Loving life with Lymphedema

It's no secret I love Target, they have really stepped up their game, especially when it comes to their shoes.  From booties to sneakers to a formal heel, you can truly find any type of shoe for any event all while picking up toilet paper and a bottle of wine . . . you know the necessities.  What I love the most if they have started to carry shoes in wide widths!  Target also started something new for their shoppers, Target Circle offers, which is similar to Carwheel with some added benefits.  I'm still learning about all of the benefits to this feature, but I do know you get 1% back on most purchases.  No, I'm not a Target Influencer, but if they asked I for sure wouldn't turn it down. So ending tomorrow they are offering 20% off clothing, shoes and accessories!  The best part is, you used to only be able to use Cartwheel offers through in store purchases and pick up purchases, but this new Target Circle offer includes online orders (don't worry I teste...

One pair of leggings that has been tried and true for years now has been my Zella "Live In Leggings."  I've been wearing them for almost 10 years now.  No, not the same pair, this isn't Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.  But the pairs I've owned and lived in have lasted several years.  I was excited to learn they also had a brand at Nordstrom Rack called Z by Zella.  So here is the comparison in this week's Saving & Spluring-Black Leggings. Save : Z by Zella High Waist Daily Legging I have always loved Zella leggings, so when I found out they had a brand at Nordstrom Rack I had to try them.  I bought a space dye pair (Space Dye Leggings: https://shopstyle.it/l/8Goa ) and really did like them.  From reviews I order a size up and I'm glad I did.  The material is on the thinner side and since the space dye pattern was black, grey and white I had to make sure I wore nude or white knickers, but they were light weight (which I enjoyed) and supe...

Sunday Funday!  This last weekend was full and flew by!  I keep waiting for life to slow down, but I don't think that is a real thing.  So I am trying to find the moments and make memories where my family has nothing planned, but being together.  This was not this weekend, ha ha!  There's always the next one.  Most of my outfit are items I've had for years, but the boots and jacket are in stock!  These boots are seriously my favorite and are the first boot I've found that really fits Bertha (bonus they come in wide widths!!) Booties . Jeggings 1 . Jeggings 2 . Jeggings 3 . Jacket . Similar Top . Necklace Starting the new school years has brought so many changes to my kid's lives.  It has been kind of a rough start emotionally.  For a long time I struggled finding a parenting expert that really spoke my idea of parenting.  Last year my some sort of miracle I stumbled upon my spirit parenting expert (is that a thing?)  One o...

There really is no way to camouflage Bertha, but camo leggings sure make her look good!  Last year I discovered Target had a pair, I bought them and they instantly became a favorite of mine.  I would wear them with a sweatshirt and sneakers and also a black tunic and booties.  Pretty much if I can get away with wearing leggings I WILL! Save : Wild Fable Faux Leather Leggings- Olive , Green , Gray , Black/Gray  & Plus Sizes- Gray , Black These are a soft and stretchy cotton that hold up and don't stretch out where you don't want them to.  For an inexpensive leggings these are wonderful, my pair help up for over a year.  The only reason I had to say goodbye was because Bertha wore a hole on the inside seam that couldn't be repaired.  I for sure thought I got my money's worth and am hoping to purchase a new pair . . . my only decision-what color? Splurge :  SPANX Look At Me Now Seamless Leggings (Regular & Plus Sizes) I don't this sp...

Today I say goodbye to my first fancy flats I found for Berth, the The Franco Sarto Simona Flat.  I couldn't find them in a store, but you can still find pairs on Poshmark.  I sized up two sizes since they weren't a wide width.  I loved them, because the top of the shoe (very technical terms I know) came over my trouble spot on Bertha where fluid can collect into a ball without a whole shoes covering the top of my foot. They have just been sitting in my closet not worn for a while, but I haven't been able to take the plunge and get rid of them.  Recently I watch Tidying Up with Marie Kondo, she does something when she gets rid of an item, she thanks it.  At first I laughed at this, but in secret I tried it one day on a top I knew I needed to say fare-long to.  It's embarrassing, but I am super sentimental about my clothes.  I always tie a memory to it, which is why I still have my old, too small, faded hoodie I wore in the hospital when I had my son....

Well I have a lot of outfits to cover! Links to everything I am wearing will be under each picture. I'll start with my "Mom Power Suit."  Again my Faux Leather Leggings and my favorite top that I stock up on when they come one sale for $5, I size up to have more of a tunic length and again my versatile sneakers I talked about in the outfit above.  My Mom Bag I never leave without and this cute and comfy sweater.  I love leopard!  Also my $25 wide width sneakers, also featured in another look. Leggings , Plus Leggings , Shoes , Top , Sweater , Bag , Sunglasses This is my "Mom on the go" look or better yet my "Hat Day, because I really need to wash my hair look."  Either way it's my comfy outfit I wear far too often.  I've been living in these Faux Leather Leggings by SPANX, they have a high waist and are SPANX, so it helps with my Mom tummy.  These leggings come in a several colors and right now a few of them are on sale on Zappos.com ...

Hello! I'm starting a new Blog Post I am hoping to post weekly to biweekly . . . ok maybe monthly, we'll see how it goes.  It's going to feature 2 items that are similar one is a "save" and the other is a "splurge." I love a good deal, but I also know that sometimes it pays in the long run to invest in a quality shoe or piece of clothing, especially if you're going to wear it over and over. My wardrobe is pretty 50/50 of save and splurge items.  White t-shirts, although I may wear and wash them a lot, I also know that don't stay white long and go for my $5 find on most t-shirts.  Jeans and shoes though I might spend more one. 1. It can be difficult to find jeans and shoes for Bertha, so when I do, I don't mind spending a little more. 2. Bertha can be rough on my pants and shoes, so quality can be key. Just in the past few years I've noticed there have been more fashionable options for wide width shoes.  If you follow me, you know I'...

Fall is here!  I'm sad to say goodbye to my sandals, but a little excited to not worry about painting my toes for a while.  Anyone with me?  The last pair of shoes I blogged about were from my favorite store, where dreams become realities and I pretty much never walk out with only one thing . . . or just what was on my list.  Yes the enchanting land of Target. These next shoes I'm posting about are also from Target (said in a french accent.) The Reese Quilted Sneaker from A New Day.  These shoes come in regular and wide widths.  A few springs back I purchased the grey pair, they have worn really well and have been comfortable wearing for a full day.  So I knew when Target had 20% off shoes, it was a safe bet to get another pair.  Of course I chose black.  I've had a lot of questions from followers about how I pick my size for shoes.  Before Lymphedema I was pretty much a solid 10.  After Lymphedema I now size up to an 11 and for ...

Leopard is trending right now and I couldn't be happier!  I almost see it as another neutral color. Besides my booties, my fall shoes are looking a little sad. Bertha really knows how to destroy a shoe, so I've been on the hunt. My new favorite place to find shoes right now is Target.  They had a great price point and have really up'ed their game with style, quality and the best part . . . they carry wide widths!!  Can I get a Hallelujah! Every week or so I browse the wide width shoes (online, they don't carry them in store yet) to see if any new style have some into stock.  Once in a while if I see a regular width shoe I love I'll check out the reviews to see how people are saying it fits.  That's what I did for this next shoe and I'm am so glad I did! I cannot stress enough how amazing and important reviews are.  And God bless the people who write them, it has seriously saved me from some bad purchases.  I saw the Universal Thread Lilian Microsu...

Leggings , Plus Legging , Top , Jacket , Similar Jacket , Shoes , Sunglasses Starting out this week in style . . because lets me real I'll be in sweats tomorrow.  But, that is what's so great with these Spanx Faux Leather Leggings, you can have the style and comfort at the same time!  There are so many ways to style these leggings, but my favorite thing about them is not just that they keep my Mom Bod in check, but they are so comfortable even if I dress them up I'm not sacrificing my love for comfort.  Bonus, right now Zappos has some colors on sale!  That's also where my Free People top is from as well and also on sale.  This top is a Fall staple for me to layer or just wear. It's stretchy, warm and long enough to cover my bum, so I can wear leggings out and about. Jean Moto Jeggings , Black Moto Jeggings , Top , Boots , Sweater , Sweater 2 I'm beyond excited to wear these booties again, yay for wide widths!  For years I could never hop of the...

In August I connected with the wonderful and very talented Betty Westbrook.  Betty is a lymphedema therapist has a podcast called Lymphedema Podcast talking all things Lymphedema.  She is also on the board of Brylan's Feat Foundation which has the first and only camp in the US for children with Lymphedema called Camp Watchme .  This beautiful camp is helping kids with Lymphedema and their families. Our first phone call I think we talked for about an hour, it was like we had always been friends.  I was more than honored when she asked if I would be interested in being on her podcast talking about my Blog, Bertha and Lymphie Fashion.  I was nervous, but Betty made me feel at home and and again we talked like old friends.  I hope you can check it out. I didn't know if would be brave enough to listen, I just picture hearing my voice resemble Darth Vader if he had a cold.  I did take a listen and whether you listen to mine or not do yourself a favor an...

Dress , Dress in Plus , Hat , Tote , Sandals , Earrings , Necklace I had to start this edition of #ootd with this outfit.  The other day when I was wishing I had signed my kids up for more camps this summer, my husband told me to have some "Mommy Time" and come back after the kids were in bed.   Life has been so busy I still had some exchanges to do from my birthday . . in March.  I never go to the mall unless I HAVE to try something on ot I need to exchange something. I am so glad I waited until now so I could find this dress and this hat.  The dress is a light cotton that I am hoping to transition into fall with leggings, booties and a sweater. The sunhat I have been eyeing forever and I was even more surprised how much I love it in person!  Everyday I'm feeling more confident showing my compression.  I really do owe it to the online community of amazing Lymphedema Warriors!  Thank you for flaunting your compression, encouraging and ...

Pantsuit/Romper , Similar,Romper , Sandals , Purse Necklace , Black Bracelet , Gold Bracelet , Sunglasses Date Night! And this Mama needed one for sure! This summer I kept seeing Pantsuits/Rompers (whatever you want to call them.) But after numerous try on's I couldn't find the perfect fit for Bertha . After the hilarity of my dressing room failures I took my sweaty self home empty handed, searched Amazon and found this holy grail of rompers. It's super lightweight and unlike a lot of rompers, super easy to take on and off and wide enough for Bertha. Dressed up or down it has been a staple in my summer wardrobe. Swimshorts , Similar swim short , Capri Style Sandals , Similar top , Similar top , Hat , Cup The dreadful part of summer to me is walking around with my wet compression stocking after being in the water. It rubs and chafes my other thigh. This year I searched and found my solution, long swim shorts. It was surprisingly difficult to find what I ha...

I have had Lymphedema since 2007 and in that time I had only one Cellulitis infection which landed me in the hospital for a week in 2015.  After that I went back to having no infections and loving life with lymphedema . . ok cringe, but I had to.  I don't know why it's a minor pet peeve of mine when a character from a show or movie says the title in their script.  Ok getting off track. Many of you know the past few years I have been battling cancer again.  After surgery and a recurrence I started my year going though Keytruda .  When my tumors started to grow I was apart of a trial which had me in the hospital a week each time.  After my first hospital stay I developed Cellulitis.  I did a round of antibiotics which cleared it up.  Unfortunately after my second week in the hospital like clockwork I came home and had another Cellulitis infection, visiting the ER each time.  I ended up having five infections in the course of 2 months. T...

So I have to be honest the first time I heard about the Superhero Stance (or Power Pose) was on Grey's Anatomy, but after looking into it, it is a real thing.  "The Benefit of Power Posing Before a High-Stakes Social Evaluation." was a Harvard paper written by Amy J.C. Cuddy, Caroline A. Wilmuth and Dana R. Carney from Berkley. You can read it here:  https://dash.harvard.edu/bitstream/handle/1/9547823/13-027.pdf?sequence=1 I don't know about you, but showing off my lymphie leg in public would fall under a "social evaluation" for me.  Looks, comments, whispers and questions.  There came a time where I decided my insecurity of these things would not hold me back from living my best life or break my confidence!  Trust me it still is a struggle at times, but I remember EVERYONE has an insecurity and really people are more focused on themselves than those around them. My daughter is also getting to the age where she is noticing her body and that other girl...