Mid-Rise Shorts Comparison

I have found that I'm not a fan of the high-rise shorts trend that is taking over these days.  Although it's a nice idea to cover up the less than firm stomach area, it's not all that practical because the shorts seems to sacrifice length for the tummy coverage.  Back in April, I needed shorts so I grabbed two pairs at Target online.  

One pair was completely ludicrous in its appearance once I put them on.  I felt like I was an extra in a music video wearing hot pants.  So, I did not intend to keep them.  I even began the return process for Target and was told "Oh, you can just keep them and we'll refund your money anyway."  If that's not a raving review by the company, I don't know what is. (insert eye roll here) I kept all the tags on the shorts and have put them in my "donate" pile because I just simply cannot bring myself to find a scenario in which I could comfortably wear the shorts.  

The other pair is okay.  I bought them after reading several other blogs about how they were the "unicorn" of shorts.  I'm not as big of a fan of them as others seem to be.  I like the frayed hem enough, but I'm uncomfortable with how high they come and therefore how short they appear.  I am long-waisted, so it takes a while to get from my pants inseam to my belly button where these shorts need to be in order to zip and button.  My torso is long, but my legs are short, so while the shorts rise very high and cover my midriff, they settle too high up my leg for me to be completely comfortable wearing them.  In all honesty, these shorts probably are great for some.  If someone was short-waisted and long-legged, then the shorts wouldn't have to rise so high to sit at the natural waist and would therefore be longer on the leg.  Since my body type is long-waisted and short-legged, I am not as comfortable with the high-rise trend. 

I was given two pairs of mid-rise shorts several years ago and completely wore one pair to shreds and am quickly approaching that level with the remaining pair.  I knew I needed to find similar mid-rise shorts, so I browsed around Old Navy and found three great options!  They arrived on Tuesday of this week and I am very happy with all three pairs.  Two of the pairs are actually the same short in different washes, and the third pair is a bit nicer and can be worn to events where you want to look a bit more pulled together.  

The two denim pairs can be found here.  I ordered the Medium Wash and the Dark Wash.  The have a 3 inch inseam which is just the right length for my legs.  They don't feel like bermuda shorts and also don't feel like hot pants-- so win, win.  :)

The hem is cuffed, but not sewn all the way around.  

Since it's not sewn all the way around, it can look unkempt in the back.  

 This can be an easy fix though by rolling the hem back into place and sewing a few anchor stitches.  I plan to sew the hem of both pairs of the denim shorts this weekend. 

They have a bit of stretch to them, so they show wrinkles easily, but also this means they wear well during the day and maintain comfortability. 

They are long enough to show from underneath a tunic-length shirt (my high-rise shorts are not long enough to peek out from underneath this same shirt).  These are the dark wash shown below. 

I pulled the shirt hem up to show the wrinkling that can occur from a full day of wearing.  This isn't bothersome to me, but I know it is to some. 

Here are the medium wash shorts.  

I'm really happy with the overall length of the shorts. 

I tried to show the unrolling of the hem that can occur from the lack of full sewing.  I'll update next week once I fix the hem this weekend. I do choose to wash the shorts inside out to help with the unrolling. 

The gray shorts can be found here.  I chose the color Blank Slate.  It's the perfect shade of neutral gray and can be worn with so many color combos.  It's a 3.5 inch inseam and the shorts are smooth and feel very comfortable when wearing.  

I feel like the length is appropriate for functions and doesn't cut into the midriff, but rises high enough to accommodate various shirt lengths. 

I took a couple photos of the dark wash mid-rise shorts next to my high-rise shorts to show how the shorts are slightly varied enough to cause different lengths. 

The high-rise are on the left and the mid-rise are on the right.  The high-rise shorts are from Target and can be found here. 

Side-by-side, they don't look that different in overall length.  It's the up close comparisons that will show the differences. 

Right next to each other, the high-rise shorts have a longer zipper because it needs to reach higher up on the midriff to get to the natural waist. 

The top of the high-rise shorts is about half an inch higher than the mid-rise shorts when the zippers are placed side-by-side. This rise of the zipper means that the length of the high-rise shorts comes up higher on the leg offering less protection around the rear area than the mid-rise shorts which offer complete coverage because they sit lower on the waist and therefore reach lower on the leg. 

It's always a nice feeling to find a style that truly fits the way my body is designed.  Knowing that I can be comfortable in these clothes is a huge plus, and in these days where we never really know what's coming next, every little joy we can find along the way is a blessing!

Until Next Time, 

Much Love, Reba

Kid Beach Outfits & Games

Using the packing cubes that come in a set of 5 (four zipping bags and one "shoe bag" or "wet bag"), I am able to pack all vacation clothes for me and my kiddos easily and can pretty much get everyone's items into one duffel bag.  I use the larger packing cube for myself, then each of the other three zipper bags for my kids. 

I start with Michael usually.  I put his things in the next largest zipper bag since his clothes are nearly the same size as mine.  For this quick trip, I packed three shirts (because kids spill), two pairs of shorts, one pair of pants (you never can be too prepared), one set of pajamas, (and of course underwear & socks). 

Noah wanted to pick out all of his own items.  This kid will wear jeans or pants every single day if he could, but I did persuade him to add some shorts in the mix.  He is also a creature of comfort and chose long sleeve fleece pajamas, so we'll see how that works out. :)  His clothes are pretty small, so they're easily able to fit into the middle sized zipping bag. 

Avery uses the smallest packing cube.  I packed the same clothing equation for her (three shirts, two shorts, one pair of pants, pajamas), plus a dress just in case she wanted to go that route on our trip.  I also include more than enough overnight diapers. 

Since we're staying somewhere not our own, I am including small games that are easy to pack and fun to play.  Uno is always a favorite with Michael (we played this for literally hours on end when he was in the hospital a year-and-a-half ago).  I'm also including regular playing cards so that Aaron and I can play Rummy or something else while the kids are sleeping.  Of course I had to throw in Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza and Spot it!  These are so super fun and we've really enjoyed them as we've mostly been at home over these past two months. 

Using packing cubes and making an extensive list ahead of time of all the things we could possibly need makes for a relatively easy packing time.  It's still overwhelming at times to pack for four people and think of all of the extra things to include.  At least it's summer and when I come home, I can just leave all of these things in a pile on my kitchen floor for a few hours without rushing to put it all away immediately!

Until Next Time,
Much Love, Reba

Beach Trip Outfits

In preparation of our beach trip, I put together a few outfits that I am packing. I'm using our packing cubes again because it keeps everything so organized. I actually forget that I have these until it's time to pack and then I'm super excited when I remember how easy it'll be to pack everything!

I ordered this suit for 50% off from J.Crew when they were having a flash sale.  I've been eyeing it for about 3 years but knew that I'd need a serious sale in order to purchase it.  I'd also been wanting to order the caftan for about 2 years and finally got around to it this past week.

The shorts with the frayed hem are from Target.  I'm not a super huge fan of the high-waist, but they're comfortable enough to keep wearing.  The jeans are Wit & Wisdom with ab-solution technology.  They're my all time favorite brand of jeans, but I wait til they go on sale before buying a pair.  These are technically ankle-length, but I purposely bought them in the Regular length rather than Petite length so that they could be a longer jean on me.  They have a raw hem, which is a style I really wanted to try!  They fit so very well and are majorly comfortable.  The Old Navy mid-rise shorts were a hand-me-down and they're my favorite shorts.  I wish I could find other mid-rise styles these days, but apparently the high-waist is what's in for this summer and it's really difficult to find anything else! (similar shorts, but with a rolled hem)

I chose between these two shirts since they're both the same A-line style.  I ended up choosing the shirt on the left since the fabric is softer and I'm all about comfort when I go on a trip.  It's from Wal-Mart last summer.  The shirt on the right is a true favorite.  I cut the tassles off of it when it arrived because they weren't the same length and didn't add to the overall effect of the shirt.  I ordered up two sizes to make sure it was actually big enough since it comes from China.  I also learned my lesson not to put it in the dryer because the length will certainly shrink.  Now after I wash it, I lay it flat to dry and I tug on the hemline just to make sure it keeps it's length.  

This shirt is another Amazon find and it's so super soft!  I bought it in the fall to wear for a pep rally at school (Hawaiian themed, as it were) but I have worn it several times since then just because it's so comfortable. 

The dress is several years old from LOFT Beach line, but I loved the summery colors. Anything red, white, and blue says "Summer!" to me.  A few months ago, I bought the slip shorts from Target.  Wearing slips is a hassle to me, but slip shorts offer the same coverage and makes me feel like I'm actually more covered up. 

The PJs were a February find from TJMaxx and whatever material they're made from stays soft throughout washing and drying.  They're really comfortable which is how they made my vacation outfit approved list. :)

Here's everything laid out in the packing cube that I use for myself.  I use the other cubes for my kids' clothes.  I made sure to leave my pajamas on top since we'll be arriving late and this will be the first thing that I'll need to wear while I'm there.  

Once it's zipped shut, it's nice and compact and makes fitting everything in my duffel bag so easy. 

I'll update later on with what I'm bringing for the kids-- including games!

Until Next Time,
Much Love, Reba