely think that we'll hit our goal of 80 items out of the house by the end of Lent.  We may have already hit that number...

Cheers!

Here's two weeks worth of stuff.  Forgot to take a picture of the second car load we took to Goodwill...