Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Product Review: Pea in a Pod Sleeveless Babydoll Cocktail Dress

Sleeveless Babydoll Maternity Dress

I've finally found it: the perfect maternity cocktail dress! Sure, at $128 its a little bit more than what I wanted to spend on maternity clothes, but it is so cute and versatile that it'll be worth the dough. I plan to wear it to a fall wedding, a 50th birthday party, my shower, and even to work.

The dress is made out of a silk chiffon fabric, which I like so much better than the unforgiving and cheapish feeling poly/spandex that so many maternity dresses are made of. Seriously, why aren't more maternity dresses made out of real fabrics? I think some designers mistake the temporary nature of maternity clothing for it being disposable. Just because we're pregnant doesn't mean we want to look like we've lost all fashion sense.

In any case, I love this dress because it can be dressed up with jewelry and heels or dressed down with a work-friendly sweater. Its also sophisticated and pretty without revealing a lot up top or on bottom, and yet, it isn't overly long and dowdy (again, being pregnant doesn't automatically make you a sucker for mumus.)

For Queens Mamas, you can order this dress online HERE or pop into Destination Maternity or Macy's in Manhattan or Macy's in Manhassett (unfortunately, there aren't Pea in a Pod retailers in Queens proper).

FYI: The dress' attached slip is tighter than the fabric overlay. I had to purchase a size Large as I'm entering the third trimester of my pregnancy and I only had a bit more room left in the Medium's slip. If you're smaller up top, though, you might want to purchase the Medium and have a tailor work his magic on the slip!

Monday, September 28, 2009

Store Review: Babies R Us, College Point

I'm still pleasantly surprised when I come across an area of Queens that reminds me of my suburban upbringing. For example, the Babies R Us in College Point Queens is huge, clean, and organized, with tons of free parking outside--just like blessed suburbia!

Even on a Sunday afternoon,
we were able to get in and out of the store in 20 minutes or so to pick up our crib (which had been pre-ordered from a BRU upstate). We tossed that huge box into the car (with the help of the store staff of course), picked up some Chinese takeout, and headed on home. How nice to not have to stand in long Manhattan lines or lug everything home on our backs!

Here's our beautiful Sorelle lifetime crib, which we have yet to build, and which was purchased on-sale for $275!

Sorelle Tuscany Elite Lifetime Crib - Oak Cider - C&T International  - Babies"R"Us
I would definitely recommend getting your furnit ure through this store. If I could do it again, I'd probably set up my registry at this store too since it is much easier to navigate--and less crowded--than the store in Manhattan's Union Square.

Now, if I open up the box and find out the crib is in any way damaged, I may be singing another tune! I'll keep you posted with pics soon, Queens Mamas.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Old Navy Maternity

At six months pregnant this Friday, the time has finally come for me to add some moderately-priced fall maternity clothing to my wardrobe! Yesterday I popped into one of the few Old Navy's in our area that has a maternity section and found some great shirts on sale, specifically these:

$9.90 $10.00

I'm wearing the green shirt today and it is oh-so-comfy and cute. The website has even cuter stuff including a $25 dress that is perfect for an October wedding I will be attending (I'm in love with the fact that it has sleeves to cover my plumped up pregnant arms) and the elusive maternity coat, available in plum or gray, priced at only $34.50 (compare that to over $100 at Pea in a Pod!) :

$25.00 $34.50

I do advise against any of Old Navy's elastic-waist pants, however. I tried on a pair in-store and they are just darn uncomfortable! You're better off with the Maternity Perfect pants, which are similar to Motherhood's Secret Fit Belly styles.

Check it out! Click here for locations of Old Navy's that stock maternity clothes in and around Queens: STORES.

Friday, September 11, 2009

On Tony Bourdain's visit to Queens Restaurants

I am a big fan of the Travel Channel's "No Reservations" hosted by Tony Bourdain, but this past Sunday's episode which featured NYC's outer boroughs disappointed me so much!

Queens has so much more to offer than Asian cuisine in Flushing! By visiting only Golden Shopping Mall, Sik Gaek, and the canteen at Ganesh Temple, Tony not only insults the other cultures in what is America's most diverse neighborhoods, but is missing out on some of the best food in New York!

How can he ignore the great Greek restaurants of Astoria? The Arabic restaurants on Steinway and Indian restaurants in Jackson Heights (Really? He skipped over Jackson Heights and went to a temple basement in Flushing?) What about the German, Italian, Polish, Croatian, Spanish, Serbian, American, Mexican.... need I list them all?

He similarly neglected great cuisine in Staten Island, the Bronx (He went to one place!) and Brooklyn (Why would he pick a dim sum place? You can get that anywhere.)

I propose Tony Bourdain calls a Mulligan and produces new episodes, an entire hour for each borough--nothing else will do. And, as a pregnant woman whose expertise in food comes from her life revolving around it at the moment, I suggest he includes these Queens wonders, for starters:

Sunswick 35/35 (Astoria)

Zum Stammtisch (Glendale)
Ice King of Corona (Corona)
Jour et Nuit (Astoria)
Jackson Diner (Jackson Heights)
El-Rawsheh (Astoria)

I could go on and on about each of these places and others, but that's fodder for individual posts! Oh, but you just wait until I reveal their deliciousness to you (and to Tony Bourdain). We Queens mamas are lucky to have such a wonderful variety of great food nearby, regardless of what television programs imply!